Bishop Hanson's Christmas Video

Christmas Video 2011 - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

bearing

the annunciation

"Let it be to me according to your Word."  This is Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s message.  She will bear the news and the physical reality of it.  It reveals her character and the ideal way in which all people are invited to respond to the presence and power of God, as it fills our lives with promise and hope.  But Luke the evangelist knew that Mary's response was different. She was more open than most of us to the possibility that God might approach us and speak to us.  As such, she becomes the bearer of God.  

Most of us, most of the time, doubt that God speaks.  And angels? We speak of them whenever we manage to avoid an accident; as in "my guardian angel was watching out for me".  But angels do not confront us.  Not even in church! We maintain distance between us and God.  Our story is more like Zechariah the priest;  Here's his story, also from the first chapter of Luke's gospel:  

arrival signs

I don’t travel much.  Not a business traveler.  I have gone away for extended continuing education or other ministry trips; New Orleans, Detroit.  I went to Puerto Rico once in college--my only trip off the mainland.  But it looks like I’m going to Ft. Myers Fla in Febuary for an ELCA World Hunger leaders gathering. Anyway, I’m never gone that long.  My parents rarely traveled either, farmers are rooted to their land.  So I haven’t experienced the feeling of being welcomed home or welcoming someone after a long time apart.  I have this image of coming off an airplane and coming down an escalator and someone holding a sign up with my name on it.  Mr. Lenahan.  Someone waiting for my arrival.  Or maybe a party waiting for my arrival.  I wonder if going to heaven is like that? Escalator reversed, robed apostles and angels waiting at the gate, Peter holding the sign, no baggage to claim—not lost luggage, just unnecessary. I guess some of us view heaven as an arrival, a homecoming.   

Yesterday’s Lancaster newspaper had a front page article about a surprise homecoming for a local family at Clay elementary school this week.  Two kids whose mom has been deployed in Iraq for about  a year received a huge surprise at an assembly where they unwrapped a refrigerator box present to find that the prize they had “won” was their mom’s early discharge.  I think about family’s with loved ones on deployment waiting for that person to come home.  For a year they carry a sign around in their hearts and minds with “mom”, or “Dad”, “spouse”,  or “son”, or “daughter” on it. Advent is about waiting for someone to come. So, what does that feel like?  I guess to get at that we need to dig into our own personal stuff a little. So...      

headlines

Who reads the newspaper?  Daily or weekly?  We get the Saturday and Sunday news at my house.  Newspapers are dying.  People get their news electronically today.  They don’t need newspapers.  Readerships are down.  I heard about it on Marketplace report on NPR the other night.  They said that newspapers are losing the loyal older population faster than expected and they don’t know how to attract the younger crowd.  Wow.  Sounds like a lot of Christianity has the same problem. The medium in which we share the news is not retaining and attracting newer, younger people.  Newspaper is a 500 year- old- invention. So are Lutherans.  Advent is about new beginnings, fresh imagination for what life in this world can and should be like.  We want this season to be about nostalgia, but it is not.  It is about change, new beginnings, renewal from the inside-out. 

John the baptist was calling for radical life change.  A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, according to the gospel of Mark.  He was not only talking about my bad deeds or your wicked thoughts.  He knew that the world had gone to hell in a hand basket.  The whole world, from top to bottom. Things needed to change, whole cloth.  We’re talking more like sweeping revolution than cleaning up spilled milk.    

John knew the headlines, the news stories of his day.  They probably went something like this:

“Herod builds new palace.  300 homes are torn down to begin new construction.  Displaced families seek shelter in city.”

 “Herod seen on the town with his brother’s wife. Scandal rocks the north country.”  

“Emperor raising taxes to build better roads.” 

“More Roman soldiers occupy Jerusalem.”

 “Poverty rate increases in Palestine. Children are worse affected.”

“Temple reconstruction at its height.  New baths rivaling the roman style are installed for out-of-town guests.”

“ Religious leaders seek to cool zealous radicals.”

Some of these headlines may sound familiar. The news doesn't change much.  Power, wealth, suffering, violence.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a different headline?

the best character

Dear Church, just a reminder. In case you have forgotten.  The character that best personifies the holiday season is not Santa Claus.  (St. Nicholas, perhaps...mall Santa and his jolly gift-giving, not so much).  Santa is everywhere anymore. Every event, every location, every holiday party.  He's going to be at two different Burger Kings on Monday, at the same time!  You try to do that!  Amazing.  Santa is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of the Holiday.  From his "first official appearance" at the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade to his invisible presence on Christmas eve, Santa is here.   But Santa is not this season's main man.  Do you hear me?  Santa is NOT the person that embodies this holy season.  Santa is NOT God.
You are thinking: Obviously, it's Jesus. Put Christ back in Christmas--- blah,blah, blah! And, you are right, but not completely right.  Jesus is not the reason for the season.  Jesus is the life of the world yesterday, today, and forever.  Jesus is every season.  We cannot pin Jesus down to our time,to a date on the calendar (Dec. 25).  So, if not Jesus, who?

Prayer of the Day

Lord our God, grant that we may be ready to receive Christ when he comes in glory and to share in the banquet of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

"...ready to receive Christ when he comes in glory..." This is church language.  What does it mean? I think, when we pray, we might want to understand what we are saying.  The context of this prayer is that the true KING and ruler of the earth is absent.  He is going to return, as when a King returns victorious from battle.  Coming in glory means that the King will return triumphant as the true and only ruler.  All will then see the King as their ruler. A great banquet to honor the King's return will commence, to which we hope to be the invited guests.     We must hear "Christ" as a royal title.  The bible espouses to a divine monarchy, on which Jesus--the crucified and risen King--is enthroned as ruler forever.
In a free democracy, pledging allegiance to a monarch seems archaic.  But, a divine monarchy, in which one perfect and just King is enthroned forever is the bible's political persuasion.
In Advent, we imagine the return of the King to restore order and peace.

praying

Praying is, well, strange.  For many of us, our prayer life consists of a sort of informal conversation with God.  I say "sort of" because it's not really a conversation.  It's more like a therapy session, whereby God is the listener/therapist and we are the clients.  The conversation is one-sided for a lot of us.  How does one become the listener in that conversation?  Someone once said, "When I tell people that I speak to God, they call me a saint.  When I tell people, God spoke to me they call me a lunatic."  But the motto of the United Church of Christ is "God is still speaking..."  At any rate, the informal conversation with God thing has been touted as the sign that one's prayer is sincere, personal, and meaningful. Rote prayers, ritualized, fixed, written, or liturgical prayer have been maligned as insincere, impersonal, and lacking proper expression. But you know that we talk about prayer more than we actually pray. Because we don't know how to pray.  We want to think it's easy, but it is not.  It is unnatural and takes practice.  Prayer is more like learning a foreign language than chatting with an old buddy.

Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer/ Matins

Dialog

L          O Lord, open my lips;

C         And my mouth shall declare your praise;

Glory to the Father, and to the Son +, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, amen.

Psalmody  Psalm 95

O come, let us sing to the LORD;

            let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

  ²Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

            let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

  ³For the LORD is a great God,

            and a great King above all gods.

  ⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth;

            the heights of the mountains are his also.

  ⁵The sea is his, for he made it,

            and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

  ⁶O come, let us worship and bow down,

            let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

  ⁷For he is our God,

            and we are the people of his pasture,

            and the sheep of his hand.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever, amen. 

Psalm 148

Praise the LORD!

            Praise the LORD from the heavens;

            praise him in the heights!

  ²Praise him, all his angels;

            praise him, all his host!

  ³Praise him, sun and moon;

            praise him, all you shining stars!

  ⁴Praise him, you highest heavens,

            and you waters above the heavens!

  ⁵Let them praise the name of the LORD,

            for he commanded and they were created.

  ⁶He established them forever and ever;

            he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

  ⁷Praise the LORD from the earth,

            you sea monsters and all deeps,

  ⁸fire and hail, snow and frost,

            stormy wind fulfilling his command!

  ⁹Mountains and all hills,

            fruit trees and all cedars!

  ¹⁰Wild animals and all cattle,

            creeping things and flying birds!

  ¹¹Kings of the earth and all peoples,

            princes and all rulers of the earth!

  ¹²Young men and women alike,

            old and young together!

  ¹³Let them praise the name of the LORD,

            for his name alone is exalted;

            his glory is above earth and heaven.

  ¹⁴He has raised up a horn for his people,

            praise for all his faithful,

            for the people of Israel who are close to him.

            Praise the LORD!\

C         Amen

readings

Week 1:  Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Week 2:  Isaiah 58:1:12

Week 3: Romans 5:1-11.

Week 4: Ephesians 4:17-24

L         In many and various ways God spoke to his people of old by the prophets.

C         But now in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.

Gospel Canticle 

Magnificat "Song of Mary" Luke, ch.1

‘My soul magnifies the Lord, 
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name. 
His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation. 
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly; 
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty. 
He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy, 
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

PRAYERS

Mighty God of mercy, we thank you for the resurrection dawn, bringing the glory of our risen Lord who makes every day new.

Especially we thank you—

            for the sustaining goodness of your creation...

            for the new creation in Christ and all gifts of healing and forgiveness...

            for the gifts of relationship with others...

            for the communion of faith in your church...

Other thanksgivings may be added.

Merciful God of might, renew this weary world, heal the hurts of all your children, and bring about your peace for all in Christ Jesus, the living Lord.

Especially we pray—

            for those who govern nations of the world...

            for the people in countries ravaged by strife or warfare...

            for all who work for peace and international harmony...

            for all who strive to save the earth from carelessness and destruction...

            for the church of Jesus Christ in every land...

Other intercessions may be added.

L         O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to this new day; preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome in adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (249)

L          Lord our Father, each morning you welcome us as we are; gie us a heart that is pure and free, to receive your Word, and discover in our brothers and sisters the message of life you bring us, through Jesus, the Christ, our Lord. Amen.

C         Amen

The Lord's Prayer

C         Our Father in heaven,

            hallowed be your name,

            your kingdom come,

            your will be done,

                        on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

            as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

            and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

            now and forever. Amen

Benediction

L          Let us bless the Lord.

C         Thanks be to God.

L          Maythe Lord bless us,

Keep away all evil, and lead us to eternal life.

C         Amen.

From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2011 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.

Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #42246.

Evening Prayer for a small group or household

Vespers

Evening prayers may be prayed between the hours of 6 pm and 10 pm. 

O, God come to my assistance;

O, Lord make haste to help me!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, amen.

Confession

I confess to almighty God, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts, words, and deeds, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; I have not loved you with my whole heart or my neighbors as myself.   Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner.  Amen. 

Psalmody One or more Psalms is prayed daily

Sundays:          Psalms 103, 104, 105

Mondays:         Psalms 115, 116,117

Tuesdays:        Psalms 130, 131, 133

Wednesdays:   Psalms  135, 136, 138

Thursdays:       Psalms 139, 140, 141 

Fridays:            Psalms 142, 143, 144

Saturdays:        Psalms 145, 146, 147

Short readings

Week one                                Week two

Romans 12:1-2.                                   Romans 6:3-5

2 Corinthians 5:17-21              1 Corinthians 15:3-7

Ephesians 4:1-5                                   Galatians 5:16-22

Philippians 2:4-11                    Ephesians 2:1-10

Colossians 1:15-20                  Philippians 4:4-7

1 Peter 1:3-9                            Colossians 3:13-17

1 John 1:5-9                            Hebrews 1:1-3

Magnificat Song of Mary, Luke 1

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.  From this day, all generations will call me blessed. The almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.  He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.  He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has broght down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.  He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he has remembered the promise of mercy; a promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.  Glory to the Father and to the son and to the holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.  (or sing)

Litany

Blessed are you O Lord our God.  In your great love you sent your Son Jesus to bring light to our darkness and to show us the way of truth: hear us as we pray.

---For those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Lord, have mercy.

---For those who live in fear, anxiety, depression, and any form of mental illness. Lord, have mercy.

---For those who are sick, suffering, grieving, or dying. Lord, have mercy.

---For those who are hungry, homeless, poor, thirsty, or lack in any daily need. Lord, have mercy.

---For those who suffer the consequences of war, violence, or crime. Lord, have mercy.

---For the end of unjust governments and laws that threaten human dignity and oppress minorities. Lord, have mercy.

---For Christians facing persecution. For Muslims and Jews.  That we pursue peace together with  God’s help.  Lord, have mercy.

---For all who have died, hoping in the life to come.    Lord, have mercy.

---Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:

Our Father in heaven, holy is your name.  Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.  For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen. 

Concluding prayer

We thank you, Lord, for the day that you have given us.  Your goodness and love were made known to us this day. You have mercifully sustained us and provided for our needs.  You have permitted us to serve you and love others.  The day is now ending and we entrust to you this night.  Tend to those who suffer in the darkness. Keep watch over us while we sleep that we may rise in the morning to praise and serve you again.  In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.   

Final blessing

May the Lord bless us, keep away all evil, and lead us to eternal life.  Amen.  

Advent prayers

Creator of the stars of night, your people's everlasting light,
O Christ,redeemer of us all, we pray you hear us when we call.
In sorrow that the ancient curse should doom to death a universe,
You came, O savior, to set free
 your own in glorious liberty.
Come, sun and savior to embrace
our gloomy world, its weary race,
as groom to bride, as bride to groom:
the wedding chamber, Mary's womb.
At your great name, O Jesus now
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
All things on earth with one accord,
like those in heav'n , shall call you Lord.
Come in your holy might, we pray,
Redeem us for eternal day;
Defend us while we dwell below,
For all assaults of our dread foe. ---8th century.


O Lord, you promised that you would come again.  We await your return, doubting if you will.  We grow weary under the tyranny of sin and death.  We long for your forgiveness, your freedom, your peace.  We search for signs of your eternal presence.  We hope for your good future to arrive, bringing life and salvation to every living thing.  Will you come again?  Will we see your face? Will you come down to dwell with your people?  Will you make all things new? Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Stir up your power, Lord Christ and come.  By your merciful protection awaken us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

the beginning

Mark 1:1-8

1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,' " 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

breaking the cycle

 ‘But in those days, after that suffering,the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’ Gospel of Mark, 13 

The countdown has begun.  The decorating, the baking, the shopping, the TV specials, the 24/7 Christmas music, the shopping, the madness that is the “Holiday Season” is now thrust upon us.  Black Friday is being characterized as a frenzy of violence by the Sunday newspaper.  I doubt most shoppers witnessed violence, but it did occur in the wee small hours of the morning while men and women wrestled flat panel televisions, Ipads, and other tech gadgetry out of big chain stores.  "Right now get the hottest deals on the things you want this holiday.  Stores are opening at midnight."  One man was in line at best buy at 1 am on Thanksgiving day---he spent his entire thanksgiving day waiting in line at a best buy, so that he could be the first one in.  He got in at midnight like everyone else.  But he was first and he was prepared. Something is wrong here.  How did things get to be so far off?  

the least of these

The gospel reading for Christ the King Sunday was from Mathew 25.  It is a parable, a story Jesus' tells about the Kingdom of God. This is not a very Lutheran parable.  I don’t like the consequences.  Because It sounds as if Jesus is saying that in the end what really counts are your good works, your charity toward the least among you. It sounds like the end of the age will bring divine judgment that will separate the sheep from the goats;  the ones on the right are the righteous who will enter heaven, the ones who-- unbeknownst to them-- had served their King by serving the least among them.  And the unrighteous are sent to hell for having not realized that they had not served their king by ignoring the basic needs of the least.  That’s what it sounds like.  In the end God judges us by our charity toward the least.  And Lutherans don’t believe this. We believe that we are all sinners before God, that the cross and resurrection of Jesus makes us righteous, not our works or deeds.  We believe that we are justified by grace through faith, apart from works of the law. That means that reconciliation with God is not something we accomplish, but something that we receive.  At best we might say that good works flow out of a right relationship with God. We might say that the righteous ones in Jesus’ parable are the ones who have come to know and trust the God made known through the ministry of Jesus and his church and have then come to live as Kingdom people.  

risky investments

Frederick Buechner, Christian author, once wrote, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deepest gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  That’s a great way of saying, if the thing you love to do somehow serves the greater good, consider yourself blessed.  Communion with God is somehow connected to our capacity to take what we’ve been given and share it with those who need it in this world.  Martin Luther might have called it the vocation of the baptized, or our Christian calling.  I was called to ministry at age 14, by Bernie Gigliotti, an obese diabetic Lebanese Lutheran with a bad comb-over  who sat in the back pew every Sunday at my home church.  He told me, after I had begun serving as a communion assistant and lector, that I should become a pastor.  Thanks a lot Bernie.  Don’t know why I listened to Bernie.  But hear I am. We are where we are for many reasons, often too complicated to connect to one thing.  To say I live here because of my job is not entirely true or false.  We are where we are.  Same with what we have.  Some of it we earn, some we inherit, some we make, some we receive as gift.  Some things we gain thoughtlessly at the expense of others. Some things we have, cost us dearly.  Some things we have require responsibility and some things we have don’t.  I have golf clubs.  They were a birthday gift.  I am not obligated to them.  They don’t require much.  I don’t use them much either.  For the way I play, the clubs and a few other people are probably glad I don’t.  But I also have three sons---also birthday gifts, not my birthday theirs.  With them comes all kinds of responsibility and obligation, all of which I take on most gratefully.  I am their dad.  They are my boys.  You get my point.  We receive much in this life.  From beginning to end.  How we treat what we have received makes a difference.  Not all things are treated equally.  Hopefully, human relationships are the most valuable. In this life, how we manage what we have is important.

Benedictine Morning Prayer

Lauds

O God, come to my assistance; O Lord make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, amen.

Psalm 67

O God,be gracious to us and bless us.

and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth,

and all nations learn of your saving help.

Let the peoples praise you, O God,

let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and exult

for your rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

you guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God,

let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its fruit

for God, our God, has blessed us.

May God still give us his blessing

till all the ends of the earth revere him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God

Let all the peoples praise you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Hymn

Eternal glory of the sky, blest hope of weak humanity;

The Father's sole begotten one, and offspring of virginity.

Uplift us with your arm of might, and let our hearts rise pure and bright.

Ad,ardent in God's praises pay, the thanks we owe God every day.

Praise and honor to you Father,to your only Son divine,

equal glory to the Spirit, in our hearts your love enshrine. Amen.

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.  In your compassion blot out my offense.O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.  My offenses truly you know them; my sin is always before me.  Against you, you alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done.

That you may be justified when you give sentence and be without reproach when you judge.  O see, in guilt I was born, a sinner was I conceived.  Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.  O purify me, then I shall be clean; O wash me,I shall be made whiter than snow.  Make me hear rejoicing and gladness that the bones you have crushed may thrill.  From my sins turn away your face and blot out all my guilt.  A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your Holy Spirit.  Give me again the jot of your help; with a Spirit of fervor sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you.  O rescue me, O God, my helper,and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.  O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise. For in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse; my sacrifice, a contrite spirit, a humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn. In your goodness,show favor to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,then you will be offered young bulls on your altar.

the 420 hook

We had lunch at the cafe downtown.  I didn't know what we would talk about.  She's a student. She's recently celebrated her engagement to a man in the military, who is right now on his way to Afghanistan. She runs and studies a lot.  She lives at home and commutes to school. She is afraid, but confident.  She has a plan.
I asked her about her faith in God.  She said that everyday she sees the number 420 and she thinks about God.  Her birth date is April 20th, 4/20.  She says that almost daily 4 20 appears to her somehow--on a clock, a licence plate, an apartment number. And when they do, she thinks of God---God the creator, who has blessed her life.  She says when things are not going well she will see a 419, a sign that she is not tracking with God, that she is out of rhythm.  She likes to think of the daily reminder as a kind of reorientation of her daily rhythms.  Does she need to slow down and breathe? Does she need a reminder that all will be well with her?  God shows up on the numbers that mean something to her. It is personal. A numeric post-it note reminding her that God is near her.  Everyday. For two years.

I write this blog

I write this blog.  I've been writing it inconsistently for over four years now.  I am not a writer.  I've never published a book or an article in    a magazine. I've never even had an editorial printed in the local newspaper. But I write this blog and it gets published in cyberspace.  I have had entries from this blog posted, copied, and shared by others without my permission.  I don' care about that. I have had people comment on my blog entries with critical thinking.  As a liberal arts graduate, I appreciate the possibility of dialogue or conversation as part of this writing experience. Some commentary is negative criticism from relatively anonymous people.  Anonymity is a good device for critical editors and know-it-all's.  I suppose journalists and authors deal with anonymous criticism all the time. I also suppose that is why I am not a journalist or author.
I write this blog to exercise my mind.  I write when I feel inspired by something or someone.  I write because I am free to do so here. Most of my writing is theological or religious or political.  The topics we are told to avoid when keeping good company.  But I like to think that all of these things have something to do with being human. What is God like? Is there a God?  What gods seek our allegiances?  Any response to these things is theology.  And any sense of human devotion to a god is religious whether the god is vishnu, allah, Jesus, or David Beckham. How people make sense of and articulate a response to God is also religious. Politics is about power, who has it, who doesn't, and how is it being used in human communities.  I write about these things, not as an expert but as a student. I suppose I could blog about other things:  My kids, sports, food, my dog, celebrities I like to watch. These would probably be more popular topics. But I don't write about those things.  

Beloved, we are God's children now

When I was a kid, we used to go to these family reunions.  In the summer time.  We would dreive to Essex, NY on Lake Champlain in the Adirondack mountains. I can remember only a few details of these reunions.  This was my mother’s side, her father’s side.  My grandfather Ray Morse grew up in Schenectady, NY outside of Albany. He spent his summer’s as a boy in Essex, at his Uncle’s farm.  The reunion’s were held there.  Sort of old fashioned picnics on a grand lawn in front of a little farm house.  My great-grandfather Rex and Great grandmother Marion were always there, together with Rex’s sisters Rosie, Kitty, Phoebe, Hazel, and Lydia.  They were all in their late 80’s and early 90’s.  At 9 years old these people were ancient—living ancestors.  I liked to listen to their stories. They sat on porch rockers and laughed at each other.  The younger crowd played Frisbee and croquet, ate burgers and hot dogs, the usual summer fare.  There were the motorcycle riding, tattooed "black sheep? members of the family, whose arrival was uncertain and surprising.  Yet they were also embraced and welcome to join in.  The old nstories often brought tears, if someone remembered a loved one who was not with them.  Uncle Ben.  The brother who had passed.  They talked about the war and the toll it took on them.  Ray fought in the Pacific.  His presence at the reunion was always seen as a miracle, a gift.  He was my grandfather and I loved when they showed us the old pictures of Ray as a young man in his uniform.  They were proud of him.  They played cards and board games, too.  At the time, I did not understand the meaning of the five hour car trip to visit with old people I didn’t know.  They were my family, extended generationally into the past.  We were what they had become.  We stopped having reunions after Rex’s generation passed.  I have family out there that I haven’t seen in years.  I don’t know their names and they don’t know mine.  But we are related.

to forgive and forget

To forgive and forget.  Jeremiah 31:31-34 tells us that this is God’s new way of dealing with sinful humanity.  A people who deal unjustly with each other.  The wealthy make deals that benefit themselves while the poor suffer.  The poor remain victimized and, therefore, trapped in a cycle of poverty that affects generation after generation---a slave to a system in which they are not the beneficiaries.  (Sound familiar?) In Jeremiah's 7th century BC Jerusalem, the wealthy accumulated power through political means and all of the people disregarded the way of the LORD. Human will disregarded the commandments of God.  The result was a hostile takeover by the army of Babylon, destruction and deportation.  Their arrogance and disregard for the promises and commands of God left them vulnerable, though they felt secure in their prosperity.  Next thing they know, it all came down around them.  Their walls of power and security, their prosperity.  In exile they grieve and die.  By the second generation and the third their trust in the LORD was not about secure walls and prosperity.  They had come to find peace in Babylon.  They remembered the story that formed them as God's people, the Exodus.  It was then that God made a new promise.  "I will forgive your iniquity and remember your sins no more. "

have you found Jesus?

There are days when I am not in tune to God's presence.  I am doubtful that the invisible God is near, available, accessible, close to me. At times, Jesus is hidden from me.  Now, I am a Lutheran Christian and a Pastor.  So, the presence of God and the nearness of Christ are supposed to be something I know and proclaim. The Bible is essentially about the presence of God, the voice of God, the revelation of God to people; and finally the incarnation of God in Jesus of Nazareth.  I believe that God is present whether or not I can sense the presence of God.  BUT, I also want to experience God's presence or the visible, tangible, incarnate, in-person Jesus.  I want Jesus LIVE!  I can see why people might reject or deny the existence of God, since the presence of God is a matter of faith.  We want to believe in what is real.  What is real is what one can see, touch, smell, taste, understand with one's mind and senses.  There is a certain physicality that we require.
I go back to the Lutheran idea that God is hidden in and among those who are suffering.  Luther believed that the crucifixion of Jesus signified God's compassion for the suffering, dying, unjustly treated, impoverished children of the world.  So, if I am in search of God, I will find myself connecting with people who are troubled.  I think about this upper middle class American fundagelical megachurch Christianity that is clean and big and technologically proficient and culturally relevant.  Have you found Jesus?  This is a question that hyper-spiritualizes the gospel. And it assumes that we are the agents of salvation.  When you find Him, you will be saved.  Is God absent?  Or are we looking in the wrong space?  In what ways do we identify with suffering?  How does the biblical God become known?
Jesus is hidden from us because we are comfortable and safe.  Jesus is in the shadows, on the margins, among the overlooked and forgotten in our streets.  Jesus is with that homeless guy curled up on the sidewalk in front of the Philadelphia convention center.  I saw him on Tuesday. I'm not sure that anyone else did.
If you are in a place where God is absent from you, consider searching among the refuse.  Among the discarded and abandoned is where God can be found.  The curtain is often our own prejudice and our own false sense of security.  I trust that my eyes will see God when I am facing someone who is struggling. I doubt any of us have to look real far or too hard.

day laborers in heaven

First, the story:  Jesus told it like this.  ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’ 

Some story.  What does it mean?  Thing about parables is they have more than one meaning. Given the unemployment situation, one can read all kinds of labor issues into this parable.  Unfair labor practices lead to unionization of workers.  Or is this landowner a socialist?  Distributing wealth indiscriminately, and deincentivizing workers.  If you can, hang around until 5:00 pm and you’ll still get paid the same as those guys who worked all day—pretty sweet deal if you’re on that end of the labor pay equation.  Thing about parables is: They mean something different to different people, partly because of the characters with whom you may identify.  Are you more like that landowner or more like that day laborer or more like a vineyard?  I can take a stab at what it means, though. I hear something like this:   Heaven is open.  Anyone can get in.  God invites us.  Jews, gentiles, pagans, prosperous 21st century Americans.  Heaven is not a reward for a life well-lived.  It is not an inheritance for deserving heirs.  It is not a final blessing for God’s holy people.  It is not an incentive to inspire good behavior and healthy choices.  Heaven is communion with God which can happen in a single moment or throughout a lifetime of faithful endurance. There are people who will never set foot in church, never recite a creed or pray the Lord’s prayer.  They may not be baptized, communing, and contributing members.  They may not have memorized a single bible verse. But if they have communed with God, the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.   It’s not about what you do or how well or how often you do it.  It’s not first about your response, your worship life, your prayer life, your devotion or even your heart.   God is the agent of grace who welcomes, invites, calls, and comes to us.  Thus, Christianity---if it is the way of Jesus—is not a religious system or a human institution.  It is God’s initiative. We are recipients, God is the giver. You might ask, but how does one commune with God and not pray, worship, serve, etc…? That is a good question.  And the answer may be:  there is no way to commune with God and not worship, pray to, and become a servant to God.  They are the natural, innate responses of creature to creator, of the rescued to their savior. Back to the parable: 

forgive.

Can you think of someone you once cared about, maybe even loved, with whom you are no longer speaking because of something said or done, or because of some failure on someone’s part? Is it a family member?  An ex-spouse? A friend?  An acquaintance?  Sometime we have to move on, beyond guilt or resentment.  Relationships end and sometimes badly. If any of you have experienced the sadness of broken relationships or the pain of conflict within a group of people, then you understand the seriousness of the passage from Matthew 18.  Division, conflict, and disagreement seems to be the name of the game in our political system.  A new tv series airs this fall called “revenge” and one of the commercials has a character, who has been wronged, declare that they are not out to forgive.  We contrast attitudes of vengeance that often show up in talk about “so and so getting what’s coming to them; a “they’ll get there’s” kind of response to mistreatment; with the attitude described in Don Kraybill’s book about the victims of the Nickel Mines shooting.  There was national attention drawn to the behavior of the Amish community’s response to the crime.  Forgiveness was part of the healing and grieving process.  They were, it seemed, legally bound to forgive because of their allegiance to Christ. But they were treated as superhumans because of their capacity to forgive.  Is that who we are now? Incapable of reconciliation with those who do us wrong?  Are we back to an eye for an eye pod world? Only the radically religious Amish are able to muster the power to forgive?     

fall clothes

Fall is beautiful, may be my favorite season.  The colors of decay, the warm oranges and pinks of late afternoon suns, the bright October moon, harvest time.  We picked apples at an orchard in NY last week.  Drank freshly pressed cider, ate warm apple cider donuts. Farming was always fun in the fall—driving hay rides out to our pumpkin patch, watching the kids pick out their pumpkin.  Football is back.  Baseball has ended, apparently for the season, since the Phillies lost this week.  I guess there will be more baseball, maybe even a world series, but not here. I love fall clothes; sweat shirts and jeans.  I have these two new heavy flannel shirts.  

The only thing I don’t love about fall is when I have to lug all of the plastic totes and hangers out of the attic and basement to switch over warm weather clothes to cold weather clothes.  I guess if we had larger closets we wouldn’t have to do this, but we don’t.  So we break out the bins of sweaters and turtle necks, jackets, and gloves.  It’s a project that my wife largely undertakes on behalf of herself and the three boys.  I’m not trustworthy in that department.  Ot sure if that shirt belongs to Luke yet, or Jonah, if those pants fit Luke or Elijah.  Luke’s the middle man—inheritor of Jonah’s clothes, giver of Eli’s clothes. Trouble happens when Eli grows into Luke’s clothes before Luke grows into Jonah’s. Nevermind, the constant need to clothe the eldest with new clothes as he outgrows the old.  He doesn’t really have a fall/winter bucket.  But he’ll need fall/winter clothes.  As for me, I keep my transfer clthig down toa single bucket. If it doesn’t fit, its gone.   So, next week, I will part with some summer shirts.  And I will likely cast off some fall/winter clothes that don’t fit anymore.  Not growing up, but getting bigger has an effect one’s clothes. We are changing over clothes at Peter’s Porch in an effort to provide appropriate clothes for the coming cold season.  We will get rid of all of the summer clothes, trusting that we will receive a supply to be ready for the spring and summer.       

This becomes donation time, too.  Rooting out old clothes or clothes that are tattered or worn. Mending of clothing is not as popular as donating and buying new.  We receive donations here that have tags on them and things that seem barely worn; and we receive clothes in poor condition that we do not keep.  I don’t typically hang on to clothes that are old or tattered—except my Susquehanna University sweatshirt that I’ve had since my senior year of High School.   It has actually been thrown out and rescued! Some clothes preserve memories.  What you were wearing on a certain occasion sticks with you.  Cherie’s wedding gown will likely never be work again.  But we will not part with it.   

God and Taxes.

A letter to the IRS

Dear Internal Revenue Service,

I am filing my 1040 here. As you will see, I made $9,600 this past year, and found that according to the 1040 form, I owe $324.44 of that to federal taxes. While I am glad to contribute money to the common good and towards things that promote life and dignity, especially for the poor and most vulnerable people among us, I am deeply concerned that 30 percent of the federal budget goes towards military spending, with $117 billion going to support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Further, when we include the 18 percent that goes towards past military costs, such as the $380 billion in debt payments, 80 percent of which are military related debts, that number goes up to a total military budget of $1,372 billion — nearly half of the federal budget). My Christian faith and my human conscience require me to respectfully reserve the right not to kill, and to refrain from contributing money towards weapons and the military.

For this reason, I am enclosing a check for $227.11, which is, according to the form, 70 percent of what I owe. The remaining $97.33 represents 30 percent of my tax payment, the amount that would go toward military spending. I will donate this remaining 30 percent to a recognized U.S. nonprofit organization working to bring peace and reconciliation.  My faith also compels me to submit to the governing authorities, which is why I am writing you respectfully and transparently here. I am glad to discuss this further if you have any questions.

May we continue to build the world we dream of,

Shane Claiborne (excerpt from Sojourners' God's Politics Blog, 4-11/2011)

There is one Christian's response to taxation in a democracy.  Thank you,Shane Claiborne, for giving us something to think about.  Jesus gives us another:  Give to the ruler what belongs to the ruler and give to God what belongs to God.   I’m sure Jesus had no money at all. He had to ask to see a coin.  For the poor who have no money, what do they owe the government who prints it?  And to give God what belongs to God is perhaps to say that everything belongs toGod for God made it.  So what does not belong to God, including the things that belong to the ruler?  Including the ruler himself, made in God’s image, created by the creator.   

Churches are exempt from paying certain taxes.  Ministers are too.  I pay taxes, though.   My meager taxes  do pay government salaries and war bills and legislation I don’t agree with. My taxes support wall street bail outs and corporate greed.  And my  taxes support state food purchasing programs that allow us to purchase $5,000 of food relief for our neighbors.  Government partners with God in the food ministry we offer here.  Not every tax dollar is corrupted. Not every tax dollar is stewarded for God’s purposes because human intervention in God’s business does not always go according to plans.  And yet, somehow even the execution of God’s Son, the Lord of heaven and earth, turns out right.  So it is okay to entrust tax dollars to the government, when we believe that God is the Lord of all.  More importantly this text (Gospel of Matthew, ch. 22:1-15)  raises the question: what belongs to God, what belongs to the governing authorities and what responsibility do I have toward them both?   In the first century world it was less complicated.  Roman imperial government and the U.S. democratic republic are not the same thing. There are similarities.  Money symbolizes and sponsors power.  Militancy and war maintain a fear-induced peace.   We need good government.  The necessity of government is up for discussion these days with different takes on that.  I think government is called to protect the vulnerable, to defend the powerless, and to create the potential for peace.   Citizens must establish government that is effective in doing these things.  When the government protects the powerful, the wealthy, and the strong, while punishing the vulnerable and the poor, Christians must respond.   Sometimes governments, both federal and state, back the wrong horse. But if Christians don’t speak out and speak for the poor, we disobey God and fail to follow Jesus.  This is not easy.  We hope that wiser people represent the welfare of all of their constituents in Harrisburg and Washington.  But so often it seems like reelections and top donors take precedence over doing what is right and fair and just.  The wealthy are getting wealthier and the poor are getting poorer in the US. This is not so in the developing world, where extreme global poverty has been significantly reduced.   This is a difficult time for the U.S. , when there is 10% unemployment and government safety net programs for lower income citizens are threatened.  Reactionary movements, like the tea party and Occupy Wall Street, embody the popular opinion that something deep within our system has to change.   An election cycle may not be enough to change the situation we are in.  2008 and 2010 do not seem to have brought the change we need.  Maybe getting the "right" man or woman in the oval office or in the congress is not the change we need.  I am not suggesting that we do not vote. I am suggesting that voting is not enough.  Maybe the change is more personal first. Maybe an equitable and sustainable economy that assures that all people have what they need for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness requires something more of you and me.   Maybe it starts with you and me wrestling with the question:  Whose is this? Mine?  Caesars?  God’s?  What difference does that make? What priorities must shift?  What habits must be broken in order to realize the truth that Jesus spoke so simply to the wealthier powers of his day?  Give to God what belongs to God.  Start with your possessions and your heart will follow.  Amen.