Ramblings

Happy New Year to Friends and Family.

Merry Christmas to all!

Mary – 12/18/2011

Luke 1: 26-38

    I believe that if you ask many people about the significant differences between Christians who are Protestants and Christians who are Roman Catholics you are likely to hear in the conversation some of these thoughts: well, Protestant Christians in general emphasize a direct relationship with Jesus --- no mediation or intercession is required; Protestants do not pray through a saint. You may also hear that Protestant Christians do not have a leadership telling individuals what to believe; we do not have a Pope sharing guidelines. You may also hear that Protestant Christians do not reverence Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

What interests us about those points --- as a group of Lutherans but from a varied Christian background --- is that last point I mentioned --- Protestant Christians to not "reverence" Mary. Without getting into a debate on the history or the particulars, the ebb and flow, of Mary in the life of the Church, it may surprise some of you to know that in the past twenty to thirty years there has been a resurgent interest in Mary, not only in the Roman Catholic Church but for many Protestants as well. For example, one major reason many Protestants have become more interested in Mary is because she is an important, prominent woman who had a huge impact on the life of Jesus.

    So what do you think about Mary? Is Mary the blessed one, a perpetual virgin who never gave birth to another child, Is Mary nearly a divine figure? Or is Mary, as she is known in the Orthodox church, the "Theotokos" the God bearer? Or is Mary the simple, young peasant girl, who slips in and out of obscurity coming out at various times in the life of Jesus. Is Mary an example, someone who is simply "useful for reflection," perhaps an example of a strong woman of faith, or is there something more?

    Let us begin our time thinking about Mary with some thoughts on today's gospel termed as the "annunciation:" the revelation to a young virgin woman --- Mary --- that she would conceive a child. "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'" What was Mary's response to the angel? "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be."

    Put aside what you already may know about Mary and focus on that interesting combination. Mary was "highly favored" and "greatly troubled." Initially we may think Mary may be disturbed at the appearance of an angel --- that would be natural. But in Luke's retelling of the event he does not focus on that or even if it was an issue, rather we are told that Mary was troubled "at his words." So what words in particular troubled Mary; was it "Greetings, the Lord is with you" or was it "you who are highly favored?"

    What out of those words troubled Mary? Although I'm sure talking angels are certainly surprising, I think it is the words "highly favored" that troubled Mary. To be favored by God normally would lead one to think that you were going to have an easy life full of success. I think we --- living in one of the wealthiest nations in the world with a large gap between the rich and poor --- believe the "favor" of God is in terms of financial blessings.

    But that is not accurate. For example, where is there the first mention of God's "favor" in the Bible --- the story of Cain and Abel. "In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast." Then, in another story also found in Genesis, we have Noah: "So the LORD said, 'I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth --- men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air --- for I am grieved that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD."

Those two early examples immediately call into question "favor" as a blessing of riches because favor led to jealousy in which Cain was to later kill his brother Abel. And in the story of Noah, his family and assorted life would unhappily ride surf while creation drowned.

    Thus when we hear that Mary was greatly troubled at "his words" Mary's reaction possibly might have been, "Oh, so I am 'highly favored', am I? ... " Well, sure enough, the angel Gabriel continues by first offering words of reassurance and then reiterating his opening words; "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." At this point Gabriel describes what that favor means. It is not wealth or an easy life. Mary "you will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus." Mary will be the mother of the "son of the most high."

    How does Mary react to the fact that she has been "favored" with a child? With a very good question, "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "Since I am a virgin?" Gabriel, the angel who stands in the presence of God answered, describing that what will happen will not be like as can happen between a man and a woman; God will "overshadow." In other words … a mystery --- a miracle --- grace alone. Gabriel reinforces this by sharing some good news, possibly for the first time, because we have no clue if Mary knows about her relative. "Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month." Gabriel concludes with "For nothing is impossible with God." At which Mary counters with: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

    What does this all mean for us as we think about Mary? Well, from the onset, we see that Mary is far more than simply a biological vessel for Jesus.

    I believe we must begin with the fact that she was "highly favored." Meaning that as we see from just two other stories in the Bible where someone is "favored" their life prior may or may not have had an impact on being chosen. In the story of Cain and Abel "favor" revolved around an offering and in the story of Noah, "favor" was related to Noah being "a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." Meaning for whatever reason Mary was "favored" --- chosen --- by God to be the mother of his son. As New Testament scholar Fred Craddock noted: "we must be careful to notice that none of her qualities is offered as the reason God chose her; that reason lies tucked away in the purposes of God."

    We could speculate on her life --- as many have done --- Christian tradition is full of ideas and stories about her life, but suffice it to say for some reason only known to God, Mary was favored. And by some miracle --- by grace alone --- she will be pregnant with a boy.

    So from just this snippet of her life, how should we view Mary? We have been informed of a miracle, to a virgin mother, centuries ago. This miracle is the son of the highest God. This miracle will be a son who will bring a Kingdom that will never end. And like Mary we can respond; troubled as she was troubled, with questions like Mary asked questions. And like Mary we have the opportunity to act in response; "I am the Lord's servant." And to sing of God's grace.

    There is more … In Mary's life we can see our own. God in grace has shown favor to us, chosen us. God's power works through people like you and I as it did in Mary. Thomas Long professor of Preaching at Candler School of Theology writes, Christians "… are in language school learning how to speak and act as people of God, trying to acquire the vocabulary and customs of God's people."

In other words, in Mary we find the vocabulary to speak and act as people of God. And what is that vocabulary, how about her song as she meets Elizabeth, our Psalm today: "You have shown strength with your arm; and scattered the proud in their conceit, casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. You have filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty."

In Mary we find the vocabulary to prepare for new life that is taking hold. We find the vocabulary to respond to God's grace give and act. Who is Mary? Mary is none other than one of us. Amen.

The Wallet – 12/11/2011

Psalm 126

For the last two weeks of Advent, we have been following a theme: the first three psalms before Christmas … 80, 85 and 126 … because these three psalms all contain the verb "to restore." Therefore, I thought we would take the opportunity to explore what "to restore" may mean as we prepare for Christmas.

    Advent celebrates the "Word-becomes-flesh" God that is coming and will soon be with us....to restore the light. Advent announces that God was not willing to have a distant, arms length relationship with us who are God's beloved creatures formed in God's image. Rather, advent is all about God's willingness --- even insistence --- to come forward and to become vulnerable, accessible, reachable and attainable... to restore a relationship with his people.

    Let us pray....

    Have you ever lost or had stolen your wallet or purse? It is hard to imagine something more traumatic. Our wallets contain the proof of our identity, tell others we are licensed to drive a car and get on a plane, carry our cash and credit cards -- in other words, just about everything we need to move about in the world. A man by the name of Bill Fulton lost his wallet, but he did not seem to be as panicked as the rest of us. Maybe that is because he lost it in 1946, and 63 years later he had pretty much forgotten about it.

    Bill's not sure exactly when or under what circumstances he accidentally dropped his smooth leather wallet behind the wooden bleachers at Baker Middle School in Baker City, Oregon. It was probably during a game in the gym. How it happened is not as important however because the wallet sat for 63 years until a worker found it in 2009. While tearing out old pre-World War II era bleachers during a renovation project at the school, a worker found the wallet right where Bill had dropped it; along with stuff other students had dropped back there during the school's history: some old homework, lost library books, and a program from the 1964 talent show.

    The next day, the school secretary located Bill on the internet and found out that he still lived in the community. So, later that day she brought the newly found wallet to Fulton's home in Baker City. "He was pretty much amazed," said the secretary. "He just kept saying, 'Thank you. Thank you so much.'" In response, Bill is quoted as saying, "After that long, my gosh, it stayed in good shape. It's hard to believe."

    As you can imagine, Bill was overjoyed to have it back, but not necessarily because of what was still in it. His Social Security Card was still tucked in its usual place. He didn't have any cash to begin with, so none was missing. His bicycle license was in there, bearing the address of the house he lived in at the time. Bill remembers that he needed the license because of his job at that time delivering medicine for a Drugstore. While all those things were important at the time, the real value of the wallet for Bill was the memories it brought back of a period in his 78 years of life.

    After high school, Bill served in the Korean War and was stationed in Berlin, and then returned to Baker City where he worked for a local lumber company for 30 years, retiring in 1994. Now Bill spends his days hiking in the mountains with his dog Smokey. To use his own words, Bill has "covered a lot of country" since 1946. So the return of the wallet provoked feelings of nostalgia. "Where did all the time go?" Bill is quoted as saying. "It's hard to believe that the times have gone so fast." With the return of the wallet, if only for a moment, the feel of the leather reminds Bill of a segment of his life.

    That brings us to our lesson because finding something we have lost --- especially something as valuable as a wallet that reminds us who we are --- is cause for both relief and joy. On this third Sunday of Advent, as we light the candle of joy, we celebrate the fact that God exposes our lost and hidden identity and, to borrow the words of the psalmist restores our "fortunes" (Psalm 126:1).

    Now let me be clear, unfortunately for some people, a cursory reading of the phrase in Psalm 126… to restore our fortunes… seems to suggest a return of wealth. But that is not the case for a variety of reasons. For example, if you are poor and have been, what relevance does restoration of "fortune" mean? Rather this Psalm is one of the psalms of "ascent," or a musical piece that pilgrims would sing on their pilgrimage up to Jerusalem -- to Zion and the temple. Jerusalem is a city in the hill country and for many pilgrims, to get to Jerusalem meant a walk uphill.

So instead of a restoration of wealth, what does the phrase "restore our fortunes" mean? First it is difficult to translate verbatim from Hebrew, says OT scholar James Mays, but this combination usually is used to mean the radical change between the conditions that existed before and the conditions that result from God's restoration, forgiveness and divine favor. It means the restoration of the situation between God and God's people that existed before.

    For example, if you were to turn to Amos 9:14 in your Bibles you would see this phrase describe the rebuilding of ruined cities and the restoration of prosperity as symbolized in the planting of vineyards. In Jeremiah 29:14, the "fortune" is the return from exile as God gathers his people from "all the places where I have driven you." The people who were once lost, scattered and forgotten would now be found, brought together and remembered forever for what God had done for them.

    What does this phrase mean for us in this season of Advent? I would suggest that like the reaction of Bill at the return of his wallet, humans have a tendency to remember "the good old days" with fondness, and something like recovering a wallet or finding a photo from a bygone era makes us nostalgic. Maybe it is part of our healthy defense mechanisms to dwell on good things, but the psalmist on the other hand seems to imply that the passage of time and the painful remembrance of sin can turn the good old days into a memory. In other words, "the good old days" are never really a time of honest reflection but one of selective memory.

    The psalmist, however, doesn't dwell on selective memory, the "good old days" but invites God to restore the people's memories by giving them a vision of the future.

    "Restore our fortunes, O Lord," the psalmist prays in the present tense. It is a prayer in the present because the psalmist equates God's forgiveness and reconciling love to the way water flows in the desert -- a vision of refreshment and sustenance in the middle of the harsh and brutal reality of sin (v. 4). Such a vision turns tears and weeping into shouts of joy and the seed of hope can grow into a harvest that will sustain the people forever (vv. 5-6).

    The psalmist thus teaches us that joy isn't just a good feeling that arises spontaneously or by selectively remembering and forgetting the past. Instead, we feel joy most intently after reconciliation … after a period of distress. It is one thing to be happy to be carrying around a wallet that we take for granted, it is quite another to find that wallet after a long period of searching for it frantically or after resigning ourselves to its being lost forever.

    It is true for our lives in Jesus Christ. Its one thing to live in God's grace when everything's going well, but it's quite another to experience the reality of that same grace after a period when we ourselves have been lost, or feeling lost, or when someone we love is lost, searching or distant from God. So, "a restoration" is not just something we nod and smile about but, like the psalmist says repeatedly, it is something we have to shout about! (vv. 2, 5, 6).

    As many of us know, the culture around us celebrates the "joy" of Christmas, but it's really more a general sense of warm and fuzzy feelings connected to holiday memories with family and friends. For example, while shopping yesterday a woman that I passed in the aisle was humming and smiling to the Christmas music. Although certainly nice, the real joy of Christmas comes after we have been willing to allow God to deal with the brokenness in our lives. We cannot really express the joy of being found, in other words, unless we are first able to name the fact that we've been lost, our identity compromised, and our fortunes squandered on things that have no ultimate value.

    Bill Fulton could only keep repeating "Thank you, thank you" when that long lost wallet showed up at his door in the hands of a caring school secretary. Let us prepare for the opportunity that will be coming for us to say "Thank you" to God. At Christmas God restores our ability to discover our true identities, to redeem our selective memories, restore our fortunes and to shout with joy! Amen.

The Marble Table – 12/4/2011

Psalm 85

Last week, the first Sunday of Advent, I shared with you that the first three psalms before Christmas (80, 85 and 126) all contain the verb "to restore." Therefore, I thought I would take the opportunity to explore what "to restore" may mean as we prepare for Christmas. As you know, there is a human dilemma in that we spend a lot of time groping on our hands and knees in the dark, hoping to find a light that will reveal the meaning of life, or a lantern that will light our path.

Advent celebrates the "Word-becomes-flesh" God that is coming and will soon be with us, to restore the light. Advent announces that God was not willing to have a distant, arms-length relationship with us who are God's beloved creatures formed in God's image. Advent is all about God's willingness --- even insistence --- to come forward and to become vulnerable, accessible, reachable, and attainable… to restore a relationship with his people.

Let us Pray….

In our home is a wooden antique end table about the height of our sofa, with a marble top. This antique table has a story that comes with it.

You see after graduating from seminary and before being ordained and serving my first congregation, I had about a year where I helped two churches. The first church I assisted was part time for about three months. It was a large church that had a pastor but was waiting for their other associate pastor to arrive. I was willing to help for those three months and needed the money. Well one day the pastor asked if I would go to a nursing home and make the rounds and visit several of the residents who where members for him because he had funeral.

During my visits, one of the women was in a room to herself that was full of antique furniture and porcelain dolls. In our conversation we talked about her life, had communion and of course she discussed the history of some of the furniture and dolls that were all around. She lingered in her story telling on one piece of furniture, this marble topped end table. She shared that she had this end table made from several other broken pieces of furniture. The marble top was a small piece cut from a bar and the legs where from another piece of furniture that had broken. I commented on how wonderful a piece of furniture it had come to be. She then surprised me and said, "When I die it will be yours!" I laughed and I continued on with our conversation. I simply took the statement to be the early onset of dementia or she had me confused with someone else, or said that to all her visitors.

That was my one and only visit with her, as shortly after my three months came to an end and I quickly forgot about it until about five or so years later when a woman called my office where I was pastor. This woman was the executor of the estate for this woman that I had met that one time in that nursing home years before. This executor of the will told me that I was the inheritor of this antique table. I at first refused insisting that there must be some mistake, I was not a relative and only had met her one time, nevertheless, the executor insisted that this elderly woman meant for me to have the table and could I please come and get it. Well, I discussed it with my wife and together we drove to this woman's home and sure enough as I had remembered, there was the table. After visiting with this woman who had been a friend of the woman who had died, the struggle she had in finding my location, my wife and I drove off with this piece of furniture, the story that I shared with you and with the final instructions of the executor that it was my task "to restore" the table.

However, other than that strengthening the legs because of the heavy marble top, I cannot nor could the executor understand what the woman had meant "to restore" the table because as I shared with you, it is unique, constructed out of several others pieces. It cannot be restored or can it?

Psalm 85 begins with a line that was spoken by the people of Israel, back in their homeland after a time of exile as servants and slaves in a country called Babylon: "Lord" the people say "you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob."(v.1) The people are thankful that their long captivity is over, and that God has forgiven their iniquity and "pardoned all their sin" (v. 2).

But still, something else is being discussed. It is emptiness the people feel is very similar to the void that remains deep within that we may feel after we finish High School or earn a degree, start a job, start a family, find a partner, or move into a bigger house, or retire, or it is the feeling we may have when we drive a new car off the lot. We know how fortunate we are. We appreciate God's favor toward us. But we wonder why everything we thought we wanted still is not enough. We wonder why good fortune in this life gives us everything but a sense of peace.

It is to that feeling that Psalm 85 speaks; a recognition that true peace will escape us until our restless hearts begin to rest in God. Serenity cannot be granted by a diploma, a promotion, a partnership, a child, a McMansion, a retirement or a luxury sedan or new pickup. True peace comes through grace to us as a gift from God, and it includes forgiveness of sin and the restoration of our relationship with the Lord.

Psalm 85 tells us that God is generous with peace and salvation, but God requires a response. God requires for us "to restore" a relationship in return. Yet, how like the marble end table are we supposed to restore it since we do not know how it looked like in the beginning?

The only way we will benefit from this gift of grace to restore God's peace is to receive it by turning to God and offering the respect, faith and love that God deserves. Each of us is "to restore" this gift by accepting God's peace instead of choosing to "return to sender" unopened.

Our marble end table has become of our family, moved from home to home, and with it comes the story. In the same way, soon and very soon, a treasure will be given to us that needs "restoration" today; that treasure is the gift of Christ at Christmas --- a gift we can receive with curiosity, laughter, gratitude and delight.

Yet, as I said, this restoration includes a response from us. We begin to respond to this restoration by piecing together our own gifts, the broken pieces of ourselves and our relationships. At a time when Christmas packages are filled with everything but restored relationships, what could it mean to put together a gift of the restoration of peace? Perhaps it may mean to extend steadfast love to a teenager who is rebelling with every ounce of his or her energy. Perhaps it may mean to practice faithfulness in our marriages or partnerships and make an effort to express appreciation to our loved ones. Perhaps it may mean to show righteousness in our school or workplace, by being honest and fair in all of our activities. Perhaps it may mean to work for peace in our relationships, looking for ways to reduce tensions and increase harmony, instead of picking fights and spreading gossip. In other words, restore us, O God; piece us back together. Give us the gift of your peace, so that we can share peace with others. Amen.

 

Restore Hope – 11/27/2011

1^st Sunday in Advent; Psalm 80

Back in the "day," as some of you may remember, if you wanted to talk to someone you might a) pick up the phone -- a black device owned by the Bell company or AT & T -- and place a call, b) write a letter and post it in the mail, c) record a message on a little spool of tape on a person's phone, or record a cassette and put it in the mail or d) actually go visit someone and chat face-to-face. There were even places in houses that were developed for the express purpose of face to face meetings. They were called "parlors."

Today, these limitations do not exist, and fewer and fewer people use just those options alone to make a human connection anymore. In fact the US post office is losing money trying to keep up thousands of post offices and door to door delivery six days a week when fewer and fewer people send mail at a snail's pace.

It is well known that people are talking or communicating with each other more frequently and at a less of cost than at any other time in human history. Not only can we call and snail mail. We can email. We can wiki. We can blog. We can IM. We can text. We can Skype. And yes, we can even visit in homes with friends

All of this communication is helping so many people. Many people around the world have had their lives improved from the jump from small villages with limited contact to personal cell phones with the option of sending and receiving money, for example. And just take a look at people on the street, or in a crowded room, or on the bus or even driving in a car. Chances are that many people have some kind of communication device in their hands, on the Bluetooth microphone in their ear and they are talking or texting, or showing someone photos, or reading e-mails or listening to music. Moreover, people can carry on several conversations simultaneously; multiple messages pop up, demanding instant responses and immediate attention. Abbreviated, cryptic replies are sent out at a feverish pace, with texting, sending instant messages, and e-mailing, numerous ways for people to communicate.

Even the concept of face time, has taken on a whole new meaning, particularly with the advent of Skype and other computer-enabled visual technologies. For example as I have shared with many of you before, I was a missionary to Japan twice, first in the late 1980's and the second time from 2006-2010. In the late 1980's phone calls to family and friends outside Japan were rare and expensive. Letters were still common and the cutting edge technology was faxes. Whereas this last time, not only could I email, text and fax, I could Skype nearly anywhere in the world for free or for pennies.

With all that communication we are better off in many ways, but the irony of all that modern, cyber-connected world is that in the same moment that we can communicate more cheaply and reliably and with more people, we are at the same moment becoming more physically insulated. Even though communication has become faster, we live in a part of the world where the word "friend" has become a verb and many people are feeling alone and isolated.

It turns out that seeing words or images on a screen is not as emotionally satisfying as exchanging ideas, tips in those important face-to-face connections with another person. When we are in a direct, physical conversation with one another, we can express a wide variety of meanings using the God-given gift of the human voice and body that cannot be translated.

The reason I bring all this up is that the liturgical season of Advent in the calendar is all about face time spent with God. Advent celebrates the "Word-becomes-flesh" God that is coming and will soon be with us. Advent announces that God was not willing to have a distant, arms-length relationship with us who are God's beloved creatures formed in God's image. Rather, advent is all about God's willingness --- even insistence --- to come forward and to become vulnerable, accessible, reachable, and attainable.

Why? To answer that question we will over the next few weeks discuss four psalms beginning with Psalm 80 today. Because interestingly enough, in the first three psalms in the season of Advent, the psalmist uses the word "restore." Each psalm answers the question of why God would come forward and restore a relationship with his creation.

Today's psalm (80) lays bare our hope for God's restoration into our lives. The psalmist repeats the heartfelt need of God's children throughout this prayerful song: "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved" (v. 3). This writer isn't asking for a text message or a brief assurance via Skype. This writer does not want God to send a smiley face but a "shiny face."

You see, the people the Psalmist describes are struggling. The people fear being utterly consumed and lost. The people feel alienated and alone.

The people in the psalm need a word of hope and assurance. Without hope, they are not only not delivered and saved, the people are doomed to utter despair. So, the Psalmist lifts up a cry for a relationship, for personal interaction, for "face time" with God. Furthermore this Psalmist is not lifting up his request to an absent, hidden God rather it is to a God who wants to be seen, who yearns to be found.

I believe these words could be ours as well. "Restore us, O God, let your face shine that we may be saved," are words that could be lifted up by people like you and I who are surrounded by technology but are still lonely for meaningful communication. We need a restoration of hope because we want God's face to shine because we may receive hundreds of texts every day but still feel unheard.

If we look carefully at each verse of Psalm 80, we see that the Psalmist has hope that God will give ear to the cry of the people. The Psalmist has hope that God will come and save. That God will restore a relationship fractured by faithlessness and sin. The Psalmist has hope that that God will rescue the people from neighbors who wish to destroy and that God's hand will be upon the community. The Psalmist has hope that all will know the strength of the living God.

Let me just for a moment return to that difficult hymn we sang at the beginning of worship. Did you know that hymn was written by Philip Nicoli in the year 1598? For many of us that is meaningless trivia unless we realize that a lot happened during six months in 1597-1598 in many communities in Germany. Would you believe, for example, that in those six months, 1,300 in Philip Nicoli's village died? Yes, I said 1300 people or 170 funerals a month!

What if, for example, we would have had thirty funerals planned for this afternoon? You see, 1597-1598 was the time of the Bubonic plague across Europe. It was one of the worst times in European history. So, to help himself live with the awful suffering around him, Philip Nicoli wrote. He wrote, for example, "Wake, awake, for night is flying, the watchmen on the heights are crying, Awake Jerusalem at last." He writes: "Now the night is past and the bridegroom has come at last." Philip is not imagining the smiley face hymn for 1300 people, but hope of the restoration of the face of a Messiah to restore a relationship with his people.

Today we will be baptizing an infant, Xavier. Before we know it, guess what, he will be two years old. We will blink and he will be thirteen. We will blink again and ask, "Where did time go?" that boy is now a young adult. We blink again and he will be…That's the way life is.

Who is this Psalm for? Who needs to hear about hope? It was for Philip Nicoli. It will be for Xavier. It is for us. It is for all of us because life moves so quickly does it not ... and we need more than instant communication. We need face to face with God. Who knows the speed and the lines of communication that will be around by the time Xavier is an adult. But what I do know is that Xavier will need face time, just like you and I do. Advent is about the restoration of the hope of face time with God. Hope is coming. "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved." Amen.

    

Mirror, Mirror … 11/20/2011

Sermon for "Christ the King" Sunday based on Matthew 25: 31-46

Do any of you like fairy tales? I don't know what you think but I wonder if many people really do not understand childhood fairy tales until they are adults.

For example, in the story Snow White and the Seven Dwarves compiled by the Brothers Grimm, possibly more well known as the Disney movie version as Snow White, the evil stepmother gushes: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?" As children we may realize that she is vain, and therefore being vain is bad. But as adults we may begin to recognize that there is more to that fairy tale event in the life of the story than vanity.

    The same holds true that as adults we may begin to understand that looking in mirrors is a little more complicated. The mirror that belonged to the evil stepmother was honest and reliable. But mirrors like that do not exist … at least not in my bathroom. Instead of honesty we may wonder if mirrors that make us look dreadful really are candid. Is it the lighting? Is this mirror warped or what? Do I actually look like that? What's going on with my hair? How come my pores are so big? Who is that …..?

Thus, as adults we begin to realize that the question "mirror mirror on the wall…" of the evil stepmother in Snow White is not just about vanity, it is much deeper. Because after asking the question for many years with the same result the stepmother on that fateful day found out that the world had changed and she was told that she was not the fairest …. in relation to Snow White. When she talked to the mirror that day, she still was plenty gorgeous and had been for a long time, but then life changed, someone younger came along and now she was the number two beauty in the land.

So it was not necessarily the question to the mirror --- she had asked it many times before --- rather it was the answer from the mirror that day and how she chose to live after she heard the answer. The same is for us, it is not necessarily the answer from the mirrors we look at from day to day, but how we respond to what we see. The stepmother made choices and decisions that came from being told the truth that led her on the path of evil. We realize she was not simply lost in her own illusions overwhelmed with feelings of vanity … instead she chose a path of jealousy.

Therefore, it is not so hard for us to realize that as adults when we ask questions and hear the answers, we can easily become as delusional as Snow White's stepmother. Mirrors only show us who we are, not who we would rather be. If you don't believe me just look at our modern age; we think that a new car would be a good mirror, but it is not. We think that a new, attractive partner would be a good mirror, but it is not. Neither is a high paying job or a lovely home. We think that wrinkle cream or makeup will be a good mirror but it is not.

To be fair, it is difficult to look straight into our honest reflections. Not only must we contend with our previous illusions of trying to be the fairest for example, we must now contend with very real failings of character and personality.

I realize that this is a lengthy introduction into our gospel lesson today nevertheless a helpful one. Our gospel lesson for today comes late in Matthew's gospel --- just before the Passion of Christ. Some scholars call it the Judgment of the Pagans and others refer to it as the Last Judgment.

Regardless, whatever we call it in our reading, Jesus is seen separating sheep and goats, described as a king on his throne, rewarding his subjects according to their adherence to his great ethical commandment of compassion. The passage comes at the tail end, beginning from Chapter 24, of a long section about the end of the world and the time of completion. Today's passage follows numerous lessons and parables about being ready for whatever is coming, whenever it gets here; A thief in the night; A slave and a master; Foolish bridesmaids who are unprepared; Slaves given trust over small things while the master is away; Apocalyptic stories about judgment and being prepared.

I would love to be able to pretend that this gospel reading is not in some way about judgment, but that would be neither true to the text, nor true to our need to wrestle with it, like Jacob wrestled with that angel, hoping for a blessing. It would not be true to the mirror that is held before us. So as we wrestle with this parable we may be startled to find that same question spoken by the Stepmother in Snow White: "Mirror, Mirror on the wall who is fairest one of all." Of course we do not hear those exact words but the question is in many ways the same. "'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'"

Not only do we have the same words but perhaps we also have a mirror. Lord, I am marvelous and wonderful, how can this mirror be me otherwise? Who or what is the mirror? Judgment is the mirror because it reflects honestly and accurately who we are. The question then becomes what do we do with the answer? We could say it all depends on who is asking … the goat or sheep? Those "righteous" mentioned in the lesson can represent many like those who had come to believe over the centuries that they were the fairest in the land because they had "inherited" their position.

Jesus as the king is indicating that the mirror that they had always looked into, the one that they believed had over the years told them that they were fairest … the most righteous…in the land, was actually telling them something quite different. When faced with judgment, the righteous had only seen as they wished to be seen. Now in this parable Jesus says something quite different.

If we are asking the question "Am I going to Heaven? Will I be saved? Am I a sheep or a goat?" Then we have missed the point. Instead, the reflection of the mirror of judgment is this: if we love God, if our values are God-values instead of the world's values, if Christ actually is King, then we will love as God loves, give as God gives, forgive as God forgives. If our values are God-values, we can't help but live as Christ taught. We can't help but see in the mirror the true reflection of Christ.

Preaching in front of the Ebenezer Baptist congregation he loved, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. told the congregation ---just two months before his untimely funeral---how he would like to be remembered, and in doing so, he zeroed in on that ultimate question: If Christ is King, what does that mean? If Christ is ruler over our lives, Dr. King told them, then my Nobel Peace Prize is less important than my trying to feed the hungry. If Christ is King, then my invitations to the White House are less important than that I visited those in prison. If Christ is Lord, then my being TIME magazine's "Man of the Year" is less important than that I tried to love extravagantly, dangerously, with all my being.

When Dr. Martin Luther King looked in the mirror of judgment and asked himself what he saw, he did not want a reflection of a black man who received the Nobel Peace Prize, trips to the White House or being on a cover of a magazine. Dr. King wanted to see a black man who reflected Christ as King.

Today we are celebrating the feast day of Christ the King, the last Sunday before Advent and a new liturgical year, and this significant symbolic placement was chosen not because we Christians need another reason to celebrate Christ. Rather, in the 1920's, the Roman Catholic Pope, Paul the Sixth became increasingly concerned about the rise of Mussolini in Italy and Franco in Spain and fascism in general. In response Paul the Sixth emphasized the game-changing dimension of what it means to call Jesus Christ --- King.

Our allegiance is to be to Christ. Our reflection is to be Christ-like. To the question, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all" all we may hear and see is that we are all old goats, but because we pledge to the King and that Christ is the fairest of them all, then all that judgment can reflect is grace: "I see Christ in you." Amen.