Ramblings

One Journey of Faith – 1/26/2014

Sermon preached on the 5^th anniversary of Reconciling in Christ Sunday. In the mid 1990's I went to a conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin on the theme of Peace and Justice in a New Era --- this was two years after the end of the first Gulf War and three years after the fall of the Soviet Union. This conference was around this time of year and because of the bad weather, it ultimately ended being just a handful of us with one of the main speakers --- Rev. William Sloane Coffin. For those who have never heard of the late Rev. Coffin, he had been chaplain at Yale University and then pastor of Riverside Church one of the most prominent congregations in New York City. At this point in the 90's, he had just retired from leadership of SANE/FREEZE --- now called Peace Action --- one of the largest peace and justice organizations in the US.

Anyway, because it ended up being a small group because of the poor weather, we were able to go into some deep conversations on some important issues as Christians: war and peace … but also over the issue of homosexuality. I had been a pastor just a year and I remember Rev. Coffin vividly stating that just as slavery was the issue for congregations and pastors in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, homosexuality would be the issue that would define the church of the 20^th century.

Well since mid the 1990's some things have changed and some things have remained the same: Sept. 11, 2001, Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan --- Rev. Coffin died in 2006. And some things have not changed --- Green Bay, Wisconsin is still cold. And Rev. Coffin was right, how the church has dealt with homosexuality has been the defining event in the past two decades. As I reflect on my own life, my faith has grown and changed as well, particularly on some of those same topics that we discussed in that church in Green Bay, Wisconsin so many years ago. For me it has proven to be true, that faith is a journey, not simply a set of beliefs, and doubts and questions and the community of people with whom we share in this faith journey, are our allies.

Today, on this Reconciled in Christ Sunday, we are marking our fifth anniversary as a Reconciled in Christ congregation, a congregation that publically welcomes the full participation of all people specifically lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Lutherans in all aspects of the life of this Church.

In our celebration of our anniversary as an RIC congregation in 2012, we welcomed a new member Daniel Graney who shared about his journey as a gay Lutheran man through the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, as a pastor in the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) to be with us today. And last year, we heard from Katy Stewart, executive director for the Transgender Education Network of Texas. Ms. Stewart was born in San Antonio as David and she spoke about her faith journey as she navigated through life as a woman.

Today, we are going backwards in a way, because I thought I would share some of my own faith journey particularly over the issue of homosexuality as a heterosexual Lutheran pastor. How did I get to where I am today? And what words could I share that would be helpful to you in your faith journey?

We don't have enough time to go through all I have learned, and some lessons are too sensitive and personal and not appropriate to discuss in a mixed, large group in a Sunday morning worship service, but I can share with you one particular point in my journey, and as is often the case an event that involves a person.

A life changing man that helped me in my journey of faith that I want to share with you was Darnell. Darnell was a classmate when I was attending college in Vermont in the early 1980's. Darnell was an African-American man from Atlanta, Georgia and he was the first, proudly open, gay man I had ever met.

Over the two years that we were classmates he began to unravel some of my basic preconceptions, my racism and homophobia in a persistent, non-threatening way. Although our mutual Christian backgrounds never really came under discussion he challenged one of my most basic dilemmas and set me on the course to explore exactly what does the Bible say and not say about homosexuality. What was my basic dilemma? I had grown up Christian, as a Lutheran, attended Sunday school, confirmed my faith as a teenager, was active in a Senior High youth group and although I was not active in the church and would move further away for a time, I had never really engaged in a serious debate with the Bible and my faith. For example, when it came to what I thought about homosexuality as a Christian, I pretty much walked the middle of the road. I've always thought that all persons should be afforded the same rights and no one should be discriminated against. But I also took the interpretation of biblical prohibitions to homosexual sex at face value. Looking back at the point in my journey of faith it was the beginning of what John Westerhoff in his book; "Will Our Children Have Faith" termed moving from an afflictive faith (faith of affiliation), a faith that emphasized community and belonging --- to a "searching faith" with its doubts and critical judgments and experimentation.

Darnell spurred my faith and Bible study forward by sharing his journey in life, the gradual realization around his early middle school years (if I remember) of his own sexual insights and preference. At first he fought it and tried to be like many of his friends then out of deep despair shared his feelings with his mother. Thankfully, unlike some, his mother listened and then they together began a quiet journey exploring what his feelings meant. What was it from his journey that Darnell said that led me to reconsider what I thought? Basically it was not anything other than --- sex.

Remember this was my college years; I had had several meaningful, intimate relationships with several young women through High school and in college. And although I grew up in a somewhat culturally diverse environment with a large portion of my life having been spent outside of the United States, I had generally received an education on homosexuality via whispers and jokes, had learned somehow what "gay" meant, and by this time in early 1980's understood in a general way the topic of homosexuality. Other than a young woman who I dated briefly who said she was a lesbian on our second and last date, I didn't know any gay kids in junior high or high school --- well, at least I didn't know any people like Darnell --- proudly open.

It wasn't until Darnell put a face to active gay sex at a time period in the early 1980's when HIV/AIDS was rearing its ugly head, did I come face to face with what I call the "ick factor --- yuck factor." It was the uncomfortable feeling I had felt earlier --- in 1980 --- when I went with friends to see a movie starring Al Pacino called "Cruising," a psychological thriller about a serial killer who targeted gay men, "yew --- you've got to be kidding!"

In reflection, I was in the "natural law" camp of faith who said that, though there is not an overwhelming amount of verses in the Bible about homosexuality --- six, to be exact --- there was an argument to be made from the book of Genesis. It's the "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" and "it's all about the plumbing" this general feeling that I just did not want to understand or really think about, the adult physical intimacy between two people of the same sex.

Darnell nudged me in the direction beyond natural law because he was able to point out that revulsion is not an argument. For example, what we find "icky" can be socially conditioned. Something I myself had experienced and remembered from events in my own life earlier because as I said, I was raised for a time in other parts of the world. That what my American culture took to be yucky and gross… like some foods could actually be quite good. Or the reverse, take for instance the eating of a hamburger which for many Americans is natural yet for Hindus in India is morally and physically repugnant.

In other words, Darnell lit a spark on my path to look more objectively at my faith and by doing so, helped me grow deeper in my faith. Take for example, the familiar Leviticus 18: 22 "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." Or Leviticus 20: 13 "¹³If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them." As people of faith we can see this portion of scripture as part of God's living Word. Not to be ignored out cut out like former President Thomas Jefferson did with portions of the Bible he did not like. Rather it is to grapple with these two passages and begin to understand that they are part of the holiness code directed largely at an audience of men, a code of purity meant to distinguish the behavior of one group of people primarily male Israelites from another the Canaanites.

That means that this code is instructive because ironically it teaches us in the reverse --- that homosexuality has been part of many cultures for generations and in broad sense that it is part of God's creation. And that these verses to not correspond to loving and caring same-sex committed adult long term relationships as we understand them now. As people of faith we can put those lessons in their historical and social context because these lessons also suggest other cultural prohibitions. For example it is a code that permits polygamy, prohibits sexual intercourse when a woman has her period, bans tattoos, prohibits eating rare meat, bans wearing clothes that are made from a blend of textiles, prohibits cross-breeding livestock, bans sowing a field with mixed seed, prohibits eating pigs, rabbits, or some forms of seafood, and requires Saturday to be reserved as the Sabbath and a host of other things, some things of which many faithful Christians do not follow.

Rather, in growing faith or as John Westerhoff terms in the book I referenced earlier, an owned faith, we are able to see God's interaction with God's creation in diverse cultures throughout time renewed in, with and through Jesus Christ.

Darnell and I have never corresponded since our graduation. We each went our separate ways. Nevertheless I believe that Darnell was a gift from God in my life, reminding me that although we can become a Christian in a moment, no one has ever become a disciple overnight. The Christian life is not an "instant" recipe that one mixes up in a minute in cold water. It does not offer "instant" discipleship, "instant" fulfillment, or "instant" steadfastness. It is a long process of development, from justification to sanctification to glorification. That's why we celebrate this day reminded once again that in, with and through Christ, we are reconciled as the family of God, all created and loved by God.

What do I have to share as a heterosexual Lutheran pastor? Simply point to what has been helpful for me: 1. we can invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts to do a new thing and invite new ideas to our tables. From my experience, we can invite gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender friends to lunch, dinner, out for drinks or for a rousing round of mini-golf and ask them about themselves.

2. We can invite ourselves to be fully present and invite our neighbor into our heart. We can listen --- listen to the stories of life. Listen deeply for places where their story might sound a bit like ours. Listen for places where our stories intersect; the pain and joy. Listen for how their story is interwoven with God's and listen to our heart, if we are willing to hear honest answers. 3. When we have some level of trust, we can do things like ask an LGBT person questions that seem weird or uncomfortable --- not because we want them to feel weird or uncomfortable or because we are hoping to trip them up --- but because we need each other, to learn a few things. Yes, that means we have to acknowledge a little bit of ignorance and fear. And fourth, we are to ask real questions, not veiled, loaded questions that are meant to corner or cajole or convert. So, I have grown in faith, thanks to Darnell and thanks to all of you. May God be with us as we grow reconciled in Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Modern Marvel – 1/19/2014

Sermon based on 1 Corinthians 1. For those who drove to church today, I have a question. Is your car or truck still parked where you left it? We drove up, parked it, locked it and walked into church, well is it still there? Now don't run outside to check, but when we leave today, I hope it is there. The reason I ask is that it is very easy to take things for granted.

This past week was the Detroit Auto Show, an opportunity for automakers to show their new designs and technology; a reminder that when something new first emerges onto the scene, everyone is smitten. But soon, that which is extraordinary becomes that which is expected. Somewhere along the line we pick our jaws up off the floor and we begin to notice limitations, flaws and missed opportunities. We begin to see modern marvels --- be it a car that can park itself, a phone that can navigate us to the mall or a genetically modified, hypoallergenic dog --- as mundane, and as having room for improvement.

Take flying for example. Manned flight is just over 100 years old, and in the course of a century some amazing things have happened. What began as one flight in the fields of North Carolina is now more than 30,000 flights every day in the United States alone. We have been to the moon! Yet, for many of us, the marvel of flight has completely lost its luster.

For example, each year, the American Consumer Satisfaction Institute polls thousands of travelers, aiming to get a snapshot of just how happy the average flier is with his or her experience. Despite slightly more positive scores in recent years, according to the survey airlines rank near the very bottom of the 43 industries on the index, edging out only cable television.

Of course, the dissatisfaction with flying is not without merit. We've all experienced enough of the seating, across the map ticketing, cancelled flights and crazy fees to agree that flying is far less fun and much more frustrating than it used to be. But perhaps the best remedy is not just a more effective airline, but a little perspective. Perhaps we should stop and smell the jet fuel every once in a while. We are flying at 550 mph and we can all board a plane and hours later be in totally different country. In other words, things could be worse.

We take things for granted to the point that we may lose perspective. Take the church in Corinth. The letter could easily be subtitled "Spring Break in Corinth; Christians Gone Wild." In the letter, the apostle Paul will later address a boatload of church dysfunctions. You've got people fighting for power, abusing the sacrament, sleeping around, suing each other, and false teachers. It was a mess.

The sad but sobering truth is that the same is often true in our churches, in today's churches. When we lift the hood on any and every congregation we will see leaks and cracks, we will hear thumps and rattles. The church of Jesus Christ is made up of people saved by and yet still desperately in need of Jesus Christ. The truth is that the church in Corinth isn't all that different from every other church today. There will be Christians that are less than ideal, mission that is way off the mark. There will, in some way, be reasons for deep discouragement.

The apostle Paul decides to address the issues at Corinth head on. And, in doing so, Paul lifts the Corinthian people back into a life of following Jesus more reflective of the dignity and beauty given to them as Christ's bride. But what's equally instructive, yet often overlooked, is what Paul did before he provided instruction. Before offering any corrections, before giving any advice, Paul made it clear that despite all that was broken in the church, he was still deeply and truly satisfied with what God was accomplishing in the church. Paul did not take the church in Corinth for granted.

"I give thanks to my God always for you," Paul writes. It's as if he's making a point to say, "Despite what's on display, I want it to be clear that I am overjoyed at the miracle that is this church." That's an instructive attitude for all of us. Every once in a while, we need to pause from lamenting and complaining about each other, the church, how much we all miss the mark and … recapture our perspective.

Louis C.K., a well-known and typical tactless comedian, laments our shortsightedness and apathy in the face of truly amazing things. "Everything is amazing and nobody is happy," he says. We get frustrated with our cell phones. "Give it a second!" He says. "It's going to going through space. Is the speed of light too slow for you?"

By the same token, let us remember that there are many reasons to be satisfied. How does Paul remind those people in Corith to not take things for granted? Specifically, Paul reminds the Corinthians of three reasons why he is so thankful for and satisfied with their church, despite its issues, reasons that apply to us as well. For Paul, the Corinthian church was something to marvel over because it had three things: grace, gifts and a guarantee.

Let's start with grace. What makes a body of believers great is not the great things done, but the great mercy shown. The primary reason Paul was overjoyed with the church at Corinth is because of the gift of faith and the flood of forgiveness that has washed over them. "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus ..."

The incredible promise of the gospel is that no matter how messed up we were prior, or are, once we are connected to the work of the cross, through faith and baptism, we are all adopted as sons and daughters and made inheritors of God's kingdom --- a fact that as we look at our ongoing battles and our stupid concerns like who is in and who is out. We should continually shake our heads in grateful disbelief. No matter who we are from God's perspective, we deserve little if anything, but all have received life and love. Just think about it. Things could be worse. Think with me of where some of us would be without hope? Think with me of where some of us would be without love? Or forgiveness? There is reason to be satisfied.

Not only did the church at Corinth have grace but it had gifts. Paul writes that the church was "... enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge -- even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you -- so that you are not lacking in any gift." Sure, every church is a ragtag bunch of broken believers. We have a lot reminders of how much we struggle. But God promised that when the church is established by God's grace it's also gifted and equipped to be the church by the power of the Holy Spirit. The church in Corinth had its troubles. But it wasn't without hope because it, and every other church, is promised a reservoir of gifts and talents that simply need to be recognized, affirmed and encouraged.

What are the gifts that God has clearly given us; you and me? And from that, what are the ministries God has started and the needs God is meeting through our family of believers? We have celebrated over 60 years as a presence here in our slice of San Antonio. We are the only Lutheran congregation in the city of San Antonio who has openly said all people, especially LGBT Christians are welcome. And just think of this small thing, five days a week we have hundreds of children walking through our doors in a Christian safe environment.

Last, Paul found great joy in the struggling Corinthian church because of the bright and glorious future guaranteed to each and every dysfunctional but deeply loved church. Ultimately, Paul wrote, the church was waiting "for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end ..." Undergirding the life of each and every local church is the truth that, despite all of our imperfections, the end is not in doubt. Because even though we are much appreciated and cannot be take for granted, the future of God's mission is not dependent on whether or not Corinth or whether or not First Lutheran or First Presbyterian or First Baptist or First Methodist, or whatever "stone" church gets their act together. The future is secure because Christ has promised that in the end, no matter what, Christ will return, Christ will resurrect, Christ will find us faultless, God will establish God's kingdom, and until that day, Christ will keep the church alive. God is at work --- guaranteed. Christ has guaranteed a good ending no matter where we find ourselves on a Sunday or through the week. The church will endure. There's always reason to rejoice.

I led a tour following in the footsteps of S. Paul through Greece and Turkey and we saw countless churches that where in ruins. In their time they were large, vibrant communities of faith, but now years later they were a stop for tourists.

It's easy to take incredible things for granted. According to the customer satisfaction poll mentioned earlier, it is business travelers --- who spend much more time in the air than the average leisure traveler --- who give the harshest reviews and the lowest rankings for their air travel. Perhaps the more time we spend with something, even an amazing thing, like Good Shepherd the easier it is to notice limitations, flaws and missed opportunities; the easier it becomes to see a marvel as mundane, and as having room for improvement.

That's where we are. Yet, for all of our struggles we have a lot going on that we are not to take for granted. Let's never forget that. She -- we -- are still something to be satisfied with. Not because of what we bring to the table, no. But because of what God has done to us and through us in Christ.

Sure we can work on a lot in this church, in our own families, in this neighborhood in this city, in this state. Let's deal with our dissatisfaction and dysfunction for sure. But may we always remember that there's much to be satisfied with: we are graced, we are gifted and we have a guarantee.

Yes, we may lose some bags and cost a lot for lunch and no longer have free peanuts, but we are traveling through the air at 500 mph. That's pretty darn incredible. Amen.

Playing Favorites – 1/12/2014

Sermon based on Acts 10: 34-43. "Sometimes the dog is my favorite child --- not often, but sometimes she is." So says Jill Smokler, a Chicago, Illinois, a mother of three --- who admits that she sometimes favors one child over another.

Well did you know that Jill is at the forefront of a growing parenting trend: not being afraid to admit she sometimes has a favorite child? For years, "I love you all equally" has been the instant response of many parents, when asked by their children if one of them is the favorite. Now, some parents are suggesting that they were fibbing all along.

Partly responsible for this parental trend are some psychologists like Dr. Ellen Weber Libby, author of The Favorite Child. Dr. Libby sees more problems arising out of parents covering up, than admitting that they do have a favorite. "Favoritism doesn't have to be bad," she says. "It's what we do with it that makes it disastrous or productive."

Instead of denying that there are favorites, Dr. Libby believes that parents need to be aware of their feelings and recognize that each child benefits from extra affirmation at different times. In the end, in the long course of life, Dr. Libby argues, everyone ends up with some positive memories.

What do you think? Is this common sense --- or another bad passing trend?

I bring this up because, I wonder if we also need to reconsider our own Christian on favoritism. What you mean Pastor! Well, over the years, I have heard many people --- including myself --- quote Peter words recorded in Acts in our second lesson, "God shows no partiality." This simply means that God shows no favoritism, no preferential treatment, no one on this earth gets more love from God than any other person. Yet, I have found that we will quote the Biblical past as a plug and play favorite. Let us study what Peter is saying.

If you remember, at the beginning of Acts, the early Christian community--- those who believed in Jesus as Christ and Messiah --- were re-formed Jews and Samaritans. Both groups have had the word preached to them by God's commissioned agents. Both communities had members who had been baptized and received the Holy Spirit. By now, however, everything is now being changed as God has forced Peter to come to the astonishing realization that God has decided to include Gentiles --- everyone else --- as part of God's people.

Peter in astonishment responds famously: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." The Greek word translated "partiality" is uncommon. Scholars have found that the Greek is a translation itself of an idiom of that time period that literally means "God is not one who receives human faces." In other words, God does not just glance at our faces and make a snap judgment. God does not stop with the externals. God looks deep within. Think of the last time you were around a lot of people. Remember the sea of faces, displaying a variety of expressions, a range of emotions. Remember, also, the skin colors, the body types, the clothing, the hair styles, the teeth and the tattoos.

Our human mind is a remarkable calculating engine. It makes judgments we are scarcely aware of. Can we even recall a few of the judgments our mind made, based on those faces we observed? Did we not pigeonhole a good many of those faces, categorizing them as foreigner or native-born, rich or poor, gay or straight, lazy or hard-working, dangerous or nonthreatening?

If so, we did what Peter says God never does. We "received human faces." We made a multitude of judgments, based on very little information at all. So many mixed motives, so many judgments, affect our love for other people, including even our own children!

Well knowing that, there are moments where we transfer this partial, limited love on to God love. Three of them come to mind:

The first example of what we transfer onto God is our notion that God loves the lovable only. What that means, when we say a person is lovable, is that the person is attractive, pleasing, gifted in some way, so as to win the affection of others. By definition, a lovable person is not hard to love.

Does God only love the lovable? When Jesus says, "Love your neighbor as yourself," Jesus does not add an asterisk with a note at that bottom of the page clarifying his statement: "that is, if your neighbor happens to be lovable." What kind of love would that be? No, the sort of love Peter comes to understand is not a love that is attracted to another, as a moth is drawn by a porch light. It is, rather, the sort of love that gets up and does what the other person needs, no matter how tough that may be, no matter according to Peter what they eat!

Another type of partial love that we sometimes use to edit God's love is gauging love according to the possibility of receiving love in return This is reciprocal love: "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." Lots of human relationships are like that. It's a fine and helpful thing for two people to decide they're going to come together and meet each other's needs. Often we refer to this sort of love as a "partnership," highlighting the even exchange.

Yet, this, too, is only a partial love. For example, plenty of couples have headed for separation or divorce out of a sense of unfairness, when one partner comes to believe the an even exchange is no longer so even. The other partner is not holding up his or her end is not doing enough. Any love that keeps score in such a way is only a partial love. As some of us know that is used by children to keep score! That does not measure up to the ideal of selflessly caring for the other.

That's not the way it's meant to be, of course, but sometimes it's just the way it is. The simple truth is that, if we're in a reciprocal relationship, there's always the temptation to engage in scorekeeping. God love however is not based any partnership with God because we are not equals.

The third example of partial love that we transfer onto God's love is controlling love. We have all known or seen people like that: a spouse or a parent or someone else. An element of control often makes its way into human relationships. In such relationships, love is offered for a time, free and clear, then abruptly snatched away. Afterwards, love is usually kept in storage, to be trundled out the next time the controlling lover has need of it.

Controlling love, too, falls short of the full measure of love of God. By and large, controlling love is not the sort of love we see God exercising. You'd think it would be just that way, in the uneven power-relationship of an omnipotent God and a frail and flawed people. But it's not.

Certainly there are rocky times in any relationships. Look at the track of God's unending love for Israel. It has had some rocky interludes. Even on their epic journey through the wilderness, the people of Israel sometimes acted foolishly and disobediently. God had to dispatch the prophets, one by one, to call them back to faithfulness. Were God's love controlling them, that never would have happened. But God's love is never a controlling love. The Lord values human freedom, knowing full well there are going to be times --- lots of times, to be perfectly honest --- when we'll greedily snatch up that freedom, then go out and abuse it. That is the second half of Peter's words: "anyone who hears them and does what is right." We always have human freedom.

That's not how it is with God's love. The love God offers is utterly free -- in the sense that we are always free to accept or reject it. Yes, it's true that if we wander away from the fold, God will go after us, as a shepherd seeks the lost sheep. But God never prevents us from leaving. The gate to the sheepfold is always open.

Think of a terrorist event like the Boston Marathon Bombing less than nine months ago. Remember the fear and anger that riveted the nation that day.

Then, a teenager was discovered cowering under the cover of a boat up on blocks in someone's driveway. He was wounded and bleeding. He was an American kid --- yes, foreign-born, but he did most of his growing-up here. By all accounts, he had come under the spell of his charismatic, but deeply troubled, big brother.

There's little doubt he is guilty of a crime and will face consequences. Does Jesus really expect us to love him? Does Jesus really expect us to be anything other than partial in our loving? Truth be told, we are sinners, we play favorites, so Jesus probably does not expect that much.

Yet, Jesus places the ideal of selfless love out there before us, all the same. Jesus sets the bar high, one that Peter himself experienced as a disciple of Jesus yet did not come to fully understand until later. This life of Christian discipleship is a matter of reaching onward and upward after his example, trying our best to live as he lives, to love as he loves; growing in love.

Toward the end of 1 Corinthians 13, that well-known "hymn to love," Paul speaks of love in terms of partiality and completeness: "For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end." There's the model. There's the ideal. That is what Peter had seen and learned to understand. God shows no partiality.

I suppose there will be parents who show favoritism to one child over another. Nevertheless, because of Christ, we know the ideal. Peter begins to realize the implications of his baptismal faith; all now really means all. Let us grow in God's love and when we do we learn not love partially. Amen.

More than Presentation – 1/5/2014

Sermon for 2^nd Sunday in Christmas, based on John 1. I was listening to the radio one day, and I heard a program about Science Fairs. Do you remember those? Basically students or teams of students will work on a science topic, fashion an experiment and then present their project. Well, on this radio show, one caller wanted to know how much parental help was appropriate, and another wanted ideas for her daughter's project, and another caller had a complaint about judging practices.

As I was listening to the conversation I found myself remembering my first science fair. I was in sixth grade and worked on a project on the topic of "Reflection." It was a simple experiment using water and milk, a clear glass bottle, a mirror, soil, a bell, a flash light and few other odds and ends and of course a poster board. The basic question I worked on is what makes a mirror reflect verses other material because reflection can also occur with sound and waves. Anyway, for my work, I got a blue ribbon not the top grand prize but better than a red or white ribbon.

What I mostly remember about the whole event however was the reaction of the person next to me, a seventh grader, who got a red ribbon and I knew why! When the judges came by to ask us about our projects I was able to answer their questions and show my experiment, whereas when they came to her --- I was listening as I was right next to her --- she could barely describe her topic.

Later that night, when we showed our projects to the community, with my blue and her red, she kept looking over at me with a frown … "but yours looks so bad." This was true! Mine looked like it had been slapped together quickly whereas her presentation was gorgeous; a lot of time had been spent!

Years later I still remember that event. The judges were less concerned about the packaging and more interested in what we learned.

Well, as I listened to the radio show and to the authorities who were answering questions about fairs they kept stressing that the point which made science projects valuable as a learning experience, was the degree to which children understood their work and the type of support they received from their family network. If children could explain their work, the science, for example if their family network understood, were encouraging and positive about putting effort into a project --- not just about winning --- if a child's project engaged the child in a sense of pride and discovery, then it was an irreplaceable learning experience no matter the outcome.

The teacher part of my brain said that is exactly right.

The same goes with us today as we celebrate the end of Christmas. Tomorrow begins a new chapter --- Epiphany --- as we explore what does this incarnation, God in a baby --- the epiphany or manifestation of light that comes into our world in Jesus Christ --- what does it mean. We had the packaging of Christmas, the lights and tree, the family gatherings but … can we move so others see the light through our flesh? What have we learned? As we move from Christmas to Epiphany, it is a reminder that when the truth of the gospel comes into our lives, the Son of God in the form of life makes a difference.

Think of it this way, if we had a Theology Fair with four projects all with the same topic, Jesus Christ, and they were lined up before us and we were standing listening in, we would have the opportunity to hear four tables; four presentations about Jesus Christ. Is that even possible? Of course, look at scripture. First is Mark; scholars believe the oldest of the gospels. Mark includes nothing about the birth of Jesus. Mark's focus is straightforward and to the point, it is the life and death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Mark doesn't know or doesn't care to tell us of Jesus' origins, so he says nothing at all. Then we come to the Matthew's table. Matthew is more measured and begins by explaining the lineage of Jesus from Abraham, through David, to Joseph. For Matthew, the important point is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament to usher in the Kingdom of God. Jesus is referred to early as the Messiah and named "For He will save His people from their sins." Then we come to Luke's table. Luke paints a different picture again, and focuses more on the identity of Jesus as evidence of God at work; more historical in nature. Jesus is described in terms of great, holy, and full of wisdom and grace, as well as the Son of God and this kingdom has special meaning for the poor.

And then we come to John, our gospel today. The last but perhaps the most gifted of the four gospel tables in John's way with words. John has the largest vocabulary, the most soaring and elaborate of poetic strokes, as he reflects on the meaning of the birth of Christ. His is not the story of an angel visiting a virgin. John is apparently unaware of shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night, awakened by heavenly choruses. Instead because of the strange way John is speaking, that this Word is Jesus and this presentation of Jesus is not ordinary, not even spoken word. It's not something God had to say, but something God had to do. And so this Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have beheld his glory, glory as that of an only child seen through the eyes of an adoring parent. John wants us to know that before all time there was a Word in God, a Word that was more action than speech.

In comparison to the other three presentations, John's poster board has a different perspective and starts much earlier than all the others. "In the beginning was the Word," John says. And by "the beginning," he means the beginning of time before time even existed. When God looked out on nothingness, before anything was created, the Word was with God.

It would be great to have a Theology Fair in our gym, with banners and reporters and cameras and a panel of judges with the tables of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, with enthusiastic children and proud, supportive parents. It would be great to have hundreds of people attending with our own TV program on cable.

That of course would lead us down the wrong path, because that is exactly the point made by the radio show on Science Fairs. These Science fairs are not to be judged by appearance; the tables are there to make a difference in the lives of the students, families and onlookers. The same goes with our gospels. Each of the presentations knows well the subject, Jesus Christ. The whole point is that they are so passionate that they want us to understand as well. So, we are not judging nativity scenes or crèches, we are not judging presentations. Mark, Matthew, Luke and John are not interested in prizes instead as long as there are lonely hearts, hungry bellies, broken souls, as long as there is injustice, then the light and the warmth of the gospel needs to be repeated and struggled with until we understand. Because if we honor our faith by serving God before we serve ourselves, then the nations will see God's justice, and the whole world will glimpse God's glory; we will shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known and worshiped to the ends of the earth --- and our flesh will transmit God's light.

How can people of God not recognize the Son of God? Well think back to Christmas. How is that we become more interested in the presentation and less on what is learned? Why is it that children focus more presentation than knowledge at Science Fairs?

Clearly many people feel unprepared --- like they have to be something; clean up and present their best face. Or perhaps people have underestimated just how eager Jesus is to be part of our lives. Or maybe people think they are ready when they are dressed to impress --- either in outward appearances or in thought and mind with a nice tidy soul. As sometimes children do focusing on presentation as a cover because they do not know the subject matter well. Maybe people are caught up in day-to-day living to know just how much we need the new life and forgiveness that Jesus came to offer.

For whatever reason, too much is spent on Christmas presentation so that we do not recognize the transforming power and renewing love that baby Jesus brought with him.

How do we break out of this conundrum? As the authorities suggested on the radio show, the family network is key. Scholars have noted that the community behind the author John was a vibrant and radiant group of people. They saw with extraordinary vision the depth and breadth of what God had done in Christ. It stretched for them, from before the beginning to after the end and encompassed everything in between. It was a community that knew the true peace "not as the world gives."

Perhaps this community has something to teach us because unique to John's table at the theology fair is that John somehow learned to turn the question around for us. Rather than asking the question is "how is Jesus like God?" John turns that question around to, "how is God like Jesus?" Jesus imitated God so clearly that it can be shown that God is love and has loved all humanity without distinction or disparity and reconciles us without any vengeance or retaliation for our sin.

Christmas is over, the presentation is done and it is up to us. How will we be the family network so that others learn about Jesus Christ? We are the ones asked to make presentations on what we have learned to all those we meet. Will be silent or more concerned on how fancy is our poster board? Or are we ready to pursue justice, to love, to bring all to God's table for a taste of forgiveness; will we will know our Jesus Christ? Amen.