God's Party

Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Episcopal Church
December 24, 2014

Christmas Eve 

When I was a child, one of the best things about Christmas was that our family traditions were the same every year.  Every year, the same friends hosted a party on Christmas Eve, and Santa came to the party and brought each child a gift.  My gift was always thank you note cards, which was a bummer but Santa got points for consistency.  Every year, my grandmother would give my sister and me each a velvet dress.  My sister's was red and mine was blue.  Every year, my mom prepared the same food: roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and wild rice casserole, and essentially the same people were gathered around the table.  Every year my dad bought the tree and we decorated it with red glass balls, lots of tinsel, and lights.  And every year, we tried to leave something interesting out for Santa Claus.  Those traditions all began when we lived in New Jersey, and the year we moved to Arkansas, we took great comfort in carrying many of those traditions with us.  While all the world around us seemed to have changed, the Christmas tree had the same red glass balls, tinsel, and lights on it, my mom made roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and wild rice casserole, and even though the people gathered around the table were different, the festive atmosphere was still the same.  Part of the magic of Christmas was its sameness from year to year, which makes sense given that we celebrate the same Christmas story year after year.

While our traditions brought me a sense of comfort and security as a child, they also left me with the distinct but confused notion that we have control over Christmas. Christmas belongs to us.  Christmas comes when the decorations are in place and the food is prepared.  Santa comes because we have been good and because we left really amazing goodies for him.  Jesus is in the manger because we put him there.  Christmas is our party.  

Obviously, my adult self knows that nothing could be further from the truth.  For starters, Christmas~the birth of the Christ child~ is hardly under the power of family traditions.  Secondly, the comforting and sustaining traditions, are the way we celebrate what God has done for us.  Despite all the human activity that goes on around Christmas~the shopping, decorating, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, delivering, and as joyful as all that activity may be, Christmas is God's party, not ours.

The Good News, however, is that God invites us to enter the Christmas story and make it our own.  The story we heard this night, the beloved story of Jesus' birth, offers us three concrete ways to celebrate a birth that happened longer ago than any of us can imagine, and to celebrate not as outsiders looking in, but as insiders looking out.

First, Mary and Joseph are willing to allow God to act through their lives.  Last Sunday, on the 4th Sunday of Advent, we heard Gabriel say to Mary "Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you....you will conceive and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus."  After some initial, understandable questioning, Mary says "Here I am, the servant of the Lord.  Let it be with me according to your word."  While Joseph plays no active role in Luke's version of the story, in Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus, the angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him that the child Mary has conceived is from the Holy Spirit, and that she will bear a son and Joseph will name him Jesus.  Both Mary and Joseph are willing to allow God to act through them to bring Good News to the world, even when doing so is more than inconvenient.

Secondly, the shepherds, who are minding their own business and tending their flocks when the angel of the Lord shows up, are willing put away their fear and hear the angel's message.  Sometimes, when we are going about our everyday lives, the strangest things do happen.  But most importantly, the shepherds were willing to leave their sheep, travel to Bethlehem, and believe the angel's message that the tiny baby lying in a manger, born of poor parents with no place to stay, was indeed the Messiah, the Lord.

Thirdly, the angel announces the good news of Jesus' birth with no guarantee that anyone will listen.  The angel had no way of knowing how the shepherds would respond, and in fact the shepherds were the least likely  people to first to hear the good news of Jesus' birth, and the least likely to be believed once they began to tell the story.  The natural response of the shepherds would be  to act on their fear and flee further into the fields with their sheep.  But the angel's job was to proclaim the good news that the Messiah has been born in the city of David, without any guarantee that the shepherds would listen, and indeed, the angel delivers the message.

The Christmas story invites us into the celebration of Jesus' birth. We are invited to travel with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem by allowing God to act through us, even when it is mightily inconvenient to do so.  We are invited to stand with the shepherds and recognize the Christ child in the most unlikely of places.  And we are invited to sing with the angels the joyful news of the birth of our savior and not worry about whether anyone will listen.  We are invited into this celebration tonight, and always.  God invites us to bring our traditions, our decorations and wild rice casserole, our hymns and candles, our Christmas trees and festivities and join in God's party as insiders...a party that celebrates the birth of the Christ Child and the claim of the Christ Child on our own lives, just as that child claimed the lives of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the angel on that first Christmas night.                          
                                     
                                                                                            Amen.

Outrageous Promises

Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Episcopal Church
December 21, 2014

4 Advent B

Our two sons were backseat theologians at a young age.  One Sunday morning twenty-plus years ago as we were driving to church, a voice from the back seat offered this bit of information about God.  "God has large hands."  "Really," I responded.  "Why does God have large hands?"  The answer: "To give the children lots of candy."  The truth of the matter was that our priest at the time, Bob Partlow, was six foot five, did have large hands, and enjoyed giving candy to the children when they visited the office.  So, God must do the same thing.  Another Sunday morning, one of the kids wondered what kind of pajamas God wears.  "What makes you think God wears pajamas?" came the reply from the front seat.  And from the back seat "I wear pajamas.  I am made in the image of God.  So, God must wear pajamas, too.  I wonder what color they are."  The good news is that apparently our kids understood that they were made in the image of God.  The less good news is that somehow that understanding made God like them rather than vice versa.

But our budding 2 and 5 years old theologians are in good company this morning because King David is doing exactly the same thing.  David is now the King of Israel.  He is settled in a lovely house of cedar, which he is no doubt enjoying, when he realizes that while he, a human even if a king, lives in a house, the ark of God stays in a tent.  David certainly prefers his house to a tent, so wouldn't God also prefer a more permanent dwelling?  Surely what David likes, God would like, too.  And a permanent home sure beats wandering.

And while David will eventually build God a very fine house, for now, God tells David that God's very identity is in being with the people.  God says "I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle."  God is the God of outrageous promises for God's people.  God promised to create a great nation from the then- childless Abraham and Sarah.  God promised to free those very people from slavery in Egypt. And God promised to establish the people in the Promised Land.  Through out the Israelite's long sojourn out of Egypt, through the wilderness and to the Promised Land, God has always been one step ahead, leading them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to make good on God's promises.  God has always been willing to go first into those outrageous promises.  How can God possibly go first if God is contained in a house?

This story was not written while the Israelites were enjoying peace and prosperity under David's rule.  2 Samuel was written while the Israelites were in exile in Babylon several centuries later and God seemed profoundly absent.  The people needed to be reminded that God was not contained in the Temple, which had been destroyed, but by God's very nature, God was out among the people, dreaming grand dreams, one step ahead of them bringing them closer and closer to the time when they could return home.  In 2 Samuel, David is not prevented from building God a temple because David has committed murder as is the case when the story is told in 1 Kings. David is prevented from building a temple for God because God will build David a house-a house not of cedar but a house and a kingdom that will last forever.  When the life the Israelite people know in the Promised Land has come to an end, their temple has been destroyed and they have been deported from the land God gave them, they are reminded both of God's presence with them and God's promise that, despite the current circumstances, God will establish a house of David that will last forever. God has made good on outrageous promises before. God can be trusted to make good on equally outrageous promises now.

This morning, we hear that God's outrageous promise to David will come to pass through Mary.  If we hear this story with new ears, as if we have never heard the words of the angel before, we will hear a bold and absurd plan being presented to Mary.  She will conceive and bear a son who will be the Son of God.  Mary's first and logical response to this radical change in the direction of her life is a quite understandable "How can this be?"  But once the angel explains what God has in mind, Mary says "Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word."

In her response to the angel, and thus to God, Mary is held up for us as the model of faithfulness.  Luke's gospel describes Mary as favored and yet perplexed, thoughtful, and afraid.  So, we, too, can be perplexed, thoughtful, and afraid in the midst of God's outrageous promises.  The words Luke uses to describe Mary remind me of the prayer we will pray for little Reese (later this morning/in a few minutes) after she is baptized.  We will pray that she has an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and love God, and the gift of joy and wonder in all God's works.  Those words also describe Mary in our story this morning as she is told that she will bear the Son of God.  In baptism we, like Mary, are  harnessed to the God of outrageous promises who always has a new plan, a new idea, who is always on the move ahead of us.  In baptism we are joined with the God who always goes first into God's outrageous promise.  And in baptism and in Advent, we are reminded that God did not become human in the person of Jesus so that God could be more like us.  God became human in the person of Jesus so we could be more like God.

Amen.

"Of Alarm systems and Guard Dogs"

Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Episcopal Church
December 7, 2014

2 Advent B

When our son Slocomb was a little boy and we lived in Lexington, Kentucky, he and I spent many afternoons at the airport watching the planes take off and land.  Slocomb was fascinated by this activity, and I was fascinated and delighted by his ability to sit still and focus on the sky. We were not sitting in the car in the parking lot watching the planes.  We walked right inside the airport, down the hallway and to the gate at the end of the building where we could see pretty much any aircraft coming in and stay as long as we liked.  Those were the good old days, before airport security became a new industry and we learned to wear slip on shoes to the airport, to put our liquids in 3 oz bottles, our belts, shoes, and jewelry in the plastic bin, and walk through the body scanner.  From our playful measures at Christ Church to provide security through the ministry of Sheriff Woody to trying to get through security at the airport before the plane departs, our lives seem to focus more and more on security measures to keep ourselves and our homes safe from all who would harm us.

So, I am troubled by the image of the day of the Lord, or Jesus, coming as a thief.  And our reading from 2 Peter this morning is not the first time we have heard scripture tell us to prepare for Jesus the way we would prepare for a thief.  Today we hear "but the day of the Lord will come like a thief."  Back in November, we heard the apostle Paul say in 1Thessalonians "For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."  In Matthew's gospel, Jesus says "But know this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into."  And in the book of Revelation, Jesus says "Look, I come like a thief!"  We try to keep thieves out of our homes and our lives.  In Advent, we are supposed to watch for Jesus, to prepare for Jesus, to welcome him, not keep him out.  So why all the language about thieves?

Whether in the first century or the 21st century, the best way to protect from thieves is to be ready.  Whether with alarm systems, a guard dog, or by staying awake, if we are prepared, then we are less likely to have our homes broken into.  We put a lot of thought into how to keep our homes secure.  We go to a good bit of trouble and expense to protect our property and ourselves.  I wonder if what scripture calls us to is to be as intentional and intense about preparing for Jesus as we are about our physical security.  Jesus is not a thief, and I am not sure Jesus actually comes without warning.  But in order to recognize  the signs, Scripture calls us to be prepared.

If alarm systems, locks, guard doges, and staying awake 24/7 are not the way to prepare for Jesus, then what is the way to prepare?  John the Baptist came to prepare the people for the Messiah, and so he went into the wilderness where he dined on locusts and wild honey and proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  With his odd behavior, John did two things.  First, he worked to prepare people by calling them to let go of all the things they trusted for false security.  Secondly,  he told them to watch for Jesus. "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."  Let go of false security, repent and turn from false gods,  and you will be able to see the one who brings true security, says John.

We can trust John the Baptist for two reasons.  First, his message is consistent with the message of the prophets.  In Isaiah, we hear God promise someone who will prepare the way of the Lord and make straight a highway in the desert for God.  John comes in fulfillment of God's promise to send someone to prepare the way.  Secondly, the God of which Isaiah and John speak is the God who will feed his flocks like a shepherd, who will gather the lambs in his arms, who will carry them in his bosom and gently lead the mother sheep.  This is a God we can trust, who sent a messenger to prepare the people, so that they would recognize Jesus.  This is not a God trying to trick people by sending a thief in the night.  This is a God who wants us to be prepared and ready.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you and you with me."  Jesus does not say "Behold, I crawl in through an unsecured ground floor window in the middle of the night."  Jesus calls us to prepare for his coming by being able to recognize him, to open the door so Jesus can come in and eat with us.  Jesus calls us to prepare to let him in with all the intensity we would prepare to keep a thief out.  We prepare by recognizing those places where we think we gain false security so that we recognize real security.  We prepare so intentionally that the table is set and ready when Jesus knocks on the door, even though we do not know when to expect him.  And, rather than see everyone as a potential thief,  we practice seeing something of Jesus in everyone who comes to the door.  Then, when the Christ Child comes or the Risen Christ returns, we will be ready to invite him to come inside and dine with us.
Amen.

"Not Christmas Yet"

Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Episcopal Church
November 30, 2014

1 Advent 

When I was a child, Thanksgiving began the season perhaps most accurately called "Not Christmas yet."  The season of "Not Christmas Yet" was not Advent, since we had never heard of Advent, and yet had some things in common with the holy season we begin today.  The season of "Not Christmas yet" was certainly a season of preparation.  Preparation for Christmas at our house began in earnest on the day after Thanksgiving and for the three of us children mostly involved making lists of all the things we wanted for Christmas.  There was some decorating involved and a lot of cooking and cleaning as we prepared for relatives and friends to arrive.  This is where I learned that real preparation for Christmas involves butter, real vanilla, and good chocolate.

Secondly, the season of "Not Christmas yet" was a season of anticipation.  In the case of "Not Christmas yet,"our anticipation began as soon as the Thanksgiving turkey was cold and usually peaked with a meltdown or two by December 3.  We would have done anything to make Christmas come right this minute.  The season of "Not Christmas yet" was a season of restless counting of days-my mother savoring every day we were still in school before the holidays and the three of us children counting the days until we could do nothing but anticipate Christmas.

Finally, the season of "not Christmas yet" became a season of patience.  After an early meltdown or two, we children figured out how to wait.  Some things in life just cannot be forced to come more quickly and we could be miserable for the remaining three weeks until Christmas or we could try to be patient.  Miserable got old fast and did not make the time pass any more quickly .  So we figured out better things to do with our time.

As we begin the season of Advent today, we are called to a season of anticipation, preparation, and patience even if those activities look a little different in Advent than in the season of "Not Christmas yet."  But whatever our practice of Advent might be, however we might understand anticipation, preparation, and patience to get us ready for the birth of the Christ child, we probably came to church this morning expecting to hear something a little more Christmasy from Scripture.  This morning we hear nothing about a baby, nothing about angels or shepherds or even prophecy about the birth of the messiah.  What we get instead is a lament from the Hebrew people calling God to come down here right now and do something, words of encouragement from Paul about the last times, and a grim description of Jesus' return.  How on earth are these readings supposed to help us begin our Advent journey?

What our readings have to do with Advent is that they all call us to God's version of anticipation, preparation, and patience.  In the reading from Isaiah, the people anticipate the action of God that will put an end to the injustice and hardships they experience as they work to resettle the Promised Land. The people are not naive about their own complicity in their problems-they admit that they have sinned and made God angry.  But they also know that they are nothing but damp clay without God.  The people are waiting for God to act, but know that, in preparation for God to act,  they must act as well. They must prepare for the time when God will act by living as if God is acting now.  They must live as the people God created them to be.  When we look at the injustices in the world today, at the places where people would call upon God to come down here and do something right now-whether in Ferguson, Missouri, or in Syria where Christians face unimaginable persecution, or in Liberia where Ebola has ravaged the country, or the countless other places where people feel helpless in the face of adversity, we hear people make the same lament to God.  Get down here and do something now the way you have done something in the past.  And we hear the prophetic voices reminding us that we are called to act as the people God created us to be-not acting as damp, unformed clay in the face of injustice but being the vessels God created us to be. Being patient means believing that God will act and God's action will be worth the wait.  But patience does not mean passivity, and while we wait, God calls us to act.

Paul is less about patience, as he believes until his dying breath that Jesus will come any time now.  Paul, unlike Isaiah or Jesus, tells the people that they are prepared-that the grace of God given to them in Christ Jesus has given them the strength and the spiritual gifts they need to be ready when Jesus returns. Paul lives in deep anticipation of the day when Jesus returns and he encourages the Christians in Corinth to do likewise.  If we live like Jesus will return any moment, then our lives will make the world look a little more like the world Jesus came to redeem.

And then there is Jesus.  In the passage just before our gospel reading this morning, Jesus has described the suffering and persecution his followers will endure.  They will be handed over to councils and beaten in synagogues.  Brother will betray brother to death and a father his child.  Children will rise against parents and all will be hated because of the name of Jesus.  Then the sun will darken and the moon will not give light and the Son of Man will come in the clouds.

The truth is that, just as the Hebrew people were experiencing fearsome times in the reading from Isaiah, so the faithful to whom Mark was written were experiencing fearsome times.  Jesus' followers were being handed over to councils.  Families were divided.  People were being put to death.  God did need to come down and do something. Now.  And Jesus promises the people that God will act.  God will act by sending Jesus again to gather the faithful.  The people can anticipate a time when there will be no more terror and trials, when Jesus will gather them up.  But they must be prepared.  They must stay awake to watch for Jesus.  They must be patient for no one knows the day or the hour. Only God knows when these things will occur.

The promise of Advent and the promise of Scripture is that God will act.    God will act whether we are ready or not.  But God wants us to be ready.  God calls us to anticipate God's action by wanting that action so badly that we will do anything to make that action a reality.  God calls us to prepare with such deliberation that God's presence is real to those around us. Now.  And God calls us to be patient, but not passive.  God will act in God's good time, but in the meantime, God calls us not be formless lumps of damp clay passively waiting, but the vessels of justice and peace God made us to be.  Then we and the world will be ready.
Amen.