Second Christmas
Jeremiah 31: 7-14, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 1:1-18
If you don't feel really great after hearing the lessons this morning, you weren't listening. I have to admit to you that sometimes it's hard to finish the gospel lessons on a Sunday morning and even say the words, "hear the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ". Sometimes the lessons just don't seem like "good news". It takes some interpreting and understanding to get to what the good news is. But not this morning. Every lesson is exultant, assuring and brimming over with God's love for us. Jeremiah proclaims with exuberance the promise of God to gather Israel and redeem them from the hands that are too strong for them. He says, "The people will come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord...the young women will rejoice in the dance, and the young men and old will be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy and I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow." And Paul in his letter to the Ephesians; have you ever heard Paul be so very positive and upbeat? ""Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing..."and he continues, "He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world...He destined us for adoption as his children...in him we have forgiveness according to the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us." And finally in John's very familiar gospel lesson, "to all who received him he gave power to become the children of God....from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.'
I wouldn't have to say anything this morning, just keep reading these lessons over and over and go home happy. God promises us so much and delivers so much. And that is truly the good news; the gospel...and perhaps it would be enough
But I feel compelled to go the next step. Perhaps it's because it's the beginning of a new year, a typical opportunity for reflection, assessment, newly made resolutions I cannot leave these lessons there. There is, I believe, a claim to these lessons as well. Acceptance of the promises compels us to be part of their ongoing fulfillment. Check out these words of Paul in Ephesians, "In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory." Doesn't that strike you as a claim--might live for the praise of his glory." And so my question is, inspired I suppose by reflection and consideration of a new year, have we been living as those assured of the promises of God? And if not, why not?
Our inability to live as the people of God, as inheritors of God's great grace and mercy, as examples of the promises of God is I believe related to three failures. The failure of Vision, the failure of courage and the failure of commitment. I lift these up not as some indictment or judgment but as a way to suggest reflection and perhaps generate positive resolution that will allow us to live more fully as graced and gifted people.
First; a failure of vision.
I was at a New Years Eve party in my neighborhood. What started out as a general conversation among a large group of people over the miserable state of the world evolved into a conversation between me and another woman. She was a remarkable person, interesting. She was well traveled as a flight attendant and had been more places in the world than I will ever hope to visit. And she got to telling me a story about a charter flight that took Peace Corps workers to Nigeria. "I felt so sorry for them," she said. "Here they are giving away two whole years of their life and it's like a drop in the ocean. What they do is good and all but it's just not going to make any difference." All week I've been thinking about that conversation in particular and all the conversation in general. Have we become so jaded, so immersed in the "reality" of life, in business as usual that we do not even have a vision of a better world. Jesus came as the prince of peace; we have to believe that peace is possible. Jesus came and fed the multitudes we have to believe that world hunger can be eliminated. Jesus came and cured the sick we have to believe that the pandemic of AIDS can be controlled. Without the vision--without the absolute certainty that the promises of God can and will be fulfilled we would be immobilized.
Which brings me to the second failure--the failure of courage. William Willimon is a great preacher and is a chaplain at Duke University. He tells a story that I couldn't find in writing but has stuck with me, so I recount it to you not in the particular but in substance. A student, who had only tangentially been involved with church life back home, got very involved in the campus church. He began to serve on committees and go to conferences. He was a very bright student and brought great gifts of enthusiasm and energy to all that he did. One day he came to the chaplain totally excited and enthused about an opportunity he had to be part of a two-year government program to teach in inner city schools. He had been pre-med but even without a teaching degree or certificate he could earn a full salary and decide if he wanted to go into teaching. He wasn't sure about medical school, not sure if it was for him and this opportunity would give him time to decide to what vocation God was calling him.
Following Christmas break the chaplain didn't see him much. He had drifted away from a lot of the activities that he had been a part of. Seeing him in the union one day the chaplain asked him where he'd been what he'd been up to. "Oh studying for the med cats." " I thought you were going to do that teaching program.
Well no, he went home for Christmas and his parents convinced him that it might not be too safe in some of those settings and the money wasn't very good and why would he want to do that anyway.
Change is never easy. Change is not always safe and it is seldom comfortable. Even in our own individual lives change is hard. Breaking a bad habit, making a lifestyle adjustment is never easy. Taking the first step requires something and that something is courage. Courage is needed to make a difference in the world and in ourselves. If we have the vision, the promise of a better way then what we need is the courage to align ourselves with that vision. We need to be able to act on faith, to trust, to believe.
But even courage is not the final word. A lot of foolishness is accomplished in the world by people striking out with good intentions and then abandoning those intentions when the going gets tough. The claim of the promises of God is a challenge to commitment. We do not live as the people of God when we experience a failure of commitment.
One of the things that makes me proudest of our Evangelical Lutheran Church is the way we handle our social service and disaster programs. We're not a flash in the pan organization, in for the big headlines and then gone. People aren't healed of disasters in ten days or two months or sometimes even a year or two. Even though the rubble is cleared away and people are back to work the effects of a tragic incident, be it natural or otherwise can go on for a long time. Our assistance is there, our counselors are active for as long as it takes. We are active throughout the world. I'd encourage you to check out the ELCA website under Disaster relief to learn about our efforts in Iran and Iraq, Liberia and Korea.
You've often heard me mention Gil Furst the director of our domestic disaster response program. He wrote a pre Christmas letter in which he asks the question where is the joy as we sing Joy to the World? He writes,
Where is there joy these days? As I work on my end-of-the-year report, I note LDR responded to 14 new disasters this year, ranging from floods and tornadoes to fires and severe storms. The response to the September 11, 2002, terrorist attacks continues, as needs of unemployment and hunger arise in New York City, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.
Where is there joy these days? There is joy all around! Through LDR, you provide joy, comfort, and relief across the country. You reach out in faithful and creative ways to people who have no homes in which to celebrate Christmas. You send offerings and contributions to sustain long-term commitments and support new responses. You volunteer in Texas and Minnesota, in Ohio and Tennessee, in Mississippi and Alabama. Because "the Lord is come," you are providing joy - spiritually, financially, physically, emotionally .
Indeed there is joy. The light has come into the world. But just as our candlelighting on Christmas Eve begins with one candle and spreads to fill the sanctuary so Christ's light is reflected in us. May we have the vision, the courage and the commitment to take that light out of the sanctuary and into the world.
Amen.