Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Bible Text: Matthew 2:1-12 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

In 1806 Jane Taylor and her sister Ann wrote and published a collection of poems entitled Rhymes for the Nursery. It included one little poem called “The Star” and it was suggested that the tune used to sing said poem was a melody titled, “Ah! Vous Dirai-Je, Maman” meaning, Shall I tell you, Mother. While this French tune is often attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the tune is actually older than that. He did, however, compose a set of 12 improvisations based on that tune and it is from these variations that we get the tune for our ABCs and Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.  Jane Taylor’s poem and this tune have been intricately linked for centuries now.  Mind you, the  poem’s title has changed. The song was in fact the first song I ever learned on the violin and likely the only song I ever mastered on the violin.  Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky, Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. While many songs and carols will place the wise men as the main characters of our Gospel passage and while it is Herod (whom we discussed last week as being the embodiment of the world’s hatred) who plays the central villain in the story, the true central feature is the star, twinkling up above the world so high.  The star is what drives the plot, what gives motivation to the Magi as well as fear to Herod. It is the star that changes the course for everyone involved. The star, up above the world so high, signals God’s grace to the Gentiles as  part of Jesus’ role on earth while also being the King of the Jews. Yet, it is not entirely a welcome symbol or sign or turn of events. While hindsight teaches us that the star is a good sign, for many in the ancient world a new star was the symbol of impending devastation and violence.

Matthew writes that when King Herod heard of this new star he was frightened and all Jerusalem with him. Now in previous sermons I have shared that one reason why Jerusalem was frightened was because past actions had dictated that Herod would respond with violence, and that still remained a very possible reality. However, I have since learned that for the ancient world- in fact even for the modern world- a new star is bad news. For example, ancient historian Josephus noted that a star stood over the city of Jerusalem in 70CE, just before its siege and fall. For years most believed that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius was caused by a comet. There was apparently an appearance of a new star over England in 1066, just before the Battle of Hastings. And before we begin to think that this is something that only happened in the old world, apparently a star appeared in the sky in 1835 just before the battle of the Alamo.[1] Many of us may even remember some of the social-religious movements or cults that based some of their suicidal activity on comets. A new star in the sky or strange astrological behaviour is cause for concern.  Therefore when Herod is frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, it makes absolute sense.  Let’s be honest, if a star or some astrological shift happened in our sky would we really sit back and think nothing of it? Wouldn’t our scientists be doing research to try and figure out the cause? Wouldn’t our journalists be predicting what will happen next? Wouldn’t we be a little concerned, maybe even frightened? And so we should be; we have come to believe that nature is predictable. Yet, God is not always predictable, thankfully, and we should be frightened when God is shifting because we have to ask ourselves if we would stand up to the challenge.

The prophecy from our passage in Isaiah plays into the star a little.  The Message translates it as such, “The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, but God rises on you, sunrise glory breaks over you. Nations will come to your light, kings to your sunburst brightness. Look up! Look around! Watch as they gather; watch as they approach.” What Isaiah is describing is that Gentile nations will heap incredible wealth upon Israel. For this portion of Isaiah the prophet is describing what it will be like when the Israelites return to their land. He is not really describing what we have come to interpret as the prophecy predicting the wise men.  However, Isaiah is certainly describing a shift in God’s plan.

God has also demonstrated that God is to be feared, revered, and followed. Once God is in our lives, while unpredictable, God is reliable. The star is revelatory but also reliable. The star discloses to the Magi where Jesus is to be found. Yet they do the logical thing and approach the ruling authority for direction. After all with such a major sign in the sky shouldn’t the King be aware of the star and know why it has appeared? Yet of course, Herod is quick to respond to his fear, and confronts the Magi with deceit and lies. The star however, continues to blaze and does not let the Magi down. It remains so that it can lead them to their final destination. It is upon finding Jesus (likely in humble estate) that they respond with overwhelming joy. Even as Gentiles they have been graced by God, and then the star disappears.

You might think our focus on the star ends there, but in truth this star is symbolic of Jesus’ scope. While the Hebrews in Roman occupied Israel were waiting for a Messiah, the prophets could not have predicted just how wide the Messiah’s role would become. The trajectory of the star is so broad that it does not remain only on Bethlehem, but also reaches the keen eyes of the Magi who come from afar, somewhere in the East. They are not the people the prophet expected would come looking for the Messiah. We don’t know much about them but the wise men are the first to ask, where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? They know who Jesus is, but the rest of Jerusalem is silent. This great and frightening and awe-inspiring shift was revealed to wise men from a foreign country, and it is they who taught Herod. It makes me wonder; if the star’s trajectory is symbolic of Jesus’ all-encompassing scope, then who might the wise men of our time be? The Comox Valley has welcomed and is waiting to welcome some new refugee families. I am sure they have many things they could teach us.  The Presbyterian Church in Canada will likely see some transformation in this New Year. I wonder if it will be cause for fear or celebration. Perhaps it will be a mix of both fear and overwhelming joy. The next time something strange or unpredictable, something out of the ordinary happens at CVPC we would likely gain from remembering the star over Bethlehem. May we be bearers of joy rather than fear and may we present ourselves ready to worship Christ. Amen

 

 

Bible Text: Matthew 2:13-23 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

William Kurelek was a prolific Canadian painter. He was well known for his immigrant prairie pictures that often included mundane, everyday activities in bright colours and interesting frames. In 1976 he received the order of Canada. He also suffered from mental illness and depression but through his difficult journey he found faith and became a devout Roman Catholic. In fact, he painted 160 panels of the Passion of Christ. His artwork is inspiring, challenging, sometimes frightening, and often moving. He published a semi-children’s book entitled “A Northern Nativity” in which he depicts the holy family in various locations typical of a 1930s Northern Canadian experience. While many are not typical pictures of the nativity they remind us of how diverse the interpretation of the story can be.  He includes writings, based on dreams, with each picture and he always asks the question, “If it happened there, why not here? If it happened then, why not now?” One of his nativity scenes is of Mary, Joseph and Jesus tucked into a box car at the Winnipeg Freight yards during the depression. Kurelek writes, “It is the wrong time to be young, ambitious and full of hope.” For the last couple of weeks I have included reflections on how the nativity story is not quite as sweet as we interpret it. The focus on Matthew’s Gospel does that to us. Kurelek reminds me even more so how that is true, that in amongst the scene of angels announcing and wise men offering, there are still realities of human hardship, human anger, human fear and human hatred. That is the world that Jesus entered, a world in which rulers oppressed and people suffered. On this Sunday, that is called the first Sunday of Christmas in our lectionary year and on this first day of the year of our Lord, two-thousand and seventeen, we hear a story about a serious warning of coming peril. It isn’t a happy ending and it is difficult for us to move from the lights and wrapping paper to these stark images. It is difficult to reflect on the joy and hope expressed at New Year’s Eve celebrations to these words of fear and flight. It’s difficult to preach on them! But then again it is difficult to feel joyous on the occasion of the New Year when we hear news of attacks in Aleppo and around the world. I’m kind of glad to see 2016 leave us.

In our passage from Matthew we read that Joseph received a message and heeded a warning immediately. Joseph’s obedience is saintly. He never seems to question but rather gets up and goes. The flight to Egypt was unexpected in so many ways. What a change in circumstances in such a short period of time! The story of Jesus’ birth has just occurred both in the readings and in our liturgical calendar. But the chronology is a little off because we have yet to celebrate epiphany, the recognition and gifts from the magi, which our passage this morning follows, and which in our calendar year we celebrate next week.  However, Jesus has just received some symbolic and important gifts from some pretty unusual visitors and then the family must run for their lives, fleeing Herod, who wants to destroy this young child’s life and it is their only option.  We know that some time has probably passed since the birth. It was not a week like we celebrate, but probably a couple of years. Even then, this trip must have been fraught with fear and danger as they looked over their shoulders and tried to remain calm for their toddler son.

The problem of course is that fleeing to Egypt saved Jesus’ life but it did not stop violence back home. The most difficult part of the entire story comes up when it says that the loss of these innocent lives was a fulfilment of Scripture. We have to be very clear about something. The fulfilment of the Hebrew text is limited at best. It comes from Jeremiah 31:15 and it is regarding the restoration of Israel and Judah. When Jeremiah wrote this both the Northern and Southern kingdoms were in exile and God had promised that they would be brought out of captivity and restored to their land. To connect this sentence from Jeremiah with the events following Jesus’ birth is a stretch. However, that is how Matthew understood it and tackled the harsh events. It is also a reflection on the history of the Israelites. God has already led the nation of Israel out of bondage, in Egypt. The child Jesus is reliving God’s past dealings with Israel and then living out God’s future plans for all people.

It was Boxing Day 2004 when this passage was to be preached as part of the lectionary. I remember it well. I was doing pulpit supply at West Flamborough Presbyterian Church- a church that was enduring a modestly lengthy vacancy. It was also the morning that the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami hit the Indian Ocean. It always struck me that on the very day after Christmas, the world and many families on vacation were hit by a massive tragedy. It is the realities of our world and it can always bring into question the very existence of a God who is love. How could this happen to innocent people if God loves us. I know, it is a morose thought for the first day of the year but I am sure it is one you are asking yourselves.

What the text does make clear is that the event of the flight to Egypt was not ordained by God. It was ordered by Herod. It may be understood as fulfilment of Scripture but it was not a fulfilment of God’s desire but rather examples of human power and anger. It is this part of the Christmas story that is more real to us, to refugees in Syria, to victims of cruelty, terrorism, exclusion or racism than that of the manager scene. And therein lies the problem.

Too easily we switch from the decorations on the tree to storage boxes. What a difference a day makes from opening thoughtful gifts to line ups for Boxing Day sales, from welcoming the new day brought by a small baby to the celebration of a new year with champagne and over consumption. The month leading up to Dec. 25th is filled with kettle drives, turkey dinners for those in need, extra special thought for those less fortunate in our community but then too quickly we switch off the charm, joy, good will and transition back into routine. I am not suggesting that our own post-Christmas lethargy can be compared to physical loss of homeland through warfare as the holy family experienced. That is a pretty terrible example of “first world problems”. I am suggesting, however, that more people can connect with the story of the flight to Egypt in some way or another than with the Nativity and being visited by wise men and that’s a terrible truth.

What is clear is that God is at work and does intervene in all this human made anger, fear and hatred by creating new journeys. Matthew tells us that God is at work. The powers in this world can be terrible and often align themselves in opposition, just as Herod did when he learned of the birth of Jesus. But God is also faithful in fulfilling promises and purposes. Most importantly, God can be counted on to act to bring divine plans to fruition. Throughout history we can see- through the lens of faith- God’s work, human opposition, and God’s faithfulness despite the opposition. The world in which Jesus entered was full of pain, but it is at this time that we remember that God’s promise was so intimate that God, in Christ, suffers with us.

William Kurelek’s final image in his Northern Nativity is of the family hurrying off in a horse and buggy. In his dream William runs after them and yells, “Please don’t go!” He is heard and the compassionate response comes floating on the wind, “We will return one day- when you are ready to receive us with undivided love.” Kurelek asks, if it happened there, why not here, if it happened then, why not now? But he also has the profound insight that if it did happen here and happen now, would we notice?  Amen

Bible Text: Luke 2:1-20 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

I’m sure you all have your favourite Christmas Special. I listened to a podcast about why, even as adults, we make an effort to watch these specials, year after year. One commentator supposed that we revisit them each year “because of nostalgia and tradition. It becomes part of our fabric. It speaks to a yearning of what Christmas is supposed to be.” I have numerous favourites, from ones involving Muppets to the classic Grinch but I think my two favourites are Mr. Bean’s Christmas and Charlie Brown’s Christmas, and I think they are my favourites for the same reason. They both display an honesty about Christmas that is not totally sweet or hokey or fake or romantic. Charlie Brown, of course searches for the true meaning of Christmas and at every corner seems to disappoint his peers, including the purchase of an infamously sad looking tree.  Mr. Bean, played by Rowan Atkinson does things that many might call lonely- he writes Christmas cards and then in the next scene we see him popping the cards into his own mail slot. There’s a scene in Mr. Bean’s Christmas where he is in a shop and he turns to the window display and sees a nativity set. He then persists in playing with the characters until there’s all kinds of chaos including a dinosaur (watch it??). You see, the thing is- he’s right. It was chaotic, maybe not with robots and the military guard, but certainly with the anxiety involved in birthing your first born child. And who can forget Linus’ speech in which he quotes from the King James Version of our passage in Luke. It is only after hearing about how angels spread the Good News to the shepherds that Charlie Brown’s peers understand what Christmas is all about.

It has become so familiar to us that we maybe don’t realize how breathtaking a story this is. Luke begins by saying, “In those days.” While some might compare it to the statement, “Once Upon A Time..”,  this is really about a notice, and heralding to the community to collect their memories, experiences and hopes because this Galilean scene in amongst Rome and Jerusalem- the religious centre for the Jews and the civic centre for the gentiles- something huge is about to take place. It is during a time of political unrest, and a census no less. It is going to be chaotic, messy, ridiculous, frightening, and maybe a bit lonely. Mary and Joseph, after all will be exposed to the elements as they bring this child into the world. Historically when the words, “in those days” were used it was for the announcement of a great one’s birth, but it was not found within the pages of books. Rather it was announced by the Governor or Emperor. It’s like imagining the town crier saying, “Hear ye, Hear ye, a descendant of the king has been born.” But instead of elected officials making this announcement in Jesus’ birth it is brought on by shepherds.

I said it in passing but we would do well to remember that Jesus is Mary and Joseph’s first child. This may seem obvious but it was important enough for Luke to make mention of it.   This is important because it reminds the first century readers, and us, that Jesus is now entitled to the first son’s birthright- which in this case is a member of the house of David. While it is the angels who state “Glory to God!”, it is that one word, firstborn, that brings to mind the fact that Jesus is the descendant of David that everyone has been waiting for.

Not only have the people of Israel waited for this descendant, but so has all of creation. Theologian Joy Moore states, “Comparisons to the universal and cosmic responses to Jesus’ birth by angels and shepherds signal that redemption is not merely for one ethnic group but for all creation… Luke[‘s Gospel] tells us that God shows up in the ordinary and the heaven’s respond in a chorus of awe.” Luke uses all the right language to get the readers to understand that something great has happened, and yet it still happens in a stable, it still spreads to lowly shepherds, it takes decades for people to understand why this is good news, and I would argue it is still taking centuries. Glory to God! For God is with us; and yet how many people even realize it. I think that this is the challenge that some classic Christmas specials face. We are drawn into all kinds of traditions, myths and desires at this time of year, and yet the true story of Christmas was chaotic, challenging and even lonely. When God is among us, is with us, it doesn’t mean that the loneliness will cease, or that sadness will disappear. When we say God with us it doesn’t mean God for us. Rather it means that the presence of God is with us in our loneliness, in our sadness, in our chaos, in our challenges. And that is the good news- it is not just for an elite few, or for one particular segment of society, but it is for all. Merry Christmas indeed.  Amen.

Bible Text: Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Gervase Phinn was a school inspector in North Yorkshire. As a result he attended many nativity plays back in the day and it inspired him to produce a book that calls to mind some of the innocence, hilarity and out right strange things that children say or do when acting out this holy story. For example he writes, “At the conclusion of one Nativity play, Mary and Joseph sat at the centre of a colourful tableau of kings, shepherds and animals. A group of little angels in white crepe paper and cardboard headbands with silver stars on the front stood on a raised platform at the back. As the teacher at the piano struck up with the introduction to “Away in a Manger” Mary rocked Baby Jesus [who was] a large pink doll with frizzy hair and eyes which opened and closed and the doll [was] of the talking variety. It started to cry and asked for its nappy to be changed. Mary shook it forcefully to quiet it which only resulted in the doll repeatedly crying and demanding to be changed. Mary in desperation pushed the doll roughly into Joseph’s hands. “You have him,” she said. “He won’t shut up!” The small boy playing Joseph looked at a loss at what to do as the doll continued to cry and demand to be changed. He shook the doll so forcefully that the head became detached from the body and bounced down the stage just as the angels got to the line in the carol, “The Little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.””
The story of Jesus’ birth is often played out in such an innocent way that we sometimes forget the true challenges that faced this young couple. We also tend to forget that this story really is about children. While we don’t know exactly the ages of Mary and Joseph we can presume based on the predominant culture that Mary at least was not very old. We also have to understand that within the Jewish traditions of marriage at the time there were three important steps- and this is what I alluded to in the introduction to Scripture. There was the engagement which would normally take place when the couple were still young children. In fact, the minute that Mary was born it was quite possible that an agreement was made between her parents and Joseph’s. Or it might have happened as they grew up together in Nazareth. Then as they grew into young adults there would come the time for the betrothal which was usually about a year. Throughout this one year the couple is known as husband and wife but they do not yet have marital rights or duties. Meaning that they would state their intent on getting married but would not have any marital relations. It is at this time, after the engagement and before the betrothal, that if either one of them were unwilling to get married they could back out- however, for a betrothal to end it requires the couple to either get married or go through divorce proceedings. This is why it says that Joseph planned to divorce Mary- despite the fact that they were not officially married yet. The final step, the marriage, is the time when the couple would see their engagement and betrothal vows being completed. It is important and relevant that Joseph heard the news that Mary was pregnant while they were betrothed and about to be married.
The pregnancy, of course, catches Joseph off guard- it would also have been an offence punishable by death. According to Deut. 22, “If there is a young woman, a virgin already engaged to be married, and a man meets her in the town and lies with her, you shall bring both of them to the gate of the town and stone them to death.” Mary could very well have be tried publicly and executed. But Joseph does not want that kind of scandal or blood on his hands and he resolves to end it quietly with a divorce.
This past weekend we had a church filled with beautiful, diverse, and peaceful displays of the birth story of Jesus and I am in awe of all those who worked together to provide this gift to the community. There were elaborate ones with intricate detail, simple ones with just a hint of flare, colourful ones, monotone ones, all kinds and most displayed a serenity for both Mary and Joseph and a sleeping baby. There was one, the one that was featured in the Record, that really spoke to me. It came from Peru and Mary, Joseph and Jesus are sitting on top of a crowded bus, you probably saw it. Of course they are sitting on the bus because there is no room inside it. While it is not a typical scene it might be closer to the truth. It is a sweet little display but what one can only imagine is the smell of all those bodies, noise from all the chaos, the sight of all the people and remember that this is not a cute little story but a story of surprise, pain, fear, and challenge.
It is at this moment when Joseph plans on divorcing Mary that an angel appears and states that Mary’s pregnancy is not the work of infidelities but the Holy Spirit. We didn’t read it but in the verses before our passage it is simply a loooong list of names. These names are arranged into sets of 14, which being a multiple of seven, means they are demonstrating something important. The entire genealogy is shared to demonstrate Joseph comes from David’s line and that Jesus is a pretty important person. In fact, this isn’t a new concept there were many royal lines within the ancient world that would use this tactic of listing all the relatives when wanting to claim that their king was an important person. By the way, there are 32 other stories within various religious traditions that talk about a virgin giving birth, including the Egyptian god Horus, the Hindu god Krishna, even one of the Aztec gods has a virgin birth story. So, there’s a part of me that thinks the virginity of Mary is not what is in question but rather the response from Joseph and the vision of the angel.
We don’t really spend much time on Joseph throughout the Gospels. He’s not at the wedding when Jesus first performs a miracle and he’s not even mentioned during Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. However, Joseph is a model for all of us- all of us who encounter this story of Jesus being born to save us. Theologian Ron Allen says, “ Joseph was face to face with an unlikely manifestation of the Realm of God. Matthew wants those who encounter this message and this movement to do as Joseph did: To believe the message is of God and to become part of its movement.” Jesus’ birth is remarkable because in the midst of this fear, surprise, pain and challenge he is also GOD WITH US.
When Isaiah shared his oracle with King Ahaz he did so to reassure him that despite this major threat that God intended on being with them. While there was much fear and anxiety about the Assyrian power and coming oppression, the name Emmanuel- God with us- signalled that the community could survive this, that they would live through this massive change and challenge and would be able to believe that God was with them.
Joseph’s story is this same story only on an individual’s level. The holy family is part of the crowd- in fact they are pushed to the fringes ending up in a stable or on top of a bus. What if, Jesus never stopped crying? This is about two young adults facing the challenges of raising children. As with any baby it can seem like the challenges will never stop, that chaos reigns, but the story of Jesus’ birth- of this one miracle in amongst the chaos- reminds us to remain faithful even in the face of challenge because God reigns and God is with us. Amen

Bible Text: Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Gervase Phinn was a school inspector in North Yorkshire. As a result he attended many nativity plays back in the day and it inspired him to produce a book that calls to mind some of the innocence, hilarity and out right strange things that children say or do when acting out this holy story. For example he writes, “At the conclusion of one Nativity play, Mary and Joseph sat at the  centre of a colourful tableau of kings, shepherds and animals. A group of little angels in white crepe paper and cardboard headbands with silver stars on the front stood on a raised platform at the back. As the teacher at the piano struck up with the introduction to “Away in a Manger” Mary rocked Baby Jesus [who was] a large pink doll with frizzy hair and eyes which opened and closed and the doll [was] of the talking variety. It started to cry and asked for its nappy to be changed. Mary shook it forcefully to quiet it which only resulted in the doll repeatedly crying and demanding to be changed. Mary in desperation pushed the doll roughly into Joseph’s hands. “You have him,” she said. “He won’t shut up!” The small boy playing Joseph looked at a loss at what to do as the doll continued to cry and demand to be changed. He shook the doll so forcefully that the head became detached from the body and bounced down the stage just as the angels got to the line in the carol, “The Little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.””

The story of Jesus’ birth is often played out in such an innocent way that we sometimes forget the true challenges that faced this young couple. We also tend to forget that this story really is about children.  While we don’t know exactly the ages of Mary and Joseph we can presume based on the predominant culture that Mary at least was not very old. We also have to understand that within the Jewish traditions of marriage at the time there were three important steps- and this is what I alluded to in the introduction to Scripture. There was the engagement which would normally take place when the couple were still young children. In fact, the minute that Mary was born it was quite possible that an agreement was made between her parents and Joseph’s. Or it might have happened as they grew up together in Nazareth. Then as they grew into young adults there would come the time for the betrothal which was usually about a year. Throughout this one year the couple is known as husband and wife but they do not yet have marital rights or duties. Meaning that they would state their intent on getting married but would not have any marital relations. It is at this time, after the engagement and before the betrothal, that if either one of them were unwilling to get married they could back out- however, for a betrothal to end it requires the couple to either get married or go through divorce proceedings. This is why it says that Joseph planned to divorce Mary- despite the fact that they were not officially married yet. The final step, the marriage, is the time when the couple would see their engagement and betrothal vows being completed. It is important and relevant that Joseph heard the news that Mary was pregnant while they were betrothed and about to be married.

The pregnancy, of course, catches Joseph off guard- it would also have been an offence punishable by death. According to Deut. 22, “If there is a young woman, a virgin already engaged to be married, and a man meets her in the town and lies with her, you shall bring both of them to the gate of the town and stone them to death.” Mary could very well have be tried publicly and executed. But Joseph does not want that kind of scandal or blood on his hands and he resolves to end it quietly with a divorce.

This past weekend we had a church filled with beautiful, diverse, and peaceful displays of the birth story of Jesus and I am in awe of all those who worked together to provide this gift to the community.  There were elaborate ones with intricate detail, simple ones with just a hint of flare, colourful ones, monotone ones, all kinds and most displayed a serenity for both Mary and Joseph and a sleeping baby. There was one, the one that was featured in the Record, that really spoke to me. It came from Peru and Mary, Joseph and Jesus are sitting on top of a crowded bus, you probably saw it. Of course they are sitting on the bus because there is no room inside it. While it is not a typical scene it might be closer to the truth. It is a sweet little display but what one can only imagine is the smell of all those bodies, noise from all the chaos, the sight of all the people and remember that this is not a cute little story but a story of surprise, pain, fear, and challenge.

It is at this moment when Joseph plans on divorcing Mary  that an angel appears and states that Mary’s pregnancy is not the work of infidelities but the Holy Spirit. We didn’t read it but in the verses before our passage it is simply a loooong list of names. These names are arranged into sets of 14, which being a multiple of seven, means they are demonstrating something important. The entire genealogy is shared to demonstrate Joseph comes from David’s line and that Jesus is a pretty important person. In fact, this isn’t a new concept there were many royal lines within the ancient world that would use this tactic of listing all the relatives when wanting to claim that their king was an important person. By the way,  there are 32 other stories within various religious traditions that talk about a virgin giving birth, including the Egyptian god Horus, the Hindu god Krishna, even one of the Aztec gods has a virgin birth story. So, there’s a part of me that thinks the virginity of Mary is not what is in question but rather the response from Joseph and the vision of the angel.

We don’t really spend much time on Joseph throughout the Gospels. He’s not at the wedding when Jesus first performs a miracle and he’s not even mentioned during Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. However, Joseph is a model for all of us- all of us who encounter this story of Jesus being born to save us. Theologian Ron Allen says, “ Joseph was face to face with an unlikely manifestation of the Realm of God. Matthew wants those who encounter this message and this movement to do as Joseph did: To believe the message is of God and to become part of its movement.” Jesus’ birth is remarkable because in the midst of this fear, surprise, pain and challenge he is also GOD WITH US.

When Isaiah shared his oracle with King Ahaz he did so to reassure him that despite this major threat that God intended on being with them. While there was much fear and anxiety about  the Assyrian power and coming oppression, the name Emmanuel- God with us- signalled that the community could survive this, that they would live through this massive change and challenge and would be able to believe that God was with them.

Joseph’s story is this same story only on an individual’s level. The holy family is part of the crowd- in fact they are pushed to the fringes ending up in a stable or on top of a bus.  What if, Jesus never stopped crying? This is about two young adults facing the challenges of raising children. As with any baby it can seem like the challenges will never stop, that chaos reigns, but the story of Jesus’ birth- of this one miracle in amongst the chaos- reminds us to remain faithful even in the face of challenge because God reigns and God is with us. Amen

 

 

Bible Text: Isaiah 35:1-10, Matthew 11:2-11 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

We have all received or given one of those gifts. A gift that displays a lot of thought but isn’t what you had asked for. I know I have given those gifts. I remember one of the first gifts I ever bought my mother. She had asked for a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup. You see she had a 2 cup and an 8 cup but had broken her 4 cup.  I was maybe about 10 years old. I was so proud of myself that I managed to go to the store without the assistance of my father and knew what brand Pyrex was and picked up the awfully heavy measuring cup. I could not wait for my mother to open it. On Christmas day she opened it, smiled and used that measuring cup in her baking for years. It was not until a few years later that I realized she had two 8 cup measuring cups. It’s also sometimes awkward to be the one who receives that gift. Mike and I have a deal that if he is going to get me jewelry that it must come from a thrift shop or fundraiser. Apparently a friend of ours had pointed at a necklace at the St. Andrew’s Christmas Bazaar and said, “Ohhh, Jenn would love these pearls.” They were raw “pearls” spray painted gold. It basically looked like I was wearing a necklace of gold teeth, roots included. It took me a couple of weeks to admit I was never going to wear that necklace.  We all have those stories of receiving or giving a gift that was a little less than expected. But imagine if that gift was something you had been waiting for your whole life, imagine if it was a gift that generations had talked about, imagine if you were told that the gift had arrived- only to discover that the gift was nothing like you had expected. The messiah, Jesus, was not at all as the people had expected and today in Matthew’s Gospel, we hear even John questioning.

The prophecies in Isaiah that we have heard the last few weeks both help and hinder this same thought. The words from Isaiah 35 were originally spoken to the people of Judah who were mourning the loss of their land and temple. The lives of the Israelites had not turned out the way they had expected. Here they have this deeply rooted history about how God had brought them out of Egypt, to this land of milk and honey. The land was a symbol of the covenant that God had made with them and the temple was a symbol of God’s presence among them. To have the temple destroyed and them taken out of their land was totally unexpected. They are overwhelmed with despair and weariness and Isaiah has to preach to them in amongst this pain. They feel the sorrow of exile in their very bodies. They have weak hands and feeble knees, they are afraid and yet Isaiah has to tell them to get up and move in the world. He has to tell them that, despite this major change in their life as a people, God has not and will not abandon them in their despair. “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.” This sorrow will come to an end.

Isaiah continues to give them hope stating that “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing!” They expected that someone would come and bring vengeance on the ones who had done this to them. Isaiah and many of the prophets declared that the Israelites would regain power through a mighty leader- who would overcome the oppressive powers-to lead them into victory. They all expected not only a true king but a military general. As a result when Jesus shows up and begins to demonstrate his messianic powers they are eliciting different reactions. John has just spent a good many years declaring that the Messiah is near- that the messiah will bring the spirit and fire and judgement. John finds himself in prison because of what he believes and then Jesus turns around and only subtly demonstrates the presence of the spirit, and certainly rearranges his understanding of judgement.

We find ourselves in a passage from Matthew in which the masses wonder, the Pharisees malevolently associate Jesus with the forces of evil and John the Baptizer has his misgivings; even he is beginning to doubt that Jesus really is this gift that they have all been waiting for. John believed and anticipated that Jesus would be a great separator, dividing the repentant from the sinners, separating the righteous from the unholy, casting out the oppressors and reinstating the Israelite lineage . John assumed that Jesus’ judgement would include violence. We heard it last week when  John said that Jesus’, “winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Therefore John is struggling to reconcile what he said would happen with the subsequent “works of the Messiah.” Things are not turning out as he had expected.

Luckily the words we hear from Isaiah also help Jesus’ case. Isaiah declared that restoration of all things would occur upon the arrival of God’s leader. That not only would the temple be restored and the people returned to their land, but the blind would see, the deaf would hear, the speechless would sing for joy.  Herman Waetjen reminds us, “The eyes of the blind will be opened, the eyes of the both spiritually and physically blind. The ears of those who hear but really do not hear and therefore do not understand will be unstopped. The psychologically crippled as well as the physically lame will leap into freedom like gazelles; and the tongue of the mute will be loosened to sing. These are the realities that Christmas anticipates. These are the very conditions that Jesus will begin to fulfil in his ministry. Opened eyes, hearing ears, and people in communication with each other will constitute a society of free people, who in community and communion will collaborate to achieve justice and equality of all its members.”  You know in our times, as we see friends and family have continued issues with their health- strong people becoming frail, intelligent people losing their memory- I can’t help but think we are experiencing some backward results. But in truth- the restoration that Jesus did was maybe not in our living but in our dying. That in God’s kingdom we are restored to who we were meant to be.

Jesus responds to John’s enquiry from prison by referring and demonstrating the works of healing and restoration. Jesus gives the list of things that have occurred thus far. There is no denying that Jesus does state that he will come to bring separation. In fact, just in the previous chapter Jesus stated that he did not come to cast peace but a sword, and that families will be torn apart and separated through him. But Jesus also points out that while separation and division belong to his messianic role they are not the priority, they in fact, are not the last step in Jesus ministry, but only the beginning. The last steps are reunion and restoration. Throughout the Gospel we hear the Good News that Jesus is the one to restore us and we see that in his healing ministry. Amen

Bible Text: Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

I recently watched a program on the anatomy of a Redwood Cedar tree. I know, it sounds boring, but I really found it fascinating. The Redwood tree in California is the tallest living thing on earth. In one year they can grow to be six feet tall. The trees are so tall and dense at the top that they have soil embedded in their tall branches that is called canopy soil and this soil can contain thousands of living species. But what I found most fascinating is that Redwoods, while capable of germinating through a cone, also reproduce by stump sprouting. This means  that the stump- even when the rest of the tree is cut down- remains alive. If a Redwood is felled- by wind, fire, lightening, or human hands, a ring of new growth sprouts from the burls around the base of the trunk. The tree develops these buds which remain dormant until they are needed- they only sprout when the tree is damaged.  The parent-tree’s roots are then incorporated into the sapling’s trunk. What amazes me is that this new life is ever present but quietly at rest until pain, or death of the tree top, springs these sprouts into action. While I don’t know that Redwoods are found in the Holy Land, I believe that Isaiah had the Redwood in mind when he said that a shoot would come out of the stump of Jesse and that a branch shall grow from his roots. In essence the Davidic line was fractured and struck down during exile and for the Israelite people that involved a lot of pain. But from this felled family tree, new sprouts of hope and peace will be established.

What makes the comment about a new sprout coming from a stump an interesting image is that it could apply consistently to the rise and fall and rebuilding of any empire or kingdom. But perhaps it wasn’t a kingdom that Isaiah was prophesying about. We often interpret the shoot sprouting from the stump of Jesse as Jesus- and there is nothing wrong with that- except that the following verses would then make it sound like Jesus had failed in his mission. But what Isaiah’s passage states and conversely what John’s words encourage is that the old must pass away in order for the new to begin.

When I said that if we use this passage from Isaiah as a future casting toward Jesus then we are setting up for failure, it  is because the person that Isaiah describes is a soldier- and Jesus wasn’t exactly a soldier. A soldier doesn’t usually need a strange voice from the wilderness to prepare others for his coming. But that in essence is what John does. John becomes this trumpet blast that tells people to get ready for the coming of someone great. Then, instead of getting on our knees, bowing before the royal entourage, John tells the people to repent.

I think we have all been in one of those situations where we are approached by a stranger and they say, “Repent!”, or we have seen the signs of some awkward, possibly delusional soul, who has a large handmade sign that says, “Repent!”  I’m not really a robust fire and brimstone preacher who stands here and says, “REPENT FOR THE END IS NEAR!” And so it might surprise you that I side with John on this one- that we must repent! The word repent has become a bad word among mainline, traditional churches, and it is one we don’t say all that often as a result. The Greek word is metanoeo and it literally means “to change one’s mind” or “to think differently”. To repent following an encounter with Christ is to change one’s purpose. The root of the word is to turn, to have a dramatic change or shift. It is not all that different from a new root shooting up from an old stump. To repent is to turn away from the old life of living in sin, without Jesus as one’s guide, aimless and therefore without deep purpose, to living a new life focused on the values and practices acceptable to the kingdom of God. When we accept Jesus as our guide we must repent, turn from our old life and live anew.

The challenge for many of us is that we never had that shift in our lives. We were born into a life of church and faith- many of us never had to change or turn from one life to another and therefore our repentance looks radically different than what is described in Matthew’s text. In fact, it looks so different that those from more “born again” roots judge us for not being real Christians, because we never had that transformational moment of giving up our old life for a new life in Christ. But you did all choose to be here this morning and so surely there was a small moment in your life when you choose to turn away from sleeping in to coming here. Repentance does not have to be some major religious experience or event; it just needs to be a choice to turn away from one thing, and live accepting another.

Isaiah’s passage then describes an incredible turn of events in the order of creation. Eugene Petersen’s The Message describes it as, “A living Knowledge of God. The wolf will romp with the lamb, the leopard sleep with the kid. Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will tend them. Cow and bear will graze in the same pasture, and their calves and cubs will grow up together…The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God.”

As we think of repentance this is quite the turn. Predators and prey that once destroyed each other, ate each other, attacked each other, will dwell in harmony. Michael Chan says, “Those carnivorous instincts are transformed, and the most vulnerable humans in society, like children are free to play with venomous snakes…violence effectively comes to an end and harmony ensues.” This is a big deal and a complete change to even the natural order of things.

Repentance is sometimes a change from the natural order; sometimes our sinful actions feel perfectly legitimate. I love to gossip- it even comes naturally to me. But in an effort to turn from the old and live in the new I have to work hard at not doing what comes naturally. I’m sure there are habits that we have all tried to break or change and turn around, but we know how difficult it is. Often, the best way to change is to stop surrounding yourself with the people or experiences that encourage said habit; instead we must immerse ourselves into a program or community that helps us change.

You know, immersion was a big part of John’s image of repentance as well, because right after he tells the people to repent, what does he do? He baptizes them in the river. They are immersed in water. Then John tells them that where he baptizes with water, Jesus will do so with the Holy Spirit and with fire. I know Pentecost Sunday was a while ago- but if you recall when the Holy Spirit shows up it is accompanied by tongues of fire. Through the spiritual baptism that took place at Pentecost, the apostles were then able to preach and proclaim the Gospel. The church was forever changed. And through the Holy Spirit we are given the strength to immerse ourselves in faith and repent.

Communion is our chance to repent as a community. It is an act that we do that is symbolic but is also meant to give us peace and demonstrate our willingness to choice Christ. We are transformed into a brand new shoot in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Through the sacrament of bread and juice, we immerse ourselves in the life that the kingdom demands. Amen

Bible Text: Luke 19:1-10 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

The average height of a woman in Canada is 5’4” or 1.6 meters. The average height of a man in Canada is 5’9” or 1.75 meters. Which means that I, at exactly 5’4”,  am average. However, I have to admit that whenever we go to an event that involves standing and observing- I feel rather inadequate, or below average. Try standing and attending a concert amongst many above average people. I in fact have special concert sneakers that give me an entire extra inch and boy do they make a difference.  I am also, since the death of my great-nanny, who was the tiny tenacious height of 4′, the shortest person in my family. So, you will have to excuse me if in this one particular area I feel- well less than average.  If you are under 5’4”, you likely can identify with what I am saying. Only things you never use go on the top shelf. You have no problem turning to a total stranger in the same grocery aisle to ask for assistance to reach that one can. When you realize that you are taller than someone you all of a sudden think- so this is what the rest of the world feels like. It’s a whole new perspective. Sure, people will say to you, oh but good things come in small packages, sure if you were a diamond you’d be pretty special but in reality you are just you and I am just short. If you are taller than 5’4” then this sermon really isn’t for you. You can go home.  Because of course today we encounter the story of Zacchaeus, that wee little man who climbed up into a sycamore tree. But then again Zacchaeus’ height, which does play a part in our story, is not the only short thing about him, so if you are above 5’4” you might as well stay to find out what happens next.

In this familiar narrative from Luke we are almost at Jerusalem, but there is one town left, Jericho. As an archaeologist I just need to mention something interesting. Jericho is a border town but it is also the oldest inhabited city in the world- to date. Archaeologists have found over 20 successive settlements dating back 11,000 years. It is unclear why, at this moment in the Gospel, Luke gives us an actual location but if one knows how close Jericho is to Jerusalem then perhaps Luke is giving a clue to the fact that Jesus has almost made it to his destination. I would like to also suppose that Luke names Jericho to give us a hint of how despised Zacchaeus is, because Luke not only names the town of Jericho but also describes Zacchaeus as the chief tax collector, that he is short and that he is rich. Nowhere else in the Gospel is someone’s height mentioned as an important detail.  Being the chief tax collector in such a city would mean that a lot of people would know who he was and while he has gained a lot of money it has likely been at the expense of others. Not only would people know who he was but also, most of them would despise him. In the city of Jericho that could mean a lot of people.

Luke tells us that Zacchaeus is rich before he tells us that Zacchaeus is short. But the two are intertwined. Zacchaeus falls short of morality, falls short of being liked by his neighbours, falls short of being a righteous man, which is a little ironic since the name Zacchaeus means, righteous one.  Zacchaeus falls short because he has gained wealth by defrauding others. His height is not the only thing that makes him small. But Zacchaeus is also desperate which means that even though Zacchaeus is both short in character and physicality he is so desperate to see Jesus that he is not concerned with the fact that he is acting like a child, climbing up a tree. He might be rich, he might have a lot of power, but he has lost all shame because he wants to see Jesus.

Sight or seeing is a significant detail in this story. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus so badly- what is equally fascinating is that Jesus looks up and calls Zacchaeus by name. This isn’t your average story.  This is not only a unique story because it only appears in the Gospel of Luke but also because of what Jesus says earlier in the Gospel. While Jesus often fraternizes with tax collectors or uses them as examples of humility Jesus also comments, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And you know when Jesus says that? Not even a whole chapter ago in Luke 18:24.  Zacchaeus might be a tax collector, but he also has wealth.  So, here you have the impossible made possible thanks to Jesus presence.

Just as Jesus’ disciples and followers are starting to see his pattern- that he helps the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, Jesus goes and changes the rules again. Because as soon as Jesus looks up and sees Zacchaeus there, Jesus invites himself over for a visit. While Zacchaeus is pretty excited to have Jesus as his guest, all who see this invitation begin to grumble. Finally, they had figured out the formula, that Jesus helps those who can’t help themselves, and all of a sudden the rules have changed- because clearly Zacchaeus has been helping himself for a long time.

I want to point out something that we often don’t catch because we have been so influenced by this story in Sunday School or thanks to a song we sang in Bible class. According to the text Jesus doesn’t actually go to Zacchaeus’ house. Yes, Zacchaeus accepts the command to take him to his house and he is happy to do it- but it doesn’t actually say they went. For years I have had an image that the two of them are sitting around a table, following a lovely tea time, when Zacchaeus is so moved that he then gives his money away and pays back anyone he has defrauded. But what the text actually says is that, “He stood there and said to the Lord, “I will give half my possessions to the poor.”” They haven’t left the scene of the tree. Now, perhaps they did go to his house and perhaps they did have a lovely tea time. But what this passage actually tells us is that no matter who we are, when we have a deep desire to see Jesus and Jesus responds with his presence- we are liable to stand there in awe and be moved by joy.

Today is Reformation Sunday- next year will mark the 500th anniversary on Oct. 31st when Martin Luther stood at the castle church and nailed his 95 theses to the door. You know what the first point was in this treatise, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” That’s important. Luther is saying it is not up to us to decide who gets to be in Jesus’ presence. It is not up to us to take confession of those who are sinners. It is not up to our doctrine to decide who gets to see Jesus. David Lose points out, “[The story of Zacchaeus] embodies the promise that anyone-anyone- who desires to see Jesus will. More than that, anyone who desires to see Jesus will, in turn, be seen by Jesus and in this way have their joy made complete.” We no longer have to worry about falling short, or being below average.

Sometimes it is out of desperation that we turn to seek, find, see Jesus, because we have fallen short of the call laid upon our lives but if we truly desire to see Jesus- Jesus will look back at us and say I’m coming to stay with you and right then and there we understand that the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost, to go above and beyond average. Amen

 

Bible Text: Luke 18: 9-14 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

In November of 1972 Carly Simon released one of her greatest hits. The song reached #82 on Billboard’s greatest songs of all time, and the UK official Charts Company crowned it the ultimate song of the 1970s. The song is a critical look at a self-absorbed partner and for a long time there has been speculation regarding who this song is about. Which in my mind is a little ironic because the song is about a person speculating that the song is about them.  Apparently the press speculated that David Bowie, David Cassidy, and/or Cat Stevens were all candidates. It is such a mystery that in 2003 Carly agreed to reveal the name of the song’s candidate to the highest bidder at a charity auction. The top bid was $50,000 and went to the then president of NBC sports. A condition of the prize of course, was that the highest bidder could not reveal the secret to anyone else. Upon the release of her tell all book just last year Carly admitted that one section of the song, the second verse and second verse alone, was about actor Warren Beatty.  “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you/ You’re so vain, I’ll bet you think this song is about you/ Don’t you? Don’t You?”

To be perfectly honest I think we all have these moments of vanity when we think that what someone has said is about us when in fact it is not. It is actually a struggle that I encounter in our Gospel passage. Perhaps not that the parable which Jesus shares is about us but rather that we are in danger of becoming like the characters in the story. In the crowd, to which Jesus is speaking,  there are some people who are complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and they look down their noses at others. One might claim that they are so vain that they think this story is about them- or not. Jesus uses a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector to teach them a lesson. The Pharisee prays loudly, “O God, I thank you that I am not like other people because I am capable of and do all these righteous acts like fasting and tithing.” While the tax collector slumps in the shadows with his face in his hands asking, “God, give mercy. Forgive me a sinner.” Where we might be in danger of thinking that this parable is about us and then conversely end up truly having this parable being about us is that when we look with judgement on the Pharisee than we end up no better than the Pharisee. Basically, our prayer ends up being, “God, we thank you that we are not like the Pharisee who is hypocritical, overly pious, self-righteous and vain.” Sure this parable is about being humble but it is also about avoiding self-congratulatory words or actions. It is about avoiding placing judgement upon others, regardless of who they are. It’s about loosing our selfish behaviour for selflessness- taking off our masks, presenting who we really are and putting others first, including the Pharisee.

In fact, before we judge the Pharisee for his behaviour we need to look at what is really going on. Notice how Jesus doesn’t actually say that the Pharisee is wrong for his behaviour. I can only assume that everything the Pharisee says is true. That he has indeed set himself apart through righteous living. That he has indeed followed the letter of the law and that he has donated generously to the temple. Why not be grateful that he has been placed in such a blessed situation. Why not be thankful that he has enough money to truly tithe. There is nothing actually wrong with his prayer- especially if we think of it as a prayer of thanksgiving. The Pharisee is, however, missing part of the prayer. Both prayers are steeped within the language of the Jewish tradition. The Pharisee’s prayer is quite simply a prayer of thanks. Likewise the tax collector’s prayer has roots too in traditional prayers of confession.  When we pray our prayers of the people they are thanksgiving prayers but they are also intercessory prayers, asking for God’s actions through us.  Luke states at the very beginning of this section that Jesus told this parable to people who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous.” That’s the problem.

While the Pharisee makes the claim that he is righteous based on his own accomplishments and merits, the tax collector relies entirely on God’s actions. That’s the difference. The tax collector throws himself on the mercy of God. He takes his sin seriously. He knows that God is truly righteous. He knows he cannot hide himself from God. But the tax collector also believes that God can be merciful, even to a traitor, lawbreaker, deceiver, tax collector, sinner, like him. He has nothing to offer but his broken self.  The tax collector puts every hope, trust, claim not on any action or word of his own but rather he places it entirely in God’s hands. Now, one can suppose that the tax collector does this in part because he is desperate and in part because he truly hasn’t done anything righteous. But there is a message in that too. It is not about what we do but what God has done for us. The tax collector is bold enough to ask for this gift.  God meets us in our desperation. God hears our cries for mercy. God turns humility into exaltation.

Famous author Flannery O’Connor uses this theme in one of her stories in which one character declares, “Try as we may, we cannot redeem others, much less ourselves. There is only one who can save , and we can only throw our sinful selves at the feet of this one’s inscrutable mercy. We “ain’t right”, and only God can make us so.” Jesus sums up this parable by saying that the tax collector is the one who went home right with God. Eugene Petersen’s the Message translates it like this, “If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

Maybe this parable is about self-esteem- but in a world where bullying is a reality for many, where feeling inadequate is something we know all too well, where feeling like we have to change because there is just something different about us, when we all wear a mask to hide our hurting selves, this is a parable about trusting that God will deliver us. The Pharisee begins his prayer with all the things he is not. We could easily do the same, “O God, we thank you that we are not like those lackadaisical believers who only come on special occasions, we thank you that we are not declining as rapidly as most churches, we thank you that we are not judgemental like those other congregations.” But then we are no better than the Pharisee. Instead, there should be no judgement on anyone else but rather our prayer should be,  like the Pharisee full of gratitude, thank you God for who we are, but we would do well to stand with the tax collector and join him in his simple prayer.  O  God- help us be the people you want us to be. Help us to be the church you desire us to be. God, we’re so vain, that we think it is all about us. Have mercy.  Help us to trust in you.   Amen

 

In November of 1972 Carly Simon released one of her greatest hits. The song reached #82 on Billboard’s greatest songs of all time, and the UK official Charts Company crowned it the ultimate song of the 1970s. The song is a critical look at a self-absorbed partner and for a long time there has been speculation regarding who this song is about. Which in my mind is a little ironic because the song is about a person speculating that the song is about them.  Apparently the press speculated that David Bowie, David Cassidy, and/or Cat Stevens were all candidates. It is such a mystery that in 2003 Carly agreed to reveal the name of the song’s candidate to the highest bidder at a charity auction. The top bid was $50,000 and went to the then president of NBC sports. A condition of the prize of course, was that the highest bidder could not reveal the secret to anyone else. Upon the release of her tell all book just last year Carly admitted that one section of the song, the second verse and second verse alone, was about actor Warren Beatty.  “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you/ You’re so vain, I’ll bet you think this song is about you/ Don’t you? Don’t You?”

To be perfectly honest I think we all have these moments of vanity when we think that what someone has said is about us when in fact it is not. It is actually a struggle that I encounter in our Gospel passage. Perhaps not that the parable which Jesus shares is about us but rather that we are in danger of becoming like the characters in the story. In the crowd, to which Jesus is speaking,  there are some people who are complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and they look down their noses at others. One might claim that they are so vain that they think this story is about them- or not. Jesus uses a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector to teach them a lesson. The Pharisee prays loudly, “O God, I thank you that I am not like other people because I am capable of and do all these righteous acts like fasting and tithing.” While the tax collector slumps in the shadows with his face in his hands asking, “God, give mercy. Forgive me a sinner.” Where we might be in danger of thinking that this parable is about us and then conversely end up truly having this parable being about us is that when we look with judgement on the Pharisee than we end up no better than the Pharisee. Basically, our prayer ends up being, “God, we thank you that we are not like the Pharisee who is hypocritical, overly pious, self-righteous and vain.” Sure this parable is about being humble but it is also about avoiding self-congratulatory words or actions. It is about avoiding placing judgement upon others, regardless of who they are. It’s about loosing our selfish behaviour for selflessness- taking off our masks, presenting who we really are and putting others first, including the Pharisee.

In fact, before we judge the Pharisee for his behaviour we need to look at what is really going on. Notice how Jesus doesn’t actually say that the Pharisee is wrong for his behaviour. I can only assume that everything the Pharisee says is true. That he has indeed set himself apart through righteous living. That he has indeed followed the letter of the law and that he has donated generously to the temple. Why not be grateful that he has been placed in such a blessed situation. Why not be thankful that he has enough money to truly tithe. There is nothing actually wrong with his prayer- especially if we think of it as a prayer of thanksgiving. The Pharisee is, however, missing part of the prayer. Both prayers are steeped within the language of the Jewish tradition. The Pharisee’s prayer is quite simply a prayer of thanks. Likewise the tax collector’s prayer has roots too in traditional prayers of confession.  When we pray our prayers of the people they are thanksgiving prayers but they are also intercessory prayers, asking for God’s actions through us.  Luke states at the very beginning of this section that Jesus told this parable to people who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous.” That’s the problem.

While the Pharisee makes the claim that he is righteous based on his own accomplishments and merits, the tax collector relies entirely on God’s actions. That’s the difference. The tax collector throws himself on the mercy of God. He takes his sin seriously. He knows that God is truly righteous. He knows he cannot hide himself from God. But the tax collector also believes that God can be merciful, even to a traitor, lawbreaker, deceiver, tax collector, sinner, like him. He has nothing to offer but his broken self.  The tax collector puts every hope, trust, claim not on any action or word of his own but rather he places it entirely in God’s hands. Now, one can suppose that the tax collector does this in part because he is desperate and in part because he truly hasn’t done anything righteous. But there is a message in that too. It is not about what we do but what God has done for us. The tax collector is bold enough to ask for this gift.  God meets us in our desperation. God hears our cries for mercy. God turns humility into exaltation.

Famous author Flannery O’Connor uses this theme in one of her stories in which one character declares, “Try as we may, we cannot redeem others, much less ourselves. There is only one who can save , and we can only throw our sinful selves at the feet of this one’s inscrutable mercy. We “ain’t right”, and only God can make us so.” Jesus sums up this parable by saying that the tax collector is the one who went home right with God. Eugene Petersen’s the Message translates it like this, “If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

Maybe this parable is about self-esteem- but in a world where bullying is a reality for many, where feeling inadequate is something we know all too well, where feeling like we have to change because there is just something different about us, when we all wear a mask to hide our hurting selves, this is a parable about trusting that God will deliver us. The Pharisee begins his prayer with all the things he is not. We could easily do the same, “O God, we thank you that we are not like those lackadaisical believers who only come on special occasions, we thank you that we are not declining as rapidly as most churches, we thank you that we are not judgemental like those other congregations.” But then we are no better than the Pharisee. Instead, there should be no judgement on anyone else but rather our prayer should be,  like the Pharisee full of gratitude, thank you God for who we are, but we would do well to stand with the tax collector and join him in his simple prayer.  O  God- help us be the people you want us to be. Help us to be the church you desire us to be. God, we’re so vain, that we think it is all about us. Have mercy.  Help us to trust in you.   Amen

 

 

Bible Text: Luke 17:11-19 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Have you ever wondered why Canada and the United States celebrate Thanksgiving on different days? Ok, maybe this is not a question that keeps you up at night or a question that deeply affects us in our day to day life. It is often understood that Canada celebrates Thanksgiving earlier simply because it is more north and therefore the harvest season is earlier. Pretty simple. However, the real reason is still a mystery but here are some interesting facts about Thanksgiving. It turns out that Canada has been celebrating Thanksgiving longer than our neighbours to the South. The first documented Thanksgiving celebration took place in 1578 in Newfoundland when explorer Martin Frobisher held a ceremony of gratitude for surviving the journey from Europe. If you know your historical dates, that pre-dates the arrival of the Mayflower by 43 years.  The first official federal Thanksgiving Day in Canada, however, was actually celebrated in April in 1872 as a celebration of thanks for the recovery of King Edward VII from a serious illness. So, if you think about the original thanksgiving days, they are more in line with our Gospel passage- a passage that talks about a journey and healing- than we realize. As an aside, the actual date for the traditional Thanksgiving Day that we have come to know and love in Canada has moved around…a lot. It started on a Thurs in November and then in 1899 it moved to a Thursday in October, then in 1908 it moved to a Monday in October and then in 1922 until 1930 it was celebrated on November 11th. Finally in 1957, the federal government made the difficult decision of fixing the date to the second Monday in October.

But let’s go back to what I said about the real meaning behind thanksgiving days. The first one was celebrated not due to harvest but rather because of gratitude for a safe journey. The second one was in celebration for a healthy recovery of our head of state. Of course, we should give thanks to God for a bountiful harvest and indeed it is great to gather with friends and family but the images of pumpkin pie and turkeys are not what punctuated the original idea behind giving thanks. Like the Samaritan leper and Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, there is so much more to give thanks for than a large family meal. And like the actual date, there is a lot more to this Gospel story than the important message of giving thanks.

The story begins with, the now common refrain that, “Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem.” We have been hearing it all Summer and Fall as Jesus walks toward the cross. Then it states that Jesus is currently walking through a region between Samaria and Galilee. If you recall in other examples there is an important hidden message in that statement. Jesus is walking between two volatile borders. Unfortunately, like the Holy Land today, Jesus is walking between two groups and two territories that do not get along. At one time the Samaritans and Jews were one people, but the devastation brought by exile and then return, in which one group stuck to strict religious laws and the other intermarried with Babylonians, has meant that they are now at odds with regards to beliefs and practices as stated in Scripture. The Samaritans and Jews cannot agree on what it means to be holy, and sadly that has meant that they have both been unholy towards each other. So Jesus is walking between these two lands- it is an image of Jesus that I appreciate. Throughout his ministry Jesus represented and respected the law but also taught what true faith and practice meant. Jesus balanced the serve and be served. Jesus walked the line between history and change. Jesus travelled between the has been and not yet.

This balance is made all the more obvious with the following story of a healing miracle. The lepers keep their distance but yell out to Jesus, “Have mercy upon us!” Then Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priest. This is because according to the law, the Torah, the Hebrew tradition, one is both diagnosed and confirmed well by the priest. Just as the symptoms of leprosy are not confirmed without priestly observation, so too any healing was not complete without the priest’s blessing. So Jesus tells them to go see the priest as he walks between the borders of priestly tradition and God’s miraculous healing. But then this story takes on a turn that is totally different from most other miracle or healing stories in the Gospel. In most other cases, the outcome of the miracle presents itself in front of Jesus, or at the very least in front of his followers, but here the healing takes place while the 10 lepers are walking away. Also, in most stories the healing is narrated, as in, the lame man gets up to walk or the blind man can now see, but in this case only the outcome is narrated. No one actually witnesses the healing; in fact even those who are healed don’t notice right away. It is only after one of them, the Samaritan, sees that he has been healed that he returns to give thanks.

We have no idea how far this group travelled before someone noticed the dramatic change in their condition. Just think about it. You are walking back to the priest, your hands gnarled by the rash, your feet aching because of sores. When all of a sudden you realize they don’t hurt any more. You look down at your hands and see that they are smooth, no sores or blisters to be found. There is no longer any discolouration or disfigurement; you realize that can walk normally again. Think about it, if this happened to you, would you turn around and walk back to the guy who made it all possible, or would you head straight for the priest who has the ability to declare that your life has been restored, that you can go back to your home and family.  For most of those lepers their one thought is “we have to get to the priest to be set free”. In fact it is the other nine who do exactly what Jesus told them to do.

What this story tells me is that sometimes we are healed from what ails us without even noticing it. Sometimes God’s healing touch happens without us even acknowledging it. Sometimes the Spirit moves through us and affects others without affecting us. It is also not until this one leper returns and worships God that we find out he is a Samaritan. This means that Jesus extends his ministry to those beyond his heritage and genealogy.

The reoccurring theme of God’s mercy being not limited by human boundaries is found throughout Luke. What this particular story details is that while the miracle itself is important, it is actually the response that is given centre stage. It is assumed that since the story only states that this particular returnee is Samaritan that the others were Galilean, were Jewish. So, you have a contrast between one thankful outsider and nine ungrateful insiders. An important message is that healing is a gift given to both the grateful and ungrateful but it is the grateful one who also receives faith.

The Samaritan returns to Jesus and worships and Jesus says, “Your faith has made you well.” This seems in contrast to what I just said; that healing is given to both grateful or faithful and ungrateful or faithless alike. The initial healing is given out generously, to whoever needs it, but the happy ending belongs only to the one who has returned with thanks. This Samaritan was not only accepted by Jesus, a Jewish leader, equally healed, but finally it is the Samaritan who is given faith and is made well. Think about it. There is a difference between being healed and being made well. Within our 21st century language there is still a difference. If we go to a health clinic it is because we have some physical need that must be attended to. If we go to a wellness centre there is a much more holistic approach. Perhaps we will not only have our physical needs looked after but our emotional and mental as well. Yes, healing is made available to all but only those who respond with gratitude are made well.

Jesus tells the Samaritan to get up and go on his way. Jesus too, gets up and continues on his journey. The Gospel continues with Jesus crossing more boundaries, both literal and metaphorical, healing more people and providing wellness to others, and moving toward a cross that will ensure that our relationship with God is not just healed but made well. That’s what thanksgiving is all about- it is about making a tumultuous journey but making it to the destination safely and it is about gratitude for wellness- body, mind and soul. Amen