Triple Refuge

Matthew 2:13-23

This ceramic figurine was painted and cured in 1969. I know that because that is the date that is etched in the bottom. 

How does a ceramic figurine survive for over 40 years?  It survives because it is cared for and protected. It is cared for and protected because there is some value or some meaning seen in this lump of formed silt that was painted and hardened.  This little figurine has been a part of my Christmas all the years of my life.  It wasn’t until adult hood that I realized that it wasn’t a part of the Christmas story.  This is what happens next.  It’s Mary on a donkey with her baby.  They are going somewhere.  Where were they going?  It was home from the hospital after his delivery.  They were headed to Egypt. We think about images of a serene Bethlehem has we sing our Christmas hymns.  I thought of the song Silent Night as I looked at this object.  But whatever serenity there might have been whatever peace Mary and Joseph had in their hearts, they needed it for what was coming. The king wanted their special little baby to be killed.

  “There are approximately 2.3 million refugees who fled the war in Syria to neighboring countries over the past 1,000 days.” He added that UNHCR expects this figure to “jump to 4.1 million in 2014.”  “Children are suffering from the psychological impact of the conflict in Syria and have lost their sense of wellbeing and psychological and social stability, not to mention social skills.”

“Fifty two percent of the Syrian refugees are children, with 290,000 in Jordan and 385,000 in Lebanon,”

http://www.aawsat.net/2013/12/article55326069

Whatever we may think about the situation in Syria, the fact remains that there are mothers and fathers who love their children trying to make them safe in a very dangerous situation right now.

The scripture we read today from the Gospel according to Matthew has at its center, the Holy Family becoming refugees in a foreign country. His parents fleeing to save his life. It was not yet Jesus time to offer his life for the sins of the world. He needed to grow up and accomplish other things first.

Jesus suffered in his earthly life as he faced his own temptations. He became like us.  God became human, born in a barn, placed in a manger and lived a human life. Almost immediately was forced to live a life as a refugee in Egypt. He knows what it’s like.  When he commands us to care for the least of these, he means it.

Jesus defeated the devil. Jesus destroyed the devil’s power by dying on the cross and pulling himself up out of death to live for ever and ever. Yet the evil in humanity persists.  All around the world there is suffering because of the evil deeds and intentions of humanity. Jesus came as the light in this dark world.

Jesus freed us from the fear of death because he offers us eternal life.  Even though we die, we will live eternally in him.  So we have nothing to fear in this life when we trust in him. When we go as bearers of Jesus Light into the world of darkness we go knowing that no matter what happens we live eternally.  That gives us the freedom to serve Him without abandon

Becoming like us, defeating evil and offering us eternal life: Three wonderful things that Jesus did for us.

How did the infant Jesus survive to be able to accomplish all this?  Because Joseph, the man God chose to be Jesus father, listened to God.

Joseph had three dreams.

The first one Joseph had in this portion of scripture was the one that warned Joseph to flee.  It warned Joseph of the danger that his family was in. It is time to withdraw, to retreat.

The second dream was a message to come home, come back, and re-engage.

The third dream was another warning about danger so Joseph altered his original plans and made their home in Galilee.

Those months and years, that Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived as refugees, were necessary.  Sometimes life throws us a curve ball.  Sometimes life throws a pitch strait at our head. It is in those times that we need to take a step back. Sometimes we need to withdraw, take refuge until the danger passes. But God doesn’t call us into withdrawal or retreat or isolation to stay there. God may set us aside for a time but there will be a time when he expects to reenter the arena, to re-engage in the battle, to begin to fight the good fight and to live the good life for Him.

Joseph brought his family back. There was an estimated 1 million Jews living in Egypt at that time.  It is likely they made a life for themselves there living in that community.  They could have stayed. It wasn’t home it wasn’t what they were used to but it could have been good enough. But Joseph brought his family BACK.

When we come back, when we reengage, life is invariably different.  God is doing a new thing constantly. Just because all things are being made new does not mean that we are not without comfort.  We may not be refugees any more but we are not without refuge. In fact whether we are retreating or advancing we always have a refuge, not only that we have a triple refuge. First:

Jesus

We seek refuge in Jesus Christ, The Person himself, the one who is seated at the right hand of God the father and reigns forever and ever. We go to him, we speak with him.  Jesus promises his presence.  We are taught from the time that we can listen that God loves us and that love looks like Jesus Christ. No matter what circumstance, no matter what danger we face Jesus is our Lord and nothing can snatch us from his hand. We receive his council. Those that where his disciples wrote down what he taught.

Scripture

That is the second refuge of the triple refuge.  We seek refuge in the Holy Scriptures. We search the scripture to know the mind of God.  We read about how God has interacted with humanity over time.  In scripture we see the story of God with humanity growing, building and finally where it is all headed. When Scripture is a part of our life it transforms us.  Whether we have a Bible with us or not the scripture that we carry with us cannot be taken away.

The Church

The third refuge is the church, the gathered community of believers who have been called out and who have responded to God and said yes. The church is those who have said “I will let you live in me.  I will be made into something new.  I will be the bearer of God’s light.”  The Church is a gathering of those who know what it is to take refuge in Jesus and his teaching.

Joseph brought his family to Galilee.  There they lived.  It is suspected that Joseph died sometime during Jesus childhood, because we have no mention of him after the trip to the temple when Jesus was 12. Jesus likely took over the role of being the village craftsman. Jesus probably took care of Mary and his younger siblings until he was about 30. Jesus was born to be the savior of the world but he took care of his family responsibilities first. He was set aside for a time, then his time to act came.

Paul was called by Jesus to follow him.  Paul withdrew to Arabia for 3 years before he reengaged in the mission of Jesus Christ.

So, how is it with you today?  You may be withdrawing, or advancing or in the process of moving from on to the other.  Where ever you are on your spiritual journey, may you always know that you can find refuge here. Would you pray with me? 

Christmas for Everyone

John 1:1-14
A video to promote a program to fight malaria
in Africa doesn't feel like a traditional
Christmas eve service thing to do does it?
Perhaps it should.
Miracles surround his entire life. He was born
of a virgin. An Army of angels announced his
birth to a group of shepherds. Jesus grew and
did wonderful things. He turned water to wine,
He healed people both in person and from a
distance, he cast demons out of people, he
caused a large catch of fish, he raised the dead,
the calmed the sea, he healed more people, he
fed 5000, he walked on water, fed 4000, healed
and cured many more people, withered a tree
that produced no fruit, and the ultimate miracle
he defeated death af
So what does that have to do with Africans
dieing of Malaria?
What does Christmas trees, Santa clause, and
Christmas carols have to do with the suffering
of the world? Everything.
“The true light that shines on all people was
coming into the world. The Light was in the
world, and the world cam into being through
the light, but the world didn't recognize the
light.”
Christ existed before Jesus was born. I am not
saying they are separate. The people;e knew of
the word of God. And they knew that God's
Messiah would come to rescue them one day.
The whole world was created. The whole
world was created by the very word of God.
The foundations of creation are infused with
the creative energy of God Himself. This
creative force is the
piano and see wood and fabric and cables and
nails, but in those elements we find their origin
in the very Word of God. The very essence of
everything that we see in the created world is
infused with the word of God. It is all around
us. This is a gift for humanity. We were put
here in this place to be stewards of this Godinfused
garden. God surrounds us. God is in
everything that we see and touch and feel and
hear. Nothing that was created came into being
without him. The Word of God is the structure
in which we live. Scripture says that the Word
of God became flesh.
Is it any wonder that he could calm a storm?
is it any wonder that he could multiply loaves
and fishes?
Is it any wonder that he could turn water to
wine?
His very nature is in the
fact. Jesus came because we forgot that God
gave us all this. Jesus came to remind us of the
reality that we constantly swim in.
He came because we lost our way and went
down the wrong path. And he came to teach.
He came to sacrifice. He showed us our
brokenness. He showed us that that brokenness
is contrary to his nature and his order and his
creation.
He wants that brokenness to be healed. Jesus is
stronger than any human brokenness. He
sacrificed himself to that brokenness and then
he defeated death and now lives forever. So it is
in him that we have power
some who can recognize and convey a piece of
truth, but Jesus was full of grace and truth.
So back to the Malaria question. What does the
eternal God made flesh, and the celebration his
birth have to do with fighting Malaria in
Africa?
The light of God is everywhere. The light of
God shines in Africa, as well as here in West
Michigan. The thing is, not everybody
recognized the light. The light is there but they
are too busy caring for their children who are
dieing of Malaria to look for it. They have so
much money trying to treat it that the poverty
they live in blocks a bit of that light and it is
hard to see sometimes, let alone recognize it for
what it is.
Why doesn't Jesus just work another miracle
and fix the whole thing? We have already said
that he is capable right? Remember when the
crowd was gathering and the dis
they can go to the surrounding countryside and
villages and buy something to eat for
themselves.”? What did Jesus say?
Did he say “You are right. Its not our
problem.”? Did he tell them to do nothing that
he would take care of it and Poof!Made food
appear?
No he said, “You give them something to eat.”
God doesn't expect us to have it all figured out
but he does expect us to take a step toward
solving the problem.
We have this strange way of talking about
Jesus. We understand that he was born over
2000 years ago in a specific place under
specific circumstances. But we also anticipate
is birth every year. Not just a celebration of his
birth but Jesus being born anew every year.
That is because the Word of God, the creative
fore of God is ever-flowing, ever-sustaining us.
And we are constantly being invited into that
ongoing process of creation with Go
invited to point attention to the light that has
come into the world. Christmas is for
everybody. We want the light to shine whether
you are in Juba Sudan or Ludington Michigan.
So, how is it with you this Holy Night? You
who have welcomed Jesus into your life, who
have believed in is name, you have become
children of God and are continually being made
into something new.. If you have not done that,
may Christ be born into your life this Christmas
and may he transform you with all the blessings
he desires for you.

A heart-shaped ornament secretly placed each year on the
church Christmas tree by one who loves deeply and looks
forward to a reunion one day. 

Finding Joe

Matthew 1:18-25

You say this is from God but I didn’t ask for it! I asked for love but I never asked to have my heart broken.  I asked for a family but I never asked for the worry that goes along with it. I asked for a beautiful place to live with sandy beaches and rolling hills, but I never asked for the snow.
Did you know that last night was the longest night of the year?  Beginning today the days get longer. The darkest day of the year is behind us.  We will get increasingly longer days until June 22. The thing is, this is the second darkest day of the year, and we anticipate the coming of the birth of Jesus into our lives.
We try to live in the light of Christ we try to live into the joy of the Christmas season but for some of us there is little to no joy this time of year. The holidays only bring up memories of what is past.  This season opens old wounds because what could have been… never was.  Sadness, depression, anxiety, these are some of the things that mark the holidays for some. Striving for perfection, disappointment, disillusionment over unmet expectations, this is not what God intends for us.
In the midst of struggle, some wonder where God is. Where is God in my darkness? Where is the light that we so desperately seek?
The light is among us.  Jesus came to be the light of the world. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit lives within you.  Our task is to uncover the light that is hidden.
We have expectations and people let us down so we put up walls and barriers. A little light is blocked. We suffer great loss and pain so we protect our hearts. A little more light is blocked. We fall into habits and routines and it's all too easy to forget where the light came from in the first place.
The light may be diminished in your world but it never will be gone.  This may be the second darkest day of the year but greater light is coming.  There is HOPE.
(Light the first Advent candle)
At the beginning of the Advent Season we lit this first candle.  It the candle of the prophets that looked forward.  It’s the candle of hope.  A prophet is not a fortune teller. A prophet is a person who walks with God and can see where Things are heading for Gods people.  The prophet understands God’s promises and boldly challenges people to live into them.
But that rarely feels safe.  It always seems more prudent to hold back.
There’s this guy in the Bible named Joseph.  Joe had a fiancé. A young girl named Mary. This is the one he was going to spend his life with. This is the one he would raise a family with.  However it may have come to be, whether they had an arranged marriage or if they fell in love we don’t know but this was the girl.
Things were falling into place for Joe. But then she got pregnant.
We always talk about how good a man Joe was; how he decided to quietly call of the engagement. Can you imagine the sting of rejection when he found out she was pregnant? He had to decide what to do. We know what he eventually did but I don’t want to minimize that moment…that process. In one moment had his life together, he had the plan to move forward in place and in the next minute it all fell apart. “Joseph, I am pregnant and it’s not your baby.”  I imagine he struggled with this news. I imagine he agonized over it. But he loved her. He must have loved her because if this were only an arranged marriage well then this would be no reflection on him he had been betrayed, he could just let the law deal with her.
But no, he must have loved her so he discreetly decided to end the engagement.  He was probably thinking long and hard about these things.  He must have been considering how this was all going to play out. And he probably went to bed one dark night resolved to take care if this problem and thinking on these things. You ever do that?  You ever think about things just before you fall asleep? You ever keep yourself awake at night because you just can’t seem the stop the thought train from chugging down the tracks? I’ve done that.  It isn’t until your body is completely exhausted before you fall asleep.
I imagine it was a long night like that for Joseph when he decided to do this thing; when he decided to cut Mary loose and go on with his life.  I imagine it was difficult to come to that decision because the girl that he loved would not be a part of his life.  I imagine the light in his life was diminished that night. And then after a time he fell asleep on that very dark night of his life.  What he needed was peace
(Light the second candle)
Then he had a dream.  Joe had a dream.  In that dream God came and spoke to him through and angel and said “Joseph, don’t be afraid. Take Mary as your wife. Not only that I want you to name him Jesus.” In the morning he woke up.  God told Joseph to take Mary as his wife and give her unborn child a name.  The child would be born and Joseph was to give him his name.
Let’s think about that God wasn’t asking joseph to get out of the way.  It’s not like God and Mary had a deal and joseph just happened to be hanging around.  God said you give him the name that I have given you.  He was telling to take Jesus as his own.  We like to talk about how blessed Mary is and it true but Joseph was chosen by God to be Jesus’ earthly father.  It wasn’t his child, its true.  But the light was starting to shine through. This is bigger than his plans.  This is bigger than his desires.  He had hopes, dreams and expectations but this was God’s will and God’s will trumps everything else.  God was asking Joseph to be a partner in nurturing the baby that would grow to be the messiah that would sacrifice himself to be the savior of the world.
Last week we had the children’s program and we didn’t light a candle on the Advent wreath.  The third candle is the pink on that represents Joy.
Josephs Joy candle was not lit that dark night as he lay down to go to sleep. But joy can be present in our lives even if we don’t feel happy, even if we are not content, even if we are not comfortable. Joseph woke up that next morning with a changed heart and mind.  Life didn’t get any easier.  The circumstances hadn’t changed but he was following the will of God.  God wants to make your joy complete. Remember the parable of the talents? When we are faithful God says to us, “Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.”
Joseph had the opportunity to be the earthy father of Jesus.This was of God but it was not what Joseph asked for.  It was not in Josephs plan.  But he followed after God and God fulfills his promises.(Light the Joy candle)So now we come to the last candle.  This is the last Sunday of Advent.  This last candle represents love. We know that God is love.  We have just come out of the longest night of the year.  We face some long nights ahead.  What do you think about on those long nights?  God has promised to live in you and transform you if you only let him.  In the darkness let God’s light of hope, peace, joy and love carry you through. In our dark moments we can ask Jesus, “Where are you in this?” Whether it’s in unmet expectation, disappointment, pain, suffering, loneliness or loss Jesus will begin to heal the hurts you have. Jesus will show you the way.  Joseph didn’t know what would come next but he gave himself to God experienced that great love.Remember God loves you and there is not a darn thing you can do about it.(Light the Love candle)Would you pray with me?

Conceiving a Miracle

Conceiving a miracle

The scripture today talks about Jesus coming at a time we don’t know, like a thief in the night, and a  lot of times we take that as “you better watch out!”, because you don’t know when it’s coming. Like it’s a warning, like it’s a negative thing. It reminds me of that awful song Santa Clause is coming to town.  “He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you are awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake!” and what’s the reason to be good in that song? To please Santa so that Santa will bring gifts?  So the only reason to be good is to receive gifts? That sounds more like Old Testament theology.

Jesus brought a new covenant.  He fulfilled the law.  He brings forgiveness. He brings restoration. That view of Santa in that song is not Christian. Jesus brings hope. Santa Clause, once seen properly, is a good and powerful symbol of the Holy Spirit. He wears red like that flame on that cross.  He comes to all the good little boys and girls and the bad ones too. He is a symbol of unconditional love.  The coming of Santa Clause should not be a dread thing. 

But what do we believe about Santa Clause and what are we teaching. Have we confused the tradition of the church with the poem “T’was The night before Christmas”? Let’s remember where the idea of Santa comes from. 

Do you know the story of St. Nicholas? He was a bishop of Myra, which is a town on the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Turkey.  He was an orphan and had a sizeable inheritance from his parents.  He got word that a man in that town lost all his money.  The man had three young daughters.  The daughters wouldn’t be able to marry if they didn’t have money for a dowry. If they didn’t marry, it was likely they would have to live by working on the street.  When the first daughter came of age to be married Nicholas came and tossed a bag of gold through the window of the man’s house. Providing enough for a dowry.  Nicholas did this when the next two daughters came of age as well.  It wasn’t about toys and abundance.  It was about saving people from a life of suffering.  It was about compassion.  It was about doing the right thing with the gifts we already have.

As parents we let our children experience the joy of being showered with unconditional love.  We let them experience grace and forgiveness.  But when they start to grow up, when they start come to that threshold of adulthood and they start to figure things out, that’s when they are taught a new lesson. 

Tribal Initiation rites.

When _____________ discovered this, he told me I ruined the magic of Christmas.  And it can feel like that. Until you mature into what God intends for us.

Just because there isn’t and actual guy that flies around in a vehicle designed to glide across snow, visiting every house on the planet doesn’t mean that that character doesn’t represent a truth. There is something real that Santa represents.  There is a Spirit of God the moves people to do what is good and right. To offer unconditional love.  

So we look at the scripture today and we read about some who are taken and some who are left behind. And that he will come at an unexpected time. It’s not a thing of dread. It is a promise of hope.  The admonition of scripture is that we should be ready for it.  We should open our hearts and minds to the will of the Holy Spirit.  We should prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ into the world and into our lives in an unexpected and powerful way. 

Isaiah prophesied about a virgin who would give birth. Hope.

Our Christmas traditions in my family include gathering together for a meal. And we eat the finest food. We celebrate together as we give each other gifts. The food hasn’t always been the same. Our idea of fine food has changed as we have had more resources available and as the ability to cook has grown in the younger members of the family.  Most of our family traditions surrounding Christmas tend to focus on make us feel good and comfortable. Even the act of gift giving.  We take pleasure in seeing the joy on the face of those we love when they receive a gift.  But Jesus says “if you only give to those who will repay you, what credit is that to you?”  I am more than repaid when I see delight on my child’s face. I get no credit for being generous to them.  It’s a good thing but it doesn’t make me a better person.  One tradition that we have is that we have our own advent wreath in our home.  Every time we gather for lunch after church on Sundays we light another candle on that wreath.  And that focuses our attention on that baby that we celebrate every year.  We celebrate that Jesus Christ is the center of it all.

Jesus came with a particular mission, to bring healing and recovery of sight. We can’t forget that; we cannot ignore that during the celebration of his birth.  We ought to be about his work.  We ought to be focused on what he came as a human being to do, because that was the beginning of his earthly life.  At Easter we talk about his death and resurrection and what that means for our salvation, and that is the pinnacle, the high point of the Christian year, but this is the other one.  This is the beginning of his earthly and what he did on earth and what he set us to do after he was gone. 

We are fortunate to have been born in this place. I don’t know if you have heard but there is a debate out there over the health care system in the United States.  You may have even formed an opinion about the matter.  But think about this.  Even if our health care system is at its worst, would you rather trust your child’s health care to that or to what they have in Africa? The truth is we have some of the best health care in the world.  We will live longer. We will have food.  But if we were born in Africa it would be a different story. 

Should the place of your birth determine whether you live or die?

It doesn’t matter how good you are. It doesn’t matter how many of the rules you follow in Africa you are more likely to die of Malaria just because of where you were born.

What would Nicholas the bishop of Myra, The bishop who gave his inheritance to that three young girls wouldn’t have to sell their bodies to survive, The pastor bishop who’s legend has become the very symbol of generosity, what would he do if he were placed in sub-Saharan Africa and saw children dying of a preventable disease?

What would Jesus do in that place?

There are things that can be done there. Our denomination, the United Methodist Church, is on the leading edge on the fight against Malaria.  Someone said this and I believe this to be true. If you want to eliminate poverty in Africa, eliminate Malaria. Sub Saharan Africa spends 12 billion a year dealing with the effects of malaria.  If we can eliminate malaria as a problem that $12 billion gets spent in other ways, which will help to grow an economy and advance a culture.  Then a people can begin to feed and take care of themselves.

Imagine no Malaria is the name of the initiative. Our bishop has set a goal for the Michigan Area to raise 1.5 of the 75 million needed to fund this initiative.  That amounts to $10 for every Methodist in the state. Why $10? $10 will purchase an insecticide laden mosquito net or it will by 2 rounds of medication for someone diagnosed with malaria or it will purchase 5 kits to test for malaria.  In short $10 can save at least one life.  Imagine no malaria will be our Christmas Eve offering this year.  We have a membership list with 138 names on it. Look around there aren’t 138 people in the room. If we are to reach our goal of $1,380- $10 for every member we will need to get creative.