Disclaimer: I realize that what I’m about to say is region-specific. It’s not necessarily as applicable for other parts of this country let alone other parts of the world. However, it is in this part of the world – the great-yet-frozen state of Minnesota – that I live, and so these are my observations.

The new year is upon us. 2014 is over, and 2015 lays spread out before us like an open book, ready and waiting for us to make our mark upon its blank and expectant pages.

May people use the new year as an opportunity to start anew – to his the “refresh” button on some aspect of their lives or another. We want to be a better version of ourselves, and what better time to seek out and embrace that new “self” than the new year? It’s no coincidence that so many ad campaigns capitalize on some variation of the phrase “A new year, a new you!” It speaks to that deep longing we have in our hearts to make a change – to learn something … do something … be something fresh and new and different.

Who am I going to be?

What am I going to do differently?

How am I going to enact real change in my life?

Often, these questions spur new year’s resolutions.

“This year, I’m going to get healthy.”

“This year, I’m going to quit smoking.”

“This year, I’m going to learn to be financially responsible.”

“This year, I’m going to be more organized.”

“This year, I’m going to be more patient/compassionate/generous/kind.”

I find it both interesting and ironic that this laser-focus on a new version of life comes in the midst of a season that seems so devoid of life.

The ground is frozen.

The trees are leafless.

The days are short and the nights oh, so long.

Any plants left over from last season lie dormant in the ground at best, and at worst, are shriveled and brown and dead.

And the only life we witness outside – human or otherwise – moves quickly from one warm space to another in an attempt to not freeze.

In the midst of this season in which the world seems on hold at best, we focus on ways to renew our lives.

Immense in mercy and with an incredible love, God embraced us. God took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. God did all this on God’s own, with no help from us! ~ Ephesians 3:4-5 (The Message)

From death, life.

And more than just a lackluster existence. As Jesus says to the disciples in John’s gospel, “I came so that they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (Jn 10:10).

Friends, this is the essence of the Good News that we share – that in the midst of the coldness and darkness and deadness of sin, Christ came to bring life and forgiveness and grace.

To all.

For all.

So as you think about what your new year’s resolutions and how to start afresh in the year ahead, remember that God has made you alive in Christ, giving you a love that never ends, a forgiveness that never faces, and a peace that cannot be surpassed. Let this reassurance be your warmth in the cold … your light in the darkness … your inspiration and encouragement in days, weeks, and year ahead.

On Christmas Eve, instead of a full-fledged sermon, we journeyed our way to Bethlehem together with Mary and Joseph, the angels, the shepherds, and, finally, each other. We did this with Scripture, with poetry, and with Christmas hymns. In this post are links to the Scripture readings (New Revised Standard Version … for nostalgic purposes), the original poetry (please credit if you use it … thank you), and links to the hymns we used. 

Come … travel to Bethlehem with us.

Introduction:
Friends, the time has come to travel to Bethlehem. A mother and father await. An extravagance of angels awaits. A band of shepherds awaits. And a world in need – in need of love, in need of compassion, in need of a Savior – awaits. But even on that first Christmas night thousands of years ago when all the grace of heaven collided with all the vulnerability of humanity in the form of one precious, little baby boy – even on that night of nights, it was necessary for those involved to take a chance,  to make a choice, to take steps of their own. Mary and Joseph traveled. The angels traveled. The shepherds traveled. And tonight, we travel toward Bethlehem, too.

Tonight, we travel with Mary & Joseph:

Scripture: Luke 2:1-7

Dark night, cold night,
night of discomfort and night of fear,
bumping along on the back of a donkey
from Nazareth to Bethlehem:
70 miles never felt so far …
so far …
so far to go …
Cold … uncomfortable … afraid –
impressions that chased each other
‘round and ‘round
through Mary’s mind
and body
and senses.
Cold … uncomfortable … afraid,
with every halting step the donkey took.
Cold … uncomfortable … afraid,
with every lovingly fretful glance from Joseph.
Cold … uncomfortable … afraid,
with every labor pain that clenched her swollen belly.
Cold … uncomfortable … afraid,
with every innkeeper’s shaking head:
“No room.”
“No room.”
“No room.”
BUT THE LIGHT OF A SPECIAL STAR LED THE WAY,
And Mary’s heart sang a different tune –
a tune of hope,
a tune of grace,
a tune of overwhelming LOVE.
Faith … peace … light,
when the last innkeeper finally pointed them
to the stable.
Faith … peace … light,
when her time had finally come.
Faith … peace … light,
when the cries of her newborn son
mingled with the cries of the animals
who welcomed him.
Faith … peace … light,
when she cradled God-With-Us
in her arms
and felt Joseph
cradling them both, too –
her as well as this tiny baby …
this tiny baby who had come to save the world.
Mary knew
she brought a precious gift for this Christ-child:
an instant home
in her arms,
in her heart.
Mary knew
she brought protection for this Christ-child:
God’s son,
yes,
but her son, too.
So as we journey that dusty road
toward Bethlehem
with Mary
and Joseph
and a donkey laden with the Hope of humanity,
we walk a path of
faith … peace … light,
and, above all,
LOVE.

Hymn: Away in a Manger

Tonight, we travel with the Angels:

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14

HARK!
The rustle,
rustle,
rustle of wings –
wings against robes,
wings against wings,
wings against the sheer joy and anticipation
that was palpable all throughout heaven that day –
the rustle of wings
nearly drowned out the
Final Instructions:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
And on earth peace and good will to all.”
This was their task.
This was their purpose.
This was their calling this night of nights:
A message to deliver,
a birth to proclaim,
a chorus to sing.
And sing they would.
Glorias and alleluias,
Descants and hymns,
Blessings and praises
to the God Most High
(who, truth be told, was about to become
a God Most Lowly).
HARK!
The time had come!
And so the angels went,
AND THE LIGHT OF A SPECIAL STAR LED THE WAY –
led the way to a hillside
just outside of Bethlehem,
led the way to some shepherds
who were keeping watch over their flocks by night,
led the way to a great and awesome delivery:
HARK!
Joy
and excitement
and glory!
HARK!
Worship
and adoration
and praise!
After a journey to end all journeys,
from heaven to earth,
from the laudable to the lowly,
from the extraordinary to the ordinary,
the angels –
robed in splendor,
bathed in splendor,
declaring splendor –
the angels came.
So as we journey through starlit skies
toward Bethlehem
with cherubim
and seraphim
and a heavenly host laden with the greatest of “Hallelujahs,”
we walk a path of
worship … praise … adoration,
and, above all,
JOY.

Hymn: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Tonight, we travel with the Shepherds:

Scripture: Luke 2:15-20

Sheep,
sheep on all sides:
the sounds of sheep,
the smell of sheep,
the feeling of wool
rough against the shepherds’ own
rough skin.
A normal night …
or so they thought.
A night like any other …
or not.
There on that hillside
that was dark
and quiet
and mostly deserted,
the shepherds ate,
the shepherds slept,
the shepherds went about life
as
usual …
until the angels appeared –
hundreds of angels,
thousands of angels,
an extravagance of angels
all vivid and vibrant and suffused with light.
The shepherds recoiled.
The angels reassured.
The angels heralded.
The shepherds heard.
A baby …
a manger …
a long-awaited Savior …
and all they had to do was go.
AND THE LIGHT OF A SPECIAL STAR LED THE WAY
down the hill,
across the valleys,
into the sleeping town
and the stable
and the presence of God.
The shepherds went with haste,
knowing exactly what they brought with them:
field-weary eyes and feet and souls,
the smell of the open hills
and the grass
and the sheep –
all those things for which they were usually ridiculed.
But tonight,
on this most unexpected
and glorious
and holy of nights,
the shepherds knew they brought something else:
a sense of humility,
and a sense of awe.
When their road-weary feet
finally brought them to the stable,
they were the first
to witness
and to worship
the newborn Christ-child.
So as we journey across the hills
toward Bethlehem
with quiet shepherds
and tired shepherds
and shepherds laden with the significance of the One they sought,
we walk a path of
spontaneity … authenticity … humility,
and, above all,
WONDER.

Hymn: Go, Tell It On the Mountain

Tonight, we travel with each other:

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14

Here within these walls,
a hundred different roads come together.
Here within these walls,
a hundred different voices
share in the same story,
the same song,
the same proclamation:
“For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.”
The beauty and the sacred among us
can be found
in our differences –
the different gifts we bring,
the different stories we tell,
the different backgrounds we come from,
even the different baggage we carry.
And the beauty and the sacred among us
can be found
in our selfsameness –
we share God’s gift of grace,
we share God’s gift of forgiveness,
we share God’s gift of peace.
Tonight,
on this special night,
on this holy night,
we journey together –
a wayfaring family of faith,
stranger and friends sharing sacred space
and sacred time,
AND THE LIGHT OF A SPECIAL STAR STILL LEADS THE WAY.
It lights the way
when we’re cold … uncomfortable … afraid,
unsure of what lies ahead
but stepping out in faith in the face of it all.
It lights the way
when we’re bringing the Good News
sharing our hope
our anchor
our faith
in a Savior-God who came for all.
It lights the way
in the midst of our everyday lives
when we’re caught off-guard
by a glimpse of the holy amidst the lowly.
So as we journey through this night together
toward Bethlehem
with friends
and neighbors
and hearts laden with the blessings of the Christ-child
we walk a path of
humanity … uniqueness … togetherness,
and, above all,
GRACE.

Hymn: On Christmas Night All Christians Sing

Texts for this sermon: Isaiah 9:2-7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11

This year, we will be using the picture book The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski (ill. byP.J. Lynch) throughout our Advent sermon series. For copyright purposes, I will not be able to share the entirety of that story within the content of these blog posts, but I do encourage you to either check this book out from your local library or purchase a copy for your own personal library. It’s an incredible story with stunning illustrations.

• Quick recap of sermon series/Jonathan Toomey’s story up to this point
• So let’s look in on the end of Jonathan Toomey’s story. – [read Toomey, pt. 4[1], pp. ]
  • Now can you see why this is one of my favorite Christmas stories?
    • Speaks to light shining in the darkness
    • Speaks to redemptive power of love
    • Speaks to hope
    • Maybe not so different from the story of another little boy that we focus on this time of year?
• Jonathan Toomey begins his story struggling.
  • Surface: struggles with carving figures
    • Getting them “right” in Thomas’ eyes
    • Getting them “right” in his own eyes – That’s where we found him at the beginning of today’s portion.
      • Tries to sketch Mary and baby Jesus – tosses sketches in fire
      • Tries to start carving Mary and baby Jesus – tosses wood block in fire
    • Deeper: struggles with heartache and isolation
      • Feeling defeated/broken down by grief and loss
      • Fear/hesitancy to get close to anyone again – more love = more loss
    • See struggles like this echoes in OT text this morning
      • Speaks of people having “walked in darkness”
      • Is goes on to describe that darkness: The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants – all their whips and cudgels and curses … the boots of all those invading troops, along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood[2]
      • It’s important to know that Isaiah was speaking God’s word to people in exile → explain Babylonian exile (modern day Egypt east into Iran, northern half of Saudi Arabia all the up into Turkey and just past the northern border of Iran)
        • People who had been yanked from everything familiar to them
          • Culture
          • Worship center
          • Homes
          • Even some families were torn apart.
            • Those taken into exile were artists, thinkers, religious and political leaders → Those whom the Babylonians deemed unimportant and unproductive to society were simply left behind.
          • Imagine the darkness of an experience like that – the loss, the loneliness, the isolation.
            • Times in our lives when we experience darkness
              • Illness (our own or loved ones)
              • Grief
              • Frustration/misunderstanding
              • Depression
  • And though it may be harder to detect, there’s struggle behind our New Testament text this morning as well. – context for Paul’s 1^st letter to church in Thessalonica
    • Apprehension/fear over Paul’s extended absence → Paul had set up this church, then moved on as he always did. However, despite numerous attempts, he was unable to return to Thessalonica to check on the life of the congregation that had been established there. And this made them anxious.
    • Serious unease in the face of social pressures and persecution → people (their neighbors? family? friends?) constantly berating them for their crazy, new-fangled faith in that Jesus guy
• Sometimes it feels like that darkness is going to be a part of our lives forever – like we’re never going to see the light again.
  • Not told how much time passes between loss of Jonathan Toomey’s wife and child and widow McDowell and Thomas showing up on his doorstep BUT given the impression that it’s a number of years → And yet, despite that stretch of darkness, we see a light shine in Jonathan Toomey’s life – a light that comes not simply in the midst of the darkness but by way of the darkness, redeeming the darkness.
    • Toomey not only makes peace with the past but transforms pain of that past into something beautiful – story: Jonathan sat down in his rocking chair and held the picture [of the woman and the baby] against his chest. He rocked slowly, his eyes closed. Two tears trailed into his beard. When he finally took the picture to his workbench and began to carve, his fingers worked quickly and surely.[3] → draws both strength and inspiration from love for wife/child and allows that love to guide but not override his design/the rest of his life
  • Find light shining in both Scriptures this morning, too – light from a couple different sources
    • OT speaks of the Light of Christ: For a child has been born – for us! the gift of a son – for us! He’ll take over the running of the world. His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. … there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.[4] → This is the Christ for whom we wait – the child who will bring …
      • Amazing Light
      • Strong Light
      • Eternal Light
      • Light of Wholeness
      • Think about what we do with the Advent wreath every week. We light a new candle, but we also continue to light the candles from the previous weeks. As we draw closer and closer to Christmas, the light on the wreath grows and grows.
    • NT speaks to Light within each of us: Friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. … Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.[5] → reminds us of our charge, our challenge, and our chance to share that Light with others
      • Let them know where you see the “amazing” in them
      • Remind them that they are stronger than they think
      • Reassure them of God’s eternal love
      • Help them find that wholeness that we all seek
      • Again, we embody this in what we do with our Advent wreath. – Christmas Eve = sharing the light with one another, light that comes from the Christ candle in the middle of the wreath
        • Given more everyday guidance in this in NT text, too: Speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.[6]
• And just as that light continues to grow among us, we watch it grow in Jonathan Toomey’s life as well. → witness the redemptive power of love as that light grows brighter and brighter, stronger and stronger
  • See it in good Jonathan Toomey does with the nativity figures: From the box, Jonathan unpacked two curly, happy sheep because they were with Jesus. He unpacked a proud cow and an angel, a very important angel with mighty wings stretching from its shoulders right down to the hem of its gown. He unpacked three wise men wearing their most wonderful robes, edged with fur and falling in rich folds. He unpacked a serious and caring Joseph. He unpacked Mary wearing a rough-hewn shawl, looking down, loving her precious baby son. Jesus was smiling and reaching up to touch his mother’s face.[7] → This is another one of those passages where I wish I could bring the illustration around for each and every one of you to see.
    • Beauty of the figures, just as the author described them … just as Thomas described them to Jonathan Toomey
    • Beauty of the expression on Thomas’ face
      • Excitement
      • Delight
      • Awe
      • All inspired by Jonathan Toomey’s gift
    • Also see good Jonathan Toomey does for himself: That day in the churchyard the village children saw Jonathan throw back his head, showing his eyes as clear blue as an August sky, and laugh. No one ever called him Mr. Gloomy again.[8]
      • Finds healing
      • Finds joy
      • Finds love
      • Finds hope
      • And in opening himself up in this way again – by sharing his heart and his companionship with the Widow McDowell and Thomas – Jonathan Toomey gives them a gift beyond the beautiful carved figures. Remember, Jonathan Toomey isn’t the only one in this story who’s dealing with loss. We may not be told anything about the Widow McDowell’s late husband and Thomas’ late father, but we can assume that just as Jonathan Toomey’s heart yearns for his deceased wife and child, so their hearts yearn for this unnamed man. → just as they are filling a void in Jonathan Toomey’s life, he is filling a void in theirs
        • Power of love = cannot be touched by genuine, wholehearted love and not be affected by it
      • This is the power of God’s love in our lives as well – a love that heals, that saves, that grows within us and spills out to the people around us. As the poem goes, “Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine.”[9] → find redemptive power of God’s love in both Scriptures
        • OT: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For those who lived in a land of deep shadows – light! sunbursts of light! You repopulated the nation, you expanded its joy. Oh, they’re so glad in your presence! Festival joy! The joy of a great celebration, sharing rich gifts and warm greetings.[10] → Light in the face of darkness! Joy in the face of despair! Love in the face of loss! Hope, hope, hope. This is what God gives to us.
          • Grace upon grace
          • Hope upon hope
          • Love upon love
        • NT: God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him![11] → Again, light … hope … redemption. The power of Love. In these few simple verses, we find the essence of the gospel, the reason for the season: salvation through Christ who “died for us, a death that triggered life … we’re alive with him!” Friends, this is good news! Amen.

[1] Susan Wojciechowski. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. (Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 1995), 26-33.

[2] Is 9:4, 5.

[3] Wojciechowski, 28.

[4] Is 9:6-7a.

[5] 1 Thess 5:4-5a, 8.

[6] 1 Thess 5:11.

[7] Wojciechowski, 30.

[8] Wojciechowski, 32.

[9] Christina Rosetti. “Love Came Down at Christmas,” first published in Time Flies: A Reading Diary, 1885.

[10] Is 9:2-3 (emphasis added).

[11] 1 Thess 5:9-10.

Texts for this sermon: Psalm 42 and 1 John 4:7-21

This year, we will be using the picture book The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski (ill. by P.J. Lynch) throughout our Advent sermon series. For copyright purposes, I will not be able to share the entirety of that story within the content of these blog posts, but I do encourage you to either check this book out from your local library or purchase a copy for your own personal library. It’s an incredible story with stunning illustrations.

• Quick breakdown of sermon series/Jonathan Toomey’s story up to this point
• And so we continue with our story this morning. – [read pt. 3[1], pp. 18-25]
  • Last week, we talked about little Thomas’ determination to break through Jonathan Toomey’s tough outer shell and about God’s determination to break through all the difficult and dark things that surround us.
    • Didn’t see a lot of evidence that Thomas’ efforts were very fruitful last week → But this week, we see Jonathan Toomey’s chilly exterior beginning to thaw.
      • Cares about impression he makes on Widow McDowell and Thomas – smooths down his hair and cleans himself up before jumping up to answer the door when he hears them knock
      • Concedes to teach Thomas how to carve – story: When the church bells chimed six o’clock, Jonathan Toomey was holding Thomas’s hand in his, guiding the knife along the edge of a [robin’s] wing.[2]
      • Finally willingly speaking to Thomas – actually requests Thomas’ help/elicits his opinion on remaining figures (gradual process)
        • Starts a little grudgingly with angel: “Mr. Toomey, excuse me, is that my angel you’re carving?” “Yes. And would you do me the favor of telling me exactly what I’m doing wrong?”[3]
          • Initiation still comes from Thomas but at least Jonathan Toomey’s response is more than a grunt
        • A little more open with Joseph and wise men: “Next, I will carve the wise men and Joseph,” the woodcarver said to Thomas. “Perhaps, before I begin, you will tell me about all the mistakes I am going to make.”[4]
        • With final figures – Mary and Jesus – Jonathan Toomey loses all hints of sarcasm and grouchiness: “I am about to begin the last two figures – Mary and the baby. Can you tell me how your figures looked?”[5]
• You know, as I read these pages over and over again this week, I kept picturing an ice cube melting in your hand. Yes, a large part of that imagery has to do with the fact that Jonathan Toomey’s demeanor seems to be warming and softening under Thomas’s adoring and persistent 7-year-old touch. But there’s more to it than that. Have you ever actually sat there and held onto an ice cube while it melts?
  • Holding a melting ice cube = kind of painful → It’s cold – so cold! – and sometimes that cold literally becomes too much to handle.
    • No matter what relationship you’re talking about – family relationships, friendships, or romantic relationships – there’s always going to be friction. There are always going to be times when we disappoint and hurt and challenge one another.
      • Point of clarification: difference between pain involved when someone hurts our feelings and pain involved in abuse (any kind) → abuse is never okay
    • But the risk that’s involved in loving someone is that when you love, you give someone a piece of yourself with the full knowledge and awareness that that piece may well end up getting a little bit tattered and torn.
      • Like holding a melting ice cube, this can be painful = the risk/affliction of love
      • Watch this play out in Jonathan Toomey’s story
        • As roles of Thomas and Widow McDowell expand in Jonathan Toomey’s life, they begin to rub up against those raw edges left by his grief (loss of wife, child)
          • Continues softening that we already talked about
          • Also moments of sharp pain – Jonathan Toomey’s reaction to Widow McDowell bringing out cloth embroidered with lilies of the valley and daisies: “Never open that drawer,” the woodcarver said harshly.[6]
        • Ps gives voice to that breaking point: I’m on a diet of tears – tears for breakfast, tears for supper. … Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids. Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me.[7]
          • Speaks of pain and discomfort and struggle we all feel in relationship with other people sometimes
          • Important point: reminds us that it’s even okay to feel this way in our relationship with God
            • Sometimes we pray and pray for something, but God’s answer is not the answer we want.
              • Healing
              • Life change (new job, home, etc.)
              • Relationship
            • Sometimes we become so overwhelmed and so frustrated by things in our life that are out of our control (or seem to be out of our control) that we have to vent those frustrations on someone.
              • God = the easiest one
              • God = the only one
• We know about this risk. We understand this risk. We’ve even experienced the ache that love sometimes brings. And yet, we continue to love. It’s human nature to seek out others with whom we can be in relationship. → relationships/importance of love anchors our hearts and our lives
  • Describe ourselves in terms of our relationships – I am Mark and Dianne’s daughter, David’s sister, Peter’s wife, Luke and Ian’s mom, Megan’s friend, [Oronoco’s]/[Zumbrota’s] pastor.
  • Organize and schedule our lives in terms of our relationships
    • Appointments
    • Holiday gatherings
    • Free time activities
  • Look for approval and support and affirmation from those whom we love → seek them out when we have questions, sorrow, celebrations, even mundane nothings
    • E.g. – talk to Mom almost every day, whether we have anything particular to talk about or not
  • See central nature of love in NT text
    • Loving one another
    • Loving God
    • Speaks to what a central role love plays in faith: This is how God shows his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might light through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about – not that we once upon a time loved God, but that [God] loved us and sent [God’s] Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sin and the damage they’ve done in our relationship with God.[8]
      • God’s love began it when God came to us in the humble, vulnerable form of a tiny baby – the Christ-Child.
      • God’s love was alive in Christ as he lived and ministered to those in the greatest need, those whom society had overlooked and deemed unlovable.
        • Love that was far from easy/comfortable all the time
        • Led Christ to that ultimate act of life – offering his very life for us to “clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God”[9] (Scripture)
      • God’s love continues to be active in this world in us and through us when we model our actions on Christ.
        • See reconciling capability of love in OT text: Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me. Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night! My life is God’s prayer. … Fix my eyes on God – soon I’ll be praising again. [God] puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.[10]
          • Well-known phase throughout history: Love conquers all.
        • Our hands become Christ’s compassionate hands
        • Our eyes and our hearts become open to those whom society continued to push aside – those who are …
          • Poor
          • Mental illness
          • “Just too different”
        • Scholar: God’s love is creative. As surely as God breathed life into our earthly frames, God continues to create and to sustain in us a capacity for love.[11]
          • Scripture doesn’t say God only loves this specific group or that specific group
          • Doesn’t say we’re only supposed to love this person or that person
          • Instruction is simple: First we were loved, now we love. … Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.[12] Amen.

[1] Susan Wojciechowski. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. (Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 1995), 18-25.

[2] Wojciechowski, 21.

[3] Wojciechowski, 18.

[4] Wojciechowski, 21.

[5] Wojciechowski, 24.

[6] Wojciechowski, 23.

[7] Ps 42:3a, 7.

[8] 1 Jn 4:9-10, 29.

[9] 1 Jn 4:10.

[10] Ps 42: 7b-8, 11b.

[11] C. Clifton Black. “The First, Second, and Third Letters of John: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections” in The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary series, vol. 12. (Nashville, TN, Abingdon Press, 1998), 433.

[12] 1 Jn 4:19a, 21.

Texts for this sermon: Isaiah 11:6-11a and John 1:1-5, 9-14

This year, we will be using the picture book The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski (ill. by P.J. Lynch) throughout our Advent sermon series. For copyright purposes, I will not be able to share the entirety of that story within the content of these blog posts, but I do encourage you to either check this book out from your local library or purchase a copy for your own personal library. It’s an incredible story with stunning illustrations.

• Describe idea of sermon series – narrating Advent journey through lens of The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey[1]
  • Brief overview of story up to this point
  • So let’s jump right into more of Jonathan’s story this morning – [read Toomey, pt. 2, pp. 10-17]
    • Last week, we talked about rocky beginnings – about the heartache that caused Jonathan Toomey’s beginning in this story to be so rocky, about Joseph’s rocky start to Jesus’ story.
      • Still see a lot of that rockiness in today’s part of the story
        • Answers the door “muttering and sputtering,”[2] “griping and grumbling”[3]
        • Continues to grumble and declare things are “pish-posh”[4]
        • Continues to act bearish and unapproachable around Thomas and Widow McDowell
      • Certainly see potential for rockiness in OT reading[5] – natural enemies (predators/prey) sharing intimate space
        • Wolf and lamb
        • Leopard and goat kid
        • Lion and calf
        • Bear and cow
        • Deadly snakes and small children
        • The scenarios that could play out in the midst of this set-up are at best something out of Wild Kingdom and at worst a parent’s worst nightmare. There are all sorts of possibilities for violence, disaster, and pain. → sound at all like the world we live in?
          • Needless deaths of black men like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Trayvon Martin
          • 200 Nigerian girls can be kidnapped by militant group just because they’re girls trying to learn
          • Bullying in our schools and especially online has reached level of such intensity that 1 in 6 high school students have seriously considered suicide while 1 in 12 have at least attempted it[6]
          • Friends, the world we live in is a world in need of Light. A world in need of grace. A world in need of peace. But as we well know, sometimes it can be hard to find that light, that grace, that peace – to let something or someone break through the rockiness and bring in the Light.
            • Jonathan Toomey = perfect e.g. of that need
              • Grief and loss are all he can see → needs someone to bring light back into his life … someone, perhaps, like a precocious, wiggly little seven-year-old boy.
• Interesting. A child … a little boy … bringing in the light. Sounds familiar?
  • Is – in the face of all those unlikely predatory/prey pairing: a little child will tend/lead/guide them[7]
  • Jn: The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. … What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.[8]
    • What I love about The Message translation here → Eugene Peterson really captures the dramatic, attention-grabbing way that God breaks into the human story here.
      • “The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness” – Gr. = powerful light, engulfing light, awe-inspiring light, light as bright as the dawn breaking over the horizon
    • Another important point that gets a little lost in this translation
      • 2 parts to that last sentence
        • 1^st half: The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness. = Gr. is just as the sentence is translated – past-tense → The Light came blazing and breaking into the darkness in the birth of Christ – a particular event that cannot be repeated.
          • Scholar: The Word becoming flesh is the decisive event in human history – indeed, the history of creation – because the incarnation changes God’s relationship to humanity and humanity’s relationship to God. The incarnation means human beings can see, hear, and know God in ways never before possible. … The relationship between divine and human is transformed, because in the incarnation human beings are given intimate, palpable access to the cosmic reality of God.[9]
        • 2^nd half: the darkness couldn’t put it out = Gr. in this part is special – continuous verb, more like “the darkness will not put it out” → There is a timelessness in this sentence. While the coming of the Light was a singular event, this part of the sentence recognizes that even though the darkness remains a part of our lives, so does the One with the power to overcome that darkness. “The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness, but the darkness will not ever be able to put it out.”
• Nothing about this breaking-in is easy – takes serious dedication and determination
  • Tenacity reminiscent of little Thomas → Imagine how apprehensive he must have felt given …
    • Jonathan Toomey’s reputation – remember village children’s nickname for him: Mr. Gloomy
    • Jonathan Toomey’s demeanor
      • Constantly “mumbling and grumbling, muttering and sputtering, grumping and griping”[10]
      • Doesn’t even speak to Thomas at first – Thomas works up the nerve to ask a question, Jonathan Toomey’s response: The woodcarver glared at Thomas, then shrugged his shoulders and grunted. Thomas decided it meant “yes,” so he went on. “Is that my sheep you’re carving?” The woodcarver nodded and grunted again.[11] → Okay, I’m almost 31 years old, and the thought of finding myself in Thomas’ shoes – faced with such a seemingly-insurmountable barrier – is intimidating to me.
    • And just think how many seemingly-insurmountable barriers are a part of our daily lives. – Jn talks about this: [The Life-Light] was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn’t even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him.[12]
      • Things that keep us from noticing – that get in the way of our relationships with each other, things that get in the way of our relationship with God
        • Pride
        • Stress
        • Grief
        • Prejudices
        • Unrealistic expectations
      • Thankfully, God shares Thomas’ tenacity. – particularly beautiful and inspiring in-breaking in Jn: The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.[13] → Friends, God loves this world and all the people in it so much that God chose to “move into [our] neighborhood” – to experience life the way we experience it with all its ups and downs, all its joys and pains, all its stress and inspiration and uncertainty and love. What an incredible way to express that devotion and determination.
        • Scholar: God did not stay distant from [humanity], remote and isolated; father, in Jesus, God chose to live with humanity in the midst of human weakness, confusion, and pain. … To become flesh is to know joy, pain, suffering, and loss. It is to love, to grieve, and someday to die. The incarnation binds Jesus to the “everydayness” of human experience.[14]
        • God:
          • “You’re struggling? Let me struggle alongside you.”
          • “You’re hurting? Let me share that burden.”
          • “You’re celebrating? Let me celebrate with you.”
• Now, I have to tell you that this is one of those times when I really wish I could share the illustrations in this book with you. When you listen to the story, while Thomas’ determination to break through Jonathan Toomey’s tough outer shell is palpable, it’s hard to tell in these few pages whether it’s actually working.
  • Only faint glimmer in words – Jonathan Toomey’s brusque mention to Widow McDowell at the start of their 2^nd visit that the teapot is warm à slightest hint of reaching out
  • Pictures – each page includes a small illustration
    • Two sheep that look distinctly happy
    • One cow that is unmistakably proud
  • Sometimes God breaks into our lives in dramatic, awe-inspiring ways like a powerful light dawning. And sometimes God breaks into our lives in ways that are more subtle, more indirect, more gradual. But make no mistake, friends, God’s love for each and every person on this earth is so strong that God is determined to break through so that all are free to feel and participate in that love. Amen.

[1] Susan Wojciechowski. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. (Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press), 1995.

[2] Wojciechowski, 10.

[3] Wojciechowski, 14.

[4] Wojciechowski, 13.

[5] Is 11:6-8.

[6] Meghan Neal. “1 in 12 teens have attempted suicide: CDC finds suicide among high school students on the rise” in New York Daily News, 9 June 2012. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/1-12-teens-attempted-suicide-report-article-1.1092622, accessed 7 Dec. 2014.

[7] Is 11:6.

[8] Jn 1:1, 4.

[9] Gail R. O’Day. “The Gospel of John: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections” in The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary series, vol. 9. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995), 524.

[10] Wojciechowski, 2.

[11] Wojciechowski, 13.

[12] Jn 1:10-11.

[13] Jn 1:14.

[14] O’Day, 525-526.

Texts for this sermon: Psalm 6 and Matthew 1:18-25
* A note about Scripture readings: We’ve recently decided to start reading our Sunday morning passages from Eugene Peterson’s translation known as “The Message.” People often find this text more conversational, more colloquial, and easier to read and understand.*

This year, we will be using the picture book The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski (ill. by P.J. Lynch) throughout our Advent sermon series. For copyright purposes, I will not be able to share the entirety of that story within the content of these blog posts, but I do encourage you to either check this book out from your local library or purchase a copy for your own personal library. It’s an incredible story with stunning illustrations.

• Everyone has a favorite Christmas story.
  • Books: Santa’s Favorite Story[1], The Night Before Christmas[2]
  • Movies: A Christmas Story[3], Miracle on 34^th Street[4]
  • Even story-songs: “Frosty the Snowman”[5]
  • Christmas stories = important
    • Familiar words/cadences provide intimacy → help prepare hearts, spirits, minds for the season
    • Bring to mind memories of times past when we’ve experienced the story (hearing, seeing, singing, etc.)
  • And as we begin this year’s Advent journey together, we’re joining our stories – the individual narratives of our daily lives – together with the Grand Story.
    • Christian Story
    • Story of Salvation
    • Story of God’s greatest gift in the birth of Christ
    • And as we once again approach the beginning of this story, we’re going to do so through the lens of yet another story – a powerful Christmas tale written by Susan Wojciechowski: The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.[6]
      • Before we begin reading → copy of the book at church
        • Catch up if you miss a Sunday
        • Experience the beautiful illustrations of P.J. Lynch
        • Just promise me you won’t read ahead and spoil the ending for yourself! J
• And so, we begin … [read pt. 1 of Jonathan Toomey, pp. 2-9]
  • “The children in the village called him Mr. Gloomy.” Friends, among the glitz and glamour, the brightness and baubles of the holiday season, we are reminded that not all stories begin with an easy smile.
    • Taught from an early age that stories are supposed to have a happy beginning
      • Disney = huge perpetrator of this notion – not many of their wildly popular “Princess” stories begin darkly
        • Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid, Cinderella, even Elsa and Anna from recent hit “Frozen” → feature happy, beautiful, blessed little princesses … until that dark wicked witch/queen/evil enchantress butts in
      • Basic make-up of just about any sitcom or romantic comedy plotline or even most action movies → things are great and wonderful and blissful … until they’re not
    • These are all stories that start off with a chipper, “Once upon a time …” But what happens when the beginning of a story is closer to …
      • Once upon a hardship?
      • Once upon a misunderstanding?
      • Once upon a heartache?
      • These may not be the bedtimes stories that we like to share with our children at night, but we cannot help but acknowledge that sometimes, these are the stories that play out in our lives. These are our realities. These are our “once upon a time”s.
• In fact, all of our stories today – our Scripture stories and Jonathan Toomey’s story – get off to a rocky start, a less-than-perfect beginning.
  • Jonathan Toomey’s story speaks of a surly, ill-tempered man whose life has been ravaged by tremendous loss and heartache
    • Man living in grief
    • Man living in pain
    • Man living in self-imposed isolation
  • Scripture story of Joseph – rocky beginning, too
    • Joseph’s first and most in-depth introduction in Scripture
      • Only other account we have of Jesus’ birth (Luke) – simply named as Mary’s betrothed[7]
      • As far as context goes, the text that we read today is what kicks off Jesus’ birth narrative according to Matthew. The only thing that appears before it in the gospel is that long list of Jesus’ lineage (“Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob” all the way down to Joseph, Mary, and Jesus).
    • And what a difficult introduction this is for Joseph! Imagine what this must have been like for him.
      • Engaged to Mary – text: Joseph discovered she was pregnant.[8] → I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but wonder how Joseph found out. Did Mary tell him? Was she starting to show? Did he hear a rumor?
      • However it happened, Joseph discovered Mary’s delicate situation, and being “chagrined but noble” (as our text put it), Joseph “determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.”[9]
        • Hear Joseph’s pain in this
        • Hear Joseph’s discomfort in this
          • Rocky, rocky start
        • And we can sympathize with both Jonathan and Joseph’s rocky starts, can’t we? We want things to be happy, to be peaceful, to be comfortable and acceptable and copacetic. We don’t like conflict. We don’t like pain. We don’t like hardship and struggle. But sometimes that’s where we land.
          • Hear frustration and distress caused by this predicament voiced in Ps – text: Please, God … treat me nice for change … Can’t you see I’m black and blue … My bed has been floating forty days and nights on the flood of my tears. My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.[10] → Haven’t we all had moments … days … weeks … maybe even years like this?!
            • Sounds like Jonathan Toomey’s journey – after the deaths of his wife and son: Jonathan Toomey had packed his belongings into a wagon and traveled till his tears stopped.[11]
• So here we find ourselves at the beginning of another Advent journey – a journey during a season which is marked by a certain amount of darkness, both in terms of the church calendar and of nature itself.
  • Darkness of the shortening days and lengthening nights
  • Darkness of the world waiting for the birth of a Savior
  • Darkness echoed in the words of our ps: I can’t sing in your choir if I’m buried in some tomb! I’m tired of all this – so tired.[12]
  • And yet, in the face of this darkness, despite whatever rocky beginnings our stories may include, there is a growing light – the light of the coming Christ Child.
    • theologian Barbara Brown Taylor’s new book: Learning to Walk in the Dark[13] → addresses idea of finding God in those dark places
      • Scary places
      • Lonely places
      • Bleak places
      • Taylor reassures us: Even when you cannot see where you are going and no one answers when you call, this is not sufficient proof that you are alone. … Here is the testimony of faith: darkness is not dark to God; the night is as bright as the day.[14]
    • See God’s brightness shining in the ps: My requests have all been granted, my prayers are answered.[15]
    • See God’s brightness shining in Joseph’s story: While [Joseph] was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus – ‘God saves’ – because he will save his people from their sins.” … Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream.[16]
    • And I promise you there is light in Jonathan Toomey’s story, too … but I’m not going to give that part away. For that, you’ll just have to come back next week.
      • Waiting for the rest of Jonathan Toomey’s story = appropriate because sometimes we have to wait for the light
        • Difficult in our culture of instant gratification – answers and shopping and communication and just about anything we want literally right at our fingertips
        • But that’s what this season of Advent is about: waiting and watching as that pin-prick of light grows ever brighter and ever closer in the darkness.
          • Light of hope
          • Light of salvation
          • Light of Christ
          • Amen.

[1] Hisako Aoki. Santa’s Favorite Story: Santa Tells the Story of the First Christmas. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster), 1991.

[2] Clement Clarke Moore. “A Visit (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas)” in Sentinel – Troy, New York, 23 Dec. 1823.

[3] Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, & Bob Clark. A Christmas Story, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio, 18 Nov. 1983.

[4] Valentine Davies & George Seaton. Miracle on 34^th Street, released by 20^th Century Fox, 2 May 1947.

[5] Jack Rollins & Steve Nelson. “Frosty the Snowman,” originally recorded by Gene Autry & the Cass Country Boys, released by Columbia Records, 14 Dec. 1950.

[6] Susan Wojciechowski. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. (Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press), 1995.

[7] Lk 1:27.

[8] Mt 1:18.

[9] Mt 1:19.

[10] Ps 6:1, 2, 6b.

[11] Wojciechowski, 6.

[12] Ps 6:5b-6a.

[13] Barbara Brown Taylor. Learning to Walk in the Dark. (New York, NY: HarperOne), 2014.

[14] Taylor, 16.

[15] Ps 6:9.

[16] Mt 1:20-21, 24.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For those who lived in a land of deep shadows – light! Sunbursts of light! You repopulated the nation, you expanded its joy. Oh, they’re so glad in your presence! Festival joy! The joy of a great celebration, sharing rich gifts and warm greetings. … For a child has been born – for us! The gift of a son – for us! ~ Isaiah 9:2-3

Of all the passages of Scripture that we read during the Advent and Christmas seasons, this has always been my favorite. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived my whole life in the Midwest – a place of beauty, to be sure, but a place that, during the winter months, can feel cold and dark. Surely “a land of deep shadows.”

And in our lives, how often have we found ourselves walking in darkness? There are any number of things that at times can and do blot out the light, plunging our hearts and our spirits into darkness – illness, fear, uncertainty, stress, grief. We continue to move through life during these times, but we still feel that darkness. It eclipses everything else and dulls our reaction. Isaiah’s words may have originally been spoken for the people of Israel, but they continue to resonate with us today. Surely, we know what it’s like to be people who walk in darkness.

For the church, Advent is a season of waiting … a season of expectation … a season of darkness as we anticipate the coming of the Light. Today, it’s easy for us to forget that part of Advent. Our to-do lists are so long. We have cookies to bake, presents to buy and wrap, trees and homes to decorate, carols to sing, loved ones to visit, favorite holiday movies to watch, Christmas cards/letters to write and send. We are surrounded by the glitz and sparkle of advertisements and lights. But sometimes this light only serves to make the darkness feel even thicker, even heavier, even darker.

And yet, in the face of this darkness, Isaiah speaks of another Light – “sunbursts of light,” even! The Hebrew word that Isaiah uses is the same word that gets used to describe daybreak, a Light so vivid and bright that it seems almost alive. In the face of our deepest darkness, this Light shines. And as John’s gospel tells us, this is a Light that cannot be extinguished.

What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out. ~ John 1:4-5.

And where do we find this Light? In his own beautiful way, Isaiah tells us. “For a child has been born – for us! The gift of a son – for us!”

There is light in the eyes of a baby. There is light in a baby’s smile, in a baby’s laugh, in the peaceful look on a sleeping baby’s face. But the Light that this child is about to bring goes beyond that light. The Light that is coming is one of salvation and grace and peace beyond measure. The Light that is coming will banish every darkness forever and wrap us in a love that we cannot even begin to imagine. This is the Light for which we wait during the Advent season. This is the Light which dawns anew for us each Christmas morning.

And so in the midst of this dark and cold season, in the midst of the twinkling lights and the red and green sprinkles, we pray …

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

So I realize it’s been a while since I posted any sermon’s. Oops. I’ve had a little bit of trouble adapting the formatting of my sermons to this blog, so when I got a week or so behind, it got a little overwhelming. We did a 3-week sermon series on stewardship in early fall – stewardship of money, stewardship of time, and stewardship of the heart. We followed that with a sermon 6-week series that looked at the 5 different types of ministry that Paul lays out in Ephesians: The gifts that [God] gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (4:11-2). If I get the chance, I will try to catch up and post those series later on. However, I have since decided that trying to catch up on posting a few months of sermons all at once might be a little crazy. 

So I realized as I was getting ready to post this sermon that I haven’t been posting the full Scriptures that we’ve been reading with these sermons. Silly pastor! To remedy that, here are the Scripture readings from this past Sunday:

Matthew 14:22-33 and Romans 10:5-15

• So I went to college at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire. – no one from LS had gone there in at least 3 years → meant I was …
  • In a brand new place
  • With brand new people
  • 3 hrs away from home … without a car
  • You see, I grew up in a small town, and all throughout school, I was incredibly shy. So I saw going to college as my chance to branch out … to blossom. I wanted to try something new, do something new, be something new. That’s why I deliberately went to a college where I wouldn’t know anybody.
  • Certainly made for a lot of 1^st steps
    • 1^st steps living with my new roommate
    • 1^st steps putting myself out there – Frisbee game
    • 1^st steps making friends
  • And for someone who was as shy as I was, each one of those first steps was uncomfortable … really, really uncomfortable.
    • Making the move to college is difficult/uncomfortable for a lot of people
    • But a harmless invitation to a simple game of Frisbee? Shouldn’t be uncomfortable.
    • An innocent invitation to dinner? Shouldn’t be that uncomfortable.
  • But for a shy kid from a small town where I’d basically always known everybody, these were very scary steps.
• Gospel story this morning = all about taking scary steps
  • Scary for disciples
    • 1^st time that Jesus sends them out on their own → Up to this point, Jesus has stepped away from them to pray on his own or to catch a few moments rest, but that’s not how this morning’s story started – text: Immediately [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.[1]
      • Jesus had been leading and teaching and guiding the disciples for a while now, and he’d always been there.
        • Answer questions
        • Explain parables
        • Perform healings other miracles
          • Just finished feeding 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish
        • But now, Jesus is sending the disciples ahead of him on their own for the very first time. → had to be an incredibly scary step for them
    • And as if the weight of such a task wasn’t difficult enough to deal with, the disciples find themselves in a boat rocked by a powerfully chaotic sea. – text: By this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.[2] → Believe it or not, this English translation actually sounds tame. I looked at the Greek for this passage, and it’s a mess!
      • “battered” = tormented → These are more than just a few waves slapping at the side of the boat.
      • “against” (wind was against them) = connotations of hostility → These are more than just simple gusts mildly propelling their boat along.
      • “far from land” = actually a little more specific than that → The Greek word is a specific measurement – a stadia. It’s a measurement of roughly 600 ft., so the boat was way, way out to sea, far past the peacefulness of the shallows. The water all around the disciples is cold … and dark … and very, very deep.
    • Last straw for the disciples = Jesus himself: But when the disciples saw [Jesus] walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.[3] → The disciples’ response – “It’s a ghost!” – could almost be laughable … almost. If their fear wasn’t so palpable.
      • Scholar points out something interesting: [The disciples’] situation is perilous … but it is the appearance of Jesus, not the storm, that terrifies them. … This may well be Jesus approaching them – but Jesus as they have never seen or known or understood him before.[4] → This obviously wasn’t the human teacher that they knew and expected – he was walking on water! – and so the disciples were afraid.
  • But the disciples aren’t the only ones for whom stepping out in faith becomes a bit of a harrowing tale. To me, Peter’s experience is the most frightening part of this story. Think about it. At least the disciples have one another as the wind and waves battered their boat. Peter was all alone as he stepped out onto the water. The disciples were merely going about their business – traveling from one place to another by the shortest route available to them … but Peter was quite literally putting himself out there, putting his faith on the line.
    • Text: Peter answered [Jesus], “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”[5]
    • 2 scary parts to this
      • Most obvious = sinking → Gr. – utters same type of cry that the disciples let out when they saw Jesus walking across the water
        • Strangled
        • Terror-induced
        • Kind of cry that makes your voice crack
      • Other frightening part is chance that Peter took
        • Started to walk toward Jesus, was doing just fine, but halfway through, he got distracted and overwhelmed by the tenacity of the wind and lost it, started sinking
      • At least on the surface, it seems like Peter has failed. → could interpret Jesus’ response to Peter this way – text: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”[6]
        • Historically been used as an admonishment by the church (explain “universal”)
          • In times when questions were considered heresy
          • In times when doubts were considered weakness/unbelief
        • But this is not the church we participate in today – at least, not at FCUCC and PCO! We interpret this verse a little differently.
          • Don’t hear a harsh Jesus here
          • Hear Jesus’ words the way a parent talks to his/her child – lovingly, trying to both comfort and teach in the same moment
          • Supported by Gr. – “doubt” = waiver, hesitate → Jesus is recognizing that for Peter, this is not a black-and-white moment of belief or unbelief. Peter’s belief in Jesus remains intact throughout this whole ordeal. Think about it: Would he have called out to Jesus if he had no faith? But in those moments of walking on water, he hesitates. He doubts his own strength … not Jesus. He doubts his own ability … not Jesus. He lets the wind and the waves and the absurdity of the moment get into his head, and he hesitates.
            • How often do we let our own doubts, fears, hesitations hinder our actions? Our commitments? Our walk of faith?
• In this story from Matthew’s gospel, we find both the comfort and the gently instructive reminder that even when we take that crazy, blind, scary step out in faith, we are not alone.
  • Jesus with the disciples – text: Early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. … [When they cried out in fear of him], immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”[7] → Jesus says, “Take heart … be courageous … cheer up. It’s just me. I’m here with you. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
  • And after taking a huge risk, Peter finds himself literally sinking! But like the disciples, Peter is not alone. – text: Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.[8]
    • Certainly a moment in which Peter must have felt alone
      • Left his friends back in the boat
      • Hadn’t made it all the way to Jesus
      • Hear the fear and panic he must have felt in his cry: Lord, save me!
    • And Jesus was right there. He didn’t wait for Peter to learn his lesson or to be an example for the disciples that were still hanging out and watching back on the boat. He didn’t wait to see if Peter’s faith would grow strong again all by itself or to see if Peter would swim to him to “prove his dedication.” Immediately, Jesus was there to reach out his arm and pull Peter to safety.
      • Scholar: Stepping out in faith is not a guarantee that we will not face troubled waters or be filled with fear, but it is always accompanied by the assurance that Jesus will not abandon us, that when we need it most, he will extend his arm to lift us up and get us back in the boat.[9]
• Friends, that is the good news of our faith! We believe that we are never alone – that no matter how badly we’re battered by the chaos around us or how much our doubts and our hesitations weigh us down, there is a Savior who loves us enough to come to us wherever we are and immediately reach out a hand to pull us up again. This is our good news! Let’s go shout it from the rooftops! I know I’m a little out of season, but, “Go, tell it on the mountain! Over the hills and everywhere!”
  • Paul’s encouragement in text from Romans
    • Makes it clear that we are needed: For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?[10] → pretty straightforward – can’t make a decision about belief or commitment to faith if you’ve never heard about your options in the first place
      • Have to speak up
      • Have speak out
      • Share that good news! Go tell it on the mountain … in line at the grocery store … with your friends and family … across the world: God loves you! You are not alone.
  • Now, I know the idea of talking about faith can be intimidating. Believe me … I know! What if you get asked a question you can’t answer? What if you say something the wrong way or don’t “get it right.” – encouragement from Paul again:If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.[11]
    • Gr. – “confess” = declare publicly, say plainly, praise → Yes, that means we should talk about our faith (declare publicly) – share our faith with other people – but it doesn’t have to be all fancy phrases and theological jargon. Say it plainly.
      • 80s song “The Living Years” by Mike and the Mechanics: Say it loud! Say it clear![12]
      • Scholar: The way for believers to explain God to those who have not heard is not through theological brilliance, scriptural proofs, or doctrine and dogma. Instead, it is living out the word that is within, and doing that in a way that makes sense in context …, framing our message so it can be understood – human to human, somebody to another body.[13] → not something you can really “get wrong”
      • Crucial step (scary or not) → Friends, there are people in this world – people in our own lives – who are hurting and afraid and unsure, people who are out of energy and out of hope, people who need to hear that good news that God is with them and that they are not alone.
• When I started college, I was nervous. I was scared. I was incredibly shy. Each and every step in those first few uncomfortable weeks of adjusting was a scary one. But I truly believed – and still do believe – that God led me to UWEC.
  • Meet people I needed to meet (Renee, Peter)
  • Become the person I needed to be (received call)
  • Maybe you’ve been raised with this sort of faith and have had that confidence all along. Maybe you’re just starting to discover how truly and mind-bogglingly present God can be in your life and what a difference that can make. Maybe you’re hearing this good news for the first time and want to know more. I’d be happy to talk to you after the service for as long as you need. Or maybe you’re hesitant. Wherever you’re at in your journey of faith, don’t be afraid to take that next step.

[1] Mt 14:22-23 (emphasis added).

[2] Mt 14:24.

[3] Mt 14:26.

[4] Iwan Russell-Jones. “Proper 14 (Sunday between August 7 and August 13 inclusive) – Matthew 14:22-33 – Theological Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – Year A, vol. 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 332.

[5] Mt 14:28-30.

[6] Mt 14:31.

[7] Mt 14:25, 27 (slightly altered).

[8] Mt 14:31a (emphasis added).

[9] Clifton Kirkpatrick. “Proper 14 (Sunday between August August 7 and August 13 inclusive) – Matthew 14:22-33 – Pastoral Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – Year A, vol. 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 334.

[10] Rom 10:13-15a.

[11] Rom 10:9.

[12] Mike Rutherford and B.A. Robertson. “The Living Years,” recorded by Mike and the Mechanics, released on the Living Years album, 1988.

[13] Martha C. Highsmith. “Proper 14 (Sunday between August 7 and August 13 inclusive) – Romans 10:5-15 – Pastoral Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – Year A, vol. 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 330.

• I’d like to tell you a story this morning – it’s a story about a man named Tim Harris.
  • Grew up in Albuquerque, NM, loving parents and 3 older brothers – family that always treated him like everyone else → But there was something special about Tim.
    • Tim’s own words in CNN “Human Factor” piece: A few hours after I was born, our doctor told my parents that I had Down’s syndrome. A lot of people told my parents that they were very, very sorry.[1]
      • Whether a newborn like Tim or, as science advances, even before the child is born, this is often the response that people encounter when they find out their child is going to have some sort of special need – physical, mental, or emotional
        • Story of Alexis Wineman (just through high school)[2]
          • Pervasive development disorder at age 11
          • “I realized that my autism isn’t what defines me. I define what is autism.”
        • Story of Emily’s birth
      • There are so many beautiful, wonderful, caring, smart people in this world who happen to see things or do things or understand things differently than the rest of us. – often told they can’t do things
        • By classmates
        • By adults
        • Even by doctors and other professional helping them
        • Told they aren’t strong enough, smart enough, able enough to do so many things
  • Fortunately, there are people in the world like Tim Harris … like Alexis Wineman … like my cousin, Emily – people who are strong enough, smart enough, and able enough to recognize their own wonderfulness despite what so many other people say.
    • Tim = college graduated and accomplished athlete, handful of gold medals from Special Olympics
    • Alexis = gained so much confidence for her various high school activities that she decided to enter Miss Montana pageant (2013)
    • Emily = smart, kind, outgoing, healthy 5^th grader who just happens to get around in the speediest purple wheelchair you’ve ever seen.
    • Recognize God-given beauty and importance in themselves
    • Definitely faced hard times – didn’t let those struggles define who they are, what they do, or how they live their lives → lesson echoed in Scripture today: This morning, we hear God reminding us that no matter what, we are enough for God, and God can be our “enough.”
• When we’re up and when we’re down, when we’re feeling complete and when we’re feeling depleted, when we’re dancing and when we’re dragging, God is with us. → certainly see down, depleted and dragging in both passages – see in Israelites, see in disciples
  • Israelites
    • At this point in their story, Israelites – just starting to wander in the wilderness with Moses → They haven’t even been away from Egypt for that long, but they’re already starting to feel the stress and strain of living a nomadic lifestyle.
      • Constantly on the move
      • Always looking for enough water, food, shelter for thousands of people (not an easy task) → today’s story: complaining about lack of food … Actually, I’d say they’re doing more than just a little simple complaining!
        • Text: The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”[3] → Drama, drama, drama. “We are hungry. We’re having trouble finding food. You brought us out here to kill us!” Oh, how quickly the Israelites seem to have forgotten the backbreaking work, cruel taskmasters, and slavery that they’ve so recently left behind. Depletion can do that to us – make us forget the good and focus on the bad.
  • And I must say, the disciples in our Gospel passage aren’t much more optimistic than the Israelites. – text: When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the village and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”[4] → We have nothing here … except these five loaves and two fish. We have
    • Scholar – interesting point: [The disciples] clearly thought that what they had was not enough. … While it is true that what they had was meager, they described it as nothing.[5] → The disciples and the Israelites from our Old Testament story have fallen into the same negative cycle: don’t have enough, don’t know enough, can’t do enough … defeat.
      • Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
  • Now, it’s true that neither the Israelites nor the disciples came by this attitude lightly. – faced serious struggles
    • As mentioned, Israelites wandering around in the wilderness – no indication of where they’re going or how long it’s going to take them to get there à Honestly, I think that the ambiguity that the Israelites were dealing with would be enough to send most people into negative overdrive.
    • Disciples – double whammy
      • Immediate struggle: faced by this hungry crowd of 5000+ people – text: Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.[6]
      • More weighty matters on their minds: recently found out that John the Baptist had been beheaded by King Herod at his daughter’s whim → spirits must have been hurting
        • John was a mentor and friend
        • That’s how our passage starts out this morning: Now when Jesus had heard this (had heard about the senseless and violent death of his friend, John the Baptist), he withdrew … in a boat to a deserted place by himself.[7]
• And yet, even in the face of turmoil, we see God working.
  • Israelites – see God working with literally nothing at all: When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”[8] → I think we can safely say that this manna from heaven isn’t the food that the Israelites expected. Honestly, who would expect bread to miraculously collect on the ground overnight with the dew? But with this fine, flaky substance, God reminded the Israelites that with God, there is never not enough.
    • Never not enough faith
    • Never not enough hope
    • 2 things probably in short supply with the Israelites at the time, but God was happy to provide
  • With the disciples – God working through the perception of nothing
    • Scripture: Jesus said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.[9] → All the disciples could see in their situation were the shortcomings – the places where they were lacking. The crowd was too big. They didn’t have money to buy food. And all they had with them were a few loaves and a couple dried fish – barely enough food to split between the 13 of them. Basically, they had nothing. But God looked past that “nothing” and saw an opportunity for overflowing grace and fellowship.
      • Scholar: Even when the needs of the group might seem too great … Christ invites us to stay with one another and discover another way to collaborate. In remaining together, we may find possibilities none of us could create alone, and surely we will find comfort and companionship in sharing the experience.[10]
        • “Possibilities none of us could create alone” – sounds like the stories of Tim and Alexis
          • Tim – after years of working in various other restaurants, became the 1^st person in U.S. with Down’s syndrome to own his own restaurant: Tim’s Place
            • Cuisine: American food (burgers, etc.)
            • Specialty: hugs (more than 40,000 hugs according to “hug counter” on the wall)
          • Alexis – not only had confidence to enter Miss Montana pageant but also won, had the confidence to compete in Miss America pageant, made it to top 15 finalists, and was voted Miss Congeniality by her peers
          • Beautiful people overflowing with possibility
          • Smart people with the inner knowledge that they were more than capable to achieve their dreams
          • People who were able to work with others to make those dreams come true
• But did you catch that? Tim and Alexis both worked to make their dreams come true. Tim’s restaurant didn’t just fall into his lap. Alexis didn’t just wake up one morning and crown herself Miss Montana. They worked for what they had.
  • See this work in Scriptures this morning, too
    • Israelites had to go collect manna – commanded to: “[11]Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person” … The Israelites … gathered as much as each of them needed.
    • Gospel story – Jesus blessed and broke the bread but the disciples gave it to the people.
      • Scholar: Jesus did not feed five thousand. He told the disciples to do it. God has entrusted us to be the body of Christ – the hands and feet through which God’s work is done in the world. God does not work alone, but through people, you and me. To follow Jesus is to express our faith in concrete acts of love, justice, and compassion toward others.[12] → do this by …
        • Offering ourselves up to God in prayer – asking God to use us and being open to whatever opportunities may come across our paths
        • Sharing that message of hope and fulfillment with people around us
          • Ask if you can pray for them
          • Talk to them about strength, encouragement, family, and hope – whatever support you find in your faith
        • Participate in communion with each other – share that life-giving, soul-renewing, salvation-reminding bread and [wine/juice] with each other and let ourselves be filled up by God’s amazing enough-ness
          • Enough to heal our wounds
          • Enough to enliven our spirits
          • Enough to shoulder our burdens
• Tim has his restaurant. Alexis has her crown. Both of them have their confidence. Their stories – at least these portions of their stories – are happy ones. I don’t know yet where Emily’s story is going to take her. I don’t know where my story is going to take me or where yours is going to take you, but as we journey through this life together, we can step out confidently knowing that with God, we are never not enough. Amen.

[1] Tim Harris. “Breakfast, lunch and hugs at Tim’s Place,” interview for The Human Factor on CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/10/health/human-factor-harris/. Posted July 10, 2013, accessed July 31, 2014.

[2] Alexis Wineman. “Miss Montana: Autism doesn’t define me,” interview for The Human Factor on CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/health/wineman-autism/index.html?iid=article_sidebar. Posted Jan. 17, 2013, accessed July 31, 2014.

[3] Ex 16:2-3.

[4] Mt 14:15-17.

[5] Dock Hollingsworth. “Proper 13 (Sunday between July 31 and August 6 inclusive) – Matthew 14:13-21 – Homiletical Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – Year A, vol. 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 311, 313.

[6] Mt 14:21 (emphasis added).

[7] Mt 14:13 (with personal addition in parentheses).

[8] Ex 16:14-15.

[9] Mt 14:18-20.

[10] Liz Barrington Forney. “Matthew 14:13-21 – Homiletical Perspective” in Feasting on the Gospels: Matthew – vol. 2, chapters 14-28. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), 11.

[11] Ex 16:16, 17, 18 (parts from each verse).

[12] Clifton Kirkpatrick. “Proper 13 (Sunday between July 31 and August 6 inclusive) – Matthew 14:13-42 – Pastoral Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – Year A, vol. 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 310.