Scripture – James 5:7-11

⁷ Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. ⁹ Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Advent Reading – “The Coming of God” by Ann Weems[1]

Our God is the One who comes to us

      in a burning bush,

         in an angel’s song,

            in a newborn child.

Our God is the One who cannot be found

      locked in the church,

      not even in the sanctuary.

Our God will be where God will be

      with no constraints,

      no predictability.

Our God lives where our God lives,

      and destruction has no power

         and even death cannot stop

            the living.

Our God will be born where God will be born,

   but there is no place to look for the One who comes to us.

When God is ready

      God will come

         even to a godforsaken place

            like a stable in Bethlehem.

Watch …

      for you know not when

         God comes.

Watch, that you might be found

      whenever

         wherever

            God comes.

Lighting the Candle

Prayer: God of many faces, we pray that you will open our eyes during this Advent season. Open our eyes to the many ways you appear in our days – in the faces of those we love, in the faces of those we find it hard to love, in the faces of the strangers in line at the grocery store and the person on the corner holding a cardboard sign that asks for help. Open our hearts to the ways that you stir us to move with you – in the sound of a ringing bell, in the words of the carol that we’ve heard a hundred times before, in the silent spaces. Keep our hearts, our minds, and our souls watchful, God, for the whenever and wherever moments. Amen.

Scripture – Isaiah 12:2-6

² Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. ³ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.⁴ And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. ⁵ Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. ⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Advent Reading – “This Year Will Be Different” by Ann Weems[1]

Who among us does not have dreams

      that this year will be different?

Who among us does not intend to go

      peacefully, leisurely, carefully toward Bethlehem,

   for who among us likes to cope with the

      commercialism of Christmas

   which lures us to tinsel not only the tree

      but also our hearts?

Who among us intends to get caught up in tearing around

      and wearing down?

Who among us does not long for:

   gifts that give love?

   shopping in serenity?

   cards and presents sent off early?

   long evenings by the fireside with those we love?

   (the trimming devoid of any arguing about

      who’s going to hang what where,

   the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg mingling

      with the pine scent of the tree,

   and carols gently playing over our idyllic scene)

   and the children! the children cheerfully talking about

      giving instead of getting?

Who among us does not yearn for

   time for our hearts to ponder the Word of God?

   moments of kneeling and bursts of song?

   the peace of quite calm for our spirit’s journey?

This year we intend to follow the Star

      instead of the crowd.

But, of course, we always do

      intend the best.

(And sometimes best intentions tend to get the best of us!)

This year, when we find ourselves off the path again

      (and we invariably will!),

   let’s not add yet another stress to our Advent days,

      that of “trying to do Christmas correctly”!

Instead, let’s approach the birth of our Lord

      with joyful abandon!

And this year

   let’s do what Mary did and rejoice in God,

   let’s do what Joseph did and listen to our dreams,

   let’s do what the Wise Men did and go to worship,

   let’s do what the shepherds did and praise

         and glorify God

      for all we’ve seen and heard!

As for the Advent frantic pace, we don’t have time for that.

We’ll be too busy singing!

This year will be different!

Lighting the Candle

Prayer: God of joy, help us to lose this year. Help us to lose our obsession with getting things perfect – setting the perfect table, finding the perfect gifts, decorating the perfect house and the perfect tree. Help us lose our preoccupations with shopping lists and over-packed schedules. Help us lose all of those distractions that pull our attention away from the approaching stable. God, help us get lost this year. Help us get lost in the overwhelming love of a mother for her extra-special child. Help us get lost in the faith of three sages who traveled so far on just a star and a prayer. Help us get lost in the wild abandon of angels singing joyful praise to a tiny baby. This is the year, God … this is the year. Amen.

I realize it’s a little late, but I decided to post the Advent readings that we’ve been using in our worship services. Thank God for the beautiful, stirring, challenging poetry of Ann Weems!

Scripture – Romans 13:11-14

¹¹ Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; ¹² the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; ¹³ let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Advent Reading – “The World Still Knows” by Ann Weems[1]

The night is still dark

    and a procession of Herod still terrorizes the earth,

        killing the children to stay in power.

The world still knows its Herods,

    but it also still knows men and women

        who pack their dreams safely in their hearts

    and set off toward Bethlehem,

        faithful against all odds,

            undeterred by fatigue or rejection,

                                                               to kneel to a child.

And the world still knows those persons

    wise enough

        to follow a star,

    those who do not consider themselves too intelligent

        too powerful

            too wealthy

                                                                to kneel to a child.

And the world still knows those hearts so humble

    that they’re ready

        to hear the word of a song

            and to leave what they have, to go

                                                                to kneel to a child.

The night is still dark,

    but by the light of the star,

        even today

            we can still see

                                                                to kneel to a child.

Lighting the Candle

Prayer: God of light and life, as we enter into this Advent season, wake us up. The birth of salvation is on the horizon – the coming of the One and Only who can bring light into the darkness. Brighten our days and our nights alike with the light that will lead us to that Child. Help us to pause so that we can remember your peace again. Help us to be still so that we can experience your grace anew. In our hearts, we know that all the rushing around isn’t what’s important, but when we forget, teach us once again to kneel to a child … to The Child. In the name of The Child – that Jesus-Child – we pray. Amen.

• Waiting is something with which we are all too familiar.
  • “Little waiting”
    • Waiting in line (grocery store, bank, library, etc.)
    • Waiting for the traffic light to change
    • Waiting for the commercials to be over (TV, radio, online)
  • “Big waiting”
    • Waiting for the birth of a child (or two!)
    • Waiting to head out on your big vacation
    • Waiting for retirement
  • And whether it’s “big waiting” or “little waiting,” it can be really hard to wait. But there are some things can make waiting a little more bearable
    • Story: waiting for Christmas as a little kid – “countdown to Christmas” calendar –> Now, in that instance, the waiting was made easier by the distraction of the chocolates in those little pockets and by the fact that we were counting down to something. There was a definite end to the waiting, and we knew when that would be: December 25, Christmas morning!
  • And here we are this morning in the season of Advent – the season of waiting.
    • Often looked at like our mouse calendar – Advent = countdown to Christmas
      • Count down as we light one Advent candle after another
    • Distractions of all our holiday activities make it easier to wait
      • Christmas cookies? Check.
      • House/tree decorated? Check.
      • Gifts bought and wrapped? Check.
    • But there is a deeper, more profound side to the waiting that we do during Advent, too. We have to remember that we’re waiting for more than just December 25. We’re waiting for the birth of the Messiah – “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”[1] There is a deep-rootedness to this waiting. It is a waiting that has been handed down through the ages, waiting for a hope that was spoken of time and again in the promises of the Old Testament in the words of prophets and storytellers alike. It is this ancient anticipation that Zechariah sings about in our passage for this morning, and it is this same ancient anticipation that we ourselves will sing about in our hymn following the sermon – “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Because in the face of all this waiting, God sent a tiny, baby-Savior, Jesus the Christ, to fulfill all those particular promises with his own grace upon grace.
• First promise Zechariah mentions: promise to send the people a deliverer
  • Text: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.[2]
    • Speaks of promise that we see in Ps 18 – describes God as our fortress, our rock, and our deliverer[3]
    • Also see this in Gr of today’s passage – Zechariah describes the role his son will play: you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins –> Gr. “forgiveness” = cancelling, sending away
      • This is more than God just pretending our sins no longer exist. This is God wiping those sins away permanently, removing them entirely, delivering us through the grace of Jesus Christ.
      • Think of the last time you did something you regretted – something you wished you could take back – and had to wait for someone to forgive you –> It wasn’t an easy wait, was it? It wasn’t a comfortable or a pleasant wait. When we’re waiting for forgiveness, we wait in both hope and fear. We wait in love and in uneasiness. We wait in the knowledge of what we’ve done and the yearning for compassion. And all of this is wrapped up in our Advent waiting as we wait for the coming of that Savior-baby, the One in whom we find ultimate forgiveness.
        • This is why we sing: O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Child of God appear. … O come, O shoot of Jesse, free your own from Satan’s tyranny, from depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o’er the grave.[4] –> We wait for the Child of God to free us from the loneliness and isolation that are a product of sin. We wait for that forgiveness that can free us, that forgiveness that can only come from our Emmaunel – from God-with-Us.
• Zechariah’s second promise: king/son of God raised up from David’s lineage
  • Text: He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David.[5]
    • Speaks to promise given to King David by prophet Nathan: When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you … and I will establish his kingdom. … I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.[6] –> I hear power in this promise. I hear the kind of power that can overcome any obstacle. I hear the kind of power that can inspire the songs of angels. I hear the kind of power that can draw together the most unlikely band of travelers – shepherds, magi from the east, and a yet-unwed pair of misfits from Nazareth – in a most unlikely place – a grubby, run-down old stable in the small, insignificant down of Bethlehem.
      • Takes this kind of power to bring people together
      • Takes this kind of power to undertake the ministry Jesus did
        • Constantly spending time with those on the margins
        • Consistently butting heads with those in power
        • Takes this kind of power to bring about our salvation
        • Sing of this power in our hymn: O Come, O Key of David, come, and open wide your heavenly home; make safe the path to endless day, to hell’s destruction close the way.[7] –> Only the Son of God, that key raised up from the line of David, could have the power to defy death itself. It is for this power that we wait. And it is this power that we find in the tenderness and vulnerability of a newborn baby.
• Another promise mentioned by Zechariah: the savior will be God’s message of love for God’s people –> more subtle message
  • Throughout the Old Testament, there are a number of different references to the “horn of salvation.” –> one such reference = Ezekiel: I will cause a horn to sprout up for the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.[8]
    • It is through this instrument – this Emmanuel, God-with-Us instrument – that God sings that message of essential love both to us and for us.
  • So in our passage for this morning, we have to read between the lines a little bit. You see, Zechariah speaks of God “looking favorably on his people” and says that “by the tender mercy of God, the dawn from on high will break upon us.”[9] In the Greek, we find this message of love.
    • Gr. “looked favorably on” = “God cared for God’s people” – exact same wording that Mary uses in her song when she says God “looked favorably” on her –> This is that hands-on God showing the people how much they are cared for, how much they are loved, how much the mean to God.
    • Zechariah’s “tender mercy” – Gr. “tender” = literally word for “heart/love/affection” –> show how deep God’s love truly goes
      • This is more than just a superficial affection that Zechariah is describing. This is a love that goes straight to the heart of God. It’s a love that God has for us, and it’s a love that God expresses to us by sending God’s only Son to a people who have been waiting for a long, long time.
        • Sing of this love in our hymn: O come, Desire of Nations, bind all people in one heart and mind; make envy, strife, and quarrels cease; fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.[10] –> This is the strongest kind of love, the most powerful kind of love – a love that can break down walls between people and mend even the most shattered hearts.
          • Saving love
          • Love born of forgiveness and grace
          • Love that we will find in the face of a newborn baby as he peers out from among the swaddling clothes that keep him warm
• Final promise Zechariah mentions: great light for the people
  • Familiar OT passage (read on Christmas Eve): The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.[11]
  • To this end, Zechariah sings of how the tender mercy of God will break upon us “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace.”[12]
    • What this afternoon’s Blue Christmas service gets at –> Sometimes, we find ourselves in dark places in our lives.
      • Darkness from things that have happened to us – loss of loved ones, health crises, financial struggles
      • Darkness from things we’ve done to ourselves – broken relationships, our own shortcomings and mistakes
      • And in the midst of this darkness, all we’re waiting for is a light – a glimpse of the dawn, a glimmer of hope, something to show us that things are going to get better.
        • Find this light in God – psalmist: If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.[13]
        • Given this light in Jesus Christ – John: In the beginning was the Word … in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.[14]
        • The Light of Christ – this light for which we have waited, this light which we celebrate every time we light another candle on our Advent wreath – this is a light that is brighter than anything we’ve ever known before.
          • Banish the shadows cast on us by sin
          • Banish the shadows cast on us by the judgments of others
          • Banish even that darkest shadow cast on us by death itself
            • Hymn: O come, O Day-spring, come and cheer our spirits by your advent here; love stir within the womb of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.[15]
• This time leading up to Christmas tends to be a time of activity and visiting and planning and doing. And we’re already more than halfway through it! The hustle and bustle of the season is in full swing, but in the midst of all of that, Zechariah’s song reminds us that we are also in a season of waiting. We are waiting for a deliverer. We are waiting for the light. We are waiting for one with enough power and yet enough love to banish the darkness from our lives and our hearts forevermore. We are waiting with the echoes of God’s most ancient promises still ringing in our ears. Like Zechariah, we are waiting with those promises tugging on our hearts and springing from our lips in song. We are waiting for that precious, vulnerable, almighty God-with-Us child –the Holy One, Emmanuel, who can take all those ancient promises and gather them up into one amazing, saving bundle of grace. We are waiting for Jesus. Amen.

• There’s a great children’s book that came out in 1982 called The Do-Something Day.[1] –> basic storyline
  • Main character = little boy named Bernie
  • Bernie wants to help his mother and his father and his older brother – they’re too busy for him
    • Tries each one individually but gets the same response: Not now, Bernie … I’m busy!
  • Feeling pretty down – Bernie decides to run away!
  • As he walks down the street, he encounters a lot of different people – the baker, the car mechanic, the shoe repairman, and so on. And each of these people do need Bernie’s help with something. It doesn’t take long for Bernie to learn how needed he truly is.
  • And you know, I often wonder if Mary felt like Bernie at the beginning. Our text for today is Mary’s song – the declaration of devotion and praise she makes while she’s with Elizabeth – but these 10 verses are not all we have of Mary’s story.
    • Meet Mary back in Lk 1:26 when the gospel writer tells of her visit from angel Gabriel
      • First see signs of hesitation from Mary
        • Text: The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.[2]
        • Gabriel tells Mary she doesn’t need to be afraid and explains the amazing role for which she has been chosen
        • Mary’s initial response = doubt: How can this be?!
        • Gabriel: Nothing is impossible with God.[3]
        • Mary’s final response: “I am the Lord’s servant. … May it be as you have said.”[4] –> That doesn’t sound overly enthusiastic, does it?
          • Struggle to embrace this role
            • Striking mission
            • Inspiring mission
            • Overwhelming mission
    • But this is why the Son of God was born in the first place – to redeem our doubts, our indecisions, our fears and our sin. It wasn’t until God came to be born into humanity as a tiny baby that we were truly able to actually live into that relationship as children of the Most High God.
      • Scholar makes link with today’s passage: The song of Mary turns to the effects of the Lord’s coming for all God’s people. … These words echo the promises to Israel throughout the generations and declare their fulfillment.[5] –> That fulfillment that the scholar speaks of is Jesus Christ himself.
        • Came to save us from our sin
        • Came to redeem our relationship
        • Remember, we have been chosen as God’s own beloved children.
          • Leviticus: And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.[6]
          • Isaiah: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, and you are mine.[7]
          • Paul in Rom: You have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.[8]
          • Even see this in Mary’s words in today’s passage:
            • [God] has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant – Gr. “looked with favor” = considered, cared about –> more hands-on than just “looked on”
              • This sounds like the kind of looking on that parents do when their child is learning something new. They watch. They hover. They let their child do whatever he or she can, but they’re always waiting there in the wings, ready to jump in and lend a hand if necessary.
          • Scholar: [Mary’s] Magnificat stops the action of the Gospel in order to celebrate the greatness and covenant faithfulness of God. … God’s demonstration of power is not merely a show of force, but is intended to remind Israel that they belong to God and can count on their God to help them. God’s power and greatness display God’s goodness.[9]
• And through this lens – this lens of God’s power being displayed in God’s goodness, by seeing the present through a filter of redemption and grace – it is through this lens that we begin to understand and appreciate Mary’s words all the more this morning. Yes, Mary’s initial reaction at Gabriel’s announcement may have been one of disquiet and concern. But Mary chose to seek out a different understanding. In terms of Bernie’s story, as he walked through his do-something day, it became more and more clear to him just how important he truly was. And as Mary walked through her own days contemplating the words of the angel that had visited her, we can only imagine that it became more and more clear to her what a gift God was giving her.
  • Only a few short verses after Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary, we find our verses for today – words of praise and adoration and thanksgiving coming from Mary’s own lips.
    • Praise for God’s action in Mary’s life: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior … Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed.[10]
    • Praise for God’s action in community’s life: [God’s] mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. … He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;[11]
    • In voicing these words, Mary has gone full circle. At this point, not only has Mary been chosen by God for something wonderful, she’s also chosen that wonderfulness for herself. She’s decided to participate with God.
• So what brought about such a switch? What inspired today’s declaration of praise? One simple word: faith.
  • Remember the final words of Elizabeth’s song last week?: And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.[12] –> Blessed is she who believed … blessed is she who had confidence … Blessed is she who had enough faith to trust in this crazy plan of God’s! Blessed is she who had enough faith to offer up her whole self – her life, her future, even her body itself – for God’s work of redemption!
  • One especially important element of Mary’s faith that brings everything together = humility
    • See in text: For [God] has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. … [God] has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.[13]
      • First part = Mary’s own humility (calling herself lowly)
      • Second part speaks to general humility desired by God
        • Gr. “empty” = without any basis or power, without effect –> This “sending the rich away empty” applies to more than just how much is in someone’s wallet. God is reminding those who think they have it all figured out – those who view themselves as rich in power or rich in influence – that they are, in fact, not God. Only when they come to this realization can they offer themselves up to God as Mary did.
• Once this humble realization has been reached à God can work wonderful things through us
  • Who knows … you may even already have that task. – not always recognizable right away 
    • Do-Something Day – Bernie is given gifts as he helps others with their tasks, doesn’t know at first how important these gifts will be later on
    • In today’s text, we see that Mary had at least some sort of grasp on the significance of the role she was about to play. – text: Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.[14] But at the same time, I wonder if Mary had any idea what she would become to so many people throughout history.
      • E.g.s from today’s hymn[15]:
        • Woman of the promise
        • Vessel of people’s dreams
        • Morning star of justice
        • Model of compassion
        • And there are so many others she’s collected through the years.[16]
          • Mother of mercy
          • Queen of Heaven
          • God-Bearer
          • Seat of Wisdom
        • I can only imagine what she would think of all that – she who called herself simply one of God’s lowly servants.
    • Do-Something Day: As it turns out, all of the things that were given to Bernie in return for his help around the neighborhood were things that his family needed back at home. So even though he didn’t know it throughout the day, Bernie was helping the people he loved most.
  • And we are not so different. God has already chosen each and every one of us as God’s own blessed and cherished children. But it doesn’t end there. Like Mary, like Bernie, we are also each chosen not just to be but to be wonderful.
    • Could be church-related: filling goody bags, caroling, unlocking the church and warming it up on Sun. morning
    • Could be hobby-related: knitting scarves to donate to schools and other organizations around the state and around the world, [playing trumpet for the enjoyment of others], building something for someone else
    • Could be community-related: working at or restocking Food shelf, birthday parties at the nursing home, delivering Meals on Wheels
    • Could be work-related: bringing a smile of joy or understanding to the face of a child in your classroom, easing someone’s stress by helping them navigate their taxes, easing someone’s pain with the gentleness of a nurse’s touch
    • Could be personal: being that shoulder to cry on or that ear to listen for a friend, offering support to a family member in need
    • Might not even be something you recognize but it’s there 
• You see, when we open ourselves up like Mary to being used by God for good in this world, it’s going to happen. We’re going to brighten someone’s day. We’re going to touch someone’s life. We’re going to create that opportunity for joy and praise because God has chosen us to be wonderful. Amen.

As we journey through the Advent season together this year, we’ll be taking a look at the songs that lead up to Jesus’ birth in the Scriptures: Elizabeth’s song, Mary’s song, Zechariah’s song, the Servant Song, and the angels’ song. Each Scripture reading is paired with a hymn from our the New Century Hymnal.

This week, we start with Elizabeth’s song in Luke 1:39-45 and the hymn “O How Shall I Receive You?” (#102).

It was a pleasant surprise if ever there was one. Certainly, Elizabeth had been expecting Mary’s arrival. She had also known that Mary was pregnant. That was the whole point of the visit – for the two cousins to spend some time together in the midst of their pregnancies. After all, neither one of them was exactly what society would call a “normal pregnancy.” Mary wasn’t married yet. As her belly swelled and she began to show, disapproving glances and whispered remarks followed her everywhere she went.

“Poor Joseph … I heard the baby isn’t his.”

“Poor Joseph … we thought she was such a nice girl.”

“Poor Joseph … and he’s still marrying her?”

Whispered though they might have been, Mary still heard them. And if she was being honest, the words stung. But Mary had a secret … an absurd, mystifying, wonderful secret.

And Elizabeth … well, Elizabeth certainly wasn’t getting any younger. She had long since given up on having children by now. As her belly swelled and Elizabeth began to show, baffled glances and whispered remarks that followed her through the streets, too.

“How is it possible?”

“But Elizabeth and Zechariah are so old.”

“It’s a blessing … but too bad it didn’t happen sooner.”

Like Mary, Elizabeth heard them. She may not have been young anymore, but her ears still worked just fine. But also like Mary, Elizabeth had an absurd, mystifying, wonderful secret.

And so Elizabeth was thrilled when her cousin, Mary, sent word that she was coming to visit. She was a little bit worried about Mary trekking all the way out to the hill country while she was pregnant. After all, these hills were large and steep, and sometimes, it could be tough going, especially in the rainy season. But in her correspondence, Mary had been insistent. She had to come see Elizabeth and speak with her.

So when she knocked on the door that day, Elizabeth was expecting it. But she wasn’t expecting what happened when she went to answer the door.

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”[1]   

I can’t help but wonder what that must have been like for Elizabeth. She opens the door, and there stands Mary, and as soon as Mary says “hello,” the miracle baby that Elizabeth is carrying jumps for joy inside her, and she’s filled with the Holy Spirit.

• What did it feel like? (Physically? Emotionally?)
• What did she think? Did she even have time to think?
• Did the expression on her face reveal to Mary everything that was going on inside her body and her heart?

And really, what a truly absurd place for God to show up! Luke tells us that Zechariah and Elizabeth lived in the hill country in Judea. To this day, this is rough, rocky country. The hills are steep. The majority of the vegetation is small, scrubby-looking, and tough. It doesn’t exactly scream ‘hospitable.’ And during Elizabeth and Mary’s time, the whole area bordered the Wilderness of Judah, a desert that, because of its lack of water and decent travel routes has been mostly uninhabited throughout history … even up through today. And yet it’s in this remote part of the country that God decided to make such a grand, absurd, and astonishing appearance.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”[2] She just couldn’t hold it in! In that moment, there were so many wonderful things revealed to her. Elizabeth knew in her heart that the baby Mary carried was beyond special. That baby was blessed. That baby was holy. Somehow … in some incredible way … that baby was God. And Elizabeth also knew that Mary had had some sort of amazing experience not unlike her husband, Zechariah’s. There was a glow about Mary and something in her eyes – a tenderness and a spark that only came from an encounter with one of God’s highest messengers. In the face of such sacredness, Elizabeth couldn’t help but cry out in wonder and joy and amazement.

Another absurd place for God to show up – in two women who were at the same time ordinary and extraordinary. You see, while Luke doesn’t tell us exactly how old Elizabeth is, he does tell us earlier in chapter one that she was “barren, and … well along in years.”[3] She wasn’t the daughter of kings or priests or even an official. As far as we know, she wasn’t descended from some historically powerful or blessed ancient lineage. And yet God showed up in Elizabeth’s life. God gave her a child and not just any child. The boy Elizabeth carried would be John the Baptist – the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah. The angel Gabriel appeared to her husband, Zechariah, in the temple and told him all about this miraculous son that he and Elizabeth would have and the pivotal role he would play: “And he will go before the Lord … to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”[4]

And then we have Mary. She’s poor. She’s young. So young, in fact, that she’s not even married to Joseph yet. Like Elizabeth, she is ordinary – not the daughter of kings, priests, or officials, not the progeny of some sacred line. And yet, she has been visited by the angel Gabriel, and told that the child she is going to bear will be the Son of God. The Son of God! “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”[5]

One scholar points out that “Elizabeth becomes the first human witness to the good news the angel brought Mary in the annunciation. Both women are pregnant with significance, for between them they bear the messenger and the message. … The meeting between these two women is about the confirmation of hope, the fulfillment of a promise.”[6] Doesn’t get much more bafflingly extraordinary than that.

And so Elizabeth quickly ushered Mary inside. They had barely gotten through the door when Mary began to speak. She told Elizabeth that she had been visited by the angel Gabriel and about his proclamation about her pregnancy. In fact, it was even Gabriel who had told Mary of Elizabeth’s own pregnancy. At first, as she spoke of the angel’s visit, Mary was a little hesitant. Elizabeth could tell she believed what she was saying with all her heart, but she could also tell Mary didn’t want Elizabeth to think she was a fool.

But when Elizabeth told Mary about Zechariah’s own visit from the very same angel and about all that Gabriel had foretold for their own son – that he would be named John, that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit, that he would be like Elijah, and that he would ultimately prepare the way for the Lord … When Elizabeth told Mary all of this, she could see first relief, then wonder, then a deep peace spread across the young woman’s face. Not only did Elizabeth believe Mary’s story, but her own husband had been visited by Gabriel as well! What a joy! What a blessing! What a profound experience to share with another.

Scholar: “The joy of Mary and Elizabeth is the joy of all who look forward with wonder and thankfulness to the birth of a child. The joining of this wonder with God’s saving work invites us to consider how the experience of expectancy teaches us the ways of God’s gracious work in human experience.”[7]

Both Mary and Elizabeth were expecting miracles – the miracle of a tiny baby, and the miracle of the greatness of God bursting into their lives. And unbelievable though their circumstances may have been, these two women took an incredible leap of faith, placing their trust in God’s gracious hands. Somehow, we have lost the inclination to believe like this. We have come to expect anything but a miracle today. In fact, we swing pretty far in the opposite direction. Anything that is perceived as a miracle is analyzed – scientifically, psychologically, socially, and from every other imaginable angle – until we analyze any ounce of the miraculous right out of it. We explain away those baffling encounters that we have with God because we’re unsure of what it might mean if we call it a God-moment, if we declare it our own miracle.

And so instead of singing a song of uncontainable praise like Elizabeth’s – a song of faith, a song of wonder, a song that gives voice to God’s bafflingly heartfelt nature – we find ourselves wondering how it is that we should look toward the birth of our Savior. Our song begins with questions: O how shall I receive you? How meet you on your way?[8] Surely these could be questions Elizabeth asked herself. They could be questions Mary asked herself. They’re certainly questions we ask ourselves. How are we to receive God – to welcome and make a place for God in our hearts and minds and lives? Where does God fit into it all? Instead of focusing on the questions, we should take our cue from Elizabeth and Mary, raising our voices in a hymn of praise. That’s what today’s hymn does. It speaks of Jesus’ guidance. It speaks of God’s saving love. And it speaks of dedication and faith.

This year, we take the first steps of our Advent journey knowing that there are questions in our hearts but also trusting in the existence of baffling encounters because it is in the midst of the wondrous, the mystical, the inexplicable – in the midst of a meeting between two miraculously pregnant women in the hill country of Judea, in the midst of the small miracles that get us through the day … it is in these baffling encounters that we catch a glimpse of the Christ-child, that tiny and vulnerable Savior of us all. Amen.

• Back in May, about 6 months after starting a new ministry here with First Congregational UCC and the Presbyterian Church in Oronoco, my husband, Peter, and I welcomed twin boys into our family … and we’ve never had a dull moment since.
  • Must admit … haven’t had a lot of sleep, either!
  • One of my favorite times with our boys = bath time
    • Love to splash in the water
    • Always so snuggly and good-smelling afterward
    • And I can tell that Luke and Ian enjoy bath time, too, because of the smiles that I get while they’re playing and splashing around in the water.
      • Happy
      • Trusting
      • Always an element of amazement
• But no matter how much fun they have while they’re taking the baths, neither of the boys actually likes being put into the bath tub.
  • Always seem startled when I lower them into the tub
  • Doesn’t matter how slowly I lower them
  • Doesn’t matter how mild the water temperature is
  • Always have that moment of shock when being laid back in water –> What’s going on here? What’s behind me? Is there anything to catch me? What’s going to happen?
    • You know, sometimes we have moments like that in our journeys of faith. We feel an unexpected drop, and we experience that sense of anxiety.
      • What’s going on here? Where are you God? Are you going to catch me? What’s going to happen?
      • See these questions in both Scripture readings tonight
        • OT text: I will trust, and will not be afraid.[1] –> Isaiah may declare how he will stand against fear … but in doing so, he simultaneously recognizes the presence and reality of that fear in the first place.
          • Heb reveals what a gut-reaction this is – “be afraid” = tremble, be in dread –> Isaiah is talking about more than just a superficial fear. This is a deep-seated fear – the kind of fear that causes a physical reaction, sort of like the reaction that Luke and Ian have when I lower them into the bath water. It’s the kind of jolt that effects your whole being – your body, your mind, and your spirit.
          • Recognize this great concern in Peter, too
            • First, Peter is nervous about Christ’s action – sees what Jesus is doing and declares: “You will never wash my feet.”[2] –> Peter just couldn’t handle the idea that this extraordinary man before him was about to do something as lowly as wash the feet of his followers.
            • Jesus’ response = firm: Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.[3] –> admonition elicits another fear-response from Peter
              • See Peter’s pendulum swing in opposite direction: Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”[4] –> Peter is so afraid that he’s going to be left behind – that God is going to let him fall through the cracks – that he does a quick philosophical 180. Instead of protesting the Son of God washing his feet, he asks Jesus to wash all of him … just to be sure it “sticks.”
• And when it comes to their baths, our boys are like this, too. First, they have that unpleasant jolt when I put them in the water. Then, after they get used to the water, they do their own total 180. They decide that they’re enjoying the bath so much that, when it’s time to get out of the tub, they get anxious again.
  • Their response: I’ve just gotten comfortable here. Things are good. I feel like I know what I’m doing, like I know what’s going on. Why are things changing? –> not so different from our own reactions sometimes – stems from …
    • Fear of something different
    • Fear of something new and unknown
    • Fear of change
  • Also sounds like Peter’s reaction in gospel story –> Jesus’ action = deviation from the norm – text: [Jesus] got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself.[5]
    • Culturally: tying a towel around one’s waist = actions of a servant (not a guest at the dinner) –> We can begin to understand why Peter was so alarmed by Jesus’ actions! He wasn’t just doing something a little bit strange. He was going completely against what was culturally acceptable at the time. He was turning away from what was anticipated and creating a whole new experience – something different, something new and unknown. Jesus was changing things … big time! And it made Peter anxious.
    • However, as difficult as it may have been to take in, we see blessing in Jesus’ actions.
      • Blessing in Jesus’ e.g. of serving those he loved à serving with humility and grace
      • Blessing in acceptance modeled by Christ
        • Scholar expresses this: Jesus asks nothing of the disciples other than that they place themselves completely in his hands … He asks that they enter into relationship with him on his terms, that they allow their relationship with him to be defined by God’s love and God’s love alone. … The foot washing removes the possibility of distance between Jesus and his followers, and brings them face to face with the love of God for them.[6]
          • Expresses struggle of turning ourselves wholly over to God, to place ourselves completely in God’s hands
          • Also expresses joy-filled gift that awaits us: relationship defined by God’s love and God’s love alone
            • Not defined by our imperfections
            • Not defined by our past, present, future mistakes
            • Not defined by others’ perceptions of us
            • A relationship defined by God’s love and God’s love alone.
• When it comes to bath time, we have two of those adorable hooded towels that we use to wrap up the boys when they’re done with their baths. After they’ve been scrubbed and have had some time to splash around a little bit, we spread the towels out on the floor, lift the boys out of the tub, lay them on the waiting towel, and quickly wrap them up in its all its glorious softness and warmth.
  • They love this part – cozy, dry, secure
  • And just as they relish the comfort and reassurance that they find when they’re all wrapped up in those towels, so we enjoy comfort and reassurance in the love of God that always surrounds us.
    • See constancy in gospel story: Jesus said to [Peter], “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean.”[7] –> sense of permanence in this
      • Washing the feet of his disciples wasn’t something Jesus was about to take back. He wasn’t about to change his mind. Jesus’ words here are decisive and sure: “This is the kind of clean that cannot be stained. Once I have made you clean, you are entirely clean … for good.”
• Tonight, we have gathered as a community, brothers and sisters in the universal Church (with a capital “c”) – the wider body of believers. We come from different traditions. We come from different background. We come bearing our own stories – hurts and joys, anxieties and triumphs, fears and celebrations. Like Luke and Ian’s bath time, like Peter before a humbled servant-Christ, we experience moments of uncertainty, fear, and apprehension throughout our journeys of faith, but there are also good times – moments when we get to experience the pure humility and grace of our Savior, moments when we get to luxuriate in the warmth and reassurance of God’s love. What a truly extraordinary blessing. Amen.

Thus says the Lord, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” ~ Isaiah 43:18-19

December always seems to be a season of newness.

We often experience the first big snowfall of the year in December – the kind of snowfall that covers the entire countryside with a soft blanket of white. It almost looks like the slate of the earth has been wiped clean and is waiting for something brand new.

Even though it’s already grown colder by December, we usher in a new season. December 21 marks the winter solstice, and though the days are short and the nights are long, each day after the solstice brings us just a little bit of new light.

And of course, we celebrate Christmas during December. We delight in the giving and receiving of new gifts with those we love. We send out the newest family photos and news in annual Christmas letters. And even though we find joy and comfort in our old holiday traditions, we create new memories in the midst of the familiar.

But we are not the only ones doing something new during the holiday season. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ – that long-anticipated Messiah, the Shepherd King for whom the people had waited for so long. But instead of sending a mighty warrior or a fierce conqueror to free Israel from oppression once more, God sent a tiny baby. God sent vulnerability and compassion and tenderness. God sent the kind of king that could only be recognized through the eyes of faith.

And God sent love … a whole new kind of love. Before this Jesus-child, the world had never known such a self-sacrificing love. Before this Jesus-child, the world had never known such an accepting love. Before this Jesus-child, the world had never known the kind of love that could shatter even the strongest barriers that separated us from God, the barriers of sin and death.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God says to us, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” When I read this passage, I picture God speaking like a small child who’s so excited she can barely sit still, who’s bursting with such joy and anticipation and delight that he can’t contain it one minute longer. “I am about to do something totally new … something that’s never, ever been done before! And it’s not just something boring or subdued. What I’m about to do is so sensational and captivating that it’s going to SPRING FORTH. Surely, you can see this amazing thing that I’m doing … right? Surely, you can recognize how amazing it is, know how important it is, understand the impact it’s going to have on the whole world forever and ever … right?”

As the OZ congregations, we are about to start doing new things. We are looking at doing new things in worship – trying new practices, learning new songs, introducing new elements. Some of these new things may cause us to spring forth – to get excited about the way we worship and to inspire us to be excited about the God we worship again. But some of these new things may be less successful. Some of them may feel a little strange at first … a little uncomfortable at first … a little foreign and uncertain.

But I encourage you to give it time.

Remember, God did something totally new and unexpected by sending the Savior of the world as a tiny baby born to an unwed mother in a dirty, dingy old stable. God did something totally new and unexpected to “make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

And it worked.

Jesus was that Way, the Truth, and the Light in the wilderness – that source of living water in the desert … but it took time. Before he could be that amazing Savior, Jesus first had to experience the newness of life as an infant. He had to learn. He had to grow. He had to trust, all the while being loved and nurtured by his family and by God.

As we begin doing something new, may we learn. May we grow. May we trust, all the while loving and nurturing one another as this unique and blessed OZ family that we are, knowing that God is making our way in the wilderness and rivers in our desert.

• In the PC(USA), the last step that you have to complete before your Committee on Preparation for Ministry certifies you ready to seek a call – ready to look for a church – is the final assessment.
  • Hour-long interview with entire committee – question you on …
    • Theology
    • Personal practices (self-care, spirituality, etc.)
    • Statement of faith
    • Responses to profile questions (what type of church you want to serve, leadership style, etc.)
    • [UCC equivalent ~ ecclesiastical council –> less people, similar types of questions]
  • One particular question that stuck in my mind after my final assessment – Denise’s question: Who is Jesus Christ to you?
    • Now, I know it sounds like a simple question, but think about it for a minute. Who is Jesus Christ to you? I bet if I asked every single person in this room, I’d get a whole bunch of different answers.
      • Answers history has given us: Jewish man, probably a carpenter
      • Answers we’ve been taught – church/Sunday school: Son of God; Redeemer of the world
        • Small sampling of names found throughout Scripture
          • 1 John = our “advocate with [God]”[1]
          • Rev = alpha and omega[2]
          • Gospel of John = bread of life, light of the world, lamb of God[3]
          • Isaiah = Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace[4]
          • Psalms = cornerstone[5]
        • Answers we’ve experienced in our own lives: friend, confidant, teacher
        • Answer Denise was looking for: Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior (comes from PC(USA) confessions)
        • There are so many layers to who Jesus is! And today is Reign of Christ Sunday … what used to be called Christ the King Sunday. It’s a special Sunday but unfortunately one that I think often gets overlooked in the church year. We’re already looking ahead toward Advent. We’re already looking ahead toward Christmas. And in all that looking ahead, we miss the significance of this day, the last Sunday in the church calendar year: Reign of Christ Sunday, a Sunday focused on how essential and compelling the person and work of Jesus Christ really is.
          • History: instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as reaction to rising non-Christian dictatorships in Europe and global secularism at the time –> point: try to draw focus of church and world back to Christ[6]
            • Papal letter sent to bishops –> hoped “that the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies”[7]
            • Question that Pope Pius XI was trying to answer at the time = essentially same as Denise’s question: Who is Jesus Christ for you?
  • And this is such an important question for us. It truly is a pivotal question for our own lives and for the life of the church. It sheds light on how we understand our faith, express it, interact with it, and share it. But at the same time, it’s a question with such an elusive answer. –> many roles Jesus plays/fulfills throughout our lives 
    • Roles are often shifting and changing
      • Changes as our needs change
      • Changes as we mature in faith
  • So this morning, on this Reign of Christ Sunday, I want to talk about some of those roles that Christ can play in our lives.
• First role: Jesus = teacher/guide
  • Familiar role – portrayed throughout all the gospels
    • Taught through Scripture references (OT) – speaks of fulfilling what was written by prophets, quotes from the law (often Deut), references story of the exodus from Egypt[8]
    • Taught by e.g. – constantly welcoming marginalized into his circle
      • Lepers
      • Women
      • Sinners
    • Taught through stories – parables
  • See reference to guidance provided by this teaching in Jer
    • Refers to God designating a shepherd to lead the flock
      • Scholar: No matter where one wanders, one needs eventually to come home. In Christian tradition, home is found by following the Shepherd king who knows the way in and through the grace and power of God.[9] –> find that guidance in Jesus as teacher
  • Continues to teach/guide us today through God’s Word
    • Remember, one of the many Scriptural names for Jesus is the Word.
      • Gospel of John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.[10]
      • Scholar: The truth is that, at one and the same time, [Scripture] speaks powerfully both to what God will do in the future and what God is doing in the here and now. Such is the dynamic life of the word of God wherever it is uttered. It speaks to the possibilities of the present, as well as to the hopes of the future. God is able to do all of that under one and the same word of promise.[11] –> shows us the “doing” side of God; embodies our still-active, still-speaking God
        • That “word of promise” – the Word of God, that Jesus-Word – is always working to form, reform, and transform
  • What does that look like in our lives? –> turning to Christ when we’re questioning/unsure
    • Find Jesus in Scripture
    • Find Jesus in prayer
    • Listen for God speaking in and through others
• Another role: Jesus = servant
  • I think that most of the time we feel a little uncomfortable with seeing Jesus in this role. Unlike those around him during his time, we know how important this Son-of-God-Jesus-man really is. We know the weight that he is going to have to bear for our sakes. We know the ultimate sacrifice that he is going to make. And we don’t want to add to the burden of one already so loaded down.
    • But remember … this is a role Christ chose – so many times throughout the gospels where we see Jesus serving others
      • Jesus’ own words in Mark: The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve[12]
      • E.g. – washing his disciples feet à Jesus’ example of service is one not of obligation and requirement but humility and grace. Jesus served those around him because he loved them.
        • Scholar: Living under Christ’s reign means we are called to … model Christ’s example to love God and neighbor. We are called to see the value God has bestowed on every human being and thereby work toward justice and God’s restoration for all people.[13]
  • Where we meet servant-Christ in our lives –> through others
    • Give us a hand when we need help
    • Serving alongside others in mission
      • [O – serving at Dorothy Day house, helping with food shelf, nursing home birthday party]
      • [Z – serving Towers dinner]
• 3^rd role = Jesus as friend
  • Let me ask you a question. Why are your friends your friends? What role do they play in your life? What place do they inhabit in your heart?
    • My friends = people who …
      • Share similar values
      • Share similar interests
      • Most importantly: make me feel treasured
      • Values and interests that Christ put forth as central: Love God … love your neighbor … love as I have loved you.[14] –> The driving force here is love, and in this, we see how much we are truly treasured by God. God loves us because we are God’s own creation – unique, quirky, astonishing, and precious.
  • Another important element of friendship = those who understand where we are and where we’ve been – hold us up when we’re struggling, cheer with us when we’re celebrating –> Jesus was God incarnate, yes, but he was also a man. He laughed. He delighted in the presence of children. He mourned his friends. His heart broke for those who had strayed from God, and he wept. He can understand where we are and where we’ve been because Christ has been there, too.
    • Rejoices when we rejoice
    • Weeps when we weep
    • Prays for us
    • That all sounds like what a friend does to me.
  • Another role that we encounter most often through others –> kindness of others offering us a hand when we need it most
• Most constant role Christ always has always played and will always play = role that Denise brought up (from confessions) – Jesus Christ as Savior
  • See it in both texts
    • Jer speaks of righteous branch that will come from David: In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.[15]
    • Col: He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.[16] –> Through his death on the cross and his resurrection, Christ freely gave us this redemption and forgiveness, and it is in this loving sacrifice alone that we find our salvation.
      • Scholar: On [Reign of Christ] Sunday, worshipers are reminded that, as Christians, they are subjects of Christ and Christ alone. Christ’s power transcends all other powers. Moreover, salvation in Christ has been achieved for all.[17]
  • Role that we see in a thousand different ways – those little God-moments that bring hope, strength, comfort when we need it most –> In these moments, God is reminding us that we are not alone. Jesus is saying to us, “You have already been saved. You are my own, and I love you. Even though what you’re facing right now seems bad, I will get you through this, too.”
• Each and every one of us has experienced the guidance, the companionship, and the saving power of Christ in different ways in our lives. But I want to make it clear that the question I’m asking this morning isn’t just a hypothetical question. I really want to know who Jesus Christ is to you!
  • My hope: question will spur actual discussions – today, tomorrow, next week, next year
    • Between you and me
    • Between each other
    • Between you and other people in your lives
  • Question presents opportunity to learn more about each other’s lives and faith journeys
    • So tell me … tell each other … who is Jesus Christ to you? Amen.

• One of the many wonderful steps along the ordination journey – at least as it’s laid out by the PC(USA) – is the Ordination Exams: fun and exhilarating, lighthearted 3-hr. examinations filled with joy and amusement. Okay … that description may not be entirely accurate.
  • Not so much fun and wonderful –> difficult and stressful
  • Not so much lighthearted –> gut-wrenching
  • Not so much filled with joy and amusement –> filled with frenzy and pressure
  • Days, weeks and even months prior to these exams –> spent in serious study mode … I’m talking about studying 6-8 hrs. a day to the point of brain-frying!
    • Sometimes people like to study on their own, but the thing about these exams is that they’re all essay questions – questions that test your knowledge, yes, but that also test your ability to explain things practically and apply that knowledge in a hypothetical situation.
      • 1^st half of each question = theological response to situation, 2^nd half is how you would respond pastorally
      • Soon discovered that it was more helpful to study for Ords in groups –> talk through various theologies, worship practices, pastoral care situations, etc.
      • After hours and hours of intense discussions and reading from such tantalizing volumes as The Book of Order and The Book of Confessions, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that we all got a little … punchy. When someone would propose an exam-type scenario, the rest of us would simply respond with our best revival tent, Bible belt impression: The answer is Jesus!
        • Answer-wise: may be a little simplistic … still ultimately the right answer, right?
          • Perfect words from imperfect lips
  • And imperfect words fall from our lips every day.
    • Sometimes we’re aware – we know when we …
      • Lie
      • Gossip
      • Intentionally insult
    • But this isn’t always the case. The things that we say can sometimes inadvertently hurt, offend, or upset people – imperfect words tumbling out of our imperfect lips before we stop to think about them, words we’d often like to take back.
  • Our examples from Scripture this morning – both Job and Peter – are far from perfect as well. And yet in the midst of their imperfection, we find them uttering perfect words.
• Job
  • Backstory: Job has lost everything – health, wealth, family – and while his wife and his friends question his faith, he remains faithful to God
    • Job’s problem: spends a lot of time proclaiming his own self-righteousness –> Imperfect words falling like rain from imperfect lips.
  • Toward the end of the book, God finally responds to all Job’s complaints and sanctimonious speeches. God reminds Job of God’s own power and omnipotence, artistry and inspiration, infinite knowledge and wisdom. And after this eminent revelation comes our passage for today – Job’s reply to God’s majesty:
    • I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.[1] –> Even though his world has been turned upside-down, Job still manages to recognize God’s sovereignty. Not only that, but Job finds a humility and a reverence that he didn’t have in the beginning.
      • Always believed in God
      • Always loved God
      • But for a while, Job became too swallowed up by his imperfect words to allow himself to be awed by God. But when God’s glory was finally able to shine through, Job speaks words of perfect humility and devotion: I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
        • How often does this happen to us?
          • Get swallowed up by all those little irritants –> lose sight of what’s important (faith, relationship with God)
      • Job’s story teaches us how to find humility before God again
        • Scholar: Job’s confession acknowledges God’s power and ability to implement plans.[2] –> Job is still human. His lips are still imperfect. And yet, we hear a perfect affirmation of God’s sovereignty from those imperfect lips.
• So let’s turn to Peter, an apostle who is also far from perfect.
  • Peter’s impulsive nature – often got him into trouble
    • Sees Jesus walking on the water: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” –> Jesus says, “Come” –> part way through his journey, Peter’s fear overcomes his belief and he begins to sink –> Jesus saves him[3]
    • Incident in Garden of Gethsemane: soldiers come to arrest Jesus –> Peter draws sword and cuts off ear of high priest’s servant[4]
    • Not just impulsive actions but words as well – following today’s reading: Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block.”[5]
      • “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.” That sounds like a reaction to words uttered by profoundly imperfect lips to me.
  • But in our text for today, we come upon Peter’s saving grace: perfect words from his imperfect mouth.
    • Text: Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that the Son of Man is?” … Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”[6] –> Like Job, Peter affirms the true nature of God. He names Christ as the Messiah – the One for whom they had waited, the One who would save them all. While the other disciples spoke from their heads, comparing Jesus to powerful (yet solely human!) examples from Jewish history, Peter spoke from his heart. And it was by doing this that he was able to make that profound and yet crucial leap from the imperfect to the perfect, from the familiar to the unknown, from the human to the divine.
• Another important lesson from Peter’s story – don’t find in Job’s story –> Let’s look at Peter’s perfect and imperfect examples again.
  • Example – perfect words from today’s text = Matthew 16:13-20
  • Example – imperfect words and Jesus’ response of “Get behind me Satan!” = Matthew 16:21-23
  • You see, Job’s perfect words of witness came at the end of his story. They followed all the imperfections, almost as if he glossed over the bad with the good, trying to redeem the bad with the good through his own efforts. But Peter’s redeeming words preceded his imperfect ones.
    • God knew Peter’s impulsiveness would get in his own way – not so different for us –> God knows that sometimes, we’re going to say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, or neglect to act as we know we should.
  • Peter’s story teaches us that it’s not always about saying the right thing at the right time.
    • Not about covering every wrong answer with a right one –> can’t earn grace
    • Not about telling yourself you’re only going to “say the right things” from now on –> perfection is impossible
• You see, despite all the slip-ups and complaints, God’s love never wanes. God’s mercy never fails. Jesus’ response to Peter is similar to God’s response to Job: blessing.
  • God’s response to Job’s humble repentance = restoration and renewal
  • Jesus’ response to Peter – text: And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.”[7]
    • So then what is it about? It’s about knowing the right answer – the perfect words – in your heart. It’s about believing in the truth and the saving power of the gospel. Even when our lives are muddles, even when everything feels like it’s falling apart, even when our imperfections are overwhelming us, do we treasure the perfect truth and everlasting love of our Savior deep inside?
• Sometimes, as far as the world is concerned, we have anything but “the right answer.”
  • Friends who struggle mightily with passing Ordination Exams
    • Took 3 or 4 attempts
    • Some still haven’t passed
    • For whatever reason, the answers that they pour their hearts into are not the ones that the exam readers are looking for. The answers that they spend hours agonizing over just aren’t enough. And this can be a really difficult thing.
      • Ords = significant step in PC(USA) ordination process –> have to get permission from presbytery’s Committee on Preparation for Ministry every time you want to take them
      • Treated by a lot of presbyteries as an indicator of validity of a candidate’s call –> So when these friends of mine are struggle to pass these exams, they’re not only questioning their own knowledge and abilities, they’re also questioning whether or not they’re actually called.
        • Sometimes presbyteries handle dilemma well – encouragement and alternate forms of testing
        • Sometimes presbyteries don’t handle it well – dropping people from care process –> These committees are essentially saying, “We don’t think you’re really called to ministry after all,” and confirming the worst fears of those already struggling.
  • It is because of times like these – times when the world seems to be against us, when nothing’s working out the way it’s “supposed to,” when we feel like we can’t do anything right – it’s times like these that we have to remember the only answer that matters. When we ask ourselves who is in control. When we ask ourselves who can help us in the midst of this mess. When we ask ourselves who cares, who can pick us up and brush us off and make it all better, who can possibly love us in spite of everything that’s happened. The answer is Jesus. Amen.