Treasure--The Verb

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday December 30, 2012, the 1st Sunday after Christmas, the day of the baptism of Mathieu and Chelsi.

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

Psalm 148

Colossians 3:12-17

Luke 2:41-52

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

Over the last several weeks when we have been talking about stewardship, one of the words I used is “treasure.” In that context I had been talking about financial treasure, the asset side of the balance sheet. More often than not treasure means something liquid like cash and coin, although there are other kinds of assets like life insurance, stocks and bonds, and real estate. But this introduction to accounting is not our focus today. We’re not talking about treasure as a noun, but as a verb. The New Testament only uses the word treasure as a verb twice, both in Luke’s gospel, and both with the way Mary thinks about her family’s life.

The first time is found early in the second chapter of Luke. The shepherd boys have just heard the blessing of the angel announcing “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” They were so excited and motivated by this message and by the chorus of the heavenly host singing “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” that they took their leave from the fields to go to Bethlehem and see what has happened, this thing which the Lord has told them about. Luke tells us Mary treasured up all these things.

The other time is in our reading from today. You’ve just heard the story so I won’t rehash the whole thing, but here are some highlights: Jesus went with the family to Jerusalem for the Passover. When it was time to go, Mary and Joseph and the family caravan journeyed a day before they said to one another, “I thought he was with you.” It took a day of travel to get back and then three more days before Mary found her son in the temple. For five days the twelve year old Jesus was on his own in the big city and not only was he holding up better than McCauley Culkin in “Home Alone,” but the people who heard him teach were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

The family reunited at the temple and Jesus wondered why it took three days of wandering around the city before finding him in the only place he would be. It was then when they returned to Nazareth that Mary had time to reflect on all that had happened and she treasured all these things in her heart.

Believe it or not, there are two different Greek words to show how Mary treasured, two different verbs. The root of these words means to preserve or protect. To guard is also a definition of the root.[1] It’s the prefixes that make the difference.

The first, the one we read on Christmas Eve, means treasure, but it also means to preserve against harm, to protect, and to defend along with hold and treasure up.[2] Another source[3] says this word means to keep in the way one would keep a memory. It’s like thinking about someone and caring for them. On Christmas Eve it would seem that it would be way too soon for Mary to treasure the memories of her son, not in the way the word is defined here. It’s more likely Mary treasured the memory of the events of the evening. “Scrapbooking of the mind” might be one way to put it.

The version we have today means to keep something mentally with implication of duration, to keep in mind forever.[4] Compared to the Christmas Eve translation of “treasure,” this version is a more careful and permanent storing in memory. This is locking something deep, deep into memory. In this case, in today’s reading, Mary locks this memory deep, deep into her heart.

There is also the implication that this way to treasure something allows a deeper look into the memory. Where the first is like a picture image, this treasuring allows us to think back in time and forward to the implications of what is being treasured. Luke’s gospel tells us that to Mary it’s one thing to have a bunch of rag-tag kids coming to see your son, it’s another when a bunch of Rabbis hang on his every word. That is the treasuring Mary is doing today.

Today we will share a memory worth making. Today we celebrate the baptism of Mathieu and Chelsi. It should be a joyful memory locked into each of our hearts, especially Patrick and Chrystal. I bet there will be some proud grandparents too. What a moment this will be! There will be water, lots of water. There will be water from the font and there will be plenty of tears too. But let me ask you a question, what’s the most important thing about our baptism? Is it the water or is it something else? Friends, it’s something else.

The water is a symbol. Mr. Al gave us all the perfect example of a Christmas symbol in today’s children’s message, the candy cane. It’s not the hard white candy with the red stripes that’s important; it’s what the symbols represent. It’s the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus. It’s the solid rock, the foundation of the Church and the firmness of the promises of God. It’s the name of Jesus and the staff of the “Good Shepherd.” It’s the blood of Christ from being scourged and from the cross, the blood of eternal life.[5] It’s not the thing, it’s what it represents.

In our baptism, water is a symbol of cleaning. It’s a symbol of birth and the womb. It’s a symbol of death and the tomb, both womb and tomb. Water is a sign of chaos in the creation story and in the gospels. It’s also a symbol of refreshing life. The water in the font is as we say a symbol of the living water of Jesus Christ.

There’s nothing overly special about this water. It was taken from the tap in the fellowship hall, a place where we break bread. It is where we have celebrated fellowship dinners, wedding receptions, and bereavement meals. It is where we, this part of the body of Christ shares many stages of life together. The water will be poured from a Marshall Pottery jug. Is there anything that says more about our community than pouring the tap water from a Marshall Pottery jug? This is a symbol; this is how we celebrate baptisms here.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, these are our two sacraments. They are the outward signs of God’s inward grace. They aren’t magical. They’re intentional. Our Lord Jesus participated in both sacraments. Jesus was baptized by John and he instituted the Supper. They don’t beckon supernatural blessings. They don’t cause salvation. What they do is remind us of what Jesus has done and continues to do. Friends, with everything else our sacraments accomplish, they must give us memories to treasure.

So, what do we treasure? Let’s treasure today as we celebrate the sacrament of the baptism of Mathieu and Chelsi. In a couple of weeks when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we should treasure the gift of the meal that satisfies our soul and our palate. When we meet together, let us treasure not the things, but what the things represent.

Over the past two weeks it has been difficult, for me and especially for Georgia. What has been difficult is taking the phone calls from people trying to pick the still warm bones of this part of the Body of Christ.

Last week a woman came to see her Sunday School room which hasn’t existed since the education wing renovation of the 1950’s. A woman who was once a member was here last Sunday suggesting we get into the wedding business because that’s where the money is. I have heard more requests for the family pew than I care to recall. Shreveport TV stations have called to get the scoop. Friends offer comfort in one moment and ask “what happened” in the next, not a move of pastoral care as much as it is a try to get the latest gossip.

What’s sad to me is people wanting the stuff, not what it represents. Some people treasure the things, not what they stand for. What our sacraments stand for is the relationship our Lord seeks with his people, with all creation. Mathieu and Chelsi’s baptism isn’t about the water and the words spoken over them, but the relationships we forged as the body of Christ; relationships that transform time and space, even this time and space.

We will make covenant with these children to be good Christians and good role models and good teachers of the faith we have received. We will promise to support and encourage. We will promise to guide and nurture by word and deed with love and prayer; encouraging these children to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of God’s holy church. This is what we must remember, this is what we must hold close to our hearts, this is what we must treasure; not the water, but the promises we make over the water.

Mary treasures all of these things in her heart. She treasures the shepherds. She treasures the looks of the people in the temple. Above all she treasures her son who is of her body and not of this world. What do we rejoice? Friends, we must treasure our relationships more than we treasure the treasures of this place and time.

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are things which over time are used and used up. It is the relationship with our Lord and with one another which fade only if we let them. Like Mary, let us treasure these things in our hearts.

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[1] thre,w, Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. VIII, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1972, page 142.

[2] sunthre,w, A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Christian Literature, Third Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000, electronic entry.

[3] Ibid Kittel, page 151.

[4] diathre,w, Ibid Greek English Lexicon.

[5] The Candy Cane Story, http://www.kidtokid.org/candycanestory.html, retrieved December 29, 2012

A Super-Sized Children's Sermon

On this Christmas Eve, I chose to use the children's sermon to bring the full gospel, so while it was called "A Time with the Younger Church," I prefer to think of it as a Super-Sized Children's Sermon. Something happened along the way and the recording did not take, my apologies. On that note...

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on December 24, 2012, Christmas Eve.

Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20

My mom always said that it’s just not Christmas until she heard the story of the birth of Jesus from Luke’s gospel. Now, you all know that it you shouldn’t disagree with your mom so it’s OK to agree with me. I agree with my mom, I don’t think it’s really Christmastime until I hear this too.

One of my favorite holiday TV specials is “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Charlie Brown finds himself having a hard time understanding what Christmas is all about. He gives Christmas cards to the whole gang, but nobody gives him one. He sees great and wonderful Christmas trees covered in tinsel and ornaments and big lights, but the only tree he can get is a scraggly old thing that falls under the weight of one ornament. Even his dog Snoopy gets into the act winning first place in a house decorating contest.

Finally Charlie Brown finds himself on the stage at school getting ready for the Christmas Pageant. He’s upset. He’s sad. He’s confused. Nothing seems right so he cries out, “Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Charlie Brown’s best friend Linus walks up and answers him in the best way he knows:

Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”

That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

So, what does this tell us about Christmas?

It tells us first that Jesus loves the little children. Jesus loves the little children so much he became a little child. Just like little Kevin in the nursery, just like all of you, just like me, and just like Mr. Al, we were all babies once, just like Jesus. That’s why Jesus loves us so much. He was one of us.

Another sign that he loves children is that as soon as he was born, the angels went and told the shepherd boys. The angel didn’t tell the President, or Caesar the Ruler of Rome. The angel didn’t tell the leaders of the temple or the Session of the church. The angel didn’t go to anyone who most people would think is important, he went to the children.

Jesus loves the little children so much he was one and he told them first. That gives children a lot of credit as far as I’m concerned. If Jesus loves the little children then everyone should love the little children, shouldn’t they?

Do you feel like everybody who is here loves you? I hope you do because I know they love me too.

Now, Jesus has a lot of names. We call him Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace just to name a few. We call him those names because the prophet Isaiah does first. These names seem to be for a grown up for the baby Jesus, don’t they? Titus says “the grace of God has appeared,” doesn’t he? That sounds kind of complicated, doesn’t it?

Well, I’m gonna make it easy. As I told you, Jesus came because he loves us. He loves us so much that he came to save you and me. This is God’s Christmas present to us. Jesus is God’s present to us. How’s that?

Did you know there isn’t a better present? You might find all sorts of neat things under the tree tomorrow, but none of that stuff lasts forever. Now, I think presents are great, I like presents too, but they won’t last forever will they?

And then you have to write thank you notes don’t you?

The present we get that will last forever is Jesus. The gift he gives us is God. That’s where our salvation is too, in God through Jesus!

So, now we need to thank Jesus, do you know how? The first thing we need to do is say “Thank you, Jesus.” Can we do that together?

Then we need to thank Jesus by being good girls and boys. Not like those boys and girls acted toward Charlie Brown. We need to thank Jesus by helping others. We need to do this all the time because with all of these people around you, people who were babies once too, they love Jesus. They say “thank you” to Jesus, and they act like good boys and girls helping others too. So let’s thank Jesus together…

Dear God,

Thank you for your Son Jesus,

Who came as a baby,

To save the world.

Amen.

Speaking Volumes without Speaking Words

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday December 23, 2012, the 4th Sunday of Advent.

Micah 5:2-5a

Psalm 80:1-7

Hebrews 10:5-10

Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

Melinda posted a new picture on facebook. It must be a 20 year old picture of the then children of the church performing what I believe is the annual Christmas Pageant. Oh, but to reach out and pinch one and all of those kids on the cheek.

One of my favorite Christmas Pageants was also one of the strangest I’ve ever seen.[1] The older kids had all of the lead roles, Mary, Joseph, the angel who made the announcement of the coming birth of the child. Of course the Christ-child was played by a doll that had been passed down for generations to play the role of Jesus. That’s both wonderful and a little creepy. How can any child be trusted to touch such a precious object?

The youngest children played, say it with me, the shepherds. There are no lines to get wrong. All they have to do is follow the star or the angel and make it to the untouchable doll.

What made this pageant different, or creepy depending on your opinion, was that this pageant had an Elizabeth. The Children’s Choir Director was in costume with the kids in front of the congregation. What made it kind of creepy was this 40-year-old Elizabeth, had a solo. That has always bugged me; an adult had a song in the children’s Christmas pageant.

For my money, the best part of the evening was the youngest child in the play, a little boy who could not and would not stand still. He would fidget and twist and twirl until he finally knocked the plywood sheep down the chancel stairs. Half of the people in the sanctuary were aghast! I was with the other half. I did resist laughing out loud, barely, others did not. The fact that this boy was the Pastor’s grandson made the aghast folks more aghast and the grinners grin wider.

Our gospel reading today needs a little from the beginning of Luke. We need to go back to the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Both Levites, Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. We learn that Zechariah was selected by lots to offer the incense in the temple of the Lord. When this happened, Zechariah received the word of the Lord prophesying:

 “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The wonder and the glory of the Lord’s blessings were to come upon Zechariah and Elizabeth with only one snag, in Zechariah’s own words, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” I guess this is preferable compared to the King James which says Elizabeth is “well stricken in years.”

So what do you get for questioning an angel of the Lord? Zechariah is struck mute. He will not be able to speak; he will not be able to tell anybody what has happened “until the appointed time.” I think parents and mischievous children will recognize this conversation. Zechariah asks when he will stop being grounded, the angel answers “when I tell you.”

But this I think is the most important thing that needs to be shared from the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth:

“When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. ‘The Lord has done this for me,’ she said. ‘In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.’”

Remember, back in the day not having children was a sign of disgrace and shame. It was a social horror along with the terror of being unprotected by their children in old age.

Our reading picks up about a month after these events when Mary comes to see her cousin Elizabeth. Now we know that Mary is pregnant and we know her son “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” What we don’t really know from Luke’s gospel is if anybody else knows. Anything! At all!

Other gospel accounts have Joseph getting the news and in his own thoughts deciding to call off the engagement. Luke’s gospel has none of this. From Luke’s account of the gospel the only people who know of Mary’s pregnancy are Mary, Gabriel, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. That’s it. That puts this visit to Elizabeth in a whole new light, doesn’t it?

Mary hardly says a word, it’s “Ding-dong, Avon calling” and Elizabeth’s son leaps and is filled by the Holy Spirit. Now that’s a fine how-do-ya-do.

With the news Elizabeth rejoices. Her cries are so wonderful and so glorious that our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters use them when seeking intercession. She goes on and on. She is so blessed by not just the presence of her cousin but of her Lord and Savior that she wonders why she is so favored by their visit. She finishes by saying Mary is blessed not for what has happened, but for believing that what the Lord has said will be fulfilled.

Elizabeth offers words of peace, joy, and hope. She reaches out with a glad cry for the wonder and the glory of what is to come. What brings me wonder though isn’t the words that are spoken, but the ones left unspoken.

Let’s begin with Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Zechariah is old but the good news is at least Elizabeth isn’t as old. I love how Zechariah has to explain to the angel why this just isn’t going to work. If there are two things angels do in scripture it’s foretell pregnancy and smite people who need a good smiting. Zechariah gets both while burning the incense in the temple of the Lord. So everything Zechariah does until the angel says so makes him act like the mime in the Little Caesar’s ad.

We all know that not having children in ancient times was more than a social blunder and loss of safety net; it was a mark that you are not blessed by God.[2] In the moment of her pregnancy, even as she is stricken with years, her entire life is changed. She will have a child, a son. The whispers behind her back that she is barren and stricken are gone. She is blessed. In this very act, God speaks without words to bless Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Someone whose words are mysteriously missing in our reading is Mary. Except for a fine how-do-ya-do, she doesn’t say a word. Based on Luke’s gospel her greeting is all she offers until verse 46, the beginning of Mary’s Song, “The Magnificat.”

How can we imagine what Mary was going through? In a day and time when unwed pregnancy doesn’t carry the stigma it once did, there is still the moment I can’t imagine; the moment when the woman shares the news with family, not just the man, but her parents. In our day there is still uncertainty in the sharing, in Mary’s day she would have become an outcast.

Mary’s fiancé might have ended the relationship leaving her without any support. She could not return to her father’s house either. There were no social structures available to help her either. Just imagine the time between when she heard the news from the angel and when she heard Elizabeth’s cries of joy. Her silence speaks volumes.

She may say, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, may your word to me be fulfilled,” but she would have to be super-human not to consider or worry what would become of her if nobody believed her. In fact, her words “may your word to me be fulfilled” must have been an earnest prayer; if the word isn’t fulfilled then she is in big trouble. She keeps all of this to herself, choosing to hurry to her cousin Elizabeth.

Then in a true exhibition of “actions speak louder than words,” Mary is heard and the Holy Spirit turns John the Baptist into an acrobat in the womb. In a moment, the prophecy of the angel to Zechariah is realized. The angel’s words “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born” are fulfilled. With barely a word Elizabeth and her son are filled with the Holy Spirit and what is to come is known.

Mary was all but silent, but Elizabeth’s child heard with the ears of the Spirit. By the work of the Sprit, John tells his mother that everything has changed. As if everything hadn’t changed enough, creation was being renewed, reborn even before John and Jesus are born.

How’s that for speaking volumes without speaking words, creation is being renewed, reborn even before John and Jesus are born. How’s this for words that don’t need to be spoken, by the love of God, through the Triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, creation continues to be renewed. Yet in this renewal he comes not as a high priest, but as the child of a single mother.

It is in this love that God wants us to welcome the Son into the world. Yes, the power of God could overwhelm all that is wary or evil in the world, but what is God without love but the Tyrant of tyrants? I prefer the King of kings my self! God in Christ holds back on exerting power on us so that we can come, returning in love out of gratitude; not out of cowering in fear. In love that speaks louder than words, God in Jesus calls us not just before we were born, but before He was born. That’s life being made new.

That speaks volumes.

This is the time for the warning: The Christmas Pageant I shared is nothing like the real thing. It wasn’t all clean and scrubbed. It wasn’t all neat and tidy. In truth, it was filthy and rank. Jesus wasn’t born in the wonderfully sterile setting of our crèche. The Holy Family arrived at night. It was cold.[3] Nobody at the inn bothered to make enough space for two more people. They went to the stable, a cave, not a barn like we usually see.

This cave probably wasn’t well ventilated. Sure enough the stable-boy showed up to clear the floor of livestock urine and feces in the mornings, not after dark. Let’s also consider that this stable held ox and camel as well as horse or donkey. The aromas are nothing we could ever have a grip on because we don’t know the time, the place, or the livestock. This is where Emmanuel, God with us, entered our world.

From the womb of a girl who feared for her life, lain in a crevice hewn from rock and lined with straw, this infant-the least powerful member of any society; our Lord came to Earth in the most precarious of ways. This is the message that should speak volumes to us. Christ is Lord, the all powerful God Almighty. Jesus arrives as the weakest amongst us.

This is Micah’s point, showing that the messiah will come from the most humble of origins to rule over Israel. From humble beginnings, “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.”

This is what Mary is blessed for believing. She is blessed for believing that in God truly all things are possible. With her very life at stake, she believes she is blessed by the coming child. When she needed reassurance the most, when her life was in the balance, she received the blessing not only of her cousin but of her cousin’s unborn child, another child of the promise. This is not the doll too precious to be touched. This is the Christ who was born to live to die to rise again.

Let the rich and powerful beware, this is the scandal and one of the unspoken lessons of the incarnation: Jesus doesn’t only sympathize with the weak; he came as the weak so that we may know his strength. Not by miracles but by his presence; he is Emmanuel. Come O Come Emmanuel, God with us. Just ask Elizabeth. Without words, Jesus speaks volumes by his presence and the company he keeps.

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[1] True story!

[2] Don’t think this isn’t still true today.

[3] If you want to remind me that the December birth date was named as a point of celebration as a means of evangelism and not necessarily a historical fact I will remind you that in an arid climate the nights get chilly because of the lack of humidity to hold the ambient heat. Even if it wasn’t December, it was chilly.

No Pussy-Footing Around

This sermon was preached at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday December 16, 2012, the 3rd Sunday of Advent.

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Isaiah 12:2-6

Philippians 4:4-7

Luke 3:7-18

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

Something happened to the sermon. The sermon this was turning into on Thursday took a radical turn on Friday. On Friday everything changed. Well, everything didn’t change, but tragedy crossed the national conscience. I’m not going to expand on the events. The last thing anyone should do is ever mention the name of the shooter ever again. I’m not saying ignore the issue, I’m saying let’s stop cloaking mass-murders in notoriety and infamy. I am not saying to ignore the victims either; I’m saying that easy platitudes aren’t enough for what happened.

On Friday a friend of mine wrote “today I saw the devil at work… what kind of person could walk into a school and take 20 5+ year olds life [sic]… words cant [sic] describe my thoughts right now.” He wasn’t pussy-footing around, was he? The problem with what he said is it shows a short memory.

The massacre at Columbine High School happened on April 20, 1999 in Jefferson County, Colorado, outside of Denver. That shooting ended the lives of fifteen innocent victims along with the gunmen.

On October 2, 2006, a shooting occurred at the West Nickel Mines School, an Amish one-room schoolhouse in the Old Order community of Nickel Mines, a village in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The gunman shot ten girls, killing five, before committing suicide in the schoolhouse. What made this school shooting different was the Amish community’s response of forgiveness and reconciliation toward the widow of the shooter.

These shootings pale beside the Bath School Massacre. Since Bath was a bombing and not a shooting and took place in 1927 it doesn’t get the press. At Bath Consolidated Schools, a man who lost his farm to school taxes took it out on the school. He killed 38 children ages 7-11, two teachers, four other adults and himself. At least 58 others were injured.

The Bath School massacre is the deadliest mass murder in a school in U.S. history and the third-deadliest non-military massacre in U.S. history, behind 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing.

To complete our walk down memory lane I give you the Pontiac’s Rebellion school massacre, where four shooters entered the schoolhouse near Greencastle, Pennsylvania, shooting and killing the schoolmaster and nine or ten children. While reports of the number killed vary, it is known that only three children survived. This one doesn’t get any press despite or because it was the first American school shooting. It happened on July 26, 1764.

That’s what I mean saying everything didn’t change. There have been school shootings in America longer than there has been an America. Some folks talk about this as a second amendment issue when the first shooting predated the second amendment. It’s a matter of sin which predates the second amendment too. As for my friend who “saw the devil at work” on Friday, has he missed other atrocities people have inflicted upon one another? Is it that he hasn’t been paying attention? I’m willing to go with hyperbole, exaggeration to make a point. Then again, I just made an error I warned us about last week.

Last week I said that I can only confess my sins. Well, I just confessed my friend’s sins instead of my own. Let’s be honest, that’s not a good thing.

Last week’s gospel reading was John the Baptist’s ministerial introduction where “He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” We meet him again today in the last part of this introduction where Luke tells us of John meeting the crowds.[1]

Then John unloads on them! “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” There’s no pussy-footing around with John, is there? People love pastors who share a message and do it with aplomb, a certain composure, style, and tact that puts people at ease and ready to listen. Well, John the Baptist was never known for tact that puts people at ease. Starting a conversation by yelling, “You brood of vipers!” puts a bow on that.

John’s tells the crowd they have sinned and it is up to them to repent because only in repentance is there forgiveness. There’s a lot of baggage on that word repentance but there’s an easy way to look at it, the Hebrew and Greek words for “repentance” can be translated “turn around.” John is telling us we must all turn our lives around to produce the fruit of repentance. Period. End of sentence. No pussy-footing around.

Friends, it is time I share with you that I have sinned. My sin has touched all of you. I have been pussy-footing around. When we came to Marshall I knew that we would need to do work in stewardship and evangelism. The path I take to begin this work is by teaching.

You have heard me say we have to know our stories. This is right out of ancient Celtic evangelism. St. Patrick was successful in Ireland because he knew his own story as a slave on the Emerald Isle and the history of the people. When he returned as a priest, knowing the gospel, the people, and the place, he was able to share the Good News in the land where he was once a prisoner and slave. I told that story once, once.

Knowing our stories and knowing them here in this place is the most wonderful way we can share the gospel in the way people will be able to hear it and respond to it. But I pussy-footed around, hoping the pieces would fall together. I don’t blame anyone for not getting my stories, I can be obtuse. Let’s face it, I just used the word obtuse! I must confess that I didn’t make the point I intended.

During our recent “Committed to Christ” evening study, one of the nights was about sharing our faith. I tried to cajole the class into trying what the study was teaching about faith sharing. Well, my “cajoling” wasn’t effective.

Another lesson in “Committed to Christ” was about giving. It brought out that Christ expects us to give our time, talent, and treasure. I’ve mentioned this triad every October during stewardship season too. Often people think giving one or two of three is enough.

This “Committed to Christ” lesson used an example of a divorced man who is not meeting all of his commitments (admittedly a gender stereotype but that is how it was taught). It asks what’s better, a man who pays his money but never spends any time with the kids or the man who is Weekend-Super-Dad but fails to pay for basic essentials. According to the lesson the correct answer is “none of the above.”

It’s time and talent and treasure and two out of three is bad. Later in the evening, someone said, “Well, God knows I do all I can.” The lesson didn’t get across; God expects more, God expects it all. Trying to make a point in a delicate way didn’t make my point at all. Pussy-footing around again.

A couple of weeks ago I used the R.E.M. lyric “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine” as my way of saying God is doing a new thing. God is doing something we may not even be able to see or recognize, but God is alive and God is not done with us yet. That point got lost. When I said “It’s the end of the world” that was all some folks heard. My style overwhelmed my substance. Pussy-footing again.

I have sinned against God and I have failed you. And now it is up to me to repent and seek forgiveness. Anyone who says that I have not sinned, thank you, but if I have not sinned I cannot be forgiven. For any who say “you sure have messed this up,” I ask you to remember the words of 1John, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” The words of sin, repentance, and forgiveness are good words for all of us. They are at the hub of John’s message.

By my pussy-footing, I have failed to express the depth of our financial situation. I knew something was going on. Neal shared that information during session meetings and congregational meetings too. The news was out there, but I never shared it with you in a way that caused the urgency that makes people do something.

Well thanks be to God! About ten weeks ago when the Session met, Lisa took the financial situation information home and told her family what was going on. Robbie, yes Robbie, took the time to ask people what we should do. Robbie isn’t a child of this congregation anymore, he’s a grown man, and he acted like a grown man—he saw something broken and he asked for help to get it fixed. God bless you Robbie.

Some were embarrassed that Robbie aired the dirty laundry. Robbie stood up and said “what can I do?” No pussy-footing there.

At the last stated Session meeting Lisa asked again what we can do. Neal laid out several options. (Don’t think he laid out only one, he laid out several.) Today during the congregational meeting the Session will bring one of these to you and it is up to you to decide what we will do next. Using John’s words we will be asked to decide whether the ax is lying at the root of the tree or not. During this meeting no pussy-footing will be allowed.

We won’t allow blaming either. We won’t confess anybody’s sins but our own. We won’t do those things because they won’t help.

There’s something I read on the internet Friday, and since it was on the internet it must be true right? It was attributed to a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a PC(USA) seminary. I don’t know if he really said this or not, but regardless these words are worth sharing:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world.

That Presbyterian Minister was a fellow named Fred Rogers, yes, that Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers, and he’s in accord with what John told the crowd to do.

The crowd, knowing disaster was coming around the corner if they did not bear fruit in keeping with repentance, asked John what to do. Again in his very direct manner he had instructions for many different people in the crowd:

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

John was telling people to be helpers, not hindrances. He told them to bear good fruit. He told them to turn from their ways that hurt one another. He told the people to take care of each other. He told them to behave like the brave teachers at Newtown and Nickel Mines and Columbine. He told them to be useful like the first responders—the police, fire, and medical workers who took care of the scene, taking care of innocent victims.

This afternoon we need to look for helpers. We need to be the people of the Philippian church who Paul calls gentle. He tells them to “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

To this let me add while John said, “do not be anxious,” he did not say “don’t be concerned.” We need to be informed, concerned, and respond. There’s a line between “stress” and “distress” we can’t cross. Panic freezes action, the right amount of urgency can spur us onto great things. This is our call to confess and repent our sins, not anybody else’s. This is our chance to begin writing a new chapter today, a chapter baptized in the Holy Spirit with fire.

Today we light the Pink candle of joy. On a day like today, wedged horribly between a national tragedy and a local emergency, we are called to rejoice in the Lord always. Paul even repeats himself, “I will say it again: Rejoice!” But how? In the midst of horror and panic how can we rejoice? We say “Rejoice” in a world where we say Jesus is coming, and in the meantime we see evidence to the contrary. So how?

In situations like we have seen over this past week there is nothing else we can really do except listen to our Lord and Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers says find the helpers. Our Lord says I am your helper. John said this and more, exhorting the people and preaching the good news to them. Our helper is the Lord. It is up to us to seek the Lord’s help. Thanks be to God.

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[1] This paragraph was cut from the final manuscript due to time restraints. I add it here because I love to think about the crowds of biblical times as well as our own:

I love when the crowds come out in scripture because of the wide variety of people. This crowd included at least some of John’s disciples. I’m just as sure it had some folks who were interested, but had yet to make a commitment. Judging from what John is about to say some of his opponents are among the crowd. There may even be some temple leaders, scribes, Pharisees, members of the Sanhedrin, folks who would become enemies of Jesus too. Then, there’s a category of people we often ignore—just plain folks. As sure as I am today during a demonstration, I’m just as sure that in the day there were some folks in the crowd who were there because it was a good crowd. Remember, nobody ever shows up for a bad crowd.

Homily for the Kuhn-Bankston Wedding

Cindy Kuhn and Michael Bankston entered into the covenant of marriage at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on December 12, 2012. This text and recording are just the scripture reading and homily. If you are interested in the full service, please contact Michael and Cindy through the church. Congratulations to you and your family on this glorious occasion.

Hear the Word of the Lord from the Book of Genesis, 2:4-7 and 18-24:

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called ‘woman,’

for she was taken out of man.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

How many of you remember the 1970’s sitcom “All in the Family”? It has been on TV for so long it’s hard for me to believe the first-run shows went off the air when I was in high school, before you two were even born! Between TBS, TV Land, Nick at Night, and now Antenna TV—not to mention local channels showing reruns—there probably hasn’t been a time in the last 30 years that “All in the Family” was completely off the air.

Anyway, I wonder if you remember an episode when Archie was talking about how women were inferior to men using this passage from scripture. Archie railed on and on about how woman was just a helper. She is just a part of man. She is less because she was taken from a rib, which is a cheaper cut of meat. That is when the studio audience laughs at Archie’s bad theology and stubbornness.

I suspect we Texans also laugh knowing that with a good rub, proper smoking, and maybe a decent sauce, ribs are legendary! Those Yankees from New York City just don’t know the value of a slab or ribs.

I beg your indulgence, as members of this congregation Cindy and Michael know that I can wax poetic about the Old Testament text in its original Hebrew and that’s what I’m about to do. There’s a word in our reading, helper. It comes from the ancient word “ezer.” It’s where we get the word Ebenezer. It means, “The rock is a helper.” It’s where we get Gideon’s father’s name Eliezer, “My God is a helper.”

Other places in the bible use this word when two kings join together. They plan and fight great battles. They make right great wrongs. They share victory. They share. One King is not greater than another; they are equals among the greatest peoples in the world.

This word that we read as helper is hardly the submissive woman and cheap cut of meat Archie Bunker tells us about. The word we read as helper is not a servant, not someone who is a second to Adam’s first. She is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. They are a part of each other. The Lord created all sorts of companions for the man; but none were suitable, none were even close until the man was introduced to his ezer, his helper, his equal.

It has been an honor and a joy to meet with Cindy and Michael preparing for the wedding. They have taken time to talk about their hopes. They have talked about their dreams. They have shared what they pray for the future of their family, their wonderful blended family. They have shared dreams for each other. They have shared dreams for their children. They have shared their hopes for the future. They met as two people and now share these aspirations as partners, equals among great people. What’s the word? Ezer? Suitable partners.

Yes, when I look at Michael and Cindy I see suitable partners. Our lives are not Eden, not by any means. There are challenges. There are obstacles. Yet what do I see? I see a family and I see the glory of God. I see two loving parents. I see their kids. I see their family. I see their friends. In the midst of a world that is not Eden, I see love, faith, compassion, care, and joy. I see their joy in the Lord and in one another.

So friends, join Michael and Cinty, take a look at your family with you this evening. See your suitable partner. See your ezer. See the glory of God. And remember, like good ribs we must be seasoned properly, smoked just right—not too much heat, we don’t want anything to get burned— and maybe a little saucy…

Archie Bunker wasn’t much on good biblical theology or Texas Bar-B-Q. He would never consider that a rib is a suitable partner, it’s always at your side and it always protects your heart. Just a rib? Just a helper? Indeed, in Christ there is no such thing as “just.”

Let us pray…

Merciful and gracious God

who provides his children with their most suitable partner,

bestow upon Michael and Cindy your blessing;

granting them grace to fulfill with pure hearts and steadfast action

the vows and covenants they are about to take.

Guide them in the way of righteousness and peace

that loving and serving you with one heart and mind

they may be enriched by your everlasting love.

In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Setting the Table

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday December 9, 2012, the 2nd Sunday of Advent.

Malachi 3:1-4

Luke 1:68-79

Philippians 1:3-11

Luke 3:1-6

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

In 1916, the Federal Road Act provided $75 million dollars over five years to begin building a nation wide network of roads across America. On an impromptu basis, the states provided matching funds to qualify for a piece of the Federal Road Act pie. When the 1916 law expired, the Federal Road Act of 1921 was instituted. This legislation had some additional benefits and additional requirements.

Like the 1916 law, it was a five year program to provide matching funds to the states for building highways. As the 1916 law provided $75 million over five years, the 1921 law provided $75 million dollars each year. Also, this law provided a greater partnership between the states and the federal government in road planning. One of the goals of this law was to begin to create a national highway grid. In 1922 General John J. Pershing, head of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War I, was asked to submit a proposal to create a highway system based on national defense needs. He submitted a detailed network of 200,000 miles of interconnected primary highways—the so-called Pershing Map.

With additional state and federal road projects throughout the ‘20’s and ‘30’s, the table was set for the next major stage or road projects in America. In 1939, Bureau of Public Roads Division of Information chief Herbert S. Fairbank wrote a report called “Toll Roads and Free Roads,” the first formal description of what became the interstate highway system, and in 1944 the similarly themed “Interregional Highways.” The project gained an even more important ally when General Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President.

After his 1919 experience moving with military assets across the country on what is known as the Lincoln Highway, the ever first series of highways connecting Lincoln Park in San Francisco to Times Square in New York City, Eisenhower recognized that a system of national highways would be able to provide key ground transport routes for military supplies and troop deployments in case of an emergency or foreign invasion. On June 29, 1956 the Interstate Highway System was authorized under the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956—some of you may remember it as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956.

Beginning during the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson, the program was in its embryonic stages during the Harding administration. Coolidge, Hoover, and FDR had their roles in this great expansion, but they also had issues on their own plates including the Great Depression and World War II. After Truman, as I have noted, it was Eisenhower who spearheaded the connection of this great roads project.

There were even two generals, Pershing and Eisenhower, who championed these projects while they were still in the service. All told, this program set the table for not only national defense, but for significant commercial growth and development.

I did that last part intentionally because one of the great ways of measuring time is by the leaders of the day. Our reading begins with a list of the political leaders. Luke isn’t shy either, he begins at the top, we are in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of Iturea, Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene and Traconitis was tetrarch over something or other. That pretty much does it, doesn’t it? In the day this would have set the stage not only in the time of the story, but the listener would also get a handle on the political climate too.

This isn’t so different from the books of the prophets either. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Zechariah all begin the same way, “In the days of…” The books of Kings and Chronicles do the same thing. When the Kings of Israel are mentioned, the reign of the King of Judah is used as a reference date and vice versa. Using the names of the leader is a common way of marking dates, both civil and biblical.

Speaking of the biblical, in these days the leaders of the church were the heads of the state. “Separation of church and state” as we know it was unheard of until the 1700’s. When the leaders of Israel and Judah were mentioned, they were not just civil leaders but spiritual leaders as well. So it is no surprise that we are told these events happen during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas.

Our scripture begins by listing all of the important people of the day, from the leaders of the empire to the leaders of the temple, and then there was John, poor lowly John. Who is he among all these powerful movers and shakers? He was nobody—and he was the prophet of the Lord. He came from the wilderness, the desert. He was a desert aesthetic, possibly an Essene, and he “went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

There is a lot of talk about what that means, “repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Since it is always best to let scripture interpret scripture Luke uses the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.

Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight,

the rough ways smooth.

And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

The original Interstate Highway system wasn’t proclaimed completed until October 14, 1992, some 35 years after its conception, with the opening of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado. This section is considered an engineering marvel with a 12-mile span featuring 40 bridges and numerous tunnels. It is also one of the most expensive rural highways per mile built in the United States.

Isaiah tells us that to prepare for the Lord by making straight paths for him. He tells us every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. He says the crooked roads shall become straight and the rough ways smooth. This was common for the coming of a king to the hinterlands of his kingdom. The way would be made straight so bandits would not have a place to ambush the convoy. It is also easier for a convoy to travel straight, level paths than rough terrain. It was a costly undertaking, but that’s just the cost of doing business in the empire.

In our way, was the completion of that last twelve miles of I-70 not unlike Isaiah’s prophecy? In the mountains of Colorado, bridges and tunnels are a modern way of filling in valleys and making mountains and hills low. It’s thinking out of the box; it’s not the way we would usually envision a scriptural way of preparing Isaiah’s road. Now, I’m not saying the completion of the interstate system is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. What I am saying is that when it comes time to make straight the ways of the Lord, there’s more than one way to make the rough ways smooth.

Know though John’s prophecy was about a different kind of king’s entry into the arenas of church and state. John’s prophecy wasn’t about some human king; John spoke of the one who would bring salvation. Not only would he bring salvation, but all with eyes to see would see that he brings salvation.

Instead of “mankind” most other translations say “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” This was intentional; not just the Jews but the gentiles will see the salvation. Not just the Israelites, but the Romans, Greeks, and all other nations will see the salvation of God. Everyone will see the salvation of God.

So we are called to prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. I’m not one to usually talk about personal piety. I believe that it is important for us to consider the entire community. Beginning with the family, moving to the congregation, into the workplace and other places where relationships bloom, I want us to think about the community, but I want us to consider John’s plea to prepare the way within our own lives.

I have talked about the many ways we need to make the ways straight in our community. Just a few weeks ago I mentioned six ways including reading scripture, committing to worship, and (of course) financial giving. Yet if our internal ways are filled with hills that need to be made low and valleys that need to be filled, we need help.

I’m getting more than a little wordy here, but we find the prescription in Luke’s description of John’s ministry. He came proclaiming a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. This is one place where we need to remember that John was talking about what we need to do personally. We need to begin by individually confessing our sins. We need to begin by individually repenting, turning away from our sin.

This is where we must beware (and while I am definitely talking about me and the mouse in my pocket, I believe this is real for more folks than just me and the mouse) we must beware that we are not called to confess anybody else’s sin. In our time when people put their worst sins on TV for ratings from the Maury Show to MTV, it is not for us to judge their sins. Yes, let’s judge some behavior and say, “By the grace of God may me and mine never behave like that,” but let’s leave eternal judgment to the one true judge.

Again, we must beware, it’s so easy to repent of someone else’s sins; and it is even easier to repent of sin we are not tempted to commit. But these are not the sins mentioned in John’s baptism.

John was concerned with the community, absolutely he was, but he knew this baptism was for the individual. In Presbyterian theology, we believe that the waters of our baptism represent the waters of the womb, the isolation of the tomb, and the waters of cleansing. We also believe that infant baptism is the sign that the Lord adopts us before we can choose to be adopted on our own. Shoot, in adoption what child ever gets to pick a family? The choice is made by our heavenly Father. In total, the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sin must begin with the individual before it can move into the community.

It’s gotta happen in the private and public realm, and this is why we make confession of sin so that we may receive the assurance of pardon. In this we should rejoice loudly as we say “Friends, believe the Good News! In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!”

We have to make the way straight, and in our lives it’s not always as easy as those last 12 miles of Interstate Highway. Like plowing down mountains to fill valleys or bridges and tunnels, there’s more than one way to make the way straight. We have to do this for our Lord, ourselves, and others. We have to do this for all God’s good creation.

So John sets the table, with thanks and praise it isn’t John who invites us to the table. Like in our celebration of the Lord’s Supper, it is the Lord who invites those to share the meal which he has prepared. We are called to prepare the way of the Lord. We are called to prepare the way so that not only can the Lord travel the path, but so that we can travel that path too. We are called to prepare the path so that not only can we travel the path, but so that others may follow.

The Lord prepares the feast. John sets the table, the only question is are we going to take, eat, and see that the Lord is good.

The Mayans Might Be onto Something

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday December 2, 2012, the 1st Sunday in Advent.

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Psalm 25:1-10

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Luke 21:25-36

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

There’s a great old song by the alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World as We Know It, (And I Feel Fine).” The song is both wonderfully melodic and completely unsingable. If you wonder how they pulled that off, you’ve never heard them give it a go. In an interview with Guitar World magazine, guitar player Peter Buck said that it was created in the style of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”[1] if that helps. The chorus is simple, if not at least half-profound:

It's the end of the world as we know it.

It's the end of the world as we know it. 

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine...[2]

About eighteen months ago I mentioned Christian radio host Harold Camping’s prediction that the Rapture and Judgment Day would take place on May 21, 2011. You’ll remember that after May 21 passed without incident, he “checked his math” and revised the expected date to October 21, 2012. We may not remember what happened on October 21 but we remember what didn’t happen, the Rapture. Just to add insult to injury, May 21, 2011, in honor of Camping’s end times prediction, R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It, (And I Feel Fine)”[3] was sung on stage in Holmdel, New Jersey by Matt Nathanson, Little Big Town, and Sugarland.

Good times…

Jesus predicted that “they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Jesus says, “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

Good times…

The website “2012Apocalypse.net” begins with this little picker-upper:

“The 2012 Apocalypse is predicted by an intersection of Religions, Science, and Prophesies. Many Great Prophets, Religious Scriptures, and Scientific evidence point to a possible apocalyptic event happening in the year 2012.”[4]

Once again I say: Good times…

2012Apocalypse.net doesn’t rely on just the Mayans to headline their website; they cite an array of peoples to make their point. Along with the Mayans; Hopis, Egyptians, Kabbalists, Essenes, the Qero elders of Peru, Navajo, Cherokee, Apache, the Iroquois confederacy, the Dogon Tribe, and Australian Aborigines all believe in an ending to this Great 2012 Apocalyptic Cycle.

The jest behind the Mayan prediction is that we are living at the end of a great cosmic year. As keen stargazers, the ancient Mayans were familiar with the astrological cycle known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. One cosmic year lasts about 26,000 of our calendar years. In this time, the Earth passes through each of the 12 signs of the zodiac taking from 2,000 to 2,152 years each. Each of these astrological ages represents one month of the Cosmic Year.

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

Sounds familiar…

The Mayans were keen stargazers. Honestly though, not many people buy into that sort of a calendar anymore. We like our calendar just the way it is, except for every kid born on February 29. We like the regularity; but before the Gregorian calendar, established in 1582, it wasn’t quite as regular. Because of the calendar being used, over the course of about 1000 years, the first day of spring had moved back from March 21 to March 11.[5]  So our calendar was imperfect. I guess this is why Jesus never made predictions based on a calendar.

He does remind us that we will be able to see the signs when they happen though. “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” Jesus tells us that when we see things beginning to happen, we will be ready and able to respond to them. Now that’s blessed assurance.

Jesus continues, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Now, I’m not going to stand before you and preach what befuddles me. What I do know and understand is that by this passage some of the early First Century churches believed that Jesus would return before their generation, their lives, ended. As a result, they didn’t do much. They weren’t active in their faith. They were happy that Jesus would be back soon and waited on him like a bus. They became the subject of one of Paul’s “… some of you…” speeches. They had a starring role in the churches mentioned by John in his revelation.

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing (now there’s a word that doesn’t get enough use), drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Scholarship and supposition reaches beyond my understanding on apocalyptic passages. As long as I don’t know, I don’t intend to create truth out of what I don’t understand. So here’s what I do know.

I know that the signs Jesus mentions: The signs in the sun, moon and stars, the nations in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People fainting from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world; this stuff was happening in Jesus’ time, was happening long before Jesus time, and has been happening since. In one fell swoop Jesus prophesies the past, the present, and the future.

One of the most important things we can do with this scripture is realize that the coming of Christ is always coming. He has been coming since before the beginning and he continues to come everyday. We aren’t supposed to set our alarm clocks, we are supposed to know Jesus is coming and be ready. We aren’t supposed to wait on Jesus like waiting on a bus. We’re supposed to be serving the kingdom while we wait.

Here’s the last thing about the Mayan calendar. Is it possible that the whole cosmic cycle that began some 26,000 years ago turns over a new page on December 22? Can’t it just start a new cosmic cycle? There’s no reason why not. Many Mayan Calendar apologists believe this is likely.

The 2012Apocalypse website ends saying “The 2012 apocalypse brings peace, a higher consciousness, and a spirituality that has not been seen since the beginning of time.” The Mayans might be onto something here. It’s not the end of the world; it’s the end of the world as we know it.

When all of this turmoil begins Jesus says, “Stand up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near. Now there’s the good news, when the world begins to fall apart around you, “Your redemption is near.” It’s not the end of the world, it’s the end of the world as we know it, and in Christ, I feel fine.

Jesus doesn’t want “doomsday preppers.” Jesus wants people to stand up and take the word into the world. Jesus doesn’t want people to hoard. Jesus wants those with plenty to share with those who need. Jesus does not want greedy takers. Jesus wants generous givers.  Jesus wants us, his church, to love God and act like it means something in our lives. This is what we are called to do so that we may be able to stand before the Son of Man upon his return.

The Christian Rock band dcTalk recorded “It’s the End of the World as We Know It, (And I Feel Fine)” for their live “Jesus Freak” CD. It’s a fresh version if you haven’t heard it. Their rock-rap-and-soul style brings something new to the song. The attitude of this song being sung by a Christian band makes the whole thing different. There’s hope to their end of the world.

There’s no reservation, no irony, no making fun of poor Harold Camping. There’s hope that God is in control. In a world where the breaking of the kingdom happens now and at the same time sorely wants; there is hope that in the end of the world, a world being transformed not destroyed, there is peace and joy, a new world of grace God initiated in Christ powered by the Holy Spirit. There is hope of peace, a higher consciousness, and a spirituality that has not been seen since the beginning of time. There is redemption. That would truly be the end of the world as we know it, and I would feel fine.

This is our hope, and what makes our hope important is our response. We can’t just wait because Jesus is coming. Advent means coming, this is true, but we must be active as we wait for his coming. As we wait, we should be filled with joyful worship and faithful discipleship.

The Mayans might be onto something. When we expect the glorious coming of God, we can expect an apocalypse that brings peace, a higher consciousness, and a spirituality that has not been seen since the beginning of time. This is worth standing up and lifting our heads.

Good times.

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[1] Wikipedia page, “It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_the_End_of_the_World_as_We_Know_It_(And_I_Feel_Fine). Citing http://www.yuppiepunk.org/2008/10/podcast-8-list-songs.html as the primary source.

[2] Berry, Bill, Buck, Peter, Mills, Michael, and Stipe, Michael, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” Warner/Chappell Music, 1987.

[3] Ibid. Wikipedia

[4] 2012Apocalypse.net

[5] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar.