It is a journey that we all have to make.

~ Esther de Waal from Living with Contradiction

For Reflection:

Who is more authentic in speaking truth and proclaiming the Gospel today:  the Church or Lady Gaga?

As we suffer through the “traditional dysfunctional family values” culture war that is now part of the Republican primary debates, and as the Presbyterian Church sticks its head in the sand trying to find yet another way to keep gay and lesbian persons at the margins, if not excluded, and as state after state wrestles with equal marriage rights, it is not getting better for everyone.  Child after child, kid after kid keeps getting bullied and beaten up at school for being different.  How many more glbt kids have to commit suicide before our country shouts in unison: “Enough!”

Sadly, throughout history, the indiscriminate intolerance in our country around issues of gender, race and sexual orientation all have been “fueled” by bad Christian theology. Of late there is a very unexpected voice (a transgender version of John the Baptist maybe?) proclaiming the gospel.  It’s the rock superstar Lady Gaga.

In a venue that 99% of Christians would never enter, Lady Gaga is preaching what the church should be saying.  Ironically, this iconic mix of Michael Jackson and Madonna is not only a sensational performer but she has become an Evangelist – as in, one who proclaims the good news of the Gospel.  And low and behold, her “roots” come out of a deeply Christian family.  She not only proclaims the gospel, she lives it.  Check out this story:

Lady Gaga starts foundation to fight bullying, empower youth

November 02, 2011|By the CNN Wire Staff

In September, Lady Gaga said she was aiming to make bullying illegal after the suicide of bullied teen Jamey Rodemeyer.

Pop star Lady Gaga stepped up her battle against bullying Wednesday, (Nov. 2, 2011) announcing the creation of a new foundation aimed at empowering youth.

In a statement, Lady Gaga called the Born This Way Foundation a “passion project” that she will direct with her mother, Cynthia Germanotta.

“Together we hope to establish a standard of bravery and kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment,” Lady Gaga said.

The non-profit charity — named for a hit Lady Gaga song — will support programs and initiatives that empower youth, a statement announcing the foundation said, “by addressing issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development and will utilize digital mobilization as one of the means to create positive change.”

She knows her Bible and she knows how to tell the truth.  Look at the similarities between Psalm 8 and the text of “Born this Way:”

“Who are we that you should care for us?   Yet You O God, have made us barely less than yourself, and crowned us with glory and honor.  Psalm 8

“I’m beautiful in my way

‘Cause God makes no mistakes

I’m on the right track, baby

I was born this way”

Lady Gaga

Now is the time to move beyond dysfunctional family values and fake faith.  It’s time for all to stand up and proclaim the Gospel of God’s love.  “I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way!”

More on Sunday!   And feel free to forward this to anyone who might not have heard Lady Gaga preached in a church!

Blessings,

Dan

~ This Sunday’s Scriptures ~

Genesis 1

God creates humanity in God’s image and after God’s likeness

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light.

And God said “Let the earth bring forth living creatures.”  And it was so.

Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness.”  So God created humanity in God’s image.  And God blessed them.

And God saw everything that God had made, and behold it was VERY GOOD.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them.  And on the seventh day God rested.  So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work which God had done in creation.

Psalm 8

O God, our God, how majestic is your Name in all the earth!

You have placed your glory above the heavens!

From the lips of infants and children

you bring forth words of power and praise,

to answer your adversaries

and to silence the hostile and vengeful.

When I behold your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars which you set in place –

what is humanity that you should be mindful of us?

Who are we that you should care for us?

You who have made us barely less than yourself, O God,

and crowed us with your glory and honor.

You have made us responsible for the works of your hands,

putting all things at our feet –

all sheep and oxen, yes, even the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air, the fish of the sea

and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

O God, our God, how majestic is your Name in all the earth!

Salt is a mineral and so isn’t it impossible for salt to cease being salt? Evidently, if salt attaches itself to other minerals, its own characteristics can be hidden or even covered by the other minerals.

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” Each of us has unique and wonderful stories of God’s grace and love in our lives. What are your stories? Join us this Sunday as we encourage everyone to “Please Pass the Salt.”

Blessings,

Jerod

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Welcome, Jerod!

Jerod Yates is a Masters of Divinity student at Fuller Theological Seminary.

He is currently serving as a pastoral intern at Altadena Community Church, United Church of Christ with Rev. Dr. Joe McGowan.

Jerod will be sharing his story with us this Sunday and encouraging us to “Please Pass the Salt” in sharing our stories of God’s grace and love.

~ This Sunday’s Scripture ~

Matthew 5: 13

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.  But what if salt were to lose its flavor? How could you restore it?  It would be fit for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

The other day I was cleaning out my car and I found an old “Thomas Brothers” map book tucked under the front seat.  Remember those?  They used to be the way of getting around LA.  They of course are only helpful if you can read a map.  Ugh.

I am so thankful somebody figured out how to make “global positioning satellites” work for the common good of humanity.  I think the next major GPS technological breakthrough will be auto-driving.  Super-computers guided by GPS will drive the car for us.  Not only will we get to where we want to be, but hopefully, we can get there faster and less stressed.  And darn, under those circumstances we should be able to talk and text all we want!!!  The only “driver distraction” would be when the computer system freezes or crashes!   Wow, that will give new meaning to the word “crash,” won’t it!  Let’s hope a certain software company that is notorious for freezing and crashing doesn’t get the contract for this program!  The future is so exciting!

My “TomTom” was a Christmas gift and as I was sharing my excitement about receiving it at a Christmas dinner, one of my friends offered me this advice.  He said, “The real issue is, if you want it to work, you have to trust it.  My wife always tries to “outsmart” it.  I’ve learned to trust it.  Our experience is if you want it to work best for you, you have to trust it.”

Trust a GPS?  A GPS?

In most circumstances, I’ve learned that my friend was right.  The GPS knows what is ahead, and I don’t.  Occasionally my GPS has a fetish for trying to get me onto the Hollywood Freeway at rush hour and I choose to overrule it. But 95% of the time, trusting the GPS is the best option, even with “calculate alternative route.”

Wouldn’t it be neat if there were a GPS to guide us on our faith journey?  Thomas asks Jesus the question we all wish we had the answer to.   Jesus is having a heart-to-heart discussion with the disciples about “life after his death.”  It was, one – a conversation they did not want to hear; and two – a moment of feeling lost.  Who was going to guide them if Jesus was not there?  Thomas raises the best challenge.  He says to Jesus, “You talk about going to be with God, but how are we going to get there?”  Jesus answer is “God’s GPS.”  God’s guidance system – the Holy Spirit.  Thomas and the disciples had to learn the lessons my friend taught me about using a GPS.  If you want it to work, you have to trust it.  Trust it?  Yup.

This Sunday we’ll focus on what it means for us today to trust God to guide us.  If you don’t trust me, it’s ok to bring your GPS, or your Bible, or both.

Blessings,

Dan

~ This Sunday’s Scripture ~

John 13:33 – 14:18 (selected portions)

Thomas says to Jesus:
“But we don’t know where you’re going.
So how can we know the way?”

[Jesus said the disciples:]  “My friends, I won’t be with you much longer.  You’ll look for me, but what I said to the Temple authorities, I say to you:

Where I am going, you cannot come.

I give you a new commandment:  Love one another.

You are to love one another the way I have loved you.

This is how all will know that you’re my disciples:  that you truly  love one another.”

Simon Peter said, “Rabbi, where are you going?

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you’ll follow me later.”

“Rabbi,” Peter said, “why can’t I follow you now?  I will lay down my life for you!”

“Lay down your life for me?”  Jesus exclaimed.  “The truth of the matter is, before the cock crows [Peter] you’ll have disowned me three times!

[Jesus continued:]  “Friends, don’t let your hearts be troubled.

You have faith in God; have faith in me as well.

In God’s house there are many dwelling places; otherwise, how could I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you [if this were not true]?

I am indeed going to prepare a place for you, and then I will come back to take you with me, that where I am, there you may be as well.

You know the way that leads to where I am going.”

Thomas replied, “But we don’t know where you’re going.  How can we know the way?”

Jesus told him,

“I am the Way,
I am truth,
I am Life.

No one comes to God but through me.”

“Rabbi,” Philip said, “show us God, and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Phillip, and still you don’t know me?  Whoever has seen me has seen God.”

If you love me and obey the command I give you, I will ask God who sent me to give you another Counselor, another Helper to be with you always – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot see or accept since the world neither sees nor recognizes the Spirit; but you can recognize this Spirit because this Spirit remains with you and will be within you.

Today those words seem so naïve!   Kids have always been hard on each other, but today’s name-calling and bullying is totally out of control.  The number of kids who commit suicide because of bullying and name-calling is frightening and unbelievable.  In spite of all the “shocking” stories of kids who are driven beyond despair by bullying, some tormented to the point of taking their own lives, it just keeps happening.

What’s in a Name?  Today we know there is A LOT!

Names can be used to torment or tear down, to debase or destroy, to oppress or to hurt.  But they can also be used as an expression of love and kindness, of tenderness and care, of compassion and intimacy.  Just about every couple I know has a “special name” for their spouse or partner.  Sometimes it’s just the inflection in our voice that differentiates a loving or a not-so-loving intention by the one addressing us!

In the ancient world, the name parents gave to their child was not just something “to call the kid.”  It usually bestowed meaning or a blessing on the person.  For example, in Hebrew “David” means “beloved.”  Daniel – my name – means “servant of God.”  In Hebrew, “Dan” means “servant.”  “El” is one of the biblical names for “God.”  Put them together and you get “servant of God.”  “Irene” in Greek means “peace” or “one who imparts peace.”

Before Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph, like all parents, had to figure out “what to call the baby?”  Selecting a baby’s name is one of the hardest tasks parents have!  In Matthew 1:21 we are told an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: “You shall name him JESUS because he will save the people from their sin.”  “Jesus” meant “Savior or Deliverer.”  Thus Jesus’ name expresses what it is Jesus is to be and do.”

Naming is important.  Last Sunday we had so many experiences here that named “who we are.”

We said goodbye to Kobie and welcomed into God’s family Jeff & Jade’s daughter, Elle, as she was baptized.  In Baptism God “calls us God’s own as we are named a “Child of God.”  In the reception after the service Henry shared how Kobie helped him through his mother’s death and his sister’s diagnosis with cancer.  Laurie shared how Kobie had opened our hearts and minds to experience the Bible as “Ancient words, coming to life in our lives.”  Randy shared the profound hope that we experienced through Kobie’s sermon the Sunday after Prop 8 passed, and equal marriage [temporarily] ceased [for the second time in our State].  If you missed that Sunday, Kobie spoke about her journey growing up as a white girl within the racism of Apartheid in South Africa.

Then after Kobie’s reception, before David Muller’s memorial service, Ginger Hemingway, without being asked, went to the janitor’s closet, hauled out the mop and mopped the floors, so the Social Hall would be ready for David’s service.

An hour later, we had one of the largest attended services in the history of our church as people gathered to remember David Muller.  The sanctuary was full to overflowing and people were still coming in.  Without a word from me, our members brought over as many folding chairs as they could fit in the sanctuary.  They put chairs in the aisles, up in the chancel (front raised area of the Church) and in front of the front pews.  Even with that, people still stood throughout the entire Memorial service.  Afterwards, person after person commented to me that they had never experienced such a gracious and welcoming church in their lives.

Then Kobie sent me this in an email on Monday.  She wrote:

“When we drove back home yesterday, Cara was really sad, saying she wished there was a way she could keep on attending at WeHo.   And then when I tucked Leo into bed last night I found him crying, upon asking him what was up, he said he was sad that we will not be going to church at WeHo anymore.…. We all are surely going to miss WeHo dearly.”

That’s who we are and how we live as a community of faith.  This is what the name “Christian” used to mean before some “Christians” began bullying almost anyone who wasn’t like them.  This is what “Church” used to mean before some Christians re-branded the name to mean “judgmental, mean-spirited, or exclusive.”

Don’t be fooled – this IS what it means to be Christian and TO BE Church!

Blessings,

Dan

~ This Sunday’s Scriptures ~

Isaiah 49:13-16

God says,

“I will never forget you.

Look and see:

I have inscribed you on the palm of my hands.”

Shout for joy, you heavens!  Exalt, you earth!

You mountains, break into happy cries!

For God consoles the people and has compassion on those who are afflicted.

But Zion said, “God has abandoned us!  God has forgotten us!”

Then God said, “Does a woman forget her baby when she is nursing it or fail to cherish the child of her own womb?

Yet even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you.

Look and see: I have inscribed you on the palm of my hands.”

Matthew 1: 18-25

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said:

“You shall name him JESUS – [‘God Saves’] because

he will save the people from their sin.”

This is how the birth of Jesus came about.

When Jesus’ mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her husband, an upright person unwilling to disgrace her, decided to divorce her quietly.

This was Joseph’s intention when suddenly the angel of God appeared in a dream and said, “Joseph, heir to the House of David, don’t be afraid to wed Mary; it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this child. She is to have a son, and you are to name him Jesus – “God saves” – because he will save people from their sins.”

All this happened to fulfill what God had said through the prophet:

“The virgin will be with child

And give birth,

And the child will be named

Emmanuel” – a name that means “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of God had directed him, and they named him Jesus.

God’s Covenant of Love

In The Baptism of Elle Lyric Marvan &

our Blessing of Kobie as she

concludes her ministry with us.

You can know a person by the company they keep

I’m sure most of you know the saying that a person is known by the company they keep, meaning we become like the people we hang out with. So if we hang out with respectable folk we become more respectable ourselves and if we hang out with some unsavory characters we adopt their bad habits.

As I have reflected on my journey the past three and half years at Weho I gave this saying some serious thought. You are known by who you hang out with. Hmmm…. How would I define Weho? What type of reputation did I acquire working at Weho and what type of habits have I picked up? Hmmm……

All this introspection reminded me of something Philip Yancey once said:

Jesus was the friend of “sinners.” They liked being around him and yearned for his company. Meanwhile, legalists found him shocking, even revolting. “You can know a person by the company he keeps,” the proverb goes. Imagine the consternation of people in first-century Palestine who tried to apply that principle to Jesus of Nazareth. The Gospels mention eight occasions when Jesus accepted an invitation to dinner. Three of these were normal social occasions among friends. The other five, however, defy all rules of propriety. Once, Jesus dined with Simon the Leper. In Palestine, stern laws enforced the stigma against leprosy: the afflicted had to live outside city walls and yell, “Unclean!” when they approached anyone. Yet, Jesus ignored all these rules and reclined at the table of a man who wore that stigma as part of his name. (Another time), Jesus healed a man from dropsy, and then drew a stinging contrast between the social-climbing banquets of the Pharisees and God’s banquet spread for the “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”

We are known by the company we keep. We will talk more about this on Sunday.

Kobie

~ Festive Music ~

Carols for Flute & Piano - Patty Sikorski & Mark Abulencia

Carols for Clarinet & Piano – Leo Vermaak & Mark Abulencia

Away in a Manger – WeHo Kids Choir & Randy Guiaya & Patty Sikorski

Oh, Holy Night – Randy Guiaya

~ Carols Sung by Everyone ~

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Silent Night

Joy to the World!

Christmas Meditation

“Who will Carry Jesus now?”

Rev. Dan Smith, Pastor

Concluding with the

Traditional Candle Lighting Service

Festive Reception in the Parish Hall

All are WELCOME, please invite your friends.

Please Note:

We will NOT have worship on Sunday, Dec 25 – Christmas Day,

but we WILL have worship at 11am on Jan 1 – New Year’s Day

Parking:

Church Parking Lot:

You may park in the Church parking lot.  Please tandem park in the Church lot so we can accommodate as many people as possible.  You may also park in the area behind Sam Ash Music.

SUNSET Blvd. – NEW PARKIING REGULATION!

The city of Los Angeles has extended the parking METER hours on Sunset to 9 pm and will not give us a waiver. Unlike West Hollywood, Christmas Eve is NOT a legal holiday in the City of Los Angeles (which is where the church is located.)

After many attempts, neither the city nor Councilmember LaBonge will waive the meters.  Mr. LaBonge’s staff member has said they will relax the one hour limit, but not waive the meters. Since the meters have a one hour limit, we don’t know what that means.

So, if you want to park on Sunset you need to bring four quarters for the meters. They are the old meters and do not take credit cards.

Water breaking.

No Room in the Inn.

Giving birth in a barn.

NOT!

For Reflection:

How many times in life do we think we’ve got it together and then, kaboom! – something happens that was not part of “the plan?”

Last Sunday evening one of our members went out to a party, parked his car, shared in the merriment, came out to get in his car and the car was not there.  It was stolen.  That was not in his Christmas plan!

Two days ago I received an email from a member of our ministry team.  A friend of our congregation who was going to participate in our Christmas Eve service had just received the news that she has cancer and has to have surgery immediately.  That was certainly not in her plan.  That wasn’t even in the scope of things possible!

Last Friday a distraught 26 year old man stood in the intersection of Vine and Sunset Blvd and began shooting at passing cars and people.  It appears he wanted the police to shoot him.  One of his random shots went through a car window and into the face of a man who was simply driving by.  After four days in Intensive Care, the man died.  He was simply going about his daily business.   Being shot was certainly not in his or his family’s plan.  It was a completely unexpected tragedy.

Mary and Joseph both had one of those “not in my plan” faith experiences in the story that leads up to the birth of the Christ Child.

An angel of God appears to Mary and reveals to her that she is going to give birth to the Christ-child.  That was not in her plan!  So she runs off to her Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Zachariah’s house.  She needs some safe space to sort out this mess.  Though not in her plan, she ends up thanking and praising God effusively!

Joseph also finds himself in an unexpected mess.  Caesar Augustus decided it was time for a census so he required everyone to return to the city of “his” birth to be “counted” so everyone could be properly taxed.  Since a woman was considered the property of her husband, she went along with her husband.  Mary was very pregnant.   This was not a good time for this to be happening.  But, Joseph had no choice but to try and make it to Bethlehem.  They did make it, but barely.  When they got there, there were no rooms at any of the Inns.  Well, that’s probably not quite true.  Inn Keepers always “held back” one or two of the nicest rooms just in case some wealthy traveler should happen to come by.  For the right price, a room could be bought.  But Joseph and Mary were poor.  Very poor.  So they ended up in a barn with the stinky animals.  And then and there, Mary’s water breaks, she goes into labor, and the baby Jesus is born – in a cold, smelly barn.  This was not in Mary’s plan or Joseph’s plan.

And yet, in spite of all these “trials,” setbacks and unexpected obstacles, God’s plan came into being.

As I’ve grown older, I have become more open to letting go of my agenda and just living in God’s time.  My plan isn’t always right – for me or the world.  God’s is.

There are times when I think, “Oh I didn’t do this or get that done!”  Or, “Why do people keep messing up my plans!”  And then a day or two later comes the answer.  It wasn’t supposed to be.  In more recent years I’ve come to learn that if something isn’t coming together the way I think it should, there’s probably a good reason for that.  The reason is, “it isn’t supposed to be that way!”

Mary and Joseph’s final Advent lesson in our series on God’s Great ADVENTure is that God’s plan and our plan are not always the same.  The plan we can always trust is God’s.  It will get us there, even though it may not be the way we thought we should go!

Advent Blessings,

Dan

~ This Sunday’s Scripture ~

Luke 1: 26-31 & 39-56

The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the child of God – and Mary rejoices in the goodness of God and for what God is doing in her life.”

Six months later, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a young woman named Mary; she was engaged to a man named Joseph, of the household of David. Upon arriving, the angel said to Mary, “Rejoice, highly favored one!  God is with you!  Blessed are you among women!”

Mary was deeply troubled by these words and wondered what the angel’s greeting meant.  The angel went on to say to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God.  You’ll conceive and bear a child and give him the name Jesus.  His dignity will be great, and he will be called the only-begotten of God.

Within a few days Mary set out and hurried to the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered her uncle Zechariah’s house and greeted her aunt, Elizabeth. As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in Elizabeth’s womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.   In a loud voice she exclaimed to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of the Messiah should come to me?  The moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who believed that what Our God said to her would be accomplished!”

Mary said,

My soul proclaims your greatness, O God,
And my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.
For you have looked with favor
Upon your lowly servant,
And from this day forward
All generations will call me blessed.
For you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
And holy is your Name.
Your mercy reaches from age to age
For those who fear you.
You have shown strength with your arm,
You have scattered the rich in their conceit,
You have deposed the mighty from their thrones
And raised the lowly to high places.
You have filled the hungry with good things,
While you have sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the aid of Israel your servant,
Mindful of your mercy -
The promise you made to our ancestors –
To Sarah and Abraham and their descendants forever.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home.

There is something strange that happens almost every time someone tries to tell me about a “religious experience” they’ve had.  They always begin with “You probably think I’m crazy, but…” or “I’m sure you won’t believe this, but…”

Such “beginnings” used to annoy me.  Of all the people in the world you ought to be able to talk to about a religious experience, your pastor should be one of them!  But then I discovered it isn’t just with pastors that people don’t feel comfortable talking about “God-experiences,” it’s with everyone!  We’re all afraid everyone will think we’re crazy!  That says more about how we view “religion” in America than it does about you personally.  Kind of strange, isn’t it, that America is “branded” as the land of religious Christians, yet few people in our culture feel comfortable talking even with their best friends about their personal experiences with God.

This week the Gospel story is about an angel of God appearing to Mary with a message that was 1) unbelievable!!!  and 2) “kind of crazy.”  For many today that message is still 1) unbelievable!!!  and 2) “kind of crazy,” especially if you try to “understand it rationally.”  But here’s the catch:

Spiritual experiences aren’t about ‘rationality’ they are about things of the spirit.  They are experiences of and with the Holy. They are not rational and they can’t be “proven” at least by our standards of “proof” today.

The story of the angel announcing the birth of the Christ Child to Mary is a spiritual experience.  It’s about a spiritual encounter Mary has with God.  It’s not rational.  It’s not believable.  It’s not ordinary.  But it is real.

There was a time in Christianity when religious experience was considered acceptable and normal—and yes, believable.  It was part of the practice of Christianity called “Celtic Spirituality.”  Celtic Christian spirituality taught that there were “thin places in our life experience where heaven and earth meet.”  That is, there are places in our life experience where we are absolutely close to God, and experience God in profound ways.

What happened that we lost this part of our faith?  J. Philip Newell, in his book, “Listening for the Heartbeat of God” explains what happened.

In the early Middle-ages (664 AD) a synod was convened by Oswy, king of Northumbria (Britain), in whose kingdom two Christian missions had clashed.  Essentially the conflict was between two spiritual perspectives or ways of seeing.  The Celtic mission, inspired by John, remembered him as the beloved disciple who leaned against Jesus at the Last Supper.  He had become an image of the practice of listening for the heartbeat of God.  This spirituality lent itself to listening for God at the heart of life.  The Roman mission, on the other hand, argued for the authority of Peter as the rock on which Christ had promised to build the Church.  He had become a symbol of faithful action and outward unity.  This spirituality favored a listening for God in the ordained teaching and life of the Church.  Oswy decided in favor of the Roman mission which became the authorized religion of the land, while the Celtic mission began its formal decline.

In other words, the power of the ordained clergy to tell people what their religious experience was supposed to be and what it meant, won out over our personal experience with God.  As we know today, that was not the best choice.

Mary’s experience with the Angel offers us a different kind of faith experience.  Mary’s experience is about “listening.”  Philip Newell talks about “listening” for God in these ways: “Listening for the Goodness,”  “Listening within Creation,” “Listening for God in All Things,” “Listening with Imagination,” “Listening and Acting.”

Just imagine how different our faith experience – our God-experience – would be if we allowed ourselves and trusted ourselves enough to really listen for God speaking to us!  This Sunday we will listen.  We will listen to ancient words, ever true.  Changing me.  Changing you.

We will listen for God speaking to me.  Speaking to you.

Advent Blessings,

Dan

This Sunday’s Scripture

Luke 1: 26-38

The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the child of God.

Six months later, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a young woman named Mary; she was engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. Upon arriving, the angel said to Mary, “Rejoice, highly favored one!  God is with you!  Blessed are you among women!”

Mary was deeply troubled by these words and wondered what the angel’s greeting meant.  The angel went on to say to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God.  You’ll conceive and bear a child and give him the name Jesus.  His dignity will be great, and he will be called the only begotten of God.  God will give Jesus the judgment seat of David, his ancestor, to rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his reign will never end.

Mary said, “How can this be, since I have never been with a man?”

The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you – hence the offspring to be born will be called the Holy One of God.  Know too that Elizabeth, your kinswoman, has conceived a child in her old age; she who was thought to be infertile is now in her sixth month.  Nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary said, “I am the servant of God.  Let it be done to me as you say.”

With that, the angel left her.

“Why it is so Hard to Make the Crooked Straight (so to speak)?”

I was still in high school, about 29 years ago, when I first felt the call to ministry.  It all sounds well, except for one roadblock: women were not allowed to be pastors and preach. Wide-eyed and naïve, I thought that when God calls one to ministry God will open the necessary doors to realize this divine calling. Straighten the path; prepare the way, so to speak. To become a pastor in the Reformed Church in South Africa, one has to first enroll in a Bachelors of Theology program, learn Greek and Hebrew, and then you are deemed ready to enter seminary – a seven year journey to prepare for ministry.  And so in order to answer God’s call on my life to serve as a pastor I enrolled in the BA Theology undergraduate program at the University of Pretoria in 1986.  All’s well so far, except it turns out it’s hard to make the crooked straight.

A week after graduating I married my now husband of twenty three years. At this stage I had to face reality.  Although the church opened ordination for women a year earlier, there was no real prospect for a call.  The church was still very much patriarchal. The sentiment was that female pastors would not be accepted or welcomed by congregations. Matters were further complicated by the fact that I was now married to a seminary student.  Clergy couples were unheard of in the South African context.  With a heavy heart I decided not to pursue ordination further and consequently did not attend seminary. By now realism and pessimism had set in. I could not foresee how I would be able to answer my call to serve as a pastor in the South African context.  So I did not enroll in seminary, did not pursue ordination as a pastor. Instead I walked away from God’s call on my life. I settled into my role as pastors’ wife and practiced ministry wherever women were allowed to practice it, as a volunteer of course.

When the Israelites were first taken away into exile, they naively thought they’d be back home within a few years. God will straighten the road; prepare the way, as the prophet Isaiah proclaimed. But one year after another passed. Then one decade after another. The dream to return home started to fade. They settled in, found work, made themselves at home, and married the locals.  The signs they were looking at were surely confusing. “I’m your God, I’ll take you home, I’ll prepare the way” – and seventy years later their children’s children are raising children in exile.

John the Baptist’s calling was to prepare the way for Jesus. The signs were surely confusing when Jesus came to Galilee to be baptized by John: as Jesus came up out of the water the Spirit of God descended on him and said: “This is my own, my beloved, on whom my favor rests.” But in the end, John literally lost his head for his effort to prepare the way, and Jesus ended up alone on a cross.

Why it is so hard to make the crooked straight?

We’ll talk more about this on Sunday,

Kobie

~ This Sunday’s Scriptures ~

Isaiah 40: 1-11

The prophet announces the coming of God.

“Console my people, give them comfort,” says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem’s heart, and tell it

that its misery has ended,

that its injustice is atoned for,

that it has received from God’s hand double punishment for all its sins.

A voice cries out:

“Clear a path through the wilderness for our God,

make a straight road through the desert for our God!

Every valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill shall be brought down and made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places as level as a plain.

And the glory of God shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of God has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry out!”

and I said, “What shall I say?”

All flesh is grass and its beauty is like the wildflowers:

the grass withers, and the flowers wilt,

but the promise of our God will stand forever.

Go up on a high mountain,

you who bring good news to Zion!

Shout with a loud voice,

you who bring good news to Jerusalem!

Shout without fear,

and say to the towns of Judah

“Here is your God!”

Our God comes with power and rules with a strong arm!

You, O God, bring your reward with you, and your reparation [the wages paid to a laborer] comes before you.

Like a shepherd you feed your flock,

gathering the lambs and holding them close,

You lead your flock like a mother [ewe], with gentleness.

Mark 1:1-8

Here begins the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: as it was written in the prophet Isaiah, “I send my messenger before you to prepare your way, a herald voice in the wilderness crying: ‘Prepare the way for our God. Clear a straight path.’” And so John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to John, and were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and he ate nothing but grasshoppers and wild honey. In the course of his preaching, John said “One more powerful than I is to come after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie his sandal straps. I have baptized you in water, but the One to come will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”

Giving is a miracle that can transform the heaviest of hearts.

Two people, who moments before lived in separate worlds of private concerns, suddenly meet each other over a simple act of sharing. The world expands, a moment of goodness is created, and something new comes into being where before there was nothing. . . .

But true giving is not an economic exchange; it is a generative act.

It does not subtract from what we have;

it multiples the effect we can have in the world.”

from Simple Truths by Kent Nerburn

~ This Sunday’s Scripture ~

Psalm 118

¹O give thanks to God, for God is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever!

R:  ¹O give thanks to God, for God is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever!
²Let Israel say,
‘God’s steadfast love endures forever.’
³Let the house of Aaron say,
‘God’s steadfast love endures forever.’
⁴Let those who fear God say,
‘God’s steadfast love endures forever.’

R:  ¹O give thanks to God, for God is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever!
⁵Out of my distress I called on God;
God answered me and set me in a safe place.
⁶With God on my side I do not fear. –
What can mortals do to me?
⁷God is on my side to help me;
⁸It is better to take refuge in God
than to put confidence in mortals.
⁹It is better to take refuge in God
than to put confidence in leaders of governments.

R:  ¹O give thanks to God, for God is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever!
²¹I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
²²The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
²³This is God’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day that God has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

R:  ¹O give thanks to God, for God is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever!
²⁶Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
We bless you from the house of God.
²⁸You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
R:  ¹O give thanks to God, for God is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever!

Hebrews 4: 16

“So let us confidently approach the throne of Grace

to receive mercy and favor, and find help in time of need.”