The Work of Christmas: Make Music in the Heart

 

Howard Thurman – American author, theologian, civil rights leader – wrote:

“When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among others, to make music in the heart.”

 

The work of Christmas sounds like the welcoming and building of kindom.

 

I don’t know how much energy you have as we enter into 2022. I suspect that some of us are weary and are living day-to-day, maybe hour-to-hour, preserving energy for ourselves and those close to us, for the jobs and tasks we have to do. Thinking about the kindom – the world made whole- is daunting, especially when we know that we are to have a hand in bringing God’s kindom near.

 

 The Christmas story reminds us that God chose to come and live among human beings in the circumstances of poverty, sickness, oppression, and instability. Jesus -the Word- came to bring good news to a weary world. These two centuries later the prophets’ words continue to be read, Jesus’ birth warms hearts, the wise men show commitment to the cause – the weary world takes notice of Emmanuel, God-with-us. As we enter into 2022, we are asked to go back to our everyday lives and begin the work of Christmas.

 

Honestly, I am weary, and as the end of 2021 came, I wondered what New Year’s resolutions or words of wisdom I had for myself.  Then Howard Thurman’s final phrase hit home – as something doable, achievable, enjoyable – make music in the heart.

Many of you have been preaching this to me over the past month!

I have enjoyed and been ministered to by people sharing with me music that nourishes their spirits. With the music comes a blessing of getting to know people more fully: their faith, feelings, and current wellbeing. Music shared has included:

Country songs that share a vision of kindom; Christmas carols that take one back to memories of youth and young faith; new Christmas songs that expand one’s understanding of Jesus; bagpipe airs that pull tears of mourning from the heart; concerts that move one to a new place where all is well; new hymns that allow listeners and singers to express recent history and circumstances; songs that are prayers too deep for words.

Often it is the music, not necessarily the words, that has the greatest affect. The music holds the listener in a safe place while exploring and expressing a wealth of emotions and sentiments; scary feelings and ideas we try to avoid. The music helps us work out feelings, memories, things we don’t even know we are worrying or thinking about. Music grounds us in the present and leaves us with more hope, with a stronger sense of who we are, and in the moment a wholeness of heart.

 

In the Christmas story there are lots of songs:  Zechariah sings a song on the naming day of John the Baptist, Mary sings a song at finding herself chosen to birth Jesus, the angels sing a song for the shepherds, Simeon sings a song at the sight of the Messiah.  The Gospel of Luke has these four songs as key components to the nativity story. The early church kept the songs and wrote them into the liturgies of the church. We know them as the Benedicta, the Magnificat, the Gloria, and the Nunc Dimittis.

The songs sung, praise and give thanks to God. In a time of poverty, sickness, oppression, and instability the singers express a welcome of hope born into the world, praise at the arrival of the Messiah, the coming of the kindom of God, and a possibility of wholeness for a weary world. The songs whisper to the human heart: hope, peace, love, joy.

 

Consider the pieces of music that whisper to your heart: songs that bring out the tears, songs that calm, songs that reset frayed nerves, songs that bring back good memories, songs that speak to faith, songs that affect your soul – that empower you, songs that feel so deep you can’t explain what it is about them that makes everything feel better; yes, those songs that have you stop and turn up the volume and listen with your whole being – the Word whispering hope, peace, love, joy.

Some of the songs that whisper the good news to me: on a frayed nerve day it is Tchaikovsky’s March Slave followed by the 1812 Overture, played loud through headphones; on days to evoke emotions like those I feel around remembrance, war, loss, faith, it is the hymn Eternal Saviour Strong to Save; on any day the good news is whispered to me in hymns set to the tune of Finlandia. And there are so many more.

Consider the pieces of music that whisper to your heart. Feel the feelings that the music leaves in your being. ‘That feeling’ is the music made in your heart.  It is God-with-us, the Spirit at work within, the Word whispering to you, good news to the very heart of you. 

This gift is not self-serving, when there is music in your heart, your being embodies the hope, the peace, the love, the joy of God-with-us – so that music flows, perhaps even sings, from you, to wash weariness from the world. This is the Word made flesh at work.

 

Yesterday, on the octave of Christmas- the church calendar marks the observance of the Name of Jesus; 8 days after birth would have been the traditional day when boys were named and circumcised.  Observing the day reminds us that we begin a New Year in the name of Jesus.

As we heard in John’s Gospel, Jesus is the Word. The New Year dawns in Jesus’ name. In our hearts is Jesus, the Word, who continually speaks – whispering – it is a new year, a fresh start for you to share the good news for the healing of the weary world.

Find the lost, heal the broken, feed the hungry, release the prisoner, rebuild the nations, bring peace among others, make music in the heart.

 

And perhaps, “make music in the heart,” is the starting point for all the rest to fall into place. If our hearts sing – whether sorrow or joy and every other emotion too- Jesus the Word will whisper and good news will be set free … from my heart to yours, from yours to theirs, from us to neighbour, from neighbour to enemy, from enemy to nation… one heart at a time until all are filled and weariness transforms to wholeness and peace.

#forthehealingoftheworld

Pieces of Coloured Glass - Camel #2

 

Matthew 2:1-3 tells us that “Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterwards, some men who studied the stars came from the east to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.””

 

These visitors, called the Magi, Three Kings, or Wise Men are often depicted as traveling on the backs of camels.  In the time of Jesus camels were widely used as livestock providing both meat and milk; their fur for textile production of fiber and felt; and for the transport of both passengers and cargo engaged in trade, travel, or war.

 

It may interest you to know that according to Wikipedia, the earliest camel appeared in North America 40 to 50 million years ago and was the size of a rabbit. The ancestor of modern camels migrated into Eurasia from North America over the Beringia land bridge between 7.5 and 6.5 million years ago. Superbly adapted to arid environments and amenable to domestication, the camel became intimately entwined with human cultures and greatly supported their development.

The stained-glass figure of the camel depicts a one-humped dromedary or Arabian Camel, the current species that is most common. She or he appears to be quite content.

Its burden has been laid down.

The arrival of the visitors searching for a king represents the introduction of Jesus to the wider world. And his message of love and forgiveness has given relief to countless people burdened by the weight of guilt, hate, and the fear of death.

 

Let us pray that we will recognize the burdens that we carry and lay them down.

Let us be like the camel, putting our lives to good use for the benefit of that which is beyond ourselves.

Let us be vehicles to share the love in our hearts and the teachings of our faith.                                                                                         

                                             -----Peace be with you, Cathy Crouse

Pieces of Coloured Glass - Wise man #2

 

On Giving Gifts 

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” - 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

 

Perhaps now, more than ever, the significance of this passage may hit close to home. The world appears splintered and fragmented, with confusion and pressures seemingly feeding an ever-growing divisiveness. Indeed, fear and uncertainty encourage closure. However, what manner of resolution should these circumstances inspire? Those who have much may opt to give material gain, however, the essence of God’s blessings is universal in its affect. After all, a candle loses nothing by lighting another.

Perhaps giving time, talents, and resources in openness and without reservation is worthy of consideration. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). Matthew has written “freely you have received, freely given” (Mathew 10:8). And a cheerful giver is blessed with what they truly require. Gifts from God are truly the treasures of Heaven. Surely, where such treasure lies, the heart will also be.

Seeds that are not sown become potential that cannot be reaped. Perhaps, under such conditions, it is conceivable to consider such potential as stagnancy. Our gifts from God are our special ways to participation in creation and so too are these seeds the gifts of God. Small and delicate at the start, but when nurtured, they grow magnificently. Grow these gifts to their fullest and return unto creation that which has been freely given unto you.

Such an act is a glorious form of participation. One that contributes to the Kingdom of God in Heaven on Earth. Perhaps it is more important now than ever that we give our gifts, without reluctance or coercion and free of fear and manipulation. Giving in generosity, and genuinely to creation and to each other. Give unto others what God has graciously inspired within you. In the most trying of times, these gifts are at their most significant value.

When the going gets tough, the tough get giving.

                                                 ---Christopher Swiatoniowski

Pieces of Coloured Glass - Wiseman #1

 

The Ancient Art Form of Travelling

 

Maps have changed over the years, especially when we are mapping out a journey or a “vacation route.” The Wise Men used a star. We use GPS. For me, it is not always how you get there, but what you have a give upon arrival. And what is the gift that you carry on the journey that will surprise someone when you arrive?

 

John O’Donohue in his book,

 To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, writes:

 

A journey can become a sacred thing:

 Make sure, before you go,

 To take the time

 To bless your going forth,

To free your heart of ballast

So that the compass of your soul

Might direct you toward

 Territories of spirit

Where you will discover

More of the hidden life,

And the urgencies

That deserve to claim you.....

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,

 And live your time away to its fullest;

Return home more enriched, and free

To balance the gift of days which call you.

 

 

This Advent-Christmas-Epiphany Season we are Travellers, Sojourners. Wisdom seeks us, grows in us, along the way. At the conclusion we present ourselves as the gift, the gift-giver and the recipient. Our hearts are opened to receiving the Christ Child. Bless our journeys along the Advent-Christmas trail. May we arrive at the manger lighter, refreshed, renewed and at peace. Amen.

                                                                                                            -Pastor Jim Anderson

Pieces of Coloured Glass: The Nativity

 

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord. –Psalm 96: 11-12

 

I have two snapshots of memory connected to crafting in stained-glass:

In snapshot one:  I am looking through a number of shoeboxes that contain pieces of stained-glass sorted by colour. The boxes I remember have one with browns, some with creamy swirls, and another with various hues and textures of yellow.

I am looking for pieces to use in the craft project of the day.

In snapshot two: I have strips of metal ribbon which I am carefully folding over the edges of the glass pieces I have chosen and cut to shape. The pieces are then ready to solder together.

I have these two snapshots and that’s all.

I do not remember where or when this experience took place, who I was with, or what I was making.

In essence my memory is twofold:  the pleasure of sifting through the beautiful pieces of glass with their rich colours and textures; and the care it took to wrap the sharp edges in metal foil. 

 

Through Advent congregation members have been introducing the pieces of stained-glass art that make up this Nativity Scene. The community has experienced each piece in the words of a unique perspective and in fresh voices. Tonight, as we gather around the Nativity, I witness a collection of broken fragments and sharp-edged pieces, lovingly chosen, carefully wrapped; then soldered together to create a whole beautiful scene.

 

This beautiful scene is an adventure in discovery and wonder: it is ever-changing in mood and nuances as the spectrum of night and day -sunshine and cloud and candlelight- passes over it.  Shadows lengthen and there is a shift in perception. As new figures are added the pieces move and tell a different side of the story. The unexpected, whether the palm trees and star, the expression and stance of the donkey, the lack of shepherds or angels, remind us of the Mystery around this night.

 

This journey with pieces of coloured glass has helped me calm and put into perspective some of my fears, doubts, disappointments, and griefs of 2021. In a year when plans have been shattered, where hope is fragmented, and one finds themself and the world in a place of brokenness--- bearing witness to these pieces of shattered, fragmented, and broken glass, coming together in wholeness and beauty – is a parable to reignite hope, peace, joy, and love. This is the gift of tonight.

The good news born for us this day is that Emmanuel, God-with-us, draws pieces of glass – the broken, the shattered, the fragments – of life, of the world, of people, or ourselves TOGETHER; and in so doing brings wholeness and beauty.  Stained-glass nativity takes broken pieces and births wholeness.

 

 

Worker of stained-glass,

You hand chose the broken, shattered, and fragmented to bear witness

to the message of God-with-us.

You wrap our sharp edges and solder us together

to bring wholeness and beauty to a hurting world.

Together may we experience and proclaim hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen.

 

                                                          -----Kimber McNabb

Pieces of Coloured Glass - Mary and Child

 

I’ve always liked the image of advent as a journey. As we journey through the advent season, we encounter many stages: anticipation, preparation, celebration, and reflection, among others. The advent and Christmas stories consist of many physical journeys as well: the wise men travelling from afar, angels descending from the heavens, and Mary and Joseph travelling by donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

When I see this beautiful stained-glass portrait of Mary and baby Jesus, I can’t help but think about the unexpected journey that brought Mary to Bethlehem to give birth to the Christ Child in a stable. She must have experienced so many different emotions- overwhelm and confusion, but also joy and awe.

I think the past two years or so have brought all of us on our own unexpected journeys, often with a mixture of emotions. This past year I moved from Toronto to Calgary for work- a move that I wouldn’t have imagined a year ago. While I’ve also felt overwhelmed and confused by a new city and a new job, this journey has also brought unexpected joys and opportunities for reflection.

As we journey through advent, perhaps we can all reflect on the journeys that we’ve experienced over the past year- the challenges that have enabled growth and learning, and the unexpected joys that we’ve experienced as well. 

Below I’ve chosen a scripture reading about trusting the Lord on our journeys (Proverbs 3:1-6), and The Journey Prayer, as we pray for guidance on our journey through the advent season and beyond.

                                                                                                -Elizabeth Polvi

Scripture

Proverbs 3:1-6 (New Living Translation) 

3 My child,^[a] never forget the things I have taught you.
    Store my commands in your heart.
² If you do this, you will live many years,
    and your life will be satisfying.
³ Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
    Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
    Write them deep within your heart.
⁴ Then you will find favor with both God and people,
    and you will earn a good reputation.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Prayer

The Journey Prayer

Originally from the Carmina Gadelica III, 179


 

God, bless to me this day,


God bless to me this night;


Bless, O bless, Thou God of grace,


Each day and hour of my life;


Bless, O bless, Thou God of grace,


Each day and hour of my life.

 

God, bless the pathway on which I go,


God, bless the earth that is beneath my sole;


Bless, O God, and give to me Thy love,


O God of gods, bless my rest and my repose;


Bless, O God, and give to me Thy love,


And bless, O God of gods, my repose.

Pieces of Coloured Glass - Camel #1

 

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:25

 

Like a silhouetted night scene of traveling magi on camels or camels simply resting in the manger's field of view, the splendour of the stained glass camel conveys a peaceful depiction of Christmas.  But were there camels around Bethlehem?  Well, the above photo is a family picture circa 1989 on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt.  This was six months before my daughter Holly was born so it brings me joy. Cairo is also just under 600km from Bethlehem. One could feel safe in saying camels roamed the area.

Yet finding a documented camel connection specifically to Christmas, good luck! Suzy (church puppet) would have a field day with Pastor figuring out where a camel fits into the nativity and /or Epiphany.  Etched in our minds from each Christmas season is the nativity whether it’s a picture, a town creche, or in treasured figures on the mantle or under our Christmas tree.  We visualize a stable or a manger with a focus on baby Jesus, with Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and the magi. We also picture a host of animals including sheep, cows and yes, camels. Yet in Christmas scripture passages amplified by our favourite carols, while cattle lowed, angels heralded and the magi brought gifts, camel humps got bumped.

Let's return to Mark's passage and reflect on it in the context of the angels - 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.'  We aren't in want of smaller camels or larger eyes of needles; camels aren't scooting through the eye of a needle anytime soon.  All the more reason for those of us who are able to share our blessings and bestow glad tidings with the community to do so from the heart.

Dad joke - What was the three wisemen's favorite carol?  “Oh camel ye faithful”

                                      -----Flemming Rasmussen

God: Weathered, Wrinkled, and Textured

 On those days when scrolling for something – anything- to bring a little joy, a little hope, the comfort of distraction, seems like a good idea… I go to Pinterest. One of my favourite scrolling topics is ‘old doors.’ I also love to come across old doors still in use when out walking or repurposed in peoples’ homes.

 

Old doors are fascinating: painted with many different coloured layers of oil-based paint, perhaps a layer or two of stain in between. Each door patinas over time in its own unique pattern.  The paint gets cracked by cold weather, peeled by water, and curled in on its edges by hot sun. In places the paint is chipped and worn down to the wood. Each crack shows different colours of paint. The wood has dents and divots, while the doorknob tarnishes and is polished depending on where it has been touched.

 

The beauty of the old door can not be replicated, and it can not be rushed.

Designers have various techniques to distress wood doors and furniture to make them look like they are old… but the new-made-to-look-old items pale in comparison to that which has weathered, wrinkled, and textured by an accumulation of experiences.

 

I recently finished reading and reflecting on a book by Canadian photographer Freeman Patterson. He has many photos of old doors and windows and abandoned rooms. In his book, “the Odyssey” he wrote: “Many religious groups … main enterprise is offering the ‘ultimate cosmetic’ --- life everlasting--- to people who feel unable or unwilling to cope with cracks and wrinkles they encounter in their lives on Earth.”

 

This gave me pause.

To think that ‘life everlasting’ is offering an ‘ultimate cosmetic’ – the idea that it matters not what happens here because some day in the next life, at the time of the Second Coming, bodies are transformed to glory, everything is new and beautiful, filled with peace, no pain, no dying.  My main enterprise – a Lutheran understanding- is not offering the ‘ultimate cosmetic,’ – the oft longed-for fountain of youth.

My experience is that church community is about the enterprise of the weathered, the wrinkled, and the textured. It is about welcome and belonging, just as we are, refugees, weary travelers, faith-seekers. It is my experience that God is found when I am most vulnerable: in suffering, in grief, in heart-ache. It is not the glory of later, it is in the ashes of now where hope and love grow, and where God’s kindom comes. Now, not tomorrow.

 

One need not sing very many Advent or Christmas carols before realizing that whatever joy, peace, hope, comfort, we find in them, the words and message are wrought with images of Jesus’ last days and his death, death on a cross.  This is not ‘glory’ as a cosmetic. This is real life wrestling with life’s purpose, mission, vocation, and being willing to love so much that one comes to a place where they are willing to die for another. 

Advent and Christmas hold the tensions experienced in life, and particularly focus on the risk of hoping and the risk of loving.  Hope and love are not feelings that grow overnight, not items that can be purchased. Hope and love require an accumulation of experience, of risk-taking. 

 

There is a story of a young person who posts all over social media how beautiful they are and that they have the most beautiful heart in world. The pics on Instagram have a gleaming, shiny, and strong heart for everyone to see. One day the young person is at an influencer’s event, showing off this magnificent heart. There is a crowd that has gathered to take selfies with the influencer and the heart.   A member of the security staff – a retired commissioner- has had enough of the fool-heartedness. Removing their security jacket, the retired commissioner walks to the centre of the crowd and looking at the young influencer, pulls out their heart.  The crowd gasps and steps back.  The heart is worn.  It is lumpy and dripping and not keeping a steady beat. There are scars and bruises and holes. The commissioner says, “This is a beautiful heart.”

 The crowd asks, “How is that beautiful, compared to the glow and perfect beating of the other heart?”  The commissioner draws in a breathe and begins to explain: “This biggest hole is from when my spouse died, part of my love went with them; this scare is the aftermath of harsh words spoken to a once-friend; this black bruise is a matter of forgiveness that I am still working on; these lumpy patches are promises that have been made to me and that I have made to others, that have not been kept; these marks are the times I loved and it was not received; these pinpricks are the helplessness I have when I am unable to help another…”  The commissioner went on and the crowd became ever more silent.

When finished speaking the commissioner was in tears and whispered, “The beauty of the heart accumulates through loving.”  With that the commissioner took out a piece of their heart, walked to the young influencer and placed it into their heart; risking the first mark of love  - the first texture- on that heart.  And then, having shared love, walked away.

 

Weathered, wrinkled, textured.

 

Our text this morning opens a door to a beautiful story that is weathered, wrinkled, and textured. It is one of few scripture texts that passes what is called the Bechdel-Wallace test, named after the cartoonist Alison Bechdel who assessed the role of women in cultural narratives. To pass the test, two or more women have to be named and have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. Here Mary and Elizabeth are named and have a conversation. For three months they are together: weathering pregnancy, watching the formation of stretch marks, experiencing textures of emotions; waiting with expectation and perhaps fear for all that will come to pass. Motherhood, parenthood, is weathering, wrinkling, and texturing of life.

 

 

In the final days of Advent, when I encounter an old door, I am going to pause and reflect on the beauty to be found in the accumulation of experience, in the risk of loving, in stretch marks, in wrinkles, in silvery-white hair… in natural patinas…

And I will wonder:

Has this old door witnessed the leaping of a child in the womb? Women filled with the Holy Spirit? Women talking about God? Has this old door felt joy from those who passed through its threshold? Has it heard the singing of rejoicing? Was it ever slammed in the face of the proud, did it welcome the hungry to be filled with good things, or close behind the rich leaving empty handed? Behind the door do the residents live secure and in peace? Has this old door been a witness to love?

 

Has this old door experienced God – love- in the weathered, the wrinkled, and the textured?  Does it know that it is beautiful?

Pieces of Coloured Glass - The Star

 

 

“What hope we hold this starlit night;

a King is born in Bethlehem

Our journey long, we seek the light

that leads to the hallowed manger ground?”

“Emmanuel”

 

            Stars have been used by many as a means of navigation for many centuries before technology. Sailors in Newfoundland relied on them on their journeys to find their way home when the waters were ferocious and uncertain.

 

            The Star of Bethlehem leads the wise men and their servants on a long treacherous journey from the East (Parthia and Persia). There was a risk in their visit to Herod to discover where the “newborn King” was found since even mentioning another King was dangerous. The star leads them onward and stops where Emmanuel rests and they deliver their gifts to the King. Does the star stay after the wise men leave? Or does it guide them on another path home? The Gospel does not say.

 

            Faith journeys can also be like the sea at times: vast, tempestuous at times, and uncertain. Yet God is always present, like the Bethlehem star, showing us the way in times of fear and struggle if we only look to God.

 

God of guidance,

You gave the wise men a star to follow on the long and winding way to Bethlehem to witness to Emmanuel. Help us to place our trust in you on our own journey in faith, even when the way is long and uncertain. Amen.  

                                                         -----Victoria Featherston

Pieces of Coloured Glass - Joseph

 

As part of our Advent season, we are taking a moment to reflect on the season, and I was asked to share a devotion on what the Nativity and the members of the Holy Family mean to me. Today let us take a moment to reflect on the role that Joseph played in that Family.

 

Little is mentioned in scripture about Joseph or the role he played in the Holy Family. We can assume that he was a kind and loving husband and father. We know he was a carpenter; and that he was betrothed or engaged to Mary when he found that she was with child.  He stood by her and continued to provide Mary and the newborn Jesus with a stable and loving home. He adapted to a difficult situation and stayed with Mary when many would have not.

 

Amid this pandemic, we have all had to adapt. One thing I have learned, is that more than anything, we must remember Jesus’ greatest command, to Love your Neighbor as Yourself. In other words, treat everyone you meet as Family. This is something that most of us do naturally, but it may challenge us in these trying times. Taking a moment to wish someone well becomes a normal reaction during the Holidays but it is something I try to do everyday.  I hope that this year, we can all spend some valuable time with the ones we love.

 

Let us take a moment to spread some Christmas Joy to Our Community

Pray for those who are Alone, Forgotten, or in Need of Warmth, Food, or Shelter.

Remember those who are no longer with us and help us to make our world a little bit Brighter.

 

May the Holidays bring you comfort, and Joy

                                                                                  ------ Kevin Stanton

Pieces of Coloured Glass - Palm Tree #2

 

 

 

 

"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar on Lebanon."
Psalm 92:12

 

The straight palm tree signifies all that is wondrous about the manger scene in Bethlehem.
In Middle Eastern culture, the palm tree signified victory - we remember the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as the crowds laid palm leaves down before Him - along with peace and eternal life.

 

 

With its crown of healthy green leaves and its strong, straight trunk that points towards heaven, this vigorous palm tree is a symbol of power and righteousness as it stands next to the manger.
But where is the victory in this humble manger, with only some straw, a few farm animals, a weary, pregnant woman and her exhausted husband and a companion palm that has been bent by the power of the wind?

For Christians, that is the best part.

For this tiny baby born on Christmas Day signifies power, triumph, peace and eternal life: the power of God, the triumph of hope and a promising future over the hardship suffered by Mary and Joseph, and the peace and eternal life that humankind longs for.
All we can hope for delivered in the form of a newborn in a simple manger, a thriving palm tree as His sentinel.

It is wondrous, indeed.

God in heaven, in this season of Advent, keep fresh in our hearts the power, joy and celebration inspired by the image of this helpless infant who triumphs over ignorance, pain, adversity and evil and brings us into your everlasting peace and the hope of eternal life. Amen.

                                                                                                            -Claire McIlveen

The Importance of Llama Spit! - Advent 3

Philippians 4: 4-7 and Luke 3: 7-18 

While on my internship in Sault Ste Marie, ON, a parishioner invited me to spend a Sunday afternoon with her. She took me to a local animal rescue and farm just outside the city. It was jacket weather and an overcast day.  I chose to wear my flannel lined slicker… and am I ever glad I did!

In an open farmyard, people were invited to walk around with the animals – goats, chickens, geese, cats, dogs, and llamas.  How very exciting! I made friends with a llama, well I thought I had. I approached slowly, hand out. The llama looked so soft and woolly; I really wanted to pet it, hug it around the neck.   I drew close, turned, and smiled at the woman who had brought me, then turned back to the llama …. as it sneezed… well that is being kind; it spat on me.  I was so thankful to have the slicker on, as green grassy goo ran down my front.  And SMELL!

Llama spit stinks!

As I was preparing to preach, this story came to my mind. John the Baptist reminds me of a llama – he was said to be dressed in a hair garment after all.  I think connect John to a llama because what comes out of his mouth is unexpectedly hurled at the crowd.  If words could smell, -John’s words-, John’s spit-  stinks!

 

Brood of vipers!  Brood of snakes! he points at the crowd who has come to the river in the desert. Every bit a prophet, he warns them that the current path of the people – the path they are on- is destructive leading nowhere but to judgement and death.  John's harsh words call the people to return to the ways of God. But there is something behind the venom in the voice, the heavy speech -it is not just llama spit in the desert. Surprisingly the crowd is intrigued, engaged, and wanting more; they ask what then should we do?

Unless one was prepared to repent and change by following the direct instruction given by John- would his message not “leave a bad taste in the mouth.” And yet, that is not what the Gospel of Luke records.  The crowd is not disgusted or put-off. The crowd is expectant wondering if John is the Messiah.

The gospel notes that John’s words gave strength and heart to the crowd.

The Message! The Good News! was proclaimed.

 

Texts like this have me seconding guessing my tendencies and nature.  I am not a spitting llama – that actually kind of grosses me out!  Every so often a pastor will have someone ask them, usually in a tongue and cheek manner, “Isn’t it time for a little fire and brimstone from the pulpit?”  When I have been asked this, I am not sure what the person is asking or half-joking about. Is it a need to be drawn in by a charisma? A need to be told what to do? A wanting to be shocked or emotionally riled up – to feel something? To hear passion and stated truth? To not have to invest time in considering one’s part in the coming kindom of God, rather be given a check list to follow? Is it a feeling of wanting to be scolded to assuage guilt, or a need to be challenged? I don’t know.

Perhaps people are challenging the pastor to be direct and shepherd a community with proactive leadership; llama spit – where leadership passionately infuses the crowd – the church community- with words and actions that to some will leave a bad taste in their mouth. This is work we are all called to, to preach the message, the good news, and to do it without thought to the consequences or acceptance by those who come to the desert.

What if the venom, the ‘you brood of vipers’ speech, is each of us confronting the crowd that is in the wilderness? When I say crowd I think neighbours, family, friends, or perhaps a bold announcement in the centre of the food court at the mall---  you brood of vipers, snakes, telling people bluntly to get their butts to a faith community.

Go to church. Go to synagogue. Go to mosque.  That would be llama spit!

 

Why does that approach sound uncomfortable and drastic? It should be easy enough. Go to church.

In today’s world, consider that the church is the wilderness, the unknown- to the people, a desert where prophets like John proclaim the good news. It is a place that offers water and baptism, a call to repentance and change… and points to the One whose power working among us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

 

As I read the story of the crowd around John the Baptist, I wonder why they did not turn away, why they were not disgusted?  What was it in his words that gave strength to their hearts.  The people were interested and engaged. Interested –because in all his venom, John admitted  ‘it is not about me’- it is about One who is greater than me; greater than you; greater than us; the One who is coming will (as Eugene Petersen translates the passage into language of this time) ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. … The One will place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false will be put out with the trash to be burned.

 

A crowd focused on the One greater than itself, is a crowd expectantly waiting for the One.  A crowd of individuals each with their own specific task to do … if fortune has given you 2 coats give one away, share your food; to others with good pay be satisfied with your wage; in matters of business take only what you are to take. These actions as described by John for each person don’t bring the One or draw the kindom closer.  It takes the individual actions of a wholly engaged expectant crowd to bring the kindom near.

As the coming of the One draws near, may we be bold in assembling in this wilderness, an expectant crowd. The bigger the crowd, the sooner the One will appear and the coming of the kindom will follow.