PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION As we retrace your steps through Holy Week, Jesus, open our ears and our hearts to hear and receive your Word that it might change us. Amen. OLD TESTAMENT LESSONS Zechariah 9:9-11, NLT Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey-- riding on a donkey’s colt. 10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon. Psalm 37:11, NLT but the humble will possess the land and enjoy prosperity and peace. Isaiah 62:11-12, GNT Isaiah 62:11-12, NCV 11 The Lord is speaking to all the faraway lands: “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your Savior is coming. He is bringing your reward to you; he is bringing his payment with him.’” 12 His people will be called the Holy People, the Saved People of the Lord, and Jerusalem will be called the City God Wants, the City God Has Not Rejected. GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 21:1-11, NRSV When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” SERMON Jesus Risked Entering Jerusalem Maybe you don’t usually think of Lent and particularly Holy Week as a parade, a pilgrimage possibly but not a parade. Yet Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem does feel like a parade, with Jesus riding into the city followed by his disciples, perhaps more friends with them, and crowds of townspeople and travelers lining the streets shouting and waving branches. Did you know this wasn’t the only grand entrance into the city that day? Pontius Pilate was also arriving with his entourage to take charge of the city during the Jewish Festival of Passover, one of three festivals that required coming to the Temple in Jerusalem for sacrifice and worship. It was a crowded time in the capital of Judea. Pilate’s parade would have been a show of force to remind the Jews that this land was Roman territory and not a free state. I found a sermon by Terry Gau that describes it this way: Gates open and the procession begins. Thousands line the street, throwing flowers and laurels, waving madly, reaching to touch power as it passes them. Security guards watch the crowd for dissidents, agitators, and zealots, intent on doing harm. The man coming through the gate sits tall in the saddle, looking every bit the champion he is meant to be. A mantle of authority rests easily on his shoulders as he climbs higher to the center of the city, taking his rightful place as lord protector of this people. Jesus and Pilate, what contrasting images of power and authority! One is a teacher; one is a governor. They represent entirely different ideologies. The teacher embodies God as Suffering Servant filled with Compassion for all people. The governor symbolizes the law of the empire, backed by military might to keep the people in line. Jesus is viewed as the potential liberator of the Jews, especially as they remember Moses leading them out of slavery in Egypt; they hope Jesus will free them from Roman occupation. Pilate is there to remind them that they are not free to do as they please, that they are an occupied nation, and need to abide by Roman law, that practicing their faith is a present privilege without future guarantees. Two parades in one city on the same day. Two men whose influence and conflicting purposes will clash with the help of a high priest and his cronies who don’t want their own influence and authority to come to an end. We’ll take a closer look at Matthew’s gospel account of the story. But first let’s note that all four gospels tell their own version of that day. Some of the details will be in common; other details will be unique. Amy–Jill Levine writes, “No one Gospel can tell the full story, and each should be savored for the story it tells.” (p. 22) While her book Entering the Passion of Jesus focuses this chapter on Matthew, she encourages us to read the accounts in the rest of the gospels on our own not just to compare, but to seek the richness of all the detailed perspectives. One of the things we will gain from Professor Levine is a greater awareness of the historic Jewish background to our New Testament stories of Holy Week. Matthew especially writes for a Jewish audience and from a Jewish perspective. This Gospel quotes Old Testament scriptures more often than the others. Jesus has come to Jerusalem with his disciples for Passover, as have Jews from as far away as Athens, Rome, or Babylon, everywhere Jews lived. The city is bursting at the seams with guests. Jesus has been here many times for the various festivals. John’s Gospel mentions Passover in John 2, Shavuot which we call Pentecost in John 5, and the Festival of Dedication we know as Hanukkah in John 10. Jesus has made friends in the area, among them Martha, Mary and Lazarus at nearby Bethany. On this occasion, there are meaningful messages in Jesus’ mode of entering the city, not just as one of many coming on foot but in a manner others would recognize as the entrance of a significant person. As they approached the city, Jesus sent two of the disciples into a village to untie a donkey and her colt and bring them to him. Don’t be alarmed; this is not a theft. Jesus seems to know exactly where they will be tied and that the owner will be glad to loan them when told “The Lord has need of them.” (Matthew 21:3) Professor Levine’s suggestion that these animals belonged to one of Jesus’ local friends makes perfect sense to me. (p. 23) As Matthew’s Gospel quotes the prophecy we read earlier from Zechariah: 5 “Tell the city of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Matthew 21:5 from Zechariah 9:9) If we look at the rest of that prophecy, if Matthew’s readers knew it, or if the Jews in Jerusalem that day remembered it, we find more to the meaning of arriving on a donkey as found in Zechariah 9:9. Verse 10 speaks of removing weapons and bringing peace. Verse 11 refers to the covenant God made with his people, sealed in blood. That reference is loaded with meaning.
Let’s look further at the poetry in Zechariah 9:9.
I like the way Professor Levine sums up the contribution of these Old Testament prophecies to our image of Jesus who comes as King: Jesus is “a king who does not lord it over others, but who takes his place with those who are suffering…a king who is righteous rather than violent…a king who is strong in faith, not armed to the teeth.” (p.28-29) As Jesus arrived, the crowd lined the streets shouting their welcoming words of praise. They used words from Psalm 118, the finale of the Hallel psalms 113-118 used for this and other major festivals, which we may also use liturgically on Palm Sunday or Easter. Hallel means “to praise” as Hallelujah means “Praise to God!” or “Praise the Lord!” (Levine, p. 33) You’ll recognize these words not only as we use them on Palm Sunday, but also as we sing part of the Great Thanksgiving when we celebrate Holy Communion.
This story contains the longings of God’s people for salvation, for freedom. Yes, they wanted freedom from the military occupation and Roman rule of Jesus’ day. It is also true when we look at the story theologically that Jesus came to offer freedom from the slavery of sin just as Moses delivered the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. But there are other freedoms God’s people seek desperately in any age. Professor Levine suggests, “From sin, yes. But also, from pain, from despair, from loneliness, from poverty, from oppression. We are all in need of some form of salvation. Indeed, the idea of salvation for most of the Scriptures of Israel is not about spiritual matters, but physical ones.” (p.33) Every one of us has stood in need of salvation in one form or another. How will we respond to what Jesus offers? Will we let the parade pass us by? Or will we join the throng in shouts of praise and prayers for salvation? What then? Will we go home with a happy memory but back to our dismal lives? Or will we try to live into that kingdom our Savior ushers into our world? Will we live into the “procession of justice, of compassion, of peace, or a vision of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom as God wants it to be?” (Levine, p. 34) As we celebrate that ancient parade, we have a choice about how we intend to live. The passage ends with this identification of Jesus. “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:11) It hints back to Deuteronomy 18:18 as Moses says farewell to his people before his death and their entrance to the Promised Land. God promised this to Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.” Matthew has set up this scene wanting his audience to be reminded of both Moses and King David as they listen to Jesus’ story. We needed a little more help to see the connections. Just as Jesus must face conflict with Jewish leaders and Pilate, so Moses faced it with Pharaoh and with his own siblings Miriam and Aaron, so David faced it not only with Goliath, but with King Saul and eventually his own son, Absalom. “Crowds are fickle” (Levine, p. 36) “Hosanna!” will turn to “Crucify Him!” The parade into Jerusalem will be lost in the dust and replaced by the slow walk carrying a cross to Golgotha just outside the city. Amy-Jill Levine puts it honestly, “The Triumphal Entry cannot be separated from the cross, and the cross cannot be separated from the call of justice. And that call cannot be separated from risk, personal, professional, permanent.” (p. 36) Herod the Great killed baby boys for two years, as well as members of his own family, because he was afraid of the prophecy that a child born in Bethlehem would grow up to be king. Herod Antipas killed John the Baptist, because this popular and vocal teacher threatened his authority and his happy home. Caiaphas, the High Priest would make sure Rome killed Jesus, because Caiaphas’ priestly authority was threatened by the rabbi from Galilee. Taking up God’s just cause is a dangerous business, and it will take Jesus to the cross. Yet Jesus accepted that risk, knew what would happen, and chose not to save his own life but to save ours. The story begs us to reflect, what then are we willing to suffer and risk for the cause of Christ, for God’s justice to rule in our world today? John’s Gospel version of this story is the only one that specifically names the branches being cut down and waved or laid at Jesus’ feet as palms. Palms in Jewish tradition are not a Passover reference, the Festival background to this story. Palms belong to another Festival, Sukkot, in the Fall harvest season. Even today Jews build booths for Sukkot to remind them of their heritage as nomads when the rescued Hebrews wandered in the wilderness. As part of their worship during Sukkot Jews wave branches of date palm, willow, and myrtle held together in their hand following the festival commandment in Leviticus 23. Sukkot is the setting for the Zechariah 9 passage foretelling the humble king who will come riding on a donkey. Zechariah continues in chapter 12:10, “I will pour out on David’s family and the people in Jerusalem a spirit of kindness and mercy. They will look at me, the one they have stabbed, and they will cry like someone crying over the death of an only child. They will be as sad as someone who has lost a firstborn son.” In 14:16, “16 Everyone who is left from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will come every year to worship the king, the Lord of Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths.” The actions and words of the Passover crowds as Jesus entered Jerusalem, already anticipated the survival and return of those who would celebrate the Festival of Booths. Between these Festivals there will be a time of grieving as God’s own Son, David’s Son is killed for our sake. But amid that sorrow God will pour out on God’s people mercy and compassion. All these themes, our own call to action, and even risk are all present in one not so simple story of a man, Jesus, riding into town on a donkey. We read that story and learn the deeper meanings behind it not just for its own sake, but for what it might say to us today. Where in our world does Jesus come in festive procession to offer the hope of freedom for all God’s people? Where does the Gospel take risks today? Where are you in the story? Are you standing along the sidelines? Are you shouting “Hosanna,” Lord, please save us? Are you following behind Jesus as one of the faithful, knowing you put everything at risk to do so? Where will you be when the rest of the story walks slowly toward Golgotha? Will you in your own life take up your cross of suffering and risk to follow him? These are the questions Lent challenges us to ask ourselves. Today, let us offer our prayers and our praise, our Hosannas to Jesus our King, but let us not forget that Jesus invites us to follow him all the way to the cross and beyond to the freedom of a new Promised Land. PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Familiar passages may seem too easy to us, O God, but as we hear your Word fresh and new, may we understand what you would speak to our hearts this day. GOSPEL LESSON Luke 10:38-42, NCV 38 While Jesus and his followers were traveling, Jesus went into a town. A woman named Martha let Jesus stay at her house. 39 Martha had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. 40 But Martha was busy with all the work to be done. She went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. 42 Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her.” SERMON Martha & Mary of Bethany It’s a familiar story, but it’s not the only story in which these two sisters appear. Not everything I reviewed this week made sense to me. One of the Bible studies had events out of order or made assumptions for which I couldn’t find a basis. That’s part of the problem when we consider familiar stories. We get to the point that we don’t remember for sure what the original story was and where the embellishments were added. Some of that will come up as we consider Mary and Martha today. But we also want to consider what lessons they have for us these 2,000 years after their stories took place. As I pondered their story after my coaching call on Friday, I realized we often interpret Mary and Martha’s story in Luke 10 as Jesus scolding Martha for choosing the wrong thing. It suddenly occurred to me that the text doesn’t actually say that. Jesus doesn’t make any judgment on what Martha does best, her hosting and serving duties, running the household and especially the kitchen. What Jesus does chide Martha for is her expectation that Mary should be more like Martha. Truth be told, “should” is not a polite word applied to ourselves or to anyone else. It is a word of judgement, and you already know the Bible teaches that only God has the right to judge humankind. Jesus recognizes that Martha is distracted by her to do list, by her should list. I think it might make Jesus sad that Martha is so worried about serving her company that she can’t take time to enjoy her company, but he doesn’t scold her for it. Where he draws the line is when Martha wants to deny Mary that privilege. Jesus has welcomed Mary into the conversation circle usually occupied only by men in that culture and time. Mary is seated in a place where her love and respect for Jesus is obvious, at his feet. Jesus won’t let that spot or opportunity be taken from her. Each woman honored Jesus and demonstrated their love and devotion for him, according to her own personality. Martha was a doer; Mary was a listener. Both are significant. Both are needed. Each of us needs to find a proper balance for listening and doing in our own lives. No matter how much you love to study or meditate, sooner or later you have to do the dishes and take out the trash. No matter how well you keep your house or cook, you need to find some time to read your Bible and pray. But we generally lean in one direction or the other. I think Jesus accepted that in these women and wanted them to accept that in each other. While we are visiting their home as we ponder this passage, let’s take a look at the family. We have three siblings who apparently live together. Martha and Mary are named here. In John’s gospel we also find Lazarus as their brother. Parents and spouses are never mentioned for any of them, so it seems a fair guess that their parents are no longer living, and none of them have married. We do not know the ages of the family members, but John McArthur speculates they are younger than Jesus which would put them in their late 20s perhaps, since his ministry began at 30. Martha appears to be oldest, the Head of Household, because the scripture indicates that this is her house and that she is the one who extended the invitation to Jesus. Like the women we mentioned last week who supported Jesus out of their own funds, we have another woman with the means to sustain herself, even a family and offer hospitality to guests. Interestingly, Martha’s name in Aramaic means Lady or Mistress, so it suits her well as the householder and head of the family. We don’t know how this friendship began, but one author suggests it started with Martha extending an invitation to dinner at her home. Since Bethany was only a couple miles outside Jerusalem, it became a place Jesus and the others could visit when traveling there. I can picture Martha, perhaps all three of them, being part of a crowd that heard Jesus speak. Perhaps Martha was inspired then to seek Jesus out and make the offer of a meal at her home. I can imagine that, because it reminds me of the first time I heard Luminate in concert at Cornerstone Music Festival and found the courage afterward to approach Sam and invite the whole band to our campsite for supper with the rest of my group. That began a friendship lasting many years, feeding them when they were at venues within driving distance and praying for them. We even hosted one concert here. The last few years Deb and Bonnie went with me to their concerts, added to the food supply and talking with them backstage. Perhaps Martha and her siblings’ relationship with Jesus and the disciples went something like that. The Mary Marthas, my Saturday morning group that takes its name from this very story, are doing a study from Max Lucado and Randy Frazee called “Making Room for Neighbors.” Yesterday’s lesson was on hospitality, looking for ways to make time and opportunity to get to know the people around you, the people passing by, especially in your neighborhood. One gentleman did this by changing one simple habit. After his daily bike ride, he always took a glass of water out to the backyard to relax and cool down. He didn’t change his schedule, but he moved his cool down to the front driveway and put a second open chair next to his. Now he could see others walking by and share a greeting, but the chair also offered welcome if anyone wanted to sit and chat a bit. I thought of the neighbor whose kitchen was always open to youth and adults with coffee or milk and her famous chocolate chip cookies. I’ve heard others talk about growing up in a home where a pot of coffee was always available for whoever stopped in during the day. While some people have a certain gift for hospitality, any of us can develop a hospitable attitude by adding a welcoming gesture or phrase somewhere in our daily routine. As Lady of the house Martha fulfilled the many clearly defined duties of a woman in her day:
We said in class Wednesday, that in our own day we haven’t changed those expectations all that much. Gender roles are far more open to shared duties or reversed roles than they once were. We have conveniences Martha didn’t, but we women still place many such expectations on ourselves whether or not others impose them on us. When we also work outside the home pursuing a career or to pay the bills, we just add that on top of the rest of what we think we “should” do. Rather than living overwhelmed by that weight of responsibility and guilt for not meeting such expectations, we have to prioritize. Mary demonstrates one needed priority. Martha’s focus is on her duties, her kitchen, serving her guest, but do you see how that word “her” is always there? Martha’s focus is on herself. Mary sits by Jesus, listens to Jesus, worships Jesus. Mary’s focus is exclusively on Jesus, and there is the difference. Why is Mary credited with the better part? Jesus knows where Mary’s heart is turned, fully in his direction, while her sister has Jesus on the periphery of her “should” list revealing a subtle form of pride at its core. I couldn’t help but compare these sisters then with the sacrifice of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4. I never understood why God chose one offering over the other, until I caught the word “best” in the story. Cain gave some grain from the field; Abel gave the best parts of the first born of the flock. Cain did his duty; Abel gave his best. There are plenty of days I only do my duty, and other days when I give my best. How about you? I think Mary knew how to live out Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” She brought that stillness as a gift of her devotion to Jesus. Martha’s gift was hospitality, but the danger she and we face is this, to become so busy for God, that we essentially ignore God. Now we come to two more stories of Martha and Mary in John chapters 11 and 12. Lazarus, who is the brother of Mary and Martha, becomes quite ill. Jesus already has a strong relationship with this family; this happens late in his ministry. The sisters have sent a message to Jesus; basically, Lazarus is on his deathbed, and Jesus knows it. It’s risky for Jesus to come near Jerusalem, because by this time the Jewish leaders are out to get him. Jesus waits a few days for his own reasons. Just as a side note: when Jesus plainly tells the disciples that Lazarus has already died, they are still lacking in faith and understanding, but they are strong in loyalty. When Jesus does finally arrive, Martha and Mary are receiving friends and neighbors who are there to mourn with them. Martha, ever the hostess, comes out of the house to greet Jesus. Martha’s deep faith in who Jesus is can be heard in what she says, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” (John 11:21-22) As their conversation continues, we see that she believes as some Jews did, that the dead will be raised on the last day. Then Jesus makes the claim quoted often at funerals, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die. 26 And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26) He asks if Martha believes this. She responds with a faith statement that is the foundation of Christianity. “Yes, Lord!” … “I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” Peter has said this earlier; now Martha also declares that Jesus is the One God has promised all along. It takes courage to make that statement of faith in the midst of a crisis or tragedy. Martha isn’t a fair-weather follower of Jesus. She proclaims her faith even in deepest sorrow. Some give up with life gets rough, but others of us know that is when we need our faith in Christ the most, when we need to stake our lives on the promises of God, when we have to trust that we are not alone, not ignored, not without hope. Our faith grows not on the easy days, but on the tough ones. Martha’s faith grew deep when Jesus came to mourn her brother’s death, and that faith would find relief. Mary has remained in the house all this time until she is told that Jesus is asking for her. Martha had gone outside the village to meet Jesus as he came to town. Mary now took her turn to go out and greet him. She and the mourners who followed her are all crying. Through those tears, she says as Martha had, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32) Jesus weeps with her as he asks to be shown where Lazarus is buried. I heard Martha’s comment as a statement of faith, because she went on to say, “even now….” I hear Mary expressing her broken heart, and with it asking the question we all want to ask at such a time, Why? Why was he taken from us? Why did he die so young? Why didn’t you come sooner? Why? It’s a question we ask when we are in pain. But putting it that way reminds me of a favorite verse in Psalm 147. “He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.” Jesus doesn’t abandon us in our sorrow; Jesus brings comfort and healing in his own way and time. Lazarus is buried in a typical cave like tomb of that day with a large stone in front of it. Sound familiar? What is about to happen will bring comfort indeed to the sisters, but Jesus is also taking this opportunity to demonstrate God’s power and foreshadow what will happen for himself in days not too far ahead. When Jesus asks them to move the stone, practical Martha is worried about the stench, but Jesus offers them a miracle, calling Lazarus out of the tomb, alive once again. In the next chapter, there is a banquet at the home of Simon who was once a leper. Perhaps Jesus is the one who healed him. Perhaps they are celebrating Lazarus’ resurrection. The text tells us that Martha is serving the meal; she is once again using her gifts, to help a friend and honor Jesus. We are told Lazarus is there eating with Jesus and the disciples. Mary comes forward to show her love and devotion to Jesus in her own way. She has a jar of very expensive perfume, pure nard, which is an essential oil from the spikenard plant that grows in the Himalayas. Imagine the expense of bring it from India or Nepal to Judah! Washing your guests’ feet is standard hospitality in that time and place, but Mary has taken it a step further, anointing Jesus’ feet with this precious oil and wiping them with her own hair. This same story is told in Matthew 26 and Mark 14 but with some differences. Mary isn’t named, nor are Martha or Lazarus noted as present. But it is in Bethany at the home of someone named Simon who has had a skin disease and takes place near the end of Jesus’ ministry. I think it is the same story in these three cases. The other difference is that Matthew and Mark say she pours the perfume on Jesus’ head (a common act of hospitality) whereas John echoes another story saying she anoints his feet. I’m not too worried about that detail. As we said with Mary Magdalene, don’t get this story confused with the sinful woman. That happened earlier, in a different home, and that woman is never named. However, being a friend and attentive student of Jesus, Mary likely knew that story. Perhaps she wanted to express her love and gratitude for Jesus who brought her brother back to life. She wasn’t gifted in the kitchen or serving at table as Martha was, but this story gave her an idea of what she could do. She owned this precious jar of perfume. It was the best gift she had to offer. So, she replicated what the other woman had done. This time it’s one of the disciples who is outraged, Judas Iscariot. She shouldn’t have wasted that money, it could have been used to help the poor. Another side note: Don’t be fooled by Judas’ words. This is where we are told that he used to help himself to the ministry funds in his care. Jesus defends Mary and foreshadows what is to come by saying, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.” (John 12:7) This dinner party takes place, the day before Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time, riding a donkey, greeted with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna!” His burial is coming soon. I like Elisa Morgan’s take on this Mary. “Mary of Bethany understood who Jesus was, she somehow got that he was the Messiah, …And in this moment, she did what alone she could do, she gave to Jesus what she could give.” (Twelve Women of the Bible, Study Guide, p. 103) Mary did what she could, and so can we. If the big picture is overwhelming, we can’t do everything, but we can do something. The kitchen was not Mary’s forte. That’s okay. What Mary could do was share her precious perfume. That’s probably not something Martha could offer. It’s not something Lazarus had available either. But Mary could, and she did. When you get to the point of saying, “I can’t do it all.” Ask yourself, what’s the one thing I can do today? What’s the one thing I can do for my friend, for my neighbor? What’s the one thing I can do for Jesus? When we as the church reached the point of admitting, “We can’t do all the things we used to do.” It became important for us to ask, “Okay, what is it that we still can do?” We will have to ask ourselves that question periodically as we move forward, because the answer will continue to change over time. When Mary and Martha welcomed Jesus into their home. Martha was distracted and worried, as Jesus said, about many things. Mary simply sat at Jesus’ feet and listened. From Martha’s perspective Mary was doing nothing. But sitting at Jesus’ feet was doing something. Mary honored the teacher with her full attention as any teacher would hope from a student. At the second dinner party, Mary honored Jesus with her expensive oil, an act of hospitality that went above and beyond the expected norm. Mary did what she could do. So did Martha. And so, may you. I encourage you in the days ahead to look at your lives, your neighborhood, the people Jesus puts in front of you, the opportunities Jesus gives you. At the same time consider your gifts. What resources do you have? What are you good at doing? Keeping in mind that you need some balance of devotion and service, look for what you can do to honor Jesus in your life. GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 15:21-28, NET
21 After going out from there, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that area came and cried out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!” 23 But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, “Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.” 24 So he answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and bowed down before him and said, “Lord, help me!” 26 “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” he said. 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, your faith is great! Let what you want be done for you.” And her daughter was healed from that hour. SERMON The Canaanite Woman – Confidence in Faith There was a pastor’s group that I was required to attend as part of my ordination process. On our Fall retreat we were given ministry scenarios that we had to role play. JongMin Martin Lee had the misfortune of being cast as the volunteer at a community free clinic while I was cast as a single mom with a very sick child who needed medicine. We didn’t know each other very well yet, but we each had kids. That was the Fall Jessika entered Kindergarten which means Tali was three. In the role play Martin had to tell me that the clinic couldn’t help me; he was supposed to send me away. I went into full mother bear mode. I’m still not as assertive in general as I was in that role play. Don’t tell me you can’t help my child. Martin survived, and I think our friendship was forged at lunch after that experience. We sat at the same table and got to know each other as real people and as parents. I can’t help but remember that experience when I read today’s gospel story. I get that woman’s desperation and assertive insistence. My child is sick, tormented by a demon. I’ve heard your reputation. I know you can help; you can heal her, and I’m not giving up until you do! That’s the mind set she brought to the table. There are so many things going on in this short story, but let’s start with location. If you look at a map of the Middle East in Jesus’ time, you have Judah down here. You might recognize stories from cities in Judah – Bethlehem, Bethany, Jerusalem. North of Judah or Judea is Samaria, those shirt tail cousins the Jews don’t like to claim. We’ll get to the Samaritan Woman at the Well in a few weeks. North of there you have Galilee, Jesus’ home turf with more cities you might recognize from Bible stories – Nazareth, Cana, Capernaum. Along the western border of Galilee and extending further to the north, hugging the shores of the Mediterranean is Phoenicia including the cities of Tyre and Sidon, north of Galilee, and it is in this territory that our story takes place. Today these cities are in Lebanon, just south of Syria. Back in Joshua’s time, this whole larger territory was called Canaan. The reason for attempting to give you a mental picture of the area is that this woman is referred to by more than one regional name. I know her as the Syro-Phoenician woman, but every translation I happened to look at called her the Canaanite woman. Sadly, we don’t know her actual name. It doesn’t come up in the conversation. What is made clear, and is pertinent to the story, is that she was a foreigner. Now, Jesus had taken his disciples north, out of their usual area of ministry. Most of them came from Galilee, and much of the early ministry took place there. But Jesus has pulled them out of their comfort zone and headed north into foreign lands. The people of Phoenician were not generally Jews. There was a peculiar set of prejudices in those days. Even Jews from Galilee looked down on Samaritans and Gentiles referring to non-Jews. Samaritans disagreed with some worship practices of other Jews. Jews from Judea looked down their noses on everybody: Samaritans, Galileans, and of course Gentiles. As Jesus takes the disciples north, he is extending the borders of his ministry and perhaps trying to stretch the narrow minds of his disciples. They are in foreign territory, but they took their prejudices with them. A local woman approaches them. She is distraught and seeking assistance. She politely and respectfully states her needs, for her daughter to be released from whatever has taken over the child’s life. The disciples’ first reaction is to send her away. She’s crying after us, it’s annoying. Send her away. It’s disappointing that this is their MO. When parents brought their children to Jesus for a blessing, the disciples tried to send them away, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mark 10) When the crowds followed to listen to Jesus teach, the disciples wanted to send them away, so they could eat. Jesus said, “You feed them.” (Luke 9) So as we look at the conversation, I want you to keep in mind that when the disciples didn’t want to be bothered with the people who came, Jesus usually responded in the opposite manner, and the disciples had to deal with being wrong. If you take a light reading of this story, that doesn’t seem to be the case. When the woman asks for help, Jesus basically says, “I only came to help the people from my own nation.” But she bowed down and implored him with words of respect and reverence, “Lord, help me.” Bowing is a humble act of deference in any culture, and she has now twice acknowledged Jesus as Lord. Jesus responds with a jibe, and I can picture the disciples smiling and nodding with something of a sneer on their faces. Hah! See! Even Jesus puts this foreigner in her place. The words that sound so harsh to us are these. “It’s not right to throw the children’s bread to the dogs.” We can’t imagine Jesus saying such a thing. He just called this poor distressed woman a dog using an ethnic slur that any other Jew used for Gentiles. Or did he? Two things are going on here. First, is Jesus reeling his disciples into a trap to teach them something about their own inappropriate attitudes by starting out echoing exactly what was going through their minds? I think he was setting them up to learn a hard lesson that they still hadn’t gotten. Plenty of people looked down on the disciples for a variety of reasons: where they came from, their lack of education, their blue-collar jobs or worse yet that tax collector. But for all of that the disciples were looking down on others, particularly a foreigner in this instance and a needy one at that. I think Jesus was in teaching mode as usual. But the other thing we would completely miss in any English translation if we didn’t have scholars explaining the nuances of biblical languages is this. The usual ethnic slur for Gentiles was a strong word meaning something like a wild dog, a scavenger. Jesus modified it by using a warmer diminutive term that refers to a household pet, a puppy. It’s not the same reaction at all. I don’t know if the disciples caught that distinction right away or not, but I think the woman did. She didn’t miss a beat. She played right into the skit Jesus set up with her response, “Yes, but even dogs eat the crumbs from the Master’s table.” She is wittily saying, I don’t need to be treated like your countrymen. I just need this one thing. I need you to heal my daughter. I know you can do that. I’m begging you to do that. Do me this one favor, and I’ll get out of your way, but please, just heal my daughter. Again, that’s the mind set she brought to this conversation. Jesus liked her answer. I think it made him grin, maybe even an appreciative laugh. He liked her persistence. She’s like the widow in the story Jesus told who kept banging on the judge’s door until he gave her justice. This woman was not giving up until her daughter was healed. Jesus also recognized that this persistence was accompanied by genuine faith. This woman may not be a Jew, but she had no doubt about who Jesus was and what Jesus was capable of doing. She believed in him and trusted him in a way that many Jews did not. Jesus commended her for her faith and sent her home to a daughter who was already healed. I wonder what the conversation was like the rest of that day with the disciples. I bet some heads were hanging. Maybe some were shaking. I wonder how long it took them to get it. The sad truth is many even in our own day still don’t get it. Jesus came for everyone, and Jesus didn’t put anyone down. I wonder what the celebration was like when the woman got home. I can picture her telling her daughter about this wonderful teacher. Maybe she had fun sharing the conversation and the clever way she and the teacher had communicated. I know she went home with her head held higher, freed from the weight of worry and amazed that a Jewish man had listened to her and helped her. I wonder what went through Jesus’ mind. I think a smile when he thought of the woman and her daughter. I think a sorrow that his disciples still didn’t understand and a determination to keep confronting them with their own inappropriate attitudes. Soon enough they would need to keep these teachings going, but they had to understand and live it themselves first. We aren’t told the rest of the story. We just know the healing happened. We don’t get to sit in on the debriefing with the disciples. We don’t even know if one took place. One teaching/coaching technique is to provide the lesson and let the students take away from it what they can, working out what it means in their own lives for themselves. Jesus may have done that with the disciples. That’s how my coach works with me. Mostly he listens to my stories, to my conclusions, then he may share just a snipet of his own experience or one brief outside observation or ask me one deep question, and then he lets me sit with it and work it through for myself. There are lots of conclusions and lessons I could draw out from this story for you, but today I’m not going to do that. I want you to take it home, mull it over, talk with each other about the things that come to mind, maybe even come to the Adult Class today to hear a bit more and then share your thoughts, learn from each other. After all of that I hope you will consider what God is asking of you. What do you take away from this story that can change your life, your attitude, your behavior? That may depend on who you are in the story right now: whether you are the one who is hurting and coming to Jesus for help, whether you are the one sitting back holding perspectives that may need to change, whether you are the one hoping to help others and teach others a better way. Talk it over with God, and hear what God has for you today. *CONFESSION AND PARDON
God offers God’s very self to us, through Christ, through the Holy Spirit, yet we too often turn away. Let us confess our turning to the one who loves us. Gracious God, you have given all things needed for life, yet we have too often squandered such resources. You have given us family and friends to share this life bearing one another’s burdens, yet we too often let our relationships go or resent the intrusion. You have given us an invitation to be disciples, to learn and to serve Jesus, yet we are often too busy to fully participate in the opportunities you put before us. You have given the best of yourself to us, yet we too often hold back from giving the best of ourselves to you. We seek your forgiveness and renewal, as we turn back to Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Through Jesus the Christ, God chooses to forgive us. Through the Holy Spirit, God can renew us if we are truly willing to turn our lives more fully to God. Thanks be to God! Word PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION As we listen to the familiar story, may God open our minds and hearts to hear something new that God would speak to us today. GOSPEL LESSON Luke 1:26-55, NLT 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. 30 So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! 31 Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. 36 “And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age—although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. 39 In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, 40 and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 She exclaimed with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! 43 And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? 44 For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” 46 And Mary said, “My soul exalts the Lord, 47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior, 48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. For from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name; 50 from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him. 51 He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, 55 as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” SERMON Mother Mary – Courageous Obedience The texts are familiar since we are just past the Christmas season. We’ve heard them all recently in one format or another. But they are the proper starting place as we look at Mary, Mother of Jesus. I’m impressed with her calm as the conversation with the angel Gabriel proceeds. Yes, she was startled at first, who wouldn’t be? Angels didn’t talk to humans that often in any era. It’s why the message often includes early on, the gentle approach, “don’t be afraid.” She is also told twice in the opening that she is favored by God. She listens to Gabriel’s specific message for her, one that seems impossible, one that would change her life completely from that point onward. She asks how, but she doesn’t say “No.” You can already glimpse her deep trust in God, her courage to obey faithfully. Mary listens quietly to the explanation and the example of God’s power. Her relative, Elizabeth is already pregnant with a child, though she was considered barren and now perhaps too old to conceive. Rather than continue to debate or discuss the issue, Mary simply and quite humbly accepts the assignment. “I’m the Lord’s handmaiden, may it be to me as you have said.” She said this in spite of the damage it will do to her reputation, the possibility that her parents will be against her, that Joseph, her legally betrothed, may divorce her, and since Joseph is not the father, the righteous community will likely assume she committed adultery, punishable by stoning. Jeanne Stevens focuses her study of Mary on this courageous moment when Mary said, “May it be….” Remember that at this time Mary was just an ordinary teenage girl in a committed, even legally binding relationship with Joseph. They still lived apart but were pledged to be married sometime within the year. Most scholars put her age around thirteen, a typical age to marry in her culture. When she said, “May it be…” she surrendered all her future possibilities in obedience to God’s plan. Most of us fight against that at every turn. Even when we say “yes,” it is often conditioned by an “if” or “let me do this first.” At a bare minimum, we argue awhile and list all the reasons why it won’t work, before God can convince us to try. I’m guilty of that, but I’m not alone. Plenty of other Bible characters have done so, from Moses to Isaiah. Reactions to God’s assignments sometimes include fear, that it’s too hard, or telling God to find someone else. We don’t want to abandon our comfort for courage. Many fear failure, so they don’t try to pursue their own dreams or God’s plan. Some would rather live with their insecurity than take the risk of something worse. But then we lose the chance at something better, something worthwhile. It takes courage to take a risk at a disadvantage. It takes courage to venture into the unknown. It takes courage to surrender your dreams to fulfill God’s plan. But Mary willingly, without much hesitation, did all of these. In her video message, Jeanne Stevens shared the story of another woman, in our time, who took a chance and surrendered to God’s will for herself and her husband. She had something in common with many of the women’s stories in the Bible; she couldn’t conceive a child. The couple had talked about adoption, but it was hard to give up her dream until she became friends with her husband’s co-worker, a single woman who had adopted five children already from Russia and was waiting for a sixth. They went through the process together, and soon each brought home a healthy baby boy from the Ukraine. The two families spent time together especially at the holidays. But sometime later, the single friend became seriously ill. The couple rounded up her children and brought them home for the time being. The wife also spent time in her friend’s hospital room. It was there the question came, “Will you take my children?” The answer was already in mind. “Yes.” When the single mom died, a family with one young adopted child suddenly had six more children with ages ranging from preschool to high school. Qualms and questions? Of course! Hesitation? No! Courage and love won the day. Obedient to God’s plan, this new family made it work. God puts many challenges in front of us. Courage allows us to say, “May it be…” The challenges help us grow. Without them we would be complacent, and our faith would be weak. When we say “Yes” to the opportunities God asks us to consider, the small spark of faith that wants to trust God learns that God is indeed dependable, that God’s strength is sufficient, that God can and does meet our true needs. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. A challenge is still challenging! Stevens states a couple of things that moving from comfort to courage will do to you. One is “to question your decision. It will cause you to look around for the safety bars, seatbelt, and any kind of security button.” We do tend to seek security by any means. But here’s where the real security can be found. “Moving from comfort to courage will cause you to feel weak in the knees – a good indicator that you should stop standing up and get ON your knees.” (both quotes from Twelve Women of the Bible Study Guide, Session 7 “Mary, Mother of Jesus” by Jeanne Stevens, p. 87) Security comes from God and is sought through prayer. I’m sure Mary spent a great deal of time in prayer for her son throughout Jesus’ life. Can you even imagine what it would be like to raise God’s Son as your own child? The birth stories are extraordinary enough. John MacArthur suggests as I have often suspected that Luke’s detailed stories about the events surrounding Mary’s pregnancy and Jesus’ birth come from Mary’s own memories. He gives us a great deal from her perspective in chapters 1 and 2. I don’t know if it came from Mary directly, as MacArthur believes, or if it was handed down through another party, but Luke gives us more of her story from a mother’s point of view than the other Gospel writers. Having said, “May it be…” Mary goes to Elizabeth and they share time together, encouraging each other and marveling at the miracles God has granted to each of them. God has convinced Joseph to take Mary as his wife. There are none of the feared consequences from family and community as God watches over them. As Mary celebrates with Elizabeth, she offers a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God that echoes so many Hebrew scriptures including Hannah’s prayer from the book of Samuel, as well as Psalms, Isaiah and other prophets. We see not only her devotion and love for God, but also that she is well versed in the scriptures and traditions of her Jewish faith. Jesus will learn much as a boy growing up in her home. But MacArthur points out, as Jesus grows into his ministry, Mary will have to accept a very different relationship with her son. I think these words summarize it best, “As a man, He was her Son. But as God, He was her Lord.” (John MacArthur, Twelve Extraordinary Women, p. 122) When Mary and Joseph searched three days for the twelve year old Jesus after leaving the Passover Feast in Jerusalem, they found him back at the Temple in earnest dialog with the rabbis. He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) Mary must have begun to see that this child would follow the extraordinary path God had set for him, and she would have to sit back at times to let that path unfold. On another occasion, when Jesus was in his thirties, had begun his ministry and gathered his disciples, they were invited to a wedding feast where Mary was already helping a close friend. Mary came to her son when the supply of wine was running low, knowing he would somehow have the means to help. Jesus responded, “Woman, what does that have to do with me? My time hasn’t come yet.” (John 2:4) She did not make further demands, but she trusted him, telling the servants to do whatever he asked. MacArthur sees no disrespect in these accounts, but a playful, easy-going, yet strong and loving relationship between mother and son. I hadn’t really thought of Jesus and Mary that way, but there is another mother and son I knew years ago with that kind of relationship. By late Jr. High, David was taller than his mom. In the kitchen they would banter back and forth in a manner that could have sounded like he was talking back to her. They would even bump into each other’s arms as if they were fighting, but from the grins on their faces, I knew it was all in play. Even after he moved away and until his death, David’s protective care for his mom and deep love for her were real. It’s easy for me to imagine then, that Jesus and Mary had that deep love and respect for each other, that they truly cared about each other, enough that they could carry on the same sort of banter in a playful way, and that they would care for each other to the end. As Jesus grew into manhood and ministry, there had to be a healthy change. This is true for all parents and children, at some point we have to let them grow up, respect them as adults, and accept that we don’t get to tell them what to do any more. That doesn’t change our love for them or their respect for us, but child becomes adult deserving to be treated as an adult but also needing to take on adult responsibility. For Jesus, that change also held the significant factor, that he had God’s work to do, that he was even God in the flesh. Mary’s role shifted from teacher to student, from mother to follower, from parent in charge to background support. Mary watched with love and sometimes concern as Jesus entered these ministry years. For all the things Mary had treasured and pondered in her heart since the night the shepherds came prompted by angelic pronouncement and song, I think the toughest words for her to bear must have been those of Simeon, the prophet whose lifelong hope was fulfilled when he beheld the infant Messiah as Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for dedication. Simeon had prophesied, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” (Luke 2:34-35) Watching Jesus become a man of God and God as man, I’m sure Mary felt many moments of both wonder and pride. But there must have been a shadow in the back of her mind from that prophecy. As she watched his ministry unfold, she knew how tired and even hungry he must be, how many demands were placed on him. She was probably also aware of the political stirrings against him. At one point she and his brothers tried to convince Jesus to take some time out, but again, Jesus’ words were a reminder that he had God’s work to do. “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:33b-35) Mary accepted Jesus’ commitment to his ministry. She may have worried as any mother does and expressed her concerns as we mothers often do, but she was wise enough not to try to manipulate him or in any way try to control or hinder his work. She was not in charge, and she knew it. Instead she humbly played a supporting role as one of his followers until the time came that I’m sure she had dreaded all along. In one of the final scenes we have of Mary, Jesus’ mother, we find her standing at the foot of the cross where her Son is hanging, stripped of his garments but not his dignity. He is bloody and bruised from the lashings he suffered. He is tormented by the crowds as he was tortured by the soldiers. This is not the glorious victory many expected of the Messiah. But somehow, I suspect Mary knew this was closer to what Jesus had expected. She would have known the suffering servant passages in Isaiah and perhaps understood how her Son related to them personally. She didn’t comment on where he had gone wrong or join the crowd in telling him to come down off that cross. She somehow humbly recognized and accepted that this, too, was part of his ministry, part of what he came to do. When she heard the Centurian declare, “Truly this was the Son of God,” Mary had known and trusted that all along, even before her Son was born. She held that deep and abiding faith as he died. But standing at the foot of the cross, again taking a risk even to be there and to be identified with an executed criminal, Mary did all she was able to do. She was there for her son, an expression of love, her only way to offer comfort and support. She remained steadfast to the bitter end. Again, it took courage to do this. Many of his disciples and friends were not there. The Bible only records Mary his mother, Mary of Magdala, and one beloved disciple, John. Jesus did not ignore this gesture. Even as his life was waning, he looked with compassion at his mother and placed her in John’s care also asking John to be a son to her. Beyond this we only know that after Jesus’ ascension the disciples continued to gather in the Upper Room to pray, awaiting the Holy Spirit as Jesus’ commanded. Acts 1:14 tells us that they “all were united in their devotion to prayer, along with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” That’s our final glimpse of Mary, in the difficult position of knowing the pain too many of our members have known, that of outliving your child. Yet she remains with the rest of his closest followers. I picture her offering them comfort, sharing her memories, even as they try to comfort and care for her. Beyond Jesus’ life and ministry, Mary remained a humble servant, courageous and obedient to God’s plan, in spite of the pain and cost of that faithfulness. This is her legacy to us: to have the courage to choose God’s plan, the humility to surrender our lives in obedience, to take the joy and the privilege along with the sorrow and the pain, to face the challenges that will help us grow as we say “Yes” to the opportunities God sends our way, to treasure and ponder God’s Word in our hearts and to devote our lives to service and prayer for Jesus’ sake. That is the privilege we ordinary folk share with one extraordinary woman named Mary. *OPENING SENTENCES & GREETING Isaiah 60:1-6, NIV
1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. PSALTER Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14, NCV 1 God, give the king your good judgment and the king’s son your goodness. 2 Help him judge your people fairly and decide what is right for the poor. 3 Let there be peace on the mountains and goodness on the hills for the people. 4 Help him be fair to the poor and save the needy and punish those who hurt them. 5 May they respect you as long as the sun shines and as long as the moon glows. 6 Let him be like rain on the grass, like showers that water the earth. 7 Let goodness be plentiful while he lives. Let peace continue as long as there is a moon. 10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the faraway lands bring him gifts. Let the kings of Sheba and Seba bring their presents to him. 11 Let all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him. 12 He will help the poor when they cry out and will save the needy when no one else will help. 13 He will be kind to the weak and poor, and he will save their lives. 14 He will save them from cruel people who try to hurt them, because their lives are precious to him. GOSPEL READING Matthew 2:1-12, CEB 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. 4 He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel.” 7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you’ve found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him.” 9 When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. 11 They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route. SERMON Among the many themes associated with this Epiphany gospel story of the magi’s visit to Jesus there is a focus on the gifts they brought. They represent Jesus as Priest and King and God and even foreshadow his death. I’ve preached on these in a previous year. A common Sunday School question for this story is to ask, “What would you bring Baby Jesus?” A roomful of children will give answers ranging from diapers and blankets to food and toys. I mean, think about what you take to a baby shower. The fourth verse of Christina Rosetti’s Christmas Carol poem, we know as In The Bleak Midwinter answers the question this way: What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb, If I were a wise man I would do my part, Yet what I can I give Him? Give my heart. I remember a joke about what wise women would have brought. It included diapers and a casserole, but I can’t remember the third. I looked for it online and stumbled onto some very interesting blogs and sermons on the topic of what we bring to Jesus. One of these chose three wise women whose stories are intertwined with Jesus’ birth narrative. Elizabeth, it said, brought the gift of godliness. She was part of a priestly family, and her husband, an active priest at the Temple. She accepted the gift of bearing a child in her old age who would be the forerunner of Jesus, and recognized the Messiah when her child, John, leaped in the womb as Mary approached, pregnant with Jesus. Elizabeth lived in tune with God’s spirit and was both a comfort and example to her kinswoman. Mary brought faith, and from another source I would add obedience. She accepted the assignment God gave her, to bear God’s Son out of wedlock, susceptible to misunderstanding and even punishment, risking her betrothal to Joseph. She remained faithful through all the hardships and trials to come when Jesus’ ministry was also misunderstood by the powers that be. Anna, the prophetess whose story you may not know as well, gave the gift of mission it said, but I would add patience and faithfulness to her story. She waited for years, a widow living in the Temple, in the hope of seeing Messiah with her own eyes. Like Simeon, she greeted the child when his parents brought him as an infant for the appropriate offerings and rituals. Then she became an early evangelist telling everyone about Jesus. I prepared on my worship retreat this week the topics and scriptures and hymns for the next several weeks after Baptism of the Lord which is next Sunday. I’ve been asked to preach on women from Jesus’ life and ministry. In this preparation I’d already been thinking about Mother Mary and her gift of obedience. Mary Magdalene, I would say, also brings a gift of faith and a passionate desire to follow, to learn, to serve. She brings loyalty as she stands with Jesus’ mother before the cross and as she goes early Sunday morning to the tomb. She is another evangelist carrying the message of the resurrection to the dumbfounded disciples. Martha brings a labor of love, even if she can’t always get past her own to do list. Her sister, Mary of Bethany brings a sweet craving to hear every word Jesus has to say. The Canaanite woman brings faith and hope and spunk, not taking no for an answer, but with humor seeking what she needs, believing that Jesus will respond. The Samaritan woman brings her curiosity, her honesty, her need, and in the end, she too becomes an evangelist telling others about Jesus. The sinful woman brings more than her alabaster jar of nard, though that is a very precious gift, right up there with gold, frankincense and myrrh. She brings her gratitude and adoration with a humble servant heart. We are getting to some serious gifts now. So yesterday I asked the Mary Marthas what gift they would like to give Jesus in 2019 and what gift they would like to receive from Jesus this year. In many cases the answer was the same in both directions. That makes sense in that we can only return to Christ what we have already received. John 1:16, GNT reads, “Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.” God has given us so much through Christ. God sent Jesus into our world to bring God’s love, to give us Salvation. Jesus was promised as a Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace. He came to be our Shepherd, to gather the lost, to care for our needs, to head us in the right direction. As we talked about what we would like to receive from Jesus this year, we acknowledged those blessings and asked for a deeper awareness of them. God’s blessings always surround us, but we don’t always recognize them. We asked for happiness and health, for wisdom and guidance, for confidence and courage and strength. We asked for peace and serenity, for love and hope and even humor. Sometimes we need openness to what Jesus has for us, and sometimes we need to be told NO to what we think we want. Somedays we would like to have more time. There is so much we want and need from Jesus. By the same token there is much we want to give. We want to give the gift of our time to Christ in devotion, in service, in listening, in caring. We want to be happy and serene giving these positive attitudes back to Jesus as a gift, rather than bombarding him with our complaints and frustrations. We want to live in a spirit of hope rather than pessimism. We want the humor we receive to be a gift in return, to share laughter, to be the one who raises the spirits of others. We want to share the wisdom and guidance we receive and to share God’s love. We want to be open to God’s Spirit and more tolerant of others. We want to give kindness and service and say YES when Jesus asks some task or sacrifice of us. We want to give our thanks and our praise and our worship to honor Christ. We want to be a blessing, because we are so blessed! If you look again at the Psalter we shared today, it expresses what people may ask of God in a corporate sense. There are prayers for the king and for the prince, which we could easily translate to praying for the government in any era or nation. Don’t we also ask God to give those in office wisdom and good judgement to rule fairly, so that people can enjoy peace? Goodness from those in power means good things for the people and especially protection and help for those who need it. Both this Psalm and Isaiah 60 from our Opening Sentences refer to gifts being brought to the king. Christians see these as foreshadowing what the wise men bring to baby Jesus. That’s why they are part of the lectionary for Epiphany. I think the most important thing they bring in these Old Testament passages and what the magi bring in Matthew are not the expensive gifts of gold and incense, but the gift of worship, of respect, of recognizing a higher authority over all humankind. One preacher noted that the magi traveled 1000 miles, taking up to two years by camel caravan to bring those gifts, while Herod and his advisors wouldn’t go 6 miles to see for themselves. One of the most important things we bring to God, through and beyond all other gifts is that respect, that honor and worship that God deserves above all others. I invite you to consider for yourselves as you move into this new year, what God has given to you already and what specifically you need to ask from God for this year, for this season of your life. It may be related to your health or your relationships, your areas of service or your attitudes. Jesus told his disciples, “Ask and you shall receive.” (Matthew 7:7) I’ve heard Christian leaders remind us that God has much more to give than we think to ask. Take time to reflect and pray about this. I’d also encourage you to write it down somewhere and look back at the end of the year to see where and how the gifts have come. But also ask yourself what gift you can bring to Christ. Is there a change of heart or behavior needed? Is there someone you can reach out to help? Is there time you can spend in worship and prayer? Is there someone with whom you can share your faith, invite to church, offer to pray? What gift of yourself and your life can you bring to Jesus? You might jot this down too, and next January look back and reflect on where the journey has taken you and what you have learned along the way. Don’t belittle your gift or say it’s unworthy. The wise men brought what they were able. The women gave of themselves in other ways. We each have different gifts to share, but those gifts in God’s eyes are of equal value and worth if they come from honest intentions and a willing spirit. Make 2019 a year of giving from the heart and acknowledging with thanksgiving what you receive. Make it a year of worship and service, thanksgiving and sharing, inspiration and devotion. May this be a year you know you are blessed and you in turn become a blessing as you exchange gifts with our Lord. |
AuthorThese are the Sermons from 2019 Archives
December 2019
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