There is no Faith Lens this week but you might ponder…
"..and laid him in a manger because there was no room in the inn"
ELCA Blogs
"..and laid him in a manger because there was no room in the inn"
Contributed by Paul Baglyos, St. Paul, MN
When is a gift not really a gift?
Recently, a woman addressed the following question and comments to an advice column: “How can I get my significant other to be fair to my kids at Christmas? He always makes sure his kid gets really nice stuff and then he will get something really expensive for himself. But my kids and me? For example, last year he got his 10-year-old daughter an iPod Touch that cost $300, but my kids got $50 gift certificates. Then he bought something for his guitar that costs over $400, and I got nothing. This really bothers me.”
Implicit in the woman’s question and comments is the popular sense that the value of a gift is determined by its monetary cost and that gift-giving should exemplify fairness and equity. In that regard, gifts and gift-giving lose all character of grace and instead become matters of obligation.
(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.
Quite a lot was expected of Joseph. He was told to assume responsibility for his pregnant wife-to-be, and for the unborn child conceived in her womb, even though the child was not his own. Joseph’s plan “to dismiss [Mary] quietly” was reasonable and fair; after all, her pregnancy might be regarded as a breach of pre-marital trust between them, releasing him from all further obligations. The angel’s instruction to Joseph, however, required him to surrender all reasonable claims to fairness and to act with a generosity that exceeded obligation.
God, too, acts with a generosity that exceeds obligation. God’s Christmas gift to the world, the gift of Jesus the Messiah, demonstrates sheer grace on the part of God. The gift is neither owed nor deserved; it cannot be demanded and it cannot be priced. God’s generosity is described in this well-known verse from the Gospel according to John: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).
O come, O come, Emmanuel. Be with us, God, in all our days and all our ways, that we might be with you now and forever. Amen
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Contributed by Angie Larson, Clive, IA
What do you do to prepare for Christmas?
This October, like every year, stores begin their visual preparations for the Christmas shopping season. On October 30 the Macy’s department store in Philadelphia, PA had a special treat for shoppers. In the middle of their shopping day, a choir of over 650 opera and choral singers began singing Handel’s Messiah, complete with organ.
This event was birthed by The Knight Foundation, founded by Jack and Jim Knight, which provides funds for a program it calls Random Acts of Culture. The foundation plans to fund 1000 random acts of culture over the next three years. The vision includes getting cultural events, such as music, dance, and opera, out of concert halls, theaters, and museums into public places like Macy’s, making them accessible to all. The video of the “Messiah” has already had over 5 million hits on YouTube. The Knight’s vision includes what they call the “transformative power of the arts to help people to experience life in its fullest.”
Dennis Scholl, the Foundation’s vice president says, “Hearing Handel or seeing the tango in an unexpected place provides a deeply felt reminder of how the classics can enrich our lives. As you’ll see in our videos, the performances make people smile, dance, and grab their cameras – even cry with joy. For those brief moments, people going along in their everyday lives are part of a shared, communal experience that makes their community a more vibrant place to live.” Watch the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU
(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.
In the Gospel we find John the Baptist in jail. He has heard of Jesus and proclaimed his coming, but now he doubts. John has been preparing for and expecting the arrival of the Messiah, however, Jesus still takes him by surprise. The doubting John sends some of his followers to go ask Jesus if he is the one that they had been waiting for. Jesus responds by asking John’s messengers to bear witness to what they are seeing and hearing in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus praises John and proclaims him as the messenger sent before him to fulfill the scriptures. To even John the Baptist Jesus came unexpectedly. Through John’s doubt Jesus reminds us that He is Lord and came to proclaim good news to the poor.
We have Christmas time expectations as we prepare. We expect that we’ll receive catalogs in the mail, that Christmas music will be playing in the mall, and that we’ll wrap and open some presents. We prepare for the day; we buy the food, bake the cookies, and decorate our homes. However, we don’t expect the most miraculous thing that happens. Jesus comes to us, bringing good news. He heals us and gives us hope. Like the shoppers at Macy’s, expecting an ordinary day then experiencing a moment of incredible beautly, we find something waiting for us as Jesus transforms the ordinary into the the extraordinary. He brings good news to our hearts again and again, even if, like John, we already know Him. The way has been prepared, but the path is unexpected.
Create your own Random Act of Christians. Have your group brainstorm some ways members could bring the unexpected nature of Jesus to others outside of the church walls. Here are some suggestions:
– Pass out dollar bills at the mall to people with no strings attached. See how they react and talk about grace.
– Feed the hungry, offer to pay for someone else’s meal at a fast food restaurant.
– Sing Christmas carols to senior citizens or just to people you know are in need.
Dear Lord Jesus, as we prepare for this Christmas season, remind us of those places in which you give us the unexpected. You came so we could have life and live it abundantly; please change our perceptions that need to be changed and renew us daily through our baptismal promises. Help us to be continually surprised by who you are. Thank you for being present in our hearts. Amen.
Contributed by Jose Valenzuela, Phoenix, AZ
When you say you are sorry about something, is it generally because you are truly sorry or because you got caught?
Charles Rangel is an 80 year old Representative from the state of New York. During a recent ethics investigation he was found by a group of his peers to have acted inappropriately related to the raising of funds for a public policy center that is being named after him. In a report that was sent out on his website for his reelection, he announced that there is “no excuse for his acts of omission” and that he apologized for the embarrassment he brought to his constituents.
At the same time, Representative Rangel said that he has done nothing wrong and he maintains his innocence. In this time of heightened political fervor, politicians have the difficult task of admitting wrongdoing while, at the same time, maintaining that they have done nothing wrong. In the constant battle to remain in office, the dance of accepting responsibility yet admitting nothing seems to be an appropriate strategy.
(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.
632. That is the number of rules that the Jewish community of Jesus had to live by in order to be considered “good” by standards of the law. In the times of Jesus it was the job of the Pharisees and the Sadducees to enforce the laws and ensure that everyone followed the rules.
During the early part of his ministry John the Baptist was out preaching and teaching and inviting people to come and be baptized. As a part of their baptism, people were asked to repent for the wrongs that they had done in their lives. It is interesting that some of the people who were repenting and asking to be baptized were the same people who held the community responsible for breaking the laws.
Isn’t it ironic that the same people who punished others for knowingly or unknowingly breaking a rule were asking for forgiveness? John’s reaction to this was to lift up the double standard by which people were living in at the time. How could persons seek forgiveness when they were not able to forgive others in the midst of the current laws? The kingdom that John the Baptist was talking about was one that allowed the people who broke the laws to live in relationship with God in spite of the laws.
The heart of Jesus’ ministry was proclaiming that purely human laws were no longer applicable and forgiveness was at hand. The key to forgiveness is to repent for wrong you have committed and have faith that God will forgive you. For many the trick is to truly repent. God knows what is in our hearts. When we are truly sorry for thinking of ourselves and putting God second, forgiveness is at hand. No one is denied. Repentance and faith are all that is needed to remain in relationship with God.
Share a time when you were forgiven for something and how in turn you were able to forgive others.
Gracious God, you know what is in our hearts. Some of it isn’t good, but we offer this all to you. Take us and use us to your glory. Open our hearts and minds to see and feel you at work in our lives. Amen.
Contributed by Bill King, Blacksburg, VA
Share a time when you anticipated a special day or event and were disappointed?
They believe he will some day return and are waiting patiently. They are the tribesman of Tanna, one of 83 islands that make up Vanuatu, formerly the Anglo-
French territory of the New Hebrides. The person they are awaiting is Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II. For reasons that are not entirely clear, the people of this South Pacific island believe Philip is a descendant of their spirit ancestors and for the past half century they have worshipped him as a god. The adulation began in the 1960s and is believed to be a synthesis of traditional religion, the idea of a returning messiah figure introduced by Christian missionaries, and respect for the royal family dating from colonial days.
Philip’s birthday, June 10, is celebrated on the island every year, but there was special anticipation in 2010 because many believed this was the year he had promised to return. The tribesman prepared a traditional bamboo hut, with dirt floor and thatched roof for him. Siko Nathuan, the village chief, said, “I’ve been preparing this place for when he comes to live among us. I know that in England he has a palace and servants. But here he will just live simply, like us.”
Whenever Philip returns (he did visit the New Hebrides on the royal yacht in 1974) the islanders anticipate amazing events. Kirk Huffman, an anthropologist familiar with the cult writes about the expectations, “At the very moment that he sets foot ashore, mature kava plants [from which an intoxicating spirit is brewed] will sprout all over the island; all the old people will shed their skins like snakes and become young again; there will no more sickness and no more death … a man will be able to take any woman he wants.”
(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.
Did Jesus expect a “second coming” to occur before the first generation of Christians had died? That is a question which provokes lively discussion among biblical scholars. What is not debatable is that popular culture tends to get the priorities of this week’s text exactly reversed. Matthew’s Jesus calls us to focus on faithfulness in the here and now, but too often we get distracted by pointless pondering about what the last days will be like.
Jesus could not make it any clearer, “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” But that does not keep bad literature such as the Left Behind novels from promoting lurid, morbid obsession with the final days. The problem with focusing on the last days is that we become pessimistic spectators to the world’s pain rather than engaged disciples of Jesus who are concerned with easing that suffering.
We periodically read about a small group of fanatics who believe they have discerned the date the world will end. They gather on a mountain top and wait for the cosmic fireworks to begin. Such folks are simply the most bizarre example of an attitude which can take root in any Christian community, an attitude which says, “This world is so bad, let’s just hunker down in our holy bunker—safely apart from the sinful corruption of society—and wait for God to make everything right.”
Such thinking is 180 degrees from what Jesus desires from his disciples. In God’s good time all will be made right, but in the mean time our calling is not speculation about the future, but faithful ministry in the spirit of Jesus. If we are serious about following Christ, our concern is not just who will be “left behind” on a distant judgment day, but who gets “left behind” every day as the despairing fail to hear of God’s love in Christ, the poor go to bed hungry, students are bullied because they are somehow different, and good educational opportunities go only to those lucky enough to live in affluent suburbs.
There is no need for us to worry about the specifics of the last days. If we live faithfully in each present moment the future will take care of itself.
Look at the list of those who are most likely to be “left behind” which you generated in response to the last discussion question. Plan an action which you can do within one week which will show Christ’s concern—then do it.
Lord of History, all time is in your hands; the future belongs to you. Preserve us from fears which lead us to despair, apathy which saps our resolve, and speculations which have no purpose. Instead, focus our eyes on the example of our Lord Jesus Christ that we, like him, may bear witness to your abiding love in all we say and do. Amen