Dec 24 11 Pm Service

The Moon for Christmas .2007 11 PM Christmas Eve
When I read this Christmas story
I go there in my heart
and in my mind

But I gotta tell you
that somewhere a few years ago

I started just to lose my mind,

at Christmas, ,I let go of my mind

this is what Madeleine L’ ingle called the Irrational Season

Christmas is story of the heart
this is a story for the soul ..

for the imagination.

it really is a kind of fithful make believe

except that we we call it faith formation

because we are making belief

And it is i so much Deeper than the mind..

It speaks of wonder and mystery

Christmas is more like music..poetry and beauty and love

the kind of deep truth that says
let go
of your intellectual ...reasoning mind.
Come to this irrational season
So tonight

Just enjoy the shepherds
and Mary and Joseph
and Bethlehem
and the birth of a heavenly child

and in that same spirit

let me. .give you something that doesn’t fit into your mind..

Let me help you get there with a story

Once upon a time
there was a monk in Japan
a hermit really

off in the mountains
who stood and looked out his window one night

he was hungry and he wondered what he would eat

now
this was a serious thought

because he had not eaten all day
an he had not eaten the night before

So he stood in his simple hut
with his stomach growling
and he looked at that window

and he saw the rising of the moon

it was full and white
shining through the tress

lifting just above the mountains

and he sighed
in awe
at the beauty of the moon

and then
like that

he was drawn outside

in fact he rushed out the door

into the cold winter night

and he just ran

for a long time he just ran

and then he walked
under the moons sweet light

for the longest time

in fact he just lost track of time

sometimes he danced
sometimes he sang.

Sometimes he just stood
there wondering in the silence of the stars and the moon

in the light of the moon

life was good

all of it was good

the ice glistened on the bare branches
of the trees.


The crunch of his feet
on the glittering snow

the shadows across the hills
the sounds s of the night

yet everything was so good
and everything w was still

so he just kept on
running and dancing and singing
and just being

just being
in the light of the moon

well by the time
the moon was higher in the sky

the monk realized how cold it was outside

and how long of walk he still had to get home.


Yet he walked on blissful..peaceful
heading
home lin the light of the moon.


And when

he came finally to the top of a ridge

he could see his hut
off in the distance

it was shining like a beacon on the side of the hill..

But wait..
what was this ?


there was light inside of his hut

and he had not left any lamps burning in his house.

Someone must be in his house

so he ran the rest of the way
as fast as he could
and slipped up by the window
and took a peek inside

sure enough
there was a thief in his house.


the thief was frantically
going through his things

.. Dumping the drawers
looking under the bed
going though the cupboard..
Dumping the boxes

Trying to find something to steal

but having no luck at all.
No food..
no money
no jewels
there just wasn’t much to steal
.
So the monk
decided to rush through the door

. He spoke with courage
and sympathy as
he said to the thief..


I know how hard it is to work and come up with nothing

so here
you must not go away empty handed

and the monk took off his shirt and his shoes

and scooped some clothes off the floor....

and put them
into the arms of the startled thief.

The man paused
for just a moment
before he ran out the door
. Withe monks clothes.. Piled in his arms

After the thief left

The monk
stood in the middle of his empty room.

The door was wide open

the night air was rushing in..

And he could still the see the moon.

So he stood at his door of his hut...

and agin

he just looked at the beautiful moon.



All was calm
and all was bright
ah he said .
.
In the gentle night light.

.ah
he said..

What I really wanted to give him was the moon.

If I could only give him the moon.


Strange Christmas story
I know (But there is a full moon tonight)

And that story I think

says waht I feel

and what I think God might be feeling


what God just might feel..

On this Christmas night

I think we are all looking for something
arent we really?

and like the thief in the story

we are also working hard...Christmas is a time when we work hard.

And I want to give us all something
to reward us for all the work

to reward us for coming to church
and being in worship tonight

maybe God just wants give us something

so we get out the Christmas songs

and we put in the time..
Maybe you decorated your house,
cooked the meal..did the shopping..
Now you are here


wondering what we’re going to find in here

take this we say
its Christmas

we get out these sacred words
we read the story from Luke

and we get out the candles


but really

want I wanted to give you was the moon

I think
what you wanted.... was the moon

by that
I mean

some thing like the beauty
and the peace
and the wonder and the mystery of the moon

the silent night
the holy night
when all is clam and all is bright.

It is this presence of Gods love .
It is salvation..
it is hope..beyond description
it is Good News..

.the mystery of God in a holy child
Immanuel
God with us.

someone said

“Mystery is not the absence of meaning...
.but the presence
of more meaning than we can comprehend..”


If I could only give you that mystery.

That would be my prayer.
. My Christmas prayer...for something even beyond the moon.

Christ is born

More meaning than we can comprehend..

Star Gazing

PUMC Christmas Eve 2007 5 pm
Star Gazing

Once upon a time long
long ago

there was a young woman
who wanted to see God

her name was Stella
and Stella was a simple girl
wh prayed and prayed and prayed

and she worked hard
she helped others..she was honest and caring

yet by the time she turned sixteen
she did not think she had ever seen God

so
one day she went to see a wise old man who lived out it in the open field

way out on the prairie.

She went to his house and she sat down in front of the old man

and said
for as long as I can remember
I have had this one burning desire

just to see God...

Well.. not just to see God

but to look ... right into the pupil of Gods eye.
. If I could just do that
I would be so happy.
Can you tell me sir,,

what do I need to do to make this happen.
How can I see God

And the wise old man looked at Stella

he looked at her so intently.

After a long silence
he said Stella

I will you the secret of seeing God..

.in fact
I will tell you the secret of looking right into the pupil of Gods eye.


Oh yes Stella said...” tell me ....please tell me.


The young woman was begging ..almost in tears.

And this is what the old man said.

Stella
You must begin counting the stars at night.

You must begin with the middle star in Orion belt..

and then start counting to the east..

You must be very careful that do you not count any star twice

and you must not fail in your determination
don’t give up.

when you have counted the ten thousandth star

you will be looking into the very light of God’s eye.

And so Stella went out
and that very night
there was a new moon
and not many clouds
the sky was so wide and so bright.

and she started very easily to count the stars

Stella thought they were like diamonds embedded in velvet

well. after several hours she had counted hundreds of stars.

But the next night

when she went out to count the stars.

The sky was filled with heavy clouds

and the moon was brighter
so it was harder to see the stars.

But still she counted
night after night

week after week
month after month
every night
she was out in the field counting the stars.

Always careful to keep track of her count

so every night counting the stars took all this concentration and dedication.

. But if you know anything about stars..

your realize ...what Stella did not know!

As she counted far into the eastern sky

the stars were revolving around and turning in the heavens.

And so 12 months later
as she was just about to count the ten thousandth star..

She began to get the feeling that she had seen this sky before.

She counted to herself out-loud..
9,998.... 9,999

and as she counted the ten thousandth star.

She realized that she had even seen this very same star

she was looking again at the middle star of Orion belt
the very same star she had started with 12 months before.

He eyes were dazzled with the starlight
how could this be..?!

and her heart
and her mind were filled with the deepest wonder and the greatest joy.

Time seemed to stand still
and she stood there
all lost in the wonder

gazing at the 10thousandth star....

.and it was like the star was gazing back at her

hours later
she ran through t eh night across the prairie

to where the old wise man lived.

He was awake and he was praying for her.

And when he invited her to come in
. They sat at a table and shared the light of the candles...

..
he said to her
Stella I can see from your smile and the look in your eyes

that you have just counted the 10,000 star tonight
and you have looked into the very eye of God.

Yes cried
Stella yes.

. But then
she said..
The strangest thing happened
it
turned out that the 10,000 star
was the same one that I started out with

the center star in Orion belt...
What does all of this mean?

The old man
again with a smile
looked at her and said..

Its very simple
you began by looking into the light of Gods eyes

you were . Desperate wanting to see the light of Gods eye.


Yet
God was always there
all along..
But you didn’t see it.

So what happened!
the whole sky
had to move through one complete revolution

just so you could recognize what was right in front of you .

God has moved heaven and earth just to bring you this moment.

That’s how much God loves you.

And I will tell you something else.

.from now on..
Whenever children such as you
look up to see the night sky
with a desire born of love and purity and wonder..

God will wink at them

and they will catch a glimpse of the twinkle in Gods eyes
. The wise man said no more

and Stella looked at the lines on his face

and that same sense of wonder and love

welled up inside of her once again
just as it had been when she looked at the 10,000th star..

Now she was seeing this twinkle in the old mans yes.


Once upon a time another wise old man. a Christian teacher in the 13th century
Meister Eckhart
said that the eye you use
to look at God
is the very same one that God uses to look at you..

It is The eye of faith and the eye of the soul

Who know maybe God has been counting the stars?

Well tonight I don’t know about you

but I am counting the stars.

Matthews Christmas story says
some travelers found Jesus
by watching the stars

following a star
perhaps it was that 10,000th star.

But what did they really see ..

the found a child

and they looked into the eyes of God

shepherds saw the angel when they were
watching their flocks by night..
And where was that..
out under the stars

They too were looking up to the heavens
with that night sky

I wonder how many times they stood there counting the stars..

And when they too.

.went to see that baby ..
just as the angels told them..
when they looked into his eyes

was there a twinkle
in those little baby eyes

on that Christmas night
as they looked into the very eye of God..



have you seen the eye of God?


another year has passed..
Christmas has come and gone... and come again
. The heavens have turned the stars..once again
.
Are you still counting the stars



we see a baby
we see the eyes of God
we started out with that star

I remember one of the first songs I ever leaned........

I could even play it on a piano
or plink it on a xylophone

twinkle twinkle little star
how I wonder what you are

its really good theology

I see this Christmas story

twinkle twinkle little star

how I wonder who you are you..

Counting the star..

Would you l Ike to look into the eyes of God..

Maybe you just need your eye of wonder and your eye of love..

You don’t have to look that look that far

have you ever seen the twinkle in someones eyes..

Sometimes to see God.
You might not be looking far enough


and sometimes
you might not be looking near enough
to see the very eye of God.



it is a good night to go and count the stars

you can start tonight with the Bethlehem star
start with the Christmas star
start with this.
start counting now..

count the twinkle in the human eye ,,

count for ten thousand stars you can see the very eye of God

Dec 23, 2007 sermon notes

Dec 23 2007 PUMC Reflections before Christmas

....idea for next PUMS trip ..lets go to India etc and seethe Taj Mahal in India
‘’‘’ one of the most beautiful and expensive tombs in the world.
. And it just made the list this year as one of the 7 wonders of the modern world

we’ve also got a lot of legends that go along with it
But, Max Lucado and James Moore like to pass on this story

the story says that
Shah-Jahan, that this great emperor, was in grief.
His favorite wife had died.
And He loved her so much
that he was just devastated by her loss.
And he wanted to honor her in some ..monumental way
He decided to build this spectacular temple,
The temple would also be her tomb.
.. a tribute to her..
. it would be symbol of his great love for her.

Her coffin
was placed right in the center of a large section of land

and then they started to build the temple around it.

No amount of money was going to be spared.

He wanted to make this burial place..into something breath-taking

But as the weeks turned into months,

the Shah's grief was turned into this passion for the building project

so much
he didn’t really miss her
. And in fact He hardly even thought about her anymore.


He was totally involved with the details of this building project.

He was just obsessed
with the temple.

It's all he thought about.

It was on his mind night and day...
the building of this magnificent Temple.

Then,
one day

as he was rushing around inside the building ...checking out the process
he accidentally bumped his leg against a wooden box.

And he was irritated
as he brushed the dust off his leg

and ordered the workers to throw that box out


What was that box doing here in the middle of this building anyway?

Get it out of here right now!

(You already know what this is...don’t you?)

The box was the box with the remains of his beloved wife.

The Shah threw out her coffin.

He forgot she was there.

And he forget really why he was building this temple

the one he wanted it to be for..was now forgotten,,ignored..

Pushed aside

... but, the temple was built anyway.


think about that

Could you build a temple and forget why?


Could you celebrate an anniversary
and forget the guest of honor?

Could you create a memorial and then forget who you’re trying to remember?

Could that story
be a kind of a parable for the way we celebrate Christmas today?

...
Do we ever get so wrapped up in the busyness and the expenses,,
and the family stuff
and the deformations of Christmas

that we forget
the one
we being celebrated

Have we built this economic and cultural temple called Christmas

done all the work
spent the money.

Put in the time..

but missed the point of it all.

Well you know Christmas eve is tomorrow

and I suppose
by now

you are about done with the shopping
right ?
and most of the baking
and the clearing and the decorating

you might have some traveling to do
and that list of last minute thing s

but have you planned for Jesus

have you planned for Christmas
have you remembered whose birthday it is..

Well
I suppose that’s why you’re here
and why you might be here tomorrow
I don’t need to convince you..

But still
lets just spend time remembering what its all about

first of all..
this is about Good News
The word of God..is given to us in Jesus Christ

Christmas is about its something said
and something done

its about saying what needs to be said

James Moore again

passes on a story about this young woman

who lived on a big ranch out in West Texas?

She was in love with a local cowboy named Tex..

.and she wanted to get married.

But you know Tex didn’t have any experience in the world of romance..

.and to make it worse,
he was extremely shy.
He just wasn’t the talkative type
so
this young woman
realized
that she was going to have to help him out a bit

to move this courtship along..,

so she decided take matters into her own hands.

““Oh, Tex,”” she said,

““Do you think my eyes are like glittering stars?””

““Yes,”” he replied.

““And,”” she ..said to him..
““Do you think my teeth are like a beautiful string of pearls?””

““Yep,”” he answered.

““And do you think my complexion is like gorgeous rose petals?””

she questioned.

““Yep,”” he answered.

““And
do you think my hair
shines like gold in the moonlight?””

““Yep,”” he answered.
““Oh, Tex,”” she exclaimed,
““You do say the most wonderful things!””

Well,

. Christmas has some wonderful things to say to us.


.
Christmas is about Jesus
as the Word that became flesh

I like to think that this whole Christmas story is meant to put words in our mouth

God is trying to move this whole love relationship along

Christmas is God ..coming to court us..and help us


to give us the words

Good News

and what are the words?
it Good News of Great joy

you will find a baby wrapped in swadling clothes..lying in a manger

peace on earth in the good willof God
a Savior is given

the light shiines in the dankness

and the darkness. does not overcome it..

Immanuel God with us..

name him Jesus,,

for he will save us from our sins..
The word became flesh
and dwelt among us

those are the words of Christmas

and in a sense
like Tex..
all we need to do
is say yes . And let the relationship go from there.

..if its really what you want to say
say yes
say this amen
to the Christmas words




but still even with all this help from God..

.I think we still don’t really know
what we are saying yes to

I don’t think we really know what this is
about Immanuel

God with us
the light that shines in the darkness

Christ is born

do you wonder what we are really getting into

.can you really fathom this with your rational mind..

do you know how powerful this word could be?

Dean Snyder
is the pastor at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington dec..
a church that Beth and I visited back in about 1997


Dean Snyder says he was in seminary years ago in Boston

there was a preacher in one of the big Boston churches there

and the students at the seminary gave him a nick name

they liked to call him Dr. Tickle-text,
because --they'd say--
he took the great verse of Scripture,
these great Bible messages

and he stood in the pulpit,
and he tickled them for a few minutes,

and then sat down.
Dr. Tickle-text.
I hope Im not just doing that..

I hope that these Christmas verses.. Do more than just tickle your fancy
I don’t want to just tickle us with some warn fuzzies

I hope we don’t just let this powerful word just tickle us into feeling good
or giving us a giggle

Dean Snyder said someone had listened to that same Boston preacher
preaching on one of the great texts of Scripture,

and then the person said about the sermon:
"Never have I seen
so small a rabbit
pulled
out of so large a hat."

Sometimes We do that with this Christmas season and gospel
we turn it into cute little stories
about miracles
and reindeer and santa Claus

and little drummer boys and the littlest shepherd
and ..a lot of cute stories..
that I like
just as much as anyone else..

But is any of that big enough..?

I
but there is so much more to pull out .of this story..

Now having said all that
what does it mean ?
what does it say
can I explain this all to you
can I tell you how
the word became flesh
can I scientifically explain the Christmas story
or the virgin birth
or how God is born as a baby in a manger

that’s like asking me to explain
or improve upon a great song or a work of art

there is story about Beethoven
he was working on some music
actually it was a sonata
that he had been working on for weeks.

Finally
he sat down to play it for a group of friends and some others who happened to be there.

Beethoven poured himself into it....

He was oblivious to everything but the notes that he was playing

And the music filled the room
and swirled around him
and out to the people
who were listening.
When he finished.

He let out this deep sigh of release
and relief..

slowly
he turned toward his audience

and one perosn said
without even a pause..he said..
yes
but what doe the music mean

well Beethoven was not pleased with that response

and he gave this man a scowl.
.a furious scowl

and then he turned back to the key board

and he
replayed the entire sonata

And he did it with all the same passion
and the same intensity
and the same gracefulness

then he finished

and he turned back to the questioner..

.and this time
with a great smile on his face
he said to the man

That is what it means




Christmas invites us to just listen to it again..this year

not to figure out

but let it be its own beauty
let its own simplicity
its own master piece
its own complexity and its own mystery.

Let is just be the story that tells the Christmas Gospel story

Christmas is its own experience and wonder

I get the idea
that w e know that..

You already know that..
Just let it be itself

.and we come to hear it

year after year
again and again
and God keeps playing it and saying it

with that same passion and intensity


just let it be..
just listen to the words


Do Not be afraid..
Behold look listen

I bring you good news of great joy for all the people

for unto you is born this day
in the city of David

a savior who is Christ the Lord

you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes
lying in a manger

and suddenly there was with the angle a multitude of the heavenly host.
Saying Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace....in the favor of God
good will among all the people


Maybe you just need to hear that again and again
in scripture and prayer ...silence and song,
in faith and hope and love
just say yes to it..
But at the same time..don’t just settle for the first tickle or the small rabbit.

Because this is also a revolutionary and radical story
about peace and justice
and hope for the poor.
..really its about the transformation of the world

We forget to hear that big part of the story

and we can not get it..all at once.

..there is more that will come to you again and again

there is always something more amazing and revealing about this

.. I cant tell you what this will personally be for you

but it will speak to you
and change you
layer by layer..
step by step

It will some how
be more of God..
.more of Gods love
more light
more wholeness
more courage
more peace

more of the Christmas music

Ultimately this is one of those mysteries
just to live in
and to live with
like
music
or like poetry
you don’t need to explain it or analyze..just be with it.
or like the story that never grows old


(Max Lucado, The Applause of Heaven, pp. 131-132) also used in James Moores sermons
Dean Snyder material from his sermons at Foundry UMC website
Beethoven story is from McKenna Matthew The Book of Mercy p. 183

Dec 16, 2007 Sermon notes on Joseph

Dec 16 2007 at 11:15 only , Notes
Joseph for Christmas PUMC
Matthew 1:1-11
I’ve done a few sermons over the years on how Joseph is an example for us;
a story of courage, faithfulness and willingness to put up with some scandal
and do what is really right.

Even though by law ;even though with good conservative religious morality..
he could send Mary away ..

He had that right;
but you know,sticking to
your rights may not be what is right

So he still accepts her
he is willing to go against the social traditions of his day

he is open to the new direction
and he even adopts this child Jesus
Of course he does all that with the dream guidance of the Holy Spirit

Now Matthew is the one writing this gospel for the church and of course Matthew knows the Bible stories. Matthew had,,what we call the Old testament as his Bible
so he knew about another famous person named Joseph
and that Joseph was also a dreamer
Go back to the book of Genesis

Remember Joseph with his coat of many colors ?

or the music version called it "Joseph and his amazing technicolor..dream coat",,,

Joseph got in trouble for his dream
but his dreams also got him out of trouble

and in fact we find out at the and of the story that God used those dreams
,to save the Hebrew people; to save Joseph’s family


well now. this New Testament Joseph ; is maybe named after that old Testament Joseph
and this newer Joseph of Nazareth is going to be used by God.. also to help save the people
and dreams are also going to make the difference in this story too

So Joseph is a dreamer just like the old testament Joseph


Now let me add a little story along with that Bible talk

Its not a story from the Bible; so don’t get confused..
but its about another person..who happened to be named Joseph

Once upon a time,,back in the early days of the Hebrew people
during one of those times when the Hebrew people had lost the ark of the covenant
that holy ark that carried that ten commandments .and symbolized the very presence of God
..it was lost..

And things were just getting worse because this was back before the Jewish people
had any kings, they were this collection of 12 tribes
ruled over by these special leaders called Judges

But these 12 tribes were hard to manage and they didn’t keep together very well
sometimes they argued with each other
and without the ark. this unity was even harder to protect.

There was no one place to gather; no central place for the power of God to unite them

so the people just went off to worship here and there and everywhere
but it just didn’t have the same kind of strength

So the priests got togetherand since they couldn’t seem to find or recapture the ark of the covenant...

It was time to make a new one...And they decided to have a contest

They would call all the best artists and carpenters and builders and tell them to build a new ark.

Then they would get all the people together and the priests would cast lots to see what lord would choose which one was Gods favorite

And so the people went to work' they got the best materials
and they designed and decorated
and worked on things for months.........


Finally, the day of deciding came around and the people came ,
,bringing all these beautiful arks with them

every one of them was unique...
Amazing artistry
fine details and exquisite work...
Creative designs
they were made of bronze and silver

some of them had gold ,inlaid with jewels.
.
All kinds of wood had been used :cedar ,balsam ,myrtle
some were simple
and some were very ornate

some of them had pictures that told the stories of Gods miracles for the people

the people walked around
looking at all these arks

wondering which one the lord would choose as his resting place as his sign of dwelling with the people

Then they watched as the high priest went up to each one of them, casting lots,,

But one after another
these arks were rejected

the tension was getting high among the people

then the high priest came to an ark that no one had paid much attention to

It was very simple
not much more than a box

but it was very well done
no details
not decorations
the wood had a sweet smell to it.

.and it was sanded very fine....

This one had been made by a man named Joseph
it was a very common name
and this Joseph
was not known for his carpentry

but he had a reputation as a faithful person
in a plain and simple kind of way.

And when the die was cast.
.this time God accepted the choice

this ark was accepted
the people
and all the other artists and carpenters were amazed
what?
Whey would God chose this one but not the others?

God had rejected all their offerings and sacrifices and their hard work
and even their gifts and talents that he had given them;
all in favor of this....this box!

Again, they called for the high priest to try again
and again this was the one that God accepted..

There was no doubt about it.

But still...they tried again; this third time
this is the one that God wanted to use.

The people stood there

refusing really
to accept this answer

but then out of the crowd
they heard the voice of a prophet .The prophet said
in the name of God this is the ark that I choose

I chose this one because with all the other arks

the people will stand to admire the artist

and they will look only at the ark itself
with its beauty and detail

but with this simple ark.. With Joseph ark,

,they only be thinking of me
and calling on me and worshiping me.

. Josephs ark will be my dwelling place
------------------------------------------------
I like that story

as a reminder
that...
maybe its ok for us
to not make that big of deal about Joseph in the Christmas story

its probably supposed to be that way..
Jospehs life, is like the ark in that story that I just told.

In the whole Gospel story ,he is this silent actor

and he leaves the stage very early on in the story
We don’t even know what happens to him
he just seems to disappear..
Hre leads the family to Bethlehem, He takes the holy family to Egypt and then back up to Nazareth and he disappears from the record.

but he is there for his part This small but important part..protecting Mary and the child,

That seems to be the point itself.

And maybe the lesson for us to see

is not that Joseph is such an example for us

But he give us another picture of how God works

the lesson itself points us to God..and away from Joseph

God does not always chose to work with the brightest and the best
or the rich and the famous

God chooses to work through the plain people
that maybe the world is going to overlook..

.God all along
has been doing it that way

think about the bible stories and the salvation history

again and again God seems to work with the younger son
instead of societies oldest ,favorite son

and God works with the women and the children

God works in the little towns like Bethlehem
and out of the way places
Like Nazareth ... as the bible says
can anything good come from Nazareth..?
The Gospel is that God comes in things like babes born .
. placed in a manger.
Travelers..lost in the busy crowd

Maybe we are supposed to see those ordinary and plain things
those simple things of life
and look through them
not just at them..
but through them
to see something of God,
to worship god.;And God alone
.to see the greater presence of God..

Joseph played that kind of role
Joseph does not point to himself
Joseph is not meant to hold our attention
he is that ordinary and simple person who lets God work though him

Joseph knew that this, was not about himself.

It was about being used by God. who uses ....
well...
just about anybody.
Anybody willing
to be useable
to be transparent
willing to say “ its not about me

I’m thinking that God is probably somehow using you and me .
.and these Sunday school kids that sang for us
those teachers and helpers and parents
.. God is using us all ....right now..
Maybe that not a bad Christmas present for you to be thinking about..
Being an instrument of God
Maybe its even the kind of thing you could dream about.
I believe we have the same God that Joseph had for Christmas
Amen

The story about Joseph the ark maker is from Megan McKenna’s book Matthew, The Book Of Mercy 2007 New City Press

Borrowed from Jeff Reed's blog. Maybe it fits this sermon blog!

Dec 2, 2007 Sermon

Dec 2, 2007 ADVENT 1 Wakefulness Park UMC Rory Swenson
(Keep your Bible open to the Gospel lesson this morning)


Did you notice that this part of Advent is not about the coming of Christmas ?

and its not talking about the coming of Jesus as child in Bethlehem,

you notice
that every year on the first Sunday of Advent you get these other verses ..
the strange verses
about the coming of God and the end of time..or The Day of the Lord


Talk about
the second coming
..the coming of the son of man
(apocalyptic and eschatological stuff ..if you want the fancy words for this)

and quite frankly
as the church we didn’t quite know what to do with this talk
and we have not handled it very well.

so we got pretty creative.
. turned it into ideas and theories and doctrines

mixed it all together with the book of Revelation
and some of st PAULs words..
and the book of Daniel..maybe some of Ezekiel...whatever..
and I suppose
we have this basic human need
to try and predict the future and maybe have some idea of whart going to come next

You know
things like the rapture
and the thousand year reign of Christ.
.and maybe all those Left Behind books
and whether or not you’re a pre millenialist
or a post milleniellist and so on.

But you know what??!
What if .. all of that..is not quite what Jesus is talking about


maybe Jesus is not trying to give us a time line or a doctrine


I think Jesus ..was probably just trying to tell us how to live in a faithful and spiritual way..

What if Jesus is trying to teach us..how to follow him!

what if this is all above having a certain approach to life ?

an attitude
or a spiritual perspective?


Jesus is trying to teach us.. a core characteristic. Of faithfulness

that sounds exactly like the kind of thing that Jesus would do..
Jesus is giving us something to do

..a way to be..


I believe this is all about being spiritually awake
And it seems to be pretty clear by just ;looking at the language

look at the verbs..
Notice...the action parts of the story

there is a theme going on in here.

Here it is.. Watch..pay attention..

Verse 42 says
keep awake

you know we are not talking about physically sleeping

this is spiritual wakefulness

Jesus told so many parable about readiness..


And watchfulness.
And most of all

he say that the readiness and watchfulness is about doing what your supposed to do... Matthew Gospel actually defines that readiness for you

Remember what is around these verse ..
You want to be biblical about this,,,, right..?
then let the Bible talk..
Keep it in context..

This isn’t some complicated pie in the sky theology

just look at what goes along with these verse.s.
I hope you still have your Bible open..(I want you to see this)

it s parable of the unfaithful slave..
who think that the Master er is not going to be around.
.and so he abuses his position .

He does whatever he wants..And he does not live faithfully

and then there is the parable of the ten bridesmaids
what is the problem?
they fall asleep ...and some of them are not ready..they run out of oil..(they are not enlightened...the lamp is out)
and they miss the wedding party..

And then the parable of the talents..
Some people use their time well...they use their life time well.

And one of them doesn’t use the time and the abilities. To do Gods work.
They waste their opportunities..

and the finally the parable of the Last Judgement with Sheep and the Goats..

What’s the point ?

its about the fact
that when you feed the hungry and care for the strange
and the sick and so on.

. You are caring for Jesus himself.

And so it’s a call to see
to see the needs of others
as a way of seeing Jesus

Coming to you... in them..

now ..you gotta keep that whole section together..
Don’t chop it up into separate little pieces

I think the second coming talk in a lot of Christianity .
.fails to be Biblical at that point.


You know why..?


Jesus is calling for people
for you and me..
to be ready be being awake in ministry..now..
Because today.
.is the only day that you really have..
Use the present moment..to do good...to do justice...to follow Jesus


And don’t get distracted by all these other false claims.
.about knowing the times and the seasons

You just gotta live as if you are paying attention
and being faithful and being ready ...today
watch
stay awake
look
listen
pay attention
stay open
be ready
alertness
spiritual alertness


Do you get you get the idea that we are supposed to approach every day
every situation with questions .
Such as:
is that you lord.?
Is this your call
is this your touch
are you talking to me!
is this you showing up.
.in this conversation
in this prayer
in this person
in this question
in this need..
Is there something I am supposed to do for Jesus

Wouldn’t that be the readiness

and the watchfulness
that Jesus is trying to give us..and teach us..?

Well ..take it this way.

what would be the opposite of that
do you want to be assuming that God is not here
and there is no urgency about anything
because God is not around
and the presence of God
the word of the lord ..will not be part of this day ?

being asleep
having no awareness
no looking
no alertness for God..

Would that be any way to live?

I don’t think so.

Really
we are onto the something
that all the great spiritual teachers
have pointed to
spiritual wakefulness and watching...awareness

open to the unknown
and the unpredictable
and the in breaking
the coming of God
the coming of Christ,

“the son of man...is coming .at unexpected hour..”

.as I said
I don’t think this is just end time talk
I think it is about divine time
divine visitations that happen
Glimpses of God..
in our daily lives..


And
if it s is not just about the end times..

Then
it maybe... is ...about the most important time.
.the most spiritual time..
Of meeting God..
which is the point or the conclusion .the end result of it all.
At the end of our earthly life.

Well
let me pair that with a story..
...
One upon a time

there was a man who was very devoted and faithful to his religious duties

he was responsible for his family
he obey the law

he prayed
he did his personal devotions
and he went to the worship services


But most of the times he was concentrating so much on doing his prayers
And making sure he did them just right

That ..he didn’t see what God was doing right in front of him.

While he was reading his prayer book and studying the scriptures..

He failed to see to see the glory of the sun rise ... right in front of his eyes

with those streaks of silver and blue and red..
Painting and opening the skies
overcoming the darkness ...And declaring the creation of God.

And this habit of unawareness ..

well it overlapped
into the other parts of his life as well

for example

he knew that he was supposed to care for the poor and the sick and orphans
and he did that ...many times.

And it felt good
he came away feeling righteous more faithful
or at least knowing that other people would benefit from his charity.

But in all those years of giving money for food or shelter
or helping people in need.

He never thought to ask himself.
Why..

He never really wondered Why there were so many people in need.. Why there were so many hungry people
or orphans
or poor people or prisoners.

He never realized.
.that the presence of all these people in hard times and the poverty
might be pointing to something that he needed to see..


Now this man also knew that he needed to work responsibly
and teach people to do what is right.
So he taught his children
he supported religious education

.. But still
he just overlooked so much of the suffering
and the struggles
of people right around him..

People who were just wore down by the work of life
just trying to survive.

People caring for their children or for their elderly parents...

People who simply had no time for much study or prayer.


But basically
this man was concentrating on making sure that he did

what he thought he needed to do for his own salvation
and for his own of blessing
That how he lived his life

and then he died,


Now..according to the story
when he got to the gates of heaven

he was shocked to see
that heaven was this huge walled city

and the gates.
.the great towering gates in front of him..
Shut tight and they were locked.

And there was a sign on the gate
it said.
.these doors open once every hundred years. Stay AWAKE

the man was shocked

No one down on earth
had ever told him anything about this

Doors that were locked and opened only once in a hundred years.!!

What was he supposed to do!
How long did he have to wait
had they just been opened a little while ago
a couple of decades
or would they open in week or month..or maybe in just a few minutes/

there was no way to know

so he went off to the side

and he sat down to wait.

First he prayed and he thought about his life.

He tried to remember all the words that he had prayed
back on earth

but back then
he didn’t think
about what those things really meant..

About peace and justice and forgiveness and helping people...and love..and ..


Well... now... he kept drifting off.

And he would fall sleep...

and then he would wake up with a jolt
and wonder how long he had been sleeping

There was nobody else around and he had nothing to do..


And he would doze off gain..drifting in and out of being awake.

And soon he was sleeping even more
and getting deeper into his sleep


But sometimes he would get up
and check the gate
he would push on the doors..


And then he would sit back down again..

Sometimes
he was like a little child taking those little naps
and he would wake up
all of a sudden
and wonder where he was

And he would get panicky
or grumpy for a moment

in fact he got more and more like that.

Sleeping longer and deeper

and again and again

he would check the doors Between his naps..

Still they were locked tight.

He wondered how the time was passing
how much time had there
there was no way to tell..
There was no sunrise
or sunset
no way to mark the days
or measure the passing of time.

...one day ..

When he was sleeping ,, in deep sleep,

the doors began to open..

They opened up very slowly
and very quietly

until they were wide open.

A breath of fresh air

this wonderfully pure air..

Breezed y through the gates..
It was a cool breeze that gently woke him up.

His eyes were opened
and he stared at the gate..

He rushed toward it..

But the gate closed again.. way faster than it had opened.

It slammed shut.

It shut hard .with a deafening noise..

And the sign dropped down again..

These doors open once every hundred years.
Stay Awake,

Thats the story...
And Jesus made that same point with his stories

stay awake
..be ready .
.really see
what you should see..with the eyes of faith

you don’t know the time or the season

don't be sleeping on the spiritual job.. While you wait..

Paul Tillich .
said
Our time is a time of waiting..

every time..is a time of waiting....

Waiting for the breaking in of eternity
All. time
both history
and the personal life...
Is expectation

waiting
not for another time.
But for that which is eternal
...........end quote

Our whole life then
is meant to be this seeking and looking.. Readiness
expectation
a sense of nearness
get that
“nearness”..Jesus is near. The time is near..
As the presence o f God..

The question is

Are you prepared to meet Jesus
to see Jesus
coming to you
calling out to the church
in the cries of the world ..
calling for the violence to end.
.and the abuse to stop
and the name calling to be over..
and the injustice to be corrected

when those opportunities
when those doors open..
When those heavenly times are given..

To serve God..

wake up ..move.. and see Jesus

as he comes to you in that Word of scripture
that we keep ignoring
or in that prayer
in that nudge of the spirit

Pay attention
for the Son of Man
as he comes to you in that chance to do ..want you can do.
To show compassion
..even if it is hard to do.

The Son of man is coming to you
the Kingdom of god is at hand
in that unexpected hour
when you have a chance
to forgive
to make peace
to repent.
. To heal.
.to rejoice..
Or to humble yourself..

to serve.
.to change a life.
To follow Jesus


really
you don’t want to sleep though any of those things
the time is near..

Jesus is simply giving all of us..
a wake up call. Now ...is the time of salvation

The Tillich quote and the story of the man at the gate , are both based on Megan Mckenna Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany ...Sunday Readings.. P. 97ff Orbis 1998
she didn’t cite a source for the Tillich quote...and I’m not about to dig through all my seminary Tillich books! ‘Google” it and let me know what you find!
I have done my own rephrasing/re telling of the Gate story