The Journey of the Magi

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

Journey of the Magi

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

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times when we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wineskins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

~T.S. Eliot

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

O Holy Night

`


`

The Third Sunday of Advent

---

Sermon – Advent 3A
December 12, 2010
The Rev. Patrick Markie


Today is the Third Sunday of Advent and Advent is the Season the Church gives us each year to remember, rejoice, and reflect. We remember with joy what we know already happened: Jesus came as a baby, he was placed in a manger, and he changed the world forever.

We rejoice in the sure and certain knowledge of God’s presence with us and among us today, because on the first Easter morning, three women discovered something amazing: the rock had been rolled away from the tomb, and Jesus had risen from the dead.

And we reflect on what is still to come, as we wait in joyful hope, ever vigilant and ever open to the mystery of the second coming of Christ.

John Westerhoff says: “Advent provides us with a moment to reflect on where Christ is trying to break into our lives and into our world…Of course we remember the birth at Bethlehem, but only so that we will not forget the vision of a new possibility that God implanted in our hearts, and the promise of God’s return, upon which we base our hope and for which we watch and wait.”

John the Baptist had been waiting and hoping for the coming of the Messiah for a long time. And in last Sunday’s Gospel he took this message to the people, as an edgy messenger, dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers and wild honey, and he was probably skinny as a rail, with hair and a beard that looked like they’d never been cut. And there he stood, knee-deep in the River Jordan, shouting out as loud as he could, “Repent…prepare…for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

And last Sunday’s Gospel tells us, “…the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him…”

Some of it, I’m sure, was plain old curiosity, and the people of John’s time were probably saying, “I just can’t believe what I’ve been hearing about this guy. I’ve got to see it for myself. Nobody really dresses and eats and talks like that, do they?”

But mostly, I think, it was what John was saying: “With many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.” And it was good news that gave a waiting and hoping people, faith and trust and joy, and inspired them to respond to John’s call to “bear fruit worthy of repentance,” or as another translation says, “To change the way you’ve been living your life.”

Fast forward to today’s Gospel and we have an entirely different picture of John the Baptist. Here he is, the bold prophet who pointed to Jesus as the One, who called for repentance and baptized many, now sitting alone in Herod’s prison.

It must have been lonely and dirty and very difficult being imprisoned in first century Judea. There were most likely no comforts or conveniences, and the only thing available to John was time—time to think, time to ponder, time to second-guess, and lots of time to doubt. Was Jesus really the One? Was he the real thing? Had I been right, or had my work been in vain?

Things were not turning out the way they were supposed to. The Messiah was supposed to change things. He was supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff in the world. He was supposed to change things so that men like Herod were no longer in power and men like John the Baptist were no longer in prison. Jesus wasn’t doing the things John thought the Messiah was supposed to do, and John was full of disappointment and doubt.

I suppose we’ve all been disappointed with God at one time or another. A loved one gets sick and dies. A terrorist attack takes place somewhere in the world. Tornadoes tear up a town or earthquakes devastate the lives of hundreds, even thousands of people.

Our disappointment comes because of faulty expectations. Sometimes we fail to really see God because we are blinded by the picture we have painted of God in our mind. If we are going to see God at work in the world then we need to remove the blinders of our expectations and look with the eyes of faith. We need to be open to seeing beyond what we have grown to expect.

Doubt is nothing new. Even the most faithful disciples throughout human history have experienced their dark nights of the soul and their season of doubt. Think about Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther, the Apostle Thomas, and so many other pillars of faith who wrestled with doubt, lived with it and expressed it, and yet did not let it consume them.

John the Baptist, in spite of his imprisonment and uncertain future, refused to wallow in his doubt. He did not allow it to disappoint and embitter him. According to Matthew’s account he sent word by his disciples to Jesus and asked him directly: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

A commentary on this text says: “Jesus meets John’s questioning and doubt directly. There are no heavy theological treatises or condemnation of his doubt handed down. Not at all! Jesus provides the answer through the witness of his disciples.” “Go and tell John what you hear and see,” Jesus says. “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”

Jesus wants John to know that he, Jesus, is indeed the one foretold by the prophets, he wants him to know that something extraordinary is starting to happen, and that John was the one sent by God to proclaim this good news and to prepare the way. But don’t accept and believe just because I’m telling you, Jesus says. Listen to the good news of what’s been happening and then judge, have faith, and believe.

We all need to look with the eyes of faith and see God at work in and through all the ordinary elements of our lives. We need to see God in the face of our neighbors. We need to look for God at work in the world. We need to not allow our faulty expectations to trip us up and cause our faith to falter.

Being disillusioned about God is not necessarily a bad thing. Disillusionment is literally the loss of an illusion. And in the long run, it is never a bad thing to lose the lies we have mistaken for the truth.

Did Jesus fail to give you everything you prayed for? Then perhaps Jesus is not a genie. Did Jesus fail to punish your enemies? Then perhaps Jesus is not a police officer. Did Jesus fail to make everything run smoothly? Then perhaps Jesus is not a mechanic. Over and over our disappointments draw us deeper and deeper into who Jesus really is and what Jesus really does.

Disillusionment, questions, and doubt can be good things. Frederick Buechner says: “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.”

John had to deal with his disillusionment over Jesus. He wanted Jesus to condemn sinners—instead, Jesus ate with them. He wanted Jesus to proclaim fire and brimstone—instead, Jesus preached about God’s love.

Jesus didn’t answer John’s question by coming right out and saying he was the one. But he did tell John to look at the works he was doing and draw his own conclusions.

Barbara Brown Taylor paraphrases Jesus’ answer this way: “People who were blind to the love loose in the world have received their sight; people who were paralyzed with fear are limber with hope; people who were deaf from want of good news are singing hymns.

“And best and most miraculous of all, tell John that this is not the work of one lonely messiah, but the work of God, carried out by all who believe, and there is no end in sight. Tell him I am the one, if you must, but tell him also that yes, he should look for another and another and another. Tell him to search every face for the face of God and not get tripped up on me, because what is happening here is bigger than any of us. What is coming to pass is as big as the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus is the one. He is the one God anointed to bring good news to the world. He is the one who was called to show and share how much God loves us. He is the one who came into the world to serve. He is also the one who calls us to be the one.

We probably aren’t called to do this on a grand, world-changing scale, but rather by living out our faith every day in ordinary ways.

We can share God’s love by talking to someone who is lonely. We can provide God’s care by visiting the sick. We can show God’s compassion by comforting someone who is grieving. We can demonstrate the peace of God by not retaliating when someone wrongs us. We can show our concern for the poor by giving gifts that help provide food, clothing, and shelter.

Last year on the Third Sunday of Advent we read from Luke’s Gospel a story similar to what we read last week in Matthew’s Gospel. John is preaching and baptizing, crowds are coming out to see him, and he calls upon the people to do good works, because “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And then, in Luke’s telling of the story, the people are so stirred up by John’s words that they call out, “What then shall we do?” And John tells them exactly what they should do.

“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” In other words, in the words of our Baptismal Covenant, “Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.”

To the tax collectors he said: “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” In other words, “Strive for justice…among all people.”

And to the soldiers he said: “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations…” In other words, “Respect the dignity of every human being.”

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent and we light the pink candle on the Advent Wreath. It used to be called Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word “rejoice,” which was the first word of the opening prayer of the Latin Mass for this Sunday.

It is a reminder of the joyful coming of God in the person of Jesus at Bethlehem, a reminder to rejoice in the presence of God with us and among us today, and a reminder that as Christian people we wait in joyful hope for the second coming of Christ.

The message for us today is that we are called to be stewards of this good news, and to be active participants in ushering in God’s righteous reign. “We are charged with telling the world that something new is happening, just as the prophet Isaiah did with these words, ‘Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.’ Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.’”

The Season of Advent calls us to wait in joyful expectation; of that there is no doubt. Yet that waiting should not be static. We are called to go into the world, strengthened by the Word, strengthened by bread and wine, to tell all people that Jesus comes, that hope abounds, and that there is a place at the table and in the community for everyone. Even as we wait, salvation breaks in around us, and God is active in the world. What good news! Now go and tell!

AMEN

---

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

*

*

Advent Colors

*

Advent Colors


Purple my heart,
purple not with courage or from war,
but from longing for the Desire of Nations
and for peace.


Blue my eyes and soul,
blue and silent as today’s late afternoon snow under shade.
Waiting, hoping, melting, freezing.



White my spirit, my remembering,
white for never having known before
the One

Whom now I see,

and taste
and feel.

Em-an-uel,
God-with-us.

*

Give Hope

SERMON FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010 SAINT ANNE’S
PROPER 24C LYDIA HUTTAR BROWN
Genesis 32:22-31, Luke 18:1-8



It was dark in the mine, half a mile underground.

After the deafening roar of falling rock, after the terror of feeling like the mountain was caving in and would crush them, after the silence and the realization they were still alive, it still took hours for the dust to settle and for the 33 Chilean miners to realize they were trapped by a huge rock that blocked their only exit. They gave thanks to God that they had not been in the passageway, on their way to the surface for their lunch break. They gave thanks that they were instead trapped a half mile underground in a huge cavern, and they gave thanks that surely -- almost certainly -- people were looking for them and would find them. They gave thanks and began their active hoping. Persevering in hope. They rationed their little bit of food, to make it last as long as possible. They exercised and sang and told stories and made plans for the future when they would be rescued.

It was dark in the lives of teenagers, in Minnesota and around the country.

Well, at least it felt dark. So dark and lonely and misunderstood that they could see no escape except death. Teenagers who were harassed and bullied because of who they were. And who felt trapped and alone. Without hope, without light, without a future.

It was dark in the forest along the Jabbock River, as Jacob wrestled with the angel.

He wrestled with his doubts and fears, wrestled with God pushing him toward his estranged brother, wrestled with his own inadequacy and mortality. But Jacob didn’t give up. He struggled with all his doubts and fears. He struggled with his conscience. He demanded a divine blessing. He persevered in hope -- active hope --
that his encounter with his brother would be blessed by God.

It was dark in the life of the widow.

Her husband had died. In her time -- in Jesus’ time -- a widow was destitute. No husband meant no home, no livelihood, no money.
So there were moral and social obligations to widows built into the legal code. But this widow was not being served well by the system. A corrupt judge was refusing to make sure her safety net was in place. But the widow persevered in hope. She wouldn’t rest until she got justice,the protection of the law, for the help she needed.

Above the miners, their loved ones were also persevering in hope. Hope that their loved ones would be found, alive. They made a camp above the mine -- Camp Esperanza -- Camp Hope. And nobody gave up.

With Jacob, the angel also persevered in the struggle,and gave Jacob a blessing as the sun came up. It may have been dark in the nighttime, but Jacob was aware of God’s presence with him throughout his struggle. Jacob did not persevere or hope alone.

The widow also was not alone in her persevering hope. She had the law on her side; she had the wisdom of maturity to take a longer view and insist on justice for herself.

Where is Camp Hope for young people who are afraid and lonely? Where is the persevering, hopeful community that will stop at nothing to lighten their darkness?

Churches like St. Anne’s, who believe in the honor and dignity of every human being, must speak louder and reach out more clearly with a message of hope. Bishop Gene Robinson said in a recent blog posting that religion is killing our young people. The religious messages that get into the mainstream media too often fuel hatred and prejudice, even cruelty. We must counteract the messages that come from much of organized religion that adds to the despair of young people. Our message is this:

God loves you, as you are. You are a child of God, created in God’s image. God has great hope for you, and so do we.

Being people of good will is not enough. We have to actively hope, actively struggle and demand a blessing for all people who are trapped, who are in darkness. Especially young people who don’t have the perspective to take the long view.

The Star Tribune recently had a contest for young people to enter their dreams for a better world. Winston Chen, a 5th grader in Eden Prairie, wrote:

I dare to dream of a community where people of all different cultures and religions come together creating a great collage of many colors.
I dare to dream of a community where despair is replaced with hope and fear is overcome by joy.
I dare to dream of a community where collaboration is valued, and everyone is an equal contributor.

Mackenzie Manuel, a 4th grader in Minneapolis, wrote:

My dream for our community is for people to stop violence and get along. … [One] thing I would change is bullying and harassment. Some kids get bullied all the time and other kids see it and don’t do anything. That’s called a “bystander.” If you see somebody getting bullied, you should tell someone because if you don’t it could happen to you! … So remember to always help others out and don’t be afraid to stand up for what’s right.

Olivia Meredith, 3rd grader in Minnetonka, finished her short essay with a poem:

Give hope, watch others beam,
it is easier than it seems.
Pay it forward is the theme,
as a community, we make dreams.


Give hope. Watch others beam. We, as God’s people, are called to persevere in hope and to shine the light of persevering hope for others. For all people. This is our vocation, and it is critically needed now, right now, in our families, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and community. Let us be a loud insistent persevering voice, demanding justice for all people, and working, waiting, actively hoping.

.

Peace Teachings

-
MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH

.

On October 16, 2010, St. Anne's planted three peace poles in our peace garden :

Baha'i Teaching

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in thy judgement, and guarded in thy speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Buddhist Teaching

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses—
the children, the aged, the unprotected---
be guarded by beneficent celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

Christian Teaching

Blessed are the Peacemakers,
for they shall be known as the Children of God.
But I say to you that hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you.
To those who strike you on the cheek, offer the other also,
and from those who take away your cloak,
do not withhold your coat as well.
Give to everyone who begs from you,
and of those who take away your goods, do not ask them again.
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Hindu Prayer for Peace

Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all,
and may that peace come to me also.

Jain Teaching

Peace and Universal Love is the essence of the Gospel preached by all the Enlightened Ones.
The Lord has preached that equanimity is the Dharma.
Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me.
Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity.
Know that violence is the root cause of all miseries in the world.
Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage.
"Do not injure any living being."
This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable way of spiritual life.A weapon howsoever powerful it may be, can always be superseded by a superior one;
but no weapon can, however, be superior to non-violence and love.

Jewish Teaching

Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
that we may walk the paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,
and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation—
neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.

Muslim Teaching

In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created us and made us into tribes and nations, that we may know each other, not that we may despise each other. Most Gracious are those who walk on the Earth in humility, and when we address each other, may we say "PEACE."

Native African Teaching

Almighty God, the Great Thumb, we cannot evade to tie any knot;
the Roaring Thunder that splits mighty trees:
the all-seeing Lord up on high who sees even the footprints
of an antelope on a rockmass here on Earth.
You are the one who does not hesitate to respond to our call.
You are the cornerstone of peace.

Native American Prayer for Peace

O Great Spirit of our Ancestors,.
To your messengers the four winds,
and to Mother Earth who provides for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect,
and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind.
Let us learn to share all the good things you provide for us on this Earth.

Shinto Teaching

Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us,
I believe, are all our brothers and sisters,
why are there constant troubles in this world?
Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us?
I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon puff away
all the clouds which are hanging over the tops of the mountains.

Sikh Teaching

God adjudges us according to our deeds, not the coat that we wear:
that Truth is above everything, but higher still is truthful living..Know that we attain God when we love, and only that victory endures in consequence of which no one is defeated.

Sufi Prayer for Peace

O Almighty Sun, whose light clears away all clouds,
We take refuge in you. Guide of all people, God of all deities, Lord of all angels,
We pray you to dispel the mists of illusion from the hearts of the nations
And lift their lives by your all-sufficient power,
Your ever shining light, your everlasting life,
Your heavenly joy and your perfect peace.

Zoroastrian Prayer for Peace

We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world:
that understanding triumph over ignorance,
that generosity triumph over indifference,
that trust triumph over contempt,
and that truth triumph over falsehood.

.