“Wandering Off…”

Meditation on Luke 2:41-52

First Sunday After Christmas 2012

***

       Now every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.

         After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” And Jesus said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.  (Luke 2:41-52)

***

     It happens to every parent at some time.  You take your eyes off your child for only a moment, it seems, and your child wanders off. 

     And though it happens to every parent at some time, my mother was upset this week when I wanted to talk about when it happened to her.

      “Hey, Mom,” I asked. “Do you remember when Steve got lost in the grocery store?”

     Her response was emphatic denial.  “No!”

     “You know,” I prompted, “when we were in the Super Giant…”

     That stirred her memory, then, but she still tried to avoid the subject that brought back the old feelings of frustration, helplessness, anger, and fear.

     “Karen, that was a long time ago!” she said.

       Yes. It was more than 40 years ago.  But it was something she would always remember because of the strong emotions evoked by the experience.

     The Super Giant was a large grocery store chain in the Washington D.C. area.  It wasn’t as big as, say, today’s Super Walmart or Super Target.  But back then, the Super Giant was about as big and as crowded as they get.

     My mother did reluctantly retell the story of when my brother was 4 and wandered off while we were shopping. I was 2 and a half and probably riding in the front seat of the shopping cart.  My older sister was 5 and never went far from my mother.

     Mom can only recall certain details. Frantically calling his name and walking up and down the crowded aisles with the cart, my sister and me.  Asking for help from an employee, who announced over the loud speaker that a little boy was lost.

     My mother remembers that he was crying and holding tightly to the hand of the person who found him and led him to where we waited. He had gone to look at a toy and could not find his way back.

     The person who led my brother to us was not a store employee. She was a shopper who just happened to see my brother crying.  And she reached out and offered to help. 

     My mother knew by the time my brother was 4 that he was a handful and was prone to going his own way. 

***

    

    In our gospel today, we have this wonderful portrait of Jesus’ family—perhaps more special because these images are so rare.  The Bible tells little about Jesus’s life when he was a boy—not until this scene when he is 12—almost a man in his culture. 

     The family has made the 10-day journey by foot to Jerusalem from Nazareth for Passover.  Only adult males were required to make this pilgrimage to the Temple to be in Yahweh’s presence and make an offering. The entire family making this journey speaks to their extraordinary piety. 

     Joseph and Mary don’t think anything of it when they failed to see Jesus on the first day of the journey back home. This speaks of their trust in him. He was permitted to roam freely in the crowd of travelers, many of whom were relatives and friends. But at some point that first day, Mary and Joseph realize he isn’t with them or their relatives and friends. They turn back to Jerusalem to find him.

     Imagine the panic that Mary from tiny Nazareth felt when she and Joseph were looking for him in the big city of Jerusalem.  Nazareth was a village of around 400 people. What were Mary and Joseph thinking?  Had merchants kidnapped him? Sold him into slavery?  Had he been attacked? Left in some alley? 

     On the 3^rd day of their search, Mary and Joseph were startled to find Jesus in the Temple, listening and posing questions with the teachers, who were amazed by his understanding.

     Mary, in her panic, reacts like any other mother whose son has gone missing for several days in a big city. She scolds Jesus, addressing him not by his given name; she calls him “child”—as a parent might do to assert their authority over their wayward offspring.  “Child, why have you treated us like this?! Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety!”

      Jesus gently reminds Mary, without coming right out and saying it, that He is not Joseph’s son; he is not the son of any mortal man.

     “Why were you searching for me?” Jesus asks. “Didn’t you know that I would be in my Father’s house?”

      The significance of this story is that Jesus’s divine purpose was already evident at the young age of 12. He demonstrated wisdom beyond his years and was already choosing to follow and obey God rather than human beings.

      Mary, who did not understand Jesus’s behavior at the time, did come to believe that what happened was a fulfillment of the angel’s prophecy and affirmation of His true identity as the Son of God. 

     And she “treasured all these things in her heart.” 

***

     As we take in this scene in our gospel, some of us can imagine ourselves as Mary or Joseph. We can sympathize with them because we know they were just doing the best they could to raise up the one who wasn’t at all like other children.

     But more of us can identify with my mother’s story—and sympathize as she struggled to do the best she could with a strong willed child, prone to going his own way.

     Most of us, though, if we examine our hearts and are honest with ourselves, can also identify with the wayward 4-year-old—lured to wander by the promise of some worldly pleasure. All Christians, at some time in their faith journey, will be tempted to wander away from the Lord and what He calls us to do.

      We say we love God more than anyone or anything.  But we become distracted. Family, work, chores. So many activities can draw us away from worship each Sunday in our Father’s house.  So many things can lure us away from spending quiet time alone with our Heavenly Father each day.

      And here we are—about to embark on another New Year. And many of us with good intentions will vow to try harder, to be more faithful in our walk with God. To make our relationship with the Lord our highest priority.

       But it’s so easy to wander off….

       The danger of wandering is not that we won’t be forgiven. Our gracious God has already made the sacrifice for all our sins.  The danger is that when we wander, we might get lost and be unable to find our way back.  And we will experience the pain and misery of separation from God, a separation of our own choosing. 

       Sisters and brothers, God doesn’t wander away from us. He tries and tries to draw us nearer to Him.

        He sends his faithful to seek out and find us. To take us by the hand and lead us back to where we belong, like the gentle stranger in the Super Giant one day when my brother was 4.

       Our Creator knows us better than our parents!

       He knows that each one of us is a handful!

      All of us are prone to going our own way.     

Let us pray.

     Creator God, thank you for your patient love that tries and tries to draw us ever nearer to you.  Forgive us when we have made promises that we have not kept, when we have wandered off and failed to do what you call us to do.  Shape us into the faithful people you want us to be.  Give us strength to ignore the things that distract us from loving, serving, and worshiping You.  Empower us to be the ones who reach out to those who wander and those who are lost.  Give us courage and compassion to help a stranger in need.  In Christ we pray.  Amen!

"Mary's Song"

Meditation for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

Luke 1:26-56

***

      In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’

     But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’

      Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’

     The angel said to her, ‘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 Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’

      Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

      In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

    And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.

***

       I met Mary and Brenda when I was in college in the 1980s.

      They knocked on my dorm room door one day and asked if I wanted to read the Bible with them.  That came as a surprise but they seemed like normal people—not religious fanatics or anything. I was 20 or 21, and not a very religious person at the time, though I had been baptized and confirmed in a Lutheran church.

      Before I met Mary and Brenda at school, I didn’t know anyone who would have felt comfortable talking about their faith.  And certainly none of my friends would have asked if I wanted to read the Bible with them.

      Well, I had a Bible.  An old, white King James, with the words of Jesus in red.  And I had questions.  Mary and Brenda never laughed at me or my questions, though they were much more mature in the faith. They knew their Bibles and they prayed simple, conversational prayers.  They asked God to help them with little and big things they were struggling with—schoolwork, jobs, boyfriends, parents, sickness, finances, everything! They asked God to speak to them through Scripture and help them to know and obey God’s will.

   This was all new to me. They were members of Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, which had an active group on our campus. They had their own worship service on Friday nights in our group leader’s home. We sang Christian songs with a guitar and words on a screen. Our leader didn’t preach like any minister I had heard before.  He talked to us like he was one of us.

      I was drawn to Mary and Brenda and this group of Christians because of their kindness and gentleness to me and one another.  They were far from perfect people.  But they had something I didn’t have. They had a real, authentic faith that was a daily journey.  They walked with God. 

       And they told me that God loved me enough to send His Son to die for me. For me!  Not just the world.  For me! They told me that I was truly forgiven for all my sins.  That I was a new creation.  And that God’s Spirit was with me always.  And I believed it!  It was like a heavy burden was lifted from my shoulders.

     I had heard the gospel many times before.  But it had never sunk in quite like this.

***

       My relationship with Brenda and Mary was something like Mary and Elizabeth’s mentoring relationship in our gospel today. Mary, who was only about 13 when the angel appeared to her, was a distant kin to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was much older and was a godly, married woman, whose husband, Zacharias, was a priest. She was thought to be barren when the angel came and proclaimed she would have a son. He would be John the Baptist, the one God sent to prepare the way for our Lord.

      Mary, just a girl by today’s standards, was scared of the angel and his words. Gabriel comforted her in her distress, telling her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

      And the Lord in His mercy and wisdom arranged for these two women to be together as He used them in extraordinary ways. 

      God understands us.  He knows our need for Christian friends and our need to be loved and encouraged in the faith. So the angel, after he tells Mary she will conceive the Son of God by the Holy Spirit, tells her what has happened to Elizabeth, assuring her, “For nothing will be impossible for God.”

       Mary’s response is humble obedience.  “I am the Lord’s servant!  Let it be as you say.”  And then Mary immediately makes the 9 or 10 days’ journey by foot to visit Elizabeth.  She stays 3 months.

       During this time, the women draw strength from one another and the Lord. And they build up each other in the faith. Elizabeth’s greeting to her young relative is confirmation of what the angel has told Mary.

      “Blessed are you among women!” Elizabeth says. “Blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?...  Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

        Fear is dispelled.  Only then, after Elizabeth encourages her, does Mary break into song.  Her song is an echo of the ancient prayer of Hannah, who miraculously conceived a son, Samuel, in her old age, when she was barren.  Samuel was the last judge and first prophet of Israel, and the one who anointed the first king, Saul, and David, his successor.

         In Mary’s Song, she praises God. She rejoices in what He will do through her, how generations will call her blessed. And she rejoices in her servant relationship with Him.   She sings of His just kingdom to come through the Savior. The proud will be scattered.  The exalted made low.  The rich sent away empty.  The hungry filled with good things.

          Mary is so happy, she sings!

 ***

     At this time of year, when God shows us the many blessings in our lives, including the gift of His Son, we see how He has used people around us and our relationships to shape us into the people He wants us to be. I give thanks, especially, for my Christian friends!  People like Mary and Brenda, who more than 25 years ago, showed me how faith is a journey that is meant to be shared with other Christians who build one another up and encourage each other in their walk with the Lord. They taught me that Christianity is all about relationships, first and foremost, a loving relationship with God in Jesus Christ. 

      At the time, meeting Brenda and Mary didn’t seem like a huge thing.  Looking back, I can see how God used them to bring about drastic changes in me and my life—and to draw me closer to Him. 

       And so many other people, family and friends, inspire me now to press on and be a more faithful Christian. Some of you are gentle reminders to us all that Christianity isn’t about our comfort; it’s about being humble, obedient servants, trusting and rejoicing in Him like the two expectant mothers in the gospel of Luke—Mary and Elizabeth.

     Friends, the Lord has plans for us. He has brought us together for this ministry—to walk alongside each other and learn from each other as we allow the Spirit to lead us. We have seen His faithfulness to us when we reach out with Christ’s love and mercy to people in need. If we continue to seek and serve Him, He will bless our relationships with one another and with our neighbors.

     He will give us His joy.

     A joy that we can’t help but share with others.

     A joy that will make us sing!

Will you pray with me?

Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for Jesus Christ, Your Son, who showed us the way back to You when we were lost in our sins.  And we give you thanks for our loving families and friends, who walk beside us in our faith journeys and urge us on when we grow weary. Draw us ever nearer to you, Lord, and nearer to one another.  Help us to let go of what holds us back from completely trusting you with ourselves and our lives.  Teach us to be your humble, obedient servants, pressing on more faithfully with Your Kingdom work.  Give us your joy!  In Christ we pray.  Amen.

“Footprints in the Snow”

Meditation for the Third Sunday in Advent 2012

Philippians 4:4-7

***

     “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

***

     Vicki Soto wasn’t thinking about her own safety on Friday. She was trying to shield her students from a man who walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in suburban Newtown, Connecticut, and started shooting.

     Vicki was trying to usher her first graders into a closet when she came face to face with the 20-year-old gunman. She was killed when she put herself between the gunman and the children.

    “Miss Soto,” as her students called her, was only 27. She had been teaching 5 years.  The kids, whose lives she saved, say she was “really nice” and “funny.” She liked to chew gum, something that wasn’t usually allowed in school.  And when her students teased her about it, she playfully teased them back.

     We heard about the tragedy on Friday as Jim and I drove to Mankato to pick up our son from college and bring him home for his winter break. We felt shock and disbelief as we heard how 28 people had been shot and killed at the elementary school in Connecticut; 20 of them were children. And all my little disappointments and frustrations of the last week, beginning with the cancellation of worship because of a snowstorm, seemed very trite, indeed.

      As a former teacher of young children, and as a parent, I feel such sorrow for the families and community that is struggling with this terrible loss and will be for a long, long while.

     And here it is – almost Christmas.

     How will these families find the strength to go on?  How will they deal with their grief and anger? How will the young survivors heal?

     Will they ever feel safe in their school again?  

     ***

   Paul, in our Epistle reading, offers help for those who struggle with grief, loss, and fear. Paul writes to the Philippians from his prison cell in Rome.  He knows they are discouraged, sad, and afraid as they, too, have been victims of persecution. They sent him gifts to encourage him when they heard he was in jail.  One gift was a man from their church who would help care for Paul in prison.  But this man became gravely ill, so Paul sent him home to recover. Now Paul doesn’t want the Philippians to worry about him in prison or find fault with the man they had sent to care for him.  

     In Paul’s time, a prison sentence was often a death sentence.  The incarcerated were treated cruelly, and not adequately fed or provided with clean water.  They rarely received medical help.  Jails were dirty, horrible places. And Paul, imprisoned for witnessing to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and salvation in His name, tells the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I will say, rejoice!”

     How can Paul tell those who love him to rejoice when they know he is suffering and probably will not live much longer without someone to care for him? 

    Well, Paul doesn’t just say, “Rejoice!”  He says, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” Rejoice in your salvation—which has already happened and can never be taken from you. And rejoice in what is to come—when the Lord returns to gather His Church. Paul reminds them in his letter of his own love for them and their call to love one another.  He is concerned for their unity and their witness to Christ.  So he says, “Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” 

     Of course, Paul knows they will worry.  So he encourages them to pray, instead of worrying. And give thanks to God as you make your requests known to Him.  For the Lord is faithful and will respond in our need.

    And what is the promise for those who pray, rejoice in the Lord, and make known their gentleness to everyone?

    Peace.  A peace that goes beyond human understanding.

   And this peace is not just a good feeling. This peace is power! It will “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  It will protect us and keep us—until the Lord comes again.

      On Friday morning, before I had heard about the tragedy at the Connecticut school, I called my father in Florida.  He was lonely because my mother is in Maryland visiting my sister.

      His mood lifted, however, when he asked about our snowy weather. This triggered a shared memory. Dad reminded me about the year we visited my grandparents in Florida for Christmas.  I was only 3 or 4. We didn’t know it, but 18 inches of snow had fallen on our home in rural Maryland while we made the 2-day drive back.  As the station wagon neared our home, we discovered the long gravel driveway had completely disappeared under the snow! And the wind had lifted and piled the snow much taller than 18 inches in places so our front yard looked like waves in the ocean.

    I couldn’t believe the sea of white!  No footprints in the snow! 

    Anxious to make my own, I jumped out of the car and tried to follow my family who were unloading the car.  But I only sunk down deep.  The snow was up to my waist and I couldn’t move. I cried out!

    And then, a feeling of freedom and peace swept over me, as my dad lifted me into his arms.  He carried me all the way to the front door.  As he walked, I looked back and marveled at how big his footprints were! How easy it was for him to walk through the deep snow, when I could not, alone, walk at all. 

      This image came to mind later as I considered the tragedy at the school and Paul urging us to “Rejoice in the Lord.” How will all those who mourn the loss of loved ones –now, when it is nearly Christmas—find hope, healing, and strength to go on?

     The same way we find peace, a peace that goes beyond human understanding, when we are sad, discouraged or afraid.  When we feel we don’t have the strength to walk any farther, we cry out to the Lord.

     And Christ lifts us up and carries us easily to safety, like a father carrying his child through the deep snow. And looking back, we will see God’s great big footprints on our lives. We will remember how the Lord embraced us in His arms and showed His love through the gentleness of people around us. 

      And we won’t see our footprints at all.  

     Will you pray with me?

     Heavenly Father, thank you for carrying us and caring for us not only when we are sad, afraid, discouraged or weary, but always.  We rejoice in our Lord, Your Son, who is our salvation.  Thank you for your loving arms that hold us tightly and never let us fall from your grasp.  Thank you for the peace of Christ, our Redeemer, that heals us in our brokenness.  And thank you for your Spirit that leads us on.  Lord, we pray for the families and community that suffered the loss of 28 people—20 of them children.  Lord, heal them and help them forgive.  Draw them closer to You. Protect the students and staff as they return to school next week.  Remind them that You are with them always and will help them through any frightening or painful thing they might experience.  And we pray you would prevent the senseless violence that visited this Connecticut community from happening ever again.  In Christ we pray.  Amen. 

“What I Want For Christmas”

Meditation for the 2^nd Sunday in Advent

Luke 3:1-6

***

     “In the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip was ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”  (Luke 3:1-6)

***

       It’s that time of year again. When children write letters to Santa and hope they will get what they really want for Christmas.

       I received an email from my son Jacob a couple of days ago—the one who is in college at Mankato.  The subject line said “regarding Christmas.”  I opened it up expecting to hear about his plans for the Christmas break.  Instead, he wrote:

   “I found something that would make a perfect christmas gift because it is affordable and a book I have wanted for a few months now.”

     Jacob asked for Democracy: The God that Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy, and Natural Order.”  He also asked for an mp3 player.

    I laughed and began looking up the book on Amazon to order it for him. Of course I want him to keep reading, even if it is a book in which I personally have no interest. The mp3 player is something I will leave to Jim. I smiled as I remembered why and when Jacob starting giving us his Christmas list.  One time Santa goofed up and brought him clothes –instead of what he really wanted—video games.

    As I was ordering his book, Jacob sent me another email to further persuade me.  It began, “edit: I'm asking for a new mp3 player because the one jim gave me back when my zune died is not working right anymore ….”  His message ended with: “Also I cannot wait to go back home and see my loving family again.” This made me giggle, because Jacob doesn’t usually talk that way.  Still, it brought about the desired response. He would get what he wanted.

     But you know, I can sympathize with Jacob. When I was little, I had my heart set on a particular gift and Santa didn’t come through. I wanted a Suzy Homemaker Easy Bake Oven.   You know, the kind that you can make tiny cakes with the heat of a light bulb. I wrote letters telling Santa every year for at least 3 years.  And every year, I got something else other than the Easy Bake Oven.

    Now I am sure my parents had their reasons.  My dad probably worried that I would hurt myself. That light bulb did get hot! Sure enough, there was a recall later because kids were burning themselves and some even lost a finger when it got caught in the little oven door. And Dad probably thought I would make a mess. I probably would have.  But I would have cleaned it up.

    My mom was likely more concerned about price. I don’t know how much it was back then, but I am sure it was more than they wanted to spend. And why did I need a toy oven when we had a real oven?  So at 4 years old, my mom showed me how to make brownies from a mix, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and slide the 9 by 13 metal pan onto the hot racks without burning myself. 

    When I share my story of deprivation with my husband, he has little sympathy.  Jim, who grew up in a small apartment in New York City, wanted a horse. And for some strange reason, Santa did not bring him what he wanted, either.  He had it all planned.  He was going to keep it in his older sister’s room—tied to the radiator. 

    Looking back, it is pretty funny thinking about the gifts we wanted so badly and never got.  I grew up to be anything but a Suzy Homemaker. And Jim, though he still likes horses, prefers reading to being in the outdoors. 

    As we matured in the faith, we came to understand that God isn’t Santa Claus.  He doesn’t need our list of what we want.  He already knows what’s on our minds and in our hearts.  And He knows our greatest need. Forgiveness and reconciliation with Him. He knows the future—and what will happen if we don’t accept Jesus and choose, instead, to live in darkness for all eternity separated from Him.

   Some people will reject our Lord because He isn’t Santa. They want a God who gives them everything they want.  They reject a God that requires repentance and turning away from sin, who calls us to obedience to Him. And they really don’t want a God who uses trials and pain in our lives to shape us into the people He wants us to be, that He can use for His purposes.

    But that’s who God is.  And that’s what He does. Why? Because He loves us! He wants what’s best for us. And desires all to be saved.

    Our reading in Luke reaffirms to us the real meaning of Christmas.  Of course it isn’t about mp3 players, Easy Bake Ovens, or any other gift we might find underneath the Christmas tree.  It isn’t even about the gifts we give to others to show our love.

    Christmas is about believing and receiving God’s love. God revealed His love through His merciful gift of His Son.  Through Christ, we are healed and made whole.  We have everlasting life with Him. God’s gift is meant for all human beings—for all flesh, as Luke quotes Isaiah.

     Our Emmanuel is God with us, God who so loves us that He came down to us.  Became one of us.  Died for us on a cross. To take away our sins. And show us the way back to Him.

     So listen now, once more, to the gospel of Luke with your heart open to the true meaning of Christmas.  Open your eyes and see God’s love for you in His merciful gift. Hear now the words of John, the one sent before Christ, “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” 

Let us pray.

Merciful God, you have loved us since the beginning, despite our fall into sin in the Garden of Eden.  Yet we don’t always want to accept and receive Your love because it means admitting our own weakness and need for Your forgiveness. You love us so much that you were willing to allow your own Son to suffer and die for our sakes.  Forgive us when we have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas and want so many things that aren’t even good for us.  Forgive us when we have been lazy or fearful and failed to declare Your love and salvation to the world.  Stir us to compassion for those who walk in darkness. Prepare our hearts and give us patience as we await our Savior’s return. Empower us to do Your Will, to love as you love.  In Christ we pray.  Amen.

   

“Until the Coming of the Lord”

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Meditation on 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18

Dec. 2, 2012

First Sunday of Advent

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      “Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.

      But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.

     Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (I Thess. 4:9-18)

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      I was on my way out the door to go to a meeting at church when my cell phone rang.  In a rush, I immediately took the call, saying “Hello” without looking at the number.    

     The voice sounded familiar.  But the background noise made me think it was a telemarketer in a call center.

     He asked, “Is Karen there?”

     I answered in a polite voice, my mind still on the passing of time and fear that I would be late for my meeting. “This is she.  Who is calling please?”

     “Josh!” he said, in a louder voice.  And when I did not answer right away, he said, “Your son!”

     I don’t remember what I said after that. I was stunned.  I hadn’t heard Joshua’s voice in 4 years—not since right before he joined the Air Force. Only brief emails or Facebook messages. His choice.  

     He had remained in regular contact with his brothers, whom he had seen on leave by meeting them elsewhere.

     But now, Josh wanted to come home. He wanted to see Jim and me. He said he was sorry and had come to the conclusion when he was overseas that what we had argued about was “pointless.”  He needed his family.  He missed us.    

    His phone call was an interruption in my schedule.  It wasn’t written on my calendar. I didn’t have time to talk with him or lose sleep worrying about his visit, but of course I did anyway. And just the sound of his voice brought back painful memories of the summer that our family of 5 decided that we could no longer live together in peace. Josh at 19 would need to move out.

     He ended up moving in with a friend for a few months, before heading off to basic training in Texas.

     After he left, I sat down on his bed, and cried.

     That was the last time I heard his voice. For a long time, I had nightmares that something would happen to him while we were not reconciled as a family.  I worried that the pain and brokenness would never be healed.

      I worried that I would never see him again.

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     In our epistle today, Paul is trying to encourage the Thessalonian church. The people are discouraged, thinking that when Jesus said He was coming again—that He should have already come back by now. They have endured persecution for the faith as they are members of a minority religion not recognized by the state or accepted by the majority of citizens.

     They are asking Paul, “What now? What shall we do until the coming of the Lord?” 

     Interestingly, they aren’t questioning their belief that Jesus will come back.  They just don’t know what they should be doing in the meantime, since they have no idea when He will return.  They don’t know if they should be working regular, secular jobs, getting married and having children or just devoting themselves to prayer and worship all day long. They just want Jesus to find them faithful to His call on their lives when He returns for His church.

     Paul gives them practical advice. “Aspire to live quietly,” he says.  “Mind your own affairs. Work with your hands, be self-sufficient as we have taught you and so you may behave properly towards people outside the church. And so you do not have to depend on others for your livelihood or well-being.”

    The most important piece of advice Paul offers is to keep on loving and caring for each other—more and more. He assures them that they have already been taught to love—not just by himself and other church leaders—but by God himself.  Paul can see their Spiritual fruits. 

   Then, to encourage them further, he tells them, again, of their hope in Jesus Christ and what will happen when He does return. Paul believes it will be during his own lifetime.

   The cry of a command.  The archangel’s call.  The sound of God’s trumpet. The Lord himself descending from heaven with those in the faith who have already died. 

   “Then we who are alive,” Paul says, “we who are left will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.”

   “Encourage one another,” Paul says, “with these words.”

  

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   The question of how we shall live as we wait for Christ’s return is one the Church is still asking itself today. In this first Sunday of Advent, as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s coming to us as a babe in the manger, we also prepare our hearts for that great day when Christ our King comes again to gather His church.

    Paul’s advice is still relevant today. We should aspire to live quietly and peacefully with our neighbors—Christians and non-Christians alike.  Some of us will work with our hands, but others will choose other occupations that are equally acceptable. We are blessed to live in a time and place when being a Christian does not also mean that we are marginalized and unemployable.

      But the most significant piece of Paul’s advice is still most important for us today.  To keep on loving and caring for one another—more and more.  And I will add on another piece of advice for those who seek to be faithful until our Lord comes again. 

      Keep on loving and seeking healing for broken relationships, though it is inconvenient, difficult, and painful. Because that’s how it is.  Reconciliation is never easy or comfortable.  It isn’t usually something we can write on our calendars and anticipate.  We can and should pray for reconciliation and hope that it will come about.  But it will only happen in the Lord’s time and in His way.  

      Saying goodbye to Josh at the airport on Friday was hard. After 4 years of brokenness, he had come home to us with love and forgiveness, and we, too, loved and forgave.  We began, as a family, to heal.

      While he was here, he wanted to spend every moment with us.  Though I was busy with ministry, we found time to be together.  Family dinners, playing Simpson’s Monopoly, and taking a walk on a windy afternoon. Grocery and thrift store shopping in Renville.  Lunch in Willmar.  Watching a video and eating chocolate cake and Moose Tracks ice cream. 

     At the airport, as Josh waited to go through security, Jim shook his hand, wished him well, and told him to come again.  Josh thanked him and promised he would come back.  But he couldn’t say when.  Maybe a year.  

    I gave him a hug, kissed his cheek and tried very hard not to cry.  I didn’t know when he was coming back, but at least this time I knew that he wanted to.  

    I whispered in his ear, “I love you.” 

    He whispered back, “I love you, too!”

Will you pray with me?

 Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and your desire to be reconciled with all people—in every time and place.  Thank you for making a way for our reconciliation with You, though it meant your own Son would suffer and die on a cross.  Thank you for our blessed hope in His return to gather us and take us to be with You forever.  Thank you for your Spirit that teaches and empowers us to seek healing and to be reconciled with one another.  Thank you for making it possible for Josh to spend time here with us and our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Thank you for blessing us with loving, peaceful moments despite the busy-ness of ministry. Lord, we ask that You grow his faith and keep him safe.  Draw him nearer to You, and guide him in your Will for his life.  Fill him with your Spirit and reassure him that You will be with him always—wherever he goes.  In Christ we pray.  Amen.