"Tight lines" is a blessing fishermen offer each other, a wish for lines taut with the weight of good fish. May God grant that the lines written here be taut with His blessings.
Wednesday, 24 December 2008 | |||
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Christmas Eve | |||
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It's Christmas Eve and there's a little lull this afternoon
before we hold three services. The first will be at 4:30 at a nursing
home near the church. The other two are at 5:30 and 11 p.m. It's raining,
so no luminaries on the church walks this year. I'm thinking about the text for Sunday, though I'm not preaching that day. As we get ready to go sing and share Christmas with the residents of the nursing home, I think of how God shared it first with two elderly people. Luke 2:22-40 is the beautiful account of the fulfillment of God's promises to Simeon and Anna. Simeon holding the baby Jesus gave us the lovely benediction Nunc dimmitis, "Lord, now lettest thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For my eyes have seen thy salvation. . ." We just got a Christmas card from a friend whose father, a pastor, died this past year. Stu tells how his father always called the retirement community where he lived for twelve years, "the gateway to heaven." I would like to approach my senior years with that kind of spirit, knowing that in Jesus I've seen the Lord's salvation and that, wherever I am, I may depart in peace, on my way to His presence. A little melancholy for Christmas Eve, I guess, but it's quiet and peaceful for a few moments and I am grateful that God's gift extends fully into all the years I have ahead. Tonight and tomorrow, wherever and however you worship, may you also be prepared to depart in peace, having seen God's salvation coming to you in the birth of Jesus. Peace to you and many blessings in the new year. Merry Christmas! | |||
Wednesday, 17 December 2008 | |||
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Never-ending Light | |||
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I look forward each
year to the moment in our Christmas Eve worship when our sanctuary
is in darkness, save for the light of the Advent candles. Then, one
by one, starting from the Christ candle, we begin to light candles held by each
of us, spreading the light throughout the sanctuary. It's a beautiful
moment as we reflect on the light of Christ shining in the
darkness. I'm preparing to preach on the Annunciation, the angel's proclamation in Luke 1:26-38 to Mary that she will be the mother of the Son of God. I'm connecting the promise of verse 33, "his kingdom will never end," with Christ being the light. John 1:5 always moves me when I read it, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." The kingdom Jesus began in His life, death and resurrection is a light that will not be covered or extinguished, a never-ending kingdom, a never-ending light. There's so much darkness in the world and so much darkness in me. This Christmas I pray that we may all receive the promise to Mary of the never-ending kingdom and light of her Son. The Eastern Orthodox Pascha (Easter) service begins Saturday night late. At midnight, the priest comes from behind the screen before the congregation in a crowded but completely dark church. He is holding the only light, a single candle, and he says, "Come receive the light from the never-ending light and glorify Christ, who is risen from the dead." Then they begin to light all the other candles and lights in the church. The lights of Christmas must always connect with the even more brilliant light of Easter, which is the confirmation of the angel's promise that Jesus' kingdom will never end. Not even the darkness of death overcomes the Christ light. May we all receive and enter into His never-ending light. | |||
Tuesday, 09 December 2008 | |||
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Point to the Light | |||
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My mother taught me that it's not polite to point. In
John 1:6-8 and in
John 1:19-31 we learn that John the Baptist made pointing into a
ministry. Everything he did was designed to point away from himself and
toward Jesus. In Christian art, it became common to portray John with his finger extended, pointing toward Christ. I'm putting a couple of these images here. The one that's just John and Jesus is by Murillo in the 17th century. The adoration of the magi image which includes John in the foreground is by Ghirlandaio in the 15th century. As you may have picked up, I have a curmudgeonly loathing for many popular cliches, and that includes the expression "It's not about you," or "It's not about me." But those expressions do seem to capture the spirit of John. He fully understood that the message he delivered was not about himself, but about "the one who is to come." Advent's approach to Christmas is a time to teach children and to remember that "it's not about us." This is not a time aimed at assuring the happiest and most meaningful holiday celebration for myself or even for my family. It's a time to point others to Jesus in word and deed. In these times we want to point to Christ in Christmas in ways that are not shrill or unattractive. Griping about wishes for a generic "Happy Holidays" or municipalities that won't allow public nativity displays is not usually very inviting to those outside our faith. Instead, we might aim for acts of kindness or a message of forgiveness that would make someone actually want to look at Jesus. May the Lord help us all to learn to point like John did. | |||
Thursday, 04 December 2008 | |||
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A Way for the Light | |||
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Our digital camera is getting old, as such things go, over
six years. Every once in awhile, particularly if it's outside in the
cold, the automatic lens cover won't open all the way. I have to warm it
in my hands and even pry gently to persuade the little sliding doors to
open and let in the light. John the Baptist appears in Mark 1:1-8 as a not so gentle persuasion to open up one's life to the light of God appearing in Jesus Christ. Though the primary image here is that of smoothing and straightening a road for the Messiah's arrival, we could also picture it in terms of making a clear path for the light coming into the world. We clean camera lenses to remove dirt which obstructs the light. John the Baptist calls for our lives to be cleansed of sin in preparation for seeing the light of Jesus. Baptism was the symbol of that cleansing. John's arrival is the beginning of Mark's gospel. Verse 1 merely states the title for what begins with John, "the good news of Jesus Christ." There is no birth story in Mark, no background at all leading up to Jesus, except for John the Baptist's message. For Mark, all the good news of Jesus starts with a call to repent and receive God's forgiveness. Knowing and welcoming Christ begins with a changed, cleansed, open heart, into which His light can clearly shine. We won't increase Christmas light in our lives by hanging more strings of bulbs on our houses or by touring holiday displays of illumination, as fun as those sights can be. Knowing and enjoying the birth of the Savior requires cleaning a spiritual path for His light, by asking forgiveness for wrongs we've done and seeking to address the good we've left undone. May we all have enough light now to know how to prepare for His light to come. | |||
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Profile |
I am the pastor of Valley Covenant Church in Eugene, Oregon. I love to flyfish and hike along the beautiful rivers in our area. I welcome your comments as I share sermon work in progress and occasional other thoughts.
Thank you for visiting this blog. I invite you also to visit my web page.
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