Can We Be The (Peaceful) True Believers?
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
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Object:
As we continue to come to terms with a recent spate of mass shootings -- capped by seemingly senseless attacks in Paris and San Bernardino that have been revealed to be the work of radical Islamic terrorists -- we all wonder: What could possibly drive people to engage in such hateful and destructive actions? How do hearts and minds become so poisoned that people believe that random violence is justifiable? Those questions seem particularly important in light of last week’s news that the couple behind the San Bernardino attack had each been radicalized prior to meeting and dating. What starts someone down the dark road of nihilism? Often the starting point is a profound sense of alienation. But as New York Times columnist David Brooks observes, movements like ISIS step in and “get people to negate themselves for a larger cause” -- and he notes that followers of these groups are generally not revolting against oppression but are rather driven by extreme frustration. As a result, according to those who have escaped the clutches of ISIS, the religion they profess is an extreme and perverted version of Islam that is not representative of the faith of true followers of Muhammad -- a viewpoint underlined by former ISIS members. This distinction between Islam and the values of terrorists was memorably verbalized recently by a witness to a London subway knife attack when he told the perpetrator: “You ain’t no Muslim, bruv!”
In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Robin Lostetter suggests that if we Christians lived out the gospel message as “true believers,” the world might view us as radicals too. Which raises the question: What is it that makes a person a radical? And what makes their vision a positive one worthy of emulation, as opposed to a destructive one? Robin delves into this issue, drawing on both the Advent 4 and Christmas lectionary texts to outline how we might live as radical followers of Jesus. Certainly one characteristic of a “good” radical is pursuing peace rather than war; and in the Magnificat, Mary offers several other specifics of God’s radical agenda for the world: “[H]e 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.” As Robin points out, such values are almost diametrically opposed to those of “radical” political movements that drape themselves in the sheep’s clothing of religious fundamentalism.
Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the nativity story, the innkeeper, and Donald Trump’s recent statements about curtailing Muslims entering America -- a view Trump is defending despite withering criticism from many quarters. As Chris points out, it’s a curious stance for a hotelier to take -- especially one with growing business interests in the Middle East (which are already being damaged). Yet Trump is declaring that if he were America’s innkeeper-in-chief, there would be “no room at the inn” for Muslims and illegal immigrants -- at least until the country’s security can be improved. There’s a supreme irony in such a policy, given that three of the San Bernardino victims were immigrants who had come to America seeking refuge from conflict. Yet Trump has tapped into a deep wellspring of fear and suspicion toward Muslims -- not only do many people agree with him, but there has also been a rising tide of attacks against Muslims. While the emotions Trump is playing on are very real, Chris suggests that as Christians we are called to practice radical hospitality... as did the Bethlehem innkeeper, who offered a young family the use of his stable even though he had no rooms available.
Can We Be the (Peaceful) True Believers?
by Robin Lostetter
Micah 5:2-5a; Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:10-14
In the World
In his New York Times column on “How ISIS Makes Radicals,” David Brooks leans heavily on theories from philosopher Eric Hoffer’s 1951 book The True Believer. Brooks differentiates between the Muslim true believer, however, and the ISIS true believer -- because the latter is, in Hoffer’s terms, a radicalized fanatic. This fanatic is part of a movement that is drenched in hatred, self-renunciation, and destruction (including dramatic violence), rather than in authentic Islamic faith.
The disintegration of the social structure in parts of the Arab world makes fertile ground for the rise of mass movements such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other extremist groups, who cite a religious basis for their radical and generally violent actions. Those in the broader religious communities, and especially among refugees fleeing ISIS’ murderous plunder, denounce this extreme interpretation of their faith. One begins to view the radicals’ religious “cause” as a smokescreen for a need to act on their frustration with unfulfilled personal ambitions in their decaying social context by exerting physical power over vulnerable dissenters.
Meanwhile in the United States, as Brooks notes, “To a lesser degree, [Hoffer’s] is a good description of isolated pockets of our own segmenting, individualized society, where some people find themselves totally cut off.” And for those Americans who fit that profile and are sympathetic to ISIS, Brooks points out, “you don’t actually have to join a mass movement any more. You can follow it online and participate remotely.”
So now the fear of extremists “over there” has become fear of extremists “next door.” And that fear has translated into political isolationism, xenophobia, nationalism, an increase in gun sales, and the blame game.
In the Scriptures
One can’t help but wonder if the Zealots, and those who anticipated a militaristic messiah, would have fit into Hoffer’s profile of “True Believers.” Frustrated with their religious leaders being co-opted by the Romans and saddled with grinding poverty, their tradition of waiting for a messiah may have grown thin. Taking the situation into their own hands... and then attempting to impress this messianic image upon Jesus of Nazareth... to overthrow the oppressor with physical might would have made perfect sense in that state of mind.
But one of the ways Hoffer mentions to disarm such a fanatical movement is to offer a positive, inspiring cause. And in both pericopes from the prophets we are given such a cause, with the focus on “the one of peace,” and the “Prince of Peace.” Then in Luke, the prophecies come to fruition and we have the angels’ song heralding “peace on earth.”
Mary claims and proclaims this cause. Mary, who is among “the least of these” -- young, female, pregnant before marriage, and without financial means. Mary, who could be among the frustrated, easily carried away in a Zealot’s cause. This Mary, who is favored by God, sings of God’s presence throughout salvation history, and even now... in this miraculous pregnancy.
As Joan Walsh Anglund puts it in her 1967 book A Cup of Sun, “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” Mary doesn’t know what lies ahead. She ponders events as they happen, and agonizes over both Jesus’ adolescent wanderings and his heartbreaking death. But scripture witnesses to Mary’s faithfulness to the gospel of the God known to her in the Annunciation and Magnificat: the God who lifts the lowly and scatters the proud, who feeds the hungry and sends the rich away empty; the God who is incarnate, manifest, in a tiny, vulnerable infant of lowly estate, sleeping in a manger -- the Prince of Peace.
In the Sermon
Following the Prince of Peace is the positive cause. What if we, who claim the title of Christian, really walked in the footsteps of Jesus, who was truly the One of Peace? How radicalized must we be to take seriously the invitation to “Follow me”? Seldom do we act as though we are true believers in the coming of the Reign of God -- preparing the way, making the rough places plain and the crooked straight. It’s as if we don’t -- or can’t -- believe in the ultimate victory of a peaceful Messiah/Christ.
To combat implications of the often militaristic stance of politicians who claim the title “Christian,” some have moved to the label “Followers of Jesus.” The intent is to emphasize living in a way that attempts to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as modeled in the gospels... a life of welcoming, healing, peaceful resistance, fellowship, and compassion.
If one were brave enough one might reword the Christmas gospel scripture with a smile -- to emphasize the point of needing to be radicalized to Jesus’ way of peace and compassion -- thusly: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly, they were radicalized!
Or perhaps the Advent 4 gospel text might be reworded this way: “For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped 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 savior -- and now I’m a zealot for peace and justice!”
When we are given the choice of speaking or voting for war or for peace, perhaps we should first ask: “What does my faith tell me?” The next question might be: “Am I willing to follow my faith?” Will I allow, as ISIS followers have, my faith to devolve internally into evil? Or will I nonviolently resist evil with love? The one question where we actually have a public input may be that of how to deal with Syrian refugees. Katie Z. Dawson frames the refugees in an almost irresistible scriptural context: “And the most vulnerable, the least of these in our day and age are those who have fled from a reign of terror in their own land and are now seeking compassion and welcome in faraway places.” Can we resist the fear of a tiny percentage of hidden terrorists among the highly scrutinized refugees, and open our hearts and our gates -- and perhaps even our churches -- to these refugees?
In Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds, Robert Mann discusses a famous 1964 political ad that changed political ads from that time on. The text of that ad seems to embody the difference between Jesus’ path of Peace and the worldly path of physically enforcing peace: “These are the stakes -- to make a world in which all of God’s children can live, or to go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die.”
Mann also made a relevant statement on his Facebook page that has become a meme: “Be a reverse terrorist. Plot. Plan. Scheme and launch random acts of Love. Incite it. Invite it. Ignite it. Shake this world to its foundation. And enjoy yourself in the process.”
Perhaps, from the pulpit, the preacher can engage the congregation’s imagination to visualize the effect: if every person worldwide who claimed to be Christian attempted to walk in the paths of peace... to follow Jesus in The Way. Might we actually shake the world to its foundation?
Imagine.
SECOND THOUGHTS
No Vacancy
by Chris Keating
Luke 2:1-14
It’s the week before Christmas -- and all through the church, all creatures are stirring. In fact, as any pastor can attest, the tail end of Advent takes on a particularly apocalyptic tone in most congregations. There are cantatas to be sung, poinsettias to be placed, and liturgies to be planned. The place is a zoo -- particularly if you’re still cleaning up from Sunday night’s living nativity.
There’s a lot to be done, and Christmas Eve is approaching faster than a speeding sleigh.
The problem is that you still need a script for the children’s pageant. The pickings are slim. An internet search yields a few predictable (though hardly compelling) results. A reprise of last year’s fave “It’s a Boy!” is unlikely, and somehow “Have Yourself a Mary, Mary Christmas!” seems too complicated, and maybe even a tad bit too cheesy.
It’s enough to make one nibble through the fruitcakes purchased as staff gifts. Back to the drawing board -- or in this case, to the stacks of catalogs that have been accumulating on your desk since August.
Combing through the catalogs, one play seems as though it might just work. It’s called “No Place to Go -- Let’s Build a Wall Around Bethlehem!” It’s a retelling of Jesus’ birth from the perspective of a belligerent innkeeper with an ego as big as a kite’s tail. As the curtain opens, a vulnerable Middle Eastern refugee family searches for a suitable place to deliver their firstborn. The wife’s labor pains are coming closer, but even Expedia can’t get them a room.
Ahead of them is the five-star Bethlehem Towers. It’s fabulous! Glamorous! All they could imagine, including room service, fancy-schmancy bottles of shampoo, and plush bathrobes. The expectant father rings the bell at the front door. Eventually the red-faced, golden-haired innkeeper appears. “Nice place you have here,” the husband says.
“Yeah,” replies the innkeeper, “It’s huuuuge! Go look at the wall out back!”
“We’ll take any room you’ve got, sir. We’re not picky.”
The innkeeper wastes no time in replying. As he slams the door, he tells them, “I don’t have any room for people like you. Your anchor baby can be born someplace else. It’s too risky. I’m not letting you in.”
Mary’s water breaks. It’s getting close. Unshaken by the innkeeper’s rebuke, the couple moves away from the front door toward an abandoned feed shack stage right.
It’s not a very merry tale, but it certainly rings true to our ears this Advent. It’s the story of anxiety turned xenophobic, a tale of a world wearied by terrorism. In the aftermath of the San Bernardino murders, hotelier Donald Trump’s plan to symbolically put a gigantic “No Vacancy” sign across the Statue of Liberty by a temporary ban on Muslims seeking entry into the United States is not just flawed -- it is deeply ironic.
This Christmas, it appears the role of the feisty innkeeper will be played by none other than the GOP frontrunner himself. With his plan to build walls across the Mexican border and his bluster about turning away Muslims seeking entry, “The Donald” seems ready. After all, he’s built an entire empire on real estate and hotels. He’s perfect for the role.
The problem, of course, is that God somehow always seems to find ways of entering the world nearly unnoticed.
In the News
Trump’s views spin a tale of anxiety and suspicion, raising poll numbers while heightening Islamophobia, now viewed as being at its highest levels since September 2001.
It’s not a cheerful tale, though Trump’s outrageous comments about closing borders seem to resonate with his ever-growing numbers of supporters. A nationwide poll released on Monday showed support for Trump reached 41 percent of Republican or GOP-leaning independent voters. It’s a new high, and nearly triples support for Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who is now Trump’s closest rival for the Republican presidential nomination.
Trump says he’s been told the plan -- broadly denounced by Republicans and Democrats alike -- does Muslims “a favor” by placing a spotlight on (and helping us understand) why terrorists want to destroy the United States.
“We want to find out what's going on. Here’s what I want to ask: Why is there such hatred? Why is there such death? Where does this hatred come from?” Trump said. “I want to at least know where it’s coming from. Why is it happening? And it’s from a group of people. It’s from a specific group of people. OK? Why is there such total hatred?”
Of course, the same could be said about Trump himself. Perhaps the greatest irony of the current political environment is the Trump organization’s plans to build new hotels in countries that are predominantly Muslim. A Trump hotel is scheduled to open in 2016 in Baku, Azerbaijan, a nation that is 96.9% Muslim. Across the world in Indonesia, where the Muslim population tops 87%, a six-star Trump resort is being planned. His views could create ripple effects across his business empire.
One Muslim-oriented travel company from New York City noted that “we haven’t used Trump hotels and don’t plan to use Trump hotels in the future.” But it’s not just Muslims who are infuriated. Ahmed Mohamed, general manager of the Dar El Salam Islamic World Travel agency, told the Los Angeles Times that non-Muslims should reflect on Trump’s words: “Would you go to a Trump hotel after what he said?”
Trump supporters would likely have little reservations about staying in his hotels. They believe he’s on target with his remarks, and that his only aim is to make America great. Using terms like “awesome” and “necessary” to describe Trump’s plan, they are baffled by people who don’t support such extreme views, and feel his remarks are often taken out of context.
His opponents, even his fellow Republicans, have largely denounced Trump. Jeb Bush called Trump “unhinged,” while Ohio governor John Kasich described the views as “outrageous” and “divisive.” Others saw them as potentially unconstitutional. Former vice-president Dick Cheney called the plan un-American, saying it goes against “everything we stand for and believe in.”
In the Scriptures
“In those days,” writes Luke, a decree was issued. Luke grounds the events surrounding Jesus’ birth in an exercise of imperial power. For all of our Charlie Brown-flavored familiarity with the birth narratives, it is important to hear how this story was formed in response to powerful, Trump-ish decrees. There is an inescapable political dimension to Jesus’ birth, Luke tells us. The King of kings is about to be born during a particularly potent political moment.
It is an enrollment which involves the entire world, or at least the entire Roman world. The subtext here, as Andrew Clark Whaley observes (Feasting on the Gospels: Luke [Vol. 1], p. 34), is the reminder that the citizens are beholden to Rome for everything. It is, writes Whaley, a reminder of who protects them, who supplies the necessary infrastructure, and who keeps the powerful forces of chaos at bay.
Obeying the rules of the empire, Joseph and Mary embark on their fateful journey. Luke is careful to include this detail as a reminder of how God is at work in marginalized and often powerless persons. In contrast to the powerful Augustus, Mary and Joseph have little. Mary, like the women mentioned so far in the gospel, relies only on the strength provided to her from God. She is attentive and ready to respond to the impulse of God’s spirit working within her -- and therefore stands in contrast to the world’s power-brokers. While she knows God has done great things for her, she is still bereft of a place to shelter her newborn.
Unlike Matthew, Luke does not indicate that this young family will soon become refugees, fleeing their homeland in order to avoid Herod’s wrath. Instead, Luke’s tapestry portrays the contrasts between the trappings of empire (dedicated to promoting the Pax Romana) and the birth of the Savior whose arrival proclaims the peace God shall bring (2:14). This peace, of course, is revealed first to lowly shepherds -- working persons well below the ability to stay in a Trump-style palace. Yet it is to such low-status persons that God’s grace first appears -- and it is from their lips that the proclamation of grace is first delivered.
Their message? God has come to us -- not in the portals of power, but in the musty straw and manure-lined stalls of a borrowed stable. There was no room for him in the inn, but that really didn’t seem to impede God’s progress.
In the Sermon
It could be easy to dismiss Trump’s comments as the inflammatory remarks of a self-styled, over-promoted populist. But Trump isn’t leaving this campaign any time soon, and his message seems to be gaining ground. While his bluster seems designed only to advance his candidacy, the willingness of a billionaire innkeeper to shut the door not just on one couple but to an entire class of persons is frightening.
Luke, by the way, never mentions the innkeeper. We’ve created him largely so that more kids from the Sunday school class can be in the play. But the figure of one pushing aside a vulnerable couple looms large, and it appears in our own day and time in the actions of those who would continue to marginalize those who are homeless, fleeing persecution, or immigrating from other nations.
Among others, rabbi Jeffrey Salkin writes of the dangers posed by those who fall into Trump’s fear of immigrants and outsiders:
I sometimes need to remind people: those Muslims that you hate and would want to see deported? Those Muslims include: your Pakistani neighbors, and that Bosnian woman who works in your office, and that Indonesian girl in your daughter’s class, and that family that owns the Malaysian restaurant in your town....
No way, Donald. This time, you have gone too far. You have managed to do a wonderful job of imitating every right-wing, uber-nationalist European ideologue.
Never before in recent American memory -- not since George Wallace’s unsuccessful presidential campaign -- has a presidential candidate so flagrantly violated the American story, the American soul, the American creed.
Luke reminds us that God is at work in ways we cannot imagine. God manages to slip into the country without a visa. The king’s birth is witnessed only by grimy shepherds. His parents were betrothed, but not married. They were on the move and denied public accommodations. Yet hope does not bend in the face of fear. The words of the angels to the shepherds -- “do not fear” -- should transform our own lives this Christmas. This is the word we are obligated to preach -- the very good news that God’s love is not contingent upon boundaries, borders, or customs checkpoints.
Just because there was no room in the inn does not mean that there should not be room in our hearts.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Luke 1:46b-55
Mary’s Song
An “earworm” is a catchy song that gets into your mind and won’t leave -- and Mary’s song (the Magnificat) is such a song at Christmastime. Wikipedia tells us that “phrases used to describe an earworm include musical imagery repetition, involuntary musical imagery, and stuck song syndrome.” The word originally comes from the German word “ohrwurm.” The earliest known usage is in a 1978 novel, Flyaway.
The Today show reports that there is hope for the afflicted: “A simple sliver of gum may banish those irritating scraps of music that embed themselves in our brains, British researchers found. A series of experiments revealed that when people chewed gum right after listening to an especially catchy tune, they were less likely to be plagued by the pesky piece of music, according to the study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.” Researchers say that the best way to avoid the earworm -- except for Mary’s song, of course -- is to keep the brain busy with something else. Earworms have the most success when we’re busy doing something mindless and automatic, like washing dishes, walking, or cleaning.
*****
Luke 1:46b-55
Your Own Personal Songs
The Magnificat is unique to Mary, and now Pandora is offering each of us our own particular life playlist. The new service, called Thumbprint Radio, is even more attuned to our musical taste than the traditional Pandora service: “The premise of Thumbprint Radio is rather simple. Unlike traditional Pandora, which serves up songs that fit within the genres, artists, and albums you’ve favorited on the service historically, the new station plays only the tunes you’ve specifically “thumbed up” in the ten years since Pandora’s launch. It’s basically a walk through memory lane, with the opportunity to endorse the musical choices you noncommittally made years ago.” Embarrassed by past choices? “Don’t expect to hear Kelly Clarkson belting out 2005’s ‘Behind These Hazel Eyes’ right off the bat, though. In recognition of the fact that your tastes may have become a bit more discerning in the years since you began jamming to Pandora mixes, Thumbprint Radio will focus first on songs you’ve liked in the past four or five months. Additionally, Pandora’s excluded a few genres, specifically children’s music, classical, comedy, and holiday, that it thinks might clash with the rest of your streaming library.”
*****
Luke 1:46b-55
Bringing Mary’s Song to Life
Mary sings about God’s amazing reversals, where the hungry are filled with good things, and the lowly are lifted up. In our world, like Mary’s, the move from poor to rich is very difficult to manage. David McMillin wrote on Bankrate’s blog in 2013 that “the findings from a new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit organization working to improve public policy, indicate that the rags-to-riches story may belong in the fiction aisle for the majority of poor Americans. Using data from families between 1968 to the present, the research reveals that 70 percent of children who are born into lower-class conditions never even make it to the middle class, let alone the upper tier of society. The research also underscores a continuing racial disparity in the country. Whites are twice as likely as blacks to leave the bottom rung of the ladder.” One thing can make a difference: “There is another very important piece of the American-dream equation. The report points out that individuals who did leave the bottom of the economic ladder had six times higher median liquid savings. Consider this statistic: Someone with $10,000 in liquid savings is 5.5 times more likely to move to the middle class than someone with just $1,000 in liquid savings.”
*****
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Luxury Rooms at the Inn
Mary and Joseph find no room at the inn, but for those with money there is always room at the most expensive hotels in the world. In contrast to the accommodations Mary and Joseph find, today’s travelers might try the Presidential Suite at the Hotel Cala di Volpe in Porto Cervo, Italy, where the average nightly price (for one night, mind you) is $26,000. The suite has three bedrooms, a solarium, a gym, and a large private swimming pool. Headed for Shanghai? Try the Presidential Suite at the Mandarin Oriental, where for an average price of $26,450 per night you can enjoy a private wine cellar, a fully equipped kitchen, and a private dining room. Later, try one (or both) of the two private roof gardens. In New York, the highest hotel room in the city is the penthouse at the Four Seasons Hotel. Running a cool $45,000 per night, in a building that took seven years and $50 million to complete, the room includes 18th-century Japanese silk pillows plus a private library.
*****
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Hotel Secrets
If, unlike Mary and Joseph, you can find room at the inn, hotel managers and front-desk employees have these tips:
* For a quiet stay, always ask for a higher floor. “Party” guests get the lower floors.
* Leave something in the room when you checked out? “If it’s left in the bed, maids tend to scoop up everything in a bundle and send it to the laundry. They’re in a rush. Don’t expect to get that stuff back.”
* The item most likely to be stolen? Pillows, especially the big goose down ones. Guests will be charged if the hotel sees that they’re missing.
* Your half-used soap bars don’t go to waste. “We recycle them and make new soap bars and send to poorer countries and homeless shelters.” (Eeew.)
* “Our biggest complaint about the job is rude guests. A hello, a please, and a thank you gets you far. Don’t just throw your credit card down on the check-in desk when you arrive. Don’t butter us up, but be nice. Be genuine, because so few people are.”
Author Jacob Tomsky, a former hotel employee, adds some information of his own. Death in hotels, he says, are more common than we think. “It’s not something a hotel wishes to publicize, naturally. So they are removed as discreetly as possible.” When a death occurs, once the body is removed the room is sanitized, cleaned, and made available to the next guest -- and that can happen a lot faster than you’d think. But don’t expect much information from the hotel about this; staffers are forbidden from revealing any details of cause of death and room numbers.
Tomsky suggests that you time your request for a room to get the best rate: “If you ring up in the morning for a room that night you will pay more the earlier you enquire. If you try around 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. you may have a chance at a cheaper night’s stay. This is because around this time, all no-show reservations that were secured by credit cards are freed up, creating a vacancy in the hotel.... However, if you leave it too late, such as around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., the hotel may jack up the price as they know your options are limited. Timing is key.”
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
When a poor group of college students learned that Rudyard Kipling was paid ten shillings for each word he wrote, they decided to embark upon a campaign. They gathered their meager funds together and sent Kipling a letter with a ten-shilling note inside. They asked if for their ten shillings he could tell them what the most important word is. Kipling replied that the single word is “Thanks.”
Application: On this day, “thanks” is the only word that Mary and any of us have to say.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Donald Trump made international news when he said recently that he would institute a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” to help quell the threat of terrorism.
Application: After receiving the good news of her pregnancy, Mary will come to experience the same closing of borders that Trump proposes for Muslims.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Kathy Griffin is going to present her comedy show for Carnival Cruise Line ships -- but she has no plans on removing vulgarity from her act. She said, “I will do a disclaimer on this cruise like you have never heard. I’m going to say I will swear.” The only time she has been willing to tone down her comedy act has been for CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast.
Application: It is not the Kathy Griffins of the world but the Marys that show us the meaning of humility.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
In an article for the Washington Post, Glenn Frankel writes that The Searchers -- a 1956 western directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne -- remains the most relevant movie today. The film’s main theme is vengeance; Wayne portrays Ethan Edwards, who is dedicated to wreaking vengeance on the Comanches who murdered his brother’s family and rescuing his 9-year-old niece who was abducted by the killers. Frankel concludes that all modern movies come from this production, noted for its strong performances and cinematography.
Application: Everything we have today comes from this single event reported in Mary’s life.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
After the disastrous 2012 election, the Republican Party did a study to discover how they lost the support of so many voters. The Republican National Committee’s report, titled “Growth and Opportunity Project,” concluded: “If we want ethnic minority voters to support Republicans, we have to engage them and show our sincerity.”
Application: By selecting Mary, God showed his support for minorities.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Donald Trump is receiving such large support from voters because he speaks what they feel. A poll showed that 8 in 10 Republicans think there are too many immigrants coming into the United States from the Middle East.
Application: In selecting Mary, God demonstrated that he was supportive of minorities, immigrants, and anyone who is disenfranchised.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Donald Trump recently proposed closing the borders to all Muslims to stop the threat of terrorism. In response House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, declared: “This is not conservatism. What was proposed yesterday is not what this party stands for. And more importantly, it’s not what this country stands for.”
Application: By the selection of Mary, God made it clear what he stands for.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
The United States Supreme Court is currently reviewing what the election terminology of “one person, one vote” means. Two rural Texas voters have challenged the use of total population data in drawing state senate district boundaries, because urban areas have a higher population of individuals who are ineligible to vote. They allege that this higher concentration gives urban areas more senators, and thus an unequal representation to that of rural areas.
Application: The Supreme Court has yet to decide the case -- but by selecting Mary, God demonstrated that every person does count.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
If you go back 30 generations (assuming that a generation represents 25 years, so that is 750 years back to approximately 1250 AD), you likely had over 1,000 million ancestors. But since far fewer than 1 billion people were alive in 1250, it means that your mother and father had many common ancestors.
Application: The selection of Mary represents the ancestry of all of us.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
There is very little difference between races. As Henry Harpending, the American geneticist, put it, humans are a bit like PCs: computers are divisible into major races -- Compaq, Dell, Gateway, Micron -- as well as many minor populations. These computer races are like human races. Are there deep essential differences? Hardly. Take the cases off, and we can barely tell them apart. The components of PCs are commodities that are completely interchangeable. Human race differences are like that. In other words, the differences between the races are many times greater if we look at the label than if we look inside. That is not to say that there are no genetic differences at all, but that on average they are very small differences. When meeting someone new, it makes sense to judge them on their abilities rather than their label.
Application: By the selection of Mary, God demonstrated the equality among us all.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let our souls magnify our God.
People: Let our spirits rejoice in God our Savior.
Leader: God has looked with favor on the lowly.
People: The Mighty One has done great things.
Leader: God’s mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation.
People: God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
OR
Leader: The Prince of Peace is here among us.
People: We bow our hearts before our savior.
Leader: He comes to bring an end to violence and hatred.
People: We will join in bringing peace to earth.
Leader: Our God comes among us to bring us peace.
People: We will turn our swords into plows.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“O Sing a Song of Bethlehem”
found in:
UMH: 179
PH: 308
NCH: 51
W&P: 242
“Hope of the World”
found in:
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
“Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
found in:
UMH: 184
PH: 309
NCH: 118
CH: 104
LBW: 42
ELA: 395
W&P: 181
Renew: 252
“Rise, Shine, You People”
found in:
UMH: 187
LBW: 393
ELA: 665
W&P: 89
“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 196
H82: 66
PH: 1, 2
NCH: 122
LBW: 30
ELA: 254
W&P: 153
AMEC: 103
“My Soul Gives Glory to My God”
found in:
UMH: 198
CH: 130
ELA: 882
“Tell Out, My Soul”
found in:
UMH: 200
H82: 437, 438
W&P: 41
Renew: 130
“Love Came Down at Christmas”
found in:
UMH: 242
H82: 84
NCH: 165
W&P: 210
“O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright”
found in:
UMH: 247
PH: 69
NCH: 158
CH: 105
LBW: 76
ELA: 308
W&P: 230
“Once in Royal David’s City”
found in:
UMH: 250
H82: 102
PH: 49
NCH: 145
CH: 165
ELA: 269
W&P: 183
STLT: 228
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“Let Us Now Depart in Your Peace”
found in:
CCB: 95
“I Am Loved”
found in:
CCB: 80
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who sent Jesus to be the Prince of Peace: Grant us who call ourselves his disciples the grace to live into his reign of peace; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you sent Jesus to be our Prince of Peace. Help us to truly follow him as his disciples and live into his reign of peace. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to be peaceful or to be peacemakers.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have come among us to bring us peace, and yet we are people of conflict. Whether on a global or individual basis, we are people who promote strife. We are more interested in winning at any cost than we are in finding ways to work together with others. Help us to change our hearts and to truly seek the peace that passes all understanding. Amen.
Leader: God comes to bring us peace. Let our hearts rejoice in God’s grace as we reach out in love to others.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
All glory, praise, and honor are yours, O God, for you are the foundation of all existence. You are the ground upon which all creation rests.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have come among us to bring us peace, and yet we are people of conflict. Whether on a global or individual basis, we are people who promote strife. We are more interested in winning at any cost than we are in finding ways to work together with others. Help us to change our hearts and to truly seek the peace that passes all understanding.
We give you thanks for all the wondrous blessings of this life. We are blessed beyond all understanding. We thank you for those you have raised up to teach us about Jesus and about your way to life, wholeness, and healing.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We lift up to you our world which is fraught with violence, hatred, and strife. We remember those who struggle day by day in the midst of war, violence, and conflict. We know that many suffer in the violence of nations and others in the violence of individuals. We pray that we may be those who bring peace in all that we do and say.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about the many names that Jesus goes by: Good Shepherd, Son of God, the Great Physician, the Prince of Peace. Today we think about the last one. Jesus is the one who comes to bring peace. We can be part of his work. We can bring peace in the way we live with others. We can resist the need to strike back or to talk back. We can be loving and kind.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
A Tale of Two Songs
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 1:46b-55; Luke 2:1-14
Items needed (one for each child):
Christmas carol book (the small kind printed for carolers to carry with them), OR
song sheet with the lyrics to several Christmas carols printed on it, OR
hymnal with the Christmas carols section clearly marked
You know, one of my favorite things about Christmas is the Christmas carols. These are songs that we only get to sing at this time of year, and they’re almost all happy songs. I just can’t get enough of them. So I thought that this morning we’d sing a couple of my favorites and maybe some of your favorites.
(Lead the children in singing the first verses of several Christmas carols. Invite the congregation to join in singing if it seems appropriate. If you are not a natural song leader, find someone who is and get them to help you, or have the organist/keyboardist give you the right pitch or play along.)
Music and singing are a big part of Christmas, aren’t they? That is true in the Bible as well. In fact, when we read the Christmas story in the gospel of Luke, it’s kind of a musical or an opera. There are lots of songs in that story.
There’s the “Song of Zechariah” (Luke 1:68-79). And when Mary finds out she’s going to be the mother of Jesus, she sings a song -- or what in opera is called an “aria” -- known as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46b-55). In it, she sings about how great God is and about how God is a god of justice. Here are some of the lyrics to her song:
(Sing or recite) “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 forever.”
And then, when the angels come and tell the shepherds about the birth of Jesus they sing a big chorus number called a Gloria, where they sing about peace:
(Sing or recite) “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among the people.”
See, since the very first Christmas the people of God have been singing happy songs about God’s love for us and the birth of Jesus. And I don’t know about you, but I hope we keep singing happy songs about those things not just at Christmas, but all year long. What do you say?
(Close with a prayer for God to write the music of peace and justice in our hearts this Christmas.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, December 20, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Robin Lostetter suggests that if we Christians lived out the gospel message as “true believers,” the world might view us as radicals too. Which raises the question: What is it that makes a person a radical? And what makes their vision a positive one worthy of emulation, as opposed to a destructive one? Robin delves into this issue, drawing on both the Advent 4 and Christmas lectionary texts to outline how we might live as radical followers of Jesus. Certainly one characteristic of a “good” radical is pursuing peace rather than war; and in the Magnificat, Mary offers several other specifics of God’s radical agenda for the world: “[H]e 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.” As Robin points out, such values are almost diametrically opposed to those of “radical” political movements that drape themselves in the sheep’s clothing of religious fundamentalism.
Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the nativity story, the innkeeper, and Donald Trump’s recent statements about curtailing Muslims entering America -- a view Trump is defending despite withering criticism from many quarters. As Chris points out, it’s a curious stance for a hotelier to take -- especially one with growing business interests in the Middle East (which are already being damaged). Yet Trump is declaring that if he were America’s innkeeper-in-chief, there would be “no room at the inn” for Muslims and illegal immigrants -- at least until the country’s security can be improved. There’s a supreme irony in such a policy, given that three of the San Bernardino victims were immigrants who had come to America seeking refuge from conflict. Yet Trump has tapped into a deep wellspring of fear and suspicion toward Muslims -- not only do many people agree with him, but there has also been a rising tide of attacks against Muslims. While the emotions Trump is playing on are very real, Chris suggests that as Christians we are called to practice radical hospitality... as did the Bethlehem innkeeper, who offered a young family the use of his stable even though he had no rooms available.
Can We Be the (Peaceful) True Believers?
by Robin Lostetter
Micah 5:2-5a; Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:10-14
In the World
In his New York Times column on “How ISIS Makes Radicals,” David Brooks leans heavily on theories from philosopher Eric Hoffer’s 1951 book The True Believer. Brooks differentiates between the Muslim true believer, however, and the ISIS true believer -- because the latter is, in Hoffer’s terms, a radicalized fanatic. This fanatic is part of a movement that is drenched in hatred, self-renunciation, and destruction (including dramatic violence), rather than in authentic Islamic faith.
The disintegration of the social structure in parts of the Arab world makes fertile ground for the rise of mass movements such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other extremist groups, who cite a religious basis for their radical and generally violent actions. Those in the broader religious communities, and especially among refugees fleeing ISIS’ murderous plunder, denounce this extreme interpretation of their faith. One begins to view the radicals’ religious “cause” as a smokescreen for a need to act on their frustration with unfulfilled personal ambitions in their decaying social context by exerting physical power over vulnerable dissenters.
Meanwhile in the United States, as Brooks notes, “To a lesser degree, [Hoffer’s] is a good description of isolated pockets of our own segmenting, individualized society, where some people find themselves totally cut off.” And for those Americans who fit that profile and are sympathetic to ISIS, Brooks points out, “you don’t actually have to join a mass movement any more. You can follow it online and participate remotely.”
So now the fear of extremists “over there” has become fear of extremists “next door.” And that fear has translated into political isolationism, xenophobia, nationalism, an increase in gun sales, and the blame game.
In the Scriptures
One can’t help but wonder if the Zealots, and those who anticipated a militaristic messiah, would have fit into Hoffer’s profile of “True Believers.” Frustrated with their religious leaders being co-opted by the Romans and saddled with grinding poverty, their tradition of waiting for a messiah may have grown thin. Taking the situation into their own hands... and then attempting to impress this messianic image upon Jesus of Nazareth... to overthrow the oppressor with physical might would have made perfect sense in that state of mind.
But one of the ways Hoffer mentions to disarm such a fanatical movement is to offer a positive, inspiring cause. And in both pericopes from the prophets we are given such a cause, with the focus on “the one of peace,” and the “Prince of Peace.” Then in Luke, the prophecies come to fruition and we have the angels’ song heralding “peace on earth.”
Mary claims and proclaims this cause. Mary, who is among “the least of these” -- young, female, pregnant before marriage, and without financial means. Mary, who could be among the frustrated, easily carried away in a Zealot’s cause. This Mary, who is favored by God, sings of God’s presence throughout salvation history, and even now... in this miraculous pregnancy.
As Joan Walsh Anglund puts it in her 1967 book A Cup of Sun, “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” Mary doesn’t know what lies ahead. She ponders events as they happen, and agonizes over both Jesus’ adolescent wanderings and his heartbreaking death. But scripture witnesses to Mary’s faithfulness to the gospel of the God known to her in the Annunciation and Magnificat: the God who lifts the lowly and scatters the proud, who feeds the hungry and sends the rich away empty; the God who is incarnate, manifest, in a tiny, vulnerable infant of lowly estate, sleeping in a manger -- the Prince of Peace.
In the Sermon
Following the Prince of Peace is the positive cause. What if we, who claim the title of Christian, really walked in the footsteps of Jesus, who was truly the One of Peace? How radicalized must we be to take seriously the invitation to “Follow me”? Seldom do we act as though we are true believers in the coming of the Reign of God -- preparing the way, making the rough places plain and the crooked straight. It’s as if we don’t -- or can’t -- believe in the ultimate victory of a peaceful Messiah/Christ.
To combat implications of the often militaristic stance of politicians who claim the title “Christian,” some have moved to the label “Followers of Jesus.” The intent is to emphasize living in a way that attempts to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as modeled in the gospels... a life of welcoming, healing, peaceful resistance, fellowship, and compassion.
If one were brave enough one might reword the Christmas gospel scripture with a smile -- to emphasize the point of needing to be radicalized to Jesus’ way of peace and compassion -- thusly: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly, they were radicalized!
Or perhaps the Advent 4 gospel text might be reworded this way: “For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped 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 savior -- and now I’m a zealot for peace and justice!”
When we are given the choice of speaking or voting for war or for peace, perhaps we should first ask: “What does my faith tell me?” The next question might be: “Am I willing to follow my faith?” Will I allow, as ISIS followers have, my faith to devolve internally into evil? Or will I nonviolently resist evil with love? The one question where we actually have a public input may be that of how to deal with Syrian refugees. Katie Z. Dawson frames the refugees in an almost irresistible scriptural context: “And the most vulnerable, the least of these in our day and age are those who have fled from a reign of terror in their own land and are now seeking compassion and welcome in faraway places.” Can we resist the fear of a tiny percentage of hidden terrorists among the highly scrutinized refugees, and open our hearts and our gates -- and perhaps even our churches -- to these refugees?
In Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds, Robert Mann discusses a famous 1964 political ad that changed political ads from that time on. The text of that ad seems to embody the difference between Jesus’ path of Peace and the worldly path of physically enforcing peace: “These are the stakes -- to make a world in which all of God’s children can live, or to go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die.”
Mann also made a relevant statement on his Facebook page that has become a meme: “Be a reverse terrorist. Plot. Plan. Scheme and launch random acts of Love. Incite it. Invite it. Ignite it. Shake this world to its foundation. And enjoy yourself in the process.”
Perhaps, from the pulpit, the preacher can engage the congregation’s imagination to visualize the effect: if every person worldwide who claimed to be Christian attempted to walk in the paths of peace... to follow Jesus in The Way. Might we actually shake the world to its foundation?
Imagine.
SECOND THOUGHTS
No Vacancy
by Chris Keating
Luke 2:1-14
It’s the week before Christmas -- and all through the church, all creatures are stirring. In fact, as any pastor can attest, the tail end of Advent takes on a particularly apocalyptic tone in most congregations. There are cantatas to be sung, poinsettias to be placed, and liturgies to be planned. The place is a zoo -- particularly if you’re still cleaning up from Sunday night’s living nativity.
There’s a lot to be done, and Christmas Eve is approaching faster than a speeding sleigh.
The problem is that you still need a script for the children’s pageant. The pickings are slim. An internet search yields a few predictable (though hardly compelling) results. A reprise of last year’s fave “It’s a Boy!” is unlikely, and somehow “Have Yourself a Mary, Mary Christmas!” seems too complicated, and maybe even a tad bit too cheesy.
It’s enough to make one nibble through the fruitcakes purchased as staff gifts. Back to the drawing board -- or in this case, to the stacks of catalogs that have been accumulating on your desk since August.
Combing through the catalogs, one play seems as though it might just work. It’s called “No Place to Go -- Let’s Build a Wall Around Bethlehem!” It’s a retelling of Jesus’ birth from the perspective of a belligerent innkeeper with an ego as big as a kite’s tail. As the curtain opens, a vulnerable Middle Eastern refugee family searches for a suitable place to deliver their firstborn. The wife’s labor pains are coming closer, but even Expedia can’t get them a room.
Ahead of them is the five-star Bethlehem Towers. It’s fabulous! Glamorous! All they could imagine, including room service, fancy-schmancy bottles of shampoo, and plush bathrobes. The expectant father rings the bell at the front door. Eventually the red-faced, golden-haired innkeeper appears. “Nice place you have here,” the husband says.
“Yeah,” replies the innkeeper, “It’s huuuuge! Go look at the wall out back!”
“We’ll take any room you’ve got, sir. We’re not picky.”
The innkeeper wastes no time in replying. As he slams the door, he tells them, “I don’t have any room for people like you. Your anchor baby can be born someplace else. It’s too risky. I’m not letting you in.”
Mary’s water breaks. It’s getting close. Unshaken by the innkeeper’s rebuke, the couple moves away from the front door toward an abandoned feed shack stage right.
It’s not a very merry tale, but it certainly rings true to our ears this Advent. It’s the story of anxiety turned xenophobic, a tale of a world wearied by terrorism. In the aftermath of the San Bernardino murders, hotelier Donald Trump’s plan to symbolically put a gigantic “No Vacancy” sign across the Statue of Liberty by a temporary ban on Muslims seeking entry into the United States is not just flawed -- it is deeply ironic.
This Christmas, it appears the role of the feisty innkeeper will be played by none other than the GOP frontrunner himself. With his plan to build walls across the Mexican border and his bluster about turning away Muslims seeking entry, “The Donald” seems ready. After all, he’s built an entire empire on real estate and hotels. He’s perfect for the role.
The problem, of course, is that God somehow always seems to find ways of entering the world nearly unnoticed.
In the News
Trump’s views spin a tale of anxiety and suspicion, raising poll numbers while heightening Islamophobia, now viewed as being at its highest levels since September 2001.
It’s not a cheerful tale, though Trump’s outrageous comments about closing borders seem to resonate with his ever-growing numbers of supporters. A nationwide poll released on Monday showed support for Trump reached 41 percent of Republican or GOP-leaning independent voters. It’s a new high, and nearly triples support for Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who is now Trump’s closest rival for the Republican presidential nomination.
Trump says he’s been told the plan -- broadly denounced by Republicans and Democrats alike -- does Muslims “a favor” by placing a spotlight on (and helping us understand) why terrorists want to destroy the United States.
“We want to find out what's going on. Here’s what I want to ask: Why is there such hatred? Why is there such death? Where does this hatred come from?” Trump said. “I want to at least know where it’s coming from. Why is it happening? And it’s from a group of people. It’s from a specific group of people. OK? Why is there such total hatred?”
Of course, the same could be said about Trump himself. Perhaps the greatest irony of the current political environment is the Trump organization’s plans to build new hotels in countries that are predominantly Muslim. A Trump hotel is scheduled to open in 2016 in Baku, Azerbaijan, a nation that is 96.9% Muslim. Across the world in Indonesia, where the Muslim population tops 87%, a six-star Trump resort is being planned. His views could create ripple effects across his business empire.
One Muslim-oriented travel company from New York City noted that “we haven’t used Trump hotels and don’t plan to use Trump hotels in the future.” But it’s not just Muslims who are infuriated. Ahmed Mohamed, general manager of the Dar El Salam Islamic World Travel agency, told the Los Angeles Times that non-Muslims should reflect on Trump’s words: “Would you go to a Trump hotel after what he said?”
Trump supporters would likely have little reservations about staying in his hotels. They believe he’s on target with his remarks, and that his only aim is to make America great. Using terms like “awesome” and “necessary” to describe Trump’s plan, they are baffled by people who don’t support such extreme views, and feel his remarks are often taken out of context.
His opponents, even his fellow Republicans, have largely denounced Trump. Jeb Bush called Trump “unhinged,” while Ohio governor John Kasich described the views as “outrageous” and “divisive.” Others saw them as potentially unconstitutional. Former vice-president Dick Cheney called the plan un-American, saying it goes against “everything we stand for and believe in.”
In the Scriptures
“In those days,” writes Luke, a decree was issued. Luke grounds the events surrounding Jesus’ birth in an exercise of imperial power. For all of our Charlie Brown-flavored familiarity with the birth narratives, it is important to hear how this story was formed in response to powerful, Trump-ish decrees. There is an inescapable political dimension to Jesus’ birth, Luke tells us. The King of kings is about to be born during a particularly potent political moment.
It is an enrollment which involves the entire world, or at least the entire Roman world. The subtext here, as Andrew Clark Whaley observes (Feasting on the Gospels: Luke [Vol. 1], p. 34), is the reminder that the citizens are beholden to Rome for everything. It is, writes Whaley, a reminder of who protects them, who supplies the necessary infrastructure, and who keeps the powerful forces of chaos at bay.
Obeying the rules of the empire, Joseph and Mary embark on their fateful journey. Luke is careful to include this detail as a reminder of how God is at work in marginalized and often powerless persons. In contrast to the powerful Augustus, Mary and Joseph have little. Mary, like the women mentioned so far in the gospel, relies only on the strength provided to her from God. She is attentive and ready to respond to the impulse of God’s spirit working within her -- and therefore stands in contrast to the world’s power-brokers. While she knows God has done great things for her, she is still bereft of a place to shelter her newborn.
Unlike Matthew, Luke does not indicate that this young family will soon become refugees, fleeing their homeland in order to avoid Herod’s wrath. Instead, Luke’s tapestry portrays the contrasts between the trappings of empire (dedicated to promoting the Pax Romana) and the birth of the Savior whose arrival proclaims the peace God shall bring (2:14). This peace, of course, is revealed first to lowly shepherds -- working persons well below the ability to stay in a Trump-style palace. Yet it is to such low-status persons that God’s grace first appears -- and it is from their lips that the proclamation of grace is first delivered.
Their message? God has come to us -- not in the portals of power, but in the musty straw and manure-lined stalls of a borrowed stable. There was no room for him in the inn, but that really didn’t seem to impede God’s progress.
In the Sermon
It could be easy to dismiss Trump’s comments as the inflammatory remarks of a self-styled, over-promoted populist. But Trump isn’t leaving this campaign any time soon, and his message seems to be gaining ground. While his bluster seems designed only to advance his candidacy, the willingness of a billionaire innkeeper to shut the door not just on one couple but to an entire class of persons is frightening.
Luke, by the way, never mentions the innkeeper. We’ve created him largely so that more kids from the Sunday school class can be in the play. But the figure of one pushing aside a vulnerable couple looms large, and it appears in our own day and time in the actions of those who would continue to marginalize those who are homeless, fleeing persecution, or immigrating from other nations.
Among others, rabbi Jeffrey Salkin writes of the dangers posed by those who fall into Trump’s fear of immigrants and outsiders:
I sometimes need to remind people: those Muslims that you hate and would want to see deported? Those Muslims include: your Pakistani neighbors, and that Bosnian woman who works in your office, and that Indonesian girl in your daughter’s class, and that family that owns the Malaysian restaurant in your town....
No way, Donald. This time, you have gone too far. You have managed to do a wonderful job of imitating every right-wing, uber-nationalist European ideologue.
Never before in recent American memory -- not since George Wallace’s unsuccessful presidential campaign -- has a presidential candidate so flagrantly violated the American story, the American soul, the American creed.
Luke reminds us that God is at work in ways we cannot imagine. God manages to slip into the country without a visa. The king’s birth is witnessed only by grimy shepherds. His parents were betrothed, but not married. They were on the move and denied public accommodations. Yet hope does not bend in the face of fear. The words of the angels to the shepherds -- “do not fear” -- should transform our own lives this Christmas. This is the word we are obligated to preach -- the very good news that God’s love is not contingent upon boundaries, borders, or customs checkpoints.
Just because there was no room in the inn does not mean that there should not be room in our hearts.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Luke 1:46b-55
Mary’s Song
An “earworm” is a catchy song that gets into your mind and won’t leave -- and Mary’s song (the Magnificat) is such a song at Christmastime. Wikipedia tells us that “phrases used to describe an earworm include musical imagery repetition, involuntary musical imagery, and stuck song syndrome.” The word originally comes from the German word “ohrwurm.” The earliest known usage is in a 1978 novel, Flyaway.
The Today show reports that there is hope for the afflicted: “A simple sliver of gum may banish those irritating scraps of music that embed themselves in our brains, British researchers found. A series of experiments revealed that when people chewed gum right after listening to an especially catchy tune, they were less likely to be plagued by the pesky piece of music, according to the study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.” Researchers say that the best way to avoid the earworm -- except for Mary’s song, of course -- is to keep the brain busy with something else. Earworms have the most success when we’re busy doing something mindless and automatic, like washing dishes, walking, or cleaning.
*****
Luke 1:46b-55
Your Own Personal Songs
The Magnificat is unique to Mary, and now Pandora is offering each of us our own particular life playlist. The new service, called Thumbprint Radio, is even more attuned to our musical taste than the traditional Pandora service: “The premise of Thumbprint Radio is rather simple. Unlike traditional Pandora, which serves up songs that fit within the genres, artists, and albums you’ve favorited on the service historically, the new station plays only the tunes you’ve specifically “thumbed up” in the ten years since Pandora’s launch. It’s basically a walk through memory lane, with the opportunity to endorse the musical choices you noncommittally made years ago.” Embarrassed by past choices? “Don’t expect to hear Kelly Clarkson belting out 2005’s ‘Behind These Hazel Eyes’ right off the bat, though. In recognition of the fact that your tastes may have become a bit more discerning in the years since you began jamming to Pandora mixes, Thumbprint Radio will focus first on songs you’ve liked in the past four or five months. Additionally, Pandora’s excluded a few genres, specifically children’s music, classical, comedy, and holiday, that it thinks might clash with the rest of your streaming library.”
*****
Luke 1:46b-55
Bringing Mary’s Song to Life
Mary sings about God’s amazing reversals, where the hungry are filled with good things, and the lowly are lifted up. In our world, like Mary’s, the move from poor to rich is very difficult to manage. David McMillin wrote on Bankrate’s blog in 2013 that “the findings from a new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit organization working to improve public policy, indicate that the rags-to-riches story may belong in the fiction aisle for the majority of poor Americans. Using data from families between 1968 to the present, the research reveals that 70 percent of children who are born into lower-class conditions never even make it to the middle class, let alone the upper tier of society. The research also underscores a continuing racial disparity in the country. Whites are twice as likely as blacks to leave the bottom rung of the ladder.” One thing can make a difference: “There is another very important piece of the American-dream equation. The report points out that individuals who did leave the bottom of the economic ladder had six times higher median liquid savings. Consider this statistic: Someone with $10,000 in liquid savings is 5.5 times more likely to move to the middle class than someone with just $1,000 in liquid savings.”
*****
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Luxury Rooms at the Inn
Mary and Joseph find no room at the inn, but for those with money there is always room at the most expensive hotels in the world. In contrast to the accommodations Mary and Joseph find, today’s travelers might try the Presidential Suite at the Hotel Cala di Volpe in Porto Cervo, Italy, where the average nightly price (for one night, mind you) is $26,000. The suite has three bedrooms, a solarium, a gym, and a large private swimming pool. Headed for Shanghai? Try the Presidential Suite at the Mandarin Oriental, where for an average price of $26,450 per night you can enjoy a private wine cellar, a fully equipped kitchen, and a private dining room. Later, try one (or both) of the two private roof gardens. In New York, the highest hotel room in the city is the penthouse at the Four Seasons Hotel. Running a cool $45,000 per night, in a building that took seven years and $50 million to complete, the room includes 18th-century Japanese silk pillows plus a private library.
*****
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Hotel Secrets
If, unlike Mary and Joseph, you can find room at the inn, hotel managers and front-desk employees have these tips:
* For a quiet stay, always ask for a higher floor. “Party” guests get the lower floors.
* Leave something in the room when you checked out? “If it’s left in the bed, maids tend to scoop up everything in a bundle and send it to the laundry. They’re in a rush. Don’t expect to get that stuff back.”
* The item most likely to be stolen? Pillows, especially the big goose down ones. Guests will be charged if the hotel sees that they’re missing.
* Your half-used soap bars don’t go to waste. “We recycle them and make new soap bars and send to poorer countries and homeless shelters.” (Eeew.)
* “Our biggest complaint about the job is rude guests. A hello, a please, and a thank you gets you far. Don’t just throw your credit card down on the check-in desk when you arrive. Don’t butter us up, but be nice. Be genuine, because so few people are.”
Author Jacob Tomsky, a former hotel employee, adds some information of his own. Death in hotels, he says, are more common than we think. “It’s not something a hotel wishes to publicize, naturally. So they are removed as discreetly as possible.” When a death occurs, once the body is removed the room is sanitized, cleaned, and made available to the next guest -- and that can happen a lot faster than you’d think. But don’t expect much information from the hotel about this; staffers are forbidden from revealing any details of cause of death and room numbers.
Tomsky suggests that you time your request for a room to get the best rate: “If you ring up in the morning for a room that night you will pay more the earlier you enquire. If you try around 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. you may have a chance at a cheaper night’s stay. This is because around this time, all no-show reservations that were secured by credit cards are freed up, creating a vacancy in the hotel.... However, if you leave it too late, such as around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., the hotel may jack up the price as they know your options are limited. Timing is key.”
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
When a poor group of college students learned that Rudyard Kipling was paid ten shillings for each word he wrote, they decided to embark upon a campaign. They gathered their meager funds together and sent Kipling a letter with a ten-shilling note inside. They asked if for their ten shillings he could tell them what the most important word is. Kipling replied that the single word is “Thanks.”
Application: On this day, “thanks” is the only word that Mary and any of us have to say.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Donald Trump made international news when he said recently that he would institute a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” to help quell the threat of terrorism.
Application: After receiving the good news of her pregnancy, Mary will come to experience the same closing of borders that Trump proposes for Muslims.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Kathy Griffin is going to present her comedy show for Carnival Cruise Line ships -- but she has no plans on removing vulgarity from her act. She said, “I will do a disclaimer on this cruise like you have never heard. I’m going to say I will swear.” The only time she has been willing to tone down her comedy act has been for CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast.
Application: It is not the Kathy Griffins of the world but the Marys that show us the meaning of humility.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
In an article for the Washington Post, Glenn Frankel writes that The Searchers -- a 1956 western directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne -- remains the most relevant movie today. The film’s main theme is vengeance; Wayne portrays Ethan Edwards, who is dedicated to wreaking vengeance on the Comanches who murdered his brother’s family and rescuing his 9-year-old niece who was abducted by the killers. Frankel concludes that all modern movies come from this production, noted for its strong performances and cinematography.
Application: Everything we have today comes from this single event reported in Mary’s life.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
After the disastrous 2012 election, the Republican Party did a study to discover how they lost the support of so many voters. The Republican National Committee’s report, titled “Growth and Opportunity Project,” concluded: “If we want ethnic minority voters to support Republicans, we have to engage them and show our sincerity.”
Application: By selecting Mary, God showed his support for minorities.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Donald Trump is receiving such large support from voters because he speaks what they feel. A poll showed that 8 in 10 Republicans think there are too many immigrants coming into the United States from the Middle East.
Application: In selecting Mary, God demonstrated that he was supportive of minorities, immigrants, and anyone who is disenfranchised.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Donald Trump recently proposed closing the borders to all Muslims to stop the threat of terrorism. In response House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, declared: “This is not conservatism. What was proposed yesterday is not what this party stands for. And more importantly, it’s not what this country stands for.”
Application: By the selection of Mary, God made it clear what he stands for.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
The United States Supreme Court is currently reviewing what the election terminology of “one person, one vote” means. Two rural Texas voters have challenged the use of total population data in drawing state senate district boundaries, because urban areas have a higher population of individuals who are ineligible to vote. They allege that this higher concentration gives urban areas more senators, and thus an unequal representation to that of rural areas.
Application: The Supreme Court has yet to decide the case -- but by selecting Mary, God demonstrated that every person does count.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
If you go back 30 generations (assuming that a generation represents 25 years, so that is 750 years back to approximately 1250 AD), you likely had over 1,000 million ancestors. But since far fewer than 1 billion people were alive in 1250, it means that your mother and father had many common ancestors.
Application: The selection of Mary represents the ancestry of all of us.
*****
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
There is very little difference between races. As Henry Harpending, the American geneticist, put it, humans are a bit like PCs: computers are divisible into major races -- Compaq, Dell, Gateway, Micron -- as well as many minor populations. These computer races are like human races. Are there deep essential differences? Hardly. Take the cases off, and we can barely tell them apart. The components of PCs are commodities that are completely interchangeable. Human race differences are like that. In other words, the differences between the races are many times greater if we look at the label than if we look inside. That is not to say that there are no genetic differences at all, but that on average they are very small differences. When meeting someone new, it makes sense to judge them on their abilities rather than their label.
Application: By the selection of Mary, God demonstrated the equality among us all.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let our souls magnify our God.
People: Let our spirits rejoice in God our Savior.
Leader: God has looked with favor on the lowly.
People: The Mighty One has done great things.
Leader: God’s mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation.
People: God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
OR
Leader: The Prince of Peace is here among us.
People: We bow our hearts before our savior.
Leader: He comes to bring an end to violence and hatred.
People: We will join in bringing peace to earth.
Leader: Our God comes among us to bring us peace.
People: We will turn our swords into plows.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“O Sing a Song of Bethlehem”
found in:
UMH: 179
PH: 308
NCH: 51
W&P: 242
“Hope of the World”
found in:
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
“Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
found in:
UMH: 184
PH: 309
NCH: 118
CH: 104
LBW: 42
ELA: 395
W&P: 181
Renew: 252
“Rise, Shine, You People”
found in:
UMH: 187
LBW: 393
ELA: 665
W&P: 89
“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 196
H82: 66
PH: 1, 2
NCH: 122
LBW: 30
ELA: 254
W&P: 153
AMEC: 103
“My Soul Gives Glory to My God”
found in:
UMH: 198
CH: 130
ELA: 882
“Tell Out, My Soul”
found in:
UMH: 200
H82: 437, 438
W&P: 41
Renew: 130
“Love Came Down at Christmas”
found in:
UMH: 242
H82: 84
NCH: 165
W&P: 210
“O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright”
found in:
UMH: 247
PH: 69
NCH: 158
CH: 105
LBW: 76
ELA: 308
W&P: 230
“Once in Royal David’s City”
found in:
UMH: 250
H82: 102
PH: 49
NCH: 145
CH: 165
ELA: 269
W&P: 183
STLT: 228
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“Let Us Now Depart in Your Peace”
found in:
CCB: 95
“I Am Loved”
found in:
CCB: 80
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who sent Jesus to be the Prince of Peace: Grant us who call ourselves his disciples the grace to live into his reign of peace; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you sent Jesus to be our Prince of Peace. Help us to truly follow him as his disciples and live into his reign of peace. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to be peaceful or to be peacemakers.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have come among us to bring us peace, and yet we are people of conflict. Whether on a global or individual basis, we are people who promote strife. We are more interested in winning at any cost than we are in finding ways to work together with others. Help us to change our hearts and to truly seek the peace that passes all understanding. Amen.
Leader: God comes to bring us peace. Let our hearts rejoice in God’s grace as we reach out in love to others.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
All glory, praise, and honor are yours, O God, for you are the foundation of all existence. You are the ground upon which all creation rests.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have come among us to bring us peace, and yet we are people of conflict. Whether on a global or individual basis, we are people who promote strife. We are more interested in winning at any cost than we are in finding ways to work together with others. Help us to change our hearts and to truly seek the peace that passes all understanding.
We give you thanks for all the wondrous blessings of this life. We are blessed beyond all understanding. We thank you for those you have raised up to teach us about Jesus and about your way to life, wholeness, and healing.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We lift up to you our world which is fraught with violence, hatred, and strife. We remember those who struggle day by day in the midst of war, violence, and conflict. We know that many suffer in the violence of nations and others in the violence of individuals. We pray that we may be those who bring peace in all that we do and say.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about the many names that Jesus goes by: Good Shepherd, Son of God, the Great Physician, the Prince of Peace. Today we think about the last one. Jesus is the one who comes to bring peace. We can be part of his work. We can bring peace in the way we live with others. We can resist the need to strike back or to talk back. We can be loving and kind.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
A Tale of Two Songs
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 1:46b-55; Luke 2:1-14
Items needed (one for each child):
Christmas carol book (the small kind printed for carolers to carry with them), OR
song sheet with the lyrics to several Christmas carols printed on it, OR
hymnal with the Christmas carols section clearly marked
You know, one of my favorite things about Christmas is the Christmas carols. These are songs that we only get to sing at this time of year, and they’re almost all happy songs. I just can’t get enough of them. So I thought that this morning we’d sing a couple of my favorites and maybe some of your favorites.
(Lead the children in singing the first verses of several Christmas carols. Invite the congregation to join in singing if it seems appropriate. If you are not a natural song leader, find someone who is and get them to help you, or have the organist/keyboardist give you the right pitch or play along.)
Music and singing are a big part of Christmas, aren’t they? That is true in the Bible as well. In fact, when we read the Christmas story in the gospel of Luke, it’s kind of a musical or an opera. There are lots of songs in that story.
There’s the “Song of Zechariah” (Luke 1:68-79). And when Mary finds out she’s going to be the mother of Jesus, she sings a song -- or what in opera is called an “aria” -- known as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46b-55). In it, she sings about how great God is and about how God is a god of justice. Here are some of the lyrics to her song:
(Sing or recite) “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 forever.”
And then, when the angels come and tell the shepherds about the birth of Jesus they sing a big chorus number called a Gloria, where they sing about peace:
(Sing or recite) “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among the people.”
See, since the very first Christmas the people of God have been singing happy songs about God’s love for us and the birth of Jesus. And I don’t know about you, but I hope we keep singing happy songs about those things not just at Christmas, but all year long. What do you say?
(Close with a prayer for God to write the music of peace and justice in our hearts this Christmas.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, December 20, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
