The Gift of the Magi: Wisdom
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For January 5, 2020:
This installment contains material for Christmas 2 and Epiphany of the Lord.
The Gift of the Magi: Wisdom
by Mary Austin
If you traveled for the holidays, you may just be settling back into your own home, relieved to be putting suitcases and decorations back in storage. Fading into memory are the Christmas colds, the lumpy beds at the in-laws and the very close quarters in airplanes and trains. If you were the host, you can put away the spreadsheet that helps keep track of who needs food that’s gluten free, dairy free, low carb, low salt or just a simple request for yak butter for the morning coffee.
Left in our hearts is the reason we travel, or entertain other travelers: for connection.
The magi make this tremendous journey for the same reason. It’s not enough to see the star, or to know about this new baby king. They need to experience it. To see the baby for themselves. To understand the meaning of the star in their own way.
As we journey into the New Year, into an election year in the United States, into a year that will no doubt bring us bring health challenges and family struggles, we study the magi the way they studied the star, hoping for their gift of wisdom for our own travels.
In the Scripture
The magi, or wise ones, are endlessly intriguing in this story of their visit to Jesus. Each year, we marvel again at their long journey to get there. The age of the babies killed by Herod suggests about two years on the road, although we condense it to the twelfth day of Christmas. When they arrive, they start their search for the baby king at the court, where one would expect to find a king. There, their wisdom bumps into Herod’s craftiness. The magi use their wisdom to make a sacrifice, giving time and effort so they can learn more. They seek a way to bow down to an even greater power than their own. Herod’s craftiness is all about himself. When Herod worries, everyone worries. There’s no telling where his well-known cruelty will go when he feels threatened.
Wanting to know where this new baby is, Herod bumps into the limit of his knowledge, and has to call on wise people in the Jewish faith to give him an answer. By now, the magi are even wiser than when they started, and they know enough not to return to Herod. They, like Joseph in an earlier story, take in the wisdom that comes from a dream. In this story, there is wisdom from both the traditional sources – the religious professionals – and from foreigners. The foreign magi, the outsiders, have the advantage of more independence, and bring a fresh way of seeing to the court.
Matthew skips the shepherds in the things he chooses to tell about Jesus birth, and moves his narrative toward people of power, contrasting Herod and these foreign travelers. He points us to the hollowness of human kings, and toward the baby Jesus as a worthy focus for worship. After they leave the court, the star guides the magi to where Jesus is. So, did the star lead them to Herod first? Was that part of the plan, too? Did the magi need to meet Herod first, so they would understand the simple power of Jesus?
The story makes us wonder where we find God’s wisdom, in places of personal need and national division.
In the News
Who are our modern magi, offering us a glimpse of the future and a different way of seeing? Often in American life, the President and First Lady counsel us through difficult national seasons and times of tragedy, and celebrate with winning sports teams and other notables. Right now, our time is more like Herod’s court, with all of us divided into factions, whispering about the others. Each of us looks to our own favorite news sources and political leaders. Even our news is different, depending on our politics. The Wall Street Journal broke down what we’re likely to see, based on our previous clicks. Conservative news junkies get very different information than liberal ones, reinforcing our divisions.
With the nation so divided right now, people are looking to unusual sources for guidance. For matters both puzzling and bizarre, we turn to online advice columnists. They offer wisdom about relatives who want to smoke pot at your home and other quandaries. On Instagram, @MrsDowJones is breaking down the world of finance, 401ks and investing for a younger generation, using a new set of tools. Television shows like Queer Eye have advice about relationships, décor, food and appearance. We’re seeking wisdom everywhere, it seems.
Our younger friends are flailing in the workplace, as companies struggle “to understand and embrace the youngest members of our workforce. At the same time, recent Millennial grads have a 26% rate of unemployment, and that number gets bigger if you factor in under-employment (i.e. working in jobs they could have gotten without a college degree).” A Gallup survey of happily employed young adults found some common threads in their college experiences which created satisfaction as adults, including things like an internship that applied their classroom learning, and a professor who was engaged and cared about them. Only a handful of college graduates had the right combination of experiences. “In short, 97% of Millennials entering the workforce today haven't received the career coaching needed to empower them to take control of their professional future. Part of the reason many Millennials haven't received proper career coaching is they didn't know they needed it. From a very early age, they've been involved in activities where coaching was part of the program. Whether it's organized sports or playing musical instruments, Millennials have been conditioned to believe coaching isn't a sign of weakness, but a path to greatness. They assumed if they needed career coaching, it would be provided to them.” Employers, on the other hand, “don't see why they should invest in coaching Millennials on their careers and professionalism AND pay them at the same time. They want employees who can hit the ground running. Sadly, without coaching, Millennials are suffering.” They need wise figures of their own – as we all do.
In every area of our common life, we could use magi-like figures, who have their own moral and spiritual compass, and are following a larger purpose.
In the Sermon
Wisdom is unsettling, for Herod, and for us. The magi’s questions upset Herod and the routines of his court. In the same way, new realizations jolt us out of our own routines and into new ways of seeing. The sermon might look at ways people have been unsettled by new challenges. It could be at work, with new systems, or in the congregation, when we need new ways to do church. It could be at home, reacting to the needs of elderly parents or growing children. Like Herod, we, too, get jolted out of our assumptions. How do we react with the wisdom of the magi, instead of the paranoia of Herod?
Or, the sermon might look at how we respond to something like the magi’s star in our own lives? When God calls us to do something new, like the magi deciding to follow the star, how do we react? Do we jump in, ready to move, or do we need more time to study the choices? Were there magi who decided to stay at home and never made the trip? How do we live with their kind of faithfulness in following a summons from God in our lives?
Herod secretly calls for the magi, after he hears the answer from the chief priests and scribes where the messiah will be born. He asks his first question publicly, and then needs a secret conference with the travelers. As we know, there’s a difference between confidentiality and a secret, and secrets grow unhealthy in churches and in relationships. The sermon might consider when we feel compelled to do something in secret, and what unhealthy impulses are behind the secrets we keep.
The magi are outsiders at Herod’s court, and they bring a different perspective. The sermon might consider which outsiders in our lives have a kind of wisdom we need to hear. Who outside the mainstream has a viewpoint we need to consider? We have things to learn from friends who are younger or older than we are, from people with different political views, and from people who were born in other countries.
At this current moment, our wisdom comes to us piecemeal. Still, we can be attentive to the example of the magi, following God’s leading as attentively as they did. We can seek to live with their kind of focus on the goal of meeting Jesus. Like them, we can choose to follow God, even when the road is long. Like them, we can choose to go home by another way when God calls us there, too. These wise ones give us an interesting example of faithful authenticity as this new year begins...More to come before Tuesday afternoon.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Winter Is Coming
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 147:12-20
Winter is coming.
Today is the last of the twelve days of Christmas and tomorrow we begin the season of Epiphany which is the unofficial liturgical season of winter.
We will hear people lament the end of the Christmas season which, in our culture at least, tends to forget advent and leap right into Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. But by now, the parties are over, the tinsel and decorations have come down, the leftover eggnog has been poured down the drain, the family Christmas tree is either on the brush pile or back in the attic with the nativity scene and the boxes of ornaments and wrapping paper.
Nothing much to look forward to for the next six weeks until the Super Bowl which is, let’s face it, just a reason to have a midwinter party for about 90 percent of us. And maybe there’ll be a snow day which will at least make the kids happy, and we can forget about chores and deadlines for an hour or so and build a snowman and screw our courage to the sticking place and sled down a hill. But those are small and insignificant joys when compared to the two month festival of excess that has become Christmas.
No, now all there is to look forward to is the cold, the dark, and the short days. And let’s not forget the inevitable weight gain and schlepping through the snow and slush to the gym. And my personal favorite, seasonal affective disorder. These are, for many of us, the sum total of the meaning of winter.
And it’s only a day away.
The catchphrase from Game of Thrones and the dread that accompanied it is, in fact, the case.
Winter is coming.
In Game of Thrones…
Thousands of years ago, when humans first came to the continent of Westeros, they were met by a species of small, humanoid creatures called the Children of the Forest. The humans, known as Firstmen, began cutting down the trees of the great forest in order to build shelters and farms for themselves but the trees were sacred to the Children of the Forest and this caused conflict between the two races and war ensued that would last for 2,000 years.
The Children, being small and unaccustomed to physical conflict, used magic to create a race of creatures called the White Walkers, zombies ruled by the Night King, to protect them. Exhausted by 2,000 years of fighting, the Children and the Firstmen reached an agreement whereby the Children could have the forests and the Firstmen would live in the open ranges. This treaty lasted a thousand years but, then, the Night King decided that he did not like being shunted off and confined to the frozen Land of Always Winter in the far north and wanted the entire continent for himself and his army of White Walkers. As the army of the undead marched south, they brought frozen north with them and a terrible winter known as The Long Night, that lasted for a generation. I will spare you the grizzly details of this horrible cold but take my word for it was, well, grizzly.
The Firstmen and the Children of the Forest joined together in an alliance to fight the White Walkers and, after a thousand year war known as the War for the Dawn, they drove the Night King back into the Land of the Always Winter and, again, with the help of the magic of the Children of the Forest, the Firstmen created a huge, 700 foot wall that ran from one end of the continent to the other to keep out the White Walkers should they ever choose to return.
Some of you may recognize this mythology from the hugely successful HBO series, Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s series of five novels.
The books and TV series begin just about 2,000 years after the story I have described above. The continent of Westeros has been divided into seven kingdoms who are pretty much constantly at war with each other as they vie to place their own king on the Iron Throne and, thus, rule the entire continent.
The Wall has lasted 2000 years and is guarded by an elite group of celibate, fanatically dedicated warriors known as the Brotherhood of the Watch. The Children of the Forest and the White Walkers have not been heard of for two millennia and most of the inhabitants of Westeros believe that it was all just a legend and not to be taken seriously.
All, that is, except the Stark clan who rule the northern most part of Westeros which is bordered on the north by The Wall. Theirs is a land of almost constant cold and anxiety as they look out over the wall into the frozen and mysterious northern Land of Always Winter.
They realize that the Brotherhood of the Watch has become underfunded, undermanned, and undertrained. And they realize another thing that no one else seems to know:
WINTER IS COMING.
So thoroughly does this truth permeate their being that it has become the motto on the family crest of the House of Stark.
The Starks know that it has been more than a thousand years since the last Long Night and, if the Night King and his White Walkers are real and still exist in the Land of Always Winter, they could emerge at any time and bring the winter with them as they did the last time.
Clan Stark knows that the current summer, being enjoyed by Westeros, has lasted nearly three times longer than any summer in memory and it could end in a moment.
And they know that, for the Stark family, winter and summer are more than seasons. They are metaphors.
Summer is that pleasant, enjoyable, carefree time in our lives when we every day is a joy and every thought is given to pleasure.
Winter, however, represents the hard times of life, the times of struggle, the times of pain and conflict against which we must arm ourselves. And winter always represents the Family Stark itself. The Starks are winter. If they are wronged by another clan, it may take months or years, or even a generation, but they will be avenged and dark and cold will be the vengeance that they bring.
If you cross Clan Stark, be assured, winter is, most assuredly, coming to you.
In the Scripture
Psalm 147:12-20
The psalmist would appreciate the metaphorical poetry of Game of Thrones, especially that which uses the seasons as metaphors for life itself, for the psalmist is confident that winter – meteorological and metaphorical -- is coming, but equally confident that it is also going.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. 14 He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat. 15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
The passage opens with a description of life that is, in some respects, like the long summer of Game of Thrones. The Wall or, in this case, the gates of the city are high and strong and keep out those who would do us harm. The season is pleasant and comfortable allowing us the opportunity to experience leisure and joy, but it also gives us ample opportunity to lay up stores for the winter that is inevitably coming. The prospect of peace is real and food is plentiful because people hear God’s word and take it seriously. It flows throughout the land like a warm front moving from west to east across the nation.
But, winter is coming…
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold?
Do not become complacent, People of God. Do not think that, because God loves you everything is going to be given to you no matter how you act. God may be the author of summer but God also produces terrible winters.
Literal and metaphorical winters are always lurking just around the corner. Things that are going well can dissolve into chaos and despair in a single moment. One season of unexpected heat and drought or one unexpectedly long and cold winter can change how we look upon all of life.
An unexpected car repair, a sudden health emergency, a lost job or a betrayal by a friend can upend an otherwise happy life
But, no matter how bad the winter, life doesn’t end there.
18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
There has never, in human history, been a winter that is not, eventually, followed by and undone by a spring.
It is God who breaks the back of winter, who melts the snow no matter how deep it is, who thaws the ice that stops the river from flowing, who sends warm breezes that awaken the crocus and renews the daffodil and the tulip, that greens the trees and sets the birdsong on the morning breeze.
And this is not just true in nature, it is an existential reality as well. It is true in our lives. The God who is capable of scattering snow like wool and frost like ashes on the wind, is also capable of bring the warmth of hope and the light of joy back into our lives when tragedy and despair have threatened to undo us.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord! (NRSV)
The psalmist concludes by speaking of God’s existential love for God’s people. The Lord has given to us the Law; that is the proof of YHWH’s love for us.
And, as we, the church, come to the close of this season of Christmas, we celebrate God’s love and grace as it comes to us in the person of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
In the Sermon
For many of us, the next six weeks, until our Super Bowl parties, do not offer much to look forward to except freezing daytime temperatures and long, dark, cold nights. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll get a nice snow and we can build a snowman or go sledding with our kids. But that’s about it.
The liturgical calendar, however, reminds us that there is much more to be said.
Tomorrow is Epiphany, the season of light. So, it is not inappropriate, on this Sunday, the last day of Christmas and the eve of Epiphany, something of both seasons be remembered and celebrated.
The ancient traditions of the church held that Epiphany was the season which falls in the deepest, darkest, coldest days of winter. But the darkness and the cold were not meteorological phenomena, alone. They were metaphors for the world in which we live and into which Jesus was born.
And it is in this dark, cold season that we remember that Jesus Christ is the light that came into the world and that we are called to bring that light with us into that darkness, and into the winter which brings it.
This coming of the light was celebrated in the remembrance of three events in the life of Jesus wherein he was revealed to gentiles as the Messiah: 1.) the visitation of the Magi; 2.) his baptism by John in the Jordan, and 3.) and the performance of his first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.
Early Christians would celebrate the light with rituals both simple and elaborate.
Christmas trees were brought to the town square where they were burned in a bonfire that brought light and warmth for the whole town. Parades and dances ended with parties where Epiphany cakes were eaten. Candles were burned in windows to guide the Wise Men on their way to the Christ child and to identify homes where travelers could find warmth and welcome.
The psalmist reminds us, that God breaks the back of winter with the promise of meteorological spring and spiritual light. We, the People of God, are called to be the instruments of the transition from Christmas, to Epiphany, to Lent, bringing the light of Christ into darkness and cold, wherever we find it.
Winter is coming, yes. But it is going as well.
Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Bethany Peerbolte:
John 1:(1-9) 9-18
Going Home
I can remember these verses being read in my childhood church and the words went by so fast with so little emphasis I could not begin to hear what the text was saying. What did stand out was the part about him being in the world but the world not knowing him. This seemed like a terribly lonely and frustrating existence. What would be worse is being part of creating the creation that was rejecting you. Like a parent being told to drop their teenager off a block away from school, humanity kept their distance from Jesus when they should have been embracing his presence. The word becoming flesh is a big transition. Creation knew how to interact with God when God was out there. Now God was here! That caused a lot of confusion, rejection, and missteps. Eventually some did learn how to embrace Jesus in flesh form.
Being invisible surrounded by people is one thing but being ignored or rejected in the home one grew up in is another. As people of LGBT+ orientations plan their visits home for the holidays, some must plan for the rejection. They pack clothes they haven’t worn since last year because the style does not fit their everyday expression of self. Leaving beloved jewelry, maybe even an engagement ring, behind. Reacclimating themselves to a name or pronouns they are not use to answering to.
This is especially the reality for transgender individuals. A commercial for Pantene brings these issues to light, with the hope that more people will receive warm welcomes from family this year. The ad shows people getting ready for their family holiday parties and the Trans Chorus or Los Angeles singing. The underlying assumption is that some people are showing up in a new way, as their true gender rather than the one they were assigned. This causes high stress for many, as this letter expresses to an advice columnist. The letter asks what should be done when ones parents introduce you as their daughter when you are a man. Those of us who are cisgender, identify as the same gender we were assigned at birth, may assume transgender people know all the rules and etiquette. The reality is we are all learning how to accept and grow together.
Even if we didn’t go home as a new gender, whenever there is a significant time period apart we have to reintroduce ourselves to our family. We relearn their preferences and discover a new opinion that may conflict with ours. It is in recognizing the familiar while we meet the new that acceptance and welcome are created.
* * *
Ephesians 1:1-14
Safe in the Good News
These verses are great news about who God is and who we are because of God. We are blessed, adopted, beloved, redeemed, forgiven and the good news continues from there. These verses wrap around us with God’s goodness. We had good things in the past, have good things now, and will have good things in the future. The sentiment is a bit idealistic, but it shows us the hope Paul has for the Ephesians and the hope we still have today. Hope that we all recognize God as the source and giver of all things good.
This becomes especially hard to recognize when we have experienced trauma in life. The darkness we have walked through or had thrown on us can make the light very hard to see. One woman found a way to work through her trauma with the help of puppets. As a child, her parents used her to make money through child sex trafficking. When she went to school she learned about puppetry and found a way to tell her story in a way that was accessible to others without sugar coating the truth. Her show cast her younger self as a puppet with the adults, played by live actors, pulling the strings of her life. As she grows up she learns some people can be trusted with her strings and finds a supportive community to care for her as she heals. Now she uses puppets to help others work through their stories and find a path towards healing. Her special brand of therapy strives to let others again feel wrapped in a space that is safe and fully loving. A space much like what Paul creates with these words.
* * *
Psalm 147
Choosing Who to Save
If one needs a reason to praise God, Psalm 147 has it. Every verse is a new reminder of how God helps those in need. Filling needs from being downtrodden to bringing peace to places filled with violence. This Psalm paints a picture of God in full power actively intervening to make the world a better place. With endless resources, infinite energy, and all-knowing wisdom God is at work to mend a broken world.
Resources, energy, and wisdom conservationists would do anything to get. With one million animals on the endangered species list, conservationists must pick and choose which get saving efforts. Efforts that sometimes take a nearly a decade to achieve and result in just two hatchling birds. Those two birds however mean the species will never go extinct and that is all the project can hope. The natural home of these birds is being destroyed and so their new home in captivity will have to do. Though limited, the scientists who work to save endangered species give us a peek at God’s saving work.
Neither God’s task of lifting the downtrodden, nor the conservationists work are easy. They both face huge tasks that seem to get bigger every day despite their efforts. They continue working because it is what they do. It is there essence to save the world and counter the damaging effects of humanity’s destructive forces. Even if the task seems impossible the conservationist and God continue on the path. What an amazing reassurance that God is working so diligently to save us from extinction too.
* * *
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Celebrate
We all may be just about done with the concept of celebration and partying by now. The holidays are just as exhausting as they are fun. From Halloween to New Year, the weekends just getting more and more packed with gatherings. The dates of these holidays are set long in advance but somehow, we still get caught off guard. Celebrating when there is time to plan can stress us out. Cooking, wrapping, decorating all fill the time before the party so by the time the time comes to relax we are tired of it all.
In Jeremiah we see a celebration not of a long-established holiday, but of suddenly being rescued. Israel had hoped for the day when they would be gathered again. When the day finally arrives, they break out into spontaneous celebration. The women dance, priests feast, and everyone enjoys the celebration. Perhaps we can find a chance to be surprised by the new year and let the planning fall away. Perhaps the key to enjoying the blessing of 2020 is not to make a resolution and set goals, but to look around and find value in the things God has done.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Jeremiah “Redeemed”
In 31:11 We find the words “ransomed” and “redeemed,” both refer to buying back something. In this case the prophet is saying that the Lord has acted to free Jacob/Israel from “hands too strong for him.”
The church I attended as a child used an affirmation of faith that I have never encountered anywhere else. Rumor had it that the pastor had come across it while on a visit to Scotland. Its Scottish origin made it a little holier than other creeds. As far as I know, there is no other church that uses this particular statement. It refers to the church as “the fellowship of the redeemed;” that term resonated with me as I read today’s lesson from Jeremiah.
People of a certain age may remember saving Green Stamps, pasting them into books and taking them to the Redemption Center, where they could be exchanged for toasters, luggage and golf clubs. Redemption centers looked like stores, but they did not use money; the coin of the realm was books, sometimes hundreds of them, filled with stamps that people had acquired by shopping at certain super markets.
In “You Can Call Me Al,” Paul Simon’s last Top 40 hit, Simon sings, “I need a photo opportunity, I want a shot at redemption…” In this, more common use of the term “redemption,” one is able to redeem oneself, perhaps by getting another chance after having failed to reach or goal, or letting down a loved one.
In this joy-filled passage in Jeremiah, it is clear that God alone can ransom and redeem the people, bringing them back from slavery. Even the feeble, blind and pregnant will be able to walk the Road to Redemption.
* * *
Psalm 147:12-20
Today’s psalm is reminiscent of Psalm 19. The latter psalm describes the wonders one sees in the sky as signs of God’s glory, the Lord’s power to create. The portion of the psalm for today describes the reasons to praise God, strength and protection, peace, food to eat. The psalm describes the Lord as the source of weather. For those of us in the Midwest by January 5th we may have stopped praising God for “giving snow like wool” and “frost like ashes.” We may very well be more than ready for God to “send out his word, and melt them.”
Note that it’s not warm weather than melts the snow, but the word of the Lord. As the psalm ends, the psalmist recognizes that the warm wind that melts the snow and ice and makes the rivers flow, is the one who gives the Law, the Torah, statutes and ordinances. It is the Law more than anything else that sets Israel apart from other nations.
* * *
Ephesians 1:1-14
There are strong echoes of this morning’s lesson from Jeremiah in the passage from Ephesians. In the fullness of time, it is God’s intention—and has been since before Creation—“to gather up all things…in heaven and on earth.” This redemption encompasses more than just the people on earth, but the whole earth!
* * *
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
Handle this reading with care!
If you missed that John’s opening echoes Genesis’ first words, you were napping.
Presbyterians make a big deal about the difference between “the word” and “the Word.” It’s subtle; both terms are pronounced the same. The former refers to something that is written, specifically the Bible. The latter refers to Jesus Christ. When we read “the Word” we understand that we’re talking about “the Word made flesh.” That is an extraordinary claim. Christians do not say that Jesus appeared to be human, we say He was fully human, flesh and blood.
In vv.10-13 you’ll get a glimpse of the in-fighting among the Jews in the first century. Some believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, others did not. John’s gospel is filled with invective against those Jews who did not follow Jesus. The seed of antisemitism is replanted every time someone reads John’s gospel without an understanding of the division in the Jewish community in the generation following the resurrection. John’s referring to “the Jews” in no way applies to the current followers of Judaism.
vv. 10-14 are a creed. And there are echoes of another conflict internal to the nascent Church between the followers of John the Baptizer and Jesus.
* * * * * *
Epiphany
Isaiah 60:1-6
Light and warmth?
The contrast between light and darkness is evident from the start of this morning’s lesson from Isaiah. People and wealth will stream to Jerusalem. Jerusalem will not only be the center of religious life, but also an important commercial and economic center. Being covered with camels from Sheba was a sign of wealth and abundance. Gold and frankincense are among the cargo coming from the south, a strong tie to the gospel lesson of the magi’s visit.
I had a life-changing experience about ten years ago that made me see light and darkness in a new, well, light. I was leading a woman who was blind from birth to a class that we were taking together at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. As we walked across campus I started describing the weather to her. The sky was bright blue with some large, fluffy white clouds. I asked how she experienced a sunny day. She said she could feel the warmth of the sun and knew when a cloud blocked the sunlight, but having never had vision words like “blue” and “white” really didn’t convey anything.
We arrived to class a few minutes late. We found all 40 students sitting on the floor in a large circle. There was a candle burning in the center of the circle. We came in after a guided meditation had started. The students were asked to look at the flame while poetic readings and passages of scripture were read. The theme of the readings was the contrast between light and darkness. I had just spent 15 minutes with someone for whom “light” and “darkness” held no meaning. I wondered how my classmate was experiencing this class session. Focusing on the candle meant nothing. The contrast between light and darkness was the same as the contrast between blue and white to my new friend.
I began to substitute “warmth” for “light” and “cold” for “darkness” for this exercise. I had never imagining using what is in effect the sense of touch to interpret scripture. I had not exactly walked in her shoes, but walking beside her and listening made me encounter familiar words with a completely new point of view. The best metaphor I have for this experience was it was “eye-opening.” To this day when I give a prayer for illumination I use words that reach those who cannot see as I pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us to a proper understanding of the words.
* * *
Matthew 2:1-12
My annual rant
If you’re singing Epiphany hymns this season, beware. They share an assumption that is not present in scripture—nowhere does it say there were three magi. They brought three gifts and a preacher can unpack the significance of those gifts as a way to present the story of Christ in toto at Epiphany. Legend has even assigned names to the magi; these names appear nowhere in the text. Nativity scenes routinely show three magi, dressed in royal robes, usually one of them is African, next to the shepherds. It makes a lovely scene, the wealthy kneeling next to the workers, but there is no conceivable way the shepherds and magi would have been there at the same time.
Luke says the shepherds left their flocks in haste and went to Bethlehem. When they found that what the angel had told them was correct, they walked off the stage, praising God.
The magi saw a star when they were in the East. They followed the star to Jerusalem where they asked Herod about the new king. Herod and all of Jerusalem were afraid. He consulted the chief priests and scribes who told him the king would be born in Bethlehem, based on a passage in the book of the prophet Micah. Herod told the magi to go to Jerusalem. They left for Jerusalem, and what luck!! The star they had seen in the East led them to the place where Mary and Jesus were. They paid him homage, so the nativity scenes where we see the magi kneeling got that part right. Then they left. Like the shepherds, they do not appear again in the story.
For a more complete rant about details we routinely confuse in the birth stories in the gospel, check out “The First Nowell”(sic) a column I wrote for The Cresset in 2010, which highlights a few of the errors in the hymn of that name, as it appears in the Presbyterian hymnal. http://thecresset.org/2010/Advent/Willadsen_A10.html
And another thing about Matthew: Stay away from frankincense! Once a parishioner gave me some actual frankincense and a little thing to burn it in. I did a test fire in the sanctuary on Thursday, and aside from a peculiar smell it was uneventful. When I did the same thing on Sunday it emitted thick, black smoke and an odor that was literally toxic. One worshiper ran from the sanctuary at the first whiff and still came down with a migraine. I removed the incense after about ten seconds and I didn’t just take it out of the sanctuary, I took it outside. I imagined a pigeon flying through the cloud of smoke and dropping dead in the parking lot. It was noxious. Describe the significance to the Jews in first century Jerusalem. Describe, but do not demonstrate.
* * *
Psalm 72
This is clearly a coronation song. It prays that the new king will rule the entire world and uses geographically distant points to show the extent of the king’s realm. It’s almost a foreshadowing of “In Christ There Is No East or West.”
The reader may recognize Tarshish as the place that Jonah wanted to flee to when God called him to go to Nineveh. Nineveh is about where Bagdad is today. Scholars believe Tarshish was at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps the psalmist used “Tarshish” the way we use “Timbuktu.”
“Gold from Sheba” is an obvious tie in to the gospel reading.
* * *
Ephesians 3:1-12
Mystery
Paul uses a word repeatedly that Protestants are generally uncomfortable with: mystery. But at this point, it isn’t much of a mystery because Paul knew the mystery through direct revelation and he’s sharing the mystery with everyone and it will be handed down to generations that follow. He’s explicit that Gentiles are included in the mystery. The rich variety in Creation reflects the passionate love God has for all things—that’s the mystery that isn’t so mysterious at all if one simply looks around at the beauty of the natural world.
In the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship the marriage rite begins with a fairly lengthy Statement of the Gift of Marriage. Most paragraphs begin “God gave us marriage…” one of them identifies marriage as “a holy mystery.” When presiding at weddings I love to point that phrase out. Mostly because Presbyterians by nature jump into action by forming committee when we encounter a mystery. The mildew that kept creeping up the west wall in the basement fellowship hall was the most vexing mystery my church faced in the 20 years I served there. Marriage, however, is a different kind of mystery; one that it’s best to step back from and appreciate. Don’t try to figure out the mystery of the love you find in the person you’re marrying, I counsel. Just appreciate it. Recognize the hand of God in bringing you together and thank God for the most personal, intimate mystery a person can know.
* * * * * *
From team member Ron Love
John 1:17
The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
In December 2019, Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church, voted to leave its afflation with the United Methodist Church, and partnership with the Free Methodist Church. For several years the controversy surrounding the religious issues dealing with the status of homosexuals in the congregation. has severely damaged the denomination. A number of individuals have become outspoken activists, promoting varying positions on this dispute. This has consumed a considerable amount of time, energy and money of the UMC. One result of this theological upheaval is that pastors are performing homosexual marriages, in violation of church doctrine. Because of this, a number of pastors are being put on trial for performing homosexual marriages. This trend has become unstoppable movement.
A rule that will go into effect in January 2020 states that clergy who officiate at same-sex weddings will receive a minimum one-year unpaid suspension, and a second offense would result in their removal from the clergy. At the next General Conference, to be held in Minneapolis in May, the delegates will debate whether the Book of Discipline, the book that outlines the doctrines of the denomination, if the language calling homosexuality as “incompatible with Christian teaching” will be removed. But the real issue before the assembly will be, after years of discussions, debates, and special study committees, will the delegates finally vote to divide the UMC in two bodies. One body will affirm LGBTQ, and the other body will continue with the present doctrinal statement that homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
Grace Fellowship has voted to leave the UMC because the congregation can no longer focus on ministry and missions in a dysfunctional denomination. Jim Legett, the founding pastor of Grace Fellowship, said the congregation wanted to “remove ourselves from the dysfunctional fighting going on in the United Methodist Church so that we can fully devote our energies to fulfilling the mission and vision that God has given to us.” Leggett said this realization finally came upon the congregational leaders when, “At one point, we looked up and noticed that we were spending easily 30 percent of our leadership meeting time discussing the issues of the UMC, and we realized that this was not good stewardship of our time and resources for the Kingdom of God.”
Grace Fellowship is not the first church to leave the United Methodist Church, as they became disillusioned and tired of being swallowed up in this controversy.
* * *
John 1:8
At the age of 87, Dalton Baldwin died on December 12, 2019. His name is unrecognizable to most of us, but his name is recognized by some of the greatest soloist across the United States and Europe. For six decades, playing the piano, Baldwin was an accompanist. An accompanist provides the rhythmic or the harmonic support for the melody of a song or instrumental piece. Both in popular music and traditional music, the accompanist provides the beat for the music and outlines the chord progression of the song or instrumental piece.
Baldwin enjoyed most being an accompanist for singers. He once said, “I worship the human voice. There’s nothing like singing; it’s a romance when you share the music and the poem. The voice is God’s instrument.” Yet, when Baldwin would be complimented as being the most prominent accompanist in his field, far superior to any other accompanist, he would always reply that he preferred to be simply called a “pianist.” Baldwin knew he was good, but humility took precedence over accolades.
* * *
Wisdom of Solomon 10:15
A holy people and blameless race wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors
In the 1970s the cost of groceries was soaring upwards. Grocery stores are labor-intensive. It means stocking the shelves, placing price tags on all the items, and the time it takes to use a cash register to enter every item that is being purchased. George Lauer, a name I am sure none of you recognize, was concerned about the rising cost of groceries. As an electrical engineer for IBM, working at North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, he set out to find a solution. He eventually developed what is known as the Universal Product Code.
We know it better as the tag or label on a product that has a black bar that configured in black lines with a 12-digit number printed below it. The bar code allows the cashier to simply scan the item being purchased, instead of typing the cost into a cash register. The bar code is faster. It allows for fewer errors. And it allowed the merchant to keep a more accurate inventory. On the 25th anniversary of his invention Laurer said, “When I watch these clerks zipping the stuff across the scanners and I keep thinking to myself…It can’t work that well.” We may ask who is George Laurer? And who would know. But we have been forever blest by this unknown man and his gift to the public.
* * *
Wisdom of Solomon 20:21
for wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute, and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.
Jane Goodall is best known to the world as the foremost expert on chimpanzees. She began her study of chimpanzees in 1960, when she was 23-years-old. She spent the next 55-years studying wild chimpanzee’s social and family interactions. At the age of 78 she retired from her work as a primatologist and an anthropologist.
Her new venture in life has become being an activist for climate change. Her mother taught her that the best way to change the minds of individuals is to tell stories. Goodall now travels across the globe telling stories of what she has seen of the destruction of climate change. She maintains that the only way to stop this devastation is for everyone to get involved. Goodall said in the interview, “My job now is to try and help people understand every one of us makes a difference. And cumulatively, wise choices in how we act each day can begin to change the world.”
To make her point clearer, she enjoys telling this story: “I mean, there was a little boy in Burundi. He was 7 – little African boy. And I talked at his school. He came up to me afterwards, and he said, ‘If I pick up a piece of litter every day, I’ll make a difference, won’t I?’ I said, ‘Yes. You’ll make a huge difference.’ And I said, ‘Well, suppose you persuade 10 of your friends to do the same?’ He said, ‘Wow. That would really make a difference.’ And I said, ‘Then each of your 10 friends could choose 10 friends.’ He said, ‘Hoo. We’d change everything.’”
Goodall has a new goal. A serious goal. A goal that motivates her. That goal is to convince people and nations that climate change is real and appropriate steps must be taken to stop it. Of her new role as an activist Goodall said, “I’m traveling around the world now, no longer studying chimpanzees, and trying to tell people what’s happening in the world, the mess that we’ve made and the fact that unless we all get together to help the environment we all share, then it may be too late. The window of time is closing. And it’s not enough just to wave placards and say, ‘Climate change!’ The point is to take actual action. To do your bit.”
* * *
Wisdom of Solomon 20:21
for wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute, and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.
Lauren Daigle is a Christian singer who has most every award possible for her inspiring songs. A part of her evangelical mission is preforming concerts at state penitentiaries. In December 2019 she performed at the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana. Angola is the largest maximum-security facility in the United States. Between songs Daigle offered encouraging words to the inmates. It was her desire to help them find a new direction in life. She hoped her songs and her performance would lead some of the inmates to Christ. For those who would not accept Jesus as their savior, she hoped her songs would offer comfort.
Between one song Daigle said, “He doesn’t point a finger, He doesn’t give you shame, He sits with you. I think that’s why He’s called the Savior of the world.” To date her most popular album, which was released in September 2018, is Look Up Child. During her performance of songs from that album, she paused and said to the inmates, “The one thing that you can always do is look up. You can look up and see the sky. You can look up and see the kindness of God, and His extravagant love for each one of you.”
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: Give us your justice, O God.
People: Give us your righteousness to every generation.
Leader: May we be judged with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
People: May the mountains yield prosperity for the people.
Leader: May the needy be delivered when they call.
People: Have pity on the weak and the needy.
OR
Leader: God comes to us in the depths of our winters.
People: Praise be to our comforting God.
Leader: God comes to us in the midst of our journeys.
People: Thanks be to our guiding Star.
Leader: Whenever we are in need, God is near.
People: We will trust in our God comforts and guides us.
Hymns and Songs:
If you have someone who can perform it then James Taylor’s “Home By Another Way” is a wonderful piece to include in the service.
We Three Kings
UMH: 254
H82: 128
PH: 66
AAHH: 218
NNBH: 97
CH: 172
W&P: 233
STLT: 259
Go, Tell It on the Mountain
UMH: 251
H82: 99
PH: 29
AAHH: 202
NNBH: 92
NCH: 154
CH: 167
LBW: 70
ELW: 290
W&P: 218
AMEC: 122
STLT: 239
‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime
UMH: 244
H82: 114
PH: 61
NCH: 151
CH: 166
LBW: 72
W&P: 213
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
UMH: 247
PH: 69
NCH: 158
CH: 105
LBW: 76
ELW: 308
W&P: 230
How Firm a Foundation
UMH: 529
H82: 636/637
PH: 361
AAHH: 146
NNBH: 48
NCH: 407
CH: 618
LBW: 507
ELW: 796
W&P: 411
AMEC: 433
Be Still, My Soul
UMH: 534
AAHH: 135
NNBH: 263
NCH: 488
CH: 566
W&P: 451
AMEC: 426
Jesus Loves Me
UMH: 191
PH: 304
AAHH: 335
NNBH: 506
NCH: 327
CH: 113
ELW: 595
W&P: 437
AMEC: 549
Through It All
UMH: 507
NNBH: 402
CH: 555
W&P: 452
The Steadfast Love of the Lord
CCB: 28
Renew: 23
Our God Reigns
CCB: 33
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: 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 is present in all the journeys and winters of our lives:
Grant us the faith to trust you to see us through to a good end;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise and adore you, O God, because you are the one who is with us throughout our lives. On the difficult journey and through the harshest winter, you are here. Give us faith to trust that you will always see us through to the good ending you have in mind for us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our lack of faith in God’s sufficient presence.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have placed our trust in many things that are passing away and have failed to place it in you. We trust our GPS units and our thermal outerwear to see us through the journeys and winters of life but we are woefully unprotected from the real hazards of life. A lack of meaning or direction in our lives is something that lurks nearby but we are unprepared because we do not know you. We are so focused on our material beings that we have lost sight of our spirit. Hear us as we cry out to you and return to you. Heal us and help us stand in your strength. Amen.
Leader: God is always present and always our loving parent. God does not forsake us to our own foolishness. Receive God’s grace and share it with others in the name of the Christ.
Prayers of the People
Blessed are you, O God, our constant help and companion. You are our North Star and our warming fire.
(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. We have placed our trust in many things that are passing away and have failed to place it in you. We trust our GPS units and our thermal outerwear to see us through the journeys and winters of life but we are woefully unprotected from the real hazards of life. A lack of meaning or direction in our lives is something that lurks nearby but we are unprepared because we do not know you. We are so focused on our material beings that we have lost sight of our spirit. Hear us as we cry out to you and return to you. Heal us and help us stand in your strength.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you come to us to guide us and protect us. We thank you for those you send to guide us in our journeys or to provide shelter to us in the storm.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who feel lost in the travels through this life. We pray for those who feel the sting of the winter in their souls.
(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 Our Father 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
Many people travel during the holidays. Ask the children if they traveled or if anyone traveled to come see them and their family. Travel can be fun but sometimes things make it difficult to complete our journey. Weather, road conditions, flight delays or just getting lost. The Magi had a long, difficult journey they were on to see Jesus and now they had a problem. They couldn’t go home the way they had come. They had to find a new way home. It was scary but they trusted in God and set our on their journey. Sometimes we think we have to change plans and it can be scary but God is always with us and will help us.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Three Kings Day Celebration!
by Chris Keating
Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12
Scholars will contest the names, number and arrival times of the Magi, even as purists may argue that the day should only be celebrated on its proper date and not a day early. The problem is that Epiphany is almost always kept under wraps in the church, hidden away with the Christmas decorations and only vaguely mentioned by the singing of “We Three Kings.”
But Americans may be in the minority when it comes to soft-pedalling Epiphany. Orthodox Christians celebrate Jesus’ baptism with services of light and blessings of water. In other parts of the world, Christians take to the streets with parades and performances. In Latin America and Spain, families exchange gifts, with children leaving empty shoes by their doors in hopes of receiving presents from the Three Kings. It’s also common for families to leave gifts of salt or grass for the magi’s camels. Many Latino families will eat “Rosca del rey,” (a Mexican pastry), while others will eat the familiar Kings Cake associated with Mardi Gras.
So why not have an Epiphany celebration?
An adventuresome time with children might begin by welcoming mysteriously-robed magi to worship. With their presents for Jesus, the magi could retell the story of Matthew 2:1-12. Since Matthew does not indicate whether there were three or a dozen magi, do not feel limited to the traditional “three kings,” but include others who could help the children understand the theological significance of the starlight of Jesus’ birth star shining across the world.
Share some of the ways children in Latin American countries will celebrate Three Kings Day. “El Dia de los Reyes” is the most important day of the Christmas season in Puerto Rico, for example. It is on that day that children receive their presents. These traditions are long held and make for an exciting day on Epiphany morning. Perhaps the children can help serve slices of King Cake following worship.
Another option would be to help the children understand the meaning of the gifts offered by the magi. Christmas is nearly exclusively focused on getting gifts; what can children bring to share with others in the community or in the world? Epiphany is an excellent opportunity to highlight the gifts the congregation shares with its community.
There are numerous legends and tales associated with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Biblical scholar Warren Carter offers a concise and understandable rationale behind the mysterious gifts: the magi gave Jesus what they had. (Carter, Matthew and the Margins, p.82) What’s important to note is that the magi were not from Israel. The Gentiles are the very first to worship Jesus, a reminder that God’s love is shared with all people.
Finally, the story might inspire us to all become wise persons! Pass around paper crowns or gold beads. Lead a triumphant parade as the congregation sings “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” and inspire the children to “Arise, shine” for their light in Jesus Christ has come. Making this gray and somewhat drab January day into a special morning of light and wonder will share the importance of Epiphany — even if it comes a day early.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 5, 2020 issue.
Copyright 2020 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.
- The Gift of the Magi: Wisdom by Mary Austin — Where do we find the magi’s brand of enduring wisdom?
- Second Thoughts: Winter is Coming by Dean Feldmeyer — Winter is coming, but whether we’re talking meteorological or metaphorical, God’s promise is that there will never be a winter that isn’t followed by a spring.
- Sermon illustrations by Bethany Peerbolte, Tom Willadsen, and Ron Love.
- Worship resources by George Reed that focus on dreams and going home by another way. Also, winter is coming but God breaks our winters.
- Children’s sermon: Three Kings Day Celebration! by Chris Keating — Involve the children in leading an Epiphany celebration for the entire church.
This installment contains material for Christmas 2 and Epiphany of the Lord.
The Gift of the Magi: Wisdomby Mary Austin
If you traveled for the holidays, you may just be settling back into your own home, relieved to be putting suitcases and decorations back in storage. Fading into memory are the Christmas colds, the lumpy beds at the in-laws and the very close quarters in airplanes and trains. If you were the host, you can put away the spreadsheet that helps keep track of who needs food that’s gluten free, dairy free, low carb, low salt or just a simple request for yak butter for the morning coffee.
Left in our hearts is the reason we travel, or entertain other travelers: for connection.
The magi make this tremendous journey for the same reason. It’s not enough to see the star, or to know about this new baby king. They need to experience it. To see the baby for themselves. To understand the meaning of the star in their own way.
As we journey into the New Year, into an election year in the United States, into a year that will no doubt bring us bring health challenges and family struggles, we study the magi the way they studied the star, hoping for their gift of wisdom for our own travels.
In the Scripture
The magi, or wise ones, are endlessly intriguing in this story of their visit to Jesus. Each year, we marvel again at their long journey to get there. The age of the babies killed by Herod suggests about two years on the road, although we condense it to the twelfth day of Christmas. When they arrive, they start their search for the baby king at the court, where one would expect to find a king. There, their wisdom bumps into Herod’s craftiness. The magi use their wisdom to make a sacrifice, giving time and effort so they can learn more. They seek a way to bow down to an even greater power than their own. Herod’s craftiness is all about himself. When Herod worries, everyone worries. There’s no telling where his well-known cruelty will go when he feels threatened.
Wanting to know where this new baby is, Herod bumps into the limit of his knowledge, and has to call on wise people in the Jewish faith to give him an answer. By now, the magi are even wiser than when they started, and they know enough not to return to Herod. They, like Joseph in an earlier story, take in the wisdom that comes from a dream. In this story, there is wisdom from both the traditional sources – the religious professionals – and from foreigners. The foreign magi, the outsiders, have the advantage of more independence, and bring a fresh way of seeing to the court.
Matthew skips the shepherds in the things he chooses to tell about Jesus birth, and moves his narrative toward people of power, contrasting Herod and these foreign travelers. He points us to the hollowness of human kings, and toward the baby Jesus as a worthy focus for worship. After they leave the court, the star guides the magi to where Jesus is. So, did the star lead them to Herod first? Was that part of the plan, too? Did the magi need to meet Herod first, so they would understand the simple power of Jesus?
The story makes us wonder where we find God’s wisdom, in places of personal need and national division.
In the News
Who are our modern magi, offering us a glimpse of the future and a different way of seeing? Often in American life, the President and First Lady counsel us through difficult national seasons and times of tragedy, and celebrate with winning sports teams and other notables. Right now, our time is more like Herod’s court, with all of us divided into factions, whispering about the others. Each of us looks to our own favorite news sources and political leaders. Even our news is different, depending on our politics. The Wall Street Journal broke down what we’re likely to see, based on our previous clicks. Conservative news junkies get very different information than liberal ones, reinforcing our divisions.
With the nation so divided right now, people are looking to unusual sources for guidance. For matters both puzzling and bizarre, we turn to online advice columnists. They offer wisdom about relatives who want to smoke pot at your home and other quandaries. On Instagram, @MrsDowJones is breaking down the world of finance, 401ks and investing for a younger generation, using a new set of tools. Television shows like Queer Eye have advice about relationships, décor, food and appearance. We’re seeking wisdom everywhere, it seems.
Our younger friends are flailing in the workplace, as companies struggle “to understand and embrace the youngest members of our workforce. At the same time, recent Millennial grads have a 26% rate of unemployment, and that number gets bigger if you factor in under-employment (i.e. working in jobs they could have gotten without a college degree).” A Gallup survey of happily employed young adults found some common threads in their college experiences which created satisfaction as adults, including things like an internship that applied their classroom learning, and a professor who was engaged and cared about them. Only a handful of college graduates had the right combination of experiences. “In short, 97% of Millennials entering the workforce today haven't received the career coaching needed to empower them to take control of their professional future. Part of the reason many Millennials haven't received proper career coaching is they didn't know they needed it. From a very early age, they've been involved in activities where coaching was part of the program. Whether it's organized sports or playing musical instruments, Millennials have been conditioned to believe coaching isn't a sign of weakness, but a path to greatness. They assumed if they needed career coaching, it would be provided to them.” Employers, on the other hand, “don't see why they should invest in coaching Millennials on their careers and professionalism AND pay them at the same time. They want employees who can hit the ground running. Sadly, without coaching, Millennials are suffering.” They need wise figures of their own – as we all do.
In every area of our common life, we could use magi-like figures, who have their own moral and spiritual compass, and are following a larger purpose.
In the Sermon
Wisdom is unsettling, for Herod, and for us. The magi’s questions upset Herod and the routines of his court. In the same way, new realizations jolt us out of our own routines and into new ways of seeing. The sermon might look at ways people have been unsettled by new challenges. It could be at work, with new systems, or in the congregation, when we need new ways to do church. It could be at home, reacting to the needs of elderly parents or growing children. Like Herod, we, too, get jolted out of our assumptions. How do we react with the wisdom of the magi, instead of the paranoia of Herod?
Or, the sermon might look at how we respond to something like the magi’s star in our own lives? When God calls us to do something new, like the magi deciding to follow the star, how do we react? Do we jump in, ready to move, or do we need more time to study the choices? Were there magi who decided to stay at home and never made the trip? How do we live with their kind of faithfulness in following a summons from God in our lives?
Herod secretly calls for the magi, after he hears the answer from the chief priests and scribes where the messiah will be born. He asks his first question publicly, and then needs a secret conference with the travelers. As we know, there’s a difference between confidentiality and a secret, and secrets grow unhealthy in churches and in relationships. The sermon might consider when we feel compelled to do something in secret, and what unhealthy impulses are behind the secrets we keep.
The magi are outsiders at Herod’s court, and they bring a different perspective. The sermon might consider which outsiders in our lives have a kind of wisdom we need to hear. Who outside the mainstream has a viewpoint we need to consider? We have things to learn from friends who are younger or older than we are, from people with different political views, and from people who were born in other countries.
At this current moment, our wisdom comes to us piecemeal. Still, we can be attentive to the example of the magi, following God’s leading as attentively as they did. We can seek to live with their kind of focus on the goal of meeting Jesus. Like them, we can choose to follow God, even when the road is long. Like them, we can choose to go home by another way when God calls us there, too. These wise ones give us an interesting example of faithful authenticity as this new year begins...More to come before Tuesday afternoon.
SECOND THOUGHTSWinter Is Coming
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 147:12-20
Winter is coming.
Today is the last of the twelve days of Christmas and tomorrow we begin the season of Epiphany which is the unofficial liturgical season of winter.
We will hear people lament the end of the Christmas season which, in our culture at least, tends to forget advent and leap right into Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. But by now, the parties are over, the tinsel and decorations have come down, the leftover eggnog has been poured down the drain, the family Christmas tree is either on the brush pile or back in the attic with the nativity scene and the boxes of ornaments and wrapping paper.
Nothing much to look forward to for the next six weeks until the Super Bowl which is, let’s face it, just a reason to have a midwinter party for about 90 percent of us. And maybe there’ll be a snow day which will at least make the kids happy, and we can forget about chores and deadlines for an hour or so and build a snowman and screw our courage to the sticking place and sled down a hill. But those are small and insignificant joys when compared to the two month festival of excess that has become Christmas.
No, now all there is to look forward to is the cold, the dark, and the short days. And let’s not forget the inevitable weight gain and schlepping through the snow and slush to the gym. And my personal favorite, seasonal affective disorder. These are, for many of us, the sum total of the meaning of winter.
And it’s only a day away.
The catchphrase from Game of Thrones and the dread that accompanied it is, in fact, the case.
Winter is coming.
In Game of Thrones…
Thousands of years ago, when humans first came to the continent of Westeros, they were met by a species of small, humanoid creatures called the Children of the Forest. The humans, known as Firstmen, began cutting down the trees of the great forest in order to build shelters and farms for themselves but the trees were sacred to the Children of the Forest and this caused conflict between the two races and war ensued that would last for 2,000 years.
The Children, being small and unaccustomed to physical conflict, used magic to create a race of creatures called the White Walkers, zombies ruled by the Night King, to protect them. Exhausted by 2,000 years of fighting, the Children and the Firstmen reached an agreement whereby the Children could have the forests and the Firstmen would live in the open ranges. This treaty lasted a thousand years but, then, the Night King decided that he did not like being shunted off and confined to the frozen Land of Always Winter in the far north and wanted the entire continent for himself and his army of White Walkers. As the army of the undead marched south, they brought frozen north with them and a terrible winter known as The Long Night, that lasted for a generation. I will spare you the grizzly details of this horrible cold but take my word for it was, well, grizzly.
The Firstmen and the Children of the Forest joined together in an alliance to fight the White Walkers and, after a thousand year war known as the War for the Dawn, they drove the Night King back into the Land of the Always Winter and, again, with the help of the magic of the Children of the Forest, the Firstmen created a huge, 700 foot wall that ran from one end of the continent to the other to keep out the White Walkers should they ever choose to return.
Some of you may recognize this mythology from the hugely successful HBO series, Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s series of five novels.
The books and TV series begin just about 2,000 years after the story I have described above. The continent of Westeros has been divided into seven kingdoms who are pretty much constantly at war with each other as they vie to place their own king on the Iron Throne and, thus, rule the entire continent.
The Wall has lasted 2000 years and is guarded by an elite group of celibate, fanatically dedicated warriors known as the Brotherhood of the Watch. The Children of the Forest and the White Walkers have not been heard of for two millennia and most of the inhabitants of Westeros believe that it was all just a legend and not to be taken seriously.
All, that is, except the Stark clan who rule the northern most part of Westeros which is bordered on the north by The Wall. Theirs is a land of almost constant cold and anxiety as they look out over the wall into the frozen and mysterious northern Land of Always Winter.
They realize that the Brotherhood of the Watch has become underfunded, undermanned, and undertrained. And they realize another thing that no one else seems to know:
WINTER IS COMING.
So thoroughly does this truth permeate their being that it has become the motto on the family crest of the House of Stark.
The Starks know that it has been more than a thousand years since the last Long Night and, if the Night King and his White Walkers are real and still exist in the Land of Always Winter, they could emerge at any time and bring the winter with them as they did the last time.
Clan Stark knows that the current summer, being enjoyed by Westeros, has lasted nearly three times longer than any summer in memory and it could end in a moment.
And they know that, for the Stark family, winter and summer are more than seasons. They are metaphors.
Summer is that pleasant, enjoyable, carefree time in our lives when we every day is a joy and every thought is given to pleasure.
Winter, however, represents the hard times of life, the times of struggle, the times of pain and conflict against which we must arm ourselves. And winter always represents the Family Stark itself. The Starks are winter. If they are wronged by another clan, it may take months or years, or even a generation, but they will be avenged and dark and cold will be the vengeance that they bring.
If you cross Clan Stark, be assured, winter is, most assuredly, coming to you.
In the Scripture
Psalm 147:12-20
The psalmist would appreciate the metaphorical poetry of Game of Thrones, especially that which uses the seasons as metaphors for life itself, for the psalmist is confident that winter – meteorological and metaphorical -- is coming, but equally confident that it is also going.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. 14 He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat. 15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
The passage opens with a description of life that is, in some respects, like the long summer of Game of Thrones. The Wall or, in this case, the gates of the city are high and strong and keep out those who would do us harm. The season is pleasant and comfortable allowing us the opportunity to experience leisure and joy, but it also gives us ample opportunity to lay up stores for the winter that is inevitably coming. The prospect of peace is real and food is plentiful because people hear God’s word and take it seriously. It flows throughout the land like a warm front moving from west to east across the nation.
But, winter is coming…
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold?
Do not become complacent, People of God. Do not think that, because God loves you everything is going to be given to you no matter how you act. God may be the author of summer but God also produces terrible winters.
Literal and metaphorical winters are always lurking just around the corner. Things that are going well can dissolve into chaos and despair in a single moment. One season of unexpected heat and drought or one unexpectedly long and cold winter can change how we look upon all of life.
An unexpected car repair, a sudden health emergency, a lost job or a betrayal by a friend can upend an otherwise happy life
But, no matter how bad the winter, life doesn’t end there.
18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
There has never, in human history, been a winter that is not, eventually, followed by and undone by a spring.
It is God who breaks the back of winter, who melts the snow no matter how deep it is, who thaws the ice that stops the river from flowing, who sends warm breezes that awaken the crocus and renews the daffodil and the tulip, that greens the trees and sets the birdsong on the morning breeze.
And this is not just true in nature, it is an existential reality as well. It is true in our lives. The God who is capable of scattering snow like wool and frost like ashes on the wind, is also capable of bring the warmth of hope and the light of joy back into our lives when tragedy and despair have threatened to undo us.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord! (NRSV)
The psalmist concludes by speaking of God’s existential love for God’s people. The Lord has given to us the Law; that is the proof of YHWH’s love for us.
And, as we, the church, come to the close of this season of Christmas, we celebrate God’s love and grace as it comes to us in the person of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
In the Sermon
For many of us, the next six weeks, until our Super Bowl parties, do not offer much to look forward to except freezing daytime temperatures and long, dark, cold nights. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll get a nice snow and we can build a snowman or go sledding with our kids. But that’s about it.
The liturgical calendar, however, reminds us that there is much more to be said.
Tomorrow is Epiphany, the season of light. So, it is not inappropriate, on this Sunday, the last day of Christmas and the eve of Epiphany, something of both seasons be remembered and celebrated.
The ancient traditions of the church held that Epiphany was the season which falls in the deepest, darkest, coldest days of winter. But the darkness and the cold were not meteorological phenomena, alone. They were metaphors for the world in which we live and into which Jesus was born.
And it is in this dark, cold season that we remember that Jesus Christ is the light that came into the world and that we are called to bring that light with us into that darkness, and into the winter which brings it.
This coming of the light was celebrated in the remembrance of three events in the life of Jesus wherein he was revealed to gentiles as the Messiah: 1.) the visitation of the Magi; 2.) his baptism by John in the Jordan, and 3.) and the performance of his first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.
Early Christians would celebrate the light with rituals both simple and elaborate.
Christmas trees were brought to the town square where they were burned in a bonfire that brought light and warmth for the whole town. Parades and dances ended with parties where Epiphany cakes were eaten. Candles were burned in windows to guide the Wise Men on their way to the Christ child and to identify homes where travelers could find warmth and welcome.
The psalmist reminds us, that God breaks the back of winter with the promise of meteorological spring and spiritual light. We, the People of God, are called to be the instruments of the transition from Christmas, to Epiphany, to Lent, bringing the light of Christ into darkness and cold, wherever we find it.
Winter is coming, yes. But it is going as well.
Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Bethany Peerbolte:John 1:(1-9) 9-18
Going Home
I can remember these verses being read in my childhood church and the words went by so fast with so little emphasis I could not begin to hear what the text was saying. What did stand out was the part about him being in the world but the world not knowing him. This seemed like a terribly lonely and frustrating existence. What would be worse is being part of creating the creation that was rejecting you. Like a parent being told to drop their teenager off a block away from school, humanity kept their distance from Jesus when they should have been embracing his presence. The word becoming flesh is a big transition. Creation knew how to interact with God when God was out there. Now God was here! That caused a lot of confusion, rejection, and missteps. Eventually some did learn how to embrace Jesus in flesh form.
Being invisible surrounded by people is one thing but being ignored or rejected in the home one grew up in is another. As people of LGBT+ orientations plan their visits home for the holidays, some must plan for the rejection. They pack clothes they haven’t worn since last year because the style does not fit their everyday expression of self. Leaving beloved jewelry, maybe even an engagement ring, behind. Reacclimating themselves to a name or pronouns they are not use to answering to.
This is especially the reality for transgender individuals. A commercial for Pantene brings these issues to light, with the hope that more people will receive warm welcomes from family this year. The ad shows people getting ready for their family holiday parties and the Trans Chorus or Los Angeles singing. The underlying assumption is that some people are showing up in a new way, as their true gender rather than the one they were assigned. This causes high stress for many, as this letter expresses to an advice columnist. The letter asks what should be done when ones parents introduce you as their daughter when you are a man. Those of us who are cisgender, identify as the same gender we were assigned at birth, may assume transgender people know all the rules and etiquette. The reality is we are all learning how to accept and grow together.
Even if we didn’t go home as a new gender, whenever there is a significant time period apart we have to reintroduce ourselves to our family. We relearn their preferences and discover a new opinion that may conflict with ours. It is in recognizing the familiar while we meet the new that acceptance and welcome are created.
* * *
Ephesians 1:1-14
Safe in the Good News
These verses are great news about who God is and who we are because of God. We are blessed, adopted, beloved, redeemed, forgiven and the good news continues from there. These verses wrap around us with God’s goodness. We had good things in the past, have good things now, and will have good things in the future. The sentiment is a bit idealistic, but it shows us the hope Paul has for the Ephesians and the hope we still have today. Hope that we all recognize God as the source and giver of all things good.
This becomes especially hard to recognize when we have experienced trauma in life. The darkness we have walked through or had thrown on us can make the light very hard to see. One woman found a way to work through her trauma with the help of puppets. As a child, her parents used her to make money through child sex trafficking. When she went to school she learned about puppetry and found a way to tell her story in a way that was accessible to others without sugar coating the truth. Her show cast her younger self as a puppet with the adults, played by live actors, pulling the strings of her life. As she grows up she learns some people can be trusted with her strings and finds a supportive community to care for her as she heals. Now she uses puppets to help others work through their stories and find a path towards healing. Her special brand of therapy strives to let others again feel wrapped in a space that is safe and fully loving. A space much like what Paul creates with these words.
* * *
Psalm 147
Choosing Who to Save
If one needs a reason to praise God, Psalm 147 has it. Every verse is a new reminder of how God helps those in need. Filling needs from being downtrodden to bringing peace to places filled with violence. This Psalm paints a picture of God in full power actively intervening to make the world a better place. With endless resources, infinite energy, and all-knowing wisdom God is at work to mend a broken world.
Resources, energy, and wisdom conservationists would do anything to get. With one million animals on the endangered species list, conservationists must pick and choose which get saving efforts. Efforts that sometimes take a nearly a decade to achieve and result in just two hatchling birds. Those two birds however mean the species will never go extinct and that is all the project can hope. The natural home of these birds is being destroyed and so their new home in captivity will have to do. Though limited, the scientists who work to save endangered species give us a peek at God’s saving work.
Neither God’s task of lifting the downtrodden, nor the conservationists work are easy. They both face huge tasks that seem to get bigger every day despite their efforts. They continue working because it is what they do. It is there essence to save the world and counter the damaging effects of humanity’s destructive forces. Even if the task seems impossible the conservationist and God continue on the path. What an amazing reassurance that God is working so diligently to save us from extinction too.
* * *
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Celebrate
We all may be just about done with the concept of celebration and partying by now. The holidays are just as exhausting as they are fun. From Halloween to New Year, the weekends just getting more and more packed with gatherings. The dates of these holidays are set long in advance but somehow, we still get caught off guard. Celebrating when there is time to plan can stress us out. Cooking, wrapping, decorating all fill the time before the party so by the time the time comes to relax we are tired of it all.
In Jeremiah we see a celebration not of a long-established holiday, but of suddenly being rescued. Israel had hoped for the day when they would be gathered again. When the day finally arrives, they break out into spontaneous celebration. The women dance, priests feast, and everyone enjoys the celebration. Perhaps we can find a chance to be surprised by the new year and let the planning fall away. Perhaps the key to enjoying the blessing of 2020 is not to make a resolution and set goals, but to look around and find value in the things God has done.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:Jeremiah 31:7-14
Jeremiah “Redeemed”
In 31:11 We find the words “ransomed” and “redeemed,” both refer to buying back something. In this case the prophet is saying that the Lord has acted to free Jacob/Israel from “hands too strong for him.”
The church I attended as a child used an affirmation of faith that I have never encountered anywhere else. Rumor had it that the pastor had come across it while on a visit to Scotland. Its Scottish origin made it a little holier than other creeds. As far as I know, there is no other church that uses this particular statement. It refers to the church as “the fellowship of the redeemed;” that term resonated with me as I read today’s lesson from Jeremiah.
People of a certain age may remember saving Green Stamps, pasting them into books and taking them to the Redemption Center, where they could be exchanged for toasters, luggage and golf clubs. Redemption centers looked like stores, but they did not use money; the coin of the realm was books, sometimes hundreds of them, filled with stamps that people had acquired by shopping at certain super markets.
In “You Can Call Me Al,” Paul Simon’s last Top 40 hit, Simon sings, “I need a photo opportunity, I want a shot at redemption…” In this, more common use of the term “redemption,” one is able to redeem oneself, perhaps by getting another chance after having failed to reach or goal, or letting down a loved one.
In this joy-filled passage in Jeremiah, it is clear that God alone can ransom and redeem the people, bringing them back from slavery. Even the feeble, blind and pregnant will be able to walk the Road to Redemption.
* * *
Psalm 147:12-20
Today’s psalm is reminiscent of Psalm 19. The latter psalm describes the wonders one sees in the sky as signs of God’s glory, the Lord’s power to create. The portion of the psalm for today describes the reasons to praise God, strength and protection, peace, food to eat. The psalm describes the Lord as the source of weather. For those of us in the Midwest by January 5th we may have stopped praising God for “giving snow like wool” and “frost like ashes.” We may very well be more than ready for God to “send out his word, and melt them.”
Note that it’s not warm weather than melts the snow, but the word of the Lord. As the psalm ends, the psalmist recognizes that the warm wind that melts the snow and ice and makes the rivers flow, is the one who gives the Law, the Torah, statutes and ordinances. It is the Law more than anything else that sets Israel apart from other nations.
* * *
Ephesians 1:1-14
There are strong echoes of this morning’s lesson from Jeremiah in the passage from Ephesians. In the fullness of time, it is God’s intention—and has been since before Creation—“to gather up all things…in heaven and on earth.” This redemption encompasses more than just the people on earth, but the whole earth!
* * *
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
Handle this reading with care!
If you missed that John’s opening echoes Genesis’ first words, you were napping.
Presbyterians make a big deal about the difference between “the word” and “the Word.” It’s subtle; both terms are pronounced the same. The former refers to something that is written, specifically the Bible. The latter refers to Jesus Christ. When we read “the Word” we understand that we’re talking about “the Word made flesh.” That is an extraordinary claim. Christians do not say that Jesus appeared to be human, we say He was fully human, flesh and blood.
In vv.10-13 you’ll get a glimpse of the in-fighting among the Jews in the first century. Some believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, others did not. John’s gospel is filled with invective against those Jews who did not follow Jesus. The seed of antisemitism is replanted every time someone reads John’s gospel without an understanding of the division in the Jewish community in the generation following the resurrection. John’s referring to “the Jews” in no way applies to the current followers of Judaism.
vv. 10-14 are a creed. And there are echoes of another conflict internal to the nascent Church between the followers of John the Baptizer and Jesus.
* * * * * *
Epiphany
Isaiah 60:1-6
Light and warmth?
The contrast between light and darkness is evident from the start of this morning’s lesson from Isaiah. People and wealth will stream to Jerusalem. Jerusalem will not only be the center of religious life, but also an important commercial and economic center. Being covered with camels from Sheba was a sign of wealth and abundance. Gold and frankincense are among the cargo coming from the south, a strong tie to the gospel lesson of the magi’s visit.
I had a life-changing experience about ten years ago that made me see light and darkness in a new, well, light. I was leading a woman who was blind from birth to a class that we were taking together at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. As we walked across campus I started describing the weather to her. The sky was bright blue with some large, fluffy white clouds. I asked how she experienced a sunny day. She said she could feel the warmth of the sun and knew when a cloud blocked the sunlight, but having never had vision words like “blue” and “white” really didn’t convey anything.
We arrived to class a few minutes late. We found all 40 students sitting on the floor in a large circle. There was a candle burning in the center of the circle. We came in after a guided meditation had started. The students were asked to look at the flame while poetic readings and passages of scripture were read. The theme of the readings was the contrast between light and darkness. I had just spent 15 minutes with someone for whom “light” and “darkness” held no meaning. I wondered how my classmate was experiencing this class session. Focusing on the candle meant nothing. The contrast between light and darkness was the same as the contrast between blue and white to my new friend.
I began to substitute “warmth” for “light” and “cold” for “darkness” for this exercise. I had never imagining using what is in effect the sense of touch to interpret scripture. I had not exactly walked in her shoes, but walking beside her and listening made me encounter familiar words with a completely new point of view. The best metaphor I have for this experience was it was “eye-opening.” To this day when I give a prayer for illumination I use words that reach those who cannot see as I pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us to a proper understanding of the words.
* * *
Matthew 2:1-12
My annual rant
If you’re singing Epiphany hymns this season, beware. They share an assumption that is not present in scripture—nowhere does it say there were three magi. They brought three gifts and a preacher can unpack the significance of those gifts as a way to present the story of Christ in toto at Epiphany. Legend has even assigned names to the magi; these names appear nowhere in the text. Nativity scenes routinely show three magi, dressed in royal robes, usually one of them is African, next to the shepherds. It makes a lovely scene, the wealthy kneeling next to the workers, but there is no conceivable way the shepherds and magi would have been there at the same time.
Luke says the shepherds left their flocks in haste and went to Bethlehem. When they found that what the angel had told them was correct, they walked off the stage, praising God.
The magi saw a star when they were in the East. They followed the star to Jerusalem where they asked Herod about the new king. Herod and all of Jerusalem were afraid. He consulted the chief priests and scribes who told him the king would be born in Bethlehem, based on a passage in the book of the prophet Micah. Herod told the magi to go to Jerusalem. They left for Jerusalem, and what luck!! The star they had seen in the East led them to the place where Mary and Jesus were. They paid him homage, so the nativity scenes where we see the magi kneeling got that part right. Then they left. Like the shepherds, they do not appear again in the story.
For a more complete rant about details we routinely confuse in the birth stories in the gospel, check out “The First Nowell”(sic) a column I wrote for The Cresset in 2010, which highlights a few of the errors in the hymn of that name, as it appears in the Presbyterian hymnal. http://thecresset.org/2010/Advent/Willadsen_A10.html
And another thing about Matthew: Stay away from frankincense! Once a parishioner gave me some actual frankincense and a little thing to burn it in. I did a test fire in the sanctuary on Thursday, and aside from a peculiar smell it was uneventful. When I did the same thing on Sunday it emitted thick, black smoke and an odor that was literally toxic. One worshiper ran from the sanctuary at the first whiff and still came down with a migraine. I removed the incense after about ten seconds and I didn’t just take it out of the sanctuary, I took it outside. I imagined a pigeon flying through the cloud of smoke and dropping dead in the parking lot. It was noxious. Describe the significance to the Jews in first century Jerusalem. Describe, but do not demonstrate.
* * *
Psalm 72
This is clearly a coronation song. It prays that the new king will rule the entire world and uses geographically distant points to show the extent of the king’s realm. It’s almost a foreshadowing of “In Christ There Is No East or West.”
The reader may recognize Tarshish as the place that Jonah wanted to flee to when God called him to go to Nineveh. Nineveh is about where Bagdad is today. Scholars believe Tarshish was at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps the psalmist used “Tarshish” the way we use “Timbuktu.”
“Gold from Sheba” is an obvious tie in to the gospel reading.
* * *
Ephesians 3:1-12
Mystery
Paul uses a word repeatedly that Protestants are generally uncomfortable with: mystery. But at this point, it isn’t much of a mystery because Paul knew the mystery through direct revelation and he’s sharing the mystery with everyone and it will be handed down to generations that follow. He’s explicit that Gentiles are included in the mystery. The rich variety in Creation reflects the passionate love God has for all things—that’s the mystery that isn’t so mysterious at all if one simply looks around at the beauty of the natural world.
In the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship the marriage rite begins with a fairly lengthy Statement of the Gift of Marriage. Most paragraphs begin “God gave us marriage…” one of them identifies marriage as “a holy mystery.” When presiding at weddings I love to point that phrase out. Mostly because Presbyterians by nature jump into action by forming committee when we encounter a mystery. The mildew that kept creeping up the west wall in the basement fellowship hall was the most vexing mystery my church faced in the 20 years I served there. Marriage, however, is a different kind of mystery; one that it’s best to step back from and appreciate. Don’t try to figure out the mystery of the love you find in the person you’re marrying, I counsel. Just appreciate it. Recognize the hand of God in bringing you together and thank God for the most personal, intimate mystery a person can know.
* * * * * *
From team member Ron LoveJohn 1:17
The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
In December 2019, Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church, voted to leave its afflation with the United Methodist Church, and partnership with the Free Methodist Church. For several years the controversy surrounding the religious issues dealing with the status of homosexuals in the congregation. has severely damaged the denomination. A number of individuals have become outspoken activists, promoting varying positions on this dispute. This has consumed a considerable amount of time, energy and money of the UMC. One result of this theological upheaval is that pastors are performing homosexual marriages, in violation of church doctrine. Because of this, a number of pastors are being put on trial for performing homosexual marriages. This trend has become unstoppable movement.
A rule that will go into effect in January 2020 states that clergy who officiate at same-sex weddings will receive a minimum one-year unpaid suspension, and a second offense would result in their removal from the clergy. At the next General Conference, to be held in Minneapolis in May, the delegates will debate whether the Book of Discipline, the book that outlines the doctrines of the denomination, if the language calling homosexuality as “incompatible with Christian teaching” will be removed. But the real issue before the assembly will be, after years of discussions, debates, and special study committees, will the delegates finally vote to divide the UMC in two bodies. One body will affirm LGBTQ, and the other body will continue with the present doctrinal statement that homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
Grace Fellowship has voted to leave the UMC because the congregation can no longer focus on ministry and missions in a dysfunctional denomination. Jim Legett, the founding pastor of Grace Fellowship, said the congregation wanted to “remove ourselves from the dysfunctional fighting going on in the United Methodist Church so that we can fully devote our energies to fulfilling the mission and vision that God has given to us.” Leggett said this realization finally came upon the congregational leaders when, “At one point, we looked up and noticed that we were spending easily 30 percent of our leadership meeting time discussing the issues of the UMC, and we realized that this was not good stewardship of our time and resources for the Kingdom of God.”
Grace Fellowship is not the first church to leave the United Methodist Church, as they became disillusioned and tired of being swallowed up in this controversy.
* * *
John 1:8
At the age of 87, Dalton Baldwin died on December 12, 2019. His name is unrecognizable to most of us, but his name is recognized by some of the greatest soloist across the United States and Europe. For six decades, playing the piano, Baldwin was an accompanist. An accompanist provides the rhythmic or the harmonic support for the melody of a song or instrumental piece. Both in popular music and traditional music, the accompanist provides the beat for the music and outlines the chord progression of the song or instrumental piece.
Baldwin enjoyed most being an accompanist for singers. He once said, “I worship the human voice. There’s nothing like singing; it’s a romance when you share the music and the poem. The voice is God’s instrument.” Yet, when Baldwin would be complimented as being the most prominent accompanist in his field, far superior to any other accompanist, he would always reply that he preferred to be simply called a “pianist.” Baldwin knew he was good, but humility took precedence over accolades.
* * *
Wisdom of Solomon 10:15
A holy people and blameless race wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors
In the 1970s the cost of groceries was soaring upwards. Grocery stores are labor-intensive. It means stocking the shelves, placing price tags on all the items, and the time it takes to use a cash register to enter every item that is being purchased. George Lauer, a name I am sure none of you recognize, was concerned about the rising cost of groceries. As an electrical engineer for IBM, working at North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, he set out to find a solution. He eventually developed what is known as the Universal Product Code.
We know it better as the tag or label on a product that has a black bar that configured in black lines with a 12-digit number printed below it. The bar code allows the cashier to simply scan the item being purchased, instead of typing the cost into a cash register. The bar code is faster. It allows for fewer errors. And it allowed the merchant to keep a more accurate inventory. On the 25th anniversary of his invention Laurer said, “When I watch these clerks zipping the stuff across the scanners and I keep thinking to myself…It can’t work that well.” We may ask who is George Laurer? And who would know. But we have been forever blest by this unknown man and his gift to the public.
* * *
Wisdom of Solomon 20:21
for wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute, and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.
Jane Goodall is best known to the world as the foremost expert on chimpanzees. She began her study of chimpanzees in 1960, when she was 23-years-old. She spent the next 55-years studying wild chimpanzee’s social and family interactions. At the age of 78 she retired from her work as a primatologist and an anthropologist.
Her new venture in life has become being an activist for climate change. Her mother taught her that the best way to change the minds of individuals is to tell stories. Goodall now travels across the globe telling stories of what she has seen of the destruction of climate change. She maintains that the only way to stop this devastation is for everyone to get involved. Goodall said in the interview, “My job now is to try and help people understand every one of us makes a difference. And cumulatively, wise choices in how we act each day can begin to change the world.”
To make her point clearer, she enjoys telling this story: “I mean, there was a little boy in Burundi. He was 7 – little African boy. And I talked at his school. He came up to me afterwards, and he said, ‘If I pick up a piece of litter every day, I’ll make a difference, won’t I?’ I said, ‘Yes. You’ll make a huge difference.’ And I said, ‘Well, suppose you persuade 10 of your friends to do the same?’ He said, ‘Wow. That would really make a difference.’ And I said, ‘Then each of your 10 friends could choose 10 friends.’ He said, ‘Hoo. We’d change everything.’”
Goodall has a new goal. A serious goal. A goal that motivates her. That goal is to convince people and nations that climate change is real and appropriate steps must be taken to stop it. Of her new role as an activist Goodall said, “I’m traveling around the world now, no longer studying chimpanzees, and trying to tell people what’s happening in the world, the mess that we’ve made and the fact that unless we all get together to help the environment we all share, then it may be too late. The window of time is closing. And it’s not enough just to wave placards and say, ‘Climate change!’ The point is to take actual action. To do your bit.”
* * *
Wisdom of Solomon 20:21
for wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute, and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.
Lauren Daigle is a Christian singer who has most every award possible for her inspiring songs. A part of her evangelical mission is preforming concerts at state penitentiaries. In December 2019 she performed at the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana. Angola is the largest maximum-security facility in the United States. Between songs Daigle offered encouraging words to the inmates. It was her desire to help them find a new direction in life. She hoped her songs and her performance would lead some of the inmates to Christ. For those who would not accept Jesus as their savior, she hoped her songs would offer comfort.
Between one song Daigle said, “He doesn’t point a finger, He doesn’t give you shame, He sits with you. I think that’s why He’s called the Savior of the world.” To date her most popular album, which was released in September 2018, is Look Up Child. During her performance of songs from that album, she paused and said to the inmates, “The one thing that you can always do is look up. You can look up and see the sky. You can look up and see the kindness of God, and His extravagant love for each one of you.”
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: Give us your justice, O God.
People: Give us your righteousness to every generation.
Leader: May we be judged with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
People: May the mountains yield prosperity for the people.
Leader: May the needy be delivered when they call.
People: Have pity on the weak and the needy.
OR
Leader: God comes to us in the depths of our winters.
People: Praise be to our comforting God.
Leader: God comes to us in the midst of our journeys.
People: Thanks be to our guiding Star.
Leader: Whenever we are in need, God is near.
People: We will trust in our God comforts and guides us.
Hymns and Songs:
If you have someone who can perform it then James Taylor’s “Home By Another Way” is a wonderful piece to include in the service.
We Three Kings
UMH: 254
H82: 128
PH: 66
AAHH: 218
NNBH: 97
CH: 172
W&P: 233
STLT: 259
Go, Tell It on the Mountain
UMH: 251
H82: 99
PH: 29
AAHH: 202
NNBH: 92
NCH: 154
CH: 167
LBW: 70
ELW: 290
W&P: 218
AMEC: 122
STLT: 239
‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime
UMH: 244
H82: 114
PH: 61
NCH: 151
CH: 166
LBW: 72
W&P: 213
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
UMH: 247
PH: 69
NCH: 158
CH: 105
LBW: 76
ELW: 308
W&P: 230
How Firm a Foundation
UMH: 529
H82: 636/637
PH: 361
AAHH: 146
NNBH: 48
NCH: 407
CH: 618
LBW: 507
ELW: 796
W&P: 411
AMEC: 433
Be Still, My Soul
UMH: 534
AAHH: 135
NNBH: 263
NCH: 488
CH: 566
W&P: 451
AMEC: 426
Jesus Loves Me
UMH: 191
PH: 304
AAHH: 335
NNBH: 506
NCH: 327
CH: 113
ELW: 595
W&P: 437
AMEC: 549
Through It All
UMH: 507
NNBH: 402
CH: 555
W&P: 452
The Steadfast Love of the Lord
CCB: 28
Renew: 23
Our God Reigns
CCB: 33
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: 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 is present in all the journeys and winters of our lives:
Grant us the faith to trust you to see us through to a good end;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise and adore you, O God, because you are the one who is with us throughout our lives. On the difficult journey and through the harshest winter, you are here. Give us faith to trust that you will always see us through to the good ending you have in mind for us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our lack of faith in God’s sufficient presence.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have placed our trust in many things that are passing away and have failed to place it in you. We trust our GPS units and our thermal outerwear to see us through the journeys and winters of life but we are woefully unprotected from the real hazards of life. A lack of meaning or direction in our lives is something that lurks nearby but we are unprepared because we do not know you. We are so focused on our material beings that we have lost sight of our spirit. Hear us as we cry out to you and return to you. Heal us and help us stand in your strength. Amen.
Leader: God is always present and always our loving parent. God does not forsake us to our own foolishness. Receive God’s grace and share it with others in the name of the Christ.
Prayers of the People
Blessed are you, O God, our constant help and companion. You are our North Star and our warming fire.
(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. We have placed our trust in many things that are passing away and have failed to place it in you. We trust our GPS units and our thermal outerwear to see us through the journeys and winters of life but we are woefully unprotected from the real hazards of life. A lack of meaning or direction in our lives is something that lurks nearby but we are unprepared because we do not know you. We are so focused on our material beings that we have lost sight of our spirit. Hear us as we cry out to you and return to you. Heal us and help us stand in your strength.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you come to us to guide us and protect us. We thank you for those you send to guide us in our journeys or to provide shelter to us in the storm.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who feel lost in the travels through this life. We pray for those who feel the sting of the winter in their souls.
(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 Our Father 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
Many people travel during the holidays. Ask the children if they traveled or if anyone traveled to come see them and their family. Travel can be fun but sometimes things make it difficult to complete our journey. Weather, road conditions, flight delays or just getting lost. The Magi had a long, difficult journey they were on to see Jesus and now they had a problem. They couldn’t go home the way they had come. They had to find a new way home. It was scary but they trusted in God and set our on their journey. Sometimes we think we have to change plans and it can be scary but God is always with us and will help us.
CHILDREN'S SERMONThree Kings Day Celebration!
by Chris Keating
Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12
Scholars will contest the names, number and arrival times of the Magi, even as purists may argue that the day should only be celebrated on its proper date and not a day early. The problem is that Epiphany is almost always kept under wraps in the church, hidden away with the Christmas decorations and only vaguely mentioned by the singing of “We Three Kings.”
But Americans may be in the minority when it comes to soft-pedalling Epiphany. Orthodox Christians celebrate Jesus’ baptism with services of light and blessings of water. In other parts of the world, Christians take to the streets with parades and performances. In Latin America and Spain, families exchange gifts, with children leaving empty shoes by their doors in hopes of receiving presents from the Three Kings. It’s also common for families to leave gifts of salt or grass for the magi’s camels. Many Latino families will eat “Rosca del rey,” (a Mexican pastry), while others will eat the familiar Kings Cake associated with Mardi Gras.
So why not have an Epiphany celebration?
An adventuresome time with children might begin by welcoming mysteriously-robed magi to worship. With their presents for Jesus, the magi could retell the story of Matthew 2:1-12. Since Matthew does not indicate whether there were three or a dozen magi, do not feel limited to the traditional “three kings,” but include others who could help the children understand the theological significance of the starlight of Jesus’ birth star shining across the world.
Share some of the ways children in Latin American countries will celebrate Three Kings Day. “El Dia de los Reyes” is the most important day of the Christmas season in Puerto Rico, for example. It is on that day that children receive their presents. These traditions are long held and make for an exciting day on Epiphany morning. Perhaps the children can help serve slices of King Cake following worship.
Another option would be to help the children understand the meaning of the gifts offered by the magi. Christmas is nearly exclusively focused on getting gifts; what can children bring to share with others in the community or in the world? Epiphany is an excellent opportunity to highlight the gifts the congregation shares with its community.
There are numerous legends and tales associated with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Biblical scholar Warren Carter offers a concise and understandable rationale behind the mysterious gifts: the magi gave Jesus what they had. (Carter, Matthew and the Margins, p.82) What’s important to note is that the magi were not from Israel. The Gentiles are the very first to worship Jesus, a reminder that God’s love is shared with all people.
Finally, the story might inspire us to all become wise persons! Pass around paper crowns or gold beads. Lead a triumphant parade as the congregation sings “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” and inspire the children to “Arise, shine” for their light in Jesus Christ has come. Making this gray and somewhat drab January day into a special morning of light and wonder will share the importance of Epiphany — even if it comes a day early.
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The Immediate Word, January 5, 2020 issue.
Copyright 2020 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.
