Beatitudes Baptism

Micah 6:1-8

Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. “O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Baalam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shiitic to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD.”

“With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Psalm 15

LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? Who may abide upon your holy hill? Those who lead a blameless life and do what is right, who speak the truth from their heart; they do not slander with the tongue, they do no evil to their friends; they do not cast discredit upon a neighbor. In their sight the wicked are rejected, but they honor those who fear the LORD. They have sworn upon their health and do not take back their word. They do not give their money in hope of gain, nor do they take bribes against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be overthrown.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom rom God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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Preaching for a Baptism feels a bit like being one of those fairies at the birth of princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. Here is the story to bless your life and faith journey that begins today, young Brady. Of course, it’s not like a horoscope or fortune-telling, and it’s not magic, but in some ways it can feel that way. There will be days when today’s reading of the Beatitudes will come up in Brady’s life as instructive, or as a blessing for his own choices, grounding for his values. Will he choose to embrace or reject them? That is something only time will tell. One thing is for sure, Brady is being baptized into a world that needs these blessings of Jesus, this reminder of Paul from his letter to the Corinthians. Let’s hear them again:

“Consider your own call, kindred: Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are…” Pretty powerful stuff. And Paul knew of which he spoke: his is one of the most influential voices in the formation of Christianity, and he wrote from places of persecution, on the run, incarcerated. Of course, he was still a man in a man’s world, so he had some social advantages, to be sure, and the baggage of his day elevated him above women and slaves in a way human rights advocates today would outright reject. Knowing his power, though, was part and parcel in how he was able to use that power for as much good as his imagination would allow. 

Now, I’m not thinking we are here to send Brady off to a life where we hope he will end up in prison like Paul, but we certainly are here to remind Brady, and one another, of our positions of power in this world, even when the world might seem otherwise to deny that power. I don’t mean  only race and class and citizenship and gender privilege. I mean the power of knowing yourself, the power of recognizing your character, of accepting your wholeness and owning the compassion to likewise accept others in their wholeness.

Because here’s the thing: too many Christian preachers are telling us that we know God is on our side when we win the lottery or can afford a second car or just narrowly miss some disaster or tragedy. Which of course means that God is against anyone who can’t make ends meet, that the poor somehow deserve to be poor because God would make them rich if they were righteous enough. I would say those preachers are missing the point of the Beatitudes and probably have chosen to ignore Paul’s letter to the Corinthians which was read today. Then again, we all tend to pick and choose which Bible passages support ideas and values we already hold, don’t we? So it’s not so much that we’re promising today to teach Brady to read the Bible in the ‘right’ way, or come to be the ‘right’ kind of Christian, as it is that we’re promising today to remind Brady and his family day after day that they are loved no matter what, that they belong no matter what, and that God will never reject them. Which is also something that can be argued both ways, depending on which scriptures we decide have the most importance.

As Lutheran Christians, we hold that the love of God shown in the cross of Christ is our defining value. That God would rather die beside us than live separated from us, that’s the promise we cling to, the central story that informs how we read and interpret the rest. We do not baptize Brady today to save him from the fear and fires of hell, or to simply check the box of what ‘good traditional family values’ require - no. We gather to witness this washing, to support these promises and affirm this commitment to love, as a reminder to us all that we are born good enough. God requires nothing of Brady, neither understanding nor assent nor even potty training, to love this child. God requires none of these things from us to love us, either.

I think the Beatitudes are a beautiful reminder to us of how far-reaching is the love of God, how deeply embedded in the grit and struggle of daily living is the compassion and acceptance of divinity. Jesus does not tell his disciples to pity the poor or the grieving, he tells them that they are blessed. Jesus does not tell his disciples to save the meek and the merciful, he tells them that they are blessed. Protect the pure in heart? Sure, but don’t underestimate their power. And the peacemakers - not peacekeepers, peacemakers - reflect the divine so much they will be called God’s own children. Especially in a day and age when so many are chomping at the bit for the rush of adrenaline and glory that come from war, the peacemakers are the ones who reflect God’s nature to us.

So, Brady, consider your own call. You may not seem powerful, but your very existence has already changed the world. There are people now whose entire lives revolve around caring for you and preparing you to set out into the world independently. You are becoming your own person, and our freedom is wrapped up in your freedom, your thriving is planted now in our thriving, whatever that might look like in the years to come. But know this: whatever your circumstance, whatever your choices, you are to be celebrated, never pitied, you are to celebrate others, not pity them, because you are human like the rest of us, human like God became human in Jesus, human like the blessed ones, blessed like the human ones. May you dwell deeply in that blessing, root firmly in the compassion of a God who forever loves and accepts you, and grow strong in the power of that inherent goodness, as you learn about who you are, and teach us more about who we are, too. We will make many mistakes together, and we will learn over and over again together just how deep that well of compassion and acceptance runs, because we are blessed. And blessed are you.

Grace undivided

Isaiah 9:1-4

There will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time the LORD brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they will rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Psalm 27

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? One thing I ask of the LORD; one thing I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life; to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek God in the temple. For in the day of trouble God will give me shelter, hide me in the hidden places of the sanctuary, and raise me high upon a rock. Even now my head is lifted up above my enemies who surround me. Therefore I will offer sacrifice in the sanctuary, sacrifices of rejoicing; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice, O LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me. My heart speaks your message - “Seek my face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek. Hide not your face from me, turn not away from your servant in anger. Cast me not away - you have been my helper; forsake me not, O God of my salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crisps and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles - the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea - for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

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I have long loved what Paul wrote to the Corinthians precisely for this morning’s reading from that letter: “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” We have many ways historically to look at the difference between perishing and being saved. Preachers and theologians have interpreted those images from many perspectives: from places of academic distance from life and death, and from the places of actually being hunted and killed, and in those in between places where it’s hard to tell which way the wind is blowing. That is the way we interpret scripture over changing times. We look for what speaks to the now, rather than expecting a story will always have the same infallible and simply black and white truth to speak for all time. But where we are in the now varies much between people, too. After something like Friday’s inauguration, Christians are reading Scripture from all sorts of different emotional places. Christians stand in all shades of the emotional spectrum in response to our new president, and the whole rest of the world, which does not claim Christianity in any form, is similarly mixed in its reactions.

But first we look to our own house. How we are divided, church. Look around at the world and it is not difficult to see the ways in which Christ’s church is publicly splintered in so many ways. Some point to the beauty of this diversity, as each denomination or smaller community can be seen to represent a part of the greater body, while some struggle mightily with the realities of ongoing persecution from branches which claim the same root to the tree. That every Christian stream has raised extremists for violence or justice, as well as scores of silently lukewarm who simply look the other way, is unsurprising. It’s historically written into the DNA of this institution. Of course, we have all the choice and power in the world to alter our history as we write it. But so often we in the middle remain where we are, carried by the prevailing winds of the system, while those who cannot escape persecution cry out to a God whose people refuse to hear.

The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. An all-powerful deity who willingly and joyfully lays down that power to suffer alongside the outcast, is absolutely ludicrous to those afraid of losing their influence and sense of control. Our fear kills us, over and over again. Our anxiety blinds us to the beautifully good and creatively powerful both within and around us. Our living is best served in the great mix of diverse ecosystems where we were planted, yet we try so hard to remain ‘pure' that we kill each other and ourselves in the process of trying to save ourselves. We are dying in so many ways that the very idea of an all-powerful love giving itself to and for us without reservation seems completely inconceivable.

Church, we have a problem. A history of problems. And we are so very divided against one another that we have not been able to come together against the very death that drives us toward more death. So we have this message of the cross to guide us. The life granted by a love strong enough to be unafraid of death, that is the salvation in which we live.

Paul reminds us of this unifying love in the letter he writes to the church in Corinth. It’s not a competition of who has the better human leader, who learned from the most prestigious school, who has which credentials backing them up to make them the ‘better’ spiritual leader. Everyone has something to learn and something to teach. Even fishermen.

In the Gospel this morning, Jesus calls fishermen to be his disciples. And in case we’ve gotten used to the idea, fishermen were not exactly high achievers in the eyes of society. Of course, in reality, we know labor-intensive work is really hard, takes a lot of stamina, and if they were running the family business it takes a certain amount of intelligence to organize and plan, to prioritize and prepare for various outcomes. But just as today, labor wasn’t socially valued on the large scale the way more intellectual or political positions were, and so the class divide between fishermen and the educated was stark. Imagine if a published expert on theology asked entry-level fast food workers to stop flipping burgers to be her upper management. I’m not saying it’s alright for us to treat fast food workers as any less than CEOs of large companies, but I know we already have these patterns of behavior, and it seems to fit the illustration.

What this points to is that our credentials aren’t our defining character traits. Our character isn’t proven by the amount of money we make in a year or which guru we attach ourselves to. It’s the way we treat one another, the way we care for each other, the way we protect the marginalized and stand up for the ones who have historically been silenced, the way we lay down our privilege and take up the strength to love. Living by the message of the cross, the power of God for those who are being saved, means we don’t rely on the ‘proof’ of labels to back up our decisions, but on the power of compassion and mercy, the freedom of a life lived without fear of death.

Simon and Andrew weren’t chosen because they had what the rest of the leaders would call the ‘right connections.’ They were, after all, fishermen, because they were deemed not smart enough to continue in their academic studies. And that means everybody who worked with them knew they weren’t smart enough, hadn’t passed the bar, didn’t have what it takes. Do you know how that feels? To be on the receiving end of that sort of assumption? We judge ourselves, and each other, all the time, but we don’t have to. Jesus didn’t tell Simon and Andrew that they needed more training to follow him, he just called them to follow, and they did. They learned as they went, and they were good enough from the start. Just as you are. 

Wherever you find yourself these days, you are part of that light in the darkness. Which means sometimes seeking out the darkness and listening to where light is needed. It means sitting with others who are in darkness to listen to where the rod of the oppressor needs still to be broken. It means we cannot be intimidated by the powers that arrested John the Baptizer, cannot be made fearful by threats of violence or injustice. Living the gospel of the cross of Christ means we already have the power to lift one another up, that we are not afraid, that we do not have to earn goodness or value, or be fearful that others might somehow prove us less good or less valuable. We are already enough. We already have enough. We don’t rely on powers and authorities to give us the rights to live in the freedom we were born to. And neither does anyone else.

God does not make distinction between who deserves grace and who does not. The grace and mercy of God are spilled out from the cross for all that lives, regardless of where we come from or what else we have earned. Wherever you stand today, know that grace and mercy are on your side, just as much as grace and mercy are on the side of those who stand opposite you. So let’s live like it, like the kingdom of God has come near.

Washed and dedicated

Isaiah 42:1-9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faith or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the LORD, you gods, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due god’s name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is upon the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is a powerful voice; the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedar trees; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon; the LORD makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD bursts forth in lightning flashes. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare. And in the temple of the LORD all are crying, “Glory!” The LORD sits enthroned above the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forevermore. O LORD, give strength to your people; give them, O LORD, the blessings of peace.

Acts 10:34-43

Peter began to speak to Cornelius and his household: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ - he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

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Even Jesus isn't above the law. Sure, we’d expect somebody who wrote the laws to be able to bend them a bit, get around them, call in a favor every now and then, but Jesus follows this standard of righteousness by acknowledging he is right there with us in the thick of things and getting baptized alongside folks who wanted to look holy and folks who were pretty convinced nothing they ever did would be holy enough and folks who had been told they were holy and folks who had heard all their lives nothing but how unholy they were. Whoever had come to John for this washing, signifying a new start rooted in turning their lives around, no matter how many times they had tried to change and failed to do so, how many times they repeated the ritual hoping hard it would ‘take’ this time and they could finally be free of their burdens, how many times they had come just for the spectacle, how many times they had gone through the motions because their friends urged them to try it, Jesus went right into that water with them. Once. Since three of the four gospels hold no real insight into his life prior to this event, we can read into this baptism that it was a turning point for Jesus, an end to whatever life path he had been on previously, and a complete and total dedication to the work set before him on the long road to Jerusalem. 

Many, though not all, of us have been to the waters of baptism at some point. Some of us remember that day, some of us were far too young to recall the sights, sounds, and smells, or the feel of the water and chrism oil on our heads, the lighted candle, the promises of parents and sponsors. Our theology proclaims that infant baptism is a sign for the whole community of God’s unending and unconditional love and acceptance of us, even before we have a chance to reject or deny that love. Some who are baptized as infants go on to leave the church and the faith entirely, some come and go, some make of the church a second family, and whatever decisions we make that precede or follow baptism, the fact that we are loved as we are does not waver. Will we fall short of our expectations, or the expectations of others? Will we disappoint or anger somebody from time to time? Will there be conflict? Of course! Baptism is not a ticket to instant comfort, not an award proclaiming we are always right and completely above those who may not be baptized in a way we recognize. God knows we need physical reminders of these intangible promises, so we have the sacrament of Baptism as a sign to point to, with elements as everyday, as basic to human living, as water and stories. We have these elements joined to the promises of God so those reminders surround us each day.

We talked a bit about baptism last week, when we read about Jesus’ naming day, when he was only eight days old. Two thousand years ago, the rites and rituals were very different than they are today. They adapt to culture and context over and over again, so the baptisms we celebrate today look almost nothing like they did when Jesus came to John at the Jordan, at a time when baptisms meant a very distinct choosing of a particular spiritual path. In many traditions today, it still carries the same meaning. And while that is not our theology as Lutherans, it does beg the question: to what are you wanting to devote your life? What direction do you wish your life had taken? I’m not talking about New Year’s resolutions, I’m talking about where your values lie and how closely the pattern of your life so far reflects those values, that vision of the world. God has already unequivocally claimed you and accepted you, there are no depths of failure to which you can fall where God would be so petty as to abandon you, so if there is no failure to be afraid of, what can you turn toward, what can you try, what will you be willing to risk, to live into the life that really is life?

Because, friends, we only have this one life. We have hope of resurrection, yes, but we cannot let that hope in heaven rob us of our life in the here and now. Baptism is not a ticket to salvation so that nothing else we do matters - it is quite the opposite. It is an invitation, and a dedication, to co-creating heaven in the here and now with the God who created us to begin with. Far from nothing we do matters, everything we do can be significant, can be full of holiness, can bring life and light into dead and drowning places. Whether we give or receive this hope hardly matters, because we will have days when we hardly have the energy to hope for ourselves let alone to share any with others, and sometimes being loved is the best we can do. That’s okay, too. That’s better than okay, in fact, that’s what we live for.

Jesus refused to be removed from the world we live in when he submitted to that baptism. He immersed himself in our rules and rituals and expectations and pressures and lived his own life as his own person in spite of it all. Yeah, we killed him for it. We harassed him and threatened him because his life of freely joining us in our struggles threatened our hierarchy of power that separates people into righteous and unrighteous, worthy and worthless. God has watched generation after generation of holy people dismantle and disavow one another for the sake of some self-imposed systems of oppression and power which we didn’t need for survival, we didn’t need for success, we didn’t need for thriving. And God came down in the flesh to walk in those systems and let them throw their worst at him, and love us all through all of it anyway, even though they are the vey systems we build and perpetuate. Every step along his ministry, Jesus is recommitting to us, again and again, dedicating himself to this relationship so that we might finally trust the promise that we are loved no matter where we come from or what’s in our hearts, no matter what we’re hiding or hiding behind.

And the best part? Even if you don’t think God could possibly love you, for whatever reason, or that God couldn't possibly love a certain somebody or type of somebody, for whatever reason, God’s love is bigger, stronger, more mind-boggling and more stubborn than all of our problems, than everything we call ‘sin,’ than every fear or bad habit. That water that washes us in baptism? Jesus is in that water with us. And that water is in us, that water makes this planet livable, that water is everywhere. Almost as much everywhere as God is.

Gardens watered with tears

(Liturgical readings first, sermon to follow. Hymn of the Day is "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming")

Isaiah 63:7-9

I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD, the praiseworthy acts of the LORD, because of all that the LORD has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely”; and he became their savior in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Psalm 148

Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise God in the heights. Praise the LORD, all you angels; sing praise, all you hosts of heaven. Praise the LORD, sound and moon; sing praise, all you shining stars. Praise the LORD, heaven of heavens, and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD, who commanded, and they were created, who made them stand fast forever and ever, giving them a law that shall not pass away. Praise the LORD form the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps; fire and hail, now and fog, tempestuous wind, doing God’s will; mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; wild beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds; sovereigns of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the world; young men and maidens, old and young together. Let them praise the name of the LORD, whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over earth and heaven. The LORD has raised up strength for the people and praise for all faithful servants, the children of Israel, a people who are near the LORD. Hallelujah!

Hebrews 2:10-18

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have oneFather. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.” Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that though death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Matthew 2:12-23

Now after the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” When Herod died, an angel of the LORD suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

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Having only last week gathered in candlelight to sing Silent Night, and the week before that to watch our children share a Christmas pageant with us, this first Sunday of Christmas takes a turn for the terrifying, doesn’t it? Or did you also prefer not to hear that line in the middle of today’s Gospel, where Herod the king was so insecure in his authority, so threatened by a prophecy about a newborn infant, that he lashed out and killed every child two years old and younger? Granted, he had a reputation for brutality toward his own wives and children, so we can’t exactly be surprised. This is what we mean today when we say ‘fragile masculinity.’ A grown man, king, no less, who feels his power is threatened by his wife, his children, a baby, probably shouldn’t have that much power to begin with. I’m sure we would all prefer to ignore that whole infant genocide part, but this is the sort of state-sanctioned terror that makes refugees out of otherwise ordinary folks just trying to live their ordinary lives. And if we don’t talk about it in the text today we will certainly be all the more able to ignore it happening all around us in present day current events.

Did you see the pictures from Aleppo last year? Or hear about the southern border, all those migrants running for their lives having basic human needs cut off when water stops in the desert are dismantled? Or kids here in the States trying to get out of systems of poverty and racism being stopped at every opportunity they might have and redirected into the prison system? Every day, millions of kids, millions of families, are running for their lives, the way Joseph took Mary and her child and ran to Egypt. 

So many families were destroyed and distraught by Herod’s desperate grasp for authority, it hardly seems right to celebrate this one that escaped, but we can celebrate while we grieve, we can hold both terror and joy in tension as we learn to live in this world. It’s not easy, but to cut off one experience for the sake of preserving another, only makes one go stale and the other turn to gangrene that poisons the whole body. Jesus wasn’t born into a black and white world, but one which is all kinds of shades of grey. We don’t live in a strictly joyful or strictly grieving world, either. God didn’t create us to only live with joy and comfort, to avoid conflict, to live without passion or compassion, but gave us free choice, responsibility for our own bodies and for the care of those who have been cast aside. 

The birth of Jesus didn’t make the world into a Hallmark card or a Precious Moments scene, it didn’t clean up the afterbirth and leave bright sparkling white swaddling cloths for the baby. In a way, nothing changed when Jesus was born. But in a way, everything changed when Jesus was born. King Herod knew that power was tenuous, knew his authority was shaky, knew the system was broken, in the same way Pharaoh decided to turn the Israelites into slaves when they outnumbered the Egyptians. When Jesus was born, it was a challenge to that corrupt system, a healthy medicine injected into an infected body, and the sickness fought back tooth and nail.

We know this feeling in ourselves, when we change bad habits for healthier ones, when we struggle to take better care of ourselves in a series of failed new year’s resolutions. Breaking bad habits is hard, even when we know those habits may be killing us, but we fall into the rut of patterns of behavior that we take for granted and have gotten used to. Kind of the ‘better the devil you know than the devil you don’t’ way of thinking. 

But what if we were all refugees, and the kingdom of God welcomed each and every one of us in, without background checks, without paperwork, without proof of our good intentions? What if we could, like Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, escape the murderous self-hate talk that surrounds and invades us, and start over, begin anew, plant in fresh soil, draw upon a clean slate? What if we all were uprooted and re-aligned with mercy and compassion, instead of dragging our heavy feet through death and fear? What if we could drop our guard and be embraced for who we are rather than for what side we choose to be on or what family we come from? What if we could stop running? What if the whole world could stop running from death and live in that tension called life, with the depths of emotions and experiences that will not destroy us after all? If we were loved strongly enough to feel strong enough to see the world as it is, to look at it all head-on and recognize God present in it all as God is present in us as part of it all?

Kindred in Christ, this is the world Jesus was born into. The world we are living in. It is fragile, it is complicated, it is sometimes rather ugly, and it is often very heartbreakingly beautiful. Gardens of roses watered by tears, powers corrupted by fear being overturned by powers rooted in compassion, and every day a fresh start. A fresh start for everyone in God’s own carefully tended garden.