Their Shame to Praise

Scripture Lessons: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 and Luke 3: 7-18 Sermon Title: Their Shame into Praise Preached on December 16, 2018 It’s funny how that reading ends: that John the Baptist, “proclaimed the good news,” for it’s not immediately obvious why this news is good. But that’s until you step back and consider Christmas cards. I love Christmas cards. I bet that you love Christmas cards too, and I hope that you receive a lot of them because they’re so nice to get. One of the things that I love the most about Christmas cards is when the card is a picture, I can see how my friends have changed. Some of the Christmas cards that we get in the mail come from people who, when I first met them, weren’t nearly as respectable as they appear to be now. It’s so good to see them looking good and doing well. The kids grow each year. Dad’s hairline recedes more each year. And Mom’s getting better and better at maintaining that smile while saying, “sit still” to her children through gritted teeth. These cards bring a lot of Christmas cheer, don’t they? But sometimes the pressure to get them out gets to us. Every once in a while, I’ll overhear a conversation where one parent says to another: “I’m thinking that this year we’ll just send out a Happy New Year’s Card.” Some people are serious about Christmas cards. They feel good if they got them out early, they feel guilty if they didn’t get them out at all. We felt ashamed one year, because one year we got our first Christmas card the day after Thanksgiving. These friends of ours – they had it so together that they basically sent out a Happy Thanksgiving Card – and if that doesn’t make you feel bad for not getting your Christmas cards out by Christmas, I don’t know what will. Plus, with that over eager Christmas card came an announcement that mom got a promotion at work. Dad’s been running marathons. Youngest son is three, but has learned to read, and oldest son is five but is going off to medical school in the Spring. I remember one Christmas years ago when my grandfather made a point of reading us one of those Christmas letters that came with the card. You know what I’m talking about? Those are usually really nice to receive, because they give an update of what all has been going on, who’s been to camp and who’s playing the piano, all that stuff. But my grandfather took offense to this one, so he took it off the refrigerator to read it to us. He read the sentence about this family’s extravagant vacation, and he said, “Well, this is so full of braggadocio I don’t want to read another word.” At that time, I wasn’t too sure that “braggadocio” was even a word, but you know what he means. The point of the Christmas letter, just like the point of the Christmas card – it’s just to say, “Merry Christmas” and “let me tell you how we’ve been doing.” If you open your mailbox to find a Christmas card in there you can be certain that you are only receiving one because you are loved, but sometimes, sometimes these things, they inspire a little bit of shame or envy. So, the wife puts down the Christmas letter and says to her husband, “Would you look at that; the Johnson family has been to Paris?” and he knows exactly what she’s trying to say. In the same way the husband puts down the Christmas card from the out of town friends that includes a picture of all of them and says to his wife, “Would you look at Sally. Doesn’t she look great? I wonder if she’s been working out or something?” That sounds like an innocent question, but his wife looks into his eyes and wonders what this picture – meant to say nothing more than “Merry Christmas” has inspired in her husband’s mind. Christmas Cards! It might be that one of the Christmas Cards you received brings with it – not Christmas Cheer, but envy, desire, and longing for what you don’t have. And the truth is - it was already pretty hard to keep up with the Joneses before we found out their 5-year-old was going to medical school. So – you know what John the Baptist reminds us to do this time of year? Quit worrying about what they have and be satisfied with what you have. There he was at the river Jordan, and first he calls the whole crowd a “brood of vipers.” Not many pastors would think it wise to begin the sermon that way, but that’s what John does. Then, the crowds asked him, if that’s who we are, “What then should we do?” To the crowds he said, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” To the tax collectors he said, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed to you.” To the soldiers he said, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with you wages.” John the Baptist cuts right to the chase to say, “Be careful about wanting more – it’s dangerous! It can lead you to do questionable things – and – wanting more can keep you from being satisfied with what you have already.” That’s timely advice, right? You know a man who feels enormous pressure to provide for his family their every want and desire. You know a mother who keeps giving herself away so that there’s nothing left. You know the feeling of showing up to a kid’s school Christmas party with a box of cookies you picked up at Kroger, only to find that by the looks of things every other kid’s mom must be Martha Stewart. Life is such a competition – but you know what John the Baptist came to say? He came to say: “Enough.” Don’t ask Santa for another coat – go in your closest and if you’re lucky enough to have two, then give one away. Don’t work so hard for more money – if you have $1,000 in your bank account than you’re better off than the majority of people in this country already. And stop striving for so much; because what you ought to be doing this Christmas season is sitting back in satisfaction with what you have. “Be satisfied,” he said. It’s like a story I heard once that Dr. Fred Craddock told. Dr. Craddock is one of the truly great preachers. He taught at Candler School of Theology on the campus of Emory University, then went to live up in Ellijay, but he used to like to eat at the Waffle House. He said, “The Waffle House is a good place to go get a BLT. You have to take a shower after, but it’s a good place to get a BLT.” Well, once he was at the Waffle House. Waitress came up and he ordered a cup of coffee. Dr. Craddock asked for cream, and she patted down her apron and said, “I can never find anything in this capricious apron.” “Capricious?” Dr. Craddock repeated. Then she threw out six creamers on the table. He took two and pushed the four back toward the waitress, but she pushed them back towards him, saying, “Better to have and not need than need and not have.” Thinking to himself, “first capricious and now this,” he asked, “Well, are you a waitress or a philosopher?” Then he said, “But best is to take what you need and give the rest away.” There’s always been people who have more. There’s always been people who look younger than we do. There’s always been nicer houses than the ones that we live in. There’s always been families that seem to have it all together. There’s always come a time when what you have to do is stop looking at what they have to see what God has already given. And what has God given? A Son. So, slow down for a minute, and listen to God’s promise from Zephaniah one more time: I will save the lame. I will gather the outcast. I will bring you home. And will change your shame into praise – for the work that we’ve all been doing to ensure that ours is the perfect Christmas has already been done. Thanks be to God. Amen.

A Refiner's Fire

Scripture Lessons: Malachi 3: 1-4 and Luke 1: 68-79 Sermon Title: A Refiner’s Fire Preached on 12/9/18 Last Tuesday your Church Staff was honored to be welcomed into the home of Paul and Janice Philips for the annual Church Staff Christmas Party. This was my second staff party over there, and this one was just as extravagant as the first time I was able to go. They served us hot apple cider and cheese straws as we gathered. Sitting at dining tables we had three sauces to adorn our entre: mango salsa, horseradish, or Jezebel Sauce, and our choice of grilled salmon or smoked prime rib. I chose both. Members of our Administration Council served as waiters. Bill Pardue wore a bow tie, it was outstanding and we all couldn’t help but give thanks for the gift that it is to work at and serve a church where we’re so appreciated. It truly was wonderful, and then Santa showed up. I’m not kidding. He delivered some gifts, financial and otherwise, and he let me in on a little secret – he whispered this to me in reference to Rev. Joe Brice’s behavior at the party: “Maybe Rev. Brice thinks he’s in the clear, but I’m still watching. Bad behavior counts, and anyone could lose their place on the Good List – all the way up to Christmas Eve.” I know that by this point in the month of December, all children have already prepared their lists, and in some way or another, prepared their reputation knowing that the old song has some truth: You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry You’d better not pout; I’m telling you why Cause Santa Clause is coming to town You know the rest – sing it with me if you want to: He’s making a list and checking it twice He’s gonna find out who’s naughty and nice Santa Clause is coming to town This time of year – that’s what kids are worried about. Behavior. They’re thinking about what list they’re going to end up on and who’s coming to town. Adults on the other hand... we’re just worried about guests coming to down. So beds get made. Turkeys defrosted. And Egg nogg nogged. Even if it’s Cousin Eddie’s coming over to do you know what in the storm drain, still there are ways that we adults must prepare for Christmas. But when it comes to children – they prepare a different way. They prepare with a time of spiritual purification, you might call it. Moral redirection. Reputation redemption. This time of year, they are mindful of their behavior knowing that good children will receive gifts and bad children coal. For them, the only imminent guest who matters is Santa Clause and because he’s coming to town his arrival must be prepared for. A child prepares for Christmas by getting her life in order and not her house. That almost sounds like the prophet Malachi. Do you know about the Prophet Malachi? Not many people do. Even Bible scholars don’t know much about the author of this book, little about the historical events that prompted this prophet to write, but what is clear is that Malachi knows that someone is coming to town and knows that with his coming preparation is necessary. But it’s not the kind of preparation that we see on the eve of the arrival of guests or relatives – you don’t prepare for his coming by putting up lights or decking the halls – you prepare for his coming by recognizing that we need purifying in our hearts, minds, and souls – for the one who is coming is “like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.” According to Suzanne Richard, professor of Old Testament at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, a fuller – or one who used fuller’s soap – was the ancient world’s version of a dry cleaner. Clothes soaking in lye were stomped as you might imagine a group of people would stomp on grapes to make wine. The clothes were then spread out on the ground to be bleached by the sun in what was called a fuller’s field, which was always outside the city or town. If the one who is coming is like “fuller’s soap” then don’t imagine one of those “Dove Soap” commercials where the soap is so gentle as not to irritate the skin or the kind of shampoo that makes washing your hair a pleasurable experience – the sales pitch for fuller’s soap would be that it is so abrasive that it will bleach that skin right off. The book of Malachi is about a messenger whose sole purpose is to say, “He is coming. The Lord is coming. So get ready. Be prepared, for he will be like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap to all who are defiled and impure.” The messenger is John the Baptist of course. He’s the one whose birth is celebrated in the song his father Zechariah sang at his birth which made up our Advent Candle Lighting Liturgy and our Second Scripture Lesson. Zechariah sang: “You, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,” but what should we be preparing for? A dinner party? No – a Savior who will purify our souls – and purification is no pleasant experience according to Malachi. And this fuller’s soap is disturbing enough with its imagery of harsh cleaning agents, feet stomping, and being left to dry out in the sun, but have you ever seen a refiner’s fire? I had the opportunity to tour an aluminum recycling plant because my friend, Brandom Gengelbach worked there. A recycling plant is an incredible place, amazing really. You have to put on these safety glasses, a helmet, and a protective coat before you go in. Then the tour begins with a look at the finished product – a great big slab of refined aluminum, called an ingot, but to make an ingot you have to start with used or unrefined aluminum, so the next part of the tour is looking at these big piles of car parts, old computers, bicycles, soft drink cans, and old wire. All of this junk is placed in a furnace and the furnace building is one of the hottest places I’ve ever been. It’s one of those places where it feels like your eye balls are sweating. It’s so hot in there you can almost see the heat, but you can go up in the control room and watch as the junk is melted until the impurities – the paint from the drink can, the plastic casing on the wire - all those impurities are burnt off to create something new and pure. I think of that when I read, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.” It doesn’t sound pleasant, but here’s something interesting. The Bible uses silver and gold and I’ve been telling you about aluminum. Both silver and aluminum are two of the most reflective of all the metals. When aluminum is heated and purified something called a “lighting sheet” is created so that the metal has a mirror like quality. Apparently that’s also true for silver, that when it’s heated the silver smith knows that his metal is pure because he can see his reflection in it. Think about that then. The metal is refined when it reflects the Maker’s image. And we - we were created in God’s image, but easily enough we gathered impurities the way a white sweater gathers stains, the way metal is painted and wrapped and treated. The human condition is one of starting out pure in the Garden of Eden, but because our Creator instilled in us a capacity to choose for ourselves, our decisions, our circumstance, and our world has corrupted and defiled what was once pure. Refining is what we need, and you know it as well as I do. It doesn’t sound like a relaxing process, but when you look out on the world can you really think for a moment that everything is as it should be? Corruption, disease, pollution, and genocide. Oppression, poverty, cancer, and slavery. Greed creeps into our hearts, and so many try to buy their way to happiness that we have to rent units to store all the junk that we went into debt buying. Desire guides our thoughts, keeping us from being satisfied with the gifts that we’ve already been given. Violence walks the streets, as the innocent are killed, and all are inspired to fear and worry. We are confined to our houses and suspicious of our neighbors. We are distracted and stretched. Overworked, yet struggling to make ends meet. Surrounded by people, yet often feeling all alone. We have too much to eat, yet there is an emptiness we can’t fill. All around us is conflict, war, famine, and discord. But the primary focus of this morning’s Scripture Lessons is not a warning to change our ways. It’s not an assessment of who’s to blame nor is the point that we must rush to do something about all that’s wrong in our world. Instead – in these two Scripture Lessons is a promise that the One who is coming will. And he will not tolerate the kind of denial that distracts us from the real issues. He will not accept the half-hearted apology or the lie that masquerades as truth. And “who can endure on the day of his coming?” is one question that Scripture asks, but “will we endure if he doesn’t come” is another. A new day is dawning, and Scripture is clear that getting to that new day is as painful as being washed with fuller’s soap or being refined in the fire, it’s like a mother giving birth to a new child the Apostle Paul said, for indeed, there is moaning before the shouts of joy. There is confession before forgiveness. And purification before redemption. John the Baptist, born of Zechariah the Priest, is the one who was born to tell us to get ready for it, rejoicing in the promise of what’s to come: The dawn from on high will break upon us, To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace. For we have yet to learn the ways of peace. But he is coming, and Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Days Are Surely Coming

Scripture Lessons: Psalm 25: 1-10 and Jeremiah 33: 14-16 Sermon Title: The days are surely coming Preached on December 2, 2018 Neither our first nor our second Scripture Lesson sound particularly Christmassy on first reading, so now that it’s December 2nd let me read you this: ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. That’s a good one, and it accurately describes what I remember feeling all the nights leading up to Christmas morning throughout my childhood. I remember falling asleep thinking about what Santa Clause would leave under the tree, and the anticipation – the hope – just the act of imagining what was to come brought me joy. Is there anything in a lifetime that a person looks forward to as much as they did as a child looking forward to Christmas morning? I hope so. But there are days when you wonder about that. When your Georgia red is replaced with black for mourning last night’s loss to Alabama. Does it seem to you like hope has died? Being hopeful about the future is hard sometimes. I remember days when I couldn’t wait to get older because I felt like you have to be older to have any fun, but that stops. No one has a fake ID so they can get a Senior Citizens Discount early, do they? At some point, rather than looking forward with optimism, we want to turn back time, fearing that the best days are in the past. We push the sugar-plums of Christmas-morning-to-come out of the way to imagine turning back time so that we wake up with a full head of hair again. So, it goes, that as children we rush down the stairs and into the future, only to turn into adults who mourn the passage of days. But one preacher said there’s a reason the windshield is so much bigger than your rearview mirror. It’s because while we must be mindful of what’s behind us, our focus must always be primarily on what’s ahead. And so, the season of Advent comes onto the scene as a reminder to change our perspective. To reframe our reality, by turning our attention towards what’s ahead. This time of year, is all about the future – and what is it that we have to look forward to? If we truly consider what’s ahead than we’ll be filled with more joyful anticipation than a young child who rushes down the stairs on Christmas morning, for during this time of Advent we remember that what is promised us is the fulfillment of hope. The dawn of dreams. The beginning of joy. The rising tide of justice. The reign of love. The end of death. The coming of Christ. And Jesus, whose birth we anticipate during this season of Advent, is symbolized this morning as a “righteous branch to spring up for David.” “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David.” Now – a righteous branch that springs up from a tree stump is a significant symbol. But, its different in powerful ways from so many of the symbols that represent Jesus and his birthday this Christmas season. Think of the Christmas Tree. I love the Christmas tree as much as I love the thanksgiving turkey. In fact – later today we’re planning on doing one of my favorite family rituals of the whole year – going out to pick our family Christmas tree. Perhaps after some negotiation, a little compromise, and a bit of debate, we’ll settled on a tree. And then, after it’s packaged up in plastic mesh, tied to the roof of the car or stuffed in the trunk, a beautiful tree, cut fresh from its roots, will stand prominently in our living room. I’ll bring down the Christmas boxes from the attic and will be in charge of the lights, Sara and the girls will finish it with decorations, some of which have been in the family since Sara and I were little. But as much as I love a Christmas tree, it can’t last forever. In a month or so, I’ll haul it out of the living room. The tree will be so dried out that I’ll leave a trail of pine needles behind me, and at that point, regardless of how much it cost the only thing to do with this symbol of Christmas once it’s dried out is to toss it to the curb, over the fence into the neighbor’s yard, or give it to an old farmer who will use it to fill gullies that the rain has washed out around his farm. When you think about that – the lifespan of a Christmas tree – then really a Christmas tree represents, not the way our faith celebrates Christmas, but the way our culture does. What does our culture suggest we do, but prepare for weeks, maybe months, while for all the hard work those presents get opened in about 30 seconds and then its over. Our culture is all about leading us up to this grand celebration that comes, then goes – and what do we have left on the afternoon of December 25th but a trashcan full of wrapping paper? Our secular culture celebrates Christmas by anticipating – by dreaming of sugar plums - but once it’s over what do we have besides a dried-out tree to be dragged to the curb. So, to truly embody the kind of hope that we should celebrate during Christmas – maybe we need something different. Maybe we need the words of Jeremiah. “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David…” Now Jeremiah tells us about this righteous branch right after Jerusalem was destroyed – right after the Holy City was cut down like a tree by the Babylonian army who invaded in the year 587 BCE. The invasion was so massive, so complete, that the Temple was demolished, the king deposed, and so many of the survivors shipped off to live in exile. According to the prophet, Israel was a tree – a great tree rooted in a place, among a people, nurtured by God – only to be floored by the ax of Babylon. All around him people were looking back to the past while fearing the future for what kind of future is there for a people whose nation has been reduced to rubble like a tree cut down to a stump? It’s like an empty house – that was once full of life but is now emptied of its contents, sold to the highest bidder, because divorce split the family in two. It’s like the cleaned-out desk – all the contents placed in a cardboard box because the economy slowed and brought cutbacks and layoffs and early retirements. It’s like the memories we made with the person we lost, and now the place she’s left in our lives is like a gully washed out by the rain – something’s missing. In the same way Babylon invaded Jerusalem, the siege is said to have lasted for 30 months, and when the armies finally left – what remained? Only a stump. Only a stump was left, a stump and the memory of a tree that they looked back on like old wedding pictures – an account of bygone days – memories of how good things used to be, turned bitter with the fear that now they’re only going to get worse. But as the smoke lifted and the dust settled this great prophet saw a shoot spring forth. Now there’s a symbol of hope. It’s not so unlike the Phoenix who rose from the ashes of Atlanta. While Sherman wanted her destroyed, reduced to dust to be swept away by the wind – the city rose again to become the traffic nightmare that it is today. Joking aside – if you want a symbol of hope – a symbol to represent our Jesus – look not to the tree that’s been cut down but to the stump that was left only to rise again. Because that’s how God works – that what God does when life cuts us down. When everything that was supposed to happen never did, and everything that wasn’t supposed to happen kept on happening until everything we worked for is gone and the life we’ve been building looks like an old worthless stump in the ground. When that’s the case – when that’s what life looks like to you – keep looking at that stump and just wait – for our God is in the business of bringing hope back to the hopeless. That’s Jesus. A new branch growing out from an old stump. A new baby growing inside an unmarried virgin. A hope that grows from nothing at all – but rises to rule the world. This is Christmas. Not the dried out tree drug to the curb. Not the trash can filled with crumpled paper. The righteous branch that springs up for David. And he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” Now, as Christmas approaches, go buy a tree to celebrate, but when it’s all over, once winter is passed and spring comes again, go out to the yard, find that Bradford Pear Tree you cut down last fall and left for dead and look at how death will not have the final word. That’s hope. That’s Christmas. New shoots rising from an old stump. That’s our Lord – persistent life even in the midst of what appears to be death. Thanks be to God. Amen.