Reflection on Matthew 2:13-18 (The Holy Innocents, Martyrs)

The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Matthew 2:13-18

¹³Now 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.” ¹⁴Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, ¹⁵and 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.”

  ¹⁶When 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. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
 ¹⁸“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.”  

 

As people continue to return back to work from their Christmas vacations and return gifts that were not needed from Christmas celebrations, it is easily overlooked.  Even the leadership of the church rests from its planning and celebrations, and easily forgets to look at the date on the calendar.

But, if we were to look at the calendar, we would see that today is a holiday too.  It is not as largely recognized as the church’s Christmas celebration, or even the secular New Year celebration which is fast approaching.  In fact, the holiday is as overlooked as those who are remembered on this day.

I encourage you to not forget that today is the remembrance of The Holy Innocents, Martyrs.  I encourage you to take a moment of prayer and recognition, so that you will not forget.  After-all, God did not forget.

When Herod rallied the forces of government around his lusting desire to hold onto power, it was the children who suffered.  It is always the children who suffer…who are forgotten.  The Bible says that “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,” were killed in Herod’s hunt for the newborn king.  God whisked Jesus away from this slaughter to the safety of Egypt so that his life may be lived to its fullest until the government finally catches up to him and also puts him to death on a cross. 

But, in all of that drama between the powers of heaven and earth, children were lost.  Toddlers learning taking their first steps were cut down.  Infants were ripped from mother’s arms and thrown into the waters to take their last breaths.  It is always the children who suffer…who are forgotten.  But, God did not forget.  The anguish is right in Holy Scripture. The words of terror are burned into the pages.  God never wants us to forget.  We are never to forget the innocent victims from ancient times, and we certainly are not to forget the innocent victims of our times.  That is why we have this holiday in the Christmas season, so that we never forget!

So, today we do not forget the children ripped from parent’s arms.  We do not forget the children who suffer hunger, thirst, and death as they are left, abandoned.  We do not forget the children who are forced into fighting wars, and dying adult deaths with adult weapons in their little arms.  We do not forget the children who are different, and because they are different, they are driven to self-harm.  We do not forget the children.  We do not forget the Holy Innocents.  We do not forget the governments, and cultures, and powers that drive us to forget them, labeling them as “collateral damage.”  We are God’s people, and we do not forget.

Child of God and follower of Jesus Christ, do not do as the world does on this day.  Do not forget the Holy Innocents.  Do not be lulled by the powers that would brush them off as forgotten and unimportant.  Do not be convinced that action need not be taken.  We do not forget, because God does not forget.

Reflection on Luke 2:41-52 (Repost from 12/30/18)

 

It finally happened. It was bound to; nobody is perfect.

So, Mary and Joseph got through the baby years without the savior of the world rolling off of the changing table. They made it through the toddler years without the Son of God falling fatally down the stairs. And, Jesus is apparently healthy and never succumbed to the crippling health effects of the Mac and Cheese diet. Good job Mary and Joseph!

But, all good things come to an end. No one is perfect, and Mary and Joseph finally take a misstep that puts God’s only begotten Son in peril.

It started out good. They took Jesus into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and learn about God’s salvation of the Jews during the Exodus, as any good Jewish parent should.

Now, you have to understand that this celebration in Jerusalem was huge with large crowds filling the streets, but they made it through the congestion of that celebration without a hitch.

It was the assumption that did it.

Is it not always an assumption that causes the problem?

On the highway, I always assume that an oncoming car would use their blinker before turning right in front of me. That is a bad assumption.

I once assumed that my high school cafeteria could not possibly ruin tacos…it’s just meat, a tortilla, and cut up toppings after-all. That also was a bad assumption.

And, Mary and Joseph assume that Jesus would be traveling home from Jerusalem with all the other family walking in their group. Surely, he was still hanging out with his cousins? That turned out to be a bad assumption.

Jesus, in fact, was not with the group. The cousins had no clue where he was. Are they their cousin’s keeper?

Mary and Joseph searched frantically through the group and then began a day long journey back to Jerusalem in search of the 12 year old.

They had finally done it. They had done what they had feared ever since Jesus was born. They had made a mistake raising the God's only begotten Son. They had lost Immanuel, God with us! They had lost the savior of the world. What is the punishment for losing God’s Son anyway?

One thing that is clear though: Mary and Joseph may have lost Jesus, but Jesus was not lost.

Jesus was right where he was supposed to be: in the temple; in his Father’s house. He was with God the Father. Mary and Joseph did not know where Jesus was, but God did. Jesus was not lost; it was Mary and Joseph who had lost sight of Jesus.

So, I continue to wonder: what is the punishment for losing sight of God’s Son? What is the punishment for losing God? What is the punishment for losing faith?

Here is a truth about my faith: my faith is like shifting sand. It gets blown and reshaped by the wind and the sea. I have God, and then I lose grip. I understand God, and then I do not. I trust and then something happens that causes me to walk away.

Do not be too hard of Mary and Joseph; it is rather easy to lose Jesus. For example, the typical Sunday morning dilemma: "Hmmm, go sit in a pew and worship the Lord or stay in my warm bed and watch an entire season of my favorite show on Netflix in one sitting, ice cream spoon in hand?" I think that to most of us the answer here is quite clear.

And, that is just an example from the normality of life. That does not even come close to addressing the real stuff…like the tragic losses and the life altering shifting of world views that wreak havoc on faith. The joy of Christmas comes and goes rather easily, and we lose sight of Jesus.

But, Jesus is not lost. He is right where he is supposed to be. He is one with his Father. It is not Jesus who get lost, but we who get lost and lose sight of Jesus.

But, just as Jesus was safe under the watch of God the Father the entire time, so are we. We may feel lost from God, but God knows right where we are.

When her daughter walked out the door to go to college, she could feel in her bones that this moment was the end of all she had taught her daughter. She just knew that her daughter would come back filled with new, dangerous ideas, and that all the values that she had been taught for 18 years would simply vanish.

The mother was right.

When her daughter called home as Christmas break approached, the words from her mouth echoed foreign values and even revealed a couple slips of the tongue, exposing newly found vulgar language. The mother’s heart was broken. She was convinced that her daughter was lost…from her and from God.

Except, except, when the daughter walked through the door the mother saw standing beside her a student from Guatemala. Her daughter explained that this poor girl had no home to which she could go for the Christmas break. As her daughter made the student comfortable, the mother learned that the girl from Guatemala did not have any money either, except for a handful of bills that she earned washing dishes in the school cafeteria.

Even though her daughter did not know this Guatemalan student extremely well, her daughter paid this student’s way back to her home, so that she might have a family for Christmas.

As the mother pondered this development in her daughter’s story she quickly realized that her daughter may or may not have lost sight of God, but God had obviously not lost her.

And, this student may or may not have felt lost in a new country, but God knew exactly where she was…choosing a family to call her own that Christmas. God had not lost her daughter after-all.

God does not lose us. If God needs, God will put on human flesh, come down from heaven, and stand right in front of us so that we might again take notice. That is the promise of Christmas anyway. We have a God who will go to any lengths that we might know we are not lost.

We may lose sight of Jesus, but Jesus is not lost. Jesus is always right where he should be.

Reflection on Luke 2:1-20

 

It was Christmas Eve and the pews at New York City’s Riverside Church were packed (this is the story as told by Pastor William Sloane Coffin). The Christmas pageant was underway and had come to the point at which the innkeeper was to turn away Mary and Joseph with the resounding line, “There’s no room at the inn!”

The innkeeper was played by Tim, an earnest youth of the congregation who had Down Syndrome. Only one line to remember: “There’s no room at the inn!” He had practiced it again and again with his parents and the pageant director and seemed to have mastered it.

So Tim stood at the altar, bathrobe costume firmly belted over his broad stomach, as Mary and Joseph made their way down the center aisle. They approached him, said their lines as rehearsed, and waited for his reply. Tim’s parents, the pageant director, and the whole congregation almost leaned forward as if willing him to remember his line.

“There’s no room at the inn!” Tim boomed out, just as rehearsed. But then, as Mary and Joseph turned on cue to travel further, Tim suddenly yelled “Wait!” They turned back, startled, and looked at him in surprise.

“You can stay at my house!” he called.

Well, Tim had so effectively preached the Christmas Eve message at Riverside Church that [Pastor] Bill Coffin strode to the pulpit, said “Amen,” and sat down. It was the best sermon he never preached.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/two-christmas-eve-lessons_b_801125?fbclid=IwAR0QMx4pzZjWUucHg-WJ5Wl1IefEAmW0j2A-sAXyF20t_R_W6ZVC6ay0s3A

“You can stay at my house!”  This is the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ.  On my worst days, on the days when I crumple to the ground in grief, looking at my hands in an utter feeling of abandonment, Jesus is able to penetrate my soul with this promise from John 14:2-3, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”  In other words, “You can stay at my house.”

It is the good news of our Lord in which some shepherds, “living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” received a heavenly invitation from an angel of the Lord (Luke 2:8).  These shepherds, whose professional reputation as homeless thieves (Have you ever noticed that the Bible says they were “living” in the fields?) … these dirty men who would not be welcome in anyone’s home are invited into God’s kingdom by a heavenly host of angels who say, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  The shepherds go to see.  They were given the gift of the good news of Jesus Christ, “You can stay at my house.”

It is the good news that we hear when, in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is at home with a room utterly packed with people.  As he teaches, he looks at those sitting around him, and says, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”  In other words, “You can stay at my house.”

It is the good news of God booming from the throne in Revelation 21:3 intended to penetrate the thirsting hearts of all of us in the world who seek something more eternal in our lives, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.”

God, coming to live with us, in the form of the Christ child, who was born in a manger…not an impenetrable palace, but a feeding trough for animals…declares to you tonight, “You can stay at my house.  You are mine.  You are home.”

Home.  It is where so many of us long to be.  Home.  It is where most of us were loved unconditionally.  Home.  It is where most of us were accepted and forgiven, again and again.  Home.  It is where you go when the rest of the world has decided to live in the darkness.  Home.  It is the destination that those who have never had a safe place to be raised yearn for to the depths of their core.  It is simply life saving to hear the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ, who comes to us, who forgives us, and who loves us to the end, and who says, “You can stay at my house.”

We are a Christmas people who have an eternal home.  We are a Christmas people who get to stay at the Lord’s house and behold the gift that is Christ.  And, we are a Christmas people who have a home to share.  We are a Christmas people who say, “You can stay at my house.”

It makes me think of that grandmother, Wanda Dench who accidentally sent to a complete stranger a text inviting her grandson to her Thanksgiving meal.  Jamal Hinton, a teen at the time, was the complete stranger.  After realizing her mistake, she told the teen that he could come anyway.  This year was the sixth year in a row in which Wanda has said to Jamal, “You can stay at my house.”  And, this is the sixth year in a row that Jamal has looked up “Grandma Wanda” in his contacts in order to accept her invitation.

“You can stay at my house.”  It is the good news of this night, O people of God.

Reflection on Luke 1:39-55

 

God knows.  When everyone is staring at you, thinking they know the truth; thinking that they know you when in fact they have no idea who you are or what the truth is, do not fear, God knows.  God knows the truth.

God knows.  When you hide away from it all.  When you hide away from the scorn.  When you hide away in self-preservation, wrapped in a ball trying desperately not to be seen, trying to hide, do not fear, God knows.  God knows the truth.

God knows.  When you walk with your head held straight, clinging to the truth while everyone glares, convinced of a lie.  When you walk clinging to the truth, but all you seem to be holding onto is a mere piece of thread, do not fear, God knows.  God knows the truth.

God knows.  When Mary flees the anticipated scorn of a pregnancy which is apparently adulterous, and when she goes with haste to a town out in the hill country, God knows.  God knows the truth. 

Do you know what you need when you feel alone, locked away from the world by scorn and the inability of the world to accept and love you?  You need God’s Holy Spirit poured into a real, flesh and blood person.  Like a magic elixir poured into a tea kettle, ready to be shared, God pours the Holy Spirit into Elizabeth and the baby within her belly.  And, though the world would look with suspicion on Mary, Elizabeth looks on Mary with joy and eyes filled with blessing.

In a world that would declare Mary and her baby a curse, Elizabeth declares, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?  For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

People filled with the Holy Spirit declare blessings, not curses.  Can I repeat that again?  

People filled with the Holy Spirit declare blessings, not curses.  I repeat that because it seems that so many Christians are convinced that it is their job to hand out curses and unbridled, unloving correction to their neighbors and friends. 

In order to keep the children of her middle school aged Sunday School class in line one teacher once created a vertical list on the white board titled, “Children going to hell.”  That is several steps beyond Santa’s naughty list. 

And though we, the faithful of God, certainly see lots of sin in the world, and feel the very real call to expose all that hides in dark places, and though there is biblical justification for doing such a thing, the people of God so easily forget, or maybe to the point I should say that I so easily forget, that the whole purpose of shining light into dark places is to bring the light of love into a dark world.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.  Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Did you hear that?  Jesus was not sent “into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  People filled with the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ declare blessings, not curses. 

And when a young teen wanders into your door with an unexpected pregnancy, it might just be that God does not want you to condemn what you see in front of you, but rather God wants to use what you see in front of you to save the world. 

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth does what others could not.  Elizabeth blesses the young mother.  She fills her with acceptance.  With words of blessing, she cuts away the shame, and instead sees reason for joy. 

In fact, the child in Elizabeth’s belly too finds reason for joy.  He jumps with joy.  And, guided by that joy, Elizabeth, looks the young mother in the eyes and does what is so important for any of us: she believes Mary’s story and she gives a blessing upon Mary’s life.

People filled with the Holy Spirit declare blessings, not curses.  And it makes a difference.

Do you realize what starts because of this simple blessing given during this critical time in a young mother’s life? 

For starters, it fills Mary with song.  Her soul finally feels free to exude the glory of the Lord.  It allows her to sing her truth, that though she is young and lowly, the Lord has lifted her up.  And, she continues to sing the truths of God, how God brings down the powerful and lifts the lowly, how God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty, and how God shows mercy to God’s people. 

And, I do not know if you have already picked up on this, but these truths that Mary sings about are the very qualities that we see in her own son, Jesus.  Have you ever realized that?  Jesus heals and lifts up the lowly.  “Arise” Jesus shouts to the dead.  Jesus feeds 5000 hungry people, and refuses to show partiality to the rich.  And, on the cross, Jesus shows mercy to the criminal who asks to join Jesus in his kingdom.  Jesus is the embodiment of all these truths that spill out in Mary’s song.  Like mother, like son. 

And, it all started with Elizabeth listening to the Holy Spirit.  It all started with Elizabeth declaring a blessing rather than a curse. 

Now, current child psychology teaches us that positive interactions with children yield so much more fruit than punishments.  But, for those who have a good understanding of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit, this carefully researched truth is no surprise at all. 

For years and years people filled with the Holy Spirit have been declaring blessings rather than curses, and it has made all the difference in the world. 

So, I guess my hope for you this Christmas would be the gift of a blessing.  You are a blessing to me and to the world.  No matter what the world declares, blessed are you.  And, may your fruit, all you do and say, drip of the mercy and goodness of the Lord.  In the days ahead I pray that you too be driven by the Holy Spirit to freely sing a song out into the wind, declaring the goodness of the Lord.  And, that the song might blow to the ears of the world.

Reflection on Luke 3:7-18

“You den of writhing snakes, who told you to come to church?  Who told you to confess your sins?  Who told you to come here and seek forgiveness?” 

The disheveled man, wearing skins that only cover the…um…necessities, interrupts the pastor’s sermon and slowly moves up the aisle of the church, yelling as he goes.

“If you are forgiven,” he continues shouting, “then I better see some proof of it in what you do.  If you are a precious tree planted by God, then I better see that you are handing out some sweet juicy fruit to those around you. 

Stopping by the baptismal font, the man challenges those who are listening…and believe me, when a man shows up at church in December in a loin cloth…all are listening.  

“Don’t start to say to me, ‘Hold on sir, we are baptized, we are saved, we are God’s people.’  Enough!  Hypocrites!  If you presume to be a tree, drinking from these waters of life, then you better show it in what you do! 

God doesn’t need to keep you around.  God keeps you around as God’s people right now as a gift.  But, make no mistake, God can baptize the stones of this church and make them God’s holy people if God so chooses. 

So, hear me clearly,” he shouts as if no one could hear his shouting in the little box of a church, “an ax is ready to swing at your feet.”

And, with that, the man pulls out a full sized ax and raises it high. 

A woman gasps and grabs her child. 

A farmer stares and wonders, “How do you hide an axe in a loin cloth?” 

The pastor thinks, “Man that was effective, I wish I had thought of whipping out an ax.”  The sermon is shot anyway, so the pastor quickly turns away to write a note for himself for future reference (“Bring ax, hide in pulpit”). 

For a moment there is a tense silence in the church.  The man holds the ax high over one shoulder…ready to strike.  The congregation stares awkwardly at him…unmoving.  The mother covers and protects her child.  The usher slowly reaches for his cell phone and dials 911.  The Boy Scout ponders on how a well tied knot might help in this situation.  The husband that was dragged along to church wonders what the score of the game is.  

But the most sensible person in the place, the ones who was actually listening to what the man was saying and taking it seriously because he had not yet learned to ignore whatever is said in church, the 13 year old teen, says, “Are you just going to stand there holding an ax in a threatening manner, or are you going to tell us what we need to do?  What should we do?”

The congregation stares at the teen, and then stares at the disheveled, half clothed man who smiles and slowly lowers his ax.  “Your fruits are ripe,” he says, continuing to smile at the boy.  “Do you have more than one coat in your closet at home?” 

“If you needed a coat sir, all you would have had to do was ask,” the teen replied.

“Shut up!” the man shouts.  “Answer the question!  Do you have more than one coat?”

“Yes, of course” the teen replied.

“Good, then take your extra one to school, give it to the front desk and tell them to give it to someone who needs one this winter.”

“Really, that’s it?  That warranted an ax?” the teen asked.

“The extra coat is still in your closet is it not?  It’s serving no purpose right now is it not?  It could be keeping someone warm, could it not?  You hadn’t thought to do it before this very moment, correct?”

“Correct sir.”

“Then I guess you needed an ax,” the man replied.

Seeing how the teenager did not die when talking to the man, the local grocery store owner decides to stand up and give it a go. 

“Tell me then, what must I do?”

“Don’t charge more than what you and your employees need to live.  You shouldn’t be getting rich by selling people what they need to survive.”

“Can’t I just give away a coat like the boy?” the man asks quietly.

The disheveled man raises the ax, and yells at the top of his lungs, “Do both!”

“Ok, Ok, Ok, I got it, don’t get rich off of the poor,” the man said stepping back. 

It is true; sometimes it takes an ax before people will even consider acting reasonably toward their neighbors.  Why should that be the case?

It is at that moment that the police officer at the door asks, “What should I be doing?” 

The usher who had placed the call stares at the police officer thinking, “Let’s look at the situation; room full of people; axe wielding man.  I know exactly what you should be doing!” 

The police officer ignores the usher’s stare.  He has been listening to the strange man of God, and he honestly wants to know. 

“Don’t bribe anyone.  Don’t threaten anyone who doesn’t deserve it.  Don’t hurt someone when it is uncalled for.  Just protect and serve.  Just do your job and do it honestly.  Do your job as if God cares what you are doing.” 

Then the disheveled man with the ax faces the entire crowd and says, “Go about your life, and do your job as if God cares, because God does.  God cares about everyone you run into.  God cares about everyone you deal with.  God cares. 

If any part of your body doesn’t care, then cut it off.  Or, better yet, let Christ burn that part away like a refiner burns away the impurities, or like a farmer burns away the chaff. 

Or better yet, if you are baptized, let the part of you that doesn’t care be drowned.  You are a tree planted by God.  You are a tree fed by the waters of grace from Christ found in this font.  Your fruit is good to eat...it is full of grace.  Let others eat of your good fruit.”

And with that, he lays the ax at the base of the font and walks out of the door.  The pastor gets done scribbling his sermon idea and asks, “What did I miss?”

What did he miss? 

He missed the idea that our life of faith is exactly that: a life.  Faith is not just a set of beliefs, it is a life. 

So, repent, change your minds, turn from your old ways and live a different way.  There are opportunities every single day in which you can decide to refuse to live the way the rest of the world lives. 

The world hordes, the people of God provide. 

The world feels sorry for those who struggle; the people of God join with those who struggle. 

The world shies away from those who are abused and forgotten and say, “I will pray for you,” the people of God pray and then stand right beside those who are abused and forgotten. 

The people of God are a tree that develops juicy, life-bearing fruit, rooted in the deep sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.  

So, prepare to live this day, and tomorrow, and the day after that as if you carry with you the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.  Take a shower in grace, freshen up and prepare for a day of generous giving and love of neighbor.  Make John proud.  

Reflection on Luke 3:1-6

 

                                          

In the waning days of the first year of President Biden, the leader of the free world; when Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, and Mitch McConnell, fought over governmental spending; when Tom Wolf was in a veto spree as Governor of Pennsylvania; when Ed Sheeran and Elton John topped the charts singing their version of “Merry Christmas;” during the administration of the beloved Pope Francis, the word of God came to a man named Bill working quality control at P&G in the middle of nowhere in the endless mountains. 

OK, his name is not actually Bill, but I do know of a man upon whom the Holy Spirit has fallen, who ministers to his coworkers at P&G in a very real way.  I did not have to choose Bill as my example though.  I could have chosen any number of delivery people, hair stylists, auto mechanics, teachers and former teachers, or farmers to include in this modern day version of Luke’s introduction to John the Baptist. 

Why are there so many people who could have fit the bill?  Because, it is absolutely true that when the word of God chooses to come and influence the world, only on occasion does it come to the powerful or rich.  Most often the Spirit comes to the least likely of people.  Look in your Bibles and you will see this to be true.  When we crack open the scriptures and look at John the Baptist, indeed, we see that the word of God came to someone who was ordinary, not extraordinary.

Actually, it does not seem impossible that one of you could be in the same shoes…uhh sandals as John.  The Bible teaches us that when God decided to send God’s word to the world, God chose a homeless guy, walking around in camel skin underwear, out in the wilderness, who spouts off religion whenever you happen to stumble upon him. 

“Repent!  Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”  

Maybe, we would prefer not to identify ourselves with John.  Most guys who act like John end up in a little happy place called the behavioral health unit at the hospital.  None-the-less, this is the person to who God chose to send the word!

This is not the only time.  There are other people that God chooses with whom we may identify more.  As we get deeper into Luke’s gospel we will see that God continually ignores the high and powerful (who may actually have a very real shot at changing the world), and instead God chooses the most unlikely of people.  If we keep reading we would see that God is going to choose a young, unwed, pregnant woman, three shepherds (the scum of the scum), and some local fishermen.  These are not the cream of the crop, yet the word of God comes to them. 

Why?

I am not sure that I know why, I do not really know the mind of God, but I do know that God likes to choose the unlikely to make extraordinary things happen.  Think about that cheater Jacob whose children birth an entire, holy nation, or the tongue tied Moses who ends up freeing an entire people from slavery.  This is nothing new.

And, it is at this point that I wanted to put in a great sermon illustration of someone small making a big difference in the world.  Something like President Abraham Lincoln’s shoe shiner giving him the first line of the Gettysburg Address, or some homeless guy ascending to the presidency, or a simple farmer changing the course of human events…you know, someone small who changes things in a great way. 

And, then I would go about telling you how God uses the insignificant for great things and that you too are called to do great things.  And, it was going to be very inspirational, I assure you.  You would have waltzed out of here and cured world hunger, and destroyed COVID-19…my sermon was going to be that good. 

But, then it dawned on me that such a sermon would not actually be true.  God’s story does not quite work that way. 

You see, it is never a single, little nobody that does great things with the unwavering power of the word of God.  Rather, it is the Lord who does the great things.  And, the Lord chooses to do wonderful things using a whole bunch of nobodies with checkered pasts. 

This is not a sermon about how great you are.  This is a sermon about how great God is.  And, part of that greatness is how God is able and willing to use a bunch of normal people like you and me.

I guess what I mean to say is that God works like a mustard seed.  The seed of this weed, this yellow scourge of all middle-eastern farmers, is tiny, yet it tears open the ground, spreads everywhere and creates great shrubs where birds can live and build their homes. God’s work in the world is like a bunch of weeds spreading very slowly, planting themselves in many hidden places, and offering homes for many creatures, until the farmer notices that it has taken over the entire field. God’s work is like that.

In other words, God uses people like you and me. 

Now, I know that sounded like an insult.  I am very aware that it sounded like I just called you all a bunch of weeds.  But, at least you are God’s weed.  God has chosen you and is likely working through you right now. 

You do not think so?  Is life tough right now?  Is the world just too confusing and you are just trying to scrape by? 

Just remember, God used an unexpected and dangerous pregnancy to save the world.  Dangerous you ask?  Absolutely, Mary could have been stoned to death because she was unwed.  But, God used her and her scandalous looking pregnancy to save the world through Jesus Christ. 

And, God prepared the way for Christ’s salvation using crazy holy men like John and shepherds who most people would not trust father than they could throw them.  Like a weed spreading, God works great things through ordinary people like you and me. 

Why?  Why does the Lord so often choose the lowly?

I have a hunch, and John the Baptist is the one offering that hunch.  The lowly have very little to boast about.  Therefore, there is little to get in the way of God’s story.

Just think about it.  Politicians have their power and political standing to worry about.  There is just so much in the Lord’s way.  Those who are famous have the opinions of millions of people to worry about.  There is just so much in the Lord’s way.

But, John was not great.  In fact, he ran away from an elitist lifestyle with his priestly family to go live in the sticks.  In John’s life, there was little that could have gotten in the way of the Lord.  And, because there was little in the way the Lord, John did not hinder God’s work.  It was not about him.  Rather, John simply pointed to God’s work of grace in Jesus Christ.  Nothing was blocking the way to see that truth.

You too are chosen.  You too are invited by John to be a part of the Lord’s work.  But, before you go, John has a little task of cleanup for you to do.

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

What gets in the way of the Lord in your life? 

What mountains need to be moved? 

What is crooked that needs to be made straight? 

What is rough about you that must be smoothed so that everyone you encounter may be able to see the salvation of God through you? 

God knows you are not perfect.  Neither was anybody else to whom the word of the Lord came.  Maybe you are not great and powerful.  That does not matter to the Lord.  The Lord does not care about such things.  You are chosen to clear the way for everything that the Lord has planned, so that all may see the Lord’s salvation.