Reflection on Luke 2:15-21

 

I am so happy that I get to take one more stab at preaching on this Christmas story, because there has been one aspect that has been constantly poking me in the side, like a mysterious child’s finger, begging me to look down and pay closer attention.  It all has to do with Mary and her “pondering.”  What exactly is this pondering all about?  What depths of understanding has God given to the mother of the Messiah? 

But, before we take a closer look at this pondering, I would just like to point out that it is Mary who God decides to draw into this holy mystery.  The Bible says that Joseph, the head of the household, is right there on the scene.  “So [the shepherds] went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.”  He is there, but he seems to serve the role of set dressing; a nice background image supporting the important things in this spotlight.  Who is in this spotlight?  Mary.  And, anytime that the Bible places a woman in front of our eyes it is our cue to stop and take a closer look. 

You see, women did not get the attention and respect in the ancient world that they do in modern times.  I know it could be much better even today, but back then women were often the set dressing.  They were the ones in the background of the story, making it look nice. 

But, God is not interested in keeping certain people in the background.  God is not interested in keeping anyone pushed down or out of the way.  We have already heard that God “lifts up the lowly” and “throws down rulers from their thrones.”  We are all God’s creation after-all.  God can choose any of us as a servant.  And, God does. 

When God wants to get an ancient person’s attention, God raises up and places right in front of our eyes someone who we may not expect.  We take notice because the young woman, Mary is in the spotlight.

And, this young Mary is “pondering” things.  In the ancient world, it was a man’s job to ponder things.  It was his job to study the revelations of God and debate what the Lord was up to.  It was he who went to the synagogue to discuss and argue about the wisdom of the Lord.  But, Mary is the one doing the “pondering” in her heart here.  And, in case a picture of Mary has jumped into your mind that has her quietly sitting in the hay, holding Jesus close as she peacefully studies her child, it is time to erase that picture.  Take the eraser and allow that sort of passive pondering to be wiped clean so that you can see what the Bible says is really going on.

The word for “ponder” here actually means “putting all the pieces together.”  It is what you do when the Lord has caused a whole bunch of things to happen to you, and you need to sort it all out and figure out what it all means.  Most young couples have more than enough of this sort of thing to put together.  They have the gift of their child.  They have the gift of this new thing called a family. They have the gift of new priorities in life and hard decisions of what and who they need to keep in their lives and what and who they need to let go.  Not to mention, figuring out how to raise this thing called a baby.  There are a lot of pieces to put together for a normal parent.

Mary had all of that to figure out and more!  Mary’s pieces also included having an angel sent to her, a lowly, young woman from nowhere, telling her that she is “favored.”  “Favored,” what does that mean? 

Her pieces included an angelic message which tells her that she will raise the Messiah, the savior of the world, whose kingdom will have no end. Why her?  How do you even raise a Messiah?  

Her pieces include trying to figure out this world that the Lord desires to create where the lowly are lifted and the high are brought down. 

Her pieces include having strangers, lowly shepherds from the fields, coming, telling stories of angelical visitors and heavenly choruses singing songs from heaven.  The Shepherds reiterate to her all of the insights about her child being the Messiah that she has heard before, but it is always good to hear it again and again and again, just to let it sink in.  There is a lot here for Mary to know.

The popular song questions, “Mary did you know?” but we see here that Mary knew.  This disciple of God just had to take the time to put together all the pieces.

That is what disciples do.  Disciples attempt to take what has been handed them by God and put together all the pieces.  We take all that we have been granted to know about God and life, and we try to put together the pieces.  Disciples do not necessarily know all the answers to God and life and what it all means, but disciples do take the time to try to put together all the pieces.  I know that you do.

You come to me and ask, “What is God doing with my child’s life?  You know the goodness of Jesus and see your child struggling and you try to put together all the pieces.  You come to me and ask, “What is this illness all about?”  You know the healing that Jesus holds and you see the illness intruding on life and you try to put together all the pieces.  You come to me and ask, “Why did this happen to me?”  You know that Jesus does not forget you, but you do not understand why and you try to put together all the pieces.

The Bible says that Mary worked to put together all the pieces of these things in her heart.  Remember that in the ancient world, the heart was the mind, and the gut was the center of emotions.  So, this is real, mind bending work that is going on here that Mary held very close as she gnawed on the implications. 

Notice that the story never says that Mary came to any conclusions.

I take comfort in that, actually.  Because, I am not certain that I really ever come to any conclusions as I try to put all the pieces together.  Intriguing insights?  Yes.  Momentary flashes of God’s glory.  Yes.  Impulses of God’s love, Of course.  Visions of the Lord’s hopes and dreams for our world.  Indeed!  But, hard and fast answers and conclusions?  I am sorry.  Like they were for Mary, the answers are elusive.

So, what do you do when you try to put together all the pieces and come up short?  What do you do when you try to understand, and only find more questions?  What do disciples of Jesus Christ do when they have been given glimpses and brief insights, but cannot quite put it all together?  What did Mary do?

Well, the Bible indicates that Mary trusted God.  She trusted in what she did know.  The Bible says that “After eight days had passed,” and when “it was time to circumcise the child;” she took her child as was custom and she made certain that “he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

Faith is not having all the answers.  Faith is not being certain in this life.  Faith is not certainty.

Faith is trusting in the Lord.  Faith is stepping forward into a life of raising a Messiah, even if you have no idea how to raise a Messiah.  Faith is naming the savior of the world, even if you do not know exactly what part you play in shaping a savior.  Faith is trusting that the Lord has chosen the right person, even if you do not feel like the right person.  Faith is trusting that God knows what God is doing, even if you have not quite put it all together.  Faith is stepping toward a fate which leads to the cross, even if you do not understand how a cross can save the world.  Faith is trusting that God is a God of life, and that God is able to overcome all of our struggles and even death itself.  Faith is trying to put together all the pieces, and trusting where the Lord leads.

Maybe, just maybe, you can trust in the name of Jesus which means, “the Lord is salvation.”  Maybe, just maybe we can treasure all this, and it will lead us toward a life of trust in the Lord, and salvation, and eternal peace in Jesus’ name.

Reflection on Luke 2:8-20

 

Luke 2:8-20

8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

 

“Good news of great joy!”  That is what the angels bring this night.  They bring the news that the Messiah, the Lord has come!  They bring the news that heavenly peace is now breaking into our world!  And, they bring all of this news with voices full of song, booming from the heavens and reverberating across the valleys of this earth.  What a great and glorious night!

If reveling in this celebration is where you are this evening; all the more power to you.  I hope that all of the carols and that the story of the Christ child coming for all people is more than enough to keep your spirits high like a reindeer on Christmas Eve. 

But, if today you cannot quite get the Christmas cheer started, like an old snow blower that refuses to operate in this bitter cold, the Bible has a message for you tonight too.  The truth is, the good news of great joy for all people did not descend on a joyful and celebratory world.  The good news of great joy, instead, chose to descend onto some pretty lowly people.

It was to some shepherds in a cold field, guys who did not just work in the field, but actually lived there, homeless guys just trying to scrape by in life, guys looked down upon by everyone else as having an almost worthless job, guys just trying to make it to the warmth of the day, it was upon them that the good news of the Lord chose to descend upon.  It was on these guys, who were in a dark place, upon whom the light of the world had chosen to shine. 

And, I just want to stop right there and stand in that moment, because people who have found themselves in dark places in life are the last people is this world who would expect to have some sort of special divine connection.  In fact, most people who find themselves in dark places kind of assume that they are in those dark places because God has completely forgotten and abandoned them.  I know that in my darkest moments, I have wondered on those sleepless, dark nights of the soul if God had chosen to walk out the door and slam it behind. 

Shepherds would not assume that they are blessed.  There would be no cheer on their lips.  There would be no songs of thankfulness and praise coming from their hearts.  Or, if there were, it would be probably be fake.  Their songs of joy just a façade, so as to cover up the existence of the darkness of their lives.

I am reminded of a seemingly cheerful soul at a Christmas party one year.  She was the one with the ugly Santa sweater where the beard extends down, falling from the front of the sweater.  The one where the Christmas tree behind the Santa on the shirt actually lights up and flashes color from across the room.  She was that person.  With joy on her lips and a smile that did not fail, she would move from person to person, spreading her Christmas cheer to all the guests while also spreading delicious, small bacon wrapped treats.  She was the one who called out to everyone that they needed to smile for the group selfie, a photo that she captured by lifting her phone high into the air.

But, away from the party, off in a secluded room away from the crowd, the cheer of her face broke as she revealed that it was all an act.  Her boyfriend did not come to her party.  He sent a text, telling her that his car broke down and he would not be making it.  He obviously had forgotten that she could clearly see his location on her phone.  He was driving around, just not to be with her. 

Her Christmas cheer was not real, it was a distraction from the truth.  The truth was that she had been brought to a very dark place.  The truth was that Christmas cheer was the furthest thing from her heart.  The truth was that people like her, people who have wound up wandering the dark places of this world, are the very people upon whom the Bible says that the light of the world has shined. 

“In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them…”  These lines of biblical poetry are recited so often that we might not notice just how powerful they are.  As I told you before, the shepherds were “living in the fields.”  It was before these homeless guys that “the angel of the Lord stood.”  And, “the glory of the Lord shone around them.”  In other words, God’s glory enveloped them, totally wrapping them in divinity and grace.  They may have been lowly, but they were not forgotten.  They may have been scorned by the world, but they have not been scorned by God.  Sometimes, when it seems like God is far, far away, God is actually very close, wrapping us in the Lord’s grace and glory.

And, just so that we do not miss that the Lord loves the lowly and cares for those who cannot fathom living in palaces and mansions, the Lord himself, Jesus Christ, chooses his first home to be a manger.  You cannot get lowlier than being born in the smells of a stable.  You cannot get lowlier than having your first crib a feeding trough.  You cannot possibly be more explicit in sharing to whom the good news is for.  It is the same message that Mary, his mother, sang just months before, “[The Lord] has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” 

Joy to the world, for the Lord has come to those who cannot sing words of joy.  The Lord has come to those who are in dark places.  The Lord has come to those who experience this season with tears of grief, or stomachs aching with worry, or hearts that cannot piece themselves together.  Joy to the world, the Lord has come to save a world filled with crosses and death.  Joy to the world, the Lord has come to you, enveloping you in glory and grace.  Joy to the world, the Lord has come to you.

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

The Lord move your heart from darkness to praise this night, and every night.

Reflection on Matthew 1:18-25

 

“Do not be afraid” the angel said to Joseph.  “Do not be afraid…”  We hear these words constantly coming from the mouths of God’s heavenly messengers as they appear spectacularly to frightened mortals.  The appearance of a divine angel in the middle of an ordinary night is quite enough to make anyone jump.  Heck, my cat meowing suddenly from the darkness of a 3am bathroom run is enough to make my blood go cold. 

But actually, the fear the angel talks about is not the fear that comes from a sudden angelic appearance out from the shadows.  Rather, the full line reads, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife...” (Matthew 1:20).  Joseph’s fear in the middle of the night has nothing to do with the angel appearing in a dream, rather it is a more mundane and common fear faced by many couples who are dating; committing your life to someone even though there is uncertainty in the relationship. 

Like many men before him and many after, Joseph questions if Mary is appropriate marriage material.  The fear does not appear to be unfounded.  While they were engaged, but before they lived together, Mary is discovered to be pregnant.  Joseph knows that he is not the father.  He is rightfully fearful that Mary does not share his sense of commitment.  He is afraid that his future with Mary will never be what he had desired. 

You can imagine the broken dreams that litter Joseph’s nights. I am surprised that he is even able to fall asleep in the first place.  I have been kept up through the night for much less.  The short way to say it is that Joseph was afraid to spend his life with someone he feared did not actually want to be with him.  Being the good man that he is though, Joseph decides to part ways with Mary quietly, so as not to embarrass her.

But, after that decision, Joseph is given the opportunity to change his mind.  This will not be the last time that we see minds changed in the gospel of Matthew.  In fact, it is a theme that we see again and again in the Bible.  Even Jesus famously changes his mind when persuaded by a woman to heal her child, even though she is a gentile and not one of the children of Israel.  Jesus was resistant to the healing, even going so far as calling her a dog, but he is persuaded to change his mind and show the woman and her child mercy.

God does that you know.  As often as we are told that God is unmovable and unchangeable, we find that from the very start of creation God changes God’s mind all the time.  In the beginning, God promised that if Adam and Eve ever ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, on that very day, they would certainly die.  But, God’s mind is changed after they eat from the tree.  God does not kill them.  God decides to show mercy. 

We see it again in Exodus when the people of God fashion a golden calf and choose to worship it instead of worshiping the Lord.  The scriptures say that God’s wrath burned hot against the people, so that they might be consumed.  But, Moses pleaded on behalf of the people, reminding the Lord that God shows mercy.  God changes God’s mind and relents from the destruction that was planned.  God decides to show mercy.

Do you see a theme going on here?  God changes God’s mind constantly from anger to mercy; from condemnation to forgiveness. 

Now, let us bring this idea back to Joseph and his dilemma.  The Bible says that Joseph was a righteous man.  That means that Joseph maintained a close relationship with God, and sought to live his life in line with God’s ways, as all of us try to do.  Quietly dismissing Mary, who he thought was unfaithful, would not rub against what he had been taught was in line with God’s ways.  Not only was it religiously permissible to dismiss Mary, but it also would help to relieve the sleepless nights of confusion.  It seemed to be the only right and good thing to do.

But, Joseph would soon be given a divine chance to change his mind.  Remember that angel?  Remember the fear Joseph had in continuing to be connected with Mary?  The angel says, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 

Hopefully, Joseph is convinced.  Hopefully, Joseph changes his mind because there is a lot of good news in this proclamation!  The Bible says that the child to come will be called, “Emmanuel” which means, “God is with us.”  In this child, God has chosen to come and be with us.  God has chosen to come and show us mercy.  God has chosen to come and free us from our sins.  Jesus is to come and live up to his name which means, “the Lord is salvation.”  Jesus means, “the Lord is salvation.”  Salvation is to come through this baby.  Mercy will be shown.  And, all of this can happen if Joseph changes his mind.

This is where it gets real.  I do not know about you, but I like being right.  I pride myself in being deeply knowledgeable about many things.  I like being right and I abhor being wrong.  I know that I am not alone.  One of you, who will remain nameless, has told me about the fights you would have with your siblings, and how even though you realized you were wrong in the middle of a heated debate, the fight would continue anyway because it was no longer about the truth, it was about winning!  It was not about actually being right; it was about everyone thinking that you were right.  Those are two separate things.  Hordes of people will follow false prophets, but the number of people in the movement does not necessarily equal being right. 

The truth is the truth no matter what. 

So often in life, God invites us to change our minds.  God invites us to change our direction.  God invites us to do the very thing that God has so often done throughout history and change our minds and hearts of stone to minds and hearts of mercy.

I know.  This is hard.  Some people do not deserve mercy.  Some people deserve nothing but the condemnation that they have earned.  Some people will simply chew the up the mercy you have shown and spit it out into the mud.  I know.  I know.  Some people will just take that mercy and nail it to a cross to die.  God knows.  God understands completely.  The baby Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, the joy of the world, ends up on a cross.  Showing mercy is hard.  But, it seems to be who God is.

I do not know.  Maybe, God does not so much change God’s mind, but rather chooses to act out of who God truly is at heart; a God of love.  Only divine love will withstand the cross.  Only divine love will show mercy after it has been spit upon.  Only divine love will save the cruel world, not through punishment, but by showing mercy.  It is divine love that comes to us at Christmas.  A divine love that can walk and talk and teach and die and save is what is born at Christmas.  Mercy comes to us at Christmas.

Maybe, the angel does not so much ask Joseph to change his mind, but instead asks him to act out of the mercy that already is the bedrock of his life.  The Bible says he was a “righteous” man who contemplated having compassion and dismissing Mary “quietly” rather than in a show of shameful public persecution.  When faced with the choice of “being right” or “showing mercy” which does Joseph choose?

“When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took [Mary] as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.”  May God’s mercy be your bedrock today and every day.

Reflection on Matthew 11:2-11

“Are you the one…” John the Baptist asks from behind the locked doors of the prison.  I know this may seem odd, but I actually find some comfort in the fact that John asked such a question.  You can hear the uncertainty and doubt behind the question.  “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” John the Baptist asks, his uncertainty breaking through.

This is the great John the Baptist!  John is the one who leapt in his mother’s womb at just the sound of the pregnant Mary.  John is the one who journeyed into the wilderness just like his ancestors as they exited Egypt, trusting in God’s provision; eating locusts and wild honey.  John is the one who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah.  John is the one who baptized Jesus, God’s Messiah.  John is the one about whom Jesus describes as:

“A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before you.’

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist…”

Even the great John the Baptist asks the very human question, “Are you the one?”  I find comfort in the fact that such a great man asks this question because I have looked up to heaven and asked, “Are you the one?” 

“Are you the one who will heal my Dad?” 

“Are you the one who will get me out of this tight spot, because it looks pretty hopeless?” 

“Are you the one who is going to straighten out this mess of a world?”

John the Baptist seems like such an unshakable character.  He is the guy who calls people a “brood of vipers.”  He is the guy who challenged the people of his day to turn their minds to God and God alone.  He is the guy who felt no reservation in chastising the powerful people of his day…to their faces. 

But, when your own, personal world starts to crumble, when you are the one looking through the bars of the jail cell, even though you are certainly innocent; even the great prophet, John the Baptist starts to question.

I hear you John.  So do I.  So do I.  I question too.

Life is fragile.  Goodness is sometimes like a wisp of fog or a fleeting breeze of autumn warmth.  Like a stack of children’s blocks, a lot of hard work can come crashing down with one mistake.  Everything that you thought was stable and good and whole can come crashing down, and you are left staring at the pile of blocks, not knowing what to do or who to trust.

“Are you the one?”

When the stress of the school year and the innate depression overwhelmed the young college student, he went to the first person who came to his mind, his campus pastor.  For an hour, he unloaded his burden onto the ears of the campus pastor, and for an hour, the campus pastor let him.  When he had said all that could be said, the campus pastor said in her soft, yet determined voice, “Come with me.”  She led him three blocks to a nearby church who was serving a meal to the poor.  She placed him in the line of servers and put a spoon in his hand.  “Help to dish up the meal,” she said simply as she took her own spot. 

For an hour he served up shredded lettuce onto plates.  And, for an hour kind faces looked into his eyes and said, “Thank you.”  After the meal was done, he walked back to his room on campus.  The pastor had not said any more to him, other than to thank him for helping, but she did not need to.  Sometimes, when you cannot see the Lord’s goodness, your eyes need to be kindly forced open.  And, what did he see?  People down on their luck, like him, getting fed.  People alone in the world, like him, gathering together for a meal in the name of the Lord.  He saw the goodness of the Lord.  It was what he needed, and the Lord provided.  Yes, the Lord is the one.

When his word seemed to be falling apart John sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” 

Sometimes our Lord, Jesus Christ needs to remind us exactly what his kingdom looks like, so that we can see it in action.  Sometimes we need to be reminded to listen to his mother, Mary’s song which boasts of the greatness of the Lord, who is always, “casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly.”  Who has, “filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.”  And, who has “come to the aid of…Israel,” and reminded the people of the Lord’s “promise of mercy.”  Sometimes we need to be dragged by the Lord from our place of hopelessness, to a room filled with hope and good things, just as the young man was dragged to that shelter to see the Lord actively reversing people’s fortunes through a meal and conversation. 

Sometimes we need a spoon put into our hands to remind us that we are a part of it.  Jesus has drawn us into his kingdom of love and grace.  Jesus has placed a spoon in our hand to serve those in front of us.  Jesus has shown us love, but we just forgot. 

Here’s the thing, the whole reason that John the Baptist was in jail was because he was actively living out Jesus’ values in the kingdom of God.  John was actively doing what Mary dreamed about in her song.  He was speaking words of righteousness to the powerful.  He was bringing the powerful and conceded down and lifting up the lowly.  He was baptizing the hopeless and chastising the proud.  He was a part of it all!  But, sometimes we forget what the kingdom is about when the world turns on us.

Sometimes, we need a reminder that the Lord is active in the world still.  Sometimes, we need a reminder that just because our situation has changed does not mean that the Lord’s hopes and dreams for us have changed.

You are loved by the Lord with a grace that would go to the cross for you.  You have been brought into the kingdom of heaven to be a kingdom people, and sometimes that very work makes life hard.  But do not forget, you are a part of it.  If we allow the Lord to show us, we will see that, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” 

We are truly blessed when we are brought to trust that the Lord is working good in the world and in our lives…even now.  Even now the Lord is turning the world up-side-down with his grace and healing.  Even now the Lord is healing all that is broken.  Even now, we trust in the Lord who never forgets his promise of mercy.  Especially on the days that are hard, we trust in the Lord, and look for God’s goodness. 

Reflection on Matthew 3:1-12

 

The fire changed her life.  The fire changed everything about her.  Not only did she lose her home, but she also lost her face.  Before the fire, she was beautiful.  She was beautiful in the ways that models are beautiful.  She was make-up commercial beautiful.  And now, when she looked in the mirror, all she saw was a misaligned, plastic looking skin filled with scars.  All she saw was the woman who kids pointed at, and around whom mothers steered their children, as if she were able to spread the devastation to their little ones like a disease.  She rarely went out anymore.  When she did go out it took so long to get ready; she even needed to draw eyebrows on her face because they had burnt away for good.  The fire was devastating.  It changed her life.

Still, she discovered that there was a life after the fire.  It was a life that she had never known before.  She discovered that there were people who did not look away or walk away when she came near.  There were people who were drawn to her.  There were people for whom her face was an invitation to get closer, both physically and emotionally. 

These people were those who the Bible would describe as outcasts.  They were the people for whom connecting with others was hard because they too were not beautiful, or they had a disease, or they had an odd tick, or they just didn’t know how to relate to others in the same way as everyone else. 

They were the people with whom Jesus hung out.  There were the people with whom Jesus poured his attention and care.  And, they were the first people to invite the woman over to their table at the coffee shop, so that she would not have to enjoy her tea alone any longer. 

Life after the fire seemed to be so much more…authentic than life before.  It was less about looks and more about love and laughter with faulty but loving people.  The fire had taken so much, but on the other side it provided so much more.  It provided the people of God.  It provided love.  It provided a seat with Jesus Christ at the table in the Kingdom of heaven.

Fire does that.  It burns away all that you have previously known and either drives you into hopelessness, or it shows you what this life that God has given us, is all about.  It is this purifying fire, where all of the impurities are burned away until all that remains is pure, that John the Baptist is talking about when he says, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).

And, this fire which stands between the common and the divine is a reality that is very, very ancient.  Way back in Genesis, at the beginning of creation, after the first man and woman had been thrown out of the garden, removed from the presence of God because of their failure to trust God, there is a sword of fire placed in between them and God.  The fire separates them, and if they ever dreamed of returning, they would have to walk through the deadly fire.

Some have walked through the fire and stood with the Divine.  It is this reverse process from the beginning of Genesis where you go back through the cleansing waters of the flood, step through the all-consuming, purifying fire at the gate of Eden, and only then do you find yourself in the presence of God.  Moses is one who steps through the fire when no one else dared.  When he does, and survives, he encounters God on the mountain where the Ten Commandments were given.  Only after going through the fire does he walk for a brief moment with God on the Eden like mountain. 

Continuing on in the Bible, Job’s story sounds so much like the woman’s story as fire falls and destroys all that Job once had.  Only after the fire, after refusing to break his trust in God, does God restore Job to a new life.  Job resides with God after the fire. 

And, the woman with the transformed face found the community of Jesus’ beloved outcasts after the fire.  Only after the fire burned away her idealized life of beauty did Jesus give the woman a real, authentic community of love, all drawn together by the Holy Spirit.

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).

John the Baptist is out in the wilderness preaching a word that is uncomfortable to hear.  It is time to “repent.”  It is time to change your mind completely.  It is time to prepare a highway for the Lord to come.  It is time to clear out everything that is getting in the way of the Lord’s arrival. 

“Bear fruit worthy of repentance,” John shouts at the Pharisees and Sadducees.  “Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these tones to raise up children to Abraham” (Matthew 3:8).  Do not put your trust in everything that you have leaned on before.  We do not put our trust in Abraham!  We do not put our trust in governments!  We do not put our trust in our beauty or success!  God can take it all away, or replace it any time that God wants!  “Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). 

This fire seems threatening and fearful, because it is.  This fire seems full of death and destruction, because it is.  And this fire seems like it will change everything for good, which it will.  It will change everything for the good.

It is God’s fire.  It is the fire that Jesus carries with him and pours over the heads of those he loves, just like John pours water over the heads of those who desire more than anything for things to finally change in this life.  It is the fire of the Holy Spirit which destroys all that we have known, but is also the purifying flame at the gate which allows us to walk in the garden with God.  It is the fire that God uses to open the gate of the kingdom to us.  It is the refining fire that burns away all of the injustice, hatred, unfaithfulness, violence, apathy, misdirected loyalties, unforgiving natures, and sin which keeps us from life in the kingdom of heaven with God.

It is an uncomfortable fire.  It is sometimes a devastating fire.  But, the Bible seems to be saying that the only way that Jesus has to draw us to him, to draw us away from the kingdom of this world into the kingdom in which he stands, is to drag us through the cleansing water and pull us through the purifying fires so that we can finally trust in his love.  Only then, stripped of the old, can we live in his new kingdom of love and peace, where the wolf lives with the lamb, where the leopard lies down with the kid, where children play near snakes but no one gets hurt.  Because, in God’s kingdom, on the mountain of God, in the land of Eden, there is no hurting one another and there is no destruction.  There is just the peaceful life that the Lord our God has given as a gift.

All of this is what death and new life in Jesus Christ is all about.  All of this is what faith and grace looks like when we encounter it.  All of this is being loved by God and then shaped into the person we were created to be.  All of this is being given the gift of living in the kingdom of heaven…the kingdom which has come near.