Monday, December 29, 2008

Really?

Really, 11 wins doesn't get a team into the playoffs in a league where 37.5% of the teams make the playoffs? That's ridiculous. If I were a Patriots fan, I'd be pretty sore about this. Since I hate the Patsies, and think this is the football gods exacting revenge for running up the score every week in 2007, I say to you: you shoulda won 12 games. 11-5 and sitting at home while 8-8 San Diego is the 3 seed. Really?

Really, there's 3 first-year head coaches in the playoffs? Sparano with the 'Fins, Harbaugh with the Ravens, and Smith with the Falcons? And this is no Mike Tomlin situation, getting handed a playoff-calibur team from the get-go. These 3 teams combined to win 10 games last year. 2 of these 3 started rookie QBs all season. These 3 teams combined for 33 wins this year. That's a combined 230% improvement! Really?

Really, 11-5 Atlanta and 12-4 Indy have to play on the road against 9-7 Arizona and 8-8 San Diego? If they're going to let 8-8 teams in over 11-5 teams, maybe they should give out seeds based on record rather than division winners. Here's the current seeding:

AFC
1. Titans (13-3)
2. Steelers (12-4)
3. Dolphins (11-5)
4. Chargers (8-8)
5. Colts (12-4)
6. Ravens (11-5)

NFC
1. Giants (12-4)
2. Panthers (12-4)
3. Vikings (10-6)
4. Cardinals (9-7)
5. Falcons (11-5)
6. Eagles (9-6-1)

Re-seeded, it'd look like this:

AFC
1. Titans (13-3)
2. Steelers (12-4)
3. Colts (12-4)
4. Ravens (11-5)
5. Dolphins (11-5)
6. Chargers (8-8)

NFC
1. Giants (12-4)
2. Panthers (12-4)
3. Falcons (11-5)
4. Vikings (10-6)
5. Eagles (9-6-1)
6. Cards (9-7)

On both sides, the first round matchups would be the same teams, except location would be flipped. Thus, the teams with better records would have actually earned a home playoff game with that record rather than being penalized for playing in a tough division. Right now, all 4 road teams in the first round are favored according to footballlocks.com. With a re-seeding due to record, these teams would all be playing the home game they earned. Also, since the worst seed to win plays the #1 seed, a re-seeding would probably help the #1 seeds.

Despite all this ridiculousness, it should be a very interesting 2008 NFL playoffs. If I get a chance before leaving for Raleigh tomorrow, I'll post my picks.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas!

As I sit in my office this Christmas Eve morning, I just want to burst out in song. I am about to lead my first Christmas Eve Service, and I approach this evening with a sense of wonder and excitement "like a kid at Christmas." I love my job. I love that I get to do this. Maybe I'm just too naive to know that I'm supposed to be "just waiting for this wretched busy season to end," as some pastors I know have said. But maybe, just maybe, Christmas is awesome -- I mean, really full of awe.

I've spent very little time recently actually blogging about our life, and that's partially because Lisa and I lead a mostly quiet, boring life. Last night, we talked about how we're glad that we're no longer the crazy, too-busy, stressed out beyond belief members of our family. Sure, we're busy, but we aren't too stressed. So we approach this holiday season with a sense of relaxation and anticipation, ready to fully soak in every moment of the next few weeks. We are glad to share this time with our congregation, with the people of West Newton, with both our families, and with friends we don't see very often.

However, our thoughts have drifted in recent days to those we won't see this Christmas. We think of Wayne and Fern Albertson in quiet Ada, OH. We think of all the pastors we know who are facing transitions at the first of the year. We think of all those who sent us Christmas cards, cards that are posted on the doorway to our dining room so every day we can think of those who love us. We think of our friends in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mississippi, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Texas who we won't see this Christmas. We think of family in Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, Arizona, and Switzerland that we won't see this Christmas. We think of those who will spend this Christmas alone, or without a roof over their head, or without a Christmas dinner to overeat. We pray that God might be with all of these people, and let them know that somewhere, in some sleepy little town on the banks of the Youghiogheny River, there are people who are praying for them.

Tonight, the Christmas Eve Service! Our church is all set up and ready to go. Lisa's parents, aunt and uncle, and grandmother will be here, and are staying for dessert afterwards. Tomorrow, we spend our first Christmas as a married couple alone in the comfort of our home. Then we will travel about 30 minutes to see my parents, sister, and her fiance for the afternoon and evening. Friday we'll be with family on my mother's side. Saturday Lisa will be bridesmaids' dress shopping with her sister, Karen, who is getting married in July. I will spend time with my friend Dan. Sunday and Monday, we will celebrate Christmas at our house with most of Lisa's family. On Tuesday, Lisa and I will leave after work for Raleigh, NC, to see her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew who will not be in PA for Christmas. We'll spend New Year's with them and return home on Jan. 3 so I can preach on Jan. 4. While in Raleigh, on New Year's Eve we're going to the NC State basketball game to see Ben McCauley, the senior starting center. Ben is a member of our church, and I've only met him once, but we thought since we're in Raleigh anyway, we might as well go and support him and his team. Being the sports fans that we are, we're pretty excited about it.

Well, that about does it. I better continue preparing for tonight. Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas! Joy to the World!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

The Place For Smiles

This is my favorite Christmas commercial of all time. Lisa and I love watching it online every year. Whether or not you're from Pittsburgh, you'll surely enjoy this!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

BELIEVE in Texting

The United Methodist Church in Western PA has started a new service this Christmas season. They have an advertising campaign involving huge billboards that say "BELIEVE" in giant letters. The full message of the billboard says "text BELIEVE to 44636." When you text it, the following message appears:

"Hope is reason 2 believe.It lives in each of us.Share this xmas w/ people of PGH United Methodist Church.Reply ZIP for church or later visit UnitedMethodist.org"

When you reply with your zip code, you receive a text with the names, addresses, and phone numbers of a couple of the closest UM churches to that zip code. It's not the most accurate enterprise -- when I used the zip code my church is located in, it didn't come up with West Newton UMC. It gave me Herminie UMC in Herminie, and Greenock UMC in McKeesport. There are at least 3 or 4 churches closer to 15089 than Herminie.

I'm disappointed in the accuracy of the system, but it's a pretty neat idea. Who knows if it'll bring more people to church this Christmas -- I hope so. But whether or not it reaches anyone, at least we're giving it a shot. As Ricky Bobby would say, "Oh no, he didn't live, but it's just cool we're trying stuff like that."

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

When the Cat's Away...

...the mice will play. That's how the saying goes, anyway. And when the wife's away, the husband will eat unhealthily. That's my saying.

Since we married, Lisa has been very good about insisting we eat healthy. You know, a bowl of rabbit food with every meal, vegetables without butter on them, eating fruit instead of candy for snacks, etc. But tonight, she's out Christmas shopping for yours truly. Which means I got an early Christmas gift -- dinner on my own.

At first, I was going to be moderately responsible. She doesn't like Chinese food, and it's been forever since I've had good Chinese (there's NO good Chinese food in the South!). It was the perfect chance to get what I like without subjecting her to eating something she doesn't like. But the closest Chinese restaurant is more than 15 minutes away, and I didn't feel like driving in the snow to go get it.

So, on to Dinner Plan B. I went to the store, grabbed the necessary ingredients, and made the following sandwich:

1/4 lb. patty ground beef
1/4 lb. patty hot sausage
2 eggs over easy - placed in between the patties
2 slices American cheese
All on a sesame seed hoagie roll.
Pasta shells in an alfredo sauce on the side.

Now that, my friends, is a meal.

Monday, December 15, 2008

The Three R's of Christmas

Sermon for Sunday, December 14, Third Sunday in Advent. Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11.

Here we are, just eleven days from Christmas. Are you starting to get excited? Are you beginning to feel the joy of this season? Are you into the Christmas spirit yet? I am. One might even say I’m feeling so joyous that I’m feeling jubilant. Oh, the holiday season is such a great time of jubilee.

The prophet Isaiah speaks in this morning’s text of jubilee. He speaks of “the year of the Lord’s favor” in verse 2. This is another way of talking about what the Israelites commonly knew of as the year of jubilee. And if you’ve been reading your Leviticus lately, and judging by all the mixed fibers I see you wearing, you haven’t, then you already know all about the year of jubilee. The year of jubilee occurs once every 50 years, and it encompasses three things. First, any property – land, specifically – is returned to its original owner in the year of jubilee. When you “bought” a field, for instance, in that day, you would essentially be leasing it. You’d pay a price based on how many years were left until the year of jubilee, when you’d have to return it to the original owner.

The second thing that occurs in the year of jubilee is that slaves and servants are freed. Of course, there were stipulations, but generally slaves were free for a year, because in the year of jubilee you were not to reap or sow. You were only to live off what grew naturally without cultivation. So there is no need for slaves when you’re not working in the field, and thus the year of jubilee dictates that you free slaves and servants.

And the third and final major celebration of the year of jubilee is that slaves and servants would return to their clan of origin. So we have three things going on, things which I call the three “R’s” of jubilee. First, we have RESTORATION: Everything is returned to the original owner. Second, we have RELEASE FROM OPPRESSION: Slaves and servants are freed. And third, we have RECONCILIATION: Slaves and servants return to be reconciled with their clan.

“That’s great, pastor,” you might be saying, “but what does the year of jubilee have to do with us? We don’t practice this anymore.” And I guess you’re right. We don’t have a designated period of time where we restore, reconcile, and release captives from oppression. We don’t have a designated season in which we deliberately act more graciously by giving gifts, by helping others get back on their feet, or by setting aside differences to come together in peace and reconciliation in the spirit of that season.

Or do we? Is not the Christmas season our modern-day version of the year of the Lord’s favor, the year of jubilee? Isn’t this the time of year where we are more joyful, more jubilant, more kind? Isn’t this the time of year when our general mood as Christians is a celebratory mood? Around Christmas, we do tend to be a little nicer. Tis the season to be jolly. It’s the season where charity and love prevail.

Every year around this time, there are news reports of giant wads of cash, huge checks, or even diamond engagement rings being dropped into salvation army buckets outside of stores. This season inspires people to give a little more, some motivated by getting another tax write-off, but most motivated by the cheeriness and joy of the season and the desire to give joy to others at this time. There is the Toys for Tots drive, Operation Christmas Child, and other such projects to distribute gifts to impoverished children. Charities make their big push this time of year, knowing they’ll find people to be a little bit more willing to give in the Christmas season, the season to be jolly. In a sense, it is a way of providing liberty to captives, to release people from oppression. It’s a way in which we finally spread our wealth after 11 months of being greedy, when we help others attain a freedom from their troubles, even if just for a moment. It is a form of RELEASE FROM OPPRESSION in the time of jubilee.

This season is a time when families gather together to celebrate. Many of you will either visit family or have family visiting you. And often, the gathering of families reminds us of all the imperfections or tensions or even broken relationships we have in the midst of our family. Maybe Aunt Sara refuses to spend time with the family unless it’s Christmas. Or perhaps Frank’s parents haven’t spoken to him since the Christmas 3 years ago when he announced to everyone that he was gay, and this Christmas they’re finally reconciling with him. Or maybe two sisters don’t have a very close relationship, but at least they see each other once a year, at their mother’s house, every Christmas. This holiday season is filled with times of RECONCILIATION.

And finally, we act as land-owners, agreeing to give away things we bought. We give rather than take. Like returning land to its original owner, gift giving has a way of selflessness about it. It has a way of reminding us how blessed we are, and that we are to share that abundance with loved ones as well as strangers. Christmas then becomes a time of RESTORATION.

For about a month every year, the season of Christmas transforms our world through acts of restoration, reconciliation, and release from oppression. And it’s no coincidence that this transformation occurs as a result of the original reason for the season – the transformation of the world through the birth of Jesus Christ. God entered into our world with the birth of Christ. Through the ministry of Jesus Christ, God began to transform our world through restoration, reconciliation, and release from oppression. The United Methodist Church has recently adopted a mission statement that is, “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” We are called to participate in God’s transformation of the world. Simply put, we are called to are to participate in the very transformation that we celebrate in Advent and on Christmas. When we come to church on Christmas Eve, we will celebrate the transformation of the world through the coming of the Christ child. But will we be merely spectators of this transformation, or will we be actors in this transformation? Are we helping to transform the world in this season by taking part in restoration? Are we helping to transform the world in this season by taking part in reconciliation? Are we helping to transform the world in this season by taking part in releasing from oppression?

And are we allowing ourselves to be recipients of God’s transforming work this season of jubilee? Are we allowing the proclamation of the prophet Isaiah and the proclamation of John the Baptist to take hold of us and mold us into the people that God wants us to be? Are we letting the joy of the birth of Christ move us to do things and say things we might otherwise be afraid to do or say? Are we letting God’s entrance into humanity transform us by restoring our souls, by reconciling our relationship with God, and by releasing us from being captive to sin? Are we letting the Christ child transform our lives?

I have two brothers-in-law that are huge Philadelphia Phillies fans. Needless to say, they were both thrilled when the Phillies won the World Series this year. They’d been fans since childhood, spending countless years investing time, energy, and money into their favorite baseball team. Sometimes it felt useless to them, like when the Phillies finished with a losing record 12 out of 13 years. But when the Phillies finally won the championship this October, they celebrated. They jumped around their living rooms. They bought championship t-shirts or commemorative magazines to celebrate the occasion. It was a time of jubilee for them. And it was nice to see them happy. It made me think that some day, my hopeless love for the Pittsburgh Pirates will transform into a time of celebration, a time of jubilee.

But you know, I’m not a Phillies fan. Never have been. Because of my brothers-in-law, I pulled for them during the playoffs. But when they won, I didn’t buy merchandise. I didn’t jump around my living room or scream at the top of my lungs. I didn’t really feel like celebrating because I hadn’t been along for the ride. I hadn’t invested my time and energy into the journey, so I didn’t really enjoy the parade at the end. And if I had acted like them, they’d probably look at me as a fraud. I’m not a fan, so why should I celebrate as if I am?

When it comes time for Christmas, how can we celebrate if we’re not part of the journey? How can we celebrate the transformation of the world if we don’t take part in the transformation? Sure, we can show up to the parade, maybe we can jump around our living room, but no matter how much we try, we won’t feel the same sense of excitement as those who have actually been part of the transformation from the beginning. We won’t be able to celebrate God’s transformation to the fullest unless we allow ourselves to become a part of it. How can we celebrate the transformation of the world through the coming of the Christ child unless we help transform the world, and unless we allow ourselves to be transformed into the people God wants us to be?

It’s not too late! There’s still a week and a half to get on board with God’s transforming work through the three R’s!

Invest in RESTORATION this season – remember how blessed you are and what others have given you in your life. Give to others, and allow God to restore your broken soul.

Invest in RECONCILIATION this season – mend broken relationships, smooth out rough and tense relationships – reach out in love to those who have hurt you, and reach out in love to those you have hurt. Allow God to reach out to you and reconcile your relationship with him.

Invest in RELEASING FROM OPPRESSION this season. Help those who are impoverished. Refuse to allow others to be taken advantage of. Speak out against injustice where you see it, and stand with justice when you meet it. Allow Christ to release you from the oppressive powers of sin.

Make Christmas more meaningful this year. Invest in God’s transforming work in the world, so that you can participate in that which you celebrate. Allow God’s investment in you to take hold as well, so that you may be transformed just as you help transform the world. I hope and pray that we all may find ways to restore, reconcile, and release from oppression in this season and always. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Conferencing

I stumbled upon a thoughtful article on ESPN.com this morning. The author writes about the perception of the Big Ten as an outdated conference in college football -- a conference that will never compete with the gunslinging Big 12 or speedy SEC unless it modernizes its game. This bowl season is a chance for the Big Ten to show the world it can still play football, with Penn State facing USC, Ohio State facing Texas, and even Michigan State facing Georgia. All are underdogs, but all have a realistic shot of winning.

As a long time aficionado of the Big Ten, it was a long three years living in Atlanta, where the perception was that the SEC was the only conference worth paying attention to. I often touted the Big Ten as a mass producer of linemen and linebackers for the NFL, but Ohio State's back-to-back championship game losses to SEC teams really hurt the Big Ten's reputation.

I'm willing to admit that the Big Ten and Pac-10 are not as competitive top-to-bottom as the SEC and Big 12 this year. But it's frustrating that the entire BCS system is configured to reward teams for the success of the other teams in their conference. For instance, why was USC not even considered for the national championship game? Because the Pac-10 has a reputation of being weak. Nevermind that USC voluntarily played the #5 team in the country in Ohio State, and steamrolled them like it was nobody's business. And Ohio State is a good team.

Hopefully, the Big Ten will get some big bowl wins this year and show people they can still hang with the big dogs. See, this is why I hate Ohio State: they ruin everything, including the Big Ten's reputation. Here's to the Big Ten and its physical, defensive, plodding style of play, and here's to a hopefully successful bowl season for those big, corn-fed, Midwestern teams.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Farewell to the Mad Dog

Greg Maddux retired yesterday. Although I often despised him when he played for the Braves, I always respected him as a baseball player. As he got older and lost some pitch speed, he was still able to pitch masterfully enough to win 353 games. He studied hitters like no other pitcher of his day, and he relied not just on talent but on perseverance, impeccable control, and intelligence.

Here is a wonderful article written earlier this year about Maddux. The guy is simply amazing; I'll miss watching him pitch. Five years from now, he'll enter the Hall of Fame, and you'll probably find me in Cooperstown for the occasion. We'll miss you, Mad Dog.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Hear the Good News

Second Sunday in Advent, Dec. 7, 2008; Mark 1:1-8.

Last week, we put ourselves into the shoes of the doorkeeper, the servant waiting for the return of the master. We thought about what it’s like to wait for an arrival, to wait for Christ to arrive in our lives. We thought about what we’d be doing when our master, Jesus Christ, would return home.

This week, we jump back to the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. Mark’s Gospel, Mark’s good news, was almost surely the earliest of the four gospels. Thus, Mark was the first to write down the story of the good news of Jesus Christ. So if we read the first words of the Gospel of Mark, as we did this morning, then we are reading the first published words about Jesus Christ. And it begins with a proclamation, an announcement, that the waiting is almost over.

Mark knows the Jews are waiting for a Messiah to come. Old Testament texts such as Isaiah and Malachi promise that when the Messiah comes, the way will be prepared. Mark quotes these ancient texts, saying to the Jews, “I know you are waiting. I know you expect the way to be prepared. Well, the waiting is almost over, so let us prepare the way of the Lord. Let’s get ready for the Messiah to come.”

So along comes John the Baptizer, more commonly known as John the Baptist. Well, he appeared in the wilderness – showing up out of nowhere. His whereabouts before the wilderness are not known to Mark’s readers – all they know is some guy named John is preaching out in the middle of nowhere. In a place where no one lives. He’s in West Texas, or Siberia, or the deepest corner of the Australian Outback, you might say. And he’s preaching – to no one, presumably, because he’s in the wilderness. As if that isn’t strange enough, John the Baptizer is wearing horribly outdated clothes – camel’s hair and a leather belt – and he’s eating stuff found on the banks of the Jordan – locusts and honey. One might say he’s wearing M.C. Hammer parachute pants while eating pop rocks and drinking Tab cola.

So, if an out-of-style preacher proclaims the good news in a forest, and no one’s there to hear it, does anyone get saved? That’s the question posed to us in this morning’s text. If John the Baptist is hanging out alone in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, does anyone repent and enter into baptismal waters?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is that not only do a handful of people travel out into the wilderness to hear this crazy secluded preacher, but all of the Judean countryside and everyone in Jerusalem went out to him, and it seems all were baptized in forgiveness of their sins. I often wonder how anyone got word of John the Baptizer’s preaching, but somehow they all did. And he got everyone from the urban and rural populations.

Yet, we see that John the Baptizer is not the main event. “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me,” he says. Thanks to the author, the words from Isaiah, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” are fresh in our memory as we read John’s proclamation. With an audience of Jews, urban and rural, John the Baptizer preaches the good news – The Messiah you’re all waiting for is coming. The Lord is near, so prepare the way of the Lord. Christ is coming!

We have to remember that the Jewish community was completely in the dark about this. Unlike us, they did not know that Jesus Christ was on his way, that the Messiah was about to enter their lives. Unlike us, they do not have months and months of proclamation that Christmas is “right around the corner.”

There’s a weekly column I like to read on ESPN.com called “Tuesday Morning Quarterback. The author, Gregg Easterbrook, monitors the “Christmas Creep” with the help of his readers. He has a weekly part of his column called the “Christmas Creep Watch,” where he offers examples of how Christmas is slowly creeping its way earlier and earlier into the calendar year. This year, as early as September 8, he was already writing about Christmas displays going up in stores in August! Is Christmas really “just around the corner” when it’s 1/3 of a year away?

You see, with our society’s Christmas Creep, the church’s Christmas preparation becomes old news by the time we get to it. First Sunday in Advent, Christmas is coming? Puh-leeze. We’ve been bombarded with Christmas displays, Christmas commercials, Christmas catalog mailings, and Christmas party invitations for months now! So when we come to church and hear that Christmas is coming, we’re hardly excited. We’ve heard it all before, and now we’re just waiting for it to be over because all it means is more things on our to-do list anyway. For months now, the stores have prepared the way of the shopper. The way of the shopper is prepared.

From all this, we know all too well that Christmas is coming. But sometimes what gets lost in this season is the proclamation that Christ is coming. As Christians, we do usually have a sense that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” as we might say. We may understand in a way that because Christmas is coming, Christ’s arrival is coming. But what’s unfortunate is that Christ has already come in Christmases past. Christ will come in Christmases future. And Christ is here in this Christmas season. So we have a hard time getting that excited about it when it has become a yearly event, both sacred and secular. While our culture loves to prepare the way of the shopper, we have a hard time preparing the way of the Lord.

The Jews who went to John the Baptizer in the wilderness were excited. They heard from the wilderness preacher that the Messiah is coming! Hear the good news! The promise will be fulfilled! The one you’ve been waiting for is about to show up! You’ve been waiting all your life for this moment, and now it’s almost here!

Jesus Christ is coming! Jesus Christ is on his way! He is about to enter our lives, cleanse us through baptism by the Holy Spirit, and change us forever! The arrival of the Messiah is a life-changing event! What better time to celebrate our own baptism by the Holy Spirit than Christmas? What better time to celebrate the life-changing message of Jesus Christ than Christmas? This season in the church year is a time when we are to celebrate that moment when the Messiah did appear – the moment when God entered into our humanity, broke into our lives through the miracle of the incarnation! It is a time that we remember how Christ has changed our lives by entering in as our Savior! It is a time to remember what it feels like to wait for the Messiah, just as the Jews did in the Gospel of Mark. It is a time to remember what it felt like when our waiting came to an end, when we finally felt the presence of the Holy Spirit cleansing us and making us new creations in Christ. It is a time to look back on the history of the Jewish people and the history of the Christian people. It is a time to look back on our own history. But it is also a time to look forward for Christ’s second coming. It’s also a time to look forward to Christ’s unexpected arrivals into our lives as we go about our daily business. And it’s a time to look forward to the arrival of Christ, once again, this Christmas. It is time to prepare the way of the Lord!

How might we prepare for Christ’s arrival this Christmas? How might we prepare the way of the Lord, the one who is coming that is much greater than any earthly thing? How might we allow ourselves to be cleansed by the Holy Spirit once again? How might we get excited about Christ’s arrival like the expectant Jews, treating Christ’s coming as the moment we’ve been waiting for all our lives?

And how might we, like John the Baptizer, use the arrival of Christ as an opportunity to proclaim the good news? How might we shout from the mountaintops that Jesus Christ is coming, that one greater than us is on the way? How might we get others excited about the arrival of Jesus Christ? How might we, like John the Baptizer, speak and act prophetically so that others may yearn to be cleansed by the baptismal waters for the first time? How can we move through the world as proclaimers of the good news of Jesus Christ?

Each year, more and more people are coming to understand the season of Lent as a time of increased meditation as we approach Holy Week and the culmination of the season at Easter. But few of us view Advent as a time of increased meditation and reflection. But Advent does call us to meditate. It calls us to prepare for the coming of the Christ child. It calls us to meditate on what that means for us. So maybe we can prepare the way of the Lord this Advent by meditating on the birth narratives more often. Why don’t we use this season as a time to get back into the habit of prayer? Why can’t we gather our families around and light Advent wreaths in our homes, teaching our children how to prepare the way of the Lord? This month, Lisa and I will be writing Christmas cards to send to family and friends. When we do this, we’ll be taking time out of our lives to sit down and think about those we love. We’ll take time out and meditate on relationships that we have with others, most of them living far away from here. And we’ll think a little more about how blessed we are to have these people in our lives. We are preparing the way of Christmas.

What if we treated Christ the same way? What if we prepared the way of Christ the way we prepare the way of Christmas? What if we set aside time this season to sit down and think of our relationship with Jesus Christ? What if we allowed ourselves to reflect on the ways that Christ has blessed us in our lives? What if we prepared the way of the Lord this Christmas?
Let us all use the arrival of Christmas as an opportunity to celebrate the arrival of Christ. And let us also use the arrival of Christmas as an opportunity to share the good news with those who haven’t heard it yet. Let us open our ears to the good news once again, and allow it to overtake us so much so that others see and hear the good news in us. I hope and pray that you may find time this season to meditate on what the coming of the Christ child means to you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Advent Conspiracy

This is an interesting cause I discovered on a friend's blog. There's also a Facebook page about it. The video is put together well; if we had AV equipment here I just might run it in worship.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Welcome Home?

Sermon for Sunday, Nov. 30 -- the First Sunday in Advent. Scripture is Mark 13:24-37.

I remember coming home from college for the holidays. In particular, I remember that first Thanksgiving. My parents had dropped their baby boy off at Ohio Northern University on Labor Day weekend, and had only seen me once since then, for parents weekend. So this was my first trip back home since going away to college.

I hadn’t even made it to the door, and my mother was already out of the house hugging me. She had heard the car door slam and couldn’t wait to greet me. When I got in the door, my father was coming down the stairs. He was excited to see me as well. Dinner was ready, and they were so excited to hear my stories about how school was going, what friends I had made, how the trip home was. They also wanted to share their stories with me: They had gotten a new dishwasher. We were going to Grandma and Pap Pap’s on Thanksgiving Day. Our dog, Shadow, missed me so much that she wouldn’t come upstairs at night anymore, instead laying by the front door all night, every night – waiting for me to come home.

Do I even have to tell you how loved I felt that day? I knew my parents loved me, but sometimes I felt it more than usual. This was one of those times. But as the years passed, this happened less and less often when I came home from college, and then came home from seminary in Atlanta. I’d come home for Christmas break, and there’d be no one at the house. My dad would be at work and my mom would be shopping for gifts. Or, they’d be at the house, but my dad would be upstairs writing his Christmas Eve sermon and my mom would be in the basement wrapping gifts. Instead of them rushing to greet me, I had to find them to say hello. Sometimes, I’d be home for awhile before they even noticed.

Other times, I’d come home for a weekend for no particular reason, and I’d meet the same result. It seemed that as time went on, I was greeted less and less when I walked in the door, and it was less and less of an event that I had returned home. My visits were no longer as exciting as they used to be for my parents. And I didn’t get that same greeting of love that I used to get. I know they still loved me as much as they always did, it’s just that they now forgot to hit the pause button on their lives when I arrived. I no longer felt special. I no longer felt loved in the same way.

But you know, we all do that. It’s not my parents fault. Sometimes they just got so caught up in their lives and their to-do lists and their holiday preparation that they forgot to make my arrival something important in their lives. I wonder if this is why Jesus tells us the parable of keeping awake. And I wonder if this is the reason that this text is the assigned lectionary text for the First Sunday of Advent.

Of course, at this point in Mark Jesus is talking about his second coming, about his return. It is the last public teaching he gives before the passion account begins, before the story of his crucifixion begins. And I would assume the people who are hearing it don’t fully grasp what he’s talking about with this “coming again in glory” business, because he hasn’t died yet.
Well, Jesus likens his leaving and subsequent return to that of a master. A master leaves his estate for a long journey, one in which he himself doesn’t even know when he’ll return. He pulls together all his servants, says, “I’m leaving and I don’t know when I’ll be back. In fact, it might be awhile. But while I’m gone, keep doing your work. But while you’re working, keep watch on the horizon. Keep looking for me to come back. And always be ready for me when I come back.
The beauty of this being our lesson for the first Sunday in Advent is that it teaches us how to wait in the season of Advent. It teaches us that Jesus will return home – Jesus will re-enter our lives, as he does every year around this time. We’ll celebrate that arrival – that incarnation – on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but Christ comes into our lives throughout this season. When he does, he will be like the master, coming at an unannounced, unknown time even to him, and entering into our lives while we are busy working.

When the master does show up in our lives during this season, what kinds of work will we be doing? Will he come to our house, only to find that we’re out shopping for gifts? Will he find us too busy wrapping presents upstairs to even notice his arrival? Will we be so preoccupied with our baking that we won’t have time to sit down and hear his stories? Will we be busy working overtime so we can afford all those needless gifts? Will we demand he take his salty, snowy shoes off and push him out of the way as we frantically clean for all of our soon-to-arrive guests? Will we have our favorite Christmas movies turned up so loud that we can’t even hear him arrive? Will we be stuck up on the roof turning our household into an exact replica of the Griswolds’ home? Will we be having too much fun getting drunk on egg nog at our company Christmas party to be willing to say hello when he arrives? Will we be too busy or too embarrassed to show Christ how much we love him this year?

Or will it be different this year? Will Christ come to our house and be greeted at the door with a warm embrace? Will we have time to eat a home-cooked dinner with him and listen to his stories? Will we greet him with wagging tails, like a dog that has missed its master? Will we bound down the stairs like a kid at Christmas, desperately wanting to receive the most precious gift of all?

When Lisa and I first moved here, we didn’t sleep very well the first few weeks. The trains kept waking us up. We noticed every single one that came through town, day and night. It always burst into our lives as an unannounced interruption of whatever we were doing. But after awhile, we started getting used to it. Now, trains hardly ever wake us up. And we don’t often notice the sound of them during the day, either. The sound of the whistle doesn’t interrupt our life. After only a few short months, the trains no longer disrupt our lives. They have become so ordinary, so typical, that we’ve learned to tune it out.

Lillian Daniel, Senior Minister of First Congregational Church in Glen Ellyn Illinois, says Christ has become like a train to us that we have learned to tune out. She says, “Like people who have lived by the train tracks for years, we no longer hear the sound of the train. After years in church, we get used to the noise in Advent, to the coming of Christ, so much so that we no longer notice it. Or if we do, it has ceased to jolt us awake and has become instead a low, dull rumble.”

Have we turned Advent into a low, dull rumble? Do we go through the motions, having the same Christmas events we’ve always had for no reason other than it’s tradition? Do we light the Advent wreath because it’s always been a part of Advent? Have we allowed the hope, the joy, the love, the peace of Christmas to become so commonplace that it doesn’t excite us any longer? I’m willing to bet those of you who have lived here all your lives never had trains jolting you awake as Lisa and I did. You’ve never lived in an environment without trains rumbling through. Now consider how that translates to our Advent and Christmas traditions. Consider someone who is experiencing Christ in Christmas for the first time, or maybe the first time in several years. They will surely take notice of Christ’s arrival in the midst of all this preparation, the midst of all our activities and events. And that’s something we might be able to learn from them – maybe we need to approach Advent and Christmas with fresh eyes. Maybe we need to get excited about the arrival of the Christ child again. Maybe we’ve become too preoccupied with lighting the Advent wreath for Christ, or preparing for his arrival. Maybe we get so caught up in preparing to love the master that when he finally arrives, we forget to actually love him. When we light our Advent wreath, do we actually take notice of Christ’s presence? Or does he pass right by without us seeing him, because we’re too focused on making sure we do everything right?

Perhaps we’re guilty of loving Christ so much that we’ve turned his arrival into routine. We no longer stop and take note of his arrival during this time of year. Christ has become the low, dull rumble of a train, which we have become so adept at tuning out. We have made Christmas about community events, company Christmas parties, gifts for co-workers, family, and friends, shopping, baking, cleaning, decorating, and traveling. And we’re able to do this because we know that Christ will come on Christmas. We’ll go to church and hear the birth story again – unless we tune out its low, dull rumble as well – but nothing in worship will jolt us awake.

Keep alert! Keep awake! For you do not know when the master of the house will come. Don’t let yourself fall asleep spiritually to the lullabies of shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking, and cleaning. Don’t be caught spiritually asleep when Christ our Lord comes into your life. Keep alert! Keep awake! And let yourself fall in love with Christ all over again this Christmas. Let him jolt you awake in the dead of your holiday slumber, and stay awake all night listening to his stories. Keep alert! Keep awake! And be ready to welcome home the master of the house, the Christ child, into your life with open arms this year. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.