December 12, 2016 – 12 Days Until My Head Explodes, Or
Devotions to Prepare Us For Christ’s Coming

“Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. It is the same with the Son of Man. He must be lifted up too. Then everyone who believes in him can have eternal life.” Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.”          John 3:14-17

This poor guy sure looks beat down, doesn’t he? I am not so sure what has happened, but he has lost an eye, has bruises all over, and looks like he is bandaged into a papoose. And once again, if this is all you have to hang on your Christmas tree, well maybe you want to skip putting up a tree this year.

Charlie Brown and Linus are walking down the sidewalk and Linus asks Charlie, “Have you heard of the ‘Beat Generation’ Charlie Brown?” Charlie replies, “Oh, Yes.” And Charlie continues, “I’m a charter member.” John 3:16 and 17 reminds us that although we might also feel like the world is beating us down, we have a G-d who loves us so much that G-d felt humanity was worth doing something completely unique – G-d became like us to save us from ourselves. And he was lifted up on a cross so that, in seeing and believing, we have been given the gift of life – life eternal.

Yes, the world may still beat us down. Yes, we will still struggle just as much as we succeed – and we will still experience pain. And while the Advent and Christmas seasons give us reason to experience the joy of these seasons, the struggling and the pain will persist long after Christmas has passed us by. But nothing can separate us from the love of G-d that comes through the cross of Jesus. G-d became human through Jesus Christ so that we can see that we have a G-d who suffers when we suffer, so that when we feel like life has beat us down, we remember that G-d lifts us up to new life – not just for a few months, but for eternity.

Pastor Dave

December 11, 2016
3rd Sunday in Advent Year A

“When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “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.” Matthew 11:2-6

“According to Matthew, John the Baptist — that fire and brimstone preacher of repentance — is now in prison. Some months have passed since he baptized Jesus and proclaimed him the chosen one. Having heard about what Jesus has been up to in the meantime, John apparently is having second thoughts. And so he sends his disciples to ask Jesus, quite plainly, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Well, that does seem a little strange — an Advent passage about John and his doubts — except … well, except that in the midst of all the planning and shopping and celebrating we’ve been frantically about, there does seem to be a greater amount of doubt and fear at this time of the year. Physicians, psychologists, and pastors all report an increase in requests for counseling, admissions to mental health facilities rise, and suicides peak right in the midst of the holiday season. And so John, it would seem, is not alone in his troubles. To be fair, John’s failure of confidence shouldn’t really surprise us. He is, after all, in prison and, so far, what he predicted and longed for has just not arrived. For when John announced the coming of God’s kingdom and proclaimed Jesus as God’s anointed, you see, he expected the world to change; now, some months (or even years?) later, things seem all too dreadfully the same. To put it another way, what John saw in Jesus was the summation and climax of all God’s promises to Israel; now, sitting alone in a prison cell, he is still waiting for that promise to be kept. John is, at best, concerned and far more likely, disappointed.” (David Lose, working preacher website, Disappointed with God at Christmastime, December 8, 2013)

I was listening to the radio the other day, and they were talking about the usual arguments that come about in the Christmas Season. In this particular story I caught the tail end of a report that had something to do with “You can’t include a manger scene at the Township Building / Court house / Municipal Building” argument that the news media just loves to report – all raised by either the “Separation of Church and State” people or the local “Atheist/Agnostic/Secular Humanists” group. And the reporter asked one of the representatives of the local Agnostic groups where they find their inspiration for maintaining a perspective on life if not from “God” or some other “higher power”. And he gave some convoluted answer about seeking solace from some “mystical/mysterious” source which, he admitted, they may never ever find. Now I understand how we can have our doubts about the mystery of G-d and of faith – even John the Baptist had his doubts. Even John, when the chips were down, when he was sitting in prison, when he wanted things to be a different way, well he wondered if things would ever change.

In this Christmas season, the church offers and celebrates certain gifts: G-d’s presence in Word and Sacrament that brings strength and comfort in times of suffering, G-d’s promise of wholeness and peace, and G-d’s love embodied in the community of faith. It is among the gathering of believers where we find sanctuary and where we should feel welcomed and loved. We gather together with our brothers and sisters where we can grieve, where we can heal, where we can be real about our fears and our anxieties and our brokenness. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we hear how people are accepted, even with our fears and our doubts, and we also hear how Jesus mends the brokenness of this life, and offers new life for eternity. It is the “good news” that everyone, even Atheists, need to hear.

Pastor Dave