December 11, 2022 – Advent 3A

“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

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

December 10, 2022 – Devotions to Prepare Us For Christ’s Coming

“Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.  When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard.  But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted.  Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed.  He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’   But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’  So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.  What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” Mark 12:1-9

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants begins with these words, “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it…”.  We are instructed in this day and age to put up a fence when we dig a pool or have some other ornamentation that might injure wayward children. Of course it makes us wonder why so many people put a fence around them and refuse to share their fruit with others? Just last week, the second Sunday in Advent, we heard John the Baptist shouting for us to “Bear fruit, worthy of repentance.”  Do people put up fences to protect themselves from others stealing their fruit, or damaging their fruit? Or perhaps they just have a general feeling that they would rather keep their fruit and hoard it? I know that at times we pray for God to put a hedge of protection around us so that we are protected from our enemies. But this hedge of protection can become a wall that separates and isolates us from the “others” in our lives and around the world. 

In Advent we should be preparing for Jesus to come, but also preparing to share out of our abundance.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, help me to grow in love and faith and trust to be more giving and loving and forgiving. Amen.

Pastor Dave