January 3, 2022– “The Ballpark Estimate” (Luke 9:10-17)

“When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” Luke 9:10-17 

“The Ballpark Estimate”

Similar to the idiom “in the same ballpark,” a ballpark estimate seems to come from the realm of America’s favorite pastime — baseball. It means an approximation rather than a definitive answer. The phrase refers to an outdated newspaper strategy used to gauge the number of attendants at a baseball game when nothing existed to measure it exactly — like people who would be paid to count — or devices that have been developed to do just that. 

Did you know that when the Gospel tells us that Jesus fed 5000 people, or even 4000, it was just a ballpark estimate? While there were 5000 men who were fed, there were also many women and children not included in the “ballpark estimate” count. That means there were probably 15000 people, more or less, who were fed by the five loaves and two fishes. It is just a ballpark estimate, yet it makes this miracle even that much more miraculous. Not only did Jesus feed many more people than we might have imagined, that makes the leftovers that much more miraculous as well. You see, in Jesus there is an abundance for all.

Let us pray,

Lord, we know not just from experience but from scripture that there is an abundance od your love, mercy and grace for all. Help me to praise you for this abundance every day. Amen.

Pastor Dave

January 2, 2022 – Christmas 2C

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.  The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world…yet the world did not know him.  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” John 1:1 – 18

Most god’s claim to be all powerful, like the Greek god Zeus, the King of Mount Olympus who, according to mythology controls lightning and thunder. When I think of ancient gods, or god’s like Zeus, I am reminded of an episode of the cartoon SpongeBob Square Pants – where SpongeBob pulls a golden spatula out of a bucket of grease, and because he can pull the golden spatula out of the bucket, he is chosen to become the fry cook for King Neptune – Neptune being, of course, the mythological Roman god of the sea. King Neptune is all powerful. He has special powers. He zaps people, makes things materialize out of thin air, and generally breaks most of the laws of physics. We have a different G-d. Our G-d became vulnerable – became one of us.  Born in a manger. Raised as a child with Joseph and Mary. He walked this earth, breathed our air, ministered to the poor and the disabled, and was crucified by us. He was incarnate, became a child, became powerless……..to give us power, the power to become children of G-d, or, we must admit, children of a material world. 

The Christ child was born into an ordinary world through a most extraordinary set of circumstances. The child grew to maturity, grew in enlightenment, fought against religious decay, was crucified resurrected and ascended. He did not leave behind a solid body of certainties — so it didn’t take long for the religious “idols” to surface — bits of the original cross — bones of the saints — toenail clippings of the disciples — and today, plastic light-up Jesus dolls.  

When I was a child, I used to like to sit at the beach at night peering across the ocean looking for and at single points of light that emanated from the inky darkness across the ocean. Where did the light come from? How far did that light travel? What was behind the genesis of that light? It amazed me that a single, bit of pointy light could come from so much darkness. Then imagine sitting out in a field at the beginning of the 1^st century, watching your sheep in the middle of a dark, cold night — and somewhere out there, from the inky darkness, came the small, pathetic cry of a newborn infant. Where did the cry come from? How far away was that cry? What was behind the genesis of that lonely, pathetic cry? That cry comes from our G-d, the vulnerable baby.

 “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not overcome it.” 

The hope I carry with me beyond what the world has done to what we now call “Christmas” comes to me from the Gospel of John – that the light of Christ will persist, will continue to shine at me and you, and to the world as well. Oh most will think that they see something winking at them, but for them the light will not persist for long – because they aren’t training themselves to look for or to even see the light.   But for those of us who know the power of that light, the light of Christ, we will continue to see the light as if it was looking just for us, letting us know that He is there – is everywhere – never ending, never leaving. Oh it may dim, it may even seem to go out for a second. But, we know too that it will reappear, to shine again, sometimes brighter than before. 

My prayer for you today, and throughout the year, is that the light of Christ continues to burn within you, and continues to enlighten your lives, in 2022, and give you power throughout your life.

Pastor Dave