On Sunday, January 10, 2010, we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord in my church. Rather than a regular reading of the regular story, that everyone has heard a million times, I wanted to do something different. Reading over the Lectionary texts for the week, I saw amazing possibilities in the Isaiah and Luke readings, which seemed to speak to each other. We had two readers stage this "conversation" between the prophet Isaiah and the evangelist Luke. Sometimes the Lectionary rules:
Isaiah 43:1-7 & Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Isaiah 43:1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Luke 3:15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
Luke 3:16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Isaiah 43:3-4 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.
Luke 3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Isaiah 43:5-7 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Luke 3:21-22 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Mid-Week Thoughts
Happy Epiphany, my friends!
January 6th is Epiphany, the celebration of the God's revelation to the Gentiles (non-Jews). It also marks the official end of the season of Christmas, which begins on December 25th and lasts for twelve days (hence the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"). If you ever grow jealous of our Jewish brother and sisters, who get presents each night for the eight nights of Hanukkah, you can consider reviving the old tradition of giving a series of increasingly grand presents each of the twelve days of Christmas, ending with a feast for friends on January 5th, Twelfth Night, the high point of the season.
The customs above come from the rich English Christmas tradition, which seems foreign to most of us (Who is this Father Christmas, anyway?). Most of our beloved American Christmas traditions actually come from Dutch and German settlers to the colonies. They brought us Santa Claus (aka Sinterklaas) and the Christmas Tree. Other countries have yet other ways to announce and embrace the baby born in Bethlehem. I encourage you to learn a bit about how the rest of the world--now and through history--worships The Child. You might discover some traditions you want to make your own. (As you can tell from the preceding paragraphs, Wikipedia is your friend.)
So, no matter how you cut it, Christmas is finally over. Now we must ask ourselves the question, "How am I to live?" How are we to live in a world into which God has chosen to be born? The birth of Jesus is (not was) an event of cosmic significance. If it doesn't change our lives, then perhaps we weren't paying attention, caught up in our own stuff as we often are.
Today I had the pleasure (with Blair and Marcia) of taking a cart-load full of donated food to one of our area food pantries. There we got to speak for a while with the people who get that food into the hands of needy families. It's something I wish we could all do, because it connects our generosity with the need in the world.
Today I felt a bit like one of the Magi (in fact, there were three of us!), taking gifts fit for a king. Instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh we took Ramen Noodles and Jelly, gifts fitting for the king who lifts up the lowly, the poor and the hungry. Today is Epiphany, when we celebrate the arrival of the Magi, who brought their gifts before the King of the World.
Blessings to you all...
Pastor Michael
January 6th is Epiphany, the celebration of the God's revelation to the Gentiles (non-Jews). It also marks the official end of the season of Christmas, which begins on December 25th and lasts for twelve days (hence the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"). If you ever grow jealous of our Jewish brother and sisters, who get presents each night for the eight nights of Hanukkah, you can consider reviving the old tradition of giving a series of increasingly grand presents each of the twelve days of Christmas, ending with a feast for friends on January 5th, Twelfth Night, the high point of the season.
The customs above come from the rich English Christmas tradition, which seems foreign to most of us (Who is this Father Christmas, anyway?). Most of our beloved American Christmas traditions actually come from Dutch and German settlers to the colonies. They brought us Santa Claus (aka Sinterklaas) and the Christmas Tree. Other countries have yet other ways to announce and embrace the baby born in Bethlehem. I encourage you to learn a bit about how the rest of the world--now and through history--worships The Child. You might discover some traditions you want to make your own. (As you can tell from the preceding paragraphs, Wikipedia is your friend.)
So, no matter how you cut it, Christmas is finally over. Now we must ask ourselves the question, "How am I to live?" How are we to live in a world into which God has chosen to be born? The birth of Jesus is (not was) an event of cosmic significance. If it doesn't change our lives, then perhaps we weren't paying attention, caught up in our own stuff as we often are.
Today I had the pleasure (with Blair and Marcia) of taking a cart-load full of donated food to one of our area food pantries. There we got to speak for a while with the people who get that food into the hands of needy families. It's something I wish we could all do, because it connects our generosity with the need in the world.
Today I felt a bit like one of the Magi (in fact, there were three of us!), taking gifts fit for a king. Instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh we took Ramen Noodles and Jelly, gifts fitting for the king who lifts up the lowly, the poor and the hungry. Today is Epiphany, when we celebrate the arrival of the Magi, who brought their gifts before the King of the World.
Blessings to you all...
Pastor Michael
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