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What I love about these texts this week is that it really does speak to the meaning and identity of family. Here we have the prophecy of Isaiah complete in today’s Gospel— the shoot of Jesse sprung, Jesus Christ Our Lord and savior—God with us. Jesus, the tree of life, is only hoping we would be and become the branches of His Body in the world for His Gospel’s sake— essentially we are to be and become the children of Grace and promise.
There is this one image I have always appreciated from my
days of studying Stephen's Ministry. This image is of considering Christ as the
great tree. He is the great tree on the top of that hill with loving branches
reaching down just near to the edge of the valley, the one you are reaching out
from, in efforts to grab hold of, to pull you out of the pit. The task of
reaching, in many ways, is the same as our response— our seeking of God's hand,
guidance and rule in our lives. Often though, we may be feeling as if
we’re reaching out from that valley and are not able to grasp hold, be rescued
from our circumstances or very present evil. It is a sad element of
coming to understand, why evil happens—why does God allow it? The great
existential question that Job wrestled with and that we still wrestle with on our
daily journeys as disciples of Jesus, still goes unresolved.
The rulers of the world, such as Herod in today’s Gospel,
think in terms of destruction and chaos. It’s important to realize that the
human inclination to sin, to do evil often begins with that element of fear
which then couples and embraces greed as well as is rationalized through,
carried through by our grave sin of indifference. There is no meaning for them
to the concept of “preservation or restoration,” they would rather grow in the
wilderness, under their own control. This wilderness of graceless behavior is
nothing less than an empty promise, also known as the reality of hell.
For Herod, the hell, he would create is the slaughter of the innocents.
In his sick and twisted mind, the massacre of hundreds of infants would
preserve his "political machine" and thus control (he thought) the
Messiah’s return…
In today's Gospel we hear of the Magi who have been
historically speculated to have numbered somewhere between 15 to possibly 30
travelers, but the only ones we hear about are the three. Their importance is
fairly significant and we will even acknowledge this further, next week, when
we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord. The Magi were basically instrumental in
helping to save the Holy Family in this week's Gospel. They knew the
treacherous heart of Herod was seeking to murder a possible rival or ‘King of
the Jews.’ But they outwitted him, as we know however, the cost, would be
great, if not dire, for many mothers and families in the region of
Bethlehem… For the voice and persona of Israel’s mothers’, Rachel, was
truly never to be consoled…
Currently these days it's hard not to keep your eyes and
ears away from the news, especially in regards to hearing about the ancient
land of Israel. There is now a complex divide and ongoing war that has yet to
find peace between many different parties. All of these parties,
ironically come from different root-age, but are a part of a much greater
family. This would be the peoples of Palestine and the peoples, descendants of
the original ‘chosen’ people, the Israelites or in common
understanding—Israelis. Like their ancient ancestors, they have been
trying to come home, from an exile of circumstances that human frailties
throughout history have created a complex web, they still feel in bondage to.
There are many countries who have invested interest in
putting their “politically-stained” hands of control upon the already weighted
shoulders of a people who have not found real peace in something like five
thousand years! These are people who still have not seen or realized, to their understanding
that the Messiah has come. How could they really have much hope to go upon, how
could they feel genuinely encouraged? I think that their courage is challenged,
their faith and resolve is challenged especially with so many people
interfering for other reasons and agendas, which really have nothing to do with
reclaiming what they have called home.
We know from that metaphor of simple gardening again,
that if you don't successfully root, plant a tree into the ground it will
wither and die. Jesus is the root of our lives and His Holy patronage and human
roots are planted in the town of Nazareth. It is here, that He would be known
as the Nazarene, where His family would return to, once they came back from
Egypt, upon Herod's death. I read some commentaries for this Sunday where
they talked about or considered, Jesus and the Holy family to be refugees. I
would go a step further and say that we are all refugees especially in a
spiritual sense when it comes to how we are growing as children of Grace and
promise that we are to be and become upon our Father’s commissioning (our
baptism).
I know you've heard, in many a sermon I have preached,
the concept of being and becoming the children of Grace and promise. There's
two aspects that you will always see the New Testament hearken to and that is
the majesty and magnificence of the reality of Grace as well as the spiritual
challenge and hope of promise. The word promise maybe something we have a hard
time leaning upon or feeling hopeful for, since we are frail humans. We are
both aspiring saint, and at times, the willful sinner… Promise beckons our
trust and our capacity to hope, specifically, beyond ourselves. It is our gracious
and faithful affirmation of trusting in God and His sovereign purposes for our
lives. Think of the wonderful lyrics for a moment, from Handel’s
Messiah—for unto us a child is born, a savior and a king… Just
acknowledging with joy and thanksgiving, through our faith, the hope of the
Messiah, entering our world—a God who indeed came down to us—gives us our
identity and grounds us— and plants within us, into that good soil of Grace,
the seed of the New Creation!
One of the educational notes, I have to share from
assisting once in blessing a congregant’s home, was that incorporating the name
of Jesus especially saying: ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ helps to not only cleanse the
home, but to make it safe against evil. As St. Paul said in that beautiful hymn
from his letter to the Philippians, chapter two, at the name of Jesus every
knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father. This creedal
hymn encourages our lives cling to that promise—God is with us, just like those
leaves upon those branches to the Body of that tree of life that is Jesus.
Isaiah as we have come to know from many a study and many
a hearing, had the clearest prophecy of the coming hope and the journey of the
Messiah. This is something we've needed to hear and we've needed to cherish.
For thousands of years the chosen people may have felt or thought to be chosen
but never felt that they were allowed to come home. In many senses they are
still refugees within what should be their home, Israel. We have heard from the
beautiful poetry of many of an Isaiah text, the challenge of living through the
Exile and coming home. And as Disciples of Jesus we have dealt with the
challenges of another kind of Exile—spiritually, as our lives Journey to
respond to God's grace as His children.
This very first Sunday within the season of Christmas, is
to teach our hearts the true meaning of Christmas. Christ Jesus gives us
our identity and a real sense of home. He gives us our hope and is God’s
promise—here and now—with us. We should never feel lost or in
bondage. We are made a prisoner only to the Evil One’s empty promises and
temptations upon us to lure us into a willful exile away from God and any
genuine hope we could have for righteousness and peace. A lot like making
those “new year’s resolutions,” why not start the journey of peace by
reconciling with God—begin to tend to that spiritual garden—reap that New
Nature seed—to rebirth? Be the gift of peace to love God and neighbor—unite the
world—grow love.
There is a lot of uncertainty and fear, thick in the air
these days—the life of the Christian is not an easy road yet alone makes sense
to our human rationalizations… but we must carry on. The faith of Joseph,
to realize God's voice in a dream rescuing him, Mary and the Infant Jesus is a
wonderful testimony of faith in action. We will realize our true role in the
family of God, once we put our faith and trust in God's work active throughout
our everyday lives. God With Us and His New Nature promise is planted for us to
merely reap.
Let us pray,
Heavenly Father once we realize our task of growing with
Your Holy Word and Will
We will reap with joy that New Nature seed planted within
our hearts to establish our adoption as Your sons and daughters, truly the
children of Grace and promise.
It is true, we are refugees in our journeys to loving You
and neighbor.
Help us to escape from our spiritual exile and return to
our true home trusting in
Your love and mercy to always guide us.
Amen
January 1st,
2017; First Sunday after Christmas; Year A; SOLA Lectionary
Sermon by:
Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins
Psalm 111;
Isaiah 63:7-14; Galatians 4:4-7; Matthew 2:13-23
The link below is to this sermon's delivery at the Grace Hub on December 30th, 2016, 9pm
https://youtu.be/1Zt9RkyOoZo
https://youtu.be/1Zt9RkyOoZo
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