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The genesis of hope began with the dream of the Messiah
for the oppressed peoples of Israel.
That hope would be realized with the birth of New life into the world
whose name was to be Jesus. Handel’s
Messiah music captures the poetry of the moment of the King of Kings being born
into the world, in order, to save it from itself. “For unto us a Child is born,
unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His
name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace…”
That entire verse is actually from the prophetic words of
the Prophet Isaiah. Today’s reading
comes from a much later voice and chapter of Isaiah, who continues to declare
this same Messianic hope, but adds another level to it with expressing the
passion of the people to be truly freed.
And neither he nor John the Baptist and others afterwards, dared to keep
silent on their hoping upon hopes, to be truly saved, to be truly free. The
Messiah, the king of kings, lord of lords first had to come into this
world… As we celebrated this past Christmas
Eve Sunday, he sure did make a grand entrance into our humanity in a country
stable born of a young virgin and a working class carpenter. From this point
onward, Jesus would grow into His human side to reveal His divine plans for all
the world to see.
What has actually become a cornerstone to our Christian
faith, is that the Messiah did indeed come down to us, into our humanity. Jesus
grew up amongst us and transformed our understanding of the world from His
death and resurrection onward and forever.
From the beginning to the end, we see hope’s genesis into the world as
our point of realizing truthfully what freedom really means. During the time of Jesus entry into our
humanity, growing up for the Jews was growing into the law of Moses. Becoming an adept spiritual student of an
understanding of righteousness and covenant.
We will soon come to hear and witness through the Living Word, how
Jesus’ growing up, as our pure example of New life, is a completion goal for
humanity, being the start of a New heaven and a New earth.
Being a complete person through the love of Christ—this
is the big note, the Holy Spirit had my heart hear from the wonderful readings
we have this Sunday. We can begin to
think about this by thinking about how we have grown and what our eyes, hearts
and minds have experienced over the years.
Simeon and Anna represent that wonderful spiritual transition of seeing
God, realizing God as not only New life, but a resurrecting, renewing, and saving
Grace. There is a beautiful painting by
an unknown artist who shows Simeon embracing the infant Jesus in his arms. The
flow of tears from his eyes down the lines of his face are those of joy and
true wisdom. For his whole life, he
would not feel or realize being complete till he experienced the hope that
Jesus gives us all.
This past week, my husband & I have been enjoying
sharing our new life out here in Vegas with a dear friend from the Chicago
area. We basically explored as much as we could of the Strip and beyond. One of our explorations, was with other
friends to see the new film, ‘The Darkest Hour…’ Talk about an amazing and timely film in
juxtaposition to our first Sunday after Christmas scriptures! This rather short artistic sketch of Winston
Churchill’s coming into power as the Prime Minister of England directly
reflected our spiritual need to grow, take on being accountable to others and
be accepted for what we were able to realize through our journey in this one
earthly life thus far.
Churchill, was by no means a young man anymore, and
certain carved out a lifestyle for himself that many both condemned him for and
couldn’t take his heart’s convictions, judgments seriously. In fact, his many opponents feared his
overreaching mouth and decisions. What
they would come to realize about him only truly towards the end of this film,
was that his leading through his unpopular, feared convictions helped them to turn
the tides of the war. His seemingly big mouthed actions and sometimes crude
advances helped him to save England from surrendering to Hitler. What his eyes and his life saw from growing
into an old man, revealed a profound hope that would not only help him to
spiritually feel complete about his life’s journey, but he saw the light of
hope.
Seeing the light of hope, that nugget of thought from
both our scriptures and the film ruminated in the back of my mind when my
friend & I were walking our feet raw all over the strip. The very last day of her stay with us had us
go down to the Bellagio to see their magnificent floral Christmas display and
their fountain as well as we went across the street to walk through this mini
Paris and its adjoining mall. I’ve heard
it said, earlier on, when we first moved here, that Vegas is a melting pot of
many people from other places. Truly a
home of many transplants, but not to be seen as many exiles. Culture is a funny thing, you can begin to
see all the connecting dots of where the world has gone and where the future
may take us.
The visual collage of these snippets of “America,” are
only a veneer to what lies underneath the surface. The art and architecture,
sights and sounds are only the surface of the nature and character to what is
Vegas. Sounds like I’m giving you a mini lecture in the being and purpose of
art itself. Actually though, I am going
to be bringing you to understand what the Gospel this week, and in total, is
trying to teach humanity to open its eyes to see—the complete person. The complete person or perhaps better said,
the completed person, is one who takes charge in their life to live beyond
themselves in reaching out in love to serve God and neighbor. The light of the
Gospel has finally revealed to them a certain truth to find wholeness in who
they are and what they bring as a child of God.
Coming full circle to realize that you are indeed a child
of God opens the light of grace to see and experience the joy of the promise of
New life. Both Simeon and Anna, in
today’s Gospel, saw it, what have you seen on your faith journey thus far? The close of our time together with our
friend this past week had us take a tour of walking through the “Fremont Street
Experience.” The first time I saw it,
was when I first came to visit our church in the steamy month of August, last
year. I marveled at the thought that it
was still 100 degrees at 10pm! This time
it was obviously much more pleasant temperature-wise, to walk through the
“experience,” and really experience the people, much more than before.
Like walking through a circus but none of the people were
intentional performers, I was struck with a note of sadness seeing so many
silent homeless people either standing or sitting like fixtures throughout this
walkway. One man, in particular, had no
signs, no hats or items suggesting he was looking for a handout, but he stared
blankly forward while stroking his dog sitting near the center walkway. Fluttering past him were tourists clutching
cocktails, political demonstrators in costumes and young men and women nearly
naked selling the idea of sex, for the world to see. It was rather surreal to see and experience
this honestly. It was, as well, a very real picture of how broken our humanity
is. The way the world was painted here, showed its darkened corners, revealed
the lost and most disturbingly revealed the true emptiness and fear of becoming
hopeless.
I’ve seen many darkened corners of the world in my 48
years lived in Chicago and there was a universal element to be seen here as
well. What happens when we can’t or
won’t live into our convictions of living as children of grace and promise,
God’s children? Just what then, have we actually adopted? Our views and understandings of making our
way through this one earthly life reveal often, some extremes. The fancy decadent stores within and
surrounding the Bellagio were incredible to experience… from a chocolate
dripping sculpture candy store to a “make-up” stand giving out free samples to
a $400 eye cream… Extremities in wealth, was one thing to see, and the other
was what is the goal and purpose of life? Pictures were definitely being
painted… but the final canvas was nowhere to be seen or found. As I said last Sunday, there is much more to
life than eating, drinking and making merry.
We are all to face death, but the kind of death, Christ Jesus is to
teach us to pursue is to die to our egos, our selfishness, idolatry and
depravity. We are to die to sin,
(growing up in Jesus’ terms) and rise to New life—one that reveals the New
Heaven and Earth—Kingdom of God.
We are literally one day away from a brand, new
year. Just what are your plans for truly
making the year, NEW for you? Can you
place yourselves spiritually in the persons of Simeon and Anna and feel that
joy within your arms—holding the Christ child?
Can you feel the genesis of Hope growing in your heart in seeing a new
chapter in the story of our ministry journey together, as First Congregational
Church this coming year? There will
never be a sense of complete security with anything, this is the reality of
life that we have no control over. The
character playing Churchill didn’t know, but took that great and terrifying
leap of faith nonetheless, for a greater goal beyond himself. Some of the protestors or demonstrators on Fremont
Street, carried signs warning and challenging people to help stop
sex-trafficking, hopefully some people opened their eyes to what they couldn’t
and shouldn’t be silent about and hopefully those being oppressed came to seek
help. Let the tears of your struggles
and all that you have experienced this past year, teach your heart to breathe
in that New life, hope’s genesis of the New year to come. And as my favorite scripture goes—we can do
all things through Christ who indeed strengthens us, now and always.
Let us pray—
Gracious and Loving God,
Help our hearts to experience that genesis of hope each
New year brings
Help us to grow up and strive to become complete persons
through Your law of Love
Help us not be silent in the darkness of our world—may we
become a light of grace and promise to others
As Your adopted sons and daughters
Finally help us to embrace Your New life in our hearts,
minds and all that we do and say
For Your glory and Kingdom’s sake—AMEN
First Sunday
after Christmas; December 31st, 2017; Year B; SOLA Lectionary
Sermon by:
Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins, OSST
Psalm 111;
Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:22-40
https://youtu.be/8WcdlUwhvkI
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