And Why Has This Happened To Me?

Someone brought to the office a little statue from our Annual Rummage sale.  Santa Claus kneeling in front of baby Jesus.   It is a numbered piece in a collector series, made in Italy, and it may have been donated by one of you.  I keep for a sermon during Advent and so here it is.  We learned in our Service of Decoration of how Santa derived from St. Nicholas.  So there is some truth in this.  But we know that in the popular culture, Santa has come to serve many commercial interests.  Someone sent me an email with a child’s letter to Santa.  “Dear Santa, I just learned that you are not the reason for the season.  I do not want to be mean but I thought you would want to know.”

Jon, Aged 4 wrote, “Dear Santa, I’m sorry, but I don’t have a chimney.  I left the cat flap open for you.  Watch out for litter box.

Kayla wrote, “Please Santa, don’t bring me any new clothes. “  Kayla, Aged 9

Dear Santa,

You know that remote control car you brought last year.  Thank you!  It broke the next day.  I know you tried and that’s what counts.”  Alex, 8

I am eager to gather with you on this last Sunday of Advent.  Christmas is almost here.  I am hoping that you will spend some reading the stories of our faith.  We have heard that the Pope has started on Twitter.  He is not following anyone, but he expects to have lots of followers.  And he has already clarified that many things that are popular beliefs are not in the scriptures.  Over the years our Service of Decoration has been altered in order to contain less of the legends and more of the biblical stories.

So today we visit a story about two pregnant women laughing together in joy at what God has done.  Elizabeth is older than one would expect to be pregnant; she is so happy God has blessed her in this way.  Mary is a younger family member who has made a journey to be with her for a while.

You cannot fault Mary for wanting to get out of town for a bit.  Mary went to visit Elizabeth both out of need and out of strength.  I would guess the gossip and ridicule around her was strong and she needed a break.  She was poor, pregnant, unwed though engaged.  She was in a hurry to find a safe secure place within her extended family to be comforted, supported and affirmed.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Mary was blessed with a pregnancy of world-changing importance.  The two could spend some great mother-to-be time together.  I can safely say that if a young mom were to become a great mom, conferring with a veteran mom would be great, don’t you think.

Spending a few months with Elizabeth was also for a very positive reason.  For Mary to be blessed in this way was thrilling and she needed to tell someone who would listen and respond in a favorable way.   The messiah is going to be born with Mary; that would take some getting used to.  So she received confirmation and she gave confirmation.  Elizabeth needed to know what God was doing.  Joseph must have coping with the news in his own way and getting many things ready.   The Holy Spirit filled both Mary and Elizabeth at the moment they got together…there was great joy.  So Mary and Elizabeth offered to each other emotional connections and spiritual growth.  They blessed each other with confirmation of the blessing of what God was doing in their lives.

We all need places to express and receive confirmation of our joy at God’s goodness and love.  We need places of affirmation.  That is one of the purposes of our church.

This church needs a revival.  Most churches I know need a revival.  Each of needs to revive our beliefs in God’s goodness and God’s power.  Currently there are Christians who are convinced in God’s goodness, but not in God’s power.  And others, to hear them talk, are convinced of God’s power, but God’s goodness is only for those just like them.  Mary’s song is about both, a witness to God’s grace who has done great things for her and looks with favor upon the lowly and fills the hungry with good things.  God’s mercy is God’s forgiveness and long-suffering patience with the weakness and corruption and violence of humanity.

We see in Mary a humility which elevates God to the highest.  God has claimed her and us to be disciples ready to transform the world.  We rejoice in this blessing.  God has been blessing us from the beginning of time, so says Mary’s song.  God is saying to us:  “I will be your God, won’t you please be my people.”  Mary’s song tells the greatest blessing of all:  God is good, God is powerful, and God keeps promises.”

CAUMC IS PLACE OF BLESSING AND COMFORT SORELY NEEDED.

CAUMC IS ALSO A PLACE OF CHALLENGE TO HEAR GOD’S GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.

In the last trimester of the time in the womb, the inner ear is fully-developed.  At 26 weeks, most fetuses respond with an increase in the heart rate to sound stimulation.  There is evidence that some sounds comfort and excite excite the fetus.  Even exposure to music is thought to increase the interest of a baby after birth in sound imitation.  Find a young mother around our place and ask them what they think.

I hope that our worship and the experiences you have here both bring you comfort and stir you to greater faithfulness.  It is time to sing Mary’s song louder and live it in the world around us.

Leonard Sweet tells the story of a wedding about to begin in a Catholic church.  The groom’s party was in place and the bride and the women were lined up ready to process.  The moment had come but the organist was not playing in the loft.  The pastor waved…nothing.  The usher snapped fingers….nothing.  Finally the usher called out, with a loud voice, the organist’s first name.  “Neil, Neil!”  All over the church you could hear the dropping of the kneelers and most people kneeled.  

This week I have the privilege of hearing a mother tell about the impact of this church on the lives of her children, now grown.  They loved this place and it was the reason they started coming here.  Children were more than tolerated…they were blessed continually.  They saw this church, through children’s eyes, as a grand gathering of extra grandmas.  And grandpas, though that was not part of the conversation.  Here were people who cared about them, valued them, interacted with them, taught them new songs, and called them by name. 

As adults her children come back home and plan that visit around times when they can come and visit because they know they are loved here.  The greatest complement a church can have is to be a place of multiple Marys and Elizabeths.  And Josephs and Zechariahs.   What a blessing from God that we have that at College Avenue UMC.

The mother also told that one of their daughters had found a similar church where an usher gave high fives to children when they went by or put an offering in the plate.  High fives can be the work of the Holy Spirit.  Hugs work too.  The purpose of those things is to connect persons of faith.  What this means is that we come here awaiting opportunities to connect more deeply with people around us.  We are here hoping that God will combine our stories and connect them with God’s stories.

So…here are two expectant mothers, hugging, laughing, and singing one of the radical songs of the centuries.  They, along with Joseph and Zachariah, have listened.  It is time to laugh, to treasure, and to see where God is appearing again.  It is time to join God working for justice. 

I hope the Holy Spirit will touch your heart and you too can say with a smile along with Elizabeth:  “AND WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED…TO ME?”  We often say that when negative things happen.  But we should be saying that with positive opportunities given to us from God.

All of God’s greatest stories in the Bible start with human-sized beginnings.  God can turn a shepherd boy into king.  God can turn a poor couple into the parents of the Son of God.  God can turn a carpenter into the King of Kings. 

I am so glad that this church gives to children and youth two gifts that cannot be wrapped but are most give-able.  We want to give them a core trust that is not built on arrogance, but confidence in God.  We want them to know they can rely on the steadfastness of God; this enables them to be steadfast.  It is an awareness that if they drum well, or sing well, or write well…this is the best gift they can give their Creator.  They learn to know that there is a future ahead that takes everyone God-ward. 

How about you and me?