A message of God’s radical inclusivity for all, and how we can better bless people from other lands in duress.

Today. The word signifies the present, current moment. Today is right here, right now. Today is the focal point of our lived reality. Today is the centerpiece of all we seek to understand. Today is the midpoint between what was, what is, what we hope will be. Today is the crux of many things. And it the core of what we’ll explore in scripture, well, today.

Today is an ending
Jesus’ ministry in Nazareth launches in Luke 4 with a look back. Last week we heard Pastor Chris preach on Jesus in the synagogue on the sabbath. He opened the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and began to read.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” Jesus said.

He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives,
Sight to the blind, to let the oppressed be free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

With that Jesus rolled up the scroll, handed it to the attendant, and sat. All eyes were on him. He then gave the shortest sermon you’ll ever hear; just nine words.

“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”

Today. The –
Poor cared for,
Captives released,
Blind given sight,
Oppressed set free.

Today.

Aka the inaugural public word Jesus spoke in Luke.

With that brief homily Jesus staked claim to being he who had been prophesied of 700 years prior. The people had been waiting to be blessed, once and for all, for centuries. And here the ultimate Blessing was, finally, in the flesh.

These days we get frustrated when Amazon packages gets delayed from two days to three. Imagine what news of this delivery finally arriving must have felt like.

The time of waiting was over. For it was happening, today.

Today is also a beginning
The lectionary these past two weeks contains a curiosity: they share a verse in common. Christ’s proclamation that today this scripture has been fulfilled is so important that it both:

Concludes the gospel last week, and
Begins the gospel this week.

Said differently, today is both –
Prophesy fulfilled, and also
Ministry begun.

Today is exciting
With salvation now upon them the buzz from the synagogue grew louder.

All spoke well of him that day.
All were amazed at his gracious words.

“Is this not Joseph’s son,” the crowd wondered?
Seeing him grown up, speaking with such authority, they were in awe.

Given the build-up, the prophetic claim, the initial response, we might expect Christ to perform a grand miracle right on the spot. But that was not to be, because –

Today is also a surprise
Sensing expectation among the people Jesus began to speak. You may have heard about what I’ve done elsewhere, Jesus began.  And you may want me to do the same here, in my hometown.

To make it clear what his ministry was to be about Jesus drew from the shared history of their collective past.

Remember when it didn’t rain for three years, and famine was in the land? Remember when, in the midst of all that, God sent Elijah to a widow in Sidon? Remember how he blessed her family with food and water for days? Remember how he then raised the widow’s young son back to life?

They remembered.

God sent a prophet to Sidon? That’s a Canaanite city. Canaanites were the sworn enemies of Israel. Even more, there were thousands of faithful in Israel at the time. Yet in that moment God had sent the prophet to a –

Woman,
Widow,
Outsider.

And it was they who received the blessing, not them.

The mood of the audience listening to Jesus that day began to shift.

Jesus continued, telling one more tale from their past.

Remember Naaman, the Syrian soldier?
Remember his leprosy that would not go away?
Remember how God sent the prophet Elisha to him?
Remember when Elisha showed Naaman how to be clean?

They remembered.

Naaman immersed himself seven times in the Jordan that day and was made new.

There were other Israelites at the time with leprosy, Jesus reminded the crowd. And yet in that moment God had sent a prophet to heal a –

Syrian,
Soldier,
Outsider.

In both stories Christ told, the coming kingdom of God wasn’t just for one tribe, or country, or culture, but for –

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People with different beliefs.

It was an early example of what the expansion of God’s kingdom through the life, death and resurrection of Christ entails. It was an early example of who God’s kingdom includes. For God so loved the world. Without exception.

The crowd wanted none of it.

All the –
Good news to the poor,
Release of captives,
Sight to the blind,
Oppressed being set free.

All of that was going to be happening elsewhere, to all other sorts of people.
That much, the people concluded, was clear.

There would be no miracle for the hometown crowd that day.

Today is dangerous
Upon hearing Jesus speak the crowd quickly moved from awe to anger.

Who is this man that blesses our enemies and not us, they may have wondered?
Who exactly does he think he is?

The congregation wanted their blessing. And they wanted it now.
But Christ? He was busy expanding the kingdom.
Busy blessing other peoples in other lands.

So upset were they with this development the crowd was filled with rage.

So they –
Drove him to the edge of town,
Stood him on a cliff, hoping to push him off,
Put him at risk of dying well before his work is done.

Jesus then passed through their midst and went on his way. If there was a miracle that day, it was this.

Today is a look ahead
That Christ started his ministry by sharing how God blesses people from other lands, other cultures, other faiths foreshadows what he was to be about while with us here on earth.

We see it in the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well. He, a pious Jewish rabbi. She, a single, many times married Samaritan woman. Christ blesses her by revealing the source of living water that will never run out.

We see it when Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee to meet a man in Syria possessed by demons. Christ healed the man, granting him release from that which oppressed.

We see it with a Roman centurion, whose servant was paralyzed, and came to Jesus for help. The Centurion’s employer would later oversee Jesus’ death. And yet Christ healed the servant, all the same.

For Christ was all about crossing any barriers we can possibly think of to construct between each other including the borders of –

Gender,
Belief,
Race,
Ethnicity,
Country of origin.

Finally, today is now
Right after today’s service is our semi-annual meeting. Which, if we’re being honest with ourselves, isn’t always the most exciting for many ?.

Yet nestled among the budgets and spreadsheets and ministry reports and construction updates (woohoo elevator!) is something that, at least for us, is new.

Similar to today’s gospel, our congregation has the opportunity to proclaim blessings on people from other lands. We have a rich tradition of doing that here – our Tanzanian ministry and partnership with ELCA Global Mission are two examples. But this initiative, for us, goes beyond that.

For the past few years Bethesda has discerned whether we’d like to more specifically welcome the immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers among us.

To this end we have engaged in conversation, scriptural study, attended forums. We have studied definitions and terms, prayerfully seeking to understand. We have learned what it means to accompany these groups, and to do so legally. We have heard stories of loss of property, dignity, safety, loss of life from immigrants worldwide. Their stories are heartbreaking. Each remains hopeful for just a small slice of the freedoms we take for granted every day.

To take this next step your Church Council has received and approved a draft congregational statement that helps us better welcome these marginalized groups. Two months ago we asked for your feedback on making these four commitments to migrants and refugees:

• To welcome and minister to them
• To physically accompany them as they make new lives among us
• To advocate in ways that positively impact the current immigration and refugee crises
• To pray for them, every step of the way

Initial response from that earlier test vote was really positive. Well over 90% of you said yes, let’s be about that.

And yet blessing others is, at times, not without controversy. It is human nature to want to hold on to Christ’s blessing just for –

Our people,
Our tribes,
Our culture –

At times seeing others blessed that do not look like, believe like or live like us may even cause anger. If you find yourself getting upset right now I’ll say this – I am grateful high cliffs in central Iowa are rather rare ?

Our neighbors in Central America, Afghanistan, and so many other conflicted geographies have been waiting to be blessed for an awful long time.

Today is the day to –

Give good news to the poor.
Proclaim release to the captives,
Let the oppressed be free.

May we journey with them well. Amen.

Ksenia Oskina was starving by the time she got to the front of the hours-long line. Her goal? To experience the next big thing, a cool new American restaurant. A resident of Moscow, Russia, the year was 1990. It represented an era of change in her native land. As far as grand openings go this was one for the ages. The restaurant had a staff of 600 workers and seating for 900. Before the doors even opened that first morning more than 5,000 people had lined up outside. By the time the eatery closed that night they’d served over 30,000 customers.

Despite all the hype Ksenia had never heard of the place before. So she peered through its glass windows to see what people were eating. She curiously observed the thin slabs of meat and sliced vegetables between buns of bread. When it was her turn, she nervously asked the cashier for a hamburger. She wanted the fabulous box it came in. She saved that carton and her drink cup and brought it to work the next day to show her co-workers.

“I used that hamburger box for a long time and put my sandwich in there instead of a lunchbox,” Ksenia said. “I’d clean it, dry it on the heater and then use it again.”

What fine establishment had she dined at? The very first McDonald’s in Russia. She had a Big Mac. It’s made quite a mark on Ksenia and billions of others served.

Sport
Until Covid closure halted her streak Tani Christian had camped out for tickets at the same location in late June for seven straight years. Her goal? To see the grandest tennis event of them all: Wimbledon. A lifelong fan, she lines up for every one of Roger Federer’s matches each time the Grand Slam competition comes around. An elite player like Federer can play in up to seven matches over the two weeks. She lines up, hoping to purchase tickets, for each and every one.

To increase her odds of getting the best seats to the next big thing Tani camps out overnight until the line begins to form at 5:30am. Then, after each match is played, she runs back to the line to do it all again. “You don’t sleep much and it’s hard to get a decent meal or a shower,” she says. So she rents a room at a nearby B&B, just for the chance to quickly shower, change clothes and freshen up. You can only leave the line for up to 30 minutes, which requires her to scurry to get back. Still, “the line is special,” she says. “It’s nice to hang out with other fans. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Tech
Three days before the launch of the next big tech wonder, slated to release on November 3, 2017, lines at stores were already being formed.

The product, which had an online pre-sale earlier that Fall, had sold out in minutes. Oh, you could wait a month or two in the hopes it’d be more available later. That is always an option. But if you wanted it now? Better get in line.

At the London location the first person there brought a camping chair, a sleeping bag, clothes and food. They were in it for the long haul. Others quickly followed.

Another person in line mentioned they’d already managed to pre-order four of the hottest new gadgets; one for them, another for their partner, two to sell to make some cash. They now hoped to buy another two in person, for family living abroad, so they could have their own.

One man standing there had no interest in buying the product at all. Instead he’d been asked to wait in line so his boss could get one. Luckily he only had to wait a few hours. Another colleague was coming to take his spot overnight.

You’d have to really like your boss to be willing to do that ?. We’re talking about the latest iPhone at the time, the iPhone X.

River
Today’s text too, is a story of a throng of people excitedly awaiting the next big thing. Something significant was certainly brewing. At least that was the word on the street. Hoping to hear more, people left their homes and cities and towns and headed to the wilderness. They were filled with great expectations.

People continued to gather.
The crowd continued to grow.

They had been waiting not days or weeks for the Good News this next big thing would bring, but years. Hundreds of years. Without a king for so long they lacked leadership. Living in occupied territory they lacked agency. The Roman Empire ruled with an iron fist.
When they fought the law, the law won.

As the people congregated around the banks of the Jordan River they listened as a man began to preach. His name was John.

He encouraged them to turn over a new leaf, imploring them not to –
cheat,
threaten, or
falsely accuse.

He encouraged them to –
Clothe those without,
Feed the hungry,
Care for people with less.

To initiate this new life he encouraged them to –
Come to the waters,
repent of their sins,
be cleansed,
be forgiven, and
be made new.

For the waters of this baptism would set the people free.

He encouraged them to go back to their –

homes,
towns,
cities.

And live into this new life they’d been given.
To give it everything they had.

People continued to gather.
The crowd continued to grow.

These people, too, got in line for something exciting.
They eagerly anticipated what would come next.

All the people there were baptized that day.
Everyone. Without exception.

And this John character? He spoke like the prophets of old, what with his –
confidence,
certainty,
conviction.

The people gathered began to wonder –

Could this man be the One?
The Messiah spoken of by prophets?
The Savior they’d awaited for so long?

John, are you the next big thing?
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John demurred. “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful is coming. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

A figure then approached from the distance.
The figure then took their place at the back of the line.

When everyone else was cleansed in the river they were then cleansed too.

In this moment we get a glimpse of what it is to be –

Last of all,
Least of all,
Servant of all.

Why did this man do that?

Why did he stand in line with the –
cheaters,
philanderers,
false accusers?

Why did he stand with those that did not give of their excess to those without?

Perhaps it was to –
Stand in solidarity with all of humanity.
Stand alongside the broken world he came to save.
Stand next to the everyman, the everywoman.

Perhaps it was to stand with people just like you and me.

Now cleansed anew, the man then prayed to the good Lord above. Whatever was to happen next he to went to God in prayer for the strength to –

live, and
love, and
lead –

…whatever it was that would come next.

It was then, in that moment when the heavens opened. The Spirit descended on the man in bodily form, like a dove. It is a symbol of peace that endures.

“You are my Son, the Beloved,”
the voice from the heavens proclaimed.
“With you I am well pleased.”

Seeing and hearing this with their own two eyes, those gathered began to realize something.

They hadn’t witnessed the next big thing.
Instead, they had witnessed the greatest thing.

The arrival of the:
Price of Peace,
King of Kings,
Savior of the world.

The people began to realize, every so slowly, that –

Newly cleansed of sin, and
Having encountered the Son of God,
Their lives would never be the same.

Close
It is human nature to constantly be on the lookout for the next big thing. We do it with the –

Foods we consume,
Sports we view,
Products we buy,
…and so very much more.

We excitedly line up for it, waiting hours, days, weeks or more. All to attain that which we desire.

We watch as, over time, the next big thing invariably fades away. We realize that:

Big Macs are just that (apologies McDonalds)
Championships fade (even the great ones)
iPhones soon become obsolete (sorry Apple).

All which leaves us constantly yearning for more.

Today’s text reminds us of a time when people gathered, stood in line, and excitedly received something money can’t buy. It a gift with enduring, eternal appeal. A gift that never fades, grows old, or goes out of style.

It is a gift offered from above, by a savior who –
Stands with us,
Cleanses us,
Forgives us,
Leads us, and
Points us to better ways,

As broken, and in need of healing, as we may be. Amen.

Nestled in the Guadalupe Mountains of Southeastern New Mexico is one of the crown jewels of the US National Park System: The Carlsbad Caverns. As the name suggests, there isn’t just one cavern there but many. The park has 120 of them, with more still being found.

First discovered in 1930, each year about half a million people visit the popular landmark.

The main attraction in the cavern is the Big Room. With a length of almost 4,000 feet the Big Room is just that; it is the largest cave chamber in North America.

There are two ways to get to the Big Room. You can take an elevator 750 feet down to it, a nice modern touch for such an ancient space. Or you can take the one-mile hike into the mouth of the cave, just like the original explorers did almost 100 years ago.

Once there, one thing is guaranteed: you’ll experience something difficult to achieve. During each tour the Park Ranger gathers everyone together, explains what will happen next, unlocks a panel on the wall, and then flicks a switch.

And there you will be, in a room large enough for six football fields, with perhaps a few dozen people by your side, surrounded in complete and utter darkness.

Devoid of any visual cues to help make sense of the surroundings some people who go wave their fingers in front of their face. Others hold hands with loved ones to know they are there. Panic may set in, the guide explains, but just take a few deep breaths. Because the Park Ranger will turn the lights back on soon.

People describe the experience in a variety of ways.
Terrifying.
Awe-inspiring
Sacred.

I went as a child. Standing there is indeed something I’ll never forget.

Genesis & John
Long before those caverns came into being darkness was all there was.

In the beginning, when God created from nothing, the earth was formless. Darkness reigned supreme. But a new wind was blowing. Change was in the air. God said, Let there be light and there was light. With that God separated the light from the darkness. God saw the light and called it good. And there was morning, and there was evening, the first day.

Our text this morning offers us another creation story. This one has a twist.

In the beginning was the Word.
And the Word was with God.
And the Word was God.

So starts the gospel of John. If you listen closely, with the Word being Jesus, you can hear an early echo of trinitarian theology ringing through.

What has come into being in the Word was –
the life, and
the light
of all people.

This is the birth story of Jesus according to the fourth gospel.

For the light shines in the darkness.
And the darkness did not overcome it.

The rest of Christ’s ministry reveals the nature of this light going forth one –
Conversation,
Person,
Meal,
Miracle
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…at a time

And later one –
Crucifixion,
Resurrection,
Ascension;

…ensuring Christ’s light would brighten the world forevermore.

Both creation stories speak to –
Order, emerging from chaos.
Light, emerging from darkness.

They also both speak to the role of the divine, illuminating the change.

Making all this –
Order,
light, and
hope for brighter tomorrows possible.

Today
This past year has been a tough one in many ways.

With few cues to help make sense of our surroundings we may be tempted to focus on the darkness.  When we do it allows little room for anything else. Fear, panic, alarm, may all start to creep in. Yet –

As short winter days grow longer,
(more light is coming)
As one year closes and a new one begins,
(more light is coming)

Let us also look for wisdom in the depths of the Carlsbad Caverns.

For once upon a time, a young couple took their two young children there. As the family reached the deepest part of the Big Room, the guide turned off the lights, as they always do, to show just how dark it can be. Enveloped in complete darkness, the couple’s seven-year-old boy began to cry. He was scared. Immediately they heard the quiet voice of his big sister, who was only 11.

“Don’t cry,” the sister said. “Someone here knows how to turn on the lights.”

Seconds later the lights can back on. They always do. All was well in the little boy’s world.

Christ knows how to turn on the lights. Even better –
Christ is the light.

May Christ be your light.
May Christ show you the way.

For just a little light, amid the darkness, is all we truly need. Amen.

A Christmas eve message based on Luke 2:8-20.

Something new was in the air. That much the herders of sheep were certain of.

Against the backdrop of a normal worknight a figure mysteriously appeared. From where had it come? And what was the light that surrounded it? The warm glow the being emanated was unlike any star or sun or moon or candle or lantern they had ever seen.

Was this thing –
Man or myth?
Demon or divine?

With little else to go on the herder’s lizard brains quickly took over. The stories they told themselves were ominous. They could not help but assume the worst. Their approach to interpreting this new information was, admittedly, a very human thing to do.

The air around them quickly filled with anxiety, dread, terror, an impending sense of doom. They didn’t know what it was that stood before them. But they were sure – quite positive in fact – that, whatever it was, it could not be good.

They braced for impact.
The mysterious figure then spoke.

Encouraging them to fear not.
Proclaiming to them Good News.
A good news that is for all.

With each word shared the winds that surrounded them, ever so slowly, began to shift. No longer did fear reign supreme.

Instead, the air was filled with something else entirely.

Angels they did hear, on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains

Glooooooooooria
In excelsis Deo

Their chorus echoed across the skyline.
Verse, by verse, by verse.

Even better, the angel shared, this Good News could be experienced firsthand. Don’t just take our word for it, the heavenly host suggested. Just follow these directions –

Go to the city,
Find the manger,
Find the child newly born –

Go, see for yourselves.

As the angels departed the sounds of their prophetic song grew faint. The light they embodied grew dim. The shepherds returned to their darker, more silent night.

What now? The herders couldn’t help but wonder.

Should they stay or should they go now?

The conversation between them couldn’t help but clash.

Staying would bring with it normalcy. A continuation of that which they knew. The fields, the herd, the routine. They were at least familiar with these scenes. The good, the bad, the ugly of it, and all.

But going? The siren’s songs still lingered in their ears. Could acting on this heavenly invitation be as great as the angels professed?

The air around the shepherds filled with excitement. Why yes, they concluded.

Yes.
It could.

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They made great haste.
They imagined seeing the promised one with their own two eyes.

They then found Mary, Joseph, the manger.
They then saw the child newly born.

Upon discovering that what the angels proclaimed was true –

The herders couldn’t help but share with all who would listen, their –

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
And heav’n and nature sing
And heav’n and nature sing
And heav’n and heav’n and nature sing.

Mary treasured these words, holding them closely in her heart.

Something new was afoot that first Christmas. As Mary, Joseph and the shepherds gathered around the Christ-child the air was filled not with dread, but with –

Joy,
Hope,
Love.

Today something new is also in the air. A series of somethings really.

Virus variants,
Immigration crises,
Economic inflation,
Racial tensions,
Political discord.

With news constantly pouring in about these challenges – and so many more – it is easy for our lizard brains to take over. When they do we opt for fight, or flight, or freezing in fear.

Often this is what fills the air between us.
Often this is what causes our divides.

When that happens –

May we, like the shepherds,
Listen for the celestial songs,
giving glory to God, in the highest

May we, like the shepherds.
Accept the angelic invitation and go,
seeing God’s promise, for all, ourselves.

For when we do we fill the air between us not with fear,
but with joy, hope, love, and song.

Oh holy child of Bethlehem,
descend to us we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in,
be born in us today.

Merry Christmas everyone. Amen.