Episodes
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
Dear Friends,
You’ve got to be kidding. Do you really mean to tell me that the author of the Big Bang, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Messiah, the Promised One is that helpless new born crying out there in the stable? Give me a break. Well, as it turns out, that’s exactly why the baby Jesus is in the manger… to give us the biggest break that ever was. It’s Yaweh, Almighty God, in a pint-sized package come to change the whole trajectory of human experience. That little bundle, a few minutes old, is here to teach and to preach, to sanctify and ultimately to redeem us all. He is our ticket to eternal life.
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have life everlasting.(John 3:16) That’s the miracle of Christmas. That’s what all the carols and the crèches are about. It’s a stunning concept, but one that we have heard so often that we are in danger of becoming oblivious to the awesome reality that is Christmas. Let’s take another look at the miracle of Christmas and what it means in our lives today.
First let’s get some basic concepts straight. God is not some remote force who lit the fuse on the Big Bang, got the machinery in motion and is waiting around for inertia to bring the whole thing crashing down. God cares more about you at this moment than he does for all the stars in the universe. They are just masses of energy and matter. You are his beloved… made in his image and likeness. You are the reason there is a Christmas… the moment God’s love emerged in human form for our redemption.
From beginning to end that is the theme of John’s gospel… the divinity of Christ… the personification of God’s love… the vehicle of our salvation. The babe in the manger will not grow up to be a well-meaning prophet or a martyred folk-hero. He was, is and always will be… God, the Second Person of the Trinity. He is the Son of the Father. But being Second and being the Son does not imply that Jesus is a junior varsity version of God.
We are made in God’s image. He is not made in ours. God uses human concepts, expressed in human language, to give us a basic comprehension of what to us is his incomprehensible divine nature. In God’s good time, each of us will stand before him possessing greater knowledge than the wisest theologian and the most inspired evangelist ever had. We will see the face of God. Short of that, we rely on John’s brilliant summation: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.
That means that the infant in the manger was, is, and always will be the Word of God. Jesus is the living manifestation of God’s love: made flesh and dwelt among us. Think about it. Christmas is a miracle as big as Creation. Yet it is enacted on a human scale and in humble circumstances for our instruction… an instruction that is repeated over and over in all four gospels.
The Nativity is Christ’s very first sermon to us. And while he never says a word, it is perfectly in tune with every other sermon he preached… Blessed are the poor in spirit… Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… Store up for yourself treasures in heaven…The first shall be last and the last shall be first.
The Nativity brings God’s love into our lives in a shape and form that Christians have embraced down through the ages. God, who made it all, who has it all, gave his all… to us, in total loving humility. The power that placed every star in the heavens, placed his love in the manger in the form of Jesus Christ. Suddenly, God is not a distant being. He is Emmanuel… God with us… beside us and in us. God on earth… teaching us how to love… how to hope… how to believe. Showing us how to live… how to die… how to rise with him.
On Christmas and every day of the year, Jesus brings God down to us and us up to God. That’s the miracle of Christmas. From the straw strewn floor of the stable to the farthest reaches of space… all creation cries Gloria in Excelsis Deo!
God love you,
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
"The Righteous" - A Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
For someone who never says a word recorded in scripture, Joseph makes a powerful statement in this morning’s gospel. Joseph, the betrothed of Mary… Joseph, the protector of Jesus… Joseph, the faithful provider comes to us in scripture as Joseph, the silent. But while he never says a single word, there is a single word said of him that speaks volumes. Matthew’s gospel tells us Joseph is… righteous.
It’s a word that has gotten a bad rap lately. Mistakenly it has become synonymous with “self-righteous.” And consequently it has been identified with all the petty, often vicious, behaviors that mind-set implies. A self-righteous person is “judgmental”… boiling over with “righteous indignation” for every real or imagined slight. Clearly that isn’t Joseph.
If Joseph had been judgmental and self-righteous his reaction to the news of Mary’s pregnancy would have been very different. To the self-righteous, their proud opinions are the measure of rectitude. In that light Joseph would have been furious. He would have lined up to cast the first stone to punish his seemingly errant bride to be. But Joseph was righteous… not self-righteous. The source of his righteousness was not pride. It was his faith in God… in his love and in his mercy… the same love and mercy he extended to Mary, well before he learned that her child was conceived of the Holy Spirit.
The Hebrew word used to describe Joseph is sedeq. It’s a not a word that denotes virtue in the abstract so much as it describes a pattern of behavior. We don’t have an equivalent English word. But we do have an expression that captures its essence: Joseph was right with the Lord… and that’s what guided every aspect of his life.
By prevailing community standards, Joseph was shirking his responsibility. Let this girl get away unpunished, and where will it all end? But Joseph’s measure of rectitude was not his standing in the community or even the letter of the law. He was not driven by revenge or fear of what the neighbors might say. He lived to love, honor and obey God. He was right with the Lord. And that was his essential qualification for the awesome responsibility of nurturing and protecting the fetus, the infant, the child, the adolescent Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer.
Yet to the 21st Century ear, there is still something quaint and antique about the concept of righteousness. Perhaps it smacks of the “muscular Christianity” that was the hallmark of less tolerant times. Thankfully the pendulum has long since piqued on that arc. But has it swung too far in the opposite direction? Arguably we live in a world now governed by situational ethics where good and evil are relative terms and righteousness is an absolute and therefore obsolete concept.
So what does it mean, if anything, to be righteous today? It means what it has always meant… to be right with God… to live to serve his purposes. And that means, like Joseph, we are called to be merciful not to be avenging angels. We are called to be obedient, to righteously shoulder whatever responsibilities God gives us. We are called to be channels of his love… not miserly hoarders of his blessings.
But how do we know when we are right with God? Is there a digital righteousness meter? Or perhaps, like Olympic divers or figure skaters, a heavenly panel of judges scores our every move? No… but there is something infinitely more accurate… the word of God alive in us every day. It tells us that righteousness is not a destination. It is the path we choose when we follow Christ. It is when we regularly seek and follow his will… when we don’t need a burning bush to sense his presence… because our life is an ongoing conversation with God… when we know “What Would Jesus Do?” is not a bumper sticker, but a reflexive template for our lives. And finally, we will know we are right with God… when Jesus welcomes us home with a loving: Well done, good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your Lord .
God love you,
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
"Great Epectations" - A Reflection for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year A
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
Dear Friends,
While we wait for Christmas, it’s useful to remember that the symbol of our faith isn’t Santa Claus. It’s not candy canes or mistletoe. It’s not even the Christmas crèche. It is the cross...
Friday Dec 02, 2016
Friday Dec 02, 2016
Dear Friends,
Two millennia before television, he provided a novel afternoon’s entertainment. His audiences ranged from the curious to the zealous. He was a curiosity himself…down by the river, dressed in camel skins, living on locusts, crying to the heavens: Repent. Repent. Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Seen through contemporary, secular eyes, John was anything but the ideal next- door neighbor. He dressed funny. He talked funny. He was noisy and he drew crowds. You might say he was the original “Jesus-freak.” Today, by most, he’d be judged as unfit for polite society. Better give this guy a very wide berth.
But John knew his purpose and he served it. He was here specifically to prepare the way of the Lord. And he did it with gusto. After this encounter with Jesus, the Baptist went on to his martyr’s reward. He was not here to see and to share the good news of the risen Christ. But we are. And that is our specific purpose… to proclaim the risen Christ, to build his kingdom, to witness his love. We’ve been raised on it. Every Sunday we celebrate it in song and in prayer. We share it in fellowship.
And then a very strange thing happens. We slip out the church door and back into the secular mainstream. And from Sunday to Sunday, there’s seldom, if ever, a public word of Jesus on our lips. Chances are we’ll never be called to wrap ourselves in camel skins and live on locusts. But we are called to proclaim Jesus, to build his kingdom, to witness his love. We have been told specifically that if we do not proclaim him, if we actively or passively deny Christ, his Father will deny us.
We’ve come a long way from the banks of the Jordan. When was the last time you proclaimed Jesus to friends, neighbors…even your own family? In fact, if our lives were the only testament available, would anyone even know that Christ had ever lived, had died for us, is risen and will come again?
This gospel really hits home for those of us who must struggle with the material realities of parish ministry. John was not distracted by budgets, maintenance, schedules, record keeping, reporting… all the operating issues that crowd our calendar. He cared little for his shelter, his health care, his nutrition… even his dress and hygiene. What he did care for passionately was God… and the mission God gave him to call his people to repentance and renewal
So what do we take away from this Advent gospel? We are disciples… not spectators. It is a message we have heard in many forms, many times before. But this year, let’s make it real. As we anticipate Christmas… let’s truly prepare the way of the way of the Lord. Let’s face the fact that a play-it-safe Christian is hardly a Christian at all. Let’s put Christ at the center of our day. Let’s rise with him, dine with him, drive with him, work with him. Then let’s not keep him our secret.
Start small. How about wishing: “God bless you.” rather than “Good luck?” Better yet, combine that acclamation with reflexive acts of kindness. Feeling braver? Try greeting good news, whatever the source, with: “Thank you, Lord.” Dining out? Say a simple grace before meals. No need to be ostentatious. But don’t be secretive either. “Thank you, Lord, for this meal and all the blessings of this day.” From the heart, that will do just fine. With practice, go further. Seek out fellow Christians among the folks you see each day. Tell them of your faith journey. Ask them to share theirs.
Don’t be shy. Starting today, proclaim Emmanuel: Christ with us. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. And this time, make it real.
God love you!
Fr. Sellery