Sunday Dec 16, 2012
Zeph 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-`18
Prayer:
We see in our OT & Gospel
stories the suggestion that the main idea is one of “Gift Giving.”
Our story in Luke reminds me
of the movie “The Matrix.”
In the movie, Morpheus, is
“The John the Baptist” of the movie, although, he is a much better dresser than
the Baptist. In the movie Morpheus is on a mission to call out the old order
and bring to light “The Truth.” The old… namely, that we are all plugged into a
machine, ie “The Matrix.” It is the safe home of humanity.
Morpheus proclaims he is not
“The One”, but is seeking and preparing the way for “The One.” Along the way
Morpheus has liberated a few from their comfortable comas to join him in
seeking “The One” who will save them. The problem… outside the Martrix the
world is a dark & dangerous place. Being connected to the system/Matrix is
comfortable and safe and outside the system, if one is willing is the gift is
liberty & freedom… but it’s a struggle.
Then, in Zephaniah, there are
2 gifts… Judgment and Joy… we read the joy part as part of our readings, and
these two gifts are referred to as “The Day of the Lord.” Zephaniah is a
prophet in the 7th century BC and about 50 years after Isaiah, and
about 10-15 years before Jeremiah. The rulers spoken of in Zephaniah are those
of Judah and not some foreign oppressor. Zephaniah is speaking of the unjust
social & political policies the rulers have enacted and that they have
turned away from God. Which by the way is the nation’s MO. The Israelites are
always turning to God only to turn away from God. Zephaniah challenges them to turn
back to God or God will bring judgment.
The buzz-word for this book
is “The Day of the Lord.” Chp 1:17-18… “The
Day of the Lord will come and their blood shall be poured out like dust and the
earth shall be consumed.” But, also within this story is “The Day of the
Lord” where Zephaniah reports that God says,
“The Day of the Lord, I will renew you… I will remove disaster… I will deal
with your oppressors… I will restore you.” Zeph 3:17-20
So… One could say… it’s Gift
Giving Time.
One wouldn’t necessarily get
this from Luke’s John the Baptist. John starts his sermon by saying, “You bunch
of snakes.” Some translations say, “You brood of Vipers.” John is not…. To
borrow a phrase from Dale Carnegie…trying to “How to win friends and influence
people.” nor… is Zephaniah as he starts his sermon by saying, “The Lord says,
Now I will promise to destroy everything.” Not a pretty picture isn’t.
So… you may be wondering…
where are the gifts?
I
believe there are two gifts in each of our stories… the gift of Judgment and
the gift of Joy.
In Zephaniah, the gift of
judgment is that God is going to take care of Judah’s rulers if they are
willing to turn back to God. The people heed this warning and after a while God
delivers them and provides the promise… vs 18… “The Lord promised, your sorrow
has ended, you can celebrate.”… and thus the gift of Joy.
In Luke, John the Baptist
provides God’s gift of Judgment in the form of “Meta-noi-a”… vs 8 “Do something
to show that you really have given up your sins.” In other words…. Demonstrate
you’ve made a change… that you have turned around.
So the people say, “What do I
have to do?”
-
John tells them…
if you have 2 coats, give one away.
-
If you have food,
share it.
-
To the Tax
Collector… don’t make people pay more than they should.
-
The soldier…
don’t force people to pay you more… be satisfied with your wage.
o
The gift of Joy…
sharing with others.
So… what does this say to us
today as we begin the 3rd week of our Advent preparations?
- Immediate Gratification
For the most part people want
immediate gratification… give it to me now… then I will have joy… happiness. I
don’t believe that’s how we started out in this life. There’s a TV commercial
out right now that shows a toddler playing in the box that her gift was in… she
is not playing with the toy, but the box. The box has more value… a simple box!
On Thanksgiving I did something I've never done. Maybe it's because as I get old-er I'm thinking about this kind of stuff more. Actually, I've been thinking about this for a few years now, but just getting around to verbalizing it now.
As we gathered to say a prayer I said to my family that I was glad we were able to gather as a family. That as I get older, balder, and fatter I appreciate all of you that much more. That I hope that we can love one another in greater ways. That despite our differences and understandings we can still share life together. And... that the true gift was that we were a family, and that means more to me than anything. I love you all!
On Thanksgiving I did something I've never done. Maybe it's because as I get old-er I'm thinking about this kind of stuff more. Actually, I've been thinking about this for a few years now, but just getting around to verbalizing it now.
As we gathered to say a prayer I said to my family that I was glad we were able to gather as a family. That as I get older, balder, and fatter I appreciate all of you that much more. That I hope that we can love one another in greater ways. That despite our differences and understandings we can still share life together. And... that the true gift was that we were a family, and that means more to me than anything. I love you all!
In Zephaniah… there is a
common phrase “I Will.” Hearing this doesn’t always satisfy our immediate
needs. It does say, if we want
utopia, it will take work, and whatever that is, it might not be there. I’m wondering if the gift we desire
here is that of simplicity. Yet…
simplicity is rarely SIMPLE. But…
maybe it’s the gift we need to practice!
- Restore Us
These stories also offer to
restore us. John the Baptist tells us to turn to God, to make a change, to
share what we have. Zephaniah offers a litany of promises for security, peace,
protection, and economic prosperity. The message here is, “I will restore your
future by restoring your fortunes.” Does
anyone really believe this to any extent? I’m wondering if what God is
saying is not about fortunes, but about relationships?
Restoration here begins with
the gift of Judgment… it’s an opportunity to refocus… renew… and restore our
relationships rather than our fortunes. Perhaps the circumstances of our lives
are God’s way of saying relationships are a more important gift than the
materialized gifts we most often seek.
- The Gift of Change
In both of our stories the
events change… “Meta-noi-a.” In Zephaniah… God restores and it’s time to
celebrate. In Luke… the people think John could be the Messiah… the people are
excited. The gift of Judgment brought opportunity to change. When change takes
place… change brings Joy. When were connected to the Matrix we are safe and
comfortable, but there is little joy. Only when we are changed from the
system/Matrix we are free to experience liberty and that brings Joy.
John says, and I para-phrase…
“I’m not the One, but One is coming and I’m not good enough, but he is coming
with the Spirit, and he is bringing real Joy.”
Closing:
One Advent evening a pastor was called by his four
young children to come and be the audience for their living room Christmas
play. Typically the father entered the play's set to find Jesus played by a
flashlight wrapped in a blanket, Joseph defined by his bathrobe and mop-handle staff,
Mary looking solemn with a sheet-draped head, the angel of the Lord with
pillow-case wings, and one wise king with another pillowcase full of gifts.
This king was being played by the youngest child, who felt duty bound to
explain herself and her mission. I'm all three wise men. I bring precious
gifts: gold, circumstance and mud!
Holding in his laughter, the pastor reflected on just how wise those three gifts truly would be, if we would lay them before the Christ child.
Our gold: The most common item of our own enslavement. We spend so much of our time and energy trying to save money, make money, manage money that it easily can become the focus of our lives. Handing over our gold to God then becomes a symbol of our commitment to a different set of values.
Our circumstance: We all exist amidst a host of particular circumstances, sometimes freeing, sometimes limiting, sometimes depressing, sometimes challenging. But it is a safe bet that none of us considers our particular set of circumstances to be ideal or the embodiment of our hopes and dreams. Instead of constantly wishing that our lives had taken shape in a different way along different paths, consider offering God yourself this Christmas, whatever the circumstances are surrounding your life.
Holding in his laughter, the pastor reflected on just how wise those three gifts truly would be, if we would lay them before the Christ child.
Our gold: The most common item of our own enslavement. We spend so much of our time and energy trying to save money, make money, manage money that it easily can become the focus of our lives. Handing over our gold to God then becomes a symbol of our commitment to a different set of values.
Our circumstance: We all exist amidst a host of particular circumstances, sometimes freeing, sometimes limiting, sometimes depressing, sometimes challenging. But it is a safe bet that none of us considers our particular set of circumstances to be ideal or the embodiment of our hopes and dreams. Instead of constantly wishing that our lives had taken shape in a different way along different paths, consider offering God yourself this Christmas, whatever the circumstances are surrounding your life.
Our mud: Through real effort we have all gradually
added enough dirt and grit to the clear waters of our lives to muddy them up
into a silty, slimy, solidifying mess. By taking our mud to Christ we do not
dirty our relationship with God, rather we obtain fresh water for our lives,
water to flush down our muddy nature and get the flow of pure waters running
through our souls again.
Give God the greatest of the wise gifts this
Christmas. Your gold, circumstance and mud; that is, your whole life. That is
where you’ll find the gifts of Joy!
See You Out On The Road
