December 2005
Texts: Matthew 2:13-23 David Endriss
Isaiah 63:7-9 Preached on 12/30/07
CHRISTMAS REALITY CHECK
Introduction
Christmas is only five days old, Dave! How dare you read
this passage! We haven’t taken down the tree yet, the gifts
are still sitting in the living room and the left over
turkey is still being eaten. The sparkle of the Christmas
cards still shine on the bulletin board and the sound of
carols still echo in our ears. Don’t mess it up with this
sad, sad story.
And yet, just 12 short verses after the birth of Jesus,
Matthew records this terrible tale. We prefer our cherished
images of the nativity scene to this blood stained sight.
Matthew’s version of one of my favorite carols would be very
different. “O Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see
thee lie”, would now become streets running red with blood
while mothers wail their lost children.”
There are not as many people here this morning as there was
on Christmas Eve. Not surprising considering the nature of
this message. Luke records the angels’ song of “peace on
earth”, but Matthew’s birth narrative is anything but
peaceful.
Herod
A well known skeptic had been persuaded to attend church
services during Christmas. After the service he approached
the pastor and said that he had finally worked out why
people like Christmas so much. The pastor, understandably
curious said, “Really? Do tell me.” “A baby threatens no
one,” he said, “so the whole thing is a happy event that
means nothing at all!” This dumbfounded the pastor because
at the heart of the gospel is a baby that so threatened the
most powerful man in the area that he resorted to an
atrocious act.
King Herod had been tricked. He had hoped to get the wise
men to lead him to this mysterious new born king so that he
might identify and kill this royal upstart. But the wise men
had been warned not to return to Herod. Having failed, Herod
opts for a more drastic and terrifying alternative: kill
every baby boy under two years of age in and around
Bethlehem. How many children are we talking about? Bethlehem
was only a small village so it probably was in the range of
about 20 - but even one is too many!
Herod’s behavior is consistent with what other historians
have recorded about him. On several occasions Herod ordered
the death of anyone he considered to be a threat to his
power - even family members!
Herod represents the dark side of Christmas. One author
called Herod, the Ebenezer Scrooge without the conversion,
the Grinch who stole Christmas without the change of heart.
Reality Check
The week after Christmas is a reality check. Pine needles
start to fall, batteries are wearing down and the bills
start coming in. Christmas is indeed special, but there is
another world - and it is very different. In this world
there is disappointment, jealous kings, conniving
individuals looking to get or hold on to power and people
who are fleeing violence in order to save their lives.
Jesus began his life as a refugee. Just as there was no room
for him in the inn - now there was no room in all of
Bethlehem for him. Josesph, Mary, and Jesus had to flee to
Egypt for their very lives. Today there are almost 14
million people around the world who have been uprooted from
their homes. Today Bethlehem can be found in Palestine,
Iraq, the Central African Republic and Somalia. Bethlehem
can be found on every continent on this planet.
And just as Bethlehem is all around us, so is King Herod.
Herod lives on whenever and wherever the powerful oppress
the weak. Of course, this is not new. Our gospel lesson
quotes from Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing
and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she
refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” When
Jeremiah wrote this he used Rachel, a mother figure for all
of Israel who is now weeping because the Jews were being
taken into captivity to Babylon. Of course, the massacre of
the innocents in Bethlehem also harkens back to the story of
the innocents who were killed by Pharaoh at the birth of
Moses way back in Exodus chapter 1. History is repeating
itself; and it is not pretty. At the time of Moses, during
Jeremiah’s life, and at the birth of Jesus.
It was for this that Christ Came
At the top of your bulletins is a quote from a poem from
Christina Rossetti. “Love Came Down on Christmas.” It has
been turned into a beautiful Christmas carol. But this love
came down not to a world of peace and order, but to a world
of darkness and sin. In fact, it was because of the darkness
that love had to come down. Light shines the brightest when
it reflects against the darkness. If there was no darkness
there would be no need for the light. In the darkness things
can be misplaced or lost. In the darkness people can hide or
go unnoticed. Jesus came to bring light to this dark world.
But as the gospel of John tells us in its opening verses,
the world does not always receive the light with open arms.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through
him; yet the world did not know him. (John 1:10) One of my
favorite commentators, Dale Bruner writes, “Hating
revelation leads to hurting people. If people will be
ungodly, they will be inhuman.” This not only explains the
actions of Herod, but of many who reject the Christ child.
The very presence of the light shows the darkness for what
it truly is. Darkness is forced to scatter and flee in its
presence. But for those of us who accept the light it plays
a very different role. At one time or another, most of us
have probably gone through one of those haunted houses
around Halloween. Dark corners abound where anything could
jump out.
When Disneyland first created their Haunted Mansion
amusement ride, it was too frightening because things were
jumping out from complete darkness. Besides being too scary,
it was also creating some major health concerns for those on
the ride. The solution? Wherever a ghost, ghoul or some
other creature now jumps out, there is a small light that
forewarns riders that something is about to happen. Now,
imagine the lights fully turned up. The ride would cease to
be frightening at all.
The light of Christ’s presence brings assurance and peace to
those who accept it. Fear need not rule the day. This is
what comforted the Israelites in the passage from Isaiah
that I read earlier. It was no messenger or angel but his
presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he
redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the
days of old.
Among the Jews of Jerusalem, the dawn of the Day of
Atonement was eagerly awaited. A watchman stood on the walls
watching for sunrise. When he saw the first rays he would
shout, “Light! Light! I have seen the light!”
Conclusion
Herod continues to live in our world today. Just as there
are many Bethlehems on every corner of our planet. But while
the battle rages on, we already know the outcome.
A few nights ago we stood in this room, each holding on to a
candle. That candle was the light of Christ which first
shone in a small and humble manger, but now has spread
throughout the world. Next week is Epiphany and we recall
the light of a star that led the wise men to Jesus. That
light needs to continue to shine in the Bethlehems of our
world where Herod still wields his power.
May that light continue to shine in your life and mine
making a difference in this dark world.
Texts: Matthew 1:18-25
Isaiah 7:10-16
Preached on 12/23/07
David Endriss
AN UNCOMMON JOE
Introduction
I’ve always found it a somewhat curious quirk of history.
Why has the church focused so much on Mary and for the most
part ignored Joseph? That’s not to say that Mary doesn’t
deserve some attention, but what about Joseph? A quick look
through our hymnbook shows 19 carols that specifically
mention Mary but only two that refer to Joseph, and one of
those uses him only to point to Mary (To a maid engaged to
Joseph).
Last week the children and youth of this church once again
shared with us the Christmas story. It was a special time.
Cody Riebhoff had the joy of playing Joseph. Not a
particularly tough role as all he had to do what sit there.
He didn’t have one line! (Something that Cody may really
have appreciated!)
Even in Scripture Joseph remains strangely quiet. The gospel
of Matthew tells us more about Joseph than any other gospel,
but even there, he speaks not a word. The Bible is a book of
words, but here is a man who is speechless.
Although we don’t have any recorded words of Joseph, that
doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have anything to say to us.
It’s nice to know that there is a place in God’s family for
the strong and silent type.
Joseph - A Man of Vision
Three times in the gospel story, Joseph receives a vision
from God. The first time he is told to go ahead with his
engagement and marriage to Mary. The second time, while in
Bethlehem, he is told to take his family and flee to Egypt
to escape King Herod’s wrath. While in Egypt, Joseph
receives a third vision from God telling him it is now safe
to return to Nazareth.
My brother in California is a carpenter. Over the last year
and a half or so, we have had several members of our church
who have carpentry skills working consistently over at the
annex. And of course now, we have carpenters working on the
addition next door. Good carpenters tend to be very
organized. Each tool has its place when they are not being
used. Successful carpenters live by the motto, “Measure
twice, cut once.”
The problem for Joseph was God’s intrusion into his world
was anything but organized. It was rather messy. An unwed
and unplanned pregnancy by his betrothed was way beyond
awkward and inconvenient. Then Caesar gets it into his head
to call a census at this time - during the last weeks of her
pregnancy forcing them to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem,
a distance of about 70 miles at a most inopportune time!
Crowds in Bethlehem made finding a place to stay very
difficult. Then there was the unscheduled time in Egypt.
None of these events were of Joseph’s doing! It seemed like
he was simply along for the ride.
Christ’s coming into the world is God’s great and glorious
vision. This vision is anything but small: “Peace on earth
and good will to all people!” This vision was certainly not
expected. Just ask Joseph or the shepherds who were so
surprised by the announcement of the angels. This vision
will not be an easy one. The enormity of God’s dream can and
does take our breath away.
But while this vision is huge, unexpected and difficult, it
is a vision with meaning. It is a vision that we can sink
our teeth into. Too often the church of Jesus Christ sets
its sights too low. We don’t aim high enough.
I think men in particular, like to have high goals. Perhaps
this explains, at least in part, our sometimes aggressive,
even fanatical competitiveness. We want to invest our lives
into big things. To make a difference! Certainly, women also
have these visions, but it often finds expression in quite
different ways. Certainly, Joseph was a man of vision. He
had caught God’s vision.
Let me share with you a vision that I experienced a couple
of weeks ago. As many of you know, I had the privilege of
going to Guatemala last month to experience the work and
ministry of Compassion International, a Christian ministry
that works with poor children all over the world.
While we were there, we visited several churches who work
closely with these children. We saw hundreds of children
living in extreme poverty. We were honored to be received
into several of their homes to see how simply they lived.
Most of these children will grow up with only a rudimentary
education.
Then, toward the end of the week, we attended a college
graduation service. Eleven students, now with college
degrees, were honored. These same students were sponsored
and supported through Compassion International. When they
were in grade school, the thought of a college degree would
have been unthinkable! During the graduation ceremony, these
students were recognized as heroes and as models for the
future of their country. They had caught a vision.
Joseph - A Man of Action
But Joseph was not only a man of vision. We all know of
people who are dreamers; who think big, but act small. It’s
all fine and dandy to dream big, but do they back up their
dreams by doing something about them? Someone once said a
vision without a task is a dream; a task without a vision is
drudgery; a vision and a task is the hope of the world.
Joseph was also a man of both vision and action.
In every instance where Joseph received a vision from God,
it was immediately followed by his response of obedience.
When God told Joseph to go ahead with his marriage of Mary,
we read just a couple of verses later that Joseph did, in
fact, marry her. When God told Joseph to flee Bethlehem and
go to Egypt with his family, we find in the next verse that
he did just that. And finally when he was told that it was
okay to return, the very next verse tells of his return
home.
In Eastern Orthodox icons of the Nativity, there is often a
small scene depicted in one of the lower corners of the
painting: Joseph, sitting and glumly listening to a man
talking to him..." It is Joseph struggling with his dilemma.
Will he obey or not? Will he take Mary as his wife or not?
Will he participate in God’s amazing vision for humanity or
not? Well, you and I know that he accepted God’s challenge
and was obedient.
Conclusion
When Mary discovered that she was pregnant by the Holy
Spirit, Luke records that she broke out in song. But when
Joseph heard the news, there is no song. There is no
monologue. There is not even an anguished prayer addressed
to God. We simply read that he made plans to dismiss her
quietly.
Perhaps having a quiet Joseph in the Christmas pageant is
not so bad after all. There are lots of people like Joseph
in our world. Our text describes Joseph as a righteous man.
But when confronted by the vision of God, he does not break
into song, deliver a great sermon nor does he write a
profound meditation. He was the strong and silent type.
When the curtain rises on the Christmas story, it is good to
see that there is a place in the nativity scene for Joseph.
For those of us who have a deep passion for God’s vision for
humanity. For those who are men and women of action, but
maybe not people of many words. Yes, there is a place for
you in this scene. Like Joseph, God has also called you to
be a part of this story.
Text: Matthew 3:1-12 David Endriss
Preached on 12/9/07
I’M OK - YOU’RE OK...
NOT!
Introduction
For the past six years I have worked on a committee of our
Presbytery that assists churches who are looking for a
pastor. During that time I have read dozens of resumes and
statements of faith. And not one of them looks anything like
the character that we just read about. Can you imagine your
brand new minister entering into the pulpit for their first
Sunday and beginning their sermon with, “You brood of
vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Perhaps not the best way to begin a pastoral ministry.
And yet, here is John the Baptist, a regular part of our
Advent story once again confronting us with his harsh
message. Someone likened John to a speed bump on the road to
Christmas. His is a warning to slow down and pay attention
to what is happening. If we rush on by too quickly, we will
miss the whole meaning of Christ’s coming.
I’m OK - You’re OK
Many of us probably had to read this book in your
Introduction to Psychology course in college. It’s entitled,
“I’m OK - You’re OK. This text was very popular in the late
60’s and early 70’s. This self-help book sought to
popularize the latest in psychology: Transactional Analysis.
This week I began to wonder what John the Baptist would have
thought of this book.
I suspect his response would have been something like this.
“No, I am not OK, and neither are you. Each of us are in
need of some serious help - some serious repentance because
the kingdom of God is near!” Are we OK? No way!
My initial response to John’s message might be, “Lighten up,
John! Yeesshh! Relax a little! Lay off eating those locusts
and loosen up your leather belt. Your camel hair shirt is
obviously rubbing you the wrong way! Christmas is just
around the corner. Have a glass of eggnog and sing a carol
or two. Just stop throwing your wet towel over our season.
Much of the church has turned a deaf ear to John’s message.
Why? Because we don’t’ like what he has to say. It’s too
confrontational - it’s too judgmental - it’s too much hell
fire and brimstone. We have distorted the message into
something much more palatable: “God is nice, therefore we
should be nice also.” In doing so we have pulled the teeth
right out of the gospel. There is no challenge! There is no
need to change! There is no reason for the transformational
impact of Christ’s presence in our lives.
Written a short time after most of the other books in our
New Testament a treatise called, “The Shepherd of Hermas”
pastorally advises readers to know that “repentance is deep
understanding.” It is a deep understanding of our own need
of God’s intervention in our life.
One church, before its renovation, complained because of a
lack of adequate restroom facilities. On one particular
Sunday, the pastor was preaching about the attributes of
John the Baptist. At first he didn’t know why the
congregation snickered after his emphatic statement: “What
this church needs is more Johns.”
The church of Jesus Christ does in fact need more Johns who
call the people to repentance.
But They Came Anyway
What is remarkable is that the people came out to see John
and hear his message anyway. They came in droves to see and
hear this man who dressed oddly and spoke with great power.
We consider him to be peculiar. He was a man who dressed
oddly and had a strange diet. But keep in mind that he was
just as weird to those in his own time. As one person
observed, it would be like Thomas Jefferson showing up in
Congress today waving the Declaration of Independence.
Some came because they truly realized the need for
transformation in their lives. For them, John’s message of
repentance was meant for them. Repentance, metanoia in the
Greek, originally meant to change ones mind or to regret an
action. But in the Biblical text it came to mean much more:
it means a change in the whole direction of life. There were
those in John’s crowd who found that they were in need of
just such a change.
A couple of years ago I had my first experience of New York
City and its subway system. In order to navigate your way
through the myriad of stations and trains, you had best know
the difference between uptown and downtown. If you don’t,
the odds of getting on the wrong train increase
dramatically. And yes, once I did have to get off and catch
a train going the other direction. That’s repentance. It is,
with God’s help, making a radical turn in your life.
It was the famous 17th century English churchman, Sir Thomas
Fuller who said, “You cannot repent too soon because you do
not know how soon it may be too late.”
But there was another kind of people who showed up to see
and listen to John. You know these kind. Curiosity seekers,
rubber-neckers, intellectuals who pride themselves on asking
deeply profound questions, but only as a way to keep God at
arm’s length. It’s easy to ask questions about the nature of
God’s character, the epistemological ramifications of evil
in the world, or the eschatological implications of a
docetic Christology or the ecclesiological corollaries that
result from a Calvinistic theology of sin. These questions,
while they can be interesting, can divert us from the
straight forward challenge of the Baptist: “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven has come near.”
God Bursting onto the Scene
Both Matthew and in the gospel of Luke, John the Baptist
comes bursting onto the scene with very little warning. His
presence is unexpected and, at least by some, unwanted. But
God often shows up in exactly these ways: unforeseen and
unpredictable. An Elijah shows up out of nowhere. Out of the
blue a Martin Luther King, Jr. arrives to change history. A
Berlin Wall collapses opening new opportunities of hope.
So it is that God, at times in history, surprises us. There
is no place so remote as to shut us out from the visits of
Divine grace, so writes the commentator Matthew Henry. Our
text says that John showed up in the wilderness preaching
his message of repentance. Do we not live in a time of great
wilderness? Paul Bunyan, in the opening words of his famous
book, writes, as I walked through the wilderness of this
world.
Wilderness need not be defined so simply as an arid desert.
Much of our society and many of our lives are as dry as any
wasteland. We have money, but no purpose. We have
technology, but no soul. We have time, but no future. We
have friends, but no relationships. And John’s call is heard
once again in the wilderness: Repent! Turn around. It’s time
for a radical change of direction and of life!
Conclusion
Have you ever entered into a house where the owners own a
small dog that does not know or recognize you? It begins to
yap incessantly at your heels. Such an animal is not easily
ignored. It demands your attention. Such is John the
Baptist. He returns to us, at least once every year during
Advent, reminding us of our need to repent. Reminding us
that he has come to prepare the way for the one who is yet
to come.
It may seem strange to think of John as a yapping Chihuahua.
Stranger still to envision him as a speed bump on the way to
Christmas. But if we don’t slow down and listen to his
message, we will most certainly blow right past Christ’s
coming without ever truly understanding why he came.