In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be." The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
The Advent and Christmas message calls Christians to open our hearts and minds to God doing new things in our world and in our lives. God gives us those traditions that Jarislov Pelikan says are the "living faith of the dead." God opens our hearts and eyes to the new things of God by always doing new things. When new flowers bloom in the spring we do not remember the old flowers that withered and died. We concentrate on the new beauty of that which is before our eyes.
Today three days before we celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ we hear this time honored narrative of the announcement of Jesus' conception and birth in the womb of Mary. We see God, the Holy Spirit, the Mother and Life-Giver working in the life, spirit and body of Mary to bring forth the salvation of all humankind. God transcended all human traditionalism, even those things which God had done previously and brought for something new and wonderful. In the words of Rev. J.Edwin Bacon, Rector of All Saint's Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California: "I am sure glad Mary didn't wait for the doctrine of the Incarnation to be decided to say yes at the Annunciation."
As Christians we are told to wait on the Lord. Yes, that is true. Yet, so often when God the Holy Spirit arrives to lead us to do something new, we are still in the "wait and see" mode. As if we expect to just sit and wait while God does all the work. One of the most important pieces of Benedictine Spirituality is "Ora et Labora" (tr. pray and work). When we pray we are doing the work of God, when we work our works find their greatest fulfillment because our work takes place in a constant and continual prayer with God. Jesus did say in John 15:5: "I am the vine you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit. because apart from me you can do nothing." Jesus did not say: "Once I arrive, you are free to do nothing. while I do it all." The Holy Spirit empowered Mary to receive God's promise to do what humanly was impossible. God came to Mary and gave her the opportunity to serve God and all humankind by being the vehicle and bearer of God the Incarnate Word. She did not wait around to discern some doctrinal mystery or wait for a Parish Vestry to approve her mission. She knew that if she trusted God and the work of the Holy Spirit who was going to do this wonderful new thing, all the things that she feared most would somehow be worked out. Thus Mary not only became the first Disciple of Jesus, but also the first female Priest. She accomplished so much by trusting in God. What about us?
God is doing new and wonderful things in our time. This morning President Obama signed the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell into law. The ban that required lesbian and gay military service members to lie about who they are to serve their country is over. Though they still cannot come out totally because the ban has to be implemented, the days by which they will have to remain closeted are numbered. And what has the response of radical right Christians been to this wonderful new thing that God is doing among us? The Family Research Council is planning to sue to keep the repeal from happening in the Military. The same Family Research Council is teaming up the DADT Repeal opponent Sen. John McCain to do all they can to stop the implementation of the repeal process in the US. Military. Last night Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell attempted a last minute ditch attempt to block the repeal in the Defense Authorization Bill that he would not support if the repeal of DADT was included. A right wing extremist news reporter attempted to trip up Rep. Barney Frank over gay men showering with straight men in the US. Military. While LGBT people celebrate today's monumental victory over being able to serve their country openly, right wing extremists are still stuck on the issue of homosexuality.
In other news yesterday the United Nations voted restore the resolution to condemn the execution of gay and lesbian people. One of the organizations that had a big hand in raising the importance of such a decision was Soul Force. The work of Uganda to pass a bill that would sentence lesbian and gay people to life in prison or even death is one that needs condemnation from all who call themselves Christians and/or people of good will towards all.
Back here in these United States we have a horrible act of selfishness and greed taking place as Republican Senators work to block the health care bill for 9/11 first responders. No wonder Jesus wept as he looks over our City, State and Country. Not only are we in a time when arch-conservative Christians condone discrimination towards any group of people, but we cannot even give health care to those women and men who put their lives on the line on September 11, 2001 and are now sick and dying.
When the Archangel Gabriel came and announced that Mary would bear Jesus, God began ushering in a new world order. One in which the dead would live again, God would "deliver the poor who cries out in distress, and the oppressed who has no one to help. God shall have pity on the lowly and poor; God shall preserve the lives of the needy. God shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, and dear shall their blood be in God's sight." (Psalm 72, BCP 686). Yet what are we seeing from Christians? Those who would rather leave the poor outside in the cold. Those oppressed by unjust laws and inapplicable interpretations of the Bible should be further oppressed with violence and hate rhetoric. Yet those who are poor and oppressed are precious in the eyes and heart of God. That was the new and exciting message that Jesus would bring by his Incarnation, life, death and resurrection. But, even the Church has yet to allow that message of salvation and justice for all people to become the heart and soul of the work of Christians. And we wonder why Jesus weeps as he enters the world?
The Advent and Christmas events are about being open to God doing new things among us. God shows us new things in God's perfect revelation of God's Self. God will challenge our comfort zones and call us to redemption in God's Son Jesus Christ, and our Mother the Holy Spirit will tear open the boxes we put God, others and ourselves in. If we want God to be born anew in us this coming Christmas Season, then perhaps we need to bring our restless hearts to that Christ Child born through Mary's yes to God, and ask that our hearts be broken with Jesus' as he weeps for the world of violence and oppression he and us still live in. Yet Jesus comes not just to weep, but to inspire radical social and personal change. Are we open to what Jesus and the Holy Spirit want to do in and through our lives this Christmas Season?
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 212).
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Those in Our Armed Services, Book of Common Prayer, page 823).
Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, page 826).
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. (Prayer Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, Book of Common Prayer, page 833).
No comments:
Post a Comment