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SERMON PREACHED ON ADVENT II, DECEMBER 10, 2006 Luke picked up his narrative twenty years after the twelve-year old Jesus scared the wits out of his parents by lingering in the temple, receiving appropriate rebukes from them. Now Luke plants his story in real time, real history, grounding it in specific, contemporary events: the 15th year of Emperor Tiberius – around 28-29 A.D. Like a program you’d get at a football game Luke lists the main string players in charge of the land of Palestine – and at the time - when Jesus died. Here’s the line up – you can cheer or hiss as they are introduced: -- from the capital city of Caesarea Maritima, Pontius Pilate, playing the position of procurator over Judea; -- from the Galilee, son of the horrendous – and great builder – Herod the Great, Herod Antipas; -- playing defensive tetrarch from the northeast quarter of Galilee, another of Herod the Great’s sons, Philip. We’re talking dynasty - like the Boston Celtics.-- And playing the other defensive position, northeast of them all: Lysanias II. To complete the line-up in preparation for the final play - perhaps a Hail Mary! - Luke lists the religious players: Annas, the high priest, and his assistant: son-in-law, Caiaphas. All the people listed – religious and political – players on the Roman team. Only then does Luke pop back into Mark’s story – on which he based his time-line, which begins with John the Baptist. Though the gospel is assigned to Advent in preparation for Christmas, I tackle each gospel reading with two questions: “So what?” And “where is the gospel in this?” Wrestling with the gospel, trying to squeeze out any possible meaning, I discovered intertwined in the story a scrapbook with pictures of Jesus’ life. Luke seemed to be laying out – patterning - the way Jesus discovered his way and – by inference - how people in the early Church could grow into the fullness of their own humanity the way Jesus did. His story may even provide a clue as to how we can help our children and grandchildren to grow, and through those birth pictures see the miracle that attends every birth. As happens raising our kids, we tend to take tons of baby pictures, with the picture-taking tapering off until the teenage years. All we know about Jesus in those years is that he grew into maturity up in Nazareth, filled with wisdom and a bit of rebellion – seen in that snapshot of him staying behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. It’s as if - during those years – his parents and Jesus were collecting kindling to build a fire, but what was the match that lit it? What was the trigger that launched Jesus into a new orbit, taking him from being a small town rabbi to a leader with a new vision? For Jesus it was that encounter with John the Baptist. The way Luke told it: “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”[Luke 3:2b-4] Here was this weird, no nonsense man with a vision calling people to accountability, daring to speak the truth as he proclaimed Isaiah’s old idea in a fresh, new way “A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord. . .and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.” [Luke 3:4-6] According to Luke, meeting that man, hearing that idea, seeing that vision of the Kingdom of God was the trigger for Jesus. It wasn’t a predetermined conclusion. It was an encounter, and for Jesus a whole new vision: religion was to a be a help, not a hindrance; relationships were more important than rules; God’s salvation is liberation to live a full life, not something to fear. Kindling set ablaze! I thought of the kindling that prepared my own journey: a musician mother playing the piano in a little country Methodist church in Oklahoma; and because my Texas uncle had electricity, hearing a record of Ezio Pinza singing, “Some Enchanted Evening” – and my life was never the same; a father who moved us to the county seat town for a better education; a Methodist minister who saw a spark in me; an unseen hand directing me to a divinity school with amazing professors. At the time I was totally unaware of such kindling, much less its result. The future was literally up in the air. I had no idea where I was going. The spark for me – as some of you know - was the discovery that the Old Testament professors at Harvard were the world’s leading archaeologists. For the first time ever that allowed me to connect the Bible to reality, a spark that lit the smoldering potential in me which eventually led to priesthood, called to serve as pastor and teacher, as a preacher of the liberating gospel of Christ, which eventually led me here – with you. What is the trigger for you? Growing up, your parents and mentors, your education and experience furnished the kindling. What kindled your passion – for whatever you are called to be and do? You are not called to be Jesus – he was the focus of Luke’s story. You are called by God to be uniquely yourself. What is the trigger that lit your fire? Has it happened, yet? Or are you sitting on a pile of kindling waiting to burst forth? You never know where it will come from – sometimes by accident! A delightful back-page article in Discover magazine had “20 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT LAB ACCIDENTS:” “All those Petri dishes, but nary a handkerchief at hand: thanks to a wayward sneeze, Alexander Fleming discovered a new antibiotic: penicillin. Serendipity stems from accidents, as well as plans. Pay attention! You never know where your spark will come from! This I know: you can provide kindling for your children or grand-children, but rarely can you produce the spark, the trigger – so know your limits and – like Mary and Joseph - concentrate on the kindling! Whatever your unique spark, it will transform your job – whatever it is, at home and/or business, even in hindsight, as Luke found Jesus’ spark in Mark’s story, a spark to transform your skills and experience into a vocation that serves the common good – more than just a job. In so doing it will bring fulfillment for you, linking you as a co-creator with God. Let your search for that spark – or a celebration of the trigger that already happened – be your Advent quest, as we prepare for the birth of Jesus – the birth that helped us see that all births are special, including yours! Copyright:
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