A Year of Sundays: Week 5

 Sunday 5: The First Sunday of Christmas

It confuses many people to learn that the twelve days of Christmas don't count down to Christmas; they begin on Christmas. This becomes an interesting distinction between the secular and the Christian calendar.

There seems to have been great debate this year over when it is acceptable to put up decorations, with a growing number of celebrants advocating for November 1. Having grown up in a strictly day-after-Thanksgiving house, this seems too early for me. I suspect that these early decorators have been influenced by modern radio which begins playing Christmas music in early November.

The November 1 onset of Christmas music really doesn't bother me. With so many stations available, I choose how much or how little I listen to it. What has bothered me for years is when the Christmas music stops. For most of my life, that same station that has been playing music for weeks returns to its normal broadcast at noon on Christmas day.  I've never understood it! Couldn't they at least go to midnight?

I was pleasantly surprised this year to turn on the radio on December 26 to hear Christmas music. And again on December 27. I was truly delighted. It truly felt like I was able to stretch Christmas beyond one day. Today the Christmas music is gone (even from the Christian radio stations), but we are still in the liturgical Christmas season.

At my church we do not meet on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day. This Sunday is set aside to be with family, allow staff and volunteers to relax, and linger in the most unique time of the year. It is probably more practical than theological, as it is a day many are traveling, hosting visitors, or resting. Though I am not Catholic, I found it interesting that the first Sunday of Christmas in the Catholic calendar is the Feast of the Holy Family, celebrating the family unit of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. One could argue that, in our tradition, not meeting on this Sunday is also about the holiness of family.

Today's Scripture readings focuses on family. In Luke 2:22-40, Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple to keep the laws associated with the birth of a firstborn son. The corresponding Old Testament reading is Exodus 13:1-3a, 11-15 and details the origins of this law.

And then there is Colossians.

In today's New Testament reading, Colossians 3:12-17, we come to what feels like an unrelated passage.  Or is it? 

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13, NIV)

There might not be better instructions for a day we are focusing on family. Our families are the ones who see us at our worst. We also see them at their worst and, consequently, they are the hardest to forgive.  They are the ones we are most likely to hold a grievance against. They are the ones we are most challenged by.

Though this passage was not written to a biological family, it seems fitting. If we can learn to forgive our family, maybe we can forgive others. Remember, Peter asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive his brother (Matthew 18:21).

Not a stranger who was rude to him at the market.

Or a coworker who keeps eating his lunch.

Not even a neighbor who's always blocking his driveway with his car.

A brother.

May we all do the same.

A Year of Sundays: Week 4

Sunday 4: The Fourth Week of Advent

The fourth Sunday of Advent concludes the season with a focus on love.

The popular song, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, describes what one person thinks Christmas looks like. We hear that:

• The stores have candy canes
• The streets glow from the lights
• There are toys in every store
• There are big trees in the Grand Hotel and the park
• Homes (including your own) have holly on their front doors where inside Barney and Ben wish for a pair of Hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots, Janice and Jen hope for dolls that'll talk and will go for a walk, and Mom and Dad can't wait for the kids to go back to school
  

It's not quite as dreamy when you remove the music, is it?

Christmas looks different to a Christian.

Christmas looks like Elizabeth, a woman who could not produce an heir, and her husband Zechariah, who loved her so much that he remained married with her long past the time that a child ever seemed possible to him (see Luke 1).

Christmas looks like Elizabeth's cousin, Mary, a woman who found herself unexpectedly pregnant under surprising circumstances.  Her fiance, Joseph, loved her so much that he intended to break his engagement privately instead of publicly shaming her as he had the right to do (Matthew 1).

Christmas looks like the God who used this family to fulfill His promises to all of humanity by giving a child to Elizabeth and then to Mary.

Christmas looks like love.

A Year of Sundays: Week 3

Sunday 3: The Third Sunday of Advent

The third Sunday of Advent draws our attention to joy. The first, second, and fourth candles in the advent wreath are purple, but the third candle is pink. [Or as a fan of the musical Mean Girls might say, on the third Sunday of Advent we wear pink.] Joy looks different.

Where do we find joy?

Yesterday I found joy pushed to the back of the seasoning aisle at my local grocery store. I had allowed myself a lazy day: I wasn't going to shower or get dressed. Instead, I had a full day planned of watching tv, taking a nap, and baking cookies for today's cookie exchange at church. As I began to collect my supplies for the cookies my husband requested, Minterdoodles, I was saddened to discover we had no peppermint extract. So I got dressed (that brought me no joy) and went to the grocery store (that brought me no joy), but as I approached the baking section I realized my mistake. Everyone one wants peppermint baked goods right now.  There was none. I knew the store at which I was shopping was the largest in the area, so if it wasn't here it probably wasn't at any store. I tried to checked another store that was around the corner, but they didn't even carry peppermint extract. My husband would be disappointed, and the cookie exchange would be ruined.  Ok, not really, but that's how it felt in that moment.

As I desperately tried to come up with another option, a thought came to mind. It seemed unlikely and I could not see it working, but what if there was a box pushed to the back of the shelf? I stepped closer to the shelf and put my hand to the back.  A bottle!  I pulled it out to see that I had grabbed... cajun seasoning. Not even close. I tried again.  I reached to the back and this time I felt a box that was the right size.  I pulled it out... vanilla extract.  A third time I reached to the back of the shelf, moving my hand left then right, and then left again until once more I felt something.  I brought my hand forward and saw the black and green box that I immediately recognized. It was peppermint extract.  Almost instinctively, I shouted, "Hallelujah." A man standing a few feet away looked at me with a bewildered smile.  I told him it was a miracle.

In church today, our Old Testament reading came from the book of Zephaniah, and a certain phrase caught my attention:

On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:16-17, NIV, emphasis mine).

The word that is translated here as "hang limp" means to abandon, relax, or withdraw. God was telling His people to not be afraid and to not give up. For me, not giving up yesterday meant nearly climbing the grocery store shelves until I found what was I missing. Not giving up today looked like something else.  And tomorrow, not giving up will look like something entirely different.

The book of Zephaniah promises that God will be with you. He will save you. And He will delight in you. I must admit that when I think about joy, I typically think about what brings me joy. I do not often enough think about what brings God joy. Yet this passage speaks twice to what delights the Lord.

When your battle is won, God will take great delight in you.

When God no longer rebukes you, He will rejoice over you with singing.

So, where do we find our joy?  In God. Where does God find His joy? In us.

A Year of Sundays: Week 2

 Sunday 2: The Second Sunday of Advent

The second Sunday of advent draws our attention to PEACE. We read in Scripture that Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), Jesus' peace is not like the world's peace (John 14:27), Christ's peace should rule our hearts (Colossians 3:15), and even that there are some undeserving of peace (Matthew 10:13).

But what does peace even really look like?

(Try to answer that question for yourself before you read any further. It's a lot harder to put into words than you first think.)

We conceptually understand the type of peace that exists in the absence of conflict. No war = peace. We understand, but may not frequently experience, an internal peace that is a sense of calmness and restfulness. But is there something more? Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT to define peace from a Christian perspective. It returned:

From a Christian perspective, peace is often understood as a deep, abiding sense of harmony and wholeness rooted in God's presence and grace. It goes beyond the absence of conflict or turmoil and reflects a spiritual state of well-being and reconciliation with God, oneself, and others. Key aspects of peace in the Christian faith include:

1. Peace with God: Through Jesus Christ, Christians believe they are reconciled to God, breaking the barrier of sin (Romans 5:1). This peace signifies a restored relationship with the Creator.
2. Inner Peace: Christians trust in God's sovereignty and promises, which provides comfort and calm even in life's challenges (Philippians 4:6-7). This peace is described as "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding." 
3. Peace with Others: Following Christ's teaching to love one's neighbor and seek reconciliation, Christians are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). This includes resolving conflicts and promoting unity in relationships. 
4. Eschatological Peace: The Bible envisions a future where ultimate peace will reign under God's kingdom, described as a time when "the wolf will dwell with the lamb" (Isaiah 11:6) and there will be no more pain or strife (Revelation 21:4). 

In essence, peace in Christianity is both a gift from God and a way of life shaped by faith, trust, and obedience to His will.

I am actually quite impressed by this response. When I ask what peace looks like, what I am really asking it means to have what ChatGPT called "peace as a way of life."

In today's Gospel reading, we meet adult John the Baptist along the banks of the Jordan river. The crowds asked John a question similar to what I am asking, how should we live?

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (Luke 3:10-14, NIV)

 His responses were direct and called for an immediate response: Be content. Contentment is underrated these days. We are bombarded with images on television and social media that make us believe we need more. We need better. We need newer. While the mediums may be new, the problem is not. In the book of James we read:

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. (James 4:1-2, NIV)

So, I return to my initial question: what does peace really look like? Peace looks like:

• having so much trust in God's ability to provide for us, that we only take enough for today.
• being so thankful for what God has given us, that we don't take things from others.
• opening our eyes to others' needs instead only focus on ourselves.
• talking to God when we think we are lacking in some way.
  

What does peace look like to you?

A Year of Sundays: Week 1

Sunday 1: The First Sunday of Advent

The church calendar begins with the season of Advent, and on the first Sunday of Advent we reflect on hope. Advent focuses on the coming of Christ, when He came to earth as a baby, as well as his second coming, when He will return in glory. So, what does it mean to start the year with hope?

Several years ago my family drove from Los Angeles to Minneapolis on vacation. As we made our way through Wyoming, we came to an especially long stretch of nothingness. We turned left off the already small main road and onto an even smaller road that ran between two farms. The GPS chimed, "Continue straight for 100 miles." After what felt like forever, we turned right and the GPS chimed, "Continue straight for 50 miles." Unease replaced my typical sense of direction. I knew where I was going, but I had no idea where I was. I really hoped my directions were right.

When Jesus told His disciples about His coming death, He told them that He was going to prepare a place for them where they would join Him. He finished by saying:

"You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:4-6, NIV)

Much like my drive through Wyoming, the disciples were going into unfamiliar territory, and I believe Thomas' question was really one of hope. He was asking, how do we have hope? Many of us are asking God that same question today.  The directions made no sense; how do I have hope?

How do I have hope in my sadness?

How do I have hope through this loss?

How do I have hope through this rejection?

How do I have hope through this darkness?

And much like He answered Thomas, Jesus is saying to us: I am hope. Hope is knowing this road will not last forever, but the Way is eternal.






To read more about Advent, check out my 2020 reflections: 33 DAYS AND COUNTING.