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Risk
By: Pastor Pete Grassow 1/30/22 Matthew 25: 14-19 & 24-29 14 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. 15 To one he gave five valuable coins,[a] and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. Then he left on his journey16 “After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. 17 In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.. 19 “Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them…. 24 “Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. 25 So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what’s yours.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You evil and lazy servant! You knew that I harvest grain where I haven’t sown and that I gather crops where I haven’t spread seed? 27 In that case, you should have turned my money over to the bankers so that when I returned, you could give me what belonged to me with interest. 28 Therefore, take from him the valuable coin and give it to the one who has ten coins. 29 Those who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as for those who don’t have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away from them. We are in a 6 week Teaching Series that reminds us of the creativity of God. Today’s theme is all about “Risk”. Devotional booklets are available at the information desk. Text: Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given. (Luke 12:48) Intro: Do you like receiving gifts? Did you get your gift at the door (Raise your hands if you did not & an usher will give you one – come to the church office and collect your gift) Jesus tells a story about gifts: different translations of the Bible use different words – such as coins, or bags of gold - the original word is talanton, which has been translated into the English “Talent” – and which we use today to refer to someone having a talent for something like music, or numbers, or basketball. Ancient Greek τάλαντον, talanton Jesus says that talents are given to three different people. These are gifts from the owner: and the first two used their gifts and saw them grow bigger. One did nothing with his gift – and returned it. The one thing that all three gifts had in common was that the people who received them had done nothing to deserve their gift. They were called in and given a gift. So here is my thought for the day: life is like the gift of talents in the story. We did nothing to deserve our lives – we just showed up and discovered that God had given us this amazing gift of life. Note one thing about Jesus’ story: the gifts were different – 15 To one he gave five valuable coins,[a] and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. It is obvious that we are not all given the same lives – We look at the lives of other people – and it is not long before we spot that they have more than us:
The point is not how much advantage or disadvantage we get in life: it is what we do with what we have. Remember the text? Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given. (Luke 12:48) There will be a greater accounting for those who have more – so let them get on with their lives – and let me rather focus on my own life. Because there will come a time when each of us will be called to account for the way we used this gift of life…. Jesus told this parable in the temple: and was challenging the religious people of his day – many of the Scribes and religious teachers in the temple believed that their task was to preserve the faith and protect it from the eyes of the world. Jesus is saying that the life of the faithful is a God-Given gift to the world that should multiply and grow and become a blessing to the world. I do not believe that Jesus has changed his mind – we continue to receive talents from God that are given so that God’s love can be visible in our world. The question is: are our lives being lived in a God pleasing way or not? Did you see the really sad moment in the story? The man who did nothing with his talent said this: “I was afraid. And I hid my talent” (Matthew 25:25) Fear prevented this man from using his talents. It would be a pity if all we ended up like this man: saying to God “I did not my life boldly because I was afraid.” Today’s story reminds us that we have been given this amazing life by God – and it challenges us to get out into the community and multiply the love that God has shown us. I found this quote by Benjamin Franklin: “Hide not your talents. They for use were made: What’s a sundial in the shade?” Practical application: You have been given a gift: (At home you can collect your gift at the church office) You can do whatever you please with it:
How about you think of a way to multiply the gift? + Maybe you add something to it and bless someone who is struggling + Or you use it to take someone out for coffee and let them offload on you + Or you buy a card for someone who needs encouragement Invite you to become creative – and plan a way to use this gift to spread the love of God: And collectively as a congregation we can impact the life of our city… This is the week for us to make a difference to our community! I dream of the city speaking about the way Brookings First United Methodist Church members are God’s blessing to the community….and passing on that blessing to even more people! We want to collect the stories – so please send them in to the church office…. Intro to Sermon: Return to the idea I gave us earlier: Anyone remember the text?
God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. (Genesis 1: 31) Before the world was made God dreamed a dream over your life – and when he was finished he was very pleased… Today we begin a teaching series called “Drawn In”. It teaches about our Creator – who draws us into the Divine Creativity of Life (Books available) Can you hold a picture of God taking great delight in planning you? God happily whistling as he sorted through eye colours – and landed on exactly the right colour for you God thinking about your skin color – giving you a skin that is exactly right for you “I don’t mind my skin color – I just wish that it was a bit thicker” And God chuckling as he gave you your ears – or your crooked smile – or your amazing figure. You bring a smile to the mind of God! The Book of Genesis tells us that when God finished making you he stepped back and “he was very pleased”! Sadly – we forget that God has dreams for us: because there are times when we listen to people who crush our dreams. And we allow the opinions of other people spoil the dream that God has for us: And people can be really unkind: People tell you that you need to fix your face, or fix your figure, or change the way you speak, And we anxiously change our appearance, or dress in clothes that make us uncomfortable, or we shrink into a corner and hope not to be noticed. Sometimes this runs deeper: We suppress our creative joy, or we give up on something that is life-giving because someone disapproves, or we pretend that we are not LGBTQ in order to keep everyone happy. And in the process we lose the sound of the voice of God saying that we are the way we are – because God made us exactly like that. Here is the good news for today: Jesus comes to remind us of the dream of God: Let us go back to the words I read earlier: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor Jesus speaks of “the year of God’s favour”: God’s favourite year! – But Jesus is quoting the prophet Isaiah: and Isaiah’s words in Hebrew do not limit this to a year: it is better translated like this: “Proclaim God’s favourite time” And here is the truth: God’s favourite time is when our poor hearts leap at good news God’s favourite time is when people who are captive to their fears, or oppressed by the people around them, (God’s favourite time is) when such people are released to be who God made them to be God’s favourite time is when people who are blind to God’s creative work have their eyes opened to see the beauty of God all around us Here’s the core idea for today: We serve a creative God: but this is not something that happened at the beginning of time: God is constantly speaking new creative life into our world Every sunrise – is God creating a new day Every rainfall is God speaking new life to our plants And every moment of laughter and joy is God speaking new life into our souls. And we are part of proclaiming this creative time of God….. Do you know someone who needs to be released / someone who’s captivity prevents them from flourishing: Ask what you can do to make a way for God’s love to break through. Do you know of someone who is so blinded by their circumstances that they cannot see any sign of God’s love Be the love of God that breaks into their world and lets them know that they too are God’s favourite. Today I am inviting us to be part of God’s favourite time: First of all: to be open to God speaking new life into us. Be open to God creating new things in your life in 2022… Say to yourself: God was pleased when he made me! Secondly: In the same way, let us be open to the people around us who need to hear God’s creative invitation: say to others: “I love the way God has made you!” Remember the oilcan – nothing is ugly or useless – everything can make beautiful music for God. Song: Jesus loves meIntro to Sermon: Return to the idea I gave us earlier: Anyone remember the text? God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. (Genesis 1: 31) Before the world was made God dreamed a dream over your life – and when he was finished he was very pleased… Today we begin a teaching series called “Drawn In”. It teaches about our Creator – who draws us into the Divine Creativity of Life (Books available) Can you hold a picture of God taking great delight in planning you? God happily whistling as he sorted through eye colours – and landed on exactly the right colour for you God thinking about your skin color – giving you a skin that is exactly right for you “I don’t mind my skin color – I just wish that it was a bit thicker” And God chuckling as he gave you your ears – or your crooked smile – or your amazing figure. You bring a smile to the mind of God! The Book of Genesis tells us that when God finished making you he stepped back and “he was very pleased”! Sadly – we forget that God has dreams for us: because there are times when we listen to people who crush our dreams. And we allow the opinions of other people spoil the dream that God has for us: And people can be really unkind: People tell you that you need to fix your face, or fix your figure, or change the way you speak, And we anxiously change our appearance, or dress in clothes that make us uncomfortable, or we shrink into a corner and hope not to be noticed. Sometimes this runs deeper: We suppress our creative joy, or we give up on something that is life-giving because someone disapproves, or we pretend that we are not LGBTQ in order to keep everyone happy. And in the process we lose the sound of the voice of God saying that we are the way we are – because God made us exactly like that. Here is the good news for today: Jesus comes to remind us of the dream of God: Let us go back to the words I read earlier: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor Jesus speaks of “the year of God’s favour”: God’s favourite year! – But Jesus is quoting the prophet Isaiah: and Isaiah’s words in Hebrew do not limit this to a year: it is better translated like this: “Proclaim God’s favourite time” And here is the truth: God’s favourite time is when our poor hearts leap at good news God’s favourite time is when people who are captive to their fears, or oppressed by the people around them, (God’s favourite time is) when such people are released to be who God made them to be God’s favourite time is when people who are blind to God’s creative work have their eyes opened to see the beauty of God all around us Here’s the core idea for today: We serve a creative God: but this is not something that happened at the beginning of time: God is constantly speaking new creative life into our world Every sunrise – is God creating a new day Every rainfall is God speaking new life to our plants And every moment of laughter and joy is God speaking new life into our souls. And we are part of proclaiming this creative time of God….. Do you know someone who needs to be released / someone who’s captivity prevents them from flourishing: Ask what you can do to make a way for God’s love to break through. Do you know of someone who is so blinded by their circumstances that they cannot see any sign of God’s love Be the love of God that breaks into their world and lets them know that they too are God’s favourite. Today I am inviting us to be part of God’s favourite time: First of all: to be open to God speaking new life into us. Be open to God creating new things in your life in 2022… Say to yourself: God was pleased when he made me! Secondly: In the same way, let us be open to the people around us who need to hear God’s creative invitation: say to others: “I love the way God has made you!” Remember the oilcan – nothing is ugly or useless – everything can make beautiful music for God. Song: Jesus loves me Called by a New Name
By: Pastor Pete Grassow 1/16/22 Bible Reading Isa 62:1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. Isa 62:2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. Isa 62:3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Isa 62:4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. Isa 62:5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. Intro: Go back to my earlier question: Do you like your name? Sometime we have official names - and then the names people call us: I come from South Africa - and we had a rugby player called Jacob Peter Naude. But no-one called him that: 6'5" - everyone called him "Tiny" . Sometimes the names we are called are not kind: have you ever been called names that you do not like? It mostly happens when we are children - some of the most hurtful and destructive teasing happens through name calling. But sometime these carry over into adulthood - people might not say them - but they have stuck in our memory and affect the way we think about ourselves: Called stupid as a child - and you grow up thinking that you are stupid. When a child is told that they are a problem - they will grow up with this in their self-image and become a troublesome adult. Today's Bible reading tells of a time when the Children of Israel were called by hurtful names: from the earlies days the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob believed that they had a special relationship with God ... But there came a moment in their history where it seemed that the blessing of God was no longer with them: The Assyrian Empire colonised the Israelites, and then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon burned Jerusalem to the ground. And God's people were mocked by their neighbours: They used two words:
The word of God came to the Prophet Isaiah: and he has these words for the children of Israel: Isa. 62:4 You shall no more be termed forsaken, and your land shall no longer be termed desolate, but you shall be called My Delight is in Her, and your land Married. The old words are cancelled out by new words: Instead of being an abandoned nation you will become known as "My delight" – Hephzibah - God's delight. Instead of being called the broken hearted you will be known as Married to God. Beulah.. God's Beloved. What can we take from this ..... Good News: God gives us new names: Isaiah says that God does not see us through the names that other people call us. God does not listen to the hurtful words people use to describe us God calls us by new names. God's Delight/ God's Beloved. Do not allow the names of your past to continue to shape your present. Do not let the names others have called you crush your sense of worth. Believe this one thing: God loves you! Of course there are moments when life is difficult - and in such moments we can wonder if God still loves us- God never promised that we would not have storms in our life – But God does promise to be with us in the storms ... So claim your status as a child of God - and ask God for the strength to handle everything that life throws your way. Challenge I would fail us if I did not add the challenge that comes with this Good News: In the same way that God looks on us with love - and chooses not to use the old negative names for us - So let us refuse to participate in hateful names for other people. There are many words that hurt - and we know what they are! Every society uses names to separate •us" from "them". And once we are separated - we will surely perish in civil war. I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King Jr,: We must learn to live together as brothers - or perish together as fools. It is only when we can embrace the people around us as brothers and sisters that we will discover the secret of a peaceful world. Think about them - and say to yourself: my new Year's Resolution is to be like Isaiah: I will only use kind names for other people. ...even if I think that they do not deserve it - let me be the one who speaks God's kindness over them. As we speak kind names - we release positive power into their lives. Let me close with a story from the life of Jesus: he met a young man who was called Simon - this name can mean "God has heard" ... but most often comes from the Greek - and is one of those names that put people down: Flat nose" ..... so here is a young man who is mocked by his friends as flat nose". And Jesus looks at him and says - "I am going to give you a new Greek name: "Petros" - which means foundation stone - I see in you the possibility to become a foundation stone for the work I am beginning. We know him as Saint Peter: And once Jesus gave him a new name, Peter grew into this role - and is today remembered as one of the founders of our Christian Church. Speak kindness over someone - and you plant seeds that can help that person become kind Speak loving words over someone - and you plant the seeds of love that can transform that person's life. When God's Reality Breaks In
By: Pastor Krista Ducker 1/09/2022 Today I want to talk with us about comfortable illusions. It is epiphany Sunday, and so naturally, we will be focusing our attention on the well-known story of the visit of the magi to the child Jesus in Matthew chapter 2:1-12. Let’s look at the text together: The Visit of the Wise Men2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. We are in the gospel of Matthew today; although very much like the other gospels of Luke and Mark, Like each of them, it tells the story of Jesus’ beginnings on earth uniquely. Mark begins Jesus’ story with his ministry as an adult and doesn't mention his birth at all. Luke focuses largely on the women of the story; Mary and Elizabeth, and gives us the account of the shepherds visited by angels by night. John gives us a cosmic view, placing Jesus in the context of a dark world illuminated by a light it cannot comprehend. Along with these, Matthew gives us different details. Matthew spends a lot of time talking about the genealogy of generations that came before Jesus, he talks about the angel’s visit to Joseph that encourages him to stay with Mary, and spends only about a half a sentence on the actual birth of Jesus. In fact, Matthew spends a lot of narrative energy in his account talking about what happens after Jesus is born. Here in Matthew chapter 2, we find a fascinating account of a dramatic encounter, full of intrigue, misinformation, and misunderstanding, based on comfortable illusions. On what would certainly have seemed to be a normal day in Jerusalem, exotic visitors appear before King Herod with a surprising request… “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,[b] and have come to pay him homage.” Magi: threatening figures (gentiles, allied with Rome, outsiders, marginal but influential); They were not kings; rather, they were more like pagan priests, perhaps following the Zorastrian religion, perhaps from Persia. They were often consulted by powerful people to read the stars and make pronouncements; but to the Jews they probably were not seen as having much authority. Still, they noticed the star, they did their research, consulted the relevant texts, and then investigated. From the way the text is worded, it seems they may have assumed Herod already knew about this new king; look at the wording of their request (see above) It’s almost as if they expect him to just say; “Oh sure, he’s back here”, and lead them to a room somewhere in the palace to where the baby was. The magi likely have no idea that Herod is completely unaware of this development; Their question is so direct and transparent that they must have assumed Herod would gladly tell them where to find this baby king. Instead, verse 3 tells us that Herod is terrified; and when Herod is scared, everybody is scared. Herod calls his advisors together (you can almost imagine them huddling together in a corner as the magi wait, confused); they consult the scriptures and advise him that there actually is a prophecy in the scriptures about this; Micah 5:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2b tell it; [a] But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Herod’s comfortable illusion is that he is the head honcho around these parts; so he sees this not as a miracle or an in-breaking of a new God-reality, but as a threat--and he wants to stop it by any means necessary. So he calls a secret meeting with the magi; telling a blatant lie, he asks them to do his dirty work for him; he tells them to go find this baby king, and then report back when they have found the new king so he can go and pay his respects as well. One gets the impression that the magi, foreigners completely unaware of the subtext, are unwittingly aiding Herod in his evil plan. They play right into his hand, at least for now. Any Jewish person, especially a Jewish believer, would be well aware that Herod had no intention of paying his respects to Jesus. So now we know the comfortable illusion that is motivating Herod. What about the magi? The magi are not afraid, like Herod; they are curious, seeking to learn… all they want do so is pay a visit to this new baby king and pay their respects. In verse 2, the word (proskuneo); literally means “to bow down before”; but unlike in our culture, where our minds immediately jump to a spiritual act, this is a very down-to-earth, physical action; it describes a cultural custom, rather than an inner attitude; The word literally means to bow down on hands and knees and touch your forehead to the ground as an act of respect for someone of higher rank or nobility (show picture slide). It was more a gesture of respect and honor. So if we set aside our assumptions, we find that what they are saying is; “where is the child who has been born king? We want to visit him and show him the proper respect.” This is primarily a political move, not a spiritual one. The comfortable illusion for the magi is that this baby is just another king to whom they should pay their respects; another potentate to preen and bow before. And so they have done their research, gathered the proper gifts and come to pay their perfunctory respects. But something surprising happens when they actually meet Jesus. Scripture tells us that when they arrived they were “overwhelmed with joy” and “knelt down and paid him homage.” Then they present gifts to the holy family befitting a king: precious metal and perfumes. The wise men may have come to Jesus with the intention of a perfunctory gesture of respect; instead they encountered someone who filled them with joy and the result was actual worship; something greater than formality overtook them and they became overwhelmed with joy in the presence of Jesus. Their comfortable illusions melted away in the presence of the Christ. Those of us familiar with the story know what happens next. The wise men are warned not to share Jesus’ location with Herod, and so his paranoia takes over; he does everything he can to utterly annihilate what he sees as a threat to his kingship. Verses 16-19 tell the tragic story of how far Herod goes to protect his position; since he can’t find Jesus, he sanctions the taking of the lives of all Jewish boys two years and younger, causing wailing and unimaginable grief all over Jerusalem and the kingdom. The story of Herod’s response to the unexpected news of the magi is a cautionary tale; it gives us a glimpse of what we are capable of if we allow fear to control our lives; if we give in to the temptation to play God. Both Herod and the magi faced a striking disillusionment--of the convenient illusions of their lives being challenged, dismantled and torn away; the response of the magi to this gracious disillusionment was joy and worship. Herod’s response was fear and violence. I will confess to you that I have tended to think of the experience of disillusionment in a negative way. I have thought of it as a frightening thing; a process that takes something away from us, causes us pain and struggle, and does damage. And sometimes, perhaps even often, that is part of the process; but what I’ve come to understand only recently is that disillusionment is simply an effect of change, of the inbreaking of a new reality; and we have a choice about how we will respond to the new information; the new awareness of life as it is, and not as we thought it was. To be disillusioned is simply to have our eyes opened; to be suddenly disabused of our comfortable, convenient illusions. And though at times it can feel threatening, it can actually be an opportunity for growth--if we recognize its potential to create space for something new; especially when we give God the reins in our lives: In her book God in Pain: Sermons on Suffering, Episcopal priest, academic and author Barbara Brown Taylor explains that when God breaks into our world, dissolving our illusions, it can be jarring, even painful; “we find that God does not conform to our expectations. We glimpse our own relative size in the universe and see that no human being can say who God should be or how God should act. We review our requirements of God and recognize them as our own fictions, things we tell ourselves to make ourselves feel safe or good or comfortable. Disillusioned, we find out what is not true and we are set free to seek what is--if we dare--to turn away from the God who was supposed to be in order to seek the God who is.” The shattering of illusions in our lives; about our place in the world, about what we can assume; even about those things of which we thought we were certain; can be an opportunity to discover something new; to blaze new trails of learning and discovery; to experience God’s generative, creative grace in our lives and in our journeys--if we are looking for them. Like hard ground being broken up so that new life may take root and grow, the times when our lives are broken open could potentially be powerful seasons of growth and maturing, if we allow God to take control, to sow the seeds of new life within us. King Herod, his advisors and all of Jerusalem, were not looking for something new to break in. They had created a comfortable illusion of control; and so God’s grace breaking in looked to them like a threat and not an opportunity. Herod’s response to God’s new reality was marked by paranoia and violence, instead of curiosity, joy and humble recognition--the response we see from the magi. What are the comfortable illusions that God would seek to disrupt with a gracious disillusionment? Have you lost your hunger to seek God in an area of your life? Is there someone or something that has disabused you of your illusions? Think for a moment. Is this an opportunity to seek and find God; to be overwhelmed by joy, and to respond in true, humble, heartfelt worship? May we be open to God’s disruptive, gracious disillusionment so that we may receive the new thing God wants to grow within us, in Jesus’ name. The Light of Home
By: Pastor Pete Grassow Jan 2, 2022 John 1: 10-18 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own,[a] and his own people[b] did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[c] from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.[d] 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God,[e] who is at the Father's side,[f] he has made him known. Intro: Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? The ending of one year and the beginning of a new year can leave us with an uneasy truce with ourselves: we know that we made mistakes in 2021 – and think about being better people for 2022. So my question: What are your new year’s resolutions? Some of us have thought of doing more exercise / learning something new / being a better person. Some people answer this by saying that they have given up – have seen too many new years come and go and are tired of living with the sense of condemnation. Here is the Good News for today: in the words we read from the Gospel St John: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). John says the good news of Jesus that God loves us even when we fail to live up to the people we know that we should be. In the words of John: “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”. I am inviting us to be set free from the weight of all the things we did not get right in 2021. We can begin the new year with the knowledge that we are God’s beloved : But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Jesus says to us all – welcome home my child. This does not mean that God ignores our failures – and neither should we! The teaching of Scripture is quite clear on this one: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We are to own up to our failures – repair the relationships we have broken - and in so doing we will discover that the Grace of God allows us to begin again. Illustrate this with a story from my own country – South Africa. It is a story told in tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu who died this past week: Mr Botha was a former president of the Apartheid government in my country. He was a thug who used the police and the military to enforce a racist minority rule on the country. In March of 1988 he was confronted by Archbishop Tutu, who told him that his leadership as President was not according to the will of God. President Botha threw the Bishop out of his office, and in retaliation he ordered the security police to blow up the offices of the South African Council of Churches. 5 months later, on August 31, 1988 a huge bomb wrecked a six-story office building in downtown Johannesburg, injuring 23 people. Ironically this building was named Khotso House, which in the Zulu language means House of Peace – but Mr. Botha had turned it into a place of war. Six years later South Africa had its first democratic elections, and Nelson Mandela was elected President. He asked Archbishop Tutu to lead a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to uncover the dark deeds of the police and the military. He visited Mr. Botha at his home to speak about his actions as president …and the Archbishop was heavily criticized for doing so – he was told by some that Mr. Botha was an old man and that he should be left alone – while others said Mr. Botha should be thrown in prison. Archbishop Tutu replied that every person deserves a chance to come to his/her senses. This was not condoning what Mr. Botha had done – but was giving him an opportunity to admit his failures and be reconciled to the nation. ‘Forgiving and being reconciled are not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about patting each other on the back and turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness, the abuse, the pain, the degradation, the truth. It could even sometimes make the situation worse. It is a risky undertaking, but in the end is worthwhile because in the end there will be real healing from having dealt with the real situation.’ I understand this – I do not always live up to my best aspirations. I let other people down, and I let myself down. But when I admit my sins, Jesus saves me from myself – and so once again I trust his grace to let me begin again this new year. In the same way I am inviting us to receive the love of God – and begin this new year with a renewed vision. One last thought – if God gives us grace: then we are challenged to share it with other people too. The fact is that others have failed us / hurt us / not lived up to the standards we expected of them. Let us become vessels of the Grace of God: let the forgiving love of God flow through us to the people in our lives. Do not withhold the Grace of God from the other people in your lives. Invite us into a parable: faith made visible. Holy Communion is the moment when we hold our empty hands open before God and receive a blessing we do not deserve. But it is also the moment we share with others who come for the same Grace. Holy Communion is summarized by John: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[ from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). We have bread and juice – the things of the flesh that reveal to us the Glory of God – they are full of Grace and truth. Holy Communion is the moment when one sinner shows another sinner where to find bread. I am a sinner before God – who invites you to join me in finding God’s Grace for 2022. |
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