The Ending of Innocence

The sanctuary—on this fourth day of Christmas--now looks a little worse for wear—while it was all spruced up for Advent and Christmas Eve, the poinsettias are beginning to wilt and the Christmas tree is beginning to let go of its pine needles. Wax from the Christmas Even candlelight service is still on the pews and carpet. The truth is, we feel that way, too. The anticipation of Christmas, the glory of Christmas Eve, and the excitement of Christmas Day has worn us down a bit.

It is interesting to read what happens from one chapter to the next in the Gospel of Matthew. Chapter one ends with a brief telling of Jesus’ birth. And then chapter two begins with the Wise Men from the East following the star to find Jesus, their journey interrupted by Herod who is so threatened by Jesus that he wants to know where he is located so he can have him killed. He enlists the aid of the Wise Men, but they betray him and don’t tell him where Jesus is to be found. Herod, in his rage, orders all boys under the age of two to be murdered, hoping that the act will include the killing of Jesus. But Joseph has been warned of Herod’s plans by an angel, and flees the violence by escaping to Egypt. While Jesus is spared, Matthew reminds us, it was as Jeremiah foretold:

“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.”

Each year, I am startled by this violence, coming so close to the celebration of Jesus’ birth. How could we be proclaiming, “Joy to the world” and then read this text? Scholars call this reading the Slaughter of the Innocents. Perhaps, it should also be named the Ending of Innocence.

How tempting is it, to stay at the manger scene. Even though Jesus was born in a lowly stable, there was a host of characters to welcome him and to sing the wonders of his birth. We still sing about the holy night, of how he laid his sweet head in a manger, of how this cattle stall became a throne of glory. It is tempting to stay cooing at this child, to hold on to an innocent and naïve hope that all is right with the world. But just like the slaughter of the innocents, reality creeps in. All is NOT right in the world. There is violence and hatred and division. Some homes resemble battlefields, with broken and wounded lives. Individuals are weighed down by the unholy trinity of oppression, greed and injustice. The angels’ song of peace on earth has been drowned out by the discord found in our world.

Perhaps we need to have our innocence ended, so we can see the world’s brokenness for what it is and, as the Body of Christ, continue to bring love, healing, hope, justice and wholeness in the broken places of our world and lives.

Perhaps we need to see clearly where the hungry still wait for food, where children seek safe refuge, where those in prisons or those who are sick still wait for hope, where the oppressed are yearning for liberation. Until we dare to look honestly and critically at all the corners of our communities, there will continue to be wailing and loud lamentation.

It is time, my friends, to arise from the manger, shake off the dust, and roll up our sleeves. Truly, as Howard Thurman once said, the work of Christmas has begin.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

This week the seasons turned from Summer to Fall (except in Montana, which went straight to Winter). The temperatures are cooler, the days are shorter, and the leaves are turning. But even this will change. I always find myself drawn to a Robert Frost poem at this time of year:

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

“Nothing gold can stay”

Nature helps me remember that from the very beginning of creation, God set in motion a world that changes. The cycle of birth/death/rebirth is a constant sacred rhythm in the world and in our lives. Why is it that change, then, is so hard for so many of us?

The Hebrew people faced many changes as they encountered enslavement, wilderness wandering, and liberation. As they journeyed in the wilderness, there was so much complaining by the people: reaching for liberation is hard and uncomfortable. The people longed for the security of enslavement rather than the uncertainty they faced as they wandered looking for the Promised Land.

How often do you want to stay in the secure and known, whether or not it is healthy and life-giving, rather than open yourself up to the change that can bring you new life and freedom?

Moses prepares Joshua for a change as he is to take up the mantel of leadership from Moses:

“God is striding ahead of you. God’s right there with you. God won’t let you down;  God won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 The Message)

Change is a constant in life. Can we take heart in these words of Moses? When faced with an uncertain future, can you remember that God is with you, is ahead of you, and will never leave you? So fear not! Pour yourself fully into the future God desires for you!

Songs of the Season: There's a Voice in the Wilderness Crying

In this season of Advent, the words of the prophet Isaiah take center stage, foretelling the birth of Jesus. Isaiah 40 calls out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God"

This call is a warning, perhaps, of how Emmanuel (God-With-Us) will turn our world upside down. Not only did the savior's entrance take everyone by surprise by coming to us as a child, but then, as the child grew to adulthood, he continued to shake up social norms: the outcasts were the ones who God favored, the last shall be first, and the chains of oppression shall be broken.

James Lewis Milligan wrote the hymn "There's a Voice in the Wilderness Crying" at the creation of The United Church of Canada, when the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches united in 1925 (and yes, I do find a bit of humor in the fact that this song, using text about wilderness, was written for the establishment of a church in a country that has lots of wild places).

There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
a call from the ways untrod:
prepare in the desert a highway,
a highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
the lofty hills brought low;
make straight all the crooked places,
where the Lord our God may go!
 

O Zion, give voice to good tidings,
ascend to the heights and sing!
Proclaim to a desolate people
the coming of their King.
The works of pride all perish,
like flowers they shall decay;
the power and pomp of nations
shall pass like a dream away.

This song calls me, in this season of Advent, for the coming of the one is not only radicalizing the world, but also my life, inviting me to enter into a holy time of preparation. God comes into our world and lives in surprising, unexpected ways. Am I ready? Am I ready to experience the power of love, liberation, release, and joy that God offers? 

 

Songs of the Season: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Today was the first Sunday of Advent, and in homes and churches around the world, the first candle of the Advent wreath was lit as a way to mark our journey to Christmas. This is a season of waiting and preparation, as we live expectantly into the hope of Jesus' coming.

"Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" is an Advent hymn written by Charles Wesley. Charles Wesley (1708-1788) was a hymn writer of epic proportions. Charles was the brother of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. In many ways, the spread of Methodism can be credited in part to Charles, whose lyrics imparted Methodist understandings of God's love and grace and the way of salvation.

"Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" was written in 1744 and included in a tract of his hymns called Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord.

Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

I find this a very comforting hymn. In Christ lies our liberation. Yet, the one who liberates is not a mighty warrior-king but a child who dwells in our hearts, offering our souls a blessed rest.

Songs of the Season: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

While technically we will be starting the season of Advent tomorrow, and aren’t really in the Christmas season yet,  I can’t help but cue my iPod to my Christmas playlist. Christmas songs tend to capture as a photograph my memories, feelings, and experiences. So each day this year, I will be reflecting on a song of the season.

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming”. Beginning four Sundays before Christmas, Advent is a time to prepare as we wait for the coming of Christ which we celebrate on Christmas.  

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is perhaps the chart topper for the Advent hit list. This familiar song is several centuries old. The chorus (“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel”) is an antiphon from the 8^th century. The rest of the lyrics were written around the 12^th century. They were translated into English in the mid-19th century:

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

The word Emmanuel means “God with us”. This hymn is rooted in biblical passages of anticipation of a Savior (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23).  Each verse reflects various names used to refer to the Savior. Throughout the song, there is reference to the weight of oppression and human misery and the anticipated arrival of a Savior, a God who is with us, providing hope and liberation.

When I sing this song during Advent, I, too, await with anticipation the birth of love and liberation in our world once again. I join my voice with those across time and space who have sung this song with the assurance that God loves us enough to become one of us. 

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel