Jesus Reshapes Our Language; Luke 1:57-64

 

Rev. George Miller

Dec 24, 2023

Luke 1:57-64

 

This morning we gather with anticipation for the birth of Jesus.

 

Today there will be Carols sung, ancient scriptures read, and candles lit.

 

It is a joy to welcome Baby Jesus into our lives, to remember that even in the cold of winter there is a Light.

 

Another chance to journey to Bethlehem, another chance to follow Jesus, another chance to transform our lives.

 

Perhaps for today, following Jesus could mean paying attention to how Jesus inspires our language and changes the words we use.

 

For example, how Jesus will inspire us to call God “Papa”, and how Jesus will use the word “Blessed” to describe those who have difficult days.

 

But first- a language lesson, a lesson in something called “phrasal verbs.”

 

Phrasal verbs are something all native English speakers use and most of are unaware of. 

 

Apparently, all of us who grew up speaking English have a particular way of communicating that we are not aware of.

 

Phrasal verbs are used to describe things we are doing, about to do, or have done, such as “stand up”, “sit down” and “get away”.

 

But for those who speak another language and are trying to learn English, these phrases make no sense.

 

Why say “stand up” when all we have to say is “stand”?

 

Why say “sit down”?  Of course when we sit, we are sitting down.

 

How did “get away” even become a phrase?  How do you “get” away?

 

We say these phrasal verbs all the time, unaware we are doing it.

 

English has over 100 phrasal verbs that take up much space and time in our communication that could be spent sharing more chisme or drinking more Cafecito.

 

No wonder people who speak Spanish sound like they’re speaking so fast because they don’t have all these extra words.

 

It is fascinating when we learn about speech, what we say, such as today’s reading.

 

Zechariah has been unable to speak for 9 months.  His wife Elizabeth gives birth and when Zechariah confirms her choice of names, he has his speech restored and begins to praise God. 

 

“Gives birth” and “Begins to” are both phrasal verbs. 

 

Language is so fascinating.

 

As stated in the beginning of today’s message, one of the many gifts Jesus gives us is the gift of language.  Jesus will teach us new ways to speak.

 

1^st- Jesus will change what we call God.  For nearly 2,000 years the extended faith family has called God things like Yahweh, Lord, Elohim.

 

All powerful, stately sounding names, holy and royal, but in some ways, they are impersonal.

 

With just one prayer, Jesus changes that forever.

 

Jesus teaches us how to pray and how to address the Lord as “Abba.”  Abba means “Father.” But it’s more intimate than.

 

Abba is up close and personal, gentle.

 

Think of Abba as Daddy. Pa.  Papi, Pa-pa, tatay (ta-die), baba.

 

Jesus changes our speech to address God, creating the image of a parent who is there to care for, love, provide and be there.

 

Jesus changes how we address God, which changes how we interact with God, and how we understand God to be.

 

Jesus encourages us to speak of God as one who lifts us up, twirls us around, cares with a calming heart and endearing spirit.

 

Another transformative use of language that Jesus does is the use of the word “Blessed.”

 

In Luke 6 Jesus is with the crowds out in the community.  The people are living with diseases, enduring great pain, troubled minds, and paralysis of various kinds.

 

Jesus is amongst people who are very worried, very scared, people who have been mistreated, unseen, blamed for their lot in life.

 

Jesus calls them an unexpected name- he calls them “Blessed.”

 

In a world with so many words and ways to describe people living with sores on the bodies, tears in their eyes, and trouble in their spirits,

 

Jesus chooses to call them “blessed.”

 

His words change everything.

 

Jesus says “Blessed are you who are poor.”  “Blessed are you who are hungry.”

 

Jesus says “Blessed are you who are crying and depressed and feeling the winter gloom.”

 

Jesus could have called this group of people anything, anything at all, and yet he chooses to call them “Blessed.”

 

And by calling them Blessed Jesus gives them hope, Jesus fills them with inspiration, Jesus is saying “You are seen and you MATTER.”

 

For months we’ve asked  the question “Why Jesus?” 

 

Today, another answer comes our way- because Jesus changes how we speak, Jesus shapes the words that we use.

 

Jesus changes the world, with nothing more than air and sound and letters pieced together.

 

Jesus changes how we see God, how we see others, how we see ourselves.

 

So as we prepare for tonight, as we prepare to make way for the Light of Christ,

 

Let us also get ready to reevaluate how we speak,

what we say,

and reimagine what words mean.

 

For the words we use are the words that can bring hope for the world

 

and usher in brave new beginning.

 

For that, let us say “Amen.”

Rebuilding Community; Ezra 3:10-13

 

Rev. George Miller

Dec 17, 2023

Ezra 3:10-13

 

A few weeks ago at Bible Study we were reflecting upon family, Thanksgiving, traditions, days in the past and moments in the now.

 

Lisa was sharing what it’s been like this year with decorations and classic shows. At one moment she said, “I remember what that felt like.”

 

She said it with enthusiasm, a memory to summon hope for the world, summarizing what the time between November 23 and January 6 is supposed to be. 

 

“I remember what that felt like.”

 

The warmth of an oven filled with a turkey.  The fantasia of colors and flickering lights.  Anticipation of coming to church on Christmas Eve to sing “Silent Night” in a darkened sanctuary.

 

“I remember what that felt like.”  The joy, the love…yet there is also the pain, the loss.

 

Today’s reading captures all of this so well. 

 

We come to a complicated time in Jerusalem’s history.  About 50 years ago they were viciously attacked.  The Temple was burned to the ground.

 

A group of people are taken away to Babylon, as is all of the Temple’s cups, plates, silver, gold.

 

For fifty years, their house of worship lays desolate, it’s altar, chairs, steps no more, forcing the people to find a way to worship God, to maintain their spiritual identity,

 

to remember what it felt like when things were the way they were.

 

Fifty years have passed, and their enemy has been defeated and the people get to go back home, and are encouraged to rebuild-

 

to rebuild their homes, rebuild their fields, rebuild their Temple.

 

The first thing they do is set up the altar- the place where they offered gifts to God, the place where they showed thanks, repentance, community.

 

It is a day to remember- a big day in which they give offerings from sunup to sundown.

 

Next comes the plans to lay the foundation; folk give generously for the masons and carpenters.

 

In the 2^nd year of return the foundation is done and all of Jerusalem attends from priests in bright robes to musicians with cymbals.   

 

The people shout with gladness for once more they will have a Temple…but then we are told of the elders who weep loudly as they remember the first Temple.

 

There are family heads, religious leaders, who cry and sob while the crowd shouts and celebrates.

 

The author tells us that at this vital moment, you could not distinguish the tears from the laughter, the sobs from the singing…

 

… this is perhaps one of the most “accurate” stories in scripture, regardless if it really happened this way or not.

 

This moment of a community coming together and having two different responses couldn’t be any more true than if we were watching it unfold in real time.

 

How many of us here today can relate to those who are crying out?  How close to home does this hit in a post-COVID world?

 

How close to home is this for Emmanuel after a summer of having to worship in the Fellowship Hall not because we wanted to but because we had to?

 

How many people here today are finding that this is not really “tis the season”?

 

How do we shout for joy when Maureen has died without any of us having the chance to say goodbye, and Miss Roxie has moved to South Carolina?

 

Scholars ask why the people cry, but the real question is “How can they not?”

 

There are those crying for what has been lost, crying for folk who are no longer there.

 

There are those who are having the reality of their trauma set in.

 

Then there is another element- “Just how long is this going to take?” 

 

Sure, they put up the altar and yes they laid the foundation, but now they got to put up the walls, put in hallways, install the seats.

 

Who’s going to go to Marshalls and TJMAX and Sams Club to get the pottery and artwork and tchotchkes and bulletin boards?

 

How many committees and subcommittees is this going to take?  What’s the budget; what’s the timeline?

 

As with any project there are probably those who are excited about all the moving parts…

and then there are those who may be thinking-

 

Big deal- we put in the foundation, but it is a long time to go before this is completed. 

 

Will any of it matter; will I be around to see it?

 

Some see all the steps this endeavor will take, and they are excited; others see all the steps that are left to take and probably feel overwhelmed, defeated.

 

And the truth is, this project is going to take a good 23 years to be completed, so many of those alive to shout and sob today will not be there tomorrow.

 

But here is one thing to consider- this is not just a story about rebuilding the Temple…this is a story about the rebuilding of the community.

 

The community that was bonded by what the Temple meant, were wounded when the Temple was gone, and is coming back together with each altar, each foundation, each wall that is built.

 

This is a story about community, a community being restored, a community feeling a multitude of feelings all at once-   joy and sadness, loss and hopefulness, grief, and gladness.

 

Because that’s what it means to be part of a community.  What it means to be united around a common theme. 

 

What does it mean when a community allows space for people to feel different ways and to show their emotions?

 

Notice how the author does not try to dismiss the weeping or hide their presence; instead the author creates space for all the people, feeling all the emotions.

 

Which is what Jesus does. 

 

As we wait for the birth of Jesus, who becomes the living Balm of Gilead, as we prepare to once more sing “Silent Night”, we are mindful of who Jesus is and why we follow him.

 

That Jesus created a compassionate community in which there was space for sorrow at night and joy in the morning,

 

In which you can mourn and be blessed; in which friends do die, and as Jesus demonstrated himself, it is ok to weep for them. 

 

“I remember what that felt like,” Lisa said a few weeks ago; today we are reminded that we also remember.

 

In those memories, there is joy and there is pain, there is gladness and there is sorrow, there is hope and there is melancholy.

 

And with all those shared emotions comes another opportunity for compassion.

 

Another reason why we follow Christ, another reason why we as Emmanuel shine a light. 

 

And that is OK because that is what it means to be human, and that is what it means to be part of the family, the community of God. 

 

That even in our sorrow there is a Balm of Gilead.  And because Jesus is that Balm, we are able to laugh and we are able to weep, we are able to extend compassion and we are worthy of being comforted.

 

For that, let us say “Amen.”

Heaven's Wine; Jeremiah 33:10-16

 

Rev. George Miller

Dec 3, 2023

Jeremiah 33:10-16

 

Christmas is a special season; an emotional season;  a season of joy; a season of sadness;

 

a season of anticipation; a season of stress;

 

a season of remembering times past; a season of making memories that are new.

 

Christmas is the time to share a tradition like watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, while it is also a reminder of who is not there to watch it with.

 

Christmas is a time to decorate the tree and recall the memory attached to each ornament while also adding new ornaments that will have new stories to tell.

 

Christmas is a time to be thankful for those who are in your life while mourning those who are gone, or slipping away.

 

Christmas is a combination of joy and grief, hope and hopelessness, fondness and unfairness.

 

Christmas is honoring the light in the darkness.  It is a baby in a manger, it is shepherds in a field, it is you and I traveling once again to Bethlehem to see what God can do.

 

And part of what God is preparing to do is to bring Heaven right here on earth in the form of Jesus.

 

Which makes today’s reading so wonderful.  All we have discussed since September and all we are preparing to do appears in this text.

 

Today is a reading written during a time of despair and uncertainty, a time when the nation is in chaos and the extended family of God is in mourning.

 

Jeremiah’s words are to the people of Jacob and Rachel, Ruth and Boaz.

 

Things have not been so good for their kin- the family chisme tells us there has been all this in-fighting, poor decisions, deceit.

 

Each generation of Jacob’s family has lost their focus, they have strayed from the teachings that King Josiah had rediscovered.

 

So the land is suffering, the economy has tanked, their family bonds have been decimated.

 

Jeremiah addresses this, but then he does something so beautiful- instead of saying “That’s it- the family is over”, he brings in a source of light and hope.

 

“Hold on,” he says.  “The parade is about to begin!  God is ready to do something new.”

 

“Soon there will be weddings again, soon their will be songs of joy, sounds of mirth, there will be singing and thanksgiving.”

 

To this broken extended faith family of God who haven’t had a reason to celebrate in years, Jeremiah says “A wedding is about to happen soon, and God has put your invitation in the mail.”

 

This will be a time of food, festivities and wine flowing, made from grapes that are so so good.

 

“Hold on,” is the message from God “Watch how heaven breaks in.”

 

…If you recall, back in September we did Stump The Pastor and someone suggested John 2- the Wedding at Cana. 

 

I said how perfect it was after the Sabbatical because during the summer I had come to learn more about the Latin community and how instrumental the family is, and family gatherings are.

 

In John 2 we saw Jesus and Mary attend a wedding in which they ran out of wine, so Jesus turned water into something delicious- good wine, “the best wine.”

 

In the Old Testament, wine was used to represent the inbreaking of Heaven. 

 

When writers and prophets wanted to express God’s Kingdom here on earth, they used wine to represent how wonderful God’s heaven is.

 

Wine, freely flowing, shared by all, overfilling our cups, was a way to symbolize the presence of God in the here and now.

 

So when Jeremiah offers this image of mirth and gladness of a bride and bridegroom, we can imagine the food and drink that is present, such as goblets of wine filled with sacred juice of the vine.

 

A few weeks ago we discussed Isaiah’s image of God being the wine maker, making the ground good for us to grow as grapes.

 

In other words, God tills the soil so we can become the products and participants of Heaven.

 

So in some ways we get to drink the wine of Heaven as well as become part of the wine.

 

Let’s take this image to the wedding of Canaan.  We’ve heard this story so many times but now, let us hear it in a different way.

 

Jeremiah 33 points to a time when there will be a bridegroom and a bride and there will be songs and laughter, joy, and mirth.

 

John 2 presents to us a day when such a wedding occurs, when family and friends and the entire town come together.

 

What happens- Jesus turns water into wine, not just any old wine, but the best, the most choice.

 

But Jesus does not act alone.  It involves his mother encouraging him as only a mom can.  It involves a multitude of workers who carry the stone jars to and from the well, filling it with water.

 

It takes the steward to taste, the servants to serve, the participants to drink  and the entire community to celebrate.

 

The Wedding at Cana is not just about a miracle, it’s an act of Heaven breaking into the world and everyone being recipients of it.

 

It's about the extended faith family coming together and being part of an ancient tradition that creates new memories.

 

It’s about Jesus finding a way to fulfill the words of Jeremiah, who said to the people that though they can’t see it now, the Kingdom of God is real, and the ways of Heaven will arrive.

 

This promise of Jeremiah that Jesus makes real does not dismiss the darkness, nor ignore the pain that life entails, but it points us to a promise and an image, and a sound of what joy can look like.

 

So as we embark on our journey to Bethlehem, as we prepare to see the face of the Christ Child again,

 

lets us be aware of the loss and stress and grief we have endured,

 

but also look beyond to the heavenly possibilities that await for us,

 

as individuals and as members of this amazing extended faith family known as Emmanuel.

 

Amen and amen.