Sunday, December 31, 2023
/Christmas 1
Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 147; Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7; John 1:1-18
The Rev. Clint Brown
It’s New Year’s, which means it’s time for resolutions. Perhaps you have begun to think of yours? Whether you have or have yet to, the year ahead presents limitless possibilities. But perhaps, like me, you’ve come to realize, looking back over many years of making many resolutions, that there have been far more failed ones than successful ones. That’s just part of being human. When making resolutions we all tend to overreach a bit and resolve to do things that are either too ambitious or too vague to be actionable. One suggestion I might make is to commend to you the advice of the wellness columnist Tara Parker-Pope.[1] She says that to achieve wellness we need simply to remember four words: move, nourish, reflect, and connect. These, she says, are the four elements of a balanced life. Far from needing to think about resolutions as grand feats of will and endurance, all we really need to do is make sure to move, nourish, reflect, and connect every day, which can take many forms, the simpler and more sensible, the better. Some examples:
• Move – exercise and physical fitness; notice the gentleness of the word; you don’t have to schedule time with a physical trainer at the gym; walking is not discounted; getting up out of your chair every 30 minutes and walking around the room will suffice; whatever you can think of to combat being completely sedentary is the idea here; but getting your heart rate up, that’s even better
• Nourish – healthy eating habits; good nutrition; how much of what you are eating is highly processed or flavored soybean oil?; what’s the ratio of fruits and vegetables to the other things on your plate?; a good place to start thinking about your nutrition might be to pay a visit to the website of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition found at www.health.gov;[2] “food for thought,” you might say
• Reflect – our bodies must be strong, but so must our minds and spirits; we exist at all these levels; the life of the mind and spirit need sustenance, too; this is where it’s wise to be a reader and a church goer; prayer, journaling, meditation; reading and study; remember that reflected experience is the only kind that matters; otherwise, we are just victims of circumstance; in the Information Age, reflecting on all that we hear and separating truth from hype – otherwise known as “discernment” – is becoming more and more an indispensable quality of the responsible citizen
• Connect – relationships; we are social animals, we humans; we can’t seem to get along without one another, nor would be want to; tending, mending, bending; and, yes, this includes our relationship to God
Because for the Christian, it must be remembered, everything is related to God. We recognize ourselves as children owing to God our gratitude and our obedience. This is what separates those of us standing within a faith tradition from those outside of one. Whatever it is you decide to do in the way of resolutions or any other big decision this year, know that you are duty bound to make reference to God and to seek God’s will. There are only two ways a choice can go – there is the choice that either glorifies God or the one that doesn’t – and in making the first choice – the better choice – we soon realize that one of its distinguishing properties is that it minimizes our role and our capacity. This is true in the big things and the small things, for, whatever we decide to do, know that ultimately we can’t claim anything in the first person, only in the third person. It will not be because of anything we have done that we will enter heaven – good works, right belief, praying more, giving more – but, rather, what he has done – “he” being Christ.
I’m reminded of the story of the repentant thief – the one who was crucified with Jesus whom Jesus pardoned. He arrives at the gate of heaven to his surprise and the surprise of the angel attending the gate. The angel asks him how is it that he comes to be here? Are you baptized? (What’s that?) Can you name the books of the Bible? (I’ve never even opened one.) How many times a week did you go to the synagogue? (Oh *chuckles* I always did my best work while everyone else was there.) Did you tithe 10%? (I’m a thief! I take, I don’t give.) Hold on, let me get my supervisor…Let me get this straight. You don’t know the creeds. You never darkened the door of the Lord’s house. You have failed every test of faith. How is it that you think we can let you in here? To which the man replies, “Honestly, I don’t know anything about any of that. All I know is that the man on the middle cross said I could come.”
Our right to enter heaven, to claim anything at all, has been won for us… not by us. It is for this reason that I said before that whatever we resolve to do, ultimately, we can’t claim any success for ourselves. It can only be in the third person. There are limitless choices laid out in front of you for the coming year – indeed, for your whole life long – but none of them would be possible at all save for the man on the middle cross. So make this year a year to think more about the difference the man on the middle cross makes to you and for your life; for seeing and striving less for what you want for you and more for what he wants for you. Resolve to be led to the foot of the manger – to the foot of the cross – where the wisest of every age have resolved to be.
Children’s Sermon: Two or three years ago (December of 2020), a very unique event happened in the night sky. The two largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, seemed, from our perspective on Earth, to come together. Now they didn’t really – they are actually separated by 450 million miles – but it looked like it to us because their orbital paths crossed. Now I find that really interesting because it suggests that two things can be both near and far at the same time depending on your perspective.
I think Jesus is like that. On the one hand, the first Christmas was a long time ago in a land far away, very far from us in space and time; and now, as we speak, Jesus is not in heaven, which seems to be even farther from us. But we must also remember that Jesus is near. He still matters. He still cares about us and involves himself in our lives. He lives even now. He is as near to us as saying a prayer. He is as close to us as partaking of the bread and wine at communion. Jesus may be far away in heaven, but he can also be near us in all these ways, and, especially, when we invite him to live in our hearts. It is in this way that Jesus can be both far and near.
I want to encourage you to remember that, even though Jesus is God, he is not too busy to be always thinking of you and watching over you. So don’t forget him, either. He matters. He is close. No matter how far he may seem, he is always near. Let us say a prayer…
[1] Tara Parker-Pope, “Four Simple Words to Help You Live Well,” New York Times, January 2, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/well/30-day-well-challenge-helping-you-live-well.html.
[2] https://health.gov/pcsfn