Christmas Sermon

Titus 2.11-15 & Luke 2.8-20
Elizabeth and Richard Deibert

Elizabeth:1 God With Us, O Word made flesh, give us, we pray,
a spirit of Wisdom, that we might see you and know how
great is the hope to which we have been called. Amen.

Richard: One of the favorite books in the Deibert household for
72 child years has been this little volume called Joyful Noise:
Poems for Two Voices,2 in which a parent and a child read a
poem side by side, carefully constructed to clash and to ring
and to sing about the glory of God’s world. We have written
a poem in two voices, based on these two texts before us on
this Christmas Sunday. It is our gift to you and it requires you
to suspend your rational left brain and to relax your imaginative
right brain. It will be an entirely new homiletical experience for
you. So sit back and enjoy this gift on Christmas morning.

Hear the Word of the Lord from Paul to the young pastor Titus
about the glory of Christmas:

Titus 2 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,
12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the
present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory
of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He it is who gave himself
for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify
for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
15 Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority.
Let no one look down on you.

Luke 2 8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and
they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid;
for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the
Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child
wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising
God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth
peace among those whom he favors!" 15 When the angels had left them
and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord
____________

1Elizabeth read the right column; Richard read the left.
2Paul Fleischman, Joyful Noise: Poems For Two Voices,
illustrated by Eric Beddows.HarperCollins, 1988
(winner of the 1989 Newberry Medal).
____________

has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary
and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this,
they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and
all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But
Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they
had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Richard
For the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation to all.

Elizabeth
In that region there were shepherds
living in the fields, keeping watch
over their flock by night.

Richard
The grace of God has appeared.

Elizabeth
Then an angel of the Lord stood before
them, and the glory of the Lord.

Richard
The grace of God.

Elizabeth
The glory of the Lord.
Shone around them.

Richard
The grace of God appeared.

Elizabeth
And they were terrified.

Richard
Bringing salvation to all.

Elizabeth
But the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid.”

Richard
Bringing salvation.

Elizabeth
“Do not be afraid.”

Richard
Salvation.

Elizabeth
“Do not be afraid.”

Richard
To all.

Elizabeth
“For see — ”

Richard
The grace of God has
Appeared!

Elizabeth
“See!”

Richard
The glory of the Lord

Elizabeth
The glory of the Lord

Richard
shown around them.

Elizabeth
shown around them.
“See — I am

Richard
Bringing

Elizabeth
Bringing

Richard
To all

Elizabeth
You

Richard
Salvation.

Elizabeth
Good news.

Richard
Salvation.

Elizabeth
of great joy.

Richard
Salvation.

Elizabeth
Good news.

Richard
To all.

Elizabeth
For all people.
To you.

Richard
To all.

Elizabeth
Is born this day

Richard
To all.

Elizabeth
In the city of David

Richard
Our great God and
Savior

Elizabthe
Savior.

Richard
Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth
Jesus Christ.

Richard
Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth
Who is

Richard
Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth
The Messiah,

Richard
Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth
The Lord.

Richard
The grace of God

Elizabeth
Good news.

Richard
Has appeared

Elizabeth
Great joy.

Richard
To all.

Elizabeth
For all people.

Richard
The glory of the Lord.

Elizabeth
The glory of the Lord.

Richard
The glory of the Lord.

Elizabeth
You will find a child wrapped in bands
of cloth

Richard
The glory of the Lord.

Elizabeth
Lying in a manger.

Richard
The glory of the Lord.

Elizabeth
And suddenly there was with the angel

Richard
The glory of the Lord.

Elizabeth
A multitude of the heavenly host,
Praising God and saying,

Richard
The glory of the Lord.

Elizabeth
“Glory to God in the highest heaven”

Richard
The glory of the Lord.

Elizabeth
“And on earth peace among those
whom God favors!”

Richard
“Glory to God in the highest heaven”

Elizabeth
The glory of the Lord.

Richard
“And on earth peace among those
whom God favors!”

Elizabeth
The glory of the Lord.

Richard
“Glory to God in the highest heaven.”

Elizabeth
“Glory to God in the highest heaven.”

Elizabeth
When the angels had left them
and gone into heaven,

Richard
“On earth peace.”

Elizabeth
the shepherds said to one another, “Let
us go now to

Richard
“Peace.”

Elizabeth
“Bethlehem
“And see this thing that has

Richard
“Appeared.”

Elizabeth
“Taken place.”

Richard
“Taken place.”

Elizabeth
“Appeared.”

Richard
The blessed hope.

Elizabeth
“On earth.”

Richard
The manifestation.

Elizabeth
“On earth.”

Richard
A people of His own.

Elizabeth
“On earth.”
“Peace.”

Richard
“Peace.”

Elizabeth
“Which the Lord has made known”

Richard
“To all.”

Elizabeth
“To us.”

Richard
Salvation.

Elizabeth
“Peace.”

Richard
“Peace.”

Elizabeth
Salvation.

So they went with haste and found
Mary and Joseph, and

Richard
Our great God.

Elizabeth
A child

Richard
Our great God.

Elizabeth
Lying in the manger.

Richard
Our great God.

Elizabeth
Wrapped in bands of cloth.

Richard
A child.

Elizabeth
Our great God.

Richard
Lying in the manger.

Elizabeth
Our great God.

Richard
Wrapped in bands of cloth.

Elizabeth
Our great God.
“To you is born this day

Richard
“A Savior.”

Elizabeth
“A Savior

Richard
Our great God,

Elizabeth
“The Messiah.”

Richard
Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth
Jesus Christ.

Richard
He it is

Elizabeth
Jesus Christ.

Richard
Who gave Himself

Elizabeth
Jesus Christ.

Richard
For us

Elizabeth
Jesus Christ.

Richard
That He might redeem us

Elizabeth
A Savior.

Richard
From all iniquity

Elizabeth
Do not be afraid.

Richard
And purify for Himself

Elizabeth
Do not be afraid.

Richard
A people of His own

Elizabeth
Do not be afraid.

Richard
Who are zealous for good deeds.

Elizabeth
Do not be afraid.

When they saw this, they made
known

Richard
Declare these things.

Elizabeth
They made known

Richard
Declare these things.

Elizabeth
What had been told them

Richard
Declare these things.

Elizabeth
About this Child.

Richard
He it is Who gave Himself.
Our great God

Elizabeth
This Child.

Richard
And Savior,

Elizabeth
This Child.

Richard
Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth
Jesus Christ.

And all who heard it were amazed
at what the shepherds

Richard
Declare these things.

Elizabeth
Told them.

Richard
Told them.

Elizabeth
Declare these things.

Richard and Elizabeth
Declare! Declare!

Elizabeth
But Mary

Richard
Let no one look down on you.

Elizabeth
Treasured all these words

Richard
Let no one look down on you.

Elizabeth
And pondered them in her heart.

Richard
Let no one look down on you.

Richard and Elizabeth
Mary. Mary.
Treasured. Treasured.
In her heart. In her heart.

Elizabeth
The shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God.

Richard
Glorifying.

Elizabeth
Praising.

Richard
Praising.

Elizabeth
Glorifying.

Richard
Glorifying and praising.

Elizabeth
Praising and glorifying.

Elizabeth
For all they had heard and seen.

Richard
The grace of God has appeared.

Elizabeth
Heard and seen.

Richard
Appeared.

Elizabeth
As it had been told them.

Richard
Good news.

Elizabath
Great joy.

Richard
Grace.

Elizabeth
Peace.

Richard
Salvation.

Elizabeth
Christ is born!

Richard
Glorify Him!
Christ is born!

Elizabeth
Glorify Him!

Richard and Elizabeth
Christ is born! Christ is born!
Glorify Him! Glorify Him!

Richard
One Lord,

Elizabeth
Jesus Christ,

Richard
The only Son of God,

Elizabeth
Eternally begotten of the Father,

Richard
God from God,

Elizabeth
Light from Light,

Richard
True God from true God,

Elizabeth
Begotten,

Richard
Not made,

Elizabeth
Of one Being with the Father;

Richard
Through Him all things were made.

Elizabeth
Through Him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation

Richard
He came down from heaven,

Elizabeth
Was incarnate of the Holy Spirit

Richard
And the Virgin Mary

Richard
And became truly human.

Elizabeth
And became truly human.

Richard
For our sake he was crucified under
Pontius Pilate;

Elizabeth
He suffered death and was buried.

Richard
On the third day

Elizabeth
He rose again in accordance with the
Scriptures;

Richard
He ascended into heaven

Elizabeth
And is seated on the right hand of the Father.

Richard
He will come again in glory

Elizabeth
To judge the living and the dead,

Richard
And His kingdom will have no end!

Elizabeth
And His kingdom will have no end!

Richard
The Word was made flesh!

Elizabeth
Glory to You, O Lord!

Richard
Jesus, Son of the Living God,

Elizabeth
Splendor of the Father, Light eternal!

Richard
Glory to You, O Lord!

Elizabeth
Jesus, King of Glory, Sun of
righteousness,

Richard
Born of the Virgin Mary!

Elizabeth
Glory to You, O Lord!


[PowerPoint shifts to bring
congregation into the litany on the
refrain, “Glory to You, O Lord!”]

Richard
Jesus, Wonderful Counselor,

Elizabeth
Mighty God, everlasting Lord!

Congregation
Glory to You, O Lord! Glory to You, O Lord!

Richard
Jesus, Prince of Peace,

Elizabeth
Shepherd of souls, perfect in holiness!

Congregation
Glory to You, O Lord! Glory to You, O Lord!

Richard
Jesus, Friend of all,

Elizabeth
Protector of the poor,

Richard
Treasure of the faithful!

Elizabeth
Treasure of the faithful!

Congregation
Glory to You, O Lord! Glory to You, O Lord!

Richard
Jesus, Good Shepherd,

Elizabeth
Inexhaustible Wisdom,

Richard
Our Way, our Truth, and our Life!

Elizabeth
Our Way, our Truth, and our Life!

Congregation
Glory to You, O Lord! Glory to You, O Lord!

Richard
Jesus, joy of the angels,

Elizabeth
And crown of all the saints!

Congregation
Glory To You, O Lord! Glory To You, O Lord!

Richard
Christ is born!

Elizabeth
Give him glory!

Richard
Christ has come down from heaven!

Elizabeth
Receive him!

Richard
Christ is now on earth!

Elizabeth
Exalt him!

Richard
O earth, sing to the Lord!

Elizabeth
O earth, sing to the Lord!

Richard and Elizabeth
Glory! Gloria in excelsis Deo! Glory! Gloria in excelsis Deo!

[PowerPoint shifts to hymn]

[Sung]
Glo-ri-a in excelsis Deo; Glo-ri-a in excelsis Deo.
Angels we have heard on high, Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains.
Glo-ri-a in excelsis Deo; Glo-ri-a in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be Which inspire your heavenly song?
Glo-ri-a in excelsis Deo; Glo-ri-a in excelsis Deo.

Jumping for Joy

Luke 1:39-49 & Luke 2:8-11
4th Sunday of Advent
Elizabeth M. Deibert

Lord Jesus, our light, our peace, our hope, our joy, renew us by your Word and Spirit.

When our kids were little we had this little bouncy seat which hung from the door frame. The best way to make a fussy one year old happy was to put her or him in this bouncy seat to jump, jump, jump into joy.

I remember the joy of Christmas Eve as a child myself, where just the sound of bells outside the family room window would get me jumping up and down with glee. I remember faces of my own children when they walked out on Christmas morning. Tired parents. Joyful children to make all the tiredness worthwhile.

A friend of Andrew’s asked me on Friday if I was ready for Christmas. I said “No, how about you?” He said, “I’ve been ready since Thanksgiving.” Now I’m afraid that neither of us really had the right spirit of readiness. He had that boy-like twinkle in his eye about the day as if it could not come fast enough. I had that ultra-responsible adult attitude. “Well, of course, I’m not ready. There are still gifts to buy and wrap. There’s a house to clean and meals to plan.” And then my mind raced also to pastoral duties, which I did not mention. Ready for Christmas? Ha, no pastor is ever ready for Christmas on December 17. There are services to complete and people to contact and preparations to be made. I’ll be ready for Christmas when I walk in the front door of the house after our Christmas Eve service. That’s when I’ll be ready.

But what if I embraced a little child-like excitement (after all, Jesus said, unless we have the faith of a child, we will not inherit the kingdom.) What if I took the joyful enthusiasm of a teen and combined it with the adult awareness that I have of the meaning of this day – that in Jesus divinity and humanity were united. Well, then maybe I’d be jumping for joy, not literally but figuratively. What if I could acknowledge all the pain, all the strain, all the angst of this life, and yet still get excited about the supreme gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ?

After all, this day is not so much about preparing our homes and our meals, but preparing our hearts for Christ. This day is not so much about unwrapping packages as it is about unwrapping our tightly bound wills to the Spirit of the Living God. This day is not so much about journeying to a particular place to spend the holiday with friends or family, as it is about being on a steady journey with Jesus, walking with our companions in this life toward the trusted place called Home that is peace and joy and love.

Today we read about the shared joy of Mary and Elizabeth, in their mutual expectancy. We read about the joy the angels brought to the shepherds and how the shepherds first reaction was more fearful than joyful.

Hear now the word of the Lord from Luke:


Luke 1:39-49

In those days Mary set out and went with haste

to a Judean town in the hill country,

40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry,

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?

44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting,

the child in my womb leaped for joy.

45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment

of what was spoken to her by the Lord.

46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.


Mary and Elizabeth, with their unusual pregnancies, Mary being young and not yet married, with child of the Holy Spirit. And Elizabeth, too old to have a baby and yet here they are sharing the joy and nervousness of their mutual conditions. John is doing somersaults in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary enters. Oh sure, infants in the womb do this all the time, but when ordinary things happen at significant moments in our lives we sometimes pay attention and mark the experience. When ordinary things happen to people who are listening for the voice of God in their lives, they interpret them in extraordinary ways, as messages from the Holy One who sustains them.

So it should be with us – that we look for the voice of God, speaking through the events of our lives. Cultivating a life sensitive to God’s work and God’s will, feeling God’s compassion for those who are suffering, praying and working to alleviate suffering or to live with people in their suffering is our call as followers of Jesus Christ. Mary and Elizabeth were attuned to the will of God such that they could give birth to Jesus our Lord and John the Baptist, the forerunner who prepared the way for Christ.

While there must have been hardships for them and misunderstandings in the public about their pregnancies, as well as the radical behavior of their prophetic sons, they stood the course, and guided their children to become the faith-filled people they became. Was there some darkness, some conflict, some fear, some sadness in the day when when Mary visited Elizabeth. Probably, but as the story goes, there was great joy. How will the story of your life be told? We all play a role in shaping the stories of our lives in ways that tell of the joy of God’s love. But I hope, as we have focused this Advent Season on light in the darkness, peace in the conflict, hope for the fear, and joy for the sadness of life, that you have prayerfully taken these to heart, worked at them by faithful devotion to the disciplines of the Christian life. We are called to actively and repetitively place our trust in the faithfulness of the God who came to be one with us in our darkness, conflict, fear, and sadness, who came to earth to usher in the light, peace, hope, and joy that is ours as children of a Loving God.

Now let’s read of the good news of great joy which the angel brought to the poor shepherds in the field. Note that the glory of the Lord is frightening. They are existing in the darkness, and suddenly this great light shines upon them. But into their fear, comes this amazing news of the birth of the long-awaited Messiah. This is news of great joy for a bunch of no-named poor shepherds in our second reading from Luke.


Luke 2:8-11

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,

and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

and they were terrified.

10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid;

for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:

11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,

who is the Messiah, the Lord.


In every one of us is that desire to become a little more child-like at Christmas, to be surprised, to be jumping for joy at the thought of gifts, to set aside all overly- worrisome adult thoughts, to revel in being children of God, who know we are beloved by the One entered the playful joy of childhood himself. Think about it. Jesus cooed and squeaked like baby Wells Thomas. He danced with free abandonment like Tommy Zimmerman. He delighted in drawing pictures like Fields Thomas and Mimi Zimmerman. He smiled with his whole body like Chance Miller. These precious preschoolers of ours at Peace are gifts to remind us of the joy of Christmas. Think back to Funday Sunday and remember all the kids jumping for joy in the bouncy house and slide. Think of teens and the joyful abandonment of laughter. All these stages of life were part of Jesus’ life with us. And there is something of this joyful abandonment of worry and sadness which is at the heart of Christmas.

Because of the amazing gift of God with us, the incarnation, the infant Lord, we can all relax a little and experience the joy that rises higher than any struggle we might have, the compassion that is greater than any pain we might bear, the forgiveness that overcomes any sin we have committed.

There is a sense in which because God became a carefree cooing infant, we can re-enter childhood and know that we belong to the One who was a joyful child and glad to be our Savior, whose unity with us and with God is the substance of all true joy. It is this joy which lifts our spirits from the pain of life, allows us to still to laugh even when someone is dying, which allows us to make jokes about our mistakes, and to smile though we know someone else somewhere is crying or cold or lonely. The joy of Christmas lifts our spirits enough to give us bounce when we have hit rock bottom. If you have no spring in your step or want to remember those who are struggling come to our Longest Night Service at 7 pm.

Christmas joy is not a neglect of those who are suffering but a release from the heavy burden of pain and fear because of the angel’s message “I bring you good news of great joy” Christmas joy is not a neglect of responsible living, but a freedom from thinking it all depends on us because God came to earth in the rejoicing faith of a young woman, whose womb was home of a bouncing boy, a womb which gifted God with an amazing large leap into this life with us. The expression of joy is a leap, especially for those of us who are so serious. It is a leap of faith to be joyful, despite all the things about which we might moan or groan. I pray you will give yourself permission to jump from fear and sadness into hope and joy this Christmas, as an expression of your trust in God.

Hanging on to Hope

Matthew 2:2-11
Revelation 21:3-4
3rd Sunday of Advent
Rev. Tricia Dillon Thomas

John the Baptist is not really a character I had paid much attention
to. I thought he was rather strange, eccentric. Called those he
was sharing the good news with, a ‘brood of vipers’ (and I knew
that model of ministry wouldn’t hold up very well in a newly
chartered church in LWR). I knew he wandered the desert, I knew
he ate, what my husband likes to call a combination of salty
and sweet—locusts and honey, I knew he had a really bad choice
of wardrobe on a pretty big day. I mean, really, camel hair,
leather belts…he couldn’t dress it up a little more for the baptism
of…OUR LORD!? I knew he preached repentance and that he
was preparing the way for the Lord. And I know the Lord did
indeed come, and John baptized him, and witnessed the heavens
tear open as God declared Jesus “beloved.” I know these stories,
but everyone kind of falls to the shadows when Jesus is around,
so I hadn’t really given too much thought to the character of
John. I met John, anew, however when I came to today’s
scripture. So let us hear together how the spirit is
speaking to her church…

Read Matthew 2:2‐11.

This is such an interesting passage. It seems to be a passage about
identities. Who is John? Who are we? Who is Jesus?

I don’t know if you caught that first part, so listen again: “John sent
his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to come,
or are we to wait for another?”

That seemed strange to me at first. That John, who preached in
preparation for the Lord, baptized the Lord, and watched as our Lord
was declared beloved, would all of a sudden be asking, “Are you for
real?” Of all people, John should have known Jesus was for real. He
prepared the way for him. What changed?

The first verse reads, “When John heard in prison what the
Messiah was doing…” What’s changed, is that John is in prison.
He’s been put in prison for a variety of reasons, specifically
because John told Herod it was wrong for him to marry
his niece; but generally because John was considered a prophet,
and the good news he preached didn’t seem so good for the
wealthy and powerful. He was threatening to them. So
Herod had him arrested.

But being arrested in John’s time is different than being arrested
in ours. And John knows this. He knows prison isn’t a
punishment in and of itself, like in our society; he won’t stay
there to serve out a term.

Prison, in John’s time is a holding cell for one of three actions:
exoneration‐he can be let go; exile‐he can be forced to flee
the country; or execution‐he can be put to death. John led a
faithful life (Jesus, in fact, calls him the greatest prophet ever
born later in the passage), and John knows his faith forced
him to take stances that put him at great risk of
losing his life. And that’s what’s changed.

The question John asks, “Are you the one we’ve been waiting for?”
all of a sudden has urgency. Are you for real, John is asking?
Are you the Messiah? Because I have lived my life in preparation
for your coming, and the time has come for me, and I need to know
that you are the real thing. That there is not another. That you
are the one that is to bring in a new heaven and a new earth.

This past week Gretchen and I studied this passage together. And
when we talked about what John was really asking Jesus, she said,
“Isn’t this the question we all ask when it comes down to it?” John
is suffering; he is scared, powerless, removed. He wonders, we all
wonder when we near the end, did I take the path I was supposed
to? And Gretchen’s right, when the urge for clarity is high, even the
most faithful turn to God and ask, “Are you for real?” This life I’ve
led. It’s been hard, and I’ve tried to be faithful, was it worth it?
ARE you for real? ”

Have you seen the Movie, A Christmas Story? It’s a really funny
movie I grew up watching, and most of it is focused on the
antics of an elementary aged boy named Ralphie who really wants
this one present for Christmas. So fast forward, it’s Christmas
morning and Ralphie can hardly contain himself. His parents
finally give the go ahead, and he and his younger brother tear
through the boxes. Wrapping paper is flying and we see Ralphie
and his brother open their first gift. It’s something like underwear
and socks. Present two, again paper flying, anticipation high,
and wah‐wah‐wah…matching bunny suits that his mother
makes them immediately try on. Time goes by, and we watch
Ralphie and his brother open all their gifts.

After Ralphie has opened his last present we can tell he is really
grateful for his gifts, but what he really wanted is missing. And
he turns to his father with eyes that seem to express his yearning,
and his father says, “What’s that over there behind the tree,
Ralphie?” Ralphie races over reads the tag and sees it is for him.
The anticipation of the entire story line boils over as Ralphie tears
the wrapping paper away from the gift he had waited for all season.

Immediately after addressing John, Jesus turns to the crowd
who has overheard this conversation, and asks, “What did you go
out in to the wilderness to look at?” Jesus is referring back to
Matthew 3 when the crowds (even the Pharisees and Sadducees)
meet John in the wilderness to hear him preach.

Why were you there? He asks them no less than three times:
What did you go there to see? A crazy miracle worker? No?
What then did you go out to see? A king? No?
What then did you go out to see? A prophet?

What did they go out to see? What were they hoping to find in the
wilderness?

What do we go out to see? Why do we come to church every
Sunday? What are we hoping for? Is it the fellowship, the classes,
maybe it’s to hear great preaching…it’s not that we aren’t grateful
for this building, or these people, or these classes, or even the
preaching. We are, we are thankful for these gifts, but we come
because we yearn for something more. Like Ralphie, we raise our
eyes towards our father because we yearn for what we’ve been
given a glimpse of.

In our passage Jesus answers John by telling John’s disciples
to return and describe what they have seen and heard: the blind
receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news
brought to them! This might seem an abstract answer to those
of us not rooted in the scriptures, but by announcing the
fulfillment of these things, Jesus is confirming that he is
indeed the Messiah as was written by the prophet Isaiah.

In advent we prepare. John prepared the world for the coming
of the Lord. And the Christmas gift came; it came in the
form of a baby.

Christmas is a season of waiting and anticipation. We hope
that the morning will open our eyes, will bring us clean hearts.
But our hope is sometimes mired by the ambiguity of life.
As Gretchen confirmed, when the time is near, the
frivolousness melts away, and what is important becomes
urgent.

So Jesus answered John, I am for real. Look at what you have
seen and what you have heard. And while it is comforting
to know that Jesus dwelled on this earth and took on the
suffering of this world, it’s not where our hope lies.
This Christmas miracle is only a glimpse of what is to come.
Jesus the Messiah, the Emmanuel, showed us what the kingdom
on earth can be.

Here these words from Revelation:

READ REVELATION.

Because we have seen and heard, we need not fear, but hope.

I love this picture. It’s a collage done by Judi. This is what I
hope for.This is what I imagine when our Lord comes again.
That like the scriptures promise, we will dwell with God and
we will be God’s people. And God will embrace us, and wipe
away every tear, and death, and mourning, and pain, and
crying, will be no more. Friends, this is where we place our
hope. This is Christian hope. In the promise of Christ’s return.

In Christ’s ministry we’ve seen the lame walk and the prisoner
set free. And so we wait. We wait for the day when all will be
made whole and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Amen.

Praying for Peace

Isaiah 11:1-10
2nd Sunday of Advent
Elizabeth M. Deibert

Lord of light, draw us into the Light of your truth. Share with us your vision of peace that we may by your Spirit’s power, be transformed.

(Singing) I’m praying for a peace-ful world, NOT like the world I used to know. Where the palm trees glisten and children listen to hear… oceans of love flow. I’m praying for a peace-ful world with every sermon that I write. May God’s grace lead us into Light. And may Christ make all our darkness bright.

I’m praying for peace because this world is full of hostility – at school there’s bullying and disrespect. In the workplace, there’s backstabbing and verbal abuse. On the highways, there’s road rage and distraction. In politics, polarization takes the place of dialogue. In the church, there’s division instead of unity. On the web, people say whatever they want, all bars are down. Remember the teenager who killed herself because of a Facebook dispute. This is not a peace-filled world. We gobble one another up. It is a dog-eat-dog world.

Oh, we may have greater awareness of the diversity of people around the globe. We are more understanding of different religions, different lifestyles, and differing sexual orientations. In some parts of the world , we are more attuned to gender equality. But we still live in a world racked by the exertion of power in place of love, by the need to control rather than to share. We live in a world which increasingly lacks civility. People are angry and out of control.

The recession has not helped attitudes. Joblessness in our country is at a seven month high. 15.1 million people are unemployed. And house prices are in a fresh decline. The total number of houses in foreclosure is over 2 million with another 2 million more than 90 days delinquent. But our country’s problems are small compared to others. How would you like to be a Congolese woman near the border, near the UN, but still not safe from the attack of multiple male warriors?

Violence in Afghanistan is at an all-time high, four times higher than in 2007, says the Pentagon in a report last month. In Haiti health officials now estimate that 650,000 people could become infected with Cholera over the next six months. Tensions are mounting in South and North Korea, not to mention the Ivory Coast. In countries where millions of people have no food, health care, or education, an obscene amount of money is spend on the purchase of armaments. Might does not make right. Why do we keep fighting? Why is this such a dog-eat-dog world.

Isaiah lived in a world, where little people were being chewed up too. The Assyrians had taken captive most of the northern kingdom and turned the southern kingdom into a vassal state. The family tree of King was withering. It was like an dying tree, which needed pruning. Whack, whack. That’s what the last verses of chapter 9 say. The tallest trees will be cut down. The majestic forest will be taken down, clear-cut. And here’s the surprise, Isaiah sees it as God’s doing, not circumstantial. Isaiah sees this pruning as good. Perhaps with his help, we can see the pruning of our own nation as good. Maybe we can see the decline of our personal wealth and power, our growing humility as good too. Because God can do great things with a stump. Hear the good news about being whacked back.


Isaiah 11:1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.


This is the kind of vision which can keep us going. It is a ridiculously dreamy vision. An old stump producing new growth. It can happen.

My friend Kim lost her husband to cancer when the boys were young teens. A couple of years before George died, a huge pecan tree in their back yard fell. When the tree experts came, Kim wanted them to grind up the stump, but George liked the old stump, so they left it. After George died, a circle of beautiful mimosas sprung up around the old stump. I preached at that church this past Father’s Day and the now twenty year old Doug was there to give out chocolate kisses to all the dads in the congregation as a “thanks” to all the fathers he had there, who showed him God’s love. God can do great wonders, even in the horrors of untimely death. God can bring new life from the old stump in your life. Whether it is a dead marriage or a dead business, even if you have a dead faith, God can bring new life into that stump too.

Isaiah speaks of a new leader from the line of David. We Christians know this leader, this Messiah to be Jesus, who was fuller than full of the Spirit of the Lord. He was the Lord, God Almighty in human flesh, born of Mary and of the Spirit. He had a spirit of wisdom and understanding, spirit of counsel and might, spirit of knowledge and deep respect for the awesome power of God. He delighted in serving, respecting, and obeying God. We don’t like to talk about fearing God, but maybe some of our civility is lost when we lose that deep, deep respect for our highest authority. Jesus was marked by deep respect for God, by right living, by caring for the humble, weak, poor and needy, being faithful and ready to rid this world of evil. Though he turned tables in the temple, he did rarely engaged in power struggles. Rather he used his power to teach, to heal the sick, to care for all. And he changed the world by being God with us – living with us and for us, dying with us and for us, being raised with us and for us. And Jesus taught us he is vine and we are the branches. All we have to do is stay connected to the vine and we will thrive.

And because of Christ’s presence with us, this vision of peace is even more real now than it was for Isaiah when he wrote about that shoot from stump of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of David, the great king and the grandfather of Solomon, the wise king. After Solomon, the kingdom of Israel and Judah split and then slowly declined. There was no hope for the kingdom of Jesse’s lineage, according to normal expectation. The kings were corrupt. They abused justice, did not care for the poor, and ignored the commands of the God who had called them to leadership. Isaiah has the courage in the midst of widespread despair to announce that God can do a new thing. Do you believe God can do a new thing in your life? Maybe you feel like your life is dry and brittle, ready to break into a hundred pieces. Maybe you wonder why you’ve been pruned back and are having to start all over again – in work, in relationships.

When this new branch grows, here’s what Isaiah tells us will happen: animals who have always been enemies, unable to do anything but devour and mistrust one another will lie down together. Wolves in the same bed as lambs. Leopards and young goats warming one another. Calves and lions communing without harm. Cows and bears at table, together. Lions' diets changed for good. Little children leading them all. Nursing infants cooing harmlessly at cobras. Toddlers joyfully handling snakes. What a wonderful peaceable kingdom!

“Life without strife. Togetherness where togetherness used to be ridiculous. Hospitality without hostility. Radically altered behavior. Shared things and shared spaces. No more hunter and hunted, predator and prey. The oddest, but in the end, the most beautiful changes in power structures imaginable. No violence. No danger. No threat. No harm. ” ( R. Deibert)

Because we believe in a God who comes to live among us, to share in the agony and ecstasy of this earthly life, we have peace. Because we believe that God created the world good, and that God will make the world good again, we can withstand the storms of life – the evil forces that turn neighbor against neighbor and nation against nation. Because we trust in Jesus Christ, we can still wait for new growth to come out of dead stumps. We can keep the faith and share peace with all the world.

As our 22 year old Emily said years ago when she was just a little girl, imagining a such a peace-filled world,

“Mommies won't fight daddies.

And birdies will want to be held.

And kitties won't scratch doggies.

And girls and boys won't go to sleep hungry.

And hospitals will be empty, and we won’t need any more Band-Aids.”

Let’s pray for that world and begin to live in it, even when it is not fully here. Live into the vision of peace. When a child or a spouse or a parent or a close friend sorely disappoints you, find a way to communicate, to forgive, and to live in peace because the anger will destroy you.

We may see a world full of rage and incivility, but we know that it is possible to have a world full of kindness and love. And so we host a Funday Sunday, hoping to do a kindness for this community, especially for young families, chewed up by this world competition and stress. We will provide a moment of peace and joy.

We may see a world full of war, but we know it is possible to have a world of peace and goodwill toward all. And so we pray for peace and work for mutual understanding among people of different faith groups and cultures. We speak out against violence and injustice, believing that Christ calls us to be peacemakers in a world filled with mistrust and fear. And we teach peacemaking to our community at Peace in the Park and every week here at Peace in the way we live and nurture relationships.

We may see a world full of poverty and hunger, but we know it is possible for all people to have enough, and so we collect food for the Food Bank and send money, food, and volunteers on a regular basis to help with Beth-El Farmworker Mission. We celebrate the recent triumphs of the Coalition of Immokalee farmworkers in getting agreements from tomato growers to ensure fairer wages and better relationships between growers and pickers. We celebrate with Bread for the World the recent legislation which will guarantee healthier meals at reduced prices for poor school children.

Isaiah’s poetry invites not scientific calculations of reality, but visionary prayers and courageous lives, as we hang onto the promises and possibilities of God.

Do you think Martin Luther King could have imagined in 1960 that one day little white girls could indeed walk hand in hand with little black boys and people would smile? Yes, because he saw that by the power of God’s Spirit the world could be transformed. Do you think the people of Northern Ireland, living in the hostility of Catholic and Protestant divide in 1970 believed in the possibility of an end to the violence? John Hume and David Trimble by faith took courageous steps in the direction of peace. Do you think that Nelson Mandela and FW deKlerk, imagined a united South Africa in 1980? They, along with Desmond Tutu and others, worked hard to keep the possibility of reconciliation alive.

If people like this can work against all odds in such difficult circumstances to keep the vision for peace, we cannot give up on peace. When we feel like growling, we need to purr and wait. When we feel like biting someone’s head off, we need to stop and think about whether that might cause some indigestion. When we want to bark at someone, we might remember that cute bumper sticker which reminds us to bark less and wag more. When venomous language starts to spew from our lips, we should find a warm place in the sun to curl up and settle ourselves down. When we want to devour someone smaller or less significant than us, we should stop and remember that we are called to take care of the weak. Let’s pray for peace and live in peace with each other.

O come, please come Emmanuel. Free all who wait in the dark of night. Come fill all people with your light. O come, God with us, bind, all families/nations, one heart, one mind. Make envy, conflict, quarrels cease. Fill the whole world with heavenly peace.