Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] December 11, 2022 “We Can Choose a Better Way” Matthew 1:18-25 - Common English Bible 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. 20 As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 Now all of this took place so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled: 23 Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel.[a] (Emmanuel means “God with us.”) 24 When Joseph woke up, he did just as an angel from God commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he didn’t have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Joseph called him Jesus. We know the birth stories of Jesus very well. Here’s a story you may not know. It’s one of the stories of the birth of the Buddha:[1] Queen Maya dreamt that a pure white elephant entered the room where she was sleeping. The elephant carried a large lotus flower in its trunk and gave it to the queen. The very moment when the Queen took the flower, though still a virgin, she conceived, and the room was filled with a heavenly light. Trees at once began to bloom with new flowers of every color. When she awoke, she told the King. They consulted the 64 royal counselors about the meaning of the dream. The chief counselor told them she would be pregnant with a boy who will either become the King after his father or a great teacher. Before the Queen was to give birth, she traveled to the city of her parents. Along the way, the royal procession stopped at a beautiful park. Queen Maya got down out of her royal chair and walked under the trees and through the flowers. As she walked, the baby was born – not through the birth canal but from her right side. Without the pain of childbirth. Trees bent down to provide her privacy and four angels appeared, holding the four corners of a golden tent. The baby was laid into it as if a cradle. The angels said, “Be joyful, O Lady. A mighty son is born to you.” Immediately, the baby stood up and looked around in all four directions. He took seven steps and with each step a lotus flower rose up. And then he lay down and fell asleep. When they returned home, a hermit who lived nearby came to the palace to see the baby. He stood and paid homage to the child and proclaimed he would grow up to be a great man. “Though still a virgin, she conceived, and in that moment, the room was filled with a heavenly light.” Mary? Queen Maya. “When his mother was engaged but not yet married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit.” Queen Maya? Mary. “They set out and followed the star they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. Upon seeing the child, they were overwhelmed with joy.” Jesus or the Buddha? “When he descended into his mother’s womb, a great immeasurable light shone forth into the world. And even in the dark and gloomy spaces between the worlds, where the light of our moon and sun cannot reach, even there, that light did shine.” Buddha, according to one of the stories told of him. “And suddenly [a great light shone and] there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace.” Jesus, according to one of the stories told about him – the Gospel of Luke. Some of the similarities are so specific it’s almost funny. Virgins, angels, a cradle, local animals – elephants or sheep – words like paying “homage” because a “mighty son is born to you.” There are some significant differences, of course, one of which is that the Buddha was born wealthy to royal parents and Jesus was not. They shared this in common: Jesus repeatedly spoke of reversing the fortunes of the poor and wealthy and the Buddha rejected that life and gave up all earthly possessions. There are substantial differences between Christianity and Buddhism, but it is remarkable that the births of their respective founders, 500 years apart, were miraculous in a way that brought light into the world. And one more thing about the birth of Jesus and the Buddha: both fathers seemed unnecessary. One year at the annual children’s Christmas pageant, the boy who had been chosen to play Joseph got sick at the last minute. Instead of recruiting a new Joseph from among the shepherds and wise men, the director decided, “We don’t need him. He doesn’t do anything anyway.” But Joseph does do something important. For one, he didn’t abandon Mary. And just as significantly, he adopted Jesus as his own child. There’s a detail in the text I hadn’t known before this week. When it says in Matthew that Joseph “named him” Jesus, that naming was the formal act of adoption.[2] Jesus was formally adopted by Joseph. Imagine if we told children they were extra special because they’ve been adopted just like Jesus. This act of naming is not spoken of in Luke but that’s in part because Matthew and Luke had different purposes and different audiences. It was important to Matthew because just a few verses before, he gave the genealogy of Jesus through the line of Joseph. How can that be if they are not biologically related? Because when Joseph adopted him, Jesus became a legitimate member of the family tree all the way back to Abraham through King David. Matthew described Joseph as a “righteous man.” Sometimes the word righteous makes us a little uncomfortable. We may hear it as someone who is “self-righteous” or thinks they are “holier than thou.” But I like Scott Hoezee’s (ho-Zay) description: A righteous person is anyone who lets their actions do the talking. We all know people like that. The opposite of “all talk, no action,” they have no need to say what they are doing or why because their actions say it all. Whatever the cost to him or his reputation, Joseph was righteous when he accepted responsibility for Mary and whatever mess she may have gotten herself into. He was probably judged by some holier-than-thou self-righteous people. People no doubt talked behind his back, wondered how he could stay with a woman who had presumably been unfaithful, or raise a son that wasn’t his, but Joseph resisted any other pressure. And in that way, Joseph was indeed a righteous man. He saved Mary’s life. Dr. Wilda Gafney wrote that regardless of “the stoning provision in the Torah, there are no stories of women or men actually being stoned for adultery – not until Jesus breaks up an attempted stoning. So, we cannot say with certainty that Mary would have been stoned, but it was a possibility. More so, it was her shame that would have made it unlikely for her to marry anyone else and therefore be socially and economically vulnerable, relegated to the margins of society.”[3] Joseph saved Mary. He had other choices. He could have walked away clear of obligation, decided he didn’t want anything to do with the mess that confronted him. He could have complained that he didn’t cause the chaos that would ensue. Instead he listened to his dream and decided God was in that mess and chose Mary. And chose Jesus to be his son. Those are significant choices that should be stated and celebrated. And cause us to reflect:
That’s not to say we don’t set healthy boundaries or let others take us down dangerous paths, but it does ask us to consider where God is in all that chaos. As the Bible says 365 times: Do not fear. It’s often exactly in that mess that God chooses to reveal God-self. Joseph believed “do not fear” and chose the better way – the way of mercy, regardless of the consequence. One more story: Abdulla married Amina when he was 17 years old but he died only 7 months later, while Amina was pregnant. She gave birth to a boy, but when he was only 6 years old, Amina died too. The boy was then taken to his grandfather’s home. But only two years later, he also died. Just before his death, the child’s grandfather called all his sons together and told them that he was leaving them two “bequests.” One was all the power and authority as the leader of the clan and the other was the care of their nephew, an orphan of eight. He then asked who among them wanted to be the leader of the clan. Most of his sons were eager for that. And who would take charge of the boy? No one volunteered. As he surveyed the assembly and contemplated the future of the boy, an uneasy silence fell over them. But it didn't last long. One of his sons stepped forward and said he had no interest in any power and wealth as the leader but that he wanted the son of his late brother. And with that, the father knew to grant him both the boy as well as the power and authority of the entire clan. The boy who grew up to become the Prophet Muhammed – may be peace be upon him. An orphan raised by his uncle.[4] Another example of a righteous man. (I stopped at the “Ask a Muslim” booth at Balboa Park yesterday and was pleased to confirm I had gotten the story right.) In our scripture today, celebrate the righteousness of Joseph, think of the questions he faced, and ask:
Not so fast. God is in all of that. And found in those difficult choices when we show mercy regardless of consequence. That’s the better way we can choose. [1] A combined version from Bhante S. Dhammika, Jesus and the Buddha: A Study of the Their Commonalities and Contrasts. Published by the Buddhist Cultural Center in Dehiwala, Sri Lanka, 2018. To obtain a copy, visit www.buddhistcc.com as well as content from Daniel Harper https://www.danielharper.org/archive/?s=buddha+birth [2] Douglas R. A. Hare, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 1, Exegetical Perspective, page 93-97 [3] Wilda C Gafney, A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church Year A, page 14 [4] https://www.al-islam.org/restatement-history-islam-and-muslims-sayyid-ali-asghar-razwy/birth-muhammad-and-early-years-his
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Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] December 4, 2022 “God Meets Us in Our Fear” Luke 1: 26-39 –Common English Bible When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, 27 to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. 31 Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. 33 He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. 36 Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. 37 Nothing is impossible for God.” 38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her. Gabriel didn’t feel the same joy anymore that he once felt. You’d think being a messenger of God would be exhilarating, but the luster had worn off. This might surprise you – that angels could feel just as uninspired by their jobs as humans. But it was exhausting work. People’s reactions were so varied, he never knew what to expect. Some people jump and scream – like they’ve won the lottery. Others burst into tears and he has to spend the rest of the day taking care of them. Some people hear the news and forget to breathe until they almost faint. He has to yell out, “Breathe! Breathe!” and be ready to catch them if they’re about to fall over. One of his recent assignments was to a priest named Zechariah. Gabriel was assigned to tell him the good news that his wife was about to become pregnant. Should be an easy one. They had been waiting their whole lives. But Zechariah was so filled with doubt and objections – we’re too old – that Gabriel had to make him mute. He wouldn’t be able to speak again until the baby was born. Gabriel did not enjoy that day. So, on this particular morning, Gabriel went to the assignment desk for his latest job. He was to deliver a message to a girl named Mary. He read her dossier and tried to imagine how she would react. Poor peasant teen age girl from a nowhere part of the Empire, betrothed to an old man. Message: She will be pregnant before they get married. Good Lord, he thought. Thank goodness it’s someone else’s job to deliver the message to the soon to be very upset almost-husband. Fortunately, that’s been assigned to the dream department. Gabriel was afraid this young woman would not take the news well and it would be a very long day. After all, she might not only lose her fiancé, she could literally lose her life over this. As he left the office, he told the other angels, “wish me luck. I’m going to need it.” Gabriel was nervous as he stood ready to come out from behind the curtain between heaven and earth. He thought, how should I break the news? She was standing in front of a table making bread. He thought, maybe I could write “God is with you” in the flour. Or whisper in her ear. Or sing a special song only she could hear. But she might think she was losing her mind. Maybe I should go outside and knock on the front door like the Publishers Clearing House and exclaim: “Mary, today is your lucky day!” As he ran through various scenarios in his head, he failed to notice she was looking right at him. How can she see me?! No one has ever seen me before I wanted them to. He was so startled he stumbled on the curtain and almost fell over as he exclaimed “Greetings, favored one of God. Don’t be afraid. God is with you.” Mary tried not to show her amusement at such a clumsy angel and so she calmly nodded her head, her face a mixture of curiosity and wonderment. But Mary wasn’t afraid and her tranquility threw Gabriel off guard. He forgot to breathe and just blurted out, “God has sent me to tell you that you will have a baby, a boy, his name will be Jesus and he will be the Son of God Most High and Savior of the world.” As he gasped for air, he looked like he was going to pass out so Mary reached for a chair so he could sit down. She took in what he had say and then quietly asked, “How can this be?” and sat down next to Gabriel. “God’s Holy Spirit will wrap you in love and the child will begin to grow inside you. He will be holy and blessed.” No screams, no tears, no fainting. She studied her hands for a moment and then said, “I love serving God. I’ll do it. I’ll be whoever God invites me to be.” Gabriel had done his job but this girl had certainly surprised him. So confident; so calm. As he turned to pull back the curtain, he saw that his hand was trembling. She called out to him, “Don’t be afraid, Gabriel. God is with you too.” He laughed and stepped behind the curtain. He said out loud, “I just love my job.”[1] “Don’t be afraid” seems like a rather impractical word of advice. If you’re afraid, how can you not be something you already are? But I have another question. Is fear always a bad thing? Sometimes fear is what keeps us safe, keeps us alive. Sometimes fear is wisdom born of experience. But while some fear is indeed destructive, some fear might be the doorway to a welcome guest. We might think fear is a stumbling block to faith. But what if we thought of fear as a threshold? A threshold over which we may sometimes stumble, but nevertheless, a new opening, a new beginning that presents itself. Zechariah kept a running tab on objections about why this or that won’t work. But did you know that in the entire Bible, God never listened to anyone who objected and said they can’t? God never said, “You know what, you’re right. You’ve convinced me that you’re not as qualified as I thought.” Sometimes fear is the reason we don’t make a change in our life. But what if we recognize that fear is just a threshold – the realization, sometimes painful, that something must change? Sometimes fear is the barrier to seeking a new job. Or the reason we won’t go to the doctor. How about instead letting that fear be the reason we finally do something? Don’t be afraid of fear. But here’s the really important part: Mary and the Angel Gabriel don’t just tell each other “do not be afraid.” Both say, don’t be afraid because – God is with you. It’s in our fear that God meets us. If even an angel can grow indifferent, dull, apathetic, and cynical, perhaps fear isn’t so bad; because when nothing else moves us forward, when we find ourselves going nowhere, maybe fear is our friend. The thing, ironically, that finally brings us peace. Before we lit the candle of peace, we asked – what are you afraid of. That’s the place we meet God. Don’t be afraid of fear. Welcome it. Aren’t you curious what assignment Gabriel is waiting to give you? [1] This story has been significantly expanded from an original idea by Bob Hartman |
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