What Passes for the Gospel Nowadays...

It's Holy Week, and the local churches are advertising their special services and inviting the community to attend. Today, I received an offer in the mail to visit a new nondenominational church in town ("A free gift for first time guests!). The postcard they sent was slick and attractive, if a bit impersonal. However, what truly saddened me was its message.

Here is the "Good News" they're preaching this Easter...

FIND THE POWER TO RISE AGAIN AT CHRIST'S CHURCH

Jesus didn't let a nearly two-ton stone keep him down; that Resurrection Sunday he moved the stone and rose from the grave. Are you carrying a weight that feels like two tons: pain, hardship, unmet expectations, or guilt? If you feel exhausted or trapped, join us at Christ's Church and learn how to experience the power of the resurrection in your life. Your burdens can be lifted—a relationship with God can roll them away just like the stone rolled away from Jesus' tomb at the resurrection.

The front side of the card portrays a stone with the words, "Doubt, worry, fear, anger, pain—He still moves stones."

THIS is the message of Easter?

Help! Someone has taken the "evangel" out of "evangelical"!

Sermon: Attend to the Baby

Our pastor graciously asked me to preach this morning while he and his family traveled to visit relatives. My sermon is about keeping the season of Christmastide, from the Gospel text for the day, Luke 2.22-40.

If you would like to read it, you may access a PDF copy HERE.

Christmastide, or the Twelve Days of Christmas

I saw signs in the retail community this year advertising "Twelve Days of Christmas" sales. For the twelve days leading up to Christmas, the stores that held these sales had certain items at special prices each day so that shoppers could get ready for the holiday. This reflects a common understanding of the Twelve Days in our culture—that they lead up to and end on Christmas Day.

However, the Twelve Days of Christmas actually begin on Christmas Day. In the Christian Year of the Western Church, it is Advent season that leads up to Christmas, and then comes Christmastide, a twelve-day feast of our Lord's nativity. Christmastide ends with Epiphany on January 6, which celebrates God's revelation of Christ to the Gentiles in the story of the magi. The last night is traditionally known as "Twelfth Night," a feast that includes removing Christmas decorations. In different cultures and throughout the centuries, this season has been marked in various ways, but the point is that celebrating Christ's birth takes place over a SEASON, and not a single day.

Here is a prime example of how following a church-year pattern of spirituality can form us and transform us in Biblical ways and help us not be conformed to the ways of our fallen culture.

For most people, Christmas is over. After Thanksgiving, a season of shopping and special events builds up our spirit of anticipation toward the day for which we are all waiting. That morning, we run down the stairs, pass around gifts and open them until the room is inundated in a sea of paper and ribbon, and then we go to the grand feast. That's Christmas. The day after, when in our view Christmas is over, is "gift return and exchange" day, when we eagerly begin a new season—the season of post-Christmas sales.

However, in the liturgical tradition, Advent preparation for Christmas involves meditating on God's promises of salvation and the coming of Messiah. And Christmas Eve and Christmas Day usher in a period of almost two weeks to consider the wonder of the Incarnation. Christmas is the beginning of our walking in the Good News of great joy for all people which has come among us.

We welcomed a new baby into our family this year, about a week before Christmas. One thing we know—life is different now. Suddenly, we don't make decisions without considering the baby. New thoughts, new concerns, new priorities mold our choices. And even though the child is small and, at this point, devoted mainly to eating and sleeping, we have found ourselves taking time—time to hold him, look at him, ooh and aah over him, rock him, kiss him, tend to his needs, and make sure at all times that he is safe and secure in our care.

Christmas is not over, it has just begun. Take time these twelve days and give attention to Jesus, the newborn King.

NEXT SEASON IN THE CHURCH YEAR...

Advent and Christmas is now past, so my "Advent Thoughts" blog will be inactive until November, though you can still access it.

I will report on journeys through the rest of the church year on my "Baching through the Church Year" page. That's right, "baching"—I will be using Bach's cantatas to guide me through the seasons of the liturgical calendar.

I'd love company! Feel free to drop by any time!

Sermon for Advent II

The second sermon in the current Advent series is available in PDF format. It is called, "Let Us Bless Faithful Women," and may be found here. The text is Luke 1.26-45.

Advent & Christmas Sermons

Weekly Advent and Christmas sermons are available for your encouragement.

The first, "Struggling to Believe," from Luke 1.1-25, is available in PDF format.

An Excellent Site for Advent Devotions

Check out this well done daily Advent devotional guide. Each day's devotion includes an opportunity to experience: (1) a centering time, (2) a Scripture reading, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a time of prayer, (5) a benediction.

Also, the music is provided by one of my favorite artists, Ken Medema.

Great site!

Advent Blog begins today...

My ADVENT BLOG begins today, with its first entry on the credibility of the Christian Gospel, from Luke 1.1-4.

I invite you to follow day by day as we examine passages from the early chapters of Luke, and let God's Word help you prepare your heart to celebrate Christ's coming!

Text of the Magnificat

Latin Vulgate
Magnificat anima mea Dominum
Et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo.
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillæ suæ: ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, et sanctum nomen eius.
Et misericordia eius a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo, dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes,
Suscepit Israel puerum suum recordatus misericordiæ suæ,
Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini eius in sæcula.

NRSV
My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, ⁴⁸
for he has looked with favour 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. ⁵⁰
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ⁵²
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; ⁵³
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵
according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

This week, I'm preparing for Advent and the study of Luke's Gospel by listening to recordings of the Magnificat (Luke 1.46-55).

The Magnificat has long been used in liturgical worship to express praise to God for the Good News of Jesus that overturns the powers of this world, bringing in the Kingdom of God.

Here is a wonderful recording of three baroque settings: by Johann Kuhnau, Jan Zelenka and J.S. Bach.

Advent Blog coming...

This week, I'll be preparing a new blog for the Advent season. The first post will be next Sunday, the first day of Advent.

It will consist of daily thoughts related to passages from the Gospel of Luke. In my church, I will be preaching on Luke, and the posts will reflect what I'm learning in my studies for those messages.

I hope you will join me for a few moments each day, as we prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.