Advent 1. "Gabriel And The Doubting Priest"

 Readings: Psalm 25:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Malachi 4, Luke 1 5-25
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, November 28th 2021

On October 31, 1939, thousands of people across the USA panicked because they thought creatures form Mars had invaded the earth. It was all the result of a radio drama by Orson Welles on the mercury theater of the Air that imitated a live news broadcast. The imitation was so good that the police received thousands of hysterical phone calls from people expecting extra-terrestrial beings to appear on their street at any moment.

The idea of extra-terrestrial beings visiting our planet is one that continues to fascinate people. T.V. Series about aliens and movies about other worldly visitors are as common entertainment feature that refuse to go away. Yet maybe the idea isn't so new.

The bible has it's own extra-terrestrial characters in the person of angels. Their function appears to be that of bringing a Word of God into a particular situation. Both the Greek and Hebrew words for angel (Angelos and Mala'ch) have the root meaning of 'Messenger'.

Angels have a particularly important role to play in the Christmas story. As we travel through Advent , heading towards Christmas, I want to take a look at some close encounters of the third kind that took place between individuals and angelic messengers. The first of them is an encounter between an angel called Gabriel and a doubting priest called Zechariah

It is fifteen months before Jesus will be born. Elderly Zechariah, married with no children, has the task of burning incense in the temple. He puts on his priestly vestments and walks into the priest’s quarters, and then across the porch of the temple, whilst all the people stand outside in the courtyard praying.

He carries a gold container of incense as he enters the great doors of the temple. Inside, by the flickering light of the tall seven branched lampstand, he pours the incense onto the golden altar in front of the huge tapestry of drapes that concealed the most Holy Place. He lights the incense, and a large cloud of fragrant smoke fills the air.

Then perhaps he raised his hands and closed his eyes, to offer the prayers that accompanied the burning of the incense. Normally, once the prayers were finished, he would walk back out of the temple, through the doors and then turn around and bless the people who were gathered in the courtyard outside.

But this time it is different- and how! Zechariah opens his eyes and there is an angel standing beside the altar of incense. We are not told how Zechariah knew it was an angel or even what the angel looked like. The bible simply records that an angel was there. Zechariah starts to lose it. This was scary.

The angel addresses him saying ‘Don't be afraid. Your prayers have been heard'. I don't know about you, but if I was Zechariah I'd be thinking, 'Now which prayer was that, the one about world peace, the one about the idiot who lives down the road, the one about winning the next ball game, which prayer?'

The answer comes in the next words, 'Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.' The angel went on to tell what this child's name would be, what he would do when he grew up and how he would prepare the way for the Messiah. This child was to be the special one spoken of by the prophet Malachi who would 'restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers'.

Bear in mind that Zechariah is now an elderly gentleman. That prayer about his wife being able to conceive and give birth to a child was probably one he had stopped verbalizing some time ago. His reaction to the angels’ statement is not one of joy and gratitude but of skepticism and bitterness. Essentially, he says, 'How do you expect me to believe something like that after all these years?'

These are not the words of an atheist or a man indifferent to spiritual things. The bible tells us that both Zechariah and his wife were good, righteous people, religious people – full of faith.  Even good and faithful servants sometimes have a problem believing in the promises of their God.  

The coming of Jesus Christ is an event that positively overflows with hope and promise.  As the years go by maybe we lose some of the awe and wonder that are the right response to make to the love of God being born into our world. Maybe, like Zechariah, who was after all simply doing his bit in observing an annual national festival, we don't expect to be radically confronted in a personal way by a God of promise.

God's promises though are made to all human beings throughout all history, and they involve God's readiness to do things in our lives which are just as staggering to us, as it was to Zechariah to believe that he and his wife were going to have a child in their old age. And for some of us, like Zechariah, those promises may involve things we have prayed abut for years without seeming to receive an answer.

What is there that God could do in our life or in the lives of those we love, that would absolutely stagger and astonish and amaze us? Are there prayers that we prayed long ago whose fulfillment now seems beyond the realm of possibility?

We should remind ourselves of some of the promises that come to us as a result of Jesus birth. Matthew 7:7 'Ask and it shall be given you; Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened up to you'  Matthew 19:26 'With God all things are possible'. John 10:10 'I have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly' Rich promises!

Some days about some things, we may be prepared to say, 'Yes, Lord, I can believe You for that.' But about other things we can be even more skeptical and cynical than Zachariah was when informed of Elizabeth's immanent pregnancy. How do we deal with that? We find some clues in the way God dealt with Zachariah.

Firstly, notice that the angel did not respond to his skepticism with anger or condemnation. He did not call down punishment on the old priest for daring to question a promise of God. Instead Zachariah is dealt with gently and kindly, as though God understands that because of our human frailty there are times when God's promises challenge our faith to the point that we find them unbelievable.

The angel identifies himself. 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.' The name Gabriel, in Hebrew means 'God shows Himself mighty'. He is one of only two angels whose names are given us in scripture. The other is Michael, whose name means 'Who is like God?' When God reveals God self to us it is often in a very personal way.

For most of us we don't know God through visions of angels or burning bushes that aren't consumed. But we can know God and know that Jesus calls in a very personal way to be His disciples. Because we have the gospel, we can say that 'God shows that God is mighty' Because of the ever-present help of God's Holy Spirit, we can declare 'Who is like God?'

Secondly, the angel says 'I was sent to bring you this good news.' Zechariah needed reminding that messages from God were good news. We also need reminding that the Christian message is a positive one. Some of us have been raised in such a way that we think religion is about not doing things. That the main concern of God is saying' Thou shalt not... or else'.

But the message of Jesus appears to be more about what to do, rather than what to avoid. For sure there are things to avoid in life but being a channel of the Holy Spirit is not one of them. Jesus encourages us 'DO love your neighbor' 'Do pray for each other.' 'DO love God with wholehearted commitment'.  He accentuates the positive, He brings good news.

Thirdly, the angel has an unusual prescription for the doubt and skepticism that was bothering Zechariah. He gives him – nine months of silence! This was not a punishment handed out by God in a spirit of anger. It was a kindness. The book of James reminds us that words are one of the most powerful capabilities for human beings to harm each other. 'Who can tame the tongue?' (James 3:8)

If Zachariah had gone running out of the temple telling everybody exactly what had just happened, the chances are he would have done so in the wrong spirit of mind. A spirit of disbelief and confusion. Who would have believed him, anyway? 'Yeah, Right...  Zach. You saw an angel telling you something you don't believe is going to happen!'

When the promises of God are so big that we can't cope with them, the answer lies, not in frantic questioning, but in this – be quiet and wait. Don't give up on the promises of God, don't reject them or complain about them, be silent and leave it up to God.

Psalm 46:10 'Be still and know that I am God'. Isaiah 41:1 'Listen to me in silence'. Zephaniah 1:7 'Be silent before the Lord, your God'. Zechariah 2:13 'Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord' Habakkuk 2:20 'Let all mortal flesh keep silence' Psalm 37:7 'Be still before the Lord and wait patiently before Him'

Advent is sometimes described as the season of waiting. Waiting upon the astonishing promises of God. They are not promises that have to do with things that are far off and in the distant future. They are promises to apply to our lives here and now, with the great and good things we have prayed for in the past and that we still need to keep on praying and believing God for in the now.

So how do we deal with our own skepticism and cynicism? Quietly, before God. By allowing the Spirits gentle discipline to renew our struggling faith and cast out our fear. 'Do not be afraid'. Those were the Christmas words to Zechariah, to Mary and to a group of shepherds on a lonely hillside. God's perfect love casts out all fear.

At the end of nine months, after the birth of their son, John the Baptist, Zachariah poured forth one of the most eloquent songs of praise found in scripture, a great poem known as the Benedictus. His period of silent waiting was followed by a time of ecstatic praise. The silence accomplished it's purpose.  He was renewed just as God intended.

The coming of Christ reveals to us that God has plans for this world, plans for God's church, plans for our lives. If in the face of such promise we find ourselves struggling with cynicism or skepticism, let us remember the way God dealt with Zachariah.

• Firstly, note that God did not condemn him, but sent an angel to encourage him. We can be those kind of angels for each other. People who don't put others down, but lift each other up.
• Secondly, we see how what Zachariah perceived was bad news and unbelievable, turned out to be the greatest news, the good news that something new really was to be birthed in his situation. Can we believe that God is able to do new things in our lives and our church and in our families?
• Finally, Gabriel's message is for us all. Don't be afraid. Be quiet before God. Wait for God to act... for the time will come when your heart will overflow in praise.

The Reverend Adrian  J. Pratt B.D.

Mark My Words. "Faith In Changing Times"

Readings: 1 Samuel 1:4-20 & 2:1-10, Hebrews 10:11-18, Mark 13:1-8
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, November 14th, 2021

We are living today in an era of unprecedented change. When I consider the world that my grandparents grew up in, compared to the world that children are growing up in today, it’s not just different world it’s more like a different planet! How can we find faith in changing times?

Our Bible reading this morning pictures the disciples walking out of the temple in Jerusalem and taking the time to look back at its magnificent walls and structure. One of them is talking to Jesus. It’s almost like the disciple is a tourist walking through Manhattan. “Wow! Will you look at this place! Is this awesome or what? Look at the size of the stones. Look at the thickness of the walls. Look how tall the buildings are!”

Jesus gives that disciple an answer he had not expected. After all this was not just any old building in the city, it was the Holy Temple of God he was gazing at! "You see these great buildings?” says Jesus, “Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."

The other disciples by now have their ears buzzing. But they are afraid to ask Jesus straight away what He means. Instead, they wait till they are out of the city and up on the Mount of Olives before a group of them come and ask Him to explain. They want to know ‘how’ and ‘what’ and most of all ‘when’ such unimaginable things could happen.

Jesus will not be drawn into a discussion of dates and times or methods. Instead, He offers them a strategy for holding onto faith during a world where things could go crazy at the drop of a hat.

One of my favorite bands of old ‘The Eagles’ have a song that contains the refrain, “In a New York minute, everything can change.”. Having lived near New York City, I know how people are all too aware that even the tallest buildings in the world can be reduced to rubble. How in the midst of this rapidly changing, often frightening, often confusing world can ordinary people like ourselves hold on to faith?

Here is the Mark 13 strategy.
•    Do not be led astray.
•    Do not be alarmed.
•    Do be alert!

Let us think about each of those.

1.    Don’t be led astray. Verses 5-6 "Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray.”

Faith is not just about trusting in the right things; it is also about rejecting the wrong things. It is about discerning the real thing from the false thing. If we follow the wrong thing, then we go the wrong way. If we follow the right thing it sends us in the right direction. “Beware” cautions Jesus that “no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say “I am he’”

Notice Jesus says, “In my Name”? The name Jesus means “Savior.” He is telling His disciples that many would come and offer to be their Savior in His place. He is making it plain to them that in a changing world there would be no shortage of voices calling for attention, inviting investment, asking us to side with them, promising to give us the real picture of what is going on.

It is not so hard to identify such voices around us. The twentieth century was one in which humankind created, for the first time in history, through weapons of mass destruction, the capability to destroy the entire planet.  Yet, still, there are those who insist here in the twenty first century that only the scientific viewpoint and what science can create for us, can save us.

Some philosophers encourage us to abandon childish beliefs in an almighty invisible friend and trust that the rational application of inquiring minds, like theirs, will make all things well. I just find that very hard to accept. Human beings are more than just minds. Scripture suggests we are body, soul, and spirit.

There are other voices that suggest we need to discover more informed spiritual sources and abandon 2000 years of tried and tested Christian belief and practice. There are many religious and non-religious ideas that offer us the secrets of the universe, without bringing Jesus into the picture.

Even within Christianity itself you don’t have to dig far to find those who parade their beliefs as the only absolute truth. The red flag should fly when we see how often they are associated with nationalistic ideologies, partisan politics, or ethnic identity. That and the usual claim that God is on their side alone!

I could go on… but it’s enough to offer again Jesus words: “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' Many have come and many will come and suggest to us that we do not take seriously the teaching of Jesus Christ but pay attention instead to them. Do not be led astray.

2.    Do not be alarmed.
    
Mark 13:7 “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

Has there ever been an age in human history that has not had “wars and rumors of wars”? That is the way it is. As Jesus says, “Such things must happen.” Why? Reformed theology would suggest that it must happen because humankind is a fallen, sinful, self-seeking, power hungry race of creatures that never find their true relationship to each other until they are once more at One with God.

That the chaos and violence that is pandemic throughout all creation is the result of separation from God. In Jesus Christ God offers an opportunity to go against the tide, but until Christ’s Kingdom comes in all its glory then the chaos will continue. Mark 13: 8 “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.”

Our world continues to be a place of chaos and uncertainty. That should not surprise us. That’s the way Jesus said things would be. So, when we pick up a newspaper or hear on the news of the latest tragedy that has rocked our world, maybe we should listen for the voice of Jesus telling us “Don’t be alarmed!”

With the benefit of hindsight, we can see how the words Jesus spoke to His disciples held incredible insight. In AD70 the army of Roman General Titus laid siege to city.  The temple and much else were destroyed. They were terrible days, particularly for those who never fled to the hills and remained in Jerusalem.

Elsewhere the Roman Empire was under attack around its borders. There were wars and rumor of wars. A great earthquake would devastate Laodecia and the volcano Vesuvius would erupt burying Pompeii in molten lava. In the days of Claudius a great famine did take hold in Rome.

Jesus told the disciples that events like these would continue to scar the ages. They were not to put their faith in human achievement and ingenuity, no matter how impressive. But more than that, they were not to be alarmed! God was in control.

Despite the seeming chaos and uncertainty and craziness God was in control and remained with them during these events. He would give them words to speak and the strength of His Holy Spirit to get through. As we put our faith in God, we can make that promise our own. No matter what may come our way, God promises to travel with us, even, as Psalm 23 tells us, through the valley of the shadow of death.

We are not to be led astray. We are not to be alarmed. And thirdly (a positive, not a negative, this time) Jesus tells us;

3.    Do be alert

In Mark 13 verse 5 Jesus puts it so simply. “Watch out!” Be aware, be alert, be prepared for these things. Do not let them catch you out or catch you off your guard. If you have a worldview that only allows for the good things in life, then when the bad things come along your faith is going to be shaken to the core.

Tragedy, misfortune, disaster, disease, war and rumors of wars, persecution, famine and unrest, a constant cycle between belief and unbelief, a never-ending parade of folks who offer a new view on things that they suggest will save us all, be they theists or atheists, theologians or philosophers, doctors or psychiatrists, sociologists or media superstars… “Watch out,” Jesus seems to say… It’s all out there and unless you are aware of the things that can cause you to fall, they might just drag you down!

For myself it is a chapter that tells me that if I am going to put my faith in something then I had better put it in Jesus Christ. As He told His disciples…the greatest constructions of humankind eventually crumble into the dust.

Nothing in life is certain other than somewhere along the way trouble will catch up with us.  In a New York minute everything can change. An endless parade of folk seek for me to abandon my faith in Jesus Christ and trust in their views to be my truth, my reason for being and my salvation.

So, I pray ‘Lord let me not be led astray, let me not be alarmed. Help me to be awake to all those things that would pull me away from Your love.’ There is, I believe, with all my heart, in the Christian gospel, hope for a hopeless world, good news for a society that is full of bad news and deep joy that awaits the transformation of sleeping souls.

Our world is constantly changing. But the love of God is solid as a rock. If we anchor our lives in the eternal reality of God’s love than we can discover that faith remains a glorious possibility in changing times. May God make it so for each of us here today. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Mark My Words. "The Widow's Mite"

 

 Readings: Psalms 127:1-5, Habakkuk 3:17-19, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, November 7th 2021

A bible story about a widow and a rich man. Jesus challenges any who will listen, "Who gave the most?" The widow had nothing going for her. The rich man had everything going for him.  He was in the position of being able to make a sizable offering, which it seems he did.  But in the light of God’s economy, he never gave as much as the widow.  The widow gave her all. It was upon the widow that God's favor shined.

Here is a sobering statistic. A recent survey concluded that the average Presbyterian gives more in tips and gratuities for the meals they eat out during the week than they put in the collection plate of their local church. I am thankful therefore that here in this church there are many who are well above average in the way that you support this church and its mission.

I do not know who gives the most and who gives the least. I do not know how that all breaks down into percentages, whether some of you who have less income are proportionally giving a whole lot more of what you have than somebody who gets a lot more than you do. I do not know.

But I do know that many of us are hoping and praying that this church can blossom and flourish and grow. We then need to acknowledge and act upon a basic principle in life. The harvest is always related to what is sown. You cannot grow anything without planting the seeds. You cannot grow programs and new opportunities and new ministries within a congregation without investing in them, with time and talents and, yes, with plain old cash!

Now you may be sitting there thinking, ‘Listen Preacher, I know it's Stewardship Season but I’ve made my pledge. Just typical of a preacher, all they want is more, more, more.” All I can say is that this was the lectionary text set for this Sunday and it’s hard to talk about this passage without mentioning money!
 
So… let us take a different route. In the calendar year we are heading towards the celebration of Thanksgiving. The Pilgrim Fathers, who are celebrated at Thanksgiving, didn't have much to be thankful for.  They had been hounded out of one country. They tried settling in another but that did not work out.  

They fled persecution and sailed across the ocean in that tiny ship they called the Mayflower.  When they got here, they were met with a land that needed to be tamed, a hostile environment, new diseases, inclement weather, starvation, challenges they had never dreamed of. How did they handle it? They gave thanks.

Our first reading this morning was from the book of Habakkuk. I am glad Habakkuk wasn't a chef. What a mouthful it would be to go to the bookstore and ask, "Can I have a copy of Habakkuk's Cook Book, please?"  He did not have much to be thankful for. Why? Habakkuk didn't have a Cook Book because Habakkuk didn’t have anything to cook!

In verse 17 of Habakkuk, Chapter 3, the fig trees aren’t blossoming, there’s no fruit on the vines, no food in the field, no sheep or cows in the stalls to provide meat.  "Yet" (and listen to this), he says “Yet, I will exult in the Lord, I will be thankful, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength.” (Verses 18-19)

There is that crazy thing again. The widow thing.  The Pilgrim thing. People who by the standards of this world would not appear to have a great deal to get excited about are overflowing with generosity and thanksgiving.

Some weeks I feel like I need some cheerleaders up here with me instead of just lay readers. You know, when our faith is under attack, a few cheers of "Dee-Fence, Dee-Fence" would not come amiss.

What about when the collection plate goes around, “Put it in, Drop it in... Touch Down!” How about an; "Everybody in the pews, Come and stamp your Good News shoes," something along those lines to get us psyched up to the importance of what we're doing here as a church when the offering plate goes around.

We have a lot to be thankful about. For sure, disposable income is always at a premium, that is the truth. The bills keep rising and the taxes always seem to one step ahead of them. But you know what? We are alive and kicking. We have an amazingly beautiful facility for worship and service. We have people around us who love us and pray for us and care about us.

We are free to come here and worship. None of us are going to be imprisoned today because we came to church. We are not going to be considered enemies of the state or political subversives because we claim Christ as our King. That is not the case for many in our world today, nor has it been for many generations throughout history.

We have schools. And when our kids go to school, they have books and computer labs and playing fields and sports coaches and heated classrooms and class sizes that are, well sometimes larger than we would like, but small in comparison to school-houses of other nations, where kids share paper and often the only text book is the wall.

We have roofs over our heads, food in our bellies, if we get sick, we have doctors we can go to and hospitals to be treated at. On a worldwide scale that puts us at the top of the food chain. We have transport, we have gadgets galore, we have entertainment and opportunities and advantages that most of the world doesn’t share.

I’m not trying to make us feel bad or feel guilty or feel unworthy. Friends, I want us to feel thankful. We need to embrace every new day that we have; to enjoy, every day filled with all these blessings and acknowledge before God that we are truly, truly, truly blessed.

Genuine thanksgiving always produces an outpouring of generosity.  It causes us to think about our responsibility towards God in terms of how we spend our time, how we use the talents and gifts that God has graced our lives with and to consider what we do with our treasures.

What do we sow? What do we invest in? How can the money that we earn be used to glorify God and grow God’s kingdom?  How do we express our thankfulness in tangible ways that benefit folks other than ourselves, ways that grow our church and bless our community? Our giving should not be motivated by the fact that there is a bill to be paid but from a gushing out of thankfulness… a response of joy.

In that sense this story about the widow is not about money. It is about who she was and the genuine nature of her relation to her God. The money she gave was just an indication of something far more important. She was thankful.

She challenges us through her actions to consider if we genuinely have a heart of thanksgiving. We are invited to take our spiritual temperature by considering our giving as a guide to gauge how committed we are to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, the grace of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

The New Interpreters Bible Commentary offers this reflection. "The story of the widows mite poses the same challenge to readers today as it did in Jesus time.  People usually think of giving to the church and to charities as an option. The money for charitable giving comes out of the surplus after personal expenses have been met. Those "necessary expenses" usually include many many extras in terms of entertainment, clothes, food and playthings"

Do we have the widows heart, prepared to give all, or the rich man’s heart who just gives the left-overs? What is the nature of what we offer to God? Is it our first fruits, the best that we can give or just what’s left after we’ve taken care of the rest? I know these are uncomfortable questions, but I really don’t believe that Christian faith and experience were ever meant to be comfortable!

Notice how the widows act of dedication foreshadows the giving of Him-self that Jesus Christ revealed to us through His death on the Cross.  He died that we may live, embraced poverty that we may enjoy God's prosperity. He took on the mantle of service that we may learn the joy of serving each other.

Giving is a spiritual practice and an expression of a life that knows itself touched by the Grace of God. It is not a duty but a delight. It is not a requirement but a heart response to the love of God that in Jesus Christ laid itself naked and bare on the cruel cross of Calvary to win our devotion.  It’s not about “making a donation” but everything to do with “overflowing with thankfulness.”

A rich man and a poor widow. One gives because it seems that’s what is expected, the other brings an offering from a thankful heart.

A group of pilgrims flee persecution to a hostile environment that will take years to tame. What do they do? They give thanks!

An Old Testament prophet Habakkuk, who doesn’t have a cook book, because there’s a famine in the land, proclaims “Yet, I will exult in the Lord, I will be thankful, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength.”

By the example of these faithful ones, through the action of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts, may God teach us how-to live-in ways that express true stewardship, stewardship that flows out of our thankfulness and overflows in blessings towards others. Stewardship that engages us passionately in the work of God’s kingdom, heart, mind, and soul, with our time, talents and treasures.

Here around a table laid with bread and wine we have a visible reminder of God’s overflowing love towards us. May God’s Holy Spirit touch our hearts in a way that brings an outpouring of thanksgiving, with our time, talents and our treasures.

To God’s name be the Glory.
Amen.

Rev. Adrian J. Pratt  B.D.