A New Year Perspective

 Readings: Psalm 2, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, Matthew 2:1-12, Philippians 3:7-16
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, January 2, 2022

 "I forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead" (Philippian’s 3:13)

Paul speaks in this verse of two things - Forgetting and Going Forward.  The text is from a chapter which urges the reader to run the race of faith.  God's Spirit is the driving force that can give our lives a right perspective, A NEW YEAR PERSPECTIVE.

1. Forget what is behind us.

It is the season of the year when the media is full of retrospectives.  Who were the people who made the year what it was?  Who were the faces, the places and what will be the lasting memories?  Think for a moment about your own life.  What are the events and happenings that would fill a memorial book of "My life - 2021"?

I know that for most it has been a hard year.  Maybe events have left you feeling fearful and discouraged rather than confident and hopeful for what 2022 may bring your way.  If we have been hurt, it' not easy to let go of resentments.  If we have been troubled it is hard to let our worries go.  If we have failed, it is not easy to forget our defeats.  

Paul wrote his words about pressing onward from the confines of a prison.  Despite his constraining circumstances he writes a letter that is full of joy and hope.  Whilst he was prepared to learn from the past (something we must do) he was equally prepared to let it go.  Let me mention some things we do well to put behind us.

Resentments.  Resentment is a bitter and destructive poison to harbor within one’s system.  It breeds self pity.  Maybe we have been treated unfairly.  Maybe last year did deal us an unfair hand.  But let it go.  Sometimes others hurt us.  At other times we try to fulfill unrealistic aims or ambitions.  We can be our own worst enemies.

Now is the time to practice forgiveness.  The late Corrie Ten Boon, a Dutch writer imprisoned in Auschwitz concentration camp during the Second World War for befriending the Jews, speaks in one of her books of her struggle to forgive her captors after the war was over.  She uses the illustration of a church bell.

The bell has a clapper inside.  When the rope is pulled the clapper rocks to and fro and the bell rings.  After you stop pulling on the rope the clapper will eventually come to rest at the center and the bell stops ringing.  So, it is with ourselves and forgiveness.

Once we decide to let go of our resentments, they are gone, then they come swinging back again.  But every time we let go, the swings become less intense and eventually the bad memories stop coming and we will find our center in Christ.  Let us enter the New Year prepared to let go of any resentments and practice forgiveness.

Let us also leave some of our worries behind.  Jesus put it plainly enough. Can you grow any taller by worrying about it?  Does fretting and misplaced concern lead you onward?  Intelligent concern, that is fine, plans for the future, resolutions even, yes... we need some of that, but worry? What does that achieve?

Some people carry round with them needless worries about themselves, about others, about the world, about a whole host of things. At the root of much worrying stands a lack of faith in God's providence.  Constant obsessive worry is a kind of disguised atheism.  It affirms nothing more than that we do not really believe in the presence of God to direct us and guide us.  Faith builds us up and strengthens us.  Worry pulls us down and weakens us.

I’m not talking about clinical depression. That’s something different altogether. I am not saying we shouldn't be concerned about the crazy world we live in.  I'm not saying that there won't be times when situations come our way that make us feel, "Uh-Oh, What do we do now!"  I am talking about having  faith and trust in God over and above our worries.  Believing God’s love is strong enough and big enough to hold our life in God’s care.

As I heard in a country music song;
"Forget your worries, Forget your cares,
Let them fly into the air,
Yee-Har in the old fruit jar,
Now, we're getting somewhere"

We have the choice.  We can go into the New Year carrying a load of care or we can go into it with a faith in the Lord of the Dance.  Mind you, if you dance anything like me, that is not much of an encouragement.  We need to leave our mistakes behind as well.  

We need to forget our failures.

Looking back reveals that we have not had a perfect year.  If we have failed at something, either small time or in a big way, it is too late to do anything about the failure itself.  A lost opportunity can not be gone back to.  A moral fall cannot be picked up.  It happened.  Now it is past and over.  We must learn from our mistakes, but we don't have to build our lives upon them.  If we focus only on our difficulties, on our problems, on our defeats, then we will become difficult, problematic, defeated people.

I remember reading somewhere, "Just because you failed, that doesn't make you a failure". The point being that some people go through life with a failure attitude.  Somewhere along the way, in the home, at school or in their work they have been told "You'll never be anything". "Look what you've done now. Failure. Good for nothing".

The Good News of the gospel is that all alike have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but we don't have to live our lives crawling around like miserable, defeated sinners. Jesus died to forgive us and grant to us the victory.  Our God looks at us not in terms of what we have become, but in the light of what we can be if we give His love free reign in our lives.  Wasn't that how Jesus dealt with people?

A fallen woman by the Samaritan well encounters Jesus and life is new again.   A blind beggar by the road, Bartimaeus, calls out “Master, let me see" and he is given a whole new vision.  A hated tax collector, Zacchaeus, hiding up a tree.  "Zacchaeus" says Jesus, "I'm coming to your house today. I am going to eat and drink with you." An encounter with Jesus reminds that though we have failed, the doorway to opportunity and new life is opened before us by the love of God.

To have a right perspective on the New Year there are things we need to forget.  Paul writes about forgetting what lies behind him and I suggest to you that we forget our resentments, our worries, our failures.  They are not baggage we need to carry into a New Year with us.  Having left some things behind there are other things we need to take up.  Paul writes of forgetting what is behind him and pressing on.

Do our best to reach what is ahead.

Think of the New Year as a book yet to be written.  What words, what pictures, do you hope to see on the pages of your life in the coming year?  Maybe your aim is high.  This is the year when you will.....     (Fill in the space for yourself).

Maybe we will be content with having a peaceful and hopefully prosperous New Year. Whether we aim high or low there are still steps we need to take if we are going to "Do our best to reach what is ahead".  Call to mind these two things and they may help us on our way!

a) Remember we are creatures of paradox! We sometimes get it wrong. We sometimes get it right.  Though made in the image of God in each of us that image is tarnished by our sin.  At times we rebel against God's ways in favor of our will being done.  Sometimes we become so accustomed to going the wrong way that it's the way we naturally follow.  Other times we are so blind to the consequences of our actions that we act in ignorance.  Sometimes we know we're not doing the right thing, but we carry on just the same.

We make resolutions. We do not always keep them.  We are only human.  And that is the whole problem.  As "only human" we are creatures of habit and inconsistency.  Remember that we are creatures of paradox.   Because of that we need to focus on a second thing. We need to;-

b) Remember the strength available to us in Christ.  The Christian calling is not one that tells us to bury our heads in the dust, to grovel before the Almighty in some hope of getting off the hook for the situations we find ourselves in. It is a calling to lift our heads up high.  Paul knew that in his prison cell when he wrote these words about pressing onward.  Though behind bars he looked past them and saw stars.  The light of Christ has come.  His voice calls us to take up our cross and follow.  

And if we are to run that race, be sure, it must be in the strength that only God's Spirit can bring to bear on our lives.  To fulfill a high calling, we need strength from on high.  We have known that strength in the past.  We would not be here if God had not, albeit in some small way, broken into our lives with God’s spiritual strengthening love.  God has enabled to reach this point in our lives.

Now God has so much more available for us.  Available strength in times of temptation, available strength in times when life is filled with burdens or problems.  None of us goes through life in isolation or with only our own meager resources but with the help of God.

By the grace of God, I pray that by the end of the year we will have an album that is full of pictures and stories that testify that God has been with us and that we have lived our life with Him always in mind.  That our life has been subject to the encompassing presence of an Almighty God.

So, hear again Paul's words to the Philippian church; "I do not think that I have already won the prize.  I forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead." (Philippians 3:13).

Forget what lies in the past.  Resentments, worries, failures.  Learn from them and leave them behind.  Do your best to reach what is ahead. Remember that you are only human and that the only way to make it through to the end of the year, having known God's blessing, is to travel through 2022 in the available strength of God's love; the strength of the Holy Spirit, the living presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts and lives.

And what better place to begin the Year than around a table laid with bread and wine, visible signs of God’s commitment towards us as a New Year dawns. Use this moment to recommit your life to God. You will be glad that you did! Celebrate. It’s a New Year,

May God's blessing be with us all in 2022!

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.   

Advent 4. "The Shepherd's Tale"

  

A Seasonal story for the Sunday before Christmas
Readings: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, Romans 1:1-17, Isaiah 7:10-16, Luke 2:8-20
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, December 19, 2021

My Goodness it was cold that night! There was myself, Joseph, Benjamin, and George (the one with the limp), all sitting together, our cloaks wrapped around us, warming our hands by the fire. Matthias should have been there, but as so often happened on these cold nights; he was missing. No doubt in the morning lie would have some good excuse, but, well, what a night to miss. None of us were ever the same again, I can tell you.        

Even now it is hard to put into words exactly what happened. To be honest it’s not that easy to talk about. Yet I remember it like it was yesterday.

The sheep were all close by, some grazing, mostly huddled together to keep warm. Apart from the cold, we were having a relatively easy night. At that time, we were in pastures on the hillside not far from Bethlehem. Though it was quiet in the hills, down in the town there was a hive of activity.

The emperor Augustus had ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire; Syria, being a part of it. At that time Quirinius was the governor, and everyone had to go to their own town to register.

Bethlehem’s one of those towns where, if you want to get on in the world, you move away. So, you see it was a problem, all these people descending upon the place - where would they all stay? As you can imagine, the town was alive with confusion. From where we sat around the fire, we could see the lights, flickering in the distance.

We discussed recent events that had taken place. Many were dissatisfied with their lot in life. They did not feel it was right that we should be overruled by the Romans, and those governing over us had made far too many concessions just to stay in office. Not that it affected us much. Shepherds we were, and shepherds we would stay regardless of who held power. Many thought themselves above our kind of work; afraid to get their hands dirty, that is what I think.

At times it was a messy business. Some shepherds in a neighboring province had been murdered by bandits after their sheep. Wolves were not too much of a problem to us. It was their effect upon the sheep. At times sheep can be stupid creatures. They never have a thought of defending themselves. While goats, on the appearance of a wolf will run together and form a solid mass, the sheep are immediately scattered and become easy meat.

It may sound strange to you, but we knew each of our sheep by pet names, usually given because of their appearance or character or because of some incident we associate with them. We had one called ‘Tumbledown’ because she was always falling over. Then there was Rahab, named because she had an expression of her face that reminded George (the one with the limp) of his grand-daughter, and Matthias, who, like her namesake should have been on the job that night - she was always going missing.

1 don’t recall precisely what time it was, but Benjamin and George were taking a walk, checking the flock, whilst Joseph and myself were into one of those late-night discussions all about the Messiah. The scriptures which we knew from when we were little lads, spoke about one who was going to come and save the nation of Israel from its oppressors “I wish he’d hurry up” I said jokingly.

It was a few moments after that - it happened. As suddenly and unexpectedly as a bolt of lightning from a blue sky. Everything lit up! But it was not daylight or sunlight, nor like the light you get from a flame. Just incredibly bright.

You should have seen Joseph’s face. It was a picture! His eyes were wide, he sat bolt upright, his jaw hung open. George and Benjamin had hit the deck, lying face down on the grass. I was just too petrified to move. “This is it”, I thought, “1 must be in heaven or somewhere”!

The strangest thing was the sheep. They had not pounced; they had not scattered; they were carrying on like nothing had happened. As we became accustomed to the light, I noticed there was someone standing there! He spoke quietly. “Don’t be afraid, it’s alright. Don’t be scared, look, it’s alright, don’t be afraid”.

Joseph relaxed - dropped his shoulders and shut his mouth. George and Benjamin dusted grass off themselves and came over.

The figure spoke to us. “I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born - Christ the Lord”!

He paused for a moment, maybe because of the confusion that our faces were expressing -then continued.

“This is what will prove it to you, you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

What happened next was almost ~ startling as his arrival. Because suddenly there were angels everywhere, or at least I say they were angels, that is the only way I can explain it and they were singing.

I have never heard such beautiful music. All these voices blending in wonderful harmony - what a marvelous sound it was. We did not know whether to laugh or cry - to try to join in or keep our mouths shut. We just stood in amazement and listened and watched. I will not attempt to sing that song for you, I could not if I tried, it was so familiar, yet so unlike anything heard before. I remember the words...

“Glory to God in the highest heaven
And peace on earth
To those with whom He is pleased”.

At that time, we did not realize that we, on that lonely hillside, were the only ones who witnessed the vision, and heard the music. After all who were we? Just a group of shepherds going about our daily (or rather nightly!) tasks. None of us were anything special.

There were many great men and many wealthy men in Palestine. There were scholars of the most profound learning. There were holy men who had left the joys of home and gone away to pray and fast in deserts.  But it wasn’t to them the angels came. It was not in their ears that music sounded the greatest news that the world has ever heard. It was given to us, people of no note or standing.

The more I think about it, the stranger it is. There we were, laughing, joking, out in the fields doing our job, looking after the sheep as best we could, and next moment we’re being told that the Messiah is here, surrounded my music and angels!

The four of us stood on that hillside, do not ask me for how long, and watched and listened. Slowly it, or rather they, seemed to move away - the music grew quieter, the darkness came back. Soon the sound was little more than a whisper, and then it was gone. And we were left standing - staring up into the sky and seeing only the stars and darkness.

We looked at each other in silence - did not dare to speak.
Was it a dream? Was this the work of some joker or magician?
Joseph was the first to speak. He nodded his head and said “Hmm, well...   I...  er...
Benjamin responded: “Did that really just happen to us? We knew it had.

“So, what do we do now?” Something must be going on    Angels don’t just appear out of the sky for nothing.” In the back of our minds, we knew that the prophecies about the Messiah had to be taken seriously. After all, this was not something we had deduced for ourselves, but something God had made known to us.

It was then we noticed George (the one with the limp) was missing. He was hobbling down the hill towards Bethlehem.

“Come on”, I said, we must go, can’t argue with things like that, let’s go, even if it’s only to prove we haven’t all gone round the twist”, “What about the sheep,” said Joseph. “NO problem,” said Benjamin. They were all chasing after George. So, it was we made our way to Bethlehem.

We got some right funny looks off people that night. Four shepherds and a load of sheep going through town at that late hour. And none of us expect George who was still limping ahead of us knew where we were heading. However, he did at one point turn round; point up to the sky and shout “THE STAR” so we just presumed he knew what he was up to.

We found ourselves on the poorer side of town. The accommodation here left much to be desired. Turned into a side street and came to a stable, of all places! Was this the place where the Savior of Mankind was to be found? Surely not. But what was it the angel said? “You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger” of course... lying in a manger, this must be the place.

So, we entered through the doorway. There were some oxen and asses and, in the corner, a young girl and a man. In the manger, a mere recess about halfway up the wall, normally where the fodder was stored, lay a little newborn baby, fast asleep.

All four of us went down on our knees. I do not know why, it just seemed like the right thing to do. The couple did not seem a bit surprised. We remained like that, in silent amazement, for a few moments and then got to our feet. Joseph went over to chat to the man we presumed was the Father. It turned out his name was also Joseph. Benjamin was explaining to the girl, Mary, why we had come.

But George and I went over for a peep at the babe. With having a little granddaughter of his own George had quite a soft spot for children. Now he had tears flowing down his cheeks, and so did I. For there was something special about that child. Just looked so normal, yet so peaceful. After all that had happened in the last few hours, only now did things start to fall into place.

Didn’t stay for long. The couple looked tired; they’d need their rest. But our vision was real. It was no dream or illusion. It was just as the angel had said. We left quietly, hardly able to contain our joy.

By the time we reached the end of the street we were singing, laughing, and dancing. Even the sheep seemed bouncier than usual as they followed us through the streets. Now at that time of night, you may think it irresponsible to be making such a noise, but due to the census there were still a lot of people about.

“Get out of here, you drunken old fool”, shouted one man as we passed. “Haven’t touched a drop, mate”, said Benjamin and went over to tell him what had been happening to us. That’s how it was all the way back out of Bethlehem. We told everyone we could about what the angel had said. I think most thought we were out of minds, and who can blame them? Would you believe it?

Going out on the road we came across a strange sight. (By now we were getting used to surprises’). On three camels sat three Oriental types. Not the sort of visitors we usually have in these parts, looked like they had a bit of money as well. As we passed, I said jokingly to Benjamin, “Hey... it must be a special day... even Kings are coming to welcome the Savior”.

The rest of the night continued in much the same way, singing praises to God out there on the cold hills with the sheep. None of us were ever the same after that day. Possibly no one was affected more than George. He never limped again since that time he gazed upon the baby in the manger.

The next day, we tried to tell all this to Matthias, the fifth member of our group, who missed everything that night because according to him he “Had a few problems”. More likely he was tucked up in bed at home. Because he wasn’t out in the fields, he missed it all, he failed to see the Savior.

Thirty years or so have passed since all this took place. George, Joseph, Matthias, and Benjamin have all passed on. I no longer go out into the hills, but my sons do, and it won’t be long before my grandsons join them. We never heard much about that baby again. We think that the young couple went off abroad somewhere, because things turned nasty when Herod got wind of some rumors of a new King having been born.

However, in recent years, a man called John, known as the Baptist, has been telling people to get ready for the coming of the Lord. Well, I’m ready. Because I know He is here.

Some think I am just an old man with a vivid imagination. But one day the whole world will know. “Unto us a child is born, Unto us a son is given.” That is my story. You do not have to believe it, that is up to you. I know what I heard. I know what I saw.

Call it a shepherd’s tale. Call it a Christmas story. But remember one thing. The Savior has come into our world. That is what has kept me going all these years. For me, it is more than just a story. I saw the Savior as a baby, in a manger, that magical night in Bethlehem.

And nothing has been the same again. And one day, I believe the whole world’s going to celebrate, for like the angel said to us, all those years ago, “Behold, I am here with Good News that will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born, Christ the Lord!”

Advent 3. "The Angel and the Dreaming Carpenter"

 THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Readings; Psalm 24:1-5, Matthew 1:18-25
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, December 12th, 2021

A famous musical, a big hit on Broadway, was 'Man of La Mancha'. The highlight of the show was when the central character, Don Quixote, stood center stage and sang 'To dream the impossible dream'.

In our scripture reading today an angel brings to Joseph what seemed like an impossible dream; a dream that he would play a key role in the coming of God's redeeming love to the world.

For Joseph this is a rather surprising development that came about as he was struggling with a very different problem. Mary, the young lady to whom he was betrothed, was pregnant and he could not figure out how it had all happened. Being betrothed, was a state of affairs that was far more than being engaged. For during one year to eighteen months of betrothal, the bride was usually kept in seclusion at her parents house. So to find out she was having a baby was a major shock!

Thing was, Joseph really loved Mary and, despite this pregnancy, had a high degree of trust in her. She had said that this was no normal child or pregnancy... but how do you deal with that? It didn't make any sense.

The right thing to do would have been to break off the relationship, bring accusations of unfaithfulness before the village elders and have Mary publicly disgraced. But, as we've already said, Joseph wasn't that sort of person. Not towards his Mary.

The bible says he was a 'just' man. He was 'just' in the sense being a kind man, a gentle man, whose heart was compassionate and merciful like the heart of God. Joseph wasn't rushing into any decisions. He was considering things first.  He took the time to think things over rather than jumping in feet first and doing something he may have lived to have regretted.

Well... relationships. Dang! Where do you start?  If this was all there was to the story then it would still have a message for us. How quick we are to make judgments and apportion blame... particularly if it comes to teenage pregnancies or marriage breakups or when our own relationships do not work out. Of course we all learn from our mistakes, but wouldn't it be better not to make them in the first place?

Joseph was one of those rare characters who had the wisdom to think first, to not take things at face value, but consider the deeper implications. This business with Mary, it must have played on his mind all day long. During the night it became the subject of his dreams. It was during one particular troubling dream that God intervened, an angel spoke to him, and he found the way though his dilemma. The problem didn't go away. It wasn't solved or sorted. But he did find a way to handle it.

We know some other things about Joseph.  We know he was by trade a carpenter. The Greek word for carpenter is 'tekton'. (The root of the English word 'architect'.) The word is used only twice in the New Testament, once of Joseph in Mathew 15:15 and once of Jesus in Mark 6:3, where we are told that He had taken up Joseph's trade. 'Tekton'  literally meant 'To join together or make a frame out of wood or some other material'... the irony being that it was upon a frame of crude wood that Jesus would die.

We also know Joseph was a dreamer. The Old Testament patriarch, after whom Joseph was named, was also a dreamer. You know I'm sure the story of Joseph and his amazing technicolor dream-coat. Joseph's ancestor Joseph dreamed dreams that led to him having a position of greatness in Egyptian society.

There is something appropriate about a carpenter being a dreamer. They have to visualize plans in their mind, as they make whatever it is they are working on. I confess to not being well gifted in that area, but I'm told that when a sculptor looks at a hunk of wood or a rock, they see something in it that the rest of us can't see. 'That looks like a statue of a goddess or an excellent table top' (but probably never both at the same time!) Having seen in their minds eye what the possibilities are, then they set about making it a reality.

Joseph, as a carpenter pictured the plans in his head as he worked. It seems natural that he would continue to visualize things in his sleep. But on this occasion it wasn't a plan for a  table or chair that came to mind, it was the answer to his dilemma with Mary, his loved one.

I'm sure many of us carry our problems over into our sleep time and into our dreams. There are those who tell us to listen to our dreams, as they are a subconscious way of sorting things out.

There have been occasions when I have had dreams that were tremendously helpful in granting me a sense of peace about important decisions that needed to be made. I remember a particularly vivid one that  occurred when I was praying about leaving my homelands and moving to the USA. It was so real it seemed like it had really happened.

I'm not going to go into detail, but simply say that I accept those things as genuine insights from God, because I can't explain them in any other way, any more than I can explain God sometimes guides us through words of Scripture that seem to jump off the page or through the random comments of friends or family... or even through that mysterious thing called intuition.

Sometimes you just have to open up to God and say, 'Lord, I don't know why or how or where or when... all I know is that You are guiding me a little further along this particular road... and for the rest, I have no option but to leave it in Your loving hands'.

In a dream an angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife because the child in her womb was due to the action of the Holy Spirit. This is no normal child, but the One envisioned by the prophets, Jesus, God with us, who will be our savior.

It must have been an incredibly vivid dream. It convinces Joseph that God is at work in the midst of these unbelievable events. When he awakes he does as the angel has directed.

This is not the end of Joseph's dreaming. If you read further in Matthew you will find him being warned to escape from the murderous plans of Herod and flee to Egypt as well as being directed, in a dream, to return to Israel and settle in Nazareth. For Joseph, listening to his dreams is literally a matter of life and death.

Christmas is a bit of a dream, isn't it? Peace on earth. Goodwill to all people. Every year we proclaim the same hopes. Every year we hear songs on the radio like 'Do they know it's Christmastime at all' and 'Happy Christmas – War is over'.  The dreams of Christmas.

It's easy to become cynical and conclude that dreams are only make believe. It's easy to dismiss the whole thing with a Scrooge-like 'bah humbug'. It's easy to suggest that Christmas is the ultimate impossible dream.

But then I get back to considering this encounter between an angel and a dreaming carpenter. I like where it begins. It begins with a love story between a good man and a young lady who are side-swiped by events that are in the hands of God. The call of God can really mess with your relationships.

Ask anybody who has ever had to choose between what they felt was the best plan for their life and what they then believed God was asking of them. The two can be poles apart! But you work through it and take whatever guidance you can find, be it through dreams, scriptures, the advice of friends or the counsel of folk you trust.

I like the way Joseph doesn't rush into his decisions. That he decides to sleep on it and seek God from an answer rather than going with any gut reaction to his loved ones unexpected pregnancy.

I like the way this story ends. Joseph listens to this impossible dream and acts upon it. He is blessed by entering into the most intimate possible family relationship with the Son of God, and becomes the earthly father of Jesus.

That happens because Joseph chooses to do God's will. And, in a peculiar way, what was true for Joseph can be true for us. In Matthew 12:50 Jesus tells us 'Whoever does the will of God is my mother, my sister, and brother' and by implication my uncle, my father, my cousin or a whole host of other  relationships. Whoever does God's will is part of the family of God.

Maybe we are all dreaming carpenters. We all try and visualize the kind of life God wants us to live. We all seek to have relationships that are honorable and fulfilling. We all struggle with the problems and dilemmas life brings to our doorstep.

So maybe the most important message to take away from this passage is that we are not alone. Joseph is told Jesus is “'Emmanuel' which means 'God is with us'.” (verse 23). God is there for us, just as God was there for Joseph. God is ready not only to plant impossible dreams in our hearts, but to work with us, in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring them to their unlikely fulfillment.

That is an often repeated theme throughout the 66 books of the Bible. When we travel through 'The Story' program next year, I believe we'll see that sort of pattern emerging.

Who would have dreamed that a wandering tribesman like Abraham would become the Father of a great nation? That dysfunctional Moses would lead his people out of slavery? That David, a young shepherd boy would defeat a giant and become a great King? That a helpless child, born to a peasant, refugee family, in some backwater town in Nowheresville, would turn out to be the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and our Savior Jesus Christ?

If only we dared to dream what the Savior can do through our lives... just maybe something wonderful could happen to make our world the sort of place that God intended it to be from the first moment of creation. There may be those who suggest we are like Don Quixote in 'Man of La Mancha'... a little crazy and out of touch with reality.

Yet personally I see nothing wrong in being a fool for Christ who dares to believe that with God all things are possible. And I pray that God would plant in all of our hearts the crazy dreams that bring His purposes to pass. To God's name be the glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Advent 2. "Gabriel and the Believing Maiden"

Readings; Malachi 3:1-4, Philippians 1:3-11, Isaiah 11:1-9, Luke 1:26-38
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, MD, December 5th, 2021

A few years ago, there was a church campaign that involved wearing badges or T-Shirts that said, 'I've found it!' The idea was that when people asked, 'What did you find? you could explain the gospel message and invite them to church.

The angel Gabriel comes to Mary with a message that says, 'Mary, you've found it!' Found what? Luke 1:30 'Mary, you have found favor with God'. ' Another word for favor is 'grace'. Grace is something God wants us all to discover.

Who is this Mary? Outwardly, she was from the tribe of Judah. She was a native of a place called Nazareth. She was betrothed to be married to a guy called Joseph.

Inwardly, she had a deep faith in God and pondered spiritual things in her heart. When told she would be the one to bear the Christ - Child she responded by saying 'Let it be'. (Who knew she predated the Beatles by 2000 years?) She is described by her cousin Elizabeth, in Luke 1:42, as the most blessed of all women. 'Blessed among women are you; and blessed is the fruit of your womb'.

Over the centuries Mary grew to occupy a prominent position in many Christian traditions and became a focus for prayer and contemplation. She holds a unique place in the gospel story. As we come to a table laid with bread and wine on the Second Sunday of Advent, what lessons can Mary teach us about God's favor. In this angelic encounter we find Mary...'Surprised by Grace', 'Supplied by Grace', and 'Stretched by Grace'.

Surprised by Grace

It's not what you expect in the middle of making wedding plans. The angel Gabriel to turn up and tell you that you are about to have a baby. As soon as Gabriel opens his mouth and says, 'Greetings Favored One, The Lord is with you' then in Mary's mind alarm bells start to ring.

Scripture tells us that she was perplexed. When Gabriel then tells her ‘Not to be afraid' you can imagine her thinking, 'This is getting worse. I was confused, but now you are telling me there is something that I should be afraid of. Being singled out for God's good favor may not be all it's cracked up to be.'  Mary had been to Sunday School. She was aware of the crazy things that had happened to prophets and chosen ones of God in the past. Did she really need this, right then and at that point in her life?

There is a reason why the song 'Amazing Grace' is so popular. Grace... the favor of God upon our lives... is always awesome, terrifying, exhilarating and amazing. That God should consider people, such as we know ourselves to be, as fitting vessels through which to express the love of Jesus Christ to a hurting and needy world is … well... both perplexing and a little terrifying.

God is counting on us, depending on us, relying on us... to let the world know about the gospel message. We are to be the carriers, the ones who birth that message and allow it to grow inside us so we can share it with all people. Mary wasn't exactly thrilled at that prospect. She questions Gabriel. Verse 34 'How can this be?'

She hadn't taken the necessary steps for a birth to take place. 'I'm new to this! I'm not ready! I'm not prepared.' It didn't make sense to her. There had to be other more qualified, better placed people than she was to carry out God's mission. She was just a young girl about to get married. It didn't make sense!

One of the crazy messages concerning Mary's observation that she was still a virgin is that when it comes to birthing God's plans into our world, God is not prepared to wait till we consider ourselves ready. God is not prepared to wait till we have done everything we need to do before we start sharing the message of Jesus with others.

Often our first reaction when we aware of God's call to do just about anything is to say... 'Not now. Not ready. Not possible. How can this be?' Gabriel's reply to Mary is something we all need to hear! Verse 37 'For nothing will be impossible with God'”

The most important part of that verse might be the phrase 'With God'. Mary is not just surprised by grace; she is also promised she will be...

Supplied by Grace

Verse 35 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God' '

It is an oft repeated phrase. Those whom God calls; God also equips. God never invites us to single-handedly sort out the world by ourselves, in our strength and in our own time. Always, God calls us to work with others who are equally empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill God's purposes.

Mary needed to visit with her cousin Elizabeth to have confirmation that this was a work of God. Mary needed Joseph, just as she would later need an innkeeper, a group of shepherds and some visitors from the East to fulfill all that God was calling her to do.  Mary, above all things, needed the Holy Spirit.

In 1774 the English scientist Joseph Priestly discovered the gas we know of as oxygen. Actually, he didn't discover it. It was already there. What Priestly did was identify and recognize oxygen for what it is and what it did. The grace of God has always been there. Everywhere we go and whatever we do, God is there. But recognizing and responding to God's grace is not an automatic process.

Maybe in a sunset or in the laughter of a child we catch glimpses and hear echoes of grace. But claiming it and making it ours is a process of belief. When Mary visits Elizabeth, she is greeted by the words 'Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by her Lord' (Luke 1:45)

God equips us by grace as we go forward in faith. 1 Peter 3:18 invites us to be people who are 'growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ''. When we exercise our bodies, we receive the oxygen that we need. A swimmer or a runner in a competition takes huge deep breaths and takes them more rapidly as the activity increases. If your intake of oxygen is too small, you struggle to breathe.

The same could be said for being supplied by grace. Our grace capacity is increased by repetition and by exercising our faith. The more we give ourselves to disciplines such as worship and serving alongside others in mission, then so our grace capacity increases.

We are surprised by grace. We are supplied by grace. But thirdly, we are...

Stretched by Grace

Gabriel tells the believing maiden; 'You will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end' (Luke 1:32-33)

Mary is told that her body will be the channel through which the grace of God would become incarnate and bring into the world the Messiah of Israel, the greatest and final King in the line of David, the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. That is unbelievable. That stretches the limits of faith and possibility. But that is what we are anticipating during Advent and what we celebrate at Christmas.

Now, for sure, in our lives we are not going to have the same role to play as Mary had. Yet in order for our lives to be all that God wants them to be, we need to do some stretching. We need to stop putting limits on what God can or cannot do in us and through us.

A famous book by J.B Phillips was titled 'Your God is too small'. One thing grace can never be is 'SMALL! Grace is always HUGE. Grace is always going to stretch our imaginations, stretch our hopes, stretch our believing. Grace will always challenge our preconceived notions about what God can or cannot do in our lives, in our churches, in our communities and in our world
 
We shouldn't need to wear a badge or a t-shirt that declares 'I've found it'. For most of us, it is fair to say that, like Joseph Priestly discovering oxygen, what we have discovered is the grace that was always there. Like Mary, who was not anticipating a close encounter of the angelic kind, it is not so much that we found grace, it is that grace has found us.

As we come to the table this morning, we contemplate the end of Jesus life rather than its beginnings. But without Mary, we would not have the rest of the story. As we come today and remind ourselves of all that Jesus was, let us also reflect on these lessons of grace that Mary has offered to us.

•    Grace is always surprising. Allow room in your life to be surprised by God.
•    Grace supplies all that we need to do the tasks God calls us to achieve.
•    Grace stretches us to attempt things we may otherwise have never considered possible.

We have a lot to reflect upon in this encounter between Gabriel and the believing maiden we know as Mary. Consider her words of praise, recorded in Luke 2;

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
For He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.”

To God's name be all glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.