The Eve of the Nativity - Christmas Eve - Year C (2015)

Isaiah 9: 2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2: 11–14; Luke 2: 1–20

This is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, which was offered to St. John’s Church, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Thursday, December 24, 2015.

“GIFTS, GIFT-GIVING, GIFT-RECEIVING”

We are in the season of gifts, of gift-giving and gift-receiving.  (The stores have been encouraging this activity for a very long time, now!)

Let’s take a few moments in the midst of the (oftentimes) frenzied pace of preparations for our Christmas celebration to look at the business of gifts, and of the giving of gifts, and (hopefully) the receiving of gifts.

Among the observations we might make about everything connected with gifts are these:

Gifts are connected to relationships:

Giving a gift might affirm a new relationship, or a new stage in a relationship, as in the giving of an engagement ring, for example.

Giving a gift might be a vehicle for mending an impaired or broken relationship…an example of this would be the husband who comes home to the wife he’s just had an argument, bearing a dozen red roses.  (Feel free to fill in our own example of an appropriate gift to give or to receive in such a circumstance!)

Giving a gift might strengthen a relationship.  An example would be a gift given by a parent, a grandparent or some other adult to a young child, a gift that affirms that person’s love for the child.

Gift-giving denotes a level of care, concern, or love between the giver and the receiver.

Giving a gift always affects a relationship in some way, by confirming a new relationship, by affirming an existing one, or by strengthening a relationship.

Giving a gift tells us a lot about the giver:

For example, if a person gave a very generous gift, it might tell us something about the ways in which the giver thinks about others in relationship to themselves.

Another example would be if the gift is especially meaningful to the person receiving a gift.  A person who loves trains and railroads would appreciate a railroad-related gift very highly.  (OK, I am being quite personal in using this example!)  Receiving a gift that suits the receiver especially well shows that the giver has taken the time to get to know the receiver’s interests, etc.

Now, in this Christmas season, we remember God’s act of gift-giving, in His giving of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to take on our humanity, and to be born in a manger in Bethlehem.

In fact, it is God’s gift-giving that is the cause of our own giving and receiving of gifts at Christmastime.

So, let’s draw some conclusions about God’s gift-giving activity, an act we remember at Christmastime:

Before Christ came, God was in a relationship with the people He had chosen for Himself.  But that relationship was impaired, broken, and incomplete.  God’s chosen people regarded God as the God whose laws were to be obeyed, whose laws were to be followed down to the smallest detail.  But they had forgotten (it seems like) that God is, essentially, a God of love.

God’s knowledge of humankind penetrates the way in which God entered into our human condition:  Jesus does not come to us, riding on the clouds, mounted on a white horse, riding to conquer and to compel us to follow and obey Him.  I suppose that God could have arranged for Jesus Christ to come to us in such a way.  But the way He comes is quietly.  He comes in very humble circumstances, being born in a setting where animals eat (that’s what a manger is, it’s a feeding trough).  He comes in an extremely vulnerable state - as a baby – and he grows in favor with God and with humankind, as St. Luke tells us. (See Luke 2:52.)

So it seems, judging from God’s supreme act of gift-giving, that He knows a lot about us humans.  He knows that we are helpless to help ourselves out of our impaired relationship with God.  He knows that He will have to give the gift of Himself, that is, to send Jesus the Christ to come and to show us the way to the Father, for Jesus is the “very image of the invisible God”, as St. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:15.

So the gift is given, the gift is given to repair the broken relationship we have with God the Father.  The gift is given to show us just how important we are to God.  The gift is given to show how deeply God loves each and every one of us.

God’s gift is given personally, to each one of us, one by one.  God stands with His hands holding the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Christ.  He offers this wonderful gift to each one of us, one-by-one.  May we respond in love and gratitude, and accept God’s gift by inviting Jesus Christ into our hearts, perhaps for the first time. May we, if Jesus Christ has already taken up residence in our hearts, accept Him anew into a deeper and more intense relationship in the times that lay before us.

AMEN. 

Advent, Year C (2015)

Micah 5:  2-5a; For the Psalm: Canticle 3; Hebrews 10: 5-10; Luke 1: 39-55

This is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, offered to St. John’s Church, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 20, 2015.

“THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN”

(Homily text:  Luke 1: 39-55)

When the British Army surrendered to the Americans after the Battle of Yorktown in October, 1781, the British Army’s band (a fife and drum corps) paraded past the Americans playing a tune entitled “The World Turned Upside Down”.

The tune’s title was an apt one for the occasion, for how could an army of the most powerful military in existence at that time manage to be defeated by an upstart colonial band?  How was that possible?

Today’s gospel, in which we hear Mary’s Song (better known by its Latin title, the Magnificat), is all about the “world turned upside down”.

Notice the “downs” that contrast with the “ups” in Mary’s words (I will highlight the highs and the lows in the text using italics):

•        “My soul doth magnify the Lord (up)…. for he hath regarded the lowliness (down) of his handmaiden.”
•        “For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed, for he that is mighty hath magnified (up) me…”
•        “He hath put down the mighty (high) from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek (low).”
•        “He hath filled the hungry (low) with good things, and the rich (high) he hath sent empty away.”

What, then, is the basis for Mary’s exaltation?  Quite simply, she is called “blessed” (as in the Ever-blessed Virgin Mary) because she was willing to set her own welfare and plans for her life aside in order to place herself at God’s invitation to be the bearer of the only-begotten Son of God.  Her words are these (spoken to the Angel Gabriel):  “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, be it to me according to your word.” (Luke 1: 38a)

If we think about Mary’s station in life, we can easily imagine that she is pretty low on the world’s measure of power and status:  She is a young, (probably) poor, woman (living in a man’s world), in a country whose people are living under an oppressive military occupation.  By all these standards, she doesn’t have much standing or much power. She’s pretty much at the bottom – the low end – of the economic, social and influential markers of the time.

And yet, God uses just this very unique servant to be the vessel, the carrier, of God’s grace and mercy.

The world doesn’t work this way.

The 19th-century scientist, Charles Darwin, summed up the ways of the world in his statement “The Survival of the Fittest”.  It was his contention that the stronger ones in nature will overpower the weaker ones, and that, eventually, only the strong will survive.

If we look at the course of human affairs, it’s plain to see that much of human history reflects just such an hierarchy: 

• The ones with the most clout will overpower and exploit the defenseless and the weak.
  
• The ones with the biggest or the best army will invade and conquer their weaker neighbors (at least most of the time…the American victory at Yorktown is an exception), and so forth.

But God’s way is a different way.

Mary’s willingness to become the Lord’s servant proves that God’s way is different.

So does the experience of Mary’s Son, Jesus, show that God’s way is a different way….For Jesus comes to serve, not to be served.  He comes to show that – in the apparent weakness of the cross – that that seeming defeat leads only to the victory of Easter Sunday morning.  He comes as a helpless baby, born in the lowliness of a cow’s stall, but reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Luke’s gospel bears out this theme, for Luke takes deliberate steps to show that Jesus’ concern was, principally, with the poor, the sick, the lowly and the sinners.  He came to welcome them into fellowship with God, offering them an opportunity to overcome their estrangement from God, and offering them a new life, a redeemed life, in God.  Those that the Lord deliberately sought out have a lot in common with the rest of us, for in truth, Jesus always finds us in the lowest circumstances of our lives, as helpless people who are enslaved to sin, and He moves us from where He finds us into a new and higher place with God.

The Lord’s model is our model.  We, too, are called to proclaim that the Lord who has rescued us from our lowly estate offers to all people the chance to move up into a close and enduring relationship with God.  The Lord never leaves anyone where He finds them.

Thanks be to God, that God’s way has everything to do with the lowly and the powerless, and everything to do with an upward sweep into God’s embrace.

AMEN.

Advent 3, Year C (2015)

Zephaniah 3: 14-20; For the Psalm: Canticle 9; Philippians 4: 4-7; Luke 3: 7-18

This is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, offered to St. John’s Church, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 13, 2015.

“CONFESSION...BAPTISM…ACTION”

(Homily text:  Luke 3: 7 - 18)

(This morning, there is no homily, since we are blessed to have the wonderful choir “Essence 2” with us this morning.  In lieu of a homily, I am offering this reflection on this morning’s gospel reading.)

This morning, we hear a continuation of last week’s gospel.  Last week, we heard the first six verses of Luke’s gospel account, taken from chapter three.  In last week’s account, Luke told us about John the Baptist’s ministry, which was a baptism for the repentance of sins.  Luke tells us that the Baptist’s ministry was in accordance with Isaiah’s prophecy, that a time would come when all of God’s people would be called to “prepare the way of the Lord,” making “his paths straight”.

Now, John emphasizes his warning, telling those who would listen that they were not to claim that, because they were children of Abraham, that they were – by virtue of that inheritance – automatically in some favored status by God.  Then he said, “Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees”, adding that 

“every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” “Bear fruit worthy of repentance,” John told his listeners.

If we look at the trajectory of John’s message, we see this pattern:

Confession & Baptism→→→→→→Actions

If we think about it, this is the progression that every Christian is called to follow….we enter the waters of baptism, shedding our old way of life, and part of that way of life involves the ability to commit acts which are displeasing to God…put another way, we are called to “Renounce Satan and all his works”, as our baptismal ceremony puts it.

Then, our baptismal liturgy continues by asking if the newly baptized (and their parents and Godparents) will do certain things in response to God’s love, made known in the rite of baptism:  These questions have to do with concrete actions that are marks of a faithful Christian life:[1]

•        Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread and in the prayers?
•        Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
•        Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
•        Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
•        Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

    To each of these questions, the answer given is “I will, with God’s help.”

   The point of these questions is to say that confession of sin is an ongoing process, a process which will follow the baptized all throughout life.  Though baptism confers an indelible mark on a person’s soul, that person remains in need of forgiveness and amendment of life, all throughout life.

   But notice, as well, the ongoing nature of the ways in which we will strengthen our relationship with God through Christ:  We do this by regularly coming to worship, by studying God’s Holy Word, the Bible, and by taking an active and ongoing role in receiving the Sacraments of the Church, Holy Communion being among one of the more important of those Sacraments.

    Then, the way in which we act, proclaiming by “Word and example”, is also an ongoing occupation, for we will continue to encounter other persons throughout our earthly journey.  The Letter of James underscores the importance of actions which bear witness to our faith.  In James 1: 22, we read, “…Be does of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  James then adds, a little later on, these words:  “…But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2: 18)

    In our gospel passage for this morning, some of John the Baptist’s hearers ask pointed questions about the ways in which they ought to live out the reality of their forgiven life in God.

•        To those who possess some of the world’s riches, he said, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none.”
  
  
•         To the tax collectors, he said, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.”
  
  
•         To the Roman soldiers, he said, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

    Perhaps each of us can find similar ways to live out our own baptized reality in the times, the places and the circumstances in which we find ourselves today.

    May that ever be so with us.  Amen.

           

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[1]   These questions appear on pages 304 – 305 of The Book of Common Prayer, 1979.

Advent 2, Year C (2015)

Malachi 3: 1-4; For the Psalm:  Canticle 4; Philippians 1: 3–11; Luke 3: 1-6

This is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, which was given at St. John’s Church, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 6, 2015.

“CALLED TO BE PROPHETS”

(Homily texts:  Canticle 4 (Benedictus, Dominus Deus) & Luke 3: 1-6)

Each year, on the Second Sunday of Advent, we get to spend a little time thinking about John the Baptist. Our Collect for this day alludes to his ministry, which was a ministry that called people to recognize their sins and their need for God’s forgiveness. (More about all that in a moment.)

In place of the Psalm, this morning we pray Canticle[1] Four, which is often called the “Song of Zechariah”. In Latin, its title is Benedictus, Dominus Deus, and it is one of the traditional Canticles which are appointed for use during the Office of Morning Prayer.

In fact, each morning when I pray Morning Prayer, I pray this Canticle. A phrase[2] always sticks out when I do so:

“And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest, for thou shalt go before the Lord to prepare his ways.”

Not to be too personal about it, but I feel like that text is speaking to me.  Each time I read the phrase, I feel like the words are leaping off the page and into my eyes, my mind and my heart. I feel as though I am called to be a prophet, a forerunner, of the Lord, one who – like John the Baptist – prepares the way for the One who is coming.

I said, “Not to be too personal about it” because, in truth, every one of us is called to be a prophet of the Highest. Every one of us is called to bear witness to God’s great, big plan, a plan which is offered to all people. This great, big plan is one which offers each and every person a new start in life, a new beginning in which God gives us a new birth in the waters of baptism.

In response to God’s call to be a prophet, we might protest. We might say, “Well, I don’t much like wearing a coat made of camel’s hair (John the Baptist’s attire),” and we might add, “I don’t much like a diet of locusts and wild honey (John’s diet).”  Furthermore, we might say that we don’t much like hanging out in the desert like John did.

In truth, some of those who are called to be prophets are called to do just what John the Baptist did. Some are called to give up their previous life and their previous way of living in order to go to some pretty inhospitable places, in order to share the Good News, the Gospel, of Jesus Christ.

But most of us won’t receive such a calling. Most of us are called to pave the way for the Lord right where we are, day in and day out.  We are called to bring the kingdom of God into being, one act, one word, one loving gesture, at a time. 

By so doing, we bear witness to the overwhelming love of God, a love that accepts us as we are, right where God finds us, but which is a love that never leaves us where we are found. For such an encounter with the living God changes us and everything about us for ever.

As a result of this encounter, we find our truest and best selves, we find our highest purpose in life, knowing that God has called us into a personal and ongoing relationship, knowing that we have been redeemed by Christ.

And so, those who have passed through the waters of baptism are called, for God says to each one of us:

“And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.”

Thanks be to God for His deep and abiding love, for His forgiveness of our sins and offenses, and for His call to be His prophets in our time and in our place.

AMEN.

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[1]   A Canticle is a passage of Scripture which lends itself to be set to music, hence the name, which suggests the singing of the text.  There are quite a few of them in Luke’s gospel account. The Magnificat (Song of Mary) (see Luke 1: 46 – 55) and the Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon) (see Luke 2: 29 – 32) are other examples.

[2]   This Canticle records the comments of John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, who was a priest serving in the temple in Jerusalem.