The Eve of the Nativity (Christmas Eve), Year A (2016)

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

This is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at St. John’s in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Saturday, December 24, 2016.

“JOY, GLADNESS OR HAPPINESS?”

(Homily text:  Luke 2: 1–20)

With Christians around the world this Christmas season, we will sing this familiar carol this evening:

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”

Our Gospel text for this evening also contains the word joy: “In that region, there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah….” (Luke 2: 8 – 11)

If we do a word search of the Bible, we will find entries for three words which seem to be related:  happy (happiness), gladness and joy. Using a good concordance to see how the original Hebrew and Greek words are translated into English, we find that there are about twice as many entries for joy as there are for happiness and gladness.

And if we consult a good dictionary, we will find that the definitions for happiness, gladness and joy each seem to use the other two words to define the third word, at least in part.  (I can’t resist saying that though such a practice might shed some light on the meaning of each word, there might be limitations when the words are used somewhat interchangeably to describe the meaning of the others.)

Checking the definitions of these three words, there seems to be a progression in meaning for the three. My own personal assessment goes something like this:

Happiness:  Seems to be connected to a specific event. For example, if a child we know gets good grades on a report card, that is cause for happiness. The specific report card is the reason to be happy.

Gladness:  Seems to be a longer-range sense of overall happiness, contentment and satisfaction. For example, if this same child brings home more than one good report card, the adults in that child’s life would tend to have a sense of  gladness about the child’s continuing success in school.

Joy:  Seems to be an enduring reality, a long-range reality. Joy eems to be a quality of life. Indeed, one of the Bible dictionaries in my library defines joy in just such a way, where the Scriptures are concerned. Using the example of the child with the good grades and the good report card as an illustration, if the child continues to do well in school, year after year, and continues to grow into being a wonderful person, then that is cause for joy, great joy.

Returning to the idea of joy as it is related to the Lord’s birth, or – in the words of the angel – “good news of great joy”, cause for joy seems to be related directly to God’s continuing presence with His people.

Here we come to the essence of the Christmas message: That God cared enough to send His very self, His only-begotten Son, Jesus, to take upon Himself our humanity. That God chose to come among us in circumstances that were filled with the darkness of oppression by the Roman occupation of the Holy Land, and by the hardships and trials that filled people’s lives 2,000 years ago – we must remember that life in the time that the Lord came along us was a time with very little reason to hope for a better time in the future – God’s gift of Jesus gave God’s people hope for the future, the assurance that God had not abandoned those He had chosen to be His own.

And so the light of God came into the darkness of the world. It came when the Lord was born in the manger in Bethlehem. That light continues to come into the world in the darkness of the age and time in which we live, for – as we read in John’s gospel account: “The light (of Jesus Christ) shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1: 5)

For those who have seen the light of God, made known in Jesus Christ, that abiding and enduring light creates a new and enduring quality to life, a quality which is marked by joy. For joy is a far deeper reality than happiness. Joy is able to outlast and overcome the ups and downs of everyday living. Joy allows us to endure with God, knowing ourselves to be united to God through Jesus Christ, a relationship that will outlast this earthly life, and will endure into eternity.

Thanks be to God!

AMEN.

Advent 4, Year A (2016)

Isaiah 7: 10–16; Psalm 80: 1–7, 16–18; Romans 1: 1–7; Matthew 1: 18–25

This is homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at St. John’s in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 18, 2016.

“DOING GREAT AND BIG THINGS IN A SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT WAY”

(Homily text:  Matthew 1: 18–25)

     “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!

     So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.

     No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,

     Where meek hearts will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.”

Though the Christmas season isn’t quite upon us yet (it’s still Advent until the Eve of the Nativity – Christmas Eve), those very familiar words, verse three from the carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem”,[1] form a wonderful entry into our gospel text this morning.

Perhaps nearly every one of us could recite the passage we hear from Matthew 1: 18–25 this morning. Some of us could recite the words verbatim (some even in the traditional language of the Authorized - King James - Version!), while many of us could get the basic facts and the flow of the story right.

Despite the reality that Matthew’s text is so familiar, nonetheless, it’s possible that the human drama - and God’s place in that drama - might get lost….I tend to believe that, oftentimes, passages from the Bible tend to “flatten out”. That is to say, the fact that the people who are named in various biblical passages were very real, very human persons, persons who share - with us - the same concerns, passions, challenges and decisions we are faced with in our life’s journey might escape our notice.

So, if we can adopt a fresh perspective concerning the events surrounding Jesus’ coming, let’s approach the circumstances that Joseph and Mary were faced with as Jesus’ arrival drew near, always keeping in mind God’s great plan and purpose, and Mary and Joseph’s role in that purpose and plan. Matthew’s intent is to relate to us the ways in which God broke into human history. In so doing, He was doing great, big things, but, in some respects, in a small and insignificant way.

We should begin with the small, the insignificant, and the commonplace of the people and the places of God’s choosing as He sent His Son to be “Emmanuel”, that is, “God with us”.

Let’s begin by noticing the things that we know about Joseph, Mary, the place of their residence, and the place of Jesus’ birth. (In so doing, we’ll rely on the things we know about Joseph as they are recorded in various places in the gospel accounts.)

Joseph was what we might call today a “blue collar” laborer, either a stone mason or a carpenter. (The Greek word used to describe his profession can be translated either way.)

Though we don’t know for certain, it’s possible that Mary was from the lower economic and social class, and was – quite likely – very young, as well (some think she was in her early teen years at the time of the Angel Gabriel’s visitation).

That Joseph (and Mary) were not persons of extraordinary means can be seen from the offering that was made in the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus was presented there….they made an offering of two turtle doves or two pigeons, which the Law of Moses prescribed as an acceptable offering for those who could not afford an offering of a larger animal. (See Luke 2: 22–24.)

Nazareth was the place from which Joseph and Mary made their way to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. But, apparently, neither Nazareth nor Bethlehem amounted to much in the estimation of many of God’s people in that day and time. In John 1: 46, the question is asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” It’s possible that Bethlehem didn’t rank much higher in the list of towns in Judah, either.

And yet, God chose these two persons to be the avenue by which He entered the human drama, ordinary people living in ordinary places.

Notice what Matthew tells us:  Joseph is told in a dream that the child who shall be born is to “save his people from their sins”, prefacing this statement by telling Joseph that the child is no ordinary child, for the child has been conceived by the agency of the Holy Spirit. As part of God’s great plan, the child will be called “Emmanuel” (meaning “God with us”), which is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7: 14.

As a result of God’s intervention, human history is forever changed, and we – along with all believers down through time – benefit from God’s grace and goodness.

The pattern we see in God’s activity with Joseph and Mary provides us with a clue about the ways in which God often works to bring about great, big and eternal results in the lives of human beings….many times, God works quietly, slowly and imperceptibly to bring good to those who love Him.

As we look at our own expectations about God’s ways, how often do we expect or ask God to do something “really big”? Do we expect God to wave His hand to bring about the things we want or need? Perhaps that is – in truth – our expectation.

But quite often, God doesn’t work that way. God often works with common, ordinary human beings, human beings who are willing to be faithful to God’s leading. As much as we might want God to do something big, wonderful and dramatic, in truth, much of the time, God chooses to do dramatic things in very quiet, often unnoticed, ways.  And God makes us part of the plan He has to do His will in the world.

AMEN.

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[1]  The author of the words to “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was Phillips Brooks, (1835 – 1893), who was the Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts.

Advent 3, Year A (2016)

Isaiah 35: 1–10; Psalm 146: 4–9; James 5: 7–10; Matthew 11: 2–11

A homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at St. John’s, Church in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 11, 2016.

“SACRAMENTAL MINISTRY, SACRAMENTAL LIVING”

(Homily text:  Matthew 11: 2–11)

“Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” John the Baptist asks in our gospel text appointed for this day.

(If we recall last week’s gospel text, John’s question might seem unusual. Last week, John exclaimed that “One who is more powerful than I is coming. I am not worthy to carry his sandals.” John’s question, posed near the end of his life, seems designed to be absolutely sure about Jesus’ identity.)

In answer to John’s question, normally, we might expect Jesus to answer by saying, “Yes, I am the Messiah, the Christ, the promised one of God.” But, instead, Jesus gives a very oblique answer, one that puts the decision-making task on the one who asked the question: “Go and tell John what you hear and see.” Jesus then gives a summary of the things He has been doing since His ministry began to unfold back in chapter five of Matthew’s gospel account: “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news preached to them.”

The evidence Jesus gives for His identity lies not only in the things He has been saying, but in the things He is doing.

If we look at Jesus’ work, we can say that His ministry is marked by:

• Outward actions

-which are-

• Evidence of an unseen reality.

If the definition of a Sacrament is:

• An outward and visible sign

-of an-

• Inward and spiritual grace,

Then Jesus’ ministry fits the definition of a Sacrament. Jesus’ identity, as we said a moment ago, is confirmed by the things that He is doing, things which can be accomplished only by the power of God.

That power is the power to create, and to recreate.

At this point, it would be good for us to pause for a moment and do some theological reflection.

We begin that reflection by backing up to the Book of Genesis, and specifically to the account of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. (The account is found in Genesis 3: 1–19.)

When the intimate, face-to-face relationship that Adam and Eve had with God in the Garden of Eden was destroyed by their disobedience in eating of the fruit of the tree that God had placed off-limits, the result was that the condition of all humankind changed for the worse: Not only were human beings estranged from God, but from the time of their expulsion forward, Adam and Eve and their offspring (all of us) became subject to death. We became susceptible to disease, and we became separated not only from God, but from one another.

Jesus’ coming begins to unravel these destructive results: He heals the sick, He conquers death, He removes the stigma of sin that surrounded those who were ill in the culture of 2,000 years ago, welcoming them back into fellowship with God and with others.

In short, the power at work in Jesus is the power of God to create life anew, and to heal the divisions that resulted from the wrongdoing that took place in the Garden.

Jesus’ ministry is marked by the acts which He did, and not just by the things He said. Sacramental ministry, in other words.

The power at work in Jesus has the ability to create. The power at work in Jesus has the power to recreate. The power at work in Jesus has the power to break down the walls that separate us from God and from one another.

Jesus invites us into a relationship, one in which we are able to receive His wonderful power, the power to create all things anew. God’s power, at work in us through the power of Jesus, aided by the Holy Spirit, assists us in imitating Jesus’ example of good works and good words. Ours is a life of discipleship, by which we are inheritors of God’s power made known in Jesus.

So our life in Jesus Christ will be marked by the things we say, things which will tend to create new life and new hope where there may be little life and little hope. Our life in Christ will be marked by the things we do to heal divisions, to bind up the wounds of those who suffer, to be the means by which Jesus Christ’s continuing power to heal is given to those who suffer.

Ours is a sacramental ministry, a ministry of outward deeds and words, which point to the inner reality that we are followers of Jesus Christ, the one we have been waiting for in this holy season of Advent.

AMEN.

Advent 2, Year A (2016)

Isaiah 11: 1–10; Psalm 72: 1–7, 18–19; Romans 15: 4–13; Matthew 3: 1–12

This is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, delivered at St. John's Church in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 4, 2016.

“OF PROPHETS, PROPHECY AND THE WILDERNESS”

(Homily text: Matthew 3: 1–12)

Each year, the Second Sunday of Advent places before us the ministry of St. John the Baptist. This Sunday sometimes carries the informal title of “John the Baptist Sunday.”

Our focus this morning, then, is on this very interesting and colorful person who carried out hi.s ministry in the wilderness of Judea, announcing a baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We would do well to consider the matter of prophets, of their ministries and their words, and the role that the wilderness plays in their warnings to God’s people, then and now.

First of all, we might look at John the Baptist (or – as he is sometimes known – John the Baptizer)[1].

John’s ministry unfolds in the manner of the prophets of the Old Testament period. In fact, the gospels portray John as the last in the line of the Old Testament witnesses before the coming of Jesus. Both the Old Testament prophets and their successor, John, point beyond themselves to God’s will….notice John’s forward-looking statement: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me….”

As if to strengthen the connection between John the Baptist and another Old Testament prophet, notice how John’s manner of dress is described: Matthew tells us that he was clothed with a leather belt and with camel’s hair. If we turn back to II Kings 1: 8, we notice that the prophet Elijah was clothed in much the same way. The connection between Elijah and John the Baptist is more than coincidental: Matthew’s point in drawing the connection is to tell us that John’s ministry is pointing beyond himself to the one who is coming, that is, Jesus. Matthew also draws on a common understanding that, before the Promised One of God would come, Elijah would return. So the importance for our understanding is to see that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Malachi 4: 5–6, which tells us that Elijah’s return will mark the great day of the Lord.

And what of John’s message?

Essentially, John’s message is one of speaking God’s truth. Since the popular understanding of the word “prophecy” has taken on the meaning of predicting the future, we need to recover and recapture this essential meaning of the word. (Unfortunately, the ministries and preaching of many televangelists, which focus on future events, lends support to the misconception that prophecy has to do with future events. Future events can be a part of prophecy, but the scope of the word’s meaning is far greater.)

John’s message is an urgent one:  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

And then, what of the location of John’s ministry? It is in the wilderness.

The wilderness figures prominently in the Bible. Consider the forty years that God’s people spent in the wilderness as they made their way out of Egypt to the Promised Land…it was in the wilderness that God gave His people the Law. It was in the wilderness that God gave them water to drink, and manna and quail to eat. It was in the wilderness where God purified His people and made them ready to cross the Jordan River into the land that God had promised to give them.

Later on, it was the prophet Elijah who spent time in the wilderness. As Elijah asked God to show Himself to Elijah, it was at Mount Horeb, in the wilderness that God gave Elijah a glimpse of His nature[2]….And in the final analysis, God’s true nature wasn’t to be experienced in the dramatic signs of a strong wind, or an earthquake, or a fire. God’s true nature was experienced most fully in the sound of total silence.[3]

The wilderness is an interesting place, biblically.

The wilderness is the place where the troublemakers hang out. Both Elijah and John the Baptist were the troublemakers of their day, for they challenged the powers-that-were, each in their own time. Each spoke God’s truth to those powers.

The wildness is a desolate place. There are few distractions to take our focus away from God.

The wilderness is a place where our dependence upon God becomes very important, for the wilderness – absent God’s care – can be a place of death, a place of no return.

Prophets, prophecy and the wilderness are essential parts of every Christian’s life.

We need to hear God’s truth, spoken by the prophets of old and the prophets of our day. (In fact, I can’t resist saying that preaching ought to have a strong element of the prophetic voice, if it is to be faithful to God.)

We need wilderness experiences, whether those times in desolation are found in getaway retreats, or in quiet times spent alone with God and with the prophetic voice of the Bible, or if we find ourselves in a spiritual wilderness where little seems to be happening in our walk with God.

This last point prompts me to offer the thought that mature Christian living quite often involves times in the wilderness, of the sort where we feel we aren’t being fed, we aren’t being nurtured. Whenever someone tells me that they are in a spiritual wilderness, part of me rejoices in the fact that they are aware of their spiritual condition. For such an awareness is the beginning of a closer walk with God. Much good can come from the depths of our neediness whenever we find ourselves in the wilderness places of life.

Ancient Israel’s time in the wilderness came to an end when they entered the Promised Land. God’s ancient people were changed as a result of their wanderings, and they remembered God’s faithfulness (and their own unfaithfulness) that took place during that time. John the Baptist’s prophetic voice wasn’t meant to remain in the wilderness, either…..notice what he tells the leaders of God’s people in his day: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.”  John’s instruction to the Sadducees and the Pharisees was that they should return to their leadership roles in society, to do good and to set aside their corrupt and self-serving ways.

Today’s theme might prompt us to ask when was the last time we have encountered a prophet, and the prophetic voice. When and where did we experience God’s truth, and what was our reaction to that message? Do we find ourselves in a spiritual wilderness? If we are in such a place, are we aware of where we find ourselves, and are we concerned to be in such a place? Can we see the dangers that are present in the wilderness, if we stay in the wilderness too long? Can we see the blessings of being able to experience God more fully and more closely during our time in the wilderness?

If we ask God to reveal Himself to us, even in the wilderness, God will do so. Perhaps God will demonstrate His power in some discernible way, the modern equivalent of the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. Or perhaps God will reveal Himself most fully in the sound of total, thin silence. If we are willing to seek Him, He will reveal Himself and His truth to us.

AMEN.

       

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[1]   Sometimes this second title is applied so as to minimize any connection with John’s ministry and those Christians who are known as “Baptists”. There is no formal connection between John the Baptist and Baptists as we know them. But both share a desire to be a faithful witness to God.

[2]  See I Kings 19: 9–12.

[3]  The Hebrew is a bit difficult to translate. Sometimes, the meaning is conveyed in a “thin silence”, or in a “low whisper”.