(St. Andrews, Carbondale. Evensong)
God was silent.
In fact, he’d been silent for a long time. It had been about 400 years since the last of the prophets. And Israel, the Jews, were still waiting. Waiting and watching. Wondering when God would send the messiah. When Israel would once again be a kingdom, a nation. How long will you tarry, o Lord? How long?
Sure there had been a few uprisings, but the Jews were tired of living under foreign domination, foreign oppression. First the Greeks and their successors, and now the Romans. Pax Romana—hah!! Peace as long as you don’t ruffle any feathers. Peace as long as you pay your taxes. Peace, what kind of peace was that. Obey Caesar. Obey Herod. Herod that Jewish pretender, he wasn’t any better. They all wanted to be worshipped. But the Jews were called to worship only God. The one God. The God of their forefathers, of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. The Creator God.
There’s been a few Jewish revolts and uprisings, but they didn’t have any kind of lasting impact. And lately it seemed that every few years someone would rise out of obscurity, claiming to be the messiah. But they didn’t last either. Rumors of messiah flew faster than gossip, faster than the wind. They seemed to be looking for the Messiah under every rock almost.
And then, a new voice. A voice in the wilderness. They called him John the Baptizer. He certainly looked like a prophet, wearing clothes made from camel hair and a rough leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey. But he was popular in a way I suppose. Popular as a spectacle. Popular because perhaps he’s the one. He’s out there at the Jordan River, saying “Repent!! The Kingdom of God is near1” Thousand flocked to him to be washed in that great muddy river, washed as they repented from their sins.
There was a man named Andrew and his young friend John, a fellow fisherman from his village. They thought that maybe this guy was the Messiah. They became followers, disciples. They lived with him, followed him. And he was pretty strict about his religion. No soft pillows, no testing the limits of the law. They spent a lot of time in prayer. I mean, a lot. And to hear him preach sounded like thunder and lightning. But when the Pharisees came out to see what was going on, they asked the Baptizer point blank: Who are you? And his response? I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord. Then they asked: Why are you baptizing if you are not the Messiah, not Elijah? And he said, one is coming. One is coming after me and I’m not worthy even to untie his sandals.
It was just a few days later that Andrew and his friend John were standing around with the Baptizer. A man walked by—a man who had been baptized a day or two earlier. Yeshua, they called him. Jesus. And the baptizer pointed him out to his disciples: look, there goes the Lamb of God.
The Lamb of God? They began searching their minds for the scriptures. Even Jewish fishermen knew more about the scriptures than we do. The Lamb of God. Isaiah spoke of one who is “like a lamb led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent . . . [and who] bore the sin of many.” The Lamb of God—perhaps it’s the paschal lamb, whose blood on their doorposts saved the Israelites from death back in Exodus, before they were delivered from Egypt.
Andrew and his friend were curious. After all, the Baptizer wouldn’t have pointed him out if he wasn’t important, would he? And so they began to follow him. They had only gone a few steps when the man, Jesus, turned to them and asked, “What are you seeking?” Andrew was caught of guard by this question. All he could think was to ask the rabbi, the teacher, “Where are you staying.” And he said, “Come and see.” And so they followed him to where he was staying, and remained with him all day. They came to see where he lived, and they found that he had life in himself. They went to see where he lived, and they found life. They listened to him, and knew that he was something special. He wasn’t like the other teachers and religious leaders. There was something else . . . something deeper. And his manner, his eyes. Maybe, maybe, this one is the hope of Israel.
Andrew went looking for his brother. He had special news to share, and the one he wanted to share it with was Simon. Simon the bold one. Simon the older brother. Simon who was always first. But now Andrew was first. Andrew had news, and he found his brother—and told his brother, “We have found the Messiah!” Andrew the younger brother took Simon by the hand and almost dragged him – to meet the Rabbi. Strangest thing! Jesus took one look at him and said. You are Simon, son of John. But now you will be Peter. You are Rock.
But it was Andrew who brought him. Andrew who was first. Andrew who was the first witness, the first missionary, the first evangelist. Andrew probably repeated Jesus’ words, “come and see.” We have found the Messiah—come and see. The Greek word for found is the word heurisko – the source of our word “Eureka.” It’s an astounding discovery, more of an awareness really. Something is there and you learn something previously unknown. There’s an element of surprise. Finding the Messiah really was an unexpected surprise, the surprise of Jesus breaking into their minds and their lives in a way that they knew things would never be the same. Eureka!!
Jesus should have that effect on people. When he enters into our minds and hearts and lives, we are changed, and we will never be the same. And like Andrew, we are called to come and see, and then to ask our friends and brothers and sisters to come and see.
What is the best form of advertising? No, it’s not a multi-million dollar 30 second spot during the Superbowl. It’s word of mouth. Friends telling friends. The best form of advertising is when a friend tells you about a new restaurant, or their doctor, or their hairstylist. Friends invite friends to join the Lion’s Club, or Rotary. Friends invite friends to hear about new products in home parties or marketing schemes. So why is it so hard for us to invite people to church?
For one thing, our culture really doesn’t like to talk about religion, about Christianity. And Maybe we think that religion is a private matter, and we don’t want to force our beliefs on anyone. Not good enough. Jesus came to save the whole world—and if we don’t tell them, how will they know. Maybe we are shy and don’t like to talk to people—but even the shyest probably speak to dozens of people a week. Maybe we don’t feel confident enough in our faith—but we need to be prepared and confident. We don’t have to have all the theology and the doctrine, but we need to be able to tell someone what a difference Jesus has made in our lives.
And maybe we have concerns about our church. Maybe we don’t think there’s much worth inviting others to? Do we think our services are boring, or predictable, or perhaps confusing? What can we do to make our church more positive, so that we are more comfortable inviting people. In everything we do, we should think about how it would be perceived by an outsider, a visitor.
And it’s certainly not just about gimmicks and the right kind of worship—none of this is meaningful if we don’t point to Jesus. There must be something substantial for visitors to receive. And I think the Episcopal or Anglican Church has a lot to offer, even—and especially--to this postmodern world.
What will people ‘come and see’ in our congregations? Will they see that we are Jesus’ disciples by the way we love one another (13:35)? Will they see that we have heard Jesus’ word so that his joy is in us and our joy is complete (15:11)? Will they see us pointing to ourselves, to our own achievements and hard work or will they see us being proper symbols and witnesses, pointing to Christ? Will they see us as sinners who confess our imperfections and unholiness and receive new life from Christ?[1]
When we say, come and see, I pray that those who come will say “Eureka!” We have found the Messiah. We have found Jesus. We have found his Church—and it’s St. Andrew’s.”
[1] http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/john1x29.htm
Monday, December 1, 2008
Year B Advent 1, 11/3/08
Happy New Year!! Today is the first day of the New Year according to the church calendar. A fresh start, a new era. Wake up!! Last year featured the gospel according to Matthew, and now we move on to the Gospel according to Mark. Matthew was all about Kingdom and discipleship, while Mark has a different flavor. His gospel might be the Cliff Notes version, or perhaps Joe Friday’s version: just the facts, ma’am, just the facts. And his favorite word was “immediately.” Everything happens “immediately.”
Today marks the beginning of Advent. The season of Advent begins 4 Sunday’s before Christmas. And I love how countercultural Advent is. We are looking ahead to Christ’s coming, but we aren’t singing Christmas carols. In contrast to the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Advent is a time of quiet preparation. Instead of shopping, it’s waiting and watching. Instead of light, it’s darkness, just before the dawn.
We are waiting. Waiting for Christmas. Waiting for the 2nd coming of Christ. Advent means. Arrival. Dawn. Beginning. And in the middle of our quiet waiting today’s readings come crashing in like an out of tune symphony. Discord and dissonance.
From our Old Testament reading in Isaiah (from the Message bible) Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend, make the mountains shudder at your presence—As when a forest catches fire, as when fire makes a pot to boil—To shock your enemies into facing you, make the nations shake in their boots!You did terrible things we never expected, descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence.
And our gospel
in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
This is apocalyptic writing, looking at the end of the world, the end of the age. Here we are at a beginning, looking at the end.
We’ve heard much ado about the current economic crisis, and that it is an apocalyptic event resulting in much destruction and change. The naysayers are in every newspaper and on every television. And it’s not hard to find those who view this economic crisis as part of God’s warning to the world. They say that if God’ can’t get our attention through famines, wars, earthquakes and the like, he will hit our pocketbooks. After all, money is the real god of the age and our God is a jealous God. This too is warning and judgment. The collapse of our economy is only one sign. And then I found a guy who said that not just Wall Street, but all of New York City will be destroyed-- by nuclear attack—at the end of 2008, around Christmas.[1] I guess we will have to wait and see on that one!!
The apocalyptic literature in the bible, mostly in Daniel and in Revelation, but also in the Gospels as we read today and in Paul’s letters has invited more interpreters, timelines, and forecasts than anything in history, and perhaps more kooks and crazies! History is riddled with vain predictions about the end times, about Christ’s coming again. There are those who are fascinated by eschatology, the signs and the times, and there are those who are turned off by this whole things, thinking that it’s too strange and disturbing, just the province of fools and fanatics, like the guy who said the end of the world begins in December of this year.
But I think our readings in Mark are supposed to provide a voice of reason. While assuredly Christ will come again, there is no timetable given either in Mark or anywhere in scripture. Jesus does not intend for us to try to figure it all out. Speaking only to Peter, John, James and Andrew, his inner circle, Jesus simply says, “in those days, following that suffering.” He’s teaching his disciples to be ready for anything, anytime. But trying to figure out times and dates is fruitless, a distraction from doing God’s work in the world.
Yes, the end is certain, and the cosmic distress will make it clear that the end of the world has come. We don’t need to search here and there, to analyze the world news in light of biblical prophecy. When it happens, even the sky will tremble in fear and terror, and the sun will be dark and the moon won’t give light, and the stars will fall from the sky. These will happen because Jesus appears. There won’t be any warning, but Jesus will come in glory. And those who have faithfully responded to the gospel will be gathered by the angels, from the four corners of the earth.
But we don’t know when the end will come. It will come on a day just as ordinary as the summer bringing leaves to the trees. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of Jesus will not. And yet, no one knows when the end will come. The kooks and crazies and fanatics don’t know, we don’t know, the angels don’t know, and even Jesus himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows when the end will come. No one knows but God the Father. The end will come without warning and no amount of calculations will enable people to predict it.
And so the disciples and servants are to beware, to keep watch, for we don’t know when the time will come. Like the doorkeeper of a man going on a journey, we are to keep watch, to be ready.
What kind of servant is it that requires a master to look constantly over his shoulder to make sure he does his job faithfully and properly? How can the doorkeeper fulfill his duties if he spends his time computing how long the day will last? Jesus’ warnings affirm that only those who are valiant under fire and vigilant during the delay will be vindicated in the end. We are to work faithfully because the Master will return, and we are created to work with assurance because it’s the Master who returns.[2]
The end will come, and it will come suddenly. Therefore Jesus challenges his disciples then and now to keep awake.
Keep awake!!. We have lost sight of the immanence of Christ’s return, and we have become complacent. We must be alert, living in hopeful expectation, with our eyes, minds and hearts focused on the task at hand. One source said that the worst “ism” in the world is not fascism or communism but somnambulism. Somnambulism is sleep walking. We don’t realize that our ideals are being wilted away, that our purposes are being pared down, that the evil forces in the world are gaining strength. We need to watch and pray against the sin that trips us up, how easily we make compromises which seem so reasonable but end up so wrong. We need to watch and pray that we don’t neglect our communion with God and with each other. We need to watch and pray, seizing opportunities to be of service to God’s kingdom.[3]
Wake up!! Be ready! We are ready when we are involved . . . when we are feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting prisoners. We are awake when we have regular times of prayer and communion with God.
Do you know who Barbara Brown Taylor is? She is an Episcopal priest well known for her preaching. In fact, Baylor University called her one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English speaking world. She pastored a small church in Georgia with great success, and has written probably a dozen books, many of them collections of her homilies. Several years ago she got burned out and left parish ministry for a teaching position at Piedmont College in Georgia. She then wrote a book, a memoir about her experiences called “Leaving Church.” I read it a couple of years ago, and to me, it was about how not to do ministry. She was so busy being successful, being a priest, that she didn’t take time with God. She didn’t take time to pray. Barbara always thought that when such and such happened, she would take time. But it never happened. She eventually realized she wasn’t doing any good for her church, for her family, or for God because there wasn’t any time to be quiet and still and pray. It was a great reminder to me to take time, make time with God, to watch and to listen and to pray! And we all need time with God in order to serve him—wherever we are.
Wake up!! Be alert!! Watch and pray!!
[1] http://www.apocalypse2008-2015.com/apocalypse-chapter7.html#NewYork
[2] Garland, David E. The NIV Application Commentary: Mark. Zondervan, 503.
[3] The Interpreter’s Bible , vol 7. Abingdon Press, 1951: p.865.
Today marks the beginning of Advent. The season of Advent begins 4 Sunday’s before Christmas. And I love how countercultural Advent is. We are looking ahead to Christ’s coming, but we aren’t singing Christmas carols. In contrast to the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Advent is a time of quiet preparation. Instead of shopping, it’s waiting and watching. Instead of light, it’s darkness, just before the dawn.
We are waiting. Waiting for Christmas. Waiting for the 2nd coming of Christ. Advent means. Arrival. Dawn. Beginning. And in the middle of our quiet waiting today’s readings come crashing in like an out of tune symphony. Discord and dissonance.
From our Old Testament reading in Isaiah (from the Message bible) Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend, make the mountains shudder at your presence—As when a forest catches fire, as when fire makes a pot to boil—To shock your enemies into facing you, make the nations shake in their boots!You did terrible things we never expected, descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence.
And our gospel
in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
This is apocalyptic writing, looking at the end of the world, the end of the age. Here we are at a beginning, looking at the end.
We’ve heard much ado about the current economic crisis, and that it is an apocalyptic event resulting in much destruction and change. The naysayers are in every newspaper and on every television. And it’s not hard to find those who view this economic crisis as part of God’s warning to the world. They say that if God’ can’t get our attention through famines, wars, earthquakes and the like, he will hit our pocketbooks. After all, money is the real god of the age and our God is a jealous God. This too is warning and judgment. The collapse of our economy is only one sign. And then I found a guy who said that not just Wall Street, but all of New York City will be destroyed-- by nuclear attack—at the end of 2008, around Christmas.[1] I guess we will have to wait and see on that one!!
The apocalyptic literature in the bible, mostly in Daniel and in Revelation, but also in the Gospels as we read today and in Paul’s letters has invited more interpreters, timelines, and forecasts than anything in history, and perhaps more kooks and crazies! History is riddled with vain predictions about the end times, about Christ’s coming again. There are those who are fascinated by eschatology, the signs and the times, and there are those who are turned off by this whole things, thinking that it’s too strange and disturbing, just the province of fools and fanatics, like the guy who said the end of the world begins in December of this year.
But I think our readings in Mark are supposed to provide a voice of reason. While assuredly Christ will come again, there is no timetable given either in Mark or anywhere in scripture. Jesus does not intend for us to try to figure it all out. Speaking only to Peter, John, James and Andrew, his inner circle, Jesus simply says, “in those days, following that suffering.” He’s teaching his disciples to be ready for anything, anytime. But trying to figure out times and dates is fruitless, a distraction from doing God’s work in the world.
Yes, the end is certain, and the cosmic distress will make it clear that the end of the world has come. We don’t need to search here and there, to analyze the world news in light of biblical prophecy. When it happens, even the sky will tremble in fear and terror, and the sun will be dark and the moon won’t give light, and the stars will fall from the sky. These will happen because Jesus appears. There won’t be any warning, but Jesus will come in glory. And those who have faithfully responded to the gospel will be gathered by the angels, from the four corners of the earth.
But we don’t know when the end will come. It will come on a day just as ordinary as the summer bringing leaves to the trees. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of Jesus will not. And yet, no one knows when the end will come. The kooks and crazies and fanatics don’t know, we don’t know, the angels don’t know, and even Jesus himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows when the end will come. No one knows but God the Father. The end will come without warning and no amount of calculations will enable people to predict it.
And so the disciples and servants are to beware, to keep watch, for we don’t know when the time will come. Like the doorkeeper of a man going on a journey, we are to keep watch, to be ready.
What kind of servant is it that requires a master to look constantly over his shoulder to make sure he does his job faithfully and properly? How can the doorkeeper fulfill his duties if he spends his time computing how long the day will last? Jesus’ warnings affirm that only those who are valiant under fire and vigilant during the delay will be vindicated in the end. We are to work faithfully because the Master will return, and we are created to work with assurance because it’s the Master who returns.[2]
The end will come, and it will come suddenly. Therefore Jesus challenges his disciples then and now to keep awake.
Keep awake!!. We have lost sight of the immanence of Christ’s return, and we have become complacent. We must be alert, living in hopeful expectation, with our eyes, minds and hearts focused on the task at hand. One source said that the worst “ism” in the world is not fascism or communism but somnambulism. Somnambulism is sleep walking. We don’t realize that our ideals are being wilted away, that our purposes are being pared down, that the evil forces in the world are gaining strength. We need to watch and pray against the sin that trips us up, how easily we make compromises which seem so reasonable but end up so wrong. We need to watch and pray that we don’t neglect our communion with God and with each other. We need to watch and pray, seizing opportunities to be of service to God’s kingdom.[3]
Wake up!! Be ready! We are ready when we are involved . . . when we are feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting prisoners. We are awake when we have regular times of prayer and communion with God.
Do you know who Barbara Brown Taylor is? She is an Episcopal priest well known for her preaching. In fact, Baylor University called her one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English speaking world. She pastored a small church in Georgia with great success, and has written probably a dozen books, many of them collections of her homilies. Several years ago she got burned out and left parish ministry for a teaching position at Piedmont College in Georgia. She then wrote a book, a memoir about her experiences called “Leaving Church.” I read it a couple of years ago, and to me, it was about how not to do ministry. She was so busy being successful, being a priest, that she didn’t take time with God. She didn’t take time to pray. Barbara always thought that when such and such happened, she would take time. But it never happened. She eventually realized she wasn’t doing any good for her church, for her family, or for God because there wasn’t any time to be quiet and still and pray. It was a great reminder to me to take time, make time with God, to watch and to listen and to pray! And we all need time with God in order to serve him—wherever we are.
Wake up!! Be alert!! Watch and pray!!
[1] http://www.apocalypse2008-2015.com/apocalypse-chapter7.html#NewYork
[2] Garland, David E. The NIV Application Commentary: Mark. Zondervan, 503.
[3] The Interpreter’s Bible , vol 7. Abingdon Press, 1951: p.865.
Thanksgiving 2008
West Frankfort Ministerial Association Community Service—Northern Baptist Chuch
I hope you are finding this service of Evening Prayer interesting—I enjoyed putting it together for you all. I would guess that most all of your churches, your denominations, at some time or other came out of either the Roman Catholic church, or the Church of England, so in a sense maybe we are worshipping in a manner consistent with our shared heritage. Perhaps its part of our common story. And in a sense, that’s what I’d like to talk about this evening. Our stories.
First of all, if I were to use the word “myth” – M-Y-T-H—what comes to mind? I have a feeling that if I were to talk about “the Creation myth” for example, more than a few of you would be disturbed by that. In common usage, we’ve come to consider the word Myth to mean something that isn’t true, something made up, a fable or fairy tale. But in its proper sense, myth is the truth in the form of a story. One source said that “a myth is a true story, and it may also have happened.”[1] In a book I’m reading by Madeleine L’Engle, she talks about the ancient meaning of myth; “that which was true, that which is true, that which will be true,.”[2] A myth is what we know in our hearts to be true.
The Israelites used the idea of story, of myth, in many ways. Dozens of psalms recount the great work of God in delivering his people. Every year at the Passover they recounted how God delivered them from Pharaoh and brought them out of Egypt—and this is still an integral part of the Jewish faith and tradition. Myths and stories define a people, define a nation. And a nation needs a common story in order to be united. As Christians we are united by the story of Christmas, the story of Easter, the story of Jesus. We are united when we pray the Lord’s Prayer together. We are united here tonight.
The psalm we read together, Psalm 145, also has been used as a common prayer and was important in Jewish worship and liturgy. I discovered that the Dead Sea Scrolls contain Psalm 145, with each verse followed by the same refrain: “Blessed is God and blessed is his name forever.” Later rabbis made it the norm to recite this psalm 3 times a day—it was that important. They pointed to verse 17, where God opens his hand and satisfies the need of every creature—this shows God’s grace and providence towards his creation—and they believed that those who recite this psalm would gain entry to the world to come. It was that significant.
While we know that we gain entry to the world to come only by faith in Jesus, this psalm still speaks to us. The first few verses show the psalmist’s purpose: to bless the Lord continually, to praise him and bless him, every day, for ever and ever. God is the King, the ruler of the universe, and great beyond our comprehension. The next section shows what praising God consists of. First of all, we must appreciate his greatness which is revealed in his works, in his mighty acts, in the splendor of his majesty, in his glorious works, and in the might of his wondrous acts. Do you hear a theme? Something about the greatness of God and the works of God? The psalmist seems to recognize God’s divine greatness, and he wants others to share in that understanding. The world and all of creation, the glory of the heavens, all declare God’s sovereignty, and so does his goodness and righteousness, his providence in caring for creation. We need to appreciate God’s goodness and mercy. And in light of God’s goodness and his compassion, his loving-kindness, we should be moved to praise Him. God knows that man is frail and needy and in need of his mercy. He is patient and slow to anger. An all your works praise you, and your faithful servants bless you! Blessed is God and blessed is his name forever!
For God’s kingdom is filled with justice and mercy, and his power and his might are demonstrated in his kingdom. The existence of the Kingdom of God will reflect the power of God in the universe. But God is personal, too. He supports those who fall and lifts those who are bowed down. He provides food for his creatures and opens his hand in love and grace. He is near to those who call him with faith, and he responds to the requests and pleas of those who love and respect him. But God is still a God of justice. He preserves those who love him but will destroy the wicked.
God’s love and justice as recited in this psalm are shown to all of mankind. God is faithful, just and kind to those who call on him. For all that he is, and for all that he does, the Lord is to be praised by all flesh, all people. Blessed is God and blessed is his name forever!!
When we pray the psalms, we are sharing in the stories of 2000 years of Christianity, and another thousand years of Judaism. The psalms are part of our common heritage, our story. The psalm spoke of the might of God’s wondrous acts; and the Exodus story was probably in mind, another one of our shared stories, a true myth.
The Exodus story is a good story, a common story. When the pilgrims landed in New England, they used the story of the Exodus to understand what had happened to them, too. They considered Europe to be equivalent to Egypt, and the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was the Red Sea. The new world was their promised land. While the hardships of their first years were more difficult than we can even imagine, in their struggles they identified with the struggles of Israel, and were able to persevere. They believed that God had delivered them from the yoke of bondage to freedom in the New World, and their suffering would be worth it all—they would have a better life for themselves and for their children.
So the story of the Exodus is a universal story, defining the present, bringing strength to endure in difficult times, and giving hope.
And as Americans we have another common story, that of Thanksgiving. We are united as a people because we accept and identify with this story. While there were other, earlier Thanksgiving observances in the New World, the one we commemorate goes back to 1621: 387 years ago
In any event, the colonists arrived in winter of 1620, and in the first few months nearly half of them died! Talk about discouraging. But by the summer of 1621 things were looking up. The expected a good corn crop, though other crops weren’t doing very well. Even so, the governor of the colony arranged for a harvest festival. Harvest festivals were an ancient idea, but it seemed a good one, a good idea to thank God for his sustenance and providence. And the feast lasted 3 days. Ducks, geese and turkeys were on the menu, along with clams, fish, wild plums and leeks, cornbread and watercress. Indians who had helped them survive their first year were also invited and brought deer meat. It was a great celebration. A couple years later, as the colony prospered, Governor Bradford announced a day to be set aside to “render thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all of his blessings.” And the idea spread, but not with any real regularity. It wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln declared a national holiday that the celebration of Thanksgiving became uniform, became more truly our shared story.
On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, by Act of Congress, an annual National Day of Thanksgiving "on the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." In this Thanksgiving proclamation, our 16th President says that it is…
"…announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, by the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own… It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people…"[3]
As we gather with our families tomorrow, may we remember and give thanks to God for his gracious open hands, and for all that he has done. Blessed is God and blessed is his name forever. Amen.
[1] http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/trotter_3823.htm
[2] L’Engle, Madeleine. Story as Truth: The Rock that is Higher. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1993, p.24.
[3] http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/ednkc002.html
I hope you are finding this service of Evening Prayer interesting—I enjoyed putting it together for you all. I would guess that most all of your churches, your denominations, at some time or other came out of either the Roman Catholic church, or the Church of England, so in a sense maybe we are worshipping in a manner consistent with our shared heritage. Perhaps its part of our common story. And in a sense, that’s what I’d like to talk about this evening. Our stories.
First of all, if I were to use the word “myth” – M-Y-T-H—what comes to mind? I have a feeling that if I were to talk about “the Creation myth” for example, more than a few of you would be disturbed by that. In common usage, we’ve come to consider the word Myth to mean something that isn’t true, something made up, a fable or fairy tale. But in its proper sense, myth is the truth in the form of a story. One source said that “a myth is a true story, and it may also have happened.”[1] In a book I’m reading by Madeleine L’Engle, she talks about the ancient meaning of myth; “that which was true, that which is true, that which will be true,.”[2] A myth is what we know in our hearts to be true.
The Israelites used the idea of story, of myth, in many ways. Dozens of psalms recount the great work of God in delivering his people. Every year at the Passover they recounted how God delivered them from Pharaoh and brought them out of Egypt—and this is still an integral part of the Jewish faith and tradition. Myths and stories define a people, define a nation. And a nation needs a common story in order to be united. As Christians we are united by the story of Christmas, the story of Easter, the story of Jesus. We are united when we pray the Lord’s Prayer together. We are united here tonight.
The psalm we read together, Psalm 145, also has been used as a common prayer and was important in Jewish worship and liturgy. I discovered that the Dead Sea Scrolls contain Psalm 145, with each verse followed by the same refrain: “Blessed is God and blessed is his name forever.” Later rabbis made it the norm to recite this psalm 3 times a day—it was that important. They pointed to verse 17, where God opens his hand and satisfies the need of every creature—this shows God’s grace and providence towards his creation—and they believed that those who recite this psalm would gain entry to the world to come. It was that significant.
While we know that we gain entry to the world to come only by faith in Jesus, this psalm still speaks to us. The first few verses show the psalmist’s purpose: to bless the Lord continually, to praise him and bless him, every day, for ever and ever. God is the King, the ruler of the universe, and great beyond our comprehension. The next section shows what praising God consists of. First of all, we must appreciate his greatness which is revealed in his works, in his mighty acts, in the splendor of his majesty, in his glorious works, and in the might of his wondrous acts. Do you hear a theme? Something about the greatness of God and the works of God? The psalmist seems to recognize God’s divine greatness, and he wants others to share in that understanding. The world and all of creation, the glory of the heavens, all declare God’s sovereignty, and so does his goodness and righteousness, his providence in caring for creation. We need to appreciate God’s goodness and mercy. And in light of God’s goodness and his compassion, his loving-kindness, we should be moved to praise Him. God knows that man is frail and needy and in need of his mercy. He is patient and slow to anger. An all your works praise you, and your faithful servants bless you! Blessed is God and blessed is his name forever!
For God’s kingdom is filled with justice and mercy, and his power and his might are demonstrated in his kingdom. The existence of the Kingdom of God will reflect the power of God in the universe. But God is personal, too. He supports those who fall and lifts those who are bowed down. He provides food for his creatures and opens his hand in love and grace. He is near to those who call him with faith, and he responds to the requests and pleas of those who love and respect him. But God is still a God of justice. He preserves those who love him but will destroy the wicked.
God’s love and justice as recited in this psalm are shown to all of mankind. God is faithful, just and kind to those who call on him. For all that he is, and for all that he does, the Lord is to be praised by all flesh, all people. Blessed is God and blessed is his name forever!!
When we pray the psalms, we are sharing in the stories of 2000 years of Christianity, and another thousand years of Judaism. The psalms are part of our common heritage, our story. The psalm spoke of the might of God’s wondrous acts; and the Exodus story was probably in mind, another one of our shared stories, a true myth.
The Exodus story is a good story, a common story. When the pilgrims landed in New England, they used the story of the Exodus to understand what had happened to them, too. They considered Europe to be equivalent to Egypt, and the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was the Red Sea. The new world was their promised land. While the hardships of their first years were more difficult than we can even imagine, in their struggles they identified with the struggles of Israel, and were able to persevere. They believed that God had delivered them from the yoke of bondage to freedom in the New World, and their suffering would be worth it all—they would have a better life for themselves and for their children.
So the story of the Exodus is a universal story, defining the present, bringing strength to endure in difficult times, and giving hope.
And as Americans we have another common story, that of Thanksgiving. We are united as a people because we accept and identify with this story. While there were other, earlier Thanksgiving observances in the New World, the one we commemorate goes back to 1621: 387 years ago
In any event, the colonists arrived in winter of 1620, and in the first few months nearly half of them died! Talk about discouraging. But by the summer of 1621 things were looking up. The expected a good corn crop, though other crops weren’t doing very well. Even so, the governor of the colony arranged for a harvest festival. Harvest festivals were an ancient idea, but it seemed a good one, a good idea to thank God for his sustenance and providence. And the feast lasted 3 days. Ducks, geese and turkeys were on the menu, along with clams, fish, wild plums and leeks, cornbread and watercress. Indians who had helped them survive their first year were also invited and brought deer meat. It was a great celebration. A couple years later, as the colony prospered, Governor Bradford announced a day to be set aside to “render thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all of his blessings.” And the idea spread, but not with any real regularity. It wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln declared a national holiday that the celebration of Thanksgiving became uniform, became more truly our shared story.
On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, by Act of Congress, an annual National Day of Thanksgiving "on the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." In this Thanksgiving proclamation, our 16th President says that it is…
"…announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, by the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own… It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people…"[3]
As we gather with our families tomorrow, may we remember and give thanks to God for his gracious open hands, and for all that he has done. Blessed is God and blessed is his name forever. Amen.
[1] http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/trotter_3823.htm
[2] L’Engle, Madeleine. Story as Truth: The Rock that is Higher. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1993, p.24.
[3] http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/ednkc002.html
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