Images of Christ (series) The Branch, by Rev Steven R Mitchell

Images of Christ (series)

The Branch

By Rev Steven R Mitchell

Mountain View United, Aurora, CO 2/03/2013

Based on Isaiah 11: 1-5, 10

 

        This past week I had the pleasure of hosting my sister, brother, and mother.  There was a family re-union of sorts, with my mother’s older sister, two of her daughters and a grand-nephew joining us for a dinner in honor of mom’s 80^th birthday.  It was a grand time, as it’s been a couple of years since mom and my aunt had seen one another and many years since mother had seen her two nieces and the grand-nephew.  When my family gathers there is lots of laughter, but when we gather around the dining table the intensity goes up as we regaled one another with family stories of the past.

        It has long been a custom on both sides of my family, that much of the table discussion wasn’t centered on current events but rather the reciting of family history.  Those stories that if not told would over time become forgotten, losing a vital connection between the present and the past.  It was through these stories that I have come to realize that the confidence I posses as I look toward the future comes because I know some of where I come from, through the lives of those who preceded me.

I know that by nature, I tend to have an adventurous spirit because of the examples of my ancestors who crossed the Atlantic Ocean, seeking to plant new roots in a foreign land.  Out of these roots, my ancestors moved to each new frontier as it opened up.  Through diaries of my ancestors I can renew my history, knowing of and in a sense have ongoing re-unions with those that I never had the opportunity to meet.   

Sometimes you may wonder why we as Christians give such value and weight to the Hebrew Scriptures, since we do not refer to ourselves as followers of Abraham, but rather followers of Jesus of Nazareth.  As we read in the Gospels of Mathew and Luke a genealogy of Jesus is given, making us aware of those family connections between Jesus and his ancestors.  Through the Gospel stories we have an understanding of the earliest relationships between a nomadic people and God and how those relationships formed Jesus’ understanding and relationship with God, which gives us some basis on how we struggle to forge our relationship with God work for us in our present lives.

“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”  This was a description by Isaiah, speaking to the hope that the young Hezekiah who would become king after his father Ahaz might be the righteous Davidic ruler long hoped for.  This did not happen as in time the Hebrew people would be carried off into exile and viewed as a consequence for their lack of faith.  This branch from Jesse would rise to leadership with the blessing of God, as did King Saul and then King David, each being anointed by God. 

We see this anointing or blessing in the Christian Scriptures of Jesus with his baptism by John the Baptizer in the symbol of a dove descending down from Heaven, and then again at the top of a mountain after Jesus visited with Moses, and Elisha.  It is through these stories that the church has grown to understand Jesus as being the “anointed one”, the one that God will use in a covenant commitment, employing actions of righteousness and equity.  Those who will receive the benefit of this “anointed covenant” are the poor and vulnerable, those with no voice to plead their needs.

As followers of Christ, these stories from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures are the diaries of our faith family.  They are history that needs to be read over and over, as a way to ground us and help us understand the basic principles that we base our visions and ministries on.  As the Christian church we too are the “root of Jesse”.  As I am a branch of my ancestors, and you of your families of origin, Mountain View is a branch of three denominations.  Those three denominations are branches of earlier brands of Christians.  All have changed in their original make up with each generation.  Each of the changes has come from the shift in needs of each of those generations.  Each of these new branches takes on a new vision, working toward providing fresh voices of justice and equity. 

We speak about a “God who is still speaking” with the assurance that there is an ongoing relationship with God.  Yet when God speaks to us, often there is a feeling of unsettledness, confusion, and fear.  Confusion because we have to work through the process of discerning what God is saying to us, unsettledness because doing something different is hard, and fear because we don’t know what the outcome will look like.  Questions asked tend to focus on our own personal needs, making it hard to focus in on the greater needs of our community.

When I arrived here last February, wondering what Mountain View was all about, wondering what I could bring to you, and what possibilities we would achieve together, I received a phone call from the pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church in Denver, sharing how God’s spirit was moving within their congregation.  The question was put forward asking if Mountain View might be interested in exploring if there were some common interests that might enable our separate congregations to join in some shared ministries.  Although Calvary is going through a major discernment process as to what God has in store for them and what their ministry might look like in the future, we have been asked to help them in their discernment process. 

I see this as one of a number of ways that God is speaking to Mountain View.  This summer, I initiated a congregational retreat as a way of laying down foundations to start an intentional process of developing leadership within the congregation, preparing ourselves to start our own discernment process of examining how Mountain View understands God’s call.  After three years of the leadership holding the church together until a settled pastor arrived, it is now time for us to start intentional conversations to discern what we think God is asking of us as a congregation.  This means confusion, unsettledness, and fearfulness for a time.

We are, I believe being asked by God to grow a new branch out of the root of Mountain View.  What is this new branch?  Who will be a part of this new branch?  How will the new branch function?  I don’t know.  This is a group process, even though it might seem to be questions focusing on Calvary, it has nothing directly to do with Calvary, but with our own need to understand what we at Mountain View see as God’s calling for us.  Maybe our future might intersect with Calvary or another congregation, maybe it doesn’t, but what I know for sure is this: We must be willing to open our minds and hearts to listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit, if we are to continue to be a branch out of the root of Christ.  In Romans 11: 17-18 Paul says of the church, “and you have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root… Consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.”

We are not lone rangers, living as an island, but are a part of a larger story.  A history that goes back beyond our 40yrs as Mountain View, a history that goes beyond the origins of any of our three parent denominations, a history that goes back beyond Jesus’ ministry.  We are a part of God’s creation, intertwined to all that God created.  This is who we are!  It is a history that guides us in the present toward the future.  A future that we do not know what will look like.  But we can be assured that we will not look the same in the future as we currently are.  We don’t look like what we did last year, three years ago, or even twenty years ago.   If you don’t believe me, just look in the mirror and then look at an old photo of yourself.  We change even when we try not to.

It is scripture that gives us not only the knowledge of where we have come from, but it gives us the assurance that when we listen to the prodding of the Holy Spirit, that we will become a branch that God will honor.  We do not support the root, but the root supports us.  God is our root, we are the branch.  Let us be nourished by the food that comes from our root!  Amen

The Image of Christ (series), Lamb of God, preached at Mountain View United, Aurora, CO

Images of Christ (series)

Lamb of God

By Rev Steven R Mitchell

Mountain View United Church, Aurora 1/27/2013

Based on Isaiah 53:1-10 and Revelation 5:11-13

 

                The Christian church has come to interpreted Isaiah 53 to be a prophecy of the coming Messiah that we know as Jesus of Nazareth.  This morning’s passage gives attributes that we can see in Jesus such as: a person born into a family of little importance, who was arrested, beaten, and killed unjustly.  Jesus himself referred to himself as a shepherd, yet eventually being lead off as a lamb to be slaughtered.  Yet scholars tell us this passage in Isaiah was truly referring not to one specific man, but rather in general of a person who speaks out for the rights of others and against social injustices that are committed by those in positions of responsibilities, yet pervert their positions of trust for their own selfish gains.

        When we think of the overall person of Jesus, he actually was the personification of how the Hebrews viewed themselves as the instrument of God to the world.  As a people, they were considered the underdog, the less powerful.  They were born out of a man named Abram and his wife Sari, promised by God to become a great nation, if they put their faith and trust in this one God.  This new nation found themselves as slaves in the land of Egypt, escaping the powerful hand of Pharaoh through the leadership of a man known as Moses.  Under the leadership of a shepherd boy, David brought together the twelve tribes of the Hebrews, turning them into one nation.  Then once again, this nation found itself in exile and only temporarily enjoying peace before finally being defeated by the Roman Empire.  Even though this tribe of people is not known for its economic or political might in history as other countries are, it is known as the nation who gave us the concept of one Universal God, who is more powerful and more relational than any understanding of deities prior to them.  Our Christian religion is built upon the understandings of this small nomadic people.

        I am struck by the question Isaiah poses in the very first verse, “Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?”  I remember my very first week in Seminary were I first started to be confronted with this question, when introduced to a particular man attending classes.  What made this man fit the question, “Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?” was the fact that this man was in a wheel chair and his body was constricted by Cerebella palsy.  “Truly, how is this man going to be effective as a voice for God?” I thought to myself, “You could hardly understand a word he spoke.  No congregation was going to hire a man who couldn’t speak clearly.”   My thoughts were coming from a lack of understanding of how God can use anyone who is willing to follow the call of God.  This man was eventually going to use his degree, his credentials as a way of giving voice to people who needed his understanding of design for physically challenged people in a way that would prompt legislators to consider future building codes that would force housing to conform to the needs of handicapped people.

        Over the years, I have come to ponder more and more on this question of “Who would have thought God…. “especially from the perspective of the small church?  We most often think of the larger churches who provide the voice that will be heard by those who are entrusted through political positions.  Yet over and over again, what I have observed is that God uses those who seem to have no power, no political pull, no monetary means to persuade.  God uses the Rosa Parks of our society to say, “No, this is not right.” Or patrons from a gay bar in New York City known as Stonewall telling police that, “Enough is enough”, no more harassment would be tolerated.  Or a mother who started M.A.D.D. after the death of her child by a drunken driver.  Jesus was this type of voice, and for it he was arrested, given a trial and used as a scapegoat by the religious leaders of his day. 

        So I often wonder, what is the voice of Mountain View?  Are we satisfied with where we are at or do we want to become more?  Are we a body of faith that people in Aurora will say, “Who would have thought God could use them?”  Every morning I wake up and I ask God this question, “How can Mountain View be a voice for you?”  Yet I get paid to ask this question.  I ask God, “how can I be used to help Mountain View be what God wants us to be?”  If I challenged you to pray every morning asking the question, “Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?” what would our church look like in one year from now?  I wonder what we will have accomplished.

        I was asked to come service this body of faith with the understanding that I would shake things up.  The understanding being that there needs to be some new challenges put forth to help us move in a forward direction.  I have a vision for this body of faith and it is based on the founding principles of this church.  The basic principle that as a collective group of faith filled people, we will be the voice of God to Aurora. 

        What is the voice of God?  It is the simple understanding that all people are the children of God, that justice be equally applied to all people, and that reconciliation be made between humanity, which comes through the reconciling of individuals with God.  Jesus quoted his agenda, his message from Isaiah 61 when he read to the elders of his synagogue, “…the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  God has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, to comfort all who mourn.”  The injustices that we see today range from poverty issues, immigration issues, cultural differences, economic abuses, non-righted wrongs to Native Americans to name just a few.   We have not only the opportunities as a body of faith but the responsibility to be a voice for God.  I was hired as the person to help lead us to be this voice, but ultimately the responsibility for its effectiveness lies on each members shoulder.    I can lay out the road map, bring to light the issues and struggles, but it is the congregation as a whole who has to accomplish the work.

        In Revelations we read, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”   How do we give praise and honor and glory to God and to the Lamb of God?  King David, when asked by the priests why he didn’t worship God in the manor that was prescribed in the book of worship, David responded with, “If God wanted incense and sacrifice, I would do it, but what God desires of me is my heart!”  Jesus set the examples of challenging those who abuse power and bully those who are not seen as equals.  The best way for us to “worship” and give “praise” to God, is to become the “Who would have thought…” people of God.  I challenge you for one month, as you get up in the morning or as you go to bed at night to ask yourself this question with Mountain View in mind, “Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?” and see if you can start to envision what Mountain View will look like this time next year.  Amen

Images of Christ (series) pt 1, "The Good Shepherd" by Rev Steven R Mitchell, for Mountain View United, Aurora, CO

Images of Christ (series)

The Good Shepherd

By Rev Steven R Mitchell

Mountain View United, Aurora 1-20-2013

Based on John 10:11-18

 

        Today we are embarking on a journey that will look at some of the images of Christ found in scripture.  We often hear or read references to Christ as a care giver such as: good shepherd.  We have images of Christ as being submissive when we refer to him as: the lamb, or as the suffering servant.  Jesus is also compared as a plant when we say; Jesus is the branch, or true vine.  Jesus is a revealer of truth when he is said to be the light of the world.  We give Christ titles like: bridegroom, head of the church, or corner stone.  We honor Christ as life giver when we refer to him as bread of life.  It is my hope that as we learn more about how Christ is described throughout scripture, we will be better able to see the relationship between these descriptions of Christ and our own lives.  And by understanding our relationship with Jesus, be able to become more like these images ourselves.

        I have chosen to begin this series with the image of the Good Shepherd to correspond with the remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr King, in my opinion, is one of the best examples of the Twentieth Century’s good shepherds. 

This has been a week of revelations and of stimulation, both of the mind and more importantly of the heart, for me.  I was able to attend the annual board meeting of the Aurora Inter Church Task Force with Kathy Groth, our churches representative.  I also attended a breakfast, one of many functions going on this week in honor of Dr. King with Wayne Laws, where we heard two riveting speeches addressing disunity and brokenness as it is experienced through racism in this country.  I watched a PBS special that chronicled the Mormon Church’s teachings on sexuality and its involvement in California’s proposition 8, which repealed equal rights and protections given through marriage.  This weekend has provide stimulating conversations with Paul’s daughter and son-in-law as we spoke about the goals and visions of a new church in which they are members of and how changes toward being a religious institution in their former church were so dramatic,  prompting them to leave and join this new fellowship.

So how does Jesus saying, “I am the good shepherd.” relate to these experiences I just spoke of?  How does racism, bigotry, homophobia, and new church starts relate to the concept of “good shepherd?” 

Within this story, we hear how Jesus sees himself and his relationship to those who follow God’s teachings as well as his relationship to God.  We hear Jesus say, “I am the Good Shepherd”.  But what does Jesus mean when he says, “good”?  Is this the same as when we say, “Mary Jo is a good teacher”, or “Mark has good health”, or “I will give you a good amount of money.”  In our understanding of the word good, we most frequently think of “attribute”, “quality or quantity of”, even “morally just or righteous.”  We tend to think of “good” as opposite to “evil”.   Yet a more accurate way of understanding the word “good” as it was used in Jesus’ day would be more likened to our understanding of “Model”.  “I am the Model Shepherd” would be more of how the first century listener would understand. 

It may seem like it’s the same meaning and I am just playing around with semantics, yet there is a subtle difference from an “attribute” to that of “model.”  Jesus is speaking about the relationship and trust that exists between, in this case a shepherd and his flock, or between teacher/prophet, or even parent, student, congregation, or child.  When I was in seminary, my New Testament Professor was Dr Gam Shea.  Dr Shea was from Burma and he modeled for those of us in his classes what it means to be meek, another concept most severely misunderstood in our Western culture. 

Model then can be understood as a “way of life”, the way one reacts automatically.  Jesus says that a “model shepherd” is in such relationship to his flock that he would go so far as to die for them in order to have their life spared.  Jesus’ relationship to the people of God was a reflective model to his relationship with God.  Jesus’ relationship was so deep with God that he often referred to God as his parent.  We read about the intimacy Jesus had with God, by the amount of time he spent in prayer and in his references to God.  The authority in Jesus’ words reflected his relationship with God.

Not only did Jesus speak about his relationship as shepherd for the Hebrews, who saw themselves as God’s chosen people, but he tells them that there are other sheep that are outside of the flock (non-Hebrew) that he will bring in.  This was the offensive part of Jesus’ message. 

We don’t see its offensiveness when we read about it in the context of John, but how many times has the Christian church found it offensive when we have had “model prophets” such as the Dr Rev Martin Luther King, Jr tell us that those with dark skin are equal in the site of God?  It cost Dr King his life, preaching that message.  How welcomed is the message that we still do not look at the Native American with equality?  How offensive is it to many Christians in this country when there are voices that rise up and demand marriage for all people, or that those who are in the LGBTQ community are also fully accepted by God.  The Mormon Church funded proposition 8 with millions of dollars.  I hear Christians argue that basic medical care should not be a right to all people in this country.  And I could go one with multiple examples such as: the death penalty, immigration reform, and housing for the poor.

My question for us is, “Where do we as a community of faith draw boundaries?”  “How big is our pen?”  “What model of shepherd” do we as a congregation live by?  Is the word “political activism” or “social justice” one of our boundaries that we do not wish to cross over?  Yes, we call ourselves an “open and affirming/more light/reconciling” congregation, yet what is the prevailing color of this family?  We have 106 or so members, yet almost a third of those members do not attend any church sponsored function.  Is it because of some type of boundary we have placed before them?

Jesus says that there are wolves that attack the herd.  What are the wolves that attack us?  What are some of the wolves that attack the relationships and trust within our families and between our friendships?  What are some of the wolves that attack us spiritually and work at detouring our spiritual growth?  What are some of the wolves that eat away at the relationships in this church family?

If Jesus were with us this morning he would be asking us to think about our relationship with God.  How open are we to allowing the Holy Spirit space within our hearts, so that we might be more deeply nourished by love, assured that we are not alone, and the sense of peace that comes when we let God take the helm of our lives.

We are starting a series of monthly breakfasts to start educating ourselves on a variety of social issues, as a way of seeing where we as a congregation would most want to focus our energies.  We are in early conversations with another church that is looking for a new partner in ministry.  We have youth that need model adults for learning how to cope with life’s challenges as they grow up.  As a church, we need to seriously understand what Jesus is about, of what he means when he says, “He is the model shepherd”, so that we can work at continuing to be that “model shepherd” for those who we meet. 

I asked at the beginning of this morning’s reflection as to how does: racism, bigotry, homophobia, and new church starts relate to the concept of “good shepherd?  All of these are symptoms of what happens when wolves are attacking God’s people.  Just where are our boundaries and how do we need to widen the circle so that the “model shepherd” can include everyone?  Amen

Being Confronted with Jesus, for Mountain View United, Aurora, CO 1/06/2013

Being Confronted with Jesus

By Rev Steven R Mitchell

Mountain View United, Aurora, CO 1-6-13

 

        I come to you today with some sad news.  For those of you who have been holding out throughout the twelve days of Christmas to receive that one last present – I have to inform you that Christmas officially ended yesterday on January 5^th.   Meaning, if you haven’t received what you were wishing for this Christmas, you will have to wait until next Christmas.

        Since we last met, we have entered into a New Year!  I have been listening to radio and T.V. commentators speak with experts about the tradition of making “resolutions” for the New Year and that only about 42% of those resolutions succeed, as well as what types of behaviors help in keeping those resolutions.  I am curious as to what resolutions some of you have made for this New Year.  It seems the number one key to successfully keeping your resolution comes in having “support” of at least one other person.  The second important key in being successful in keeping that resolution is to take steps prior to the resolution that will help prepare you for achieving your goal.

        Maybe your resolution is in the area of finances and working toward building your savings account.  Or possibly your resolution might be in the area of downsizing and working toward living a more simple life with “less” stuff cluttering up your home or personal life.  One way of achieving these types of goals would be to take some workshops on learning to recognize “consumerism” philosophies as well as re-acquainting yourself to Biblical philosophies, such as the financial freedom classes that we tried to offer this past Fall and will be offered again later this Spring. 

Maybe your resolution is to become more involved in community affairs this year, or become more pro-active in social Gospel issues.  Again, we offer many avenues with a biblical understanding for working in these areas providing guidance, support, and commodore.  Our upcoming monthly pancake breakfast is one of those opportunities to help explore and provide input as to specific social gospel outreaches we as a congregation wish to focus on.  The council has been in discussions about creating a Social Justice Ministry position and asking Wayne Laws to officially join in the leadership as we work in becoming more intent in our Social Justice outreach.  There have been many building blocks being laid this past year in order for us, as a community of believers to start moving our vision of being an open and welcoming community of faith to the larger community of Aurora.

        Even though January 1, marks the beginning of our calendar year, the Christian Calendar year actually began this past Dec 2^nd, which we commonly recognize as the First Sunday of Advent.  So we are actually in the sixth week of the Christian New Year.  During Advent we worked at preparing ourselves for the birth of Jesus, so on the night of his birth, we like the shepherds can come and welcome Jesus into our lives. 

        Today is Epiphany, probably even more important to the world than is the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth.  It is in the story of the Wise men of the East coming to pay homage to this “new king” that we learn about the importance of what Jesus’ ministry is going to be.  As you can see on the communion table this morning, I have taken the baby Jesus out of the normal Nativity set along with the camel and the Wise men.   I have done this specifically as a focal point, allowing you to ponder what this scene means to you specifically. 

Note that these porcelain images are in front and behind them is a plate with bread and a cup with juice, for we cannot separate these two events.  The Eucharist is a symbol of Christ’s ongoing ministry in our world.  This is a symbol of welcome to all, an invitation to partake in the family of God.  It is the reminder that “truth”, “grace”, and “peace” are enemies of the selfish, egocentricism of humanity.  It is a reminder of what the “economy” of God is about and how this “economy” is in conflict with the economy of a separated humanity.

There are multiple subliminal messages found in this Epiphany story. When the angels of God spoke to those shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth, the news of God’s grace was being shared solely within the small community.  The Wise men from the East represent a message that “this king” is going to be seen by the world.  These men of the East were star gazers and gave great meaning to world events by what they observed in the night skies.  Herod represents the world and its interests.  Herod is not only the king, but he is living in Jerusalem which is the center of religion for the Hebrew people.  Jerusalem represents God giving direction to God’s people.

Yet Herod was totally unaware of what was happening outside of Jerusalem.  Even those who were the experts in the book of Torah and other religious writings were unaware of the movement of God, of what was taking place just outside the city.  This has a strong message to the church of today.  Is God moving through the church of the 21^st century or is God moving outside of the church? 

There is a trick that I learned very early in my teens as a young Christian, which is to replace the name of the subject in scripture with my own, thereby making it personal.  In doing this, I now am the one being involved in whatever story I’m studying.  We can do this as a faith community as well.  If we read this story and substitute non-churched people (instead of the Wise men) coming to Mountain View asking “where will they find the gift of God?” How would we react?  How would we react when we understand that these people are not coming to us with the anticipation of finding God here, but thinking that we should be the ones who would know where they could find God? 

You see, many churches could be substituted for both the implications of “Jerusalem” and/or “Herod”.  The “new born king” could easily be substituted for movements that are working for human rights and equal justice for all humans.  Where do we stand when we place ourselves in that light?  In the novel written by a Congregationalist minister over a century ago, this question was posed.  The book, In His Steps, a young pastor of a very affluent congregation asks his congregation to ask themselves this one question before making any decision – large or small, “What would Jesus do?” 

In the story, you follow four different people and how their lives changed because they took up that challenge.  As they continued to ask themselves this question, their hearts grew more into the economy of what Jesus was teaching.  One man who had taken up this challenge ended up losing his job because of his responding in the way he believed Jesus would have responded of exposing corruption and graft in the company he worded for. 

The point that is at hand in this morning’s Epiphany story is “How would we react when we are confronted with Jesus?”  Herod knew that if he welcomed Jesus, his entire world would be turned upside down and he wasn’t willing to give up what he thought was “the good life” for a life that he couldn’t understand Jesus would be offering.

The reality for us today, is that we either embrace the birth of Jesus into their lives, or we react like Herod, refusing to open our heart to the message of God.  We can see where God’s message is being embraced and lived.  We as mainline denominations see that in many cases, Jesus is not within our churches, yet we refuse to open ourselves up and to make the resolutions to adjust our behaviors that block our ability to bring Jesus into our congregational lives.  It’s not that we do not understand about the Jesus of scripture.  For many of us, it is the non-willingness to let go and let God!  The first step in the Big Book (AA) is to recognize that you are not in control and that you must turn your life over to a higher power.  For those of us in the church, God is that higher power.

As we continue in our journey on the road which leads us to the cross, may we be more like the shepherds who embraced the herald of change and like the wise men who want to come and pay homage to the one who truly has the power to change the world.  Amen

What Child Is this?, for Mountain View United Church, Aurora, CO 12/30/2012

What Child Is This?

By Rev Steven R Mitchell

Mountain View United, Aurora, CO 12/30/2012

Based on Luke 2: 22-40

(This sermon is actually being incorporated within the children’s time as part of a multi-generational worship experience.)

 

        What a great passage this morning’s scripture is, as it speaks about two people who are very faithful believers of God.  They have spent their whole lives praying and waiting for God to answer one specific prayer and promise of sending to the world a man who will provide salvation for all.  This last Monday evening at a candle light service we celebrated the birth of that little baby, whose name is Jesus.  In this morning’s story, we continue reading about the life of this little baby as we will do throughout the rest of the church year. 

        I would like to begin by showing you some pictures that some people have brought to this morning’s worship.  Can anyone guess who this person is?  What about that person?

        So, when you grow up what would you like to be?  I would like to ask some of you out in the congregation the same question, “When you were little, what did you want to become?”  And as a second part of that question, “When you grew up, what did you actually become?”  For myself, I discovered that “what I wanted to become” changed for me at differant ages.  For example:  when I was very small I wanted to be a fireman, like my dad who was a volunteer fireman, when I got older I wanted to become a world famous surgeon.  In Junior High I discovered I loved designing houses, but when I learned I had to take calculus to become an architect that killed that idea.  In high school I wanted to become a professional singer.  Then I realized that if I were going to support a family, being a professional singer wasn’t the best choice, so I studied and became an accountant.  Guess what – I had to take calculus anyway!  Well, that wasn’t necessarily the best choice for me, as I was too easily bored and I hated doing bookkeeping.  Eventually, I started hearing more clearly a call by God to become a minister, which was the one thing I really didn’t want to do.

        So there are a couple of very important points that we can think about with this morning’s story as it relates with Simeon and Anna.  I find it amazing at how both Simeon and Anna were able to recognize who Jesus was going to become when he was just a little baby.  Scripture gives us a clue to how they were able to recognize who this little baby was.  We read that both were being lead by the Holy Spirit, because they prayed a lot. 

        Simeon, when he saw Jesus, praised God, thanking God for answering the promise that had been given to him many years earlier, that he would not die before seeing the messiah not just of Israel but of the whole world.  Have any of you ever been called a “blessing to your parents or to someone else?”  What do you think that means?  A blessing in its simplest meaning means approval or hopefulness.  So when Simeon and Anna saw the baby that Joseph and Mary were bringing into the temple to receive the general blessing that a child would receive when presented by his or her parents, Jesus actually received a special blessing from Simeon and Anna went out sharing the news that God’s most favored one had finally come, and that this baby Jesus was a blessing upon Israel. 

        We do a similar action when parents bring their baby to be baptized.  Baptism is an act of Blessing.  If you are an infant, what we do when we are applying the water on your forehead, is making the sign of the cross, which Christians use as the greatest symbol of blessing.  Baptism is not an individual act.  It is an action of the community of believers.  When you are being baptized, the community of faith is committing to help support you in your faith journey and give support as you develop your potential as a child of God.

        When a baby is born, one of the things that everyone see’s in the birth of a new baby, is potential.  Because of our being human’s and too often caught up in our own interests, we often times project onto the newborn baby our own dreams for that child.  My mother for years dreamed that I would become a doctor.  Even though I was interested in watching T.V. shows that showed childhood diseases and how Doctors helped cure children, I never really saw myself as a Dr. 

        When Mountain View was started in 1970, as a new church, it was in effect a baby as well.  A group of people who were Presbyterian’s, United Methodis’ts, and United Church of Christ came and in worship gave a blessing upon this new infant congregation.  Within that blessing, we were given all the hopes for bringing God’s promise to Aurora and in that blessing was given the power of the Holy Spirit to help us become what God has in store for Mountain View. 

So the question that we could ask ourselves this morning would be, “What did we want to be when we grow up?” and now that we are 42 yrs old, “What have we become?”  Have we come what we thought we wanted to become or are we something different?  I suspect that we are different in many respects to what the original founders had envisioned for us.  So maybe the better question would be, “Are we developing into the potential that we possess?”

The reality about life is that it is always in motion.  Nothing stays the same.  Just like I changed my ideas about what I wanted to be as I grew older, discovering my talents and interests, in listening to the advice of people who saw special gifts in me continue to grow into the best that I can be, so does Mountain View.   As a family of faith, we constantly need to be asking:”Are we living up to our potential?”  We have been giving the blessing of God to work toward our potential and we have been given the power to achieve our potential, through that original blessing, just as Simeon blessed Jesus as a baby.  If we feel that we are not achieving our potential, maybe we are not dreaming “big” enough.

I think whether as young people growing up or as adults, the best practice that one could have is to continually pray that God will guide us to develop the potential that each of us is born with and then listen to how God speaks to us through people like our parents, through our friends, through what we learn in school, by exploring any interests or talents that we have to help us recognize where our potentials lead us, so we can have the most  satisfaction about who we are and also contribute the best of who we are to the larger communities that we live in.  You are all very special people, God’s blessing and gift to our world.  Let God help you learn what your gifts are and help you to share them with everyone that you meet.  Amen

Making Room for Jesus, by Rev Steven R Mitchell, Mountain View United Church of Aurora, CO

Making Room for Jesus


By Rev Steven R Mitchell

Mountain View United, Aurora, CO 12-23-2012

Based on Luke 1:50-55



As we come to the fourth and final week in Advent, we have been exploring the ideas of walking in darkness toward a promised light. This morning, as an act of worship, we have walked a portion of the Las Posadas (seeking refuge, a physical shelter). Through this symbolic action, we are placing ourselves into the lives of Joseph and Mary, as they were seeking shelter in a land (that even though Joseph has roots in as a descendant of King David) as strangers.

As we re-tell this story year after year, decade after decade, century after century, and millennia after millennia, we have grown to Romanize the story of this couple who journeys from the Northern Kingdom down to the Kingdom of Judea. We have sanitized this story so much that we think of their journey as if we were loading up our car with those things that we would need for a week’s holiday. Possibly going to a ski resort in the mountains, or a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

When we leave on a road trip, we rarely think about the perils that can happen while on the road. We have the capability to reserve accommodations prior to our leaving. For those of us who tend to be seasoned travelers, through the use of modern communications, have the ability to find out what events are going on in the community that we are going to travel to, allowing us plenty of time to secure adequate accommodation. If our car breaks down, we can call AAA for help. But this wasn’t possible for Joseph and Mary. Yes they knew that Bethlehem would be full of visitors because of the world-wide census, but they had no way of pre-registering for a room at one of the local hotels or at one of the bed and breakfasts. There was no inter-state banking systems set up, or credit card companies to borrow from while on their trip. As strangers in Bethlehem, they were truly strangers.

This story goes deeper than just a man and a pregnant girl traveling. This is a story about sojourning! This story is about all of us, for we are all sojourners. This morning we touched on just three aspects of sojourning. We started off with our “spiritual” journey, moving next to that of being an “immigrant”, and finishing with being “different” than what society and/or the church says we should be.

We all have had our moments of being a “refugee”, whether it’s been through the simple act of moving out of mom and dad’s home or moving to a new state or a new country. Many of us have experienced being a “refugee” as we have lost position in the community because of losing our job, changes with our health, maybe in losing our jobs and homes in economic downturns, or through the loss of a significant relationship. Some of us are “refugees” from our homes and churches because of sexual orientation differences.

In last week’s school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, or at the shopping mall outside of Portland, Oregon a week before, families have been torn apart through the acts of violence. I hear multiple comments about how hard it must be for these families with this type of tragedy at Christmas. The truth is, it doesn’t matter what time of the season tragedy occurs, it is always going to be hard. We feel it more acutely at Christmas, because this has become a season where we as a society have put “hope”, “love”, and “peace” up on a very high pedestal, where anything that doesn’t fit those images becomes hyper-tragic, a deeper loss some how.

Yet these terrible acts of violence are a physical manifestation of what the season of Advent too often is experienced in a metaphorical way. Advent is the season of walking in darkness, moving toward the light, moving toward the promise of peace, of reconciliation, of re-uniting with our creator, with God. A light that will bring peace, love, and renewed hope.

If we can hold within our hearts what the original meaning of Christmas is about, that moving from darkness into light, I think as we are affected by all violence, of all losses, of all separations, we can look to these acts as only temporary actions of darkness.



I was sent this story yesterday by a friend that supposedly took place here in Metro Denver and I’d like to share it with you. It starts off saying:

"Friends are God's way of taking care of us."

This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician:

I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the "quickie mart " building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a Gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay



When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel.



At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95.



I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying " don't want my kids to see me crying," so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, "And you were praying?" That made her back a away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, "He heard you, and He sent me."



I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fuelling, walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little.



She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan 1, and finally in desperation had finally called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there.



So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.



I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, "So, are you like an angel or something?"



This definitely made me cry. I said, "Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people."



It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong.



Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings...



Psalms 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

Like Joseph and Mary, who became sojourners in the town of Bethlehem, looking for a place to rest and being met with rejection after rejection, maybe we can see in a new way, maybe we can hear during this Advent season the fluttering wings of God’s angels which will help us open our hearts and receive and give the gift of light, the gift of peace, the gift of love, the gift of hospitality, the gift of extravagant welcome that comes in the birth of one little baby – Jesus, the son of our Creator – God. For we are all sojourners in this world. We are all “refugees” in this land. Maybe this Advent we can “make room for Jesus.” Amen

Hope Is the Perfect Gift, by Rev Steven R Mitchell

Hope is the Perfect Gift

By Rev Steven R Mitchell

Mountain View United, Aurora, CO 12/9/2012

Based on Luke 1: 68-79

 

        As the days continue to grow shorter and the nights longer, we have entered into what that most people call the “Christmas season”, I call it the season of “excessive behavior”.  We spend more time shopping for gifts, buying more than what we probably need to, and generally more gifts that not needed or desired.  We spend more money than what we generally have available during this season, racking up higher credit card bills.  We give more generously to charities, attend more parties and spend more hours decorating our homes than any other time of the year.   And we do this because of a strangely strong tugging at our hearts that we seem not to listen to during the rest of the year!

        Our radio and television stations are filled with songs and movies that deal with the topic of giving, of reconciliations, of re-uniting.  The secular world refers to this as the Spirit of Christmas and is generally portrayed through the individual known as Santa Clause.  Yet even secular society, when pressed, contribute the values we have assigned to this round white bearded jolly fellow, to a story of long, long ago, told by the church of the birth of a little boy; to a young unwed mother, in a stable, whose name is Jesus.

        Yet the birth story about Jesus also includes the birth of another boy named John.  He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Zechariah was a Priest and Elizabeth was a cousin to Jesus’ mother.  As the story tells of Mary’s purity of heart, so is her cousins Elizabeth and Zechariah.  Most bible scholars conclude that the telling of John’s birth is a way of explaining to the early church the importance of John the Baptist’s roll in the larger story of Jesus’ life and ministry.

        It is through these birth stories that are found in three of the four Gospels that we in this country have come to view the period of time between Thanksgiving and the celebration of the birth of Jesus as the “Christmas Season.”  Yet these four weeks before Christmas is not really the Christmas season.  The season of Christmas actually doesn’t start until Christmas Day.  We are in fact in the Season of Advent.  That period, which is characterized as the time of darkness as we move toward the day of light, the birth of Jesus, which for us falls on December 25^th.

        This second week of Advent is called “Hope”.  As I was thinking about the title for this week’s reflection, I cannot shake the reality of how much energy we put into the “gift” giving aspect of this season.  We spend hours wondering through the mall, looking at all of the “stuff” that is on the shelves, weighing each item of its worthiness for each person on our gift giving list.  “Will this scarf be the best gift for Aunt Martha?”  “Is this MP3 player, going to get a lot of use for my daughter, Bobbie?”  “Will these diamond earrings sparkle on my wife’s ears, as much as they do under the display lights?”  What we try to achieve through our gifts is to give the best gift that we can.

        When the church is involved in various ministries, we really are trying to give our best as well.  When we give our money, the programs that we support, we support because we want to give the “best” to those who are receiving it.  Yet we often struggle with “what is the best” that we as a church, as a person of God, can give to someone, give to our community, and give to the world?  As your minister, I struggle each week with “what will be the best” message, what will make the “best worship” experience, what will be the “best thoughts” that you can take home with you after church? 

        The answer I think is “Hope”.  Hope is the perfect gift.  Hope is the best that we as children of God can give to one another.  Hope should be the largest present found under our Christmas trees.  You see, it is in the birth of Jesus that God gave the world “Hope”.   For Elizabeth and Zechariah, John’s birth was a fulfillment of ancient promises, in Jesus’ birth it was a physical fulfillment of God’s promise.

        Zechariah say’s in his prophecy of his son John, “And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,” will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins.”  The hope that we can provide for people is that of “salvation.”  Most people equate the gift of salvation with Heaven.  Most people think that salvation means getting into heaven.  I don’t think that’s what salvation is. I think that salvation comes through the “forgiveness” of sin.  When Jesus was dying on the cross, he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Jesus didn’t say, “You get to heaven because of what it is I do.”  That is a message that the church has developed over its life.  Rather Jesus in his dying breath was forgiving sinful actions.  Salvation comes through “forgiving”, period.

(Watch the clip on forgiveness in the movie, “Madea Goes to Jail.)

        Tyler Perry, through this scene shows us how holding onto sinful actions, whether they are things that we have done to others, or what others have done to us, does not allow for the working of life that comes through “Hope”.  Hope can only be cultivated in the garden of “forgiveness.”

        Zechariah concludes with, “Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.”  The greatest gift that the church can give today is “forgiveness”.  The hope of salvation comes through forgiveness; of our forgiving ourselves, and of our forgiving others.  As we walk through these dark days we call “advent”, let us reflect upon the greatest gift that we can give to ourselves and to others.  Let us strive to give the gift of salvation through the act of forgiving!  Let us become the “Sunrise that will shine “hope” to those who exist in darkness and sitting in the shadow of death.”   Amen