An Honest Woman

Luke 1:26-38
I admire Luke’s portrayal of Mary when he writes, “But she was much perplexed by (the angel’s) words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29). The conversation between Gabriel and Mary should not be passed by hurriedly. It is one of the most transforming moments in all of scripture through which the work of God unfolds. This is as much a call story as is Exodus 3, or Isaiah 6, or Jeremiah 1 and in each of those cases the men in question hem and haw with fear and trepidation. Why should Mary, called to bear God’s Son, be any different? Why should she not be perplexed? Why should she not wonder how this could be true of a virgin? Her questions are honest and straightforward. Her concern is natural. This is a real person dealing with really surprising news. By the time Mary says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word,” we know that she means it.

May all of us strive for the honesty of Mary, allowing our questions to rise and our concerns to be expressed. God seeks the best that each of us can offer and honesty is high on that list. When we say, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord,” may it be with true conviction. May we know that we mean it.

Prayer: Lord, may our minds be active and our hearts alive during this season as we welcome your word into our world and accept the challenges that you give us. In the name of your Son our Lord. Amen.

Expect the Unexpected

Amos 7:10-17

The book of Amos offers only a brief description of the prophet’s call from God. “Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel”'” (Amos 7:14-15). This is not a unique story in scripture. Moses was herding the flocks of his father-in-law when God called him (Exodus 3). Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1) were minding their own business when the presence of the Lord burst upon them with work to be done. In the New Testament Mary was surprised to learn that she would bear God’s Son (Luke 1:26-38); Simon, Andrew, James and John were interrupted in their daily activities when Jesus called them to follow (Matthew 4:18-22); and Paul was stunned by Jesus’ appearance to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). These are just a few of the examples that scripture gives us.

Advent is a time for listening to God’s voice in our lives, for following where God leads us, for doing the unexpected. Few of us herd livestock, prune sycamore trees, or fish for a living. Even fewer—I suspect—are in the habit of persecuting Christians. That’s not the point of these stories. What we need to understand it that God sees in us gifts and skills that we may not readily see in ourselves, and God seeks to use those skills to serve God’s will. The tasks we find ourselves doing may be small or large, may cause us little discomfort or force us to completely change our way of life. Whatever the case, God’s people must always “expect the unexpected.” That may seem difficult during Advent when we think we know pretty well what is going on, but if we are really listening, really paying attention, then we will learn all sorts of things about God, about ourselves, and about the world around us.

Advent is a time for expectations, some of which are very unexpected. Be ready.

Prayer: Lord, keep us focused on what you are doing in our world, and give us the strength to respond when you call. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Fire That Consumes

Jeremiah 11:1-8, 14-17

I talk a lot about Moses’s experience with the burning bush, one that burned yet was not consumed. It was the call of Moses and thus the beginning of the Exodus from Egypt. Yet, in today's reading from Jeremiah the people are threatened with a far different image. Says Jeremiah, “The Lord once called you, ‘A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit’; but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed” (Jeremiah 11:16). The sinfulness of the people had transformed God’s presence from a sign of grace—indeed, a miracle––into an image of judgment. The flame by which God had promised salvation was now a portent of God’s coming wrath.

This is a tragic turn of events. But as theologians have pointed out, God’s grace is but another side of the same coin as God’s judgment. Without one, there is no reality to the other. God expects justice, and God will and does hold God’s people accountable for it. But God remains faithful to the promise as well. The fire that consumes will again be the fire that saves. How we respond to God’s call, God’s will, matters. But God remains active in the process.

Prayer: Lord, help us to accept your judgment, turn from our sins, and live according to your will and by your grace. Amen.

"I AM"

John 8:21-32

It probably would be easy to overstate the connection, in part because they are found in different languages and separated by centuries, but there is an interesting link between our reading from John today and the encounter that Moses has with the burning bush in Exodus 3.

Jesus is speaking to the crowds in Jerusalem and says, “’I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.’ They said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he…’” (John 8:24-27). Twice in these verses Jesus uses the expression “I am” (which is translated as “I am he” in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible). As you may recall when Moses challenged God over the divine identity, “God said to Moses, ‘I Am Who I Am.’ (God) said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

Like God’s appearance in the bush that burned but was not consumed, Jesus’ ministry among the people was not easy for them to understand. Like the promise of God to be an active presence in the journey to the promised land, Jesus is establishing a presence among the people as a call to discipleship. Just as God is not universally believed or trusted during the Exodus, Jesus, too, will be condemned by many who will doubt his words and accuse him of sedition. But in each case GOD IS: a guiding, provident hand for the people; a preacher, teacher, and healer; the Savior and Redeemer; the source of light and life. Even now God’s claim remains true and worthy of acceptance. In all the various situations of our lives God speaks to us and says, “I Am.”

Prayer: God, we thank you for your grace and your presence in our lives. Bless us this day as we seek to serve you by serving others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Getting Our Attention

Exodus 3:1-5

I’m not sure it had ever occurred to me, but when Moses first sees the burning bush it causes him literally to change direction. “Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up’” (Exodus 3:3). The trajectory his life was leading Moses away from where God needed him to be. He was herding the flocks of his father-in-law, which in and of itself was not a bad thing. But God wanted him herding the people of Israel instead, and with a “great sight” God got Moses’ attention and eventually got him back to Egypt.

I was working for a large insurance company in San Antonio, Texas when God got my attention and sent me off to seminary in Virginia. What I was doing, the trajectory my life was taking, wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t where I needed to be. And while I never saw a “bush that burned but was not consumed” I did finally get the message by other means. Maybe you know what I’m talking about. Maybe at some point in your life God has pulled you out of the fast lane, or away from the drive thru, or off of a side street and compelled you to change direction, to go where God needed you. A colleague of mine once said that for him the sense of call had always been clearest in hindsight. It was when he got somewhere and looked back that he was able to see that God had indeed been at work in his life. Whatever the case, no matter the circumstances, God is at work fitting individuals into roles and tasks for which they are suited so that the work of the coming reign may go on. Don’t be surprised if, after being jarred by some “great sight”, you find yourself changing directions and doing things you have never thought about doing. It may be God calling.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to what you are doing in our midst that we may respond with faithful discipleship and may give ourselves to your work. Amen.