Following Stars

Isaiah 60: 1-6 & Matthew 2: 1-12
Roger C. Lynn
January 3, 2009
Epiphany

It really is a wild ride - this business of living faithfully. When we take it seriously it can inspire us to do things we might never have imagined (like following stars) and it can lead us to places we might never dream of going (like Bethlehem).

I love the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke. They are filled with such rich and imaginative imagery. I think we do ourselves a disservice, however, when we read them as one-time only, happened-to-someone-else sort of stories. I saw a program on PBS last year that spent an entire hour focusing on an in-depth analysis trying to figure out exactly who the wise men really were and where they came from. Through the whole program I kept thinking, “They are really missing the point here.” If they are merely exotic figures from some far-distant time and place, or even more likely just a literary creation of the Gospel writer, then there really isn’t much connection with our lives today. But what if we read the story as an invitation? What if we see it as an illustration of what might happen when we dare to keep our eyes and our hearts open to the presence of the Sacred as it appears in the most unexpected ways?

The Curator

Here's a link to the story I read during worship on Sunday, December 27, 2009 -

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=176491

The Innkeeper

Roger C. Lynn

December 24, 2009

Christmas Eve

It was a crazy day. In truth, it had been a crazy month. Ever since that fool of an emperor announced his foolish edict about undertaking a census, with everyone being required to return to their ancestral home. I mean really - have you ever heard such an ill-conceived plan in your life? Oh don't get me wrong. Financially it was certainly good for me. Running an inn meant that I had a steady stream of customers for weeks. A flood would perhaps be a more accurate description. They just kept coming. The rooms filled up and tempers grew short. People needed a place to stay and I could only accommodate so many of them. I don't think I've ever turned away so many people in my life. But what was I supposed to do? I'm not a magician. I can't simply conjure rooms out of thin air. But I'm not a heartless villain either (despite what you may have heard). I saw the suffering this whole thing caused. People's lives turned upside down. I did what I could do, but there was so much more that was left undone.

The Scandal of Radical Love

Matthew 1: 1-24

Roger C. Lynn

December 20, 2009

4th Sunday in Advent

This morning I’m going to do something you may never have experienced in worship before. I’m going to read one of the most boring sections to be found anywhere in the entire Bible – the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel. The exits have all been locked, so please don’t try to run away. Take a deep breath and it will all be over soon.

Actually, I surprised myself with this decision. Matthew’s Gospel has always been my least favorite of the four Gospels because it has always seemed so stiff and rigid. But what I’m discovering is that there is an amazingly powerful message hiding just beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered. For instance, why in the world would the author choose to begin such an important work – the story of the good news of Jesus – in such a dreadfully boring way? Forty two generations of genealogy! Was he trying to turn people off before they even had a chance to hear the message? Well, as it turns out, I think he had something else in mind. He’s making a subtle, yet powerful statement about the truth he sees revealed in the life of Jesus: the good news of God’s love – everyone is accepted, everyone is welcome, everyone can play a part in bringing God’s love to the world. It isn’t about being righteous (following the rules), it isn’t about being “good” enough, it isn’t about meeting some pre-determined set of criteria. It is about bringing all of who we are to the table and allowing God to work in us and through us. And yes, all of this can be seen in the genealogy. Let’s take a look.

Surprised by Joy

Isaiah 35: 1-10 & Matthew 11: 2-5
Roger C. Lynn
December 13, 2009

The prophet Isaiah proclaims that there is joy coming. And to those who first heard his words he must have seemed more than a little bit crazy. The Hebrew people to whom this wild proclamation is addressed have been living in exile in a foreign land, cut off from home and family and faith. Life was hard. Life was not in their own control. And all the signs they could see pointed to more of the same. The wilderness and the desert were nothing more than barriers between them and where they wanted to be. Joy was not at all what the exiles would have been expecting. It simply was not on their radar. And yet, Isaiah looks beyond the current circumstances and dares to envision abundance springing forth at every turn. "The desert shall rejoice and blossom." (Isaiah 35:1)

Leveling the Playing Field

Luke 1: 68-79 & 3: 1-6
Roger C. Lynn
December 6, 2009
2nd Sunday in Advent

On this second Sunday in Advent, when Peace is proclaimed as the theme of the day, we hear John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness of the Jordan, "Prepare the Way of God! Make the paths straight." (play "Prepare Ye the Way" from the Godspell soundtrack) At first glance John doesn't seem much like a peaceful sort of fellow. He is wild. He is brash. He is a firebrand. And yet, the Gospel writers all cast him in the role of the one who "prepares the way" for Jesus by preaching about leveling the playing field. And that, in a very real and very powerful sense, is exactly what peace is all about.

In the Midst of the Chaos

Jeremiah 33: 14-16 & Luke 21: 25-36
Roger C. Lynn
November 29, 2009
1st Sunday in Advent

Wars and rumors of wars. Global warming, climate change, disasters of every sort. Disease and accidents. "In the bleak mid-winter..." is how the ancient carol puts it. We live in frightening times and the forces of fear seem to hold the upper hand. It's no wonder that some people hear the apocalyptic words of Luke's Gospel and believe they are about these times in which we live. "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves." (Luke 21:25) Which, of course, they are, but, interestingly enough, not at all in the way many people think.