Deacon Bob - Homilies

If we look at the Sacramentary; you can see ribbons, place marks. This is the order of the Mass; the mass is celebrated the same way around the world because of these markers. In each Mass, the celebrant moves around the book to complete the Mass. The markers by themselves are just random pieces of material; they can tear easily and mean nothing. However, all pulled together, they point to the richness of our Mass and the strength of our tradition.

In the reading we heard a lot of names; they all come from different places in the book. They are markers that in themselves mean nothing to us in, 2009. But they all point to John, who heralds the One who is to come.

John, then, is a bridge from the old to the new, preparing the way for Jesus’ first coming into the world as its savior.

An old story tells of a little boy playing hide-and-seek with his friends. For some unknown reason they stop playing while he was hiding. He waited and waited. He began to cry. His old grandfather came out of the house to see what was troubling him and to comfort him. The grandfather said, "Do not cry, my child, because the boys did not come to find you.

Perhaps, you can learn from this disappointment. All of life is like a game between God and his children, only it is God who is weeping, for His children are not playing the game fairly. God is waiting to be found, and the children have gone off in search of other things." This is of what Advent speaks. It is another reminder that too often we are in search of other things, and God is minimized in our lives. That is until we need him.

John the Baptist is the voice crying out in the wilderness. How appropriate such a view is for this second Sunday of Advent, for without Christ the world is winter world, a world without light, without warmth, without hope.

The words of John are poetic and beautiful. They are certainly a rich metaphor for life and our daily struggles whatever they are. He says there will come a time when “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. How many valleys or mountains have you encountered? Sickness, untimely deaths, job loss, family issues? “The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth.” How many crooked roads have you traveled, roads that you would avoid if you could do a do over? Roads that you wish were straight; roads that are safe? John says – do not worry, repent;“all … [will] see the salvation of God.” Salvation is what Christmas is all about.

In Kansas City, there is a tradition simply known as the “Secret Santa.” Every Christmas, this “Secret Santa” seeks out people who are down and out, and he quietly slips them an envelope with a crisp, brand new $100 bill slipped inside.

A few years ago, someone tracked down this “Secret Santa” and asked him, “Why do you do this?” The man replied how life had blessed him with an extremely successful business venture. But this was not always the case. In 1971 he was an out of work salesman who was reduced to living out of his car. One morning he had not eaten for two days. He was incredibly hungry, so hungry that he walked into a diner in Houston, Mississippi to order breakfast with no intent of paying for it. He couldn’t! He had no money, but he was so hungry.

As he hungrily ate his breakfast, he wondered how he was going to pay for this meal, or how he was going to get out of paying for this meal. When the check came, he fumbled around in his pockets pretending to have lost his wallet. The owner of the diner had already sized him up and knew he didn’t have the money.

The owner came around the counter, approached the man, and bent down as if to pick up something. The owner said to the man, “Well, looks like you dropped this $20 bill.” Now he had enough to pay for breakfast and a little more to keep for the road. He never forgot this totally undeserved act of generosity and goodness. He now gives to others as someone once gave to him. This man is but one ribbon in the book of life, we are called to be others. Advent calls us yet again to preach a sermon with our lives. This Advent we need to reflect on were we have been and where we are headed.

In Luke we look back at a key day of the Life of Jesus. It was the day the small door leading to the carpenter’s shop closed for the last time. The meek and lowly Carpenter headed toward the Jordan; as he arrived, he probably saw that group of scowling Pharisees standing off to the side after the John called them, “vipers.”

John's is a story of such great significance that we hear parts of it every year -- twice, sometimes three times. If you have ever done any Biblical studies, you noted that all of the stories in the Bible do not appear in all of the Gospels.

Each community of writers recorded that which they thought were significant events. This is why we must look closely at John and Jesus here. The entire universe came together in that River, on that day; it was an event so big, the four gospels tell the story. Perhaps, they tell it a bit differently, but a core truth emerges: Jesus is God’s chosen one, God’s beloved son. A voice from heaven declares, “You are my beloved.”

John is one on my Biblical favorites; he is out there in the desert – in his own Woodstock. He is drawing crowds who are listening to what he has to say; some think he might be the Messiah. However, in the presence of Jesus, John sees his own sinfulness. All the gospels agree that Jesus’ public ministry begins with this open and public baptism in the Jordan River.

What was it like to be there? We all have been at events that completely consume us while we are in the moment. We live in that glow, whether it is from a concert or a good play for days. However, when we describe it to friends, our description never quite captures the electricity that was in the air. You just had to be there.

As he is baptized, listen. What do you hear? Do you hear the soft flutter of God’s Spirit settling on his shoulders? Everyone there saw it – felt it. And then - they heard it: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

What has this Son done to merit such approval? He hasn’t taught. He hasn’t triumphed over Satan. He hasn’t preached a single sermon, cast out a demon, healed one sick person nor made a single disciple. He just waded out into the middle of the Jordan and allowed Himself to be immersed. And the heavens roared approval! Baptism is very important!

I have been ordained almost 14 years now and have baptized hundreds of children. Sometimes Baptisms are noisy, sometimes distracting, but there is one point that it always comes together, and amazingly it is at the same point in which Jesus meets John; it is in the Baptism itself – the pouring of the water. Those of you who are here with your children that I have baptized, know that this is true. In every single case when I have poured the water, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Sprit a certain Peace exists. In the hundreds of babies baptized, not one has cried at that moment. And you think they would; after all, they are held out over the font and angled down; It cannot be that comfortable. However, as the water is poured many look beyond all of us – or seemingly through us. I like to believe and I tell that the parents that is their last look back at God on this side of heaven.

I think that is what happened to Jesus – he saw God, and from that moment in that River – the New Age began.

But even with the glory of that moment in the Jordan River, Some missed him. Some miss him still. We expect God to speak through peace, but sometimes he speaks through pain. We think God talks through the church, but he also talks through the lost. We look for the answer in our own faith, but he’s been known to speak through the other faiths as well. We think we hear him in the sunrise, but he is also heard in the darkness. We listen for him in triumph, but he speaks even more distinctly through tragedy.

Like it or not we live in a time of great uncertainty. Things that seemed so sure and solid have turned out to be much more fragile than we thought, and things which we though could never fail have crumbled and fallen. We’re not so sure just what’s durable and dependable anymore, and we feel like our present and our future is on such thin ice, it could all fall through at any time.

The only thing that stands though time and always has, in this world through the next, is our faith, a faith that was given as a gift to us by those who loved us. They loved us so much that they carried us to a font like this and shared their faith. So let us not forget that we too looked back and once saw the face of God – although I suspect we have forgotten what he looks like. So this year we have yet another chance – our prayer must be: – “Oh God let me too hear your voice clearly.”

A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her 5 year old was very sick. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some Tylenol. When returning to her car, she found that she had locked her keys in the car. She was in a hurry to get home; she didn't know what to do, so she called home and told the baby sitter what had happened. The baby sitter suggested: "You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door." The woman looked around and found an old rusty coat hanger in a trash can by dry cleaners.

Then she looked at the hanger and said, "I don't know how to use you. – but I will try" She also said a hasty prayer to God for help. Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up with a dirty, greasy, bearded man, who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, "Great God. This is what you send ?" But, she was desperate, and she was also very thankful. The man got out of his car and asked her if he could help. She said "Yes, my daughter is very sick......I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car, I must get home. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car." He said, "SURE". He walked over to the car, and in less than one minute the car was opened. She hugged the man and through her tears she said, "THANK YOU SO MUCH..... You are a very nice and kind man."
He replied, "Lady, I am not a nice man, see, I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out for about an hour." The woman hugged the man again gave him $20 - and with sobbing tears cried out loud....."THANK YOU, GOD, FOR SENDING ME A PROFESSIONAL!!!!"

This is the opposite of what she expected – but it was certainly what she needed. This is exactly what is happening with the people to whom Jesus is addressing in what is known as Luke’s Sermon on the Plain. Jesus was a master at keeping his listeners off-balance. He always said the unexpected. He praised people others despised. He lifted up those others put down. Jesus comes down with the twelve and stands on a stretch of level ground. The language here suggests that Jesus “came down” on a “level” stretch of ground. He is with them – eye to eye, shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, and breath to breath. He has been there or is going there and wants to make this very clear.

He is speaking to Gentile converts who are struggling to maintain their faith. And, He says – "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.” He offers hope and a future that they cannot see. They are embraced by poverty, hunger, despair, and religious persecution; it kills, and it maims. We, on the other hand are so far way from the hill, in way ways. How do we hear this message today, where most of us have not missed too many meals?

If we are hungry it is because we were running from one place to another and have forgotten to eat. We live in a world where the reason for not staying in touch with our families is because they do not have an e-mail address. A world where we call our children’s cell phone to tell them dinner is ready. And, then they text us back and ask “What are we having?” It is becoming a world where using real money, instead of a credit or a debit card is becoming a hassle. A world where we are technologically connected so much so that when we disconnect from the Internet, we get this awful feeling that we have just “pulled the plug on a loved one.” Funny – ironic and all true. So back to my question.

How do we relate with the Gospel? Are we connected to the simplicity of the hillside on which he speaks?

I suggest yes; we share the same problems as in those gathered, perhaps differently – but we are of the same human nature. There are many readings of Matthew’s Beatitudes and Luke’s Sermon on the Plain – but the bottom line, in both, pulls us back to the beginning story of the stranded woman.

To understand this connection we first must realize that God did not create us to live in poverty, to be unhappy and miserable, or to live in rejection. Rather God comes to us in Jesus. And where is Christ to be found? Among those who have received life’s cruelest blows and in those who are in trouble; he is in Haiti now – he we be someplace else tomorrow. Have you ever been hungry? We all have been hungry, hungry for relationships that are beyond repair, for a love that has died or is dying, for a just one more moment, another second, to speak one final word to a loved one who is gone - but not let go. Yes, Jesus always meets us where we are and twists our reality in an attempt to let us peak at his. Sometimes we understand the message, often times we do not.

We have heard this Gospel countless times before. And, in many ways – although we see the compassion of God, it is hard in our own humanness to see why the son was welcomed home with such open arms, and the son who stayed loyal was left wondering - what happened.
Since we have heard it so often, we do not question the official line: the prodigal son represents us – and God represents the welcoming father. While this may be one reading, it is good that we should again look at the story in Lent. As is so often with anything thing that Jesus says - we must stop re-listen, reread, re-think and unfold that which lies between the lines and catches us.
Of course as we all know, parables are meant to teach; they are didactic literature. The late Henri Nouwen a wonderful, holy, priest and spiritual writer, in our own time, has written many books – but one that is relevant to our reading this morning, is called The Return of the Prodigal Son. His work is based on Rembrandt’s painting of the same name. Nouwen was so taken by the painting that he spent hours and hours in front of the original, which still hangs in St. Catherine the Great’s Hermitage, St Petersburg Russia.

In those many hours and days (all times) that Nouwen spent immersed and mesmerized before the painting in person as well as in his mind later on, he was moved by the figures in Rembrandt’s masterpiece – which depicts the loving father - his hands wrapped around the shoulders of the returning son, who is dirty, seemingly broken, and on his knees. The work also depicts the brother who stands apart from both his father and his lost brother. He is not happy at all. He appears present but distant. There are two others in Rembrandt’s work as well; they appear to be bystanders. Nouwen, came away with an entirely different take on the Prodigal Son after spending so much time with Rembrandt’s.

     He suggests that we are not only represented in the broken son before the father seeking forgiveness – but that at times throughout our lives we are represented in all the figures in the painting. If you have forgiven someone you love – who has wounded you badly– then you are represented by the forgiving father. If you have ever been jealous or envious of another’s place that should have gone, in your view, to you, perhaps, a job, a promotion, an inheritance, good health, a successful marriage, children, then you stand in for the unhappy son. If you have ever been sorry beyond words, in something that you have done or omitted – then you are on your knees before the father.
     If you have not become involved in a issue that you should have – or thought it was someone else’s job, when underneath you knew – then perhaps you are represented in the complacent onlookers. Yes, I suggest, we have all been there. We have played all the parts not only in the painting – but in the parable itself.
    However, we might also say – I could never be the lost son. I say – we are all the time, because, like the son, we are always searching for the greener grass. We demand it all now; we don’t have a moment to spare – give us our inheritance; dam the torpedoes and dump the incumbents seems to be the rallying cry these days.
       We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are: Sponge Bob and Curious George – drives us crazy. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with – the late nights, driving and texting, new boyfriends and girlfriends every few weeks; and – it’s always those that are not on our check list that they like best.
     Then we say we will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. Then we tell ourselves that our life will be more complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, or when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a more upscale vacation, buy a shore house or when we retire. The truth is there's no better time to be where you are than right now; this is the message of the parable. This is how it reaches through time to where we are at this moment and tells us to get off our knees and live life in the fullness of the grace that God offers all of us. Our lives will always be filled with challenges and many perspectives from which to step off in our own painting.
     So we need to regroup and reassess now and then. Lent is a perfect time to meet God where we are right now.
It does not matter who we are – the father, the prodigal, the angry brother or the on- lookers. God calls us to continuing conversation - now. However, I guess we could wait until the house is paid off, or the kids leave; until the summer, the fall, Christmas – or even next Lent. But then – we will be further from God and away from home – too long. But God being God always leaves us the freedom to go or to stay.