Blessed With Love Rev. Gary Clark Advent 4 - December 21, 2014 Do you feel blessed? Last Sunday we focused on being blessed with Joy, today with Love. Walking our dog along the trail in Bermuda we often hear the precious greeting- have a blessed day. What a way to start the day. What a wonderful word blessed. It means to consecrate, make holy, be thankful, sanctify by a religious rite. Many synonymous - exalt, glorify, magnify, hallow. Todays text is from Luke 1:26-55. Luke records the vision Mary had of the angel Gabriel announcing to her the big surprise. An astounding message that would change her life forever. A first century Jewish girl most likely in her early teens. She was betrothed to a man named Joseph. A bethrothal was a serious matter, more so than our word engagement. A bethrothal was a legally binding agreement, a solemn contract between two families. Promises and ‘bride goods or monies would have already been paid. As a bethrothed young woman, Mary was in effect legally and morally bound to Joseph, and him to her, as well as their families. To break such a binding legal and religious covenant would take a lot of negotiating and would cast a considerable amount of shame upon all parties involved. Into this age old tradition came Gabriel. There are two other angels named in the Bibl e- the archangel Michael and ? Ill give you a hint, you have to go back to the book of Genesis to find his name. Thats right- the archangel Lucifer ( better known as satan or the devil) who tried to take over Gods place. Gabriel means ‘Gods hero’ or ‘Gods special messenger’. Marys initial response was one of fear, who wouldnt be to have an angel visitant? How can this be possible?” Oh no, what will Joseph do, will he leave me, will our families be disgraced? Yet, she quickly understood and we have recorded her song of joy. Herein is the heart of Christmas love. Lost in wonder, love and joy! We too must experience the wonder, love and joy of what this season is all about. The spirit that took hold of Mary is the Spirit of the living God. During Advent we prepare ourselves for that same gift of love to be born anew in our lives. Just as the Spirit enabled Mary to conceive the promised One, so too the Spirit can give birth to love and light and life in us. The One who guides us into paths of righteousness and offers hope for the world through us. As John reminds us in his gospel- The word became flesh and dwells among us full of grace and truth. No-one or nothing can take away the joy that dwells in us because of this special birth. We dont need to understand it or explain it in rational terms to the unbeliever. We receive it in faith and deep gratitude. In the Dr. Seuss story of ‘The Grinch who stole Christmas’ we have a theological statement. The Grinch thought that by taking away all the villagers Christmas trees, decorations, gifts, food and drink - all the add-ons to Christmas celebrations, he would have stolen Christmas from them. Surprise!! Christmas was not in the exterior add-ons, it was in the interior spirit of caring and sharing. That joy which abides within us at being loved by God. We have to express it somehow - singing carols, recalling the Bible narrative, giving gifts, being with each other as families and many other ways. No Grinch or Stooge can ever take that away from us. Wherever we give birth to Hope, Peace, Joy and Love we give birth to Emmanuel once again. Within us, as in Mary, God is enfleshed and blesses the world. With Mary, may we be enabled to move beyond our doubts and fears and say - My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour! And with Zechariah who professes - Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he has visited and redeemed his people. Blessed by love, blessings that can never be wrapped up in colourful paper tied with fancy ribbon and bows. Blessings that sometimes come in the form of challenges. How we greet those challenges varies with our personality and life experiences. Some are open to change, others are not. Some are able to reconsider long-held beliefs and some find it too painful. Today lets experience the miracle and wonder of Gods all inclusive love. That is where true blessing is found. The new commandment of Jesus - Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbour as yourself. Now thats inclusive love, isnt it? A resource for worship leaders, published by the United Church of Canada, has an Advent reflection entitled Inclusive Love by Jordan Baldwin of First-St. Andrews United Church in London Ontario. I find this reflection helpful as we face the challenges associated with being inclusive. Advent is the season of hope, peace, joy, and among other things, love. This is the season that brings out the best qualities in our society, from laughter and happiness to a sense of community and inclusion. We have much to be thankful for as love is in the air and love is abundant. From the love we experience each and every day from family members, to the love shared by friends at work and at school, to the love that is evident in the pastoral care given to our congregation, to the love that is lifted right from the pages of our scripture, a prime example being the lesson today where Elizabeth showers Mary with words of joy, excitement, and awe, or where Joseph risks ridicule and rejection by embracing Mary as his wife, love is everywhere. It is within us, it surrounds us, it defines us. We are not naive. We know there is pain in the world. Agony suffering and a sense of grief easily bring us down. One does not need to look far to see the pain and the sorrow of humankind. (The massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, of the innocent first graders) is but one of many horrors that have been unleased in our world. Discrimination is also there - discrimination on the basis of your religion, the colour of your skin, your age, or discrimination based on who you love or who you want to be - all find footings in our society. Many of the people who discriminate do so not to be evil or mean, but because that is the way they have been brought up. Therefore to judge and cast out those who discriminate and do not share your social values, whatever they may be, is a fault just as bad as to discriminate in the first place. No-ones opinion was ever changed by being criticized and ridiculed. It is only through love and affection that we grow and show that we are all Gods people no matter what way of life we walk. We are blessed with love. It seeps from the walls of this great church and from each and every one of you. So share that love, be kind. As we give thanks once again for the blessing of Gods love, and the love we share with each other, may we face the challenges of living such love with hope. May we work for a world where inclusive love is possible. Live Love!
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 22:41:33 +0000
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