Chirstmas

Isaiah 7: 8-14

Hebrews 1: 1-4

Luke 2:1-20

Christmas

Those words, "There was no room for them in the inn," remind me of an experience my family had several years ago.  We were on our way from New Jersey to Michigan, going up through part of Pennsylvania, and then New York State. We had been busy packing and then traveling all day, and we were trying to find a motel where we could spend the night.  It was getting late, and the children were tired and fidgety. As we drove along the highway, our hopes were downed time and again by the sight of NO VACANCY signs.  We drove and drove and drove, until finally, many, many miles beyond where we had planned to stop, we found a vacancy.

Think of Mary and Joseph.  How much worse it must have been when they arrived in Bethlehem and found no rooms available.  I can imagine Joseph pleading with people, telling him of Mary's condition and their desperate need for a suitable place where she could give birth to her child.  Luke tells us, "there was no room for them," and that when Mary gave birth to Jesus she "wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger."

Today, 20 centuries later, millions of people have no room for Jesus. Although they participate enthusiastically in the festivities of the Christmas season, they keep Christ out of their lives. The "No Vacancy" sign is there, in their hearts.

Sometimes this is because of lack of belief. Sometimes it is because they think that being Christian removes their freedom to live a “normal” life, the kind of life they see around them every day and on TV, the kind of life that is so seductive to us and our children in this day and age. After all, isn’t it true that if we believe, we then have to give up our Sunday mornings of freedom, to come to church and participate in inconvenient activities at inconvenient times. And church services can be so uncomfortable and boring. Right?

Sometimes the “No Vacancy” is there because of fear. Fear of the unknown. Perhaps fear that the story of Jesus may not be true and therefore a waste of time. Or perhaps it is fear the story might be true and shatter our complacency, and force us to face God directly. Too many of us have been taught that if God does exist, He is a God of wrath and we will be punished for all the things we have done wrong, and all of us have done many wrong things in our lives. Too many people have forgotten that the story of Christ’s birth is the beginning of the Good News of God’s unconditional love for us, His yearning to bring us close to Him, and His forgiveness of all our sins if we simply choose to believe.

In the Christmas narratives, there are several "fear nots."

In the Gospel of  Matthew there is the "fear not" of immediate obedience: "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto you Mary as your wife :.. Then Joseph ... did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him". Think of all that had to be going through Joseph’s mind when Mary to whom he was engaged told him she was going to have a child. He knew it wasn’t from him. But to believe that it was from God? Too much to believe wouldn’t you think? He was afraid for what should happen to her under the law. If he publicly broke their commitment to marry, she would be stoned to death. He was afraid for himself if he did not break from her. But then the angel came and said, “fear not”.

There is the "fear not" of salvation: "And the angel said to them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings...which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord". Can you imagine the fear of the shepherds all alone out in the fields when all of a sudden this tremendous light flooded them?

Then there is the "fear not" of the humanly impossible: "Fear not, Mary:... the Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you:...For with God nothing shall be impossible".  Mary must have had fear. She knew the penalty for unwed pregnancy. Would Joseph ever believe her? Would anyone?

Another is the "fear not" of unanswered prayer: "Fear not, Zechariah: for thy prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John". Zechariah was a humble priest, in the linage of David, whose wife could not have children. Then one day when he entered the temple while on duty there, an angel appeared to him. Can you imagine the sudden rush of fear that entered him when this stranger came out of nowhere in what was supposed to be an empty room where only he should have been present as the priest on duty?

In the Gospel of John first chapter we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

In one moment, one seemingly insignificant measurement on the span of time, "The Word became flesh". In that moment undiminished Deity became humanity. What an incomprehensible thought. In one moment the one who created all things became a thing —a person, like you and me—Emmanuel, God with us.

In one moment "the Lord of Glory” became a child of earth. The tiny Babe lying in the manger of Bethlehem was the One who had been present at the creation of all the universe and all we know. The tiny, chubby baby hand upon the cheek of his mother was the hand of Him who holds the universe in the hollow of his hand. The baby arm about the mother’s neck was the arm of the one whose everlasting arms are underneath all things. The first words of the toddling Child of Nazareth were the words of the One who spoke the earth into being and who created a universe by the Word of His mouth.

That one moment was not filled with pomp and ceremony. You see he made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form of a servant. Jesus was made a little lower than the angels and it behooved him to be made like those into whose lives he came and comes —that is, like you and me.

In one moment spirit became flesh. The very God of very Gods entered the womb of a teenage peasant girl. In one moment God took on skin and hair, teeth and toenails. In one moment the invisible God became the visible, touchable, pierce-able, whip-able, nail-able, Emmanuel—God with us.

In one moment divinity took on the garb of humanity so that you and I could experience the full love of God and his gift of salvation. In that one moment, all our sins could now be blotted out. But that would not accomplished with decrees from the courts of law. It would be accomplished, it was blotted out because in one moment the Word became flesh. In one moment true grace appeared and we received grace and truth by Jesus, the baby who was the Christ.

Christmas is the story of the beginning of our salvation by a great and mighty God who chose to reveal himself to us as a child born in a stable to a teenage girl and a poor hard working carpenter. It is the story of pure love come to earth so we might be served and forgiven. It is the story of God fulfilling our every need by becoming one of us so we could see His love poured out for us

We have nothing to fear if we have allow him to fill the vacancies in our lives. If we allow him to fill our hearts and minds, and do his work through us there is no reason to fear anything that might come. And God has promised he will make room for us. .

Amen

Epiphany Reflections

Epiphany Reflections

by  Safiyah Fosua

Many of us were introduced to Epiphany through the familiar silhouetted-image of Three Wise Men bearing gifts as they followed the Great Star by night. In some cultures, Epiphany is known as the Day of the Kings (Dia de los Reyes). It is also known as Twelfth Day or Twelfth Night, reflecting an old custom of giving a gift for each of the days from December 25 to January 6 for the 12 days of Christmas. The day has special meaning for a number of reasons. Several branches of Christianity celebrate the birth of the Christ Child on January 6 or January 7

 

The word epiphany means appearance or manifestation. Popular usage likens epiphany to words such as eureka or aha! Use of this word by some English speakers conjures images of having a light bulb turned on, or of being able to see something that was once hidden from view. The texts for the Sundays after the Epiphany dramatize the many ways that we people came to understand who Jesus was, through his baptism, the miracle at the wedding, or through that bodacious declaration in his hometown synagogue! But, this ever-widening circle of revelation began 'outside the circle' of Judaism, so to speak, with the Magi. 

Who were the Magi?

Many versions of the Bible refer to them as the Wise Men. We often forget that these Magi or Wise Men were non-Jews. Older sources suggest that they were priestly descendants of one of the tribes of the Medes known for their knowledge of the stars (astronomy) and their ability to interpret dreams. 

What can we learn from the Wise Men?

 

First, the Wise Men began their journey because of their beliefs.
It was a common belief that when a world leader like a king was born that a special stellar phenomenon would appear in the sky. The Magi saw something that convinced them that they had seen the long-awaited sign. Historians tell us that the Jews, the Romans, and the Persians were all watching the skies about that time, looking for signs of the birth of an extraordinary king. A few years before, around 11 BC, Halley's Comet had been seen. There were other stellar phenomena, including a bright star, Sirius, which appeared brightly in the daytime instead of at night. The Wise Men saw the star and began their journey. 

May God give us all inspiration for this year's journey.

 

Second, the Wise Men were willing to follow what they had seen into unknown territory.
Their journey took them outside their country and their comfort zone. The Wise Men risked the consequences of disobeying Herod, who was known to behave as a madman when provoked and returned to their country by another way. 

The Christian journey is often an off-road excursion.

 

Third, the Wise Men were committed to the journey -- wherever the star might lead.
The Wise Men set out to find a newborn King by following a star and ended up in finding a baby born to young, relatively poor parents! Not exactly what they expected and not exactly what befit their dignity as priests. 

In this coming year, may we look to heaven for guidance and comfort and may we accept God's blessings in whatever forms we find them, just as the Wise Men accepted that their long, expensive journey led them to a baby born to young, inexperienced parents who lived on the poor side of town

Finally, the Wise Men brought gifts.  They did the thing that people in the East or in Africa or in India would do when visiting royalty. They brought gifts.

Gold was the kind of gift that you brought to a king.
Frankincense was the kind of gift that you would bring to a priest.
Myrrh was given to someone who was about to die.

On This Twelfth Day, or Three Kings Day, otherwise known as Epiphany, think of the gift that you will offer to God in the coming year. The gift of time? The gift of your talents? Your service in the community? Your witness and testimony? The gift of undying love and devotion?

Their greatest gift comes to us in the form of a realization. The Wise Men were the first Gentiles to recognize that Jesus belongs to everyone. Good news is for everyone, not just a select few. 

Star of wonder
Star of light
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading
Still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Amen.

Science, God and Young People

Note the following article below, entitled how Science Can Help Church Keep Young People

John Wesley was very interested in science and saw no conflict between science, theology, or the belief in God and Christ. In fact, Wesley was very interested in how science could heal and cure diseases, and wrote materials about the use of plants for healing. He encouraged his preachers to become conversant with science, incorporated scientific topics in his sermons and other writings, and used electro therapy apparatus in his medical clinics. Science correctly understood was to serve the cause of Christ rather than be feared.

It is a shame that millions of dollars were spent on a “Creation Museum” near Cincinnati, which puts out misinformation and non factual information, thereby misleading visitors, many of whom have never read the Bible, or attend church, and who also lack a basic understanding of science.

Evolution and creation do not conflict in any way, if you understand the Bible and some of its history, and have a basic understanding of what science is all about.  As my college biology advisor and teacher, a devout Christian who had served in a missionary capacity before becoming a professor, told us, “Science can only answer the questions of how. It can never answer the question why. Why is the realm of theology.”

Walt

Science can help church keep its young folk

A UMNS Commentary
By Gary B. Sherman*

7:00 A.M. ET January 4, 2012

A web-only illustration courtesy of wordle.net.

An article, “Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church,” highlights results from a study by the Barna Group. The findings were reported in the recently published book, “You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving the Church ... and Rethinking Faith” by David Kinnaman.

This nationwide study found evidence that for too many young folk, “Churches come across as antagonistic to science.” The study found “three out of 10 young adults with a Christian background feel that churches are out of step with the scientific world we live in (29 percent)” and that many young people are “turned off by the creation-versus-evolution debate.”

The research also “shows that many science-minded young Christians are struggling to find ways of staying faithful to their beliefs and to their professional calling in science-related industries.”

These findings are a clarion call for The United Methodist Church to be more accepting of science throughout all our ministries for the benefit of all God’s children. Embracing an attitude of reconciliation and partnership with science will be essential if we hope to attract young people and keep them engaged in pursuit of a rich spiritual life — rather than repelled from it — in a modern world where science continues to reveal objective truths about the natural world.

An Evangelical Lutheran Church in America brother in Christ, the Rev. Greg Cootsona, “found (him)self wondering whether members of (his) church really wanted to hear about how Big Bang cosmology relates to Genesis 1, or what the image of God means in light of contemporary brain science.” A trial balloon revealed the answer was unambiguously “yes” — his congregation was eager to explore how science interacts with theology.

Important to learn more

In this age of wide-ranging and significant scientific advancements, pastors certainly do not need to “teach” science. But, it is important for pastors to become more accepting of objective truths and pre-eminent scientific theories about the natural world upon which every single one of God’s children lives, most in desperate poverty.

To help other pastors bring the message to their congregations that science and theology can be complementary, Cootsona founded the Scientists in Congregations program to “identify resources for congregations and to catalyze conditions for a sustained, rich, generative engagement between science and faith.” Many denominations, including United Methodism, have recognized the advantages of the program. Because the program’s funding is limited, it is available now to only a few dozen churches.

Fortunately, Sunday school classes and interest groups can use existing free or low-cost resources that promote and teach the compatibility of science with theology. For example, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health and an evangelical Christian, has developed an excellent study and discussion series, “Religion and Science: Pathways to Truth.” This series offers extensive educational support materials including DVDs, participant guides, a leader’s guide and a course website that could be adapted for use in any number of church settings to help guide learning, reflection and discussion.

Not wanting to lose teens and young adults who have been made disciples for Christ, our United Methodist General Conference has, at each quadrennial meeting since 1992, moved in a variety of ways in a similar direction to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American regarding evolution.

The United Methodist Church's official positions as stated in the Book of Discipline (2008, ¶160.I.F) and Book of Resolutions (Resolutions 5052 and 1027) on science and evolution forthrightly and courageously address key issues at the interface of science and theology. General Conference is the denomination’s top lawmaking body. Through its official statements, the denomination has taken a stand against how some are using the debate in ways that threaten both constitutionally guaranteed religious freedoms and the constitutional rights of students in public school science classrooms.

Debate put to rest

The creation-versus-evolution debate was put to rest within science more than a century ago. Scientific evolutionary theory now is so extensively corroborated by overwhelming convergent evidence from many disparate traditional and emerging scientific disciplines that the proportion of scientist-adherents versus scientist-dissenters has become unprecedented. On June 29, 1987, Newsweek reported that of the 480,000 earth and life scientists in the United States, 99.85 percent accept evolution over creationist explanations of the natural history of our planet and its myriad life forms. Pope Pius XII put the debate to rest in Catholicism in his 1950 encyclical when he stated that evolution is not in conflict with theology. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The United Methodist Church and others have followed suit with similar statements from their leaders.

The task now is to educate all ages of our membership that the debate is over. We can explore the mysteries of the natural world and universe — the realm of science — and at the same time seek moral, ethical and spiritual guidance within humanity’s many faith traditions — the realm of religion. We need to understand that the creation stories in Scripture — some would call them parables or metaphors — use scientific-appearing descriptions to teach subjective truths about interpersonal relationships and spiritual responsibilities, but they do not represent scientific thinking or theories, and they do not reveal objective truths about natural history of the world and universe.

The young folk are right. To deny evolution is simply anti-science. Denial of evolution also demands rejection of reason and experience — two of the four capacities John Wesley urged all Methodists to bring to bear upon the task of developing a more complete understanding of faith and God’s many gifts. In our society, where creationists speak loudly, silence about how religion and science are compatible also comes across as anti-science and anti-reason.

General Conference guidance

Knowing that many clergy are not science experts, General Conference has provided guidance and resources through its official “endorse[ment of] The Clergy Letter Project and its reconciliatory programs between religion and science and urges United Methodist clergy participation.” The Clergy Letter Project is available for all of our congregations to participate.

As of this writing, more than 13,000 clergy of many faiths, including many United Methodists, have signed The Clergy Letter. The United Methodist denomination and so many thousands of individual Christian clergy have enthusiastically lent their public endorsement to the clergy letter initiative because of the inspired message of the mere two-paragraph letter. That message shines a light upon a path that has been elusive for such a very long time and sensibly reconciles scientific and religious perspectives on creation through a better understanding of the “different orders of truth” each is committed to exploring.

Each February since 2006, the Clergy Letter Project has promoted the celebration of Evolution Weekend — originally Evolution Sunday — and your congregation is invited to participate during 2012. Last year, more than 650 churches from all 50 states participated. Sign up for Evolution Weekend 2012 by sending Dr. Michael Zimmerman (mz@TheClergyLetterProject.org) an email with your name and title and the name and address of your church.

What a great opportunity to show the scientists and science-friendly members in your congregation — especially the youthful ones — that your church’s Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors are fully open to them as well!

>>>>>>>>>>>> 

*Sherman, a veterinarian and life scientist, taught and conducted research for 25 years and now serves as National Program Leader for Veterinary Science at the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. He is a member of Oakdale Emory United Methodist Church in Olney, Md.

News media contact, Maggie Hillery, Nashville, Tenn. (615)-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

The Star of Bethlehem

What was the star of Bethlehem?

By Heather Hahn*

3:00 P.M. ET Dec. 21, 2011

The magi follow the star in this sixth-century mosaic at the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare near Ravenna, Italy. A web-only public domain image. 

 
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the reign of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. They asked, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.'” (Matthew 2:1-2, Common English Bible)


Just about every year at Christmastime, Nick Strobel can count on getting questions about the star that guided the magi. Strobel is the planetarium director and a physical science professor at Bakersfield College in Southern California. As an astronomer and lifelong United Methodist, he has a certain affinity with the Bible’s most famous stargazers.

“We both have a love of the night sky,” said Strobel, a member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Bakersfield. “And, we search for a place or person where heaven and earth meet, and we both found that in the person of Jesus.”

The biblical account of the magi does not quite match the typical church Christmas pageant image of three little boys in scratchy beards and lopsided crowns dropping gifts by the baby Jesus’ manger. The second chapter of Matthew — the only Gospel where the wise men appear — does not specify their number or say they were kings. Matthew also does not mention the no-vacancies inn, the manger or the quaking shepherds — those are all found in the Gospel of Luke.

 

Instead, in Matthew, the wise men visit the holy family in a house in Bethlehem some point after Jesus’ birth. The number three probably derives from the three gifts they brought to the Christ child — gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The magi — called magoi in the original Greek — were likely sages and astrologers. The tradition that they were three kings named Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar developed centuries later. On this the Bible and Christmas tradition do agree: The magi found the newborn king by following a star.


The ancients believed God would make destiny manifest in the stars, said Gregory J. Riley, New Testament professor at United Methodist-related Claremont (Calif.) School of Theology. So, it was no surprise that Jesus’ birth was accompanied “by the appearance of his star in the very fabric of the heavens.”The exact nature of that heavenly body has been a source of speculation — for Bible scholars, children’s book authors, astronomers and, in recent decades, planetarium audiences. Discussion of the star is part of Bakersfield College’s annual December planetarium show, “Season of Light,” which Strobel hosts.


“…And look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy.” (Matthew 2: 9-10)

Strobel, 46, has his own thoughts about the star, which he has detailed in his blog. Since the night sky can vary greatly depending on the year and season, Strobel first needed a good estimate for Jesus’ birth year to evaluate these possibilities. The Bible does not give Jesus’ exact birth date. However, many biblical scholars and historians now think Jesus most likely was born around 6 to 4 B.C., and Strobel uses those years in his dating. That puts Jesus’ birth sometime near the death of Herod the Great (the wicked Herod mentioned at the beginning of Matthew) and Jesus’ ministry during the early years of Pontius Pilate (the wicked Roman governor in all four Gospels).

Strobel points to four natural phenomena that some astronomers think might explain the celestial sighting: a nova, a comet, a planetary conjunction and Jupiter’s retrograde motion.

Nova

Chinese astronomers, Strobel said, recorded that a new star (or nova) appeared in the constellation Capricorn during March and April of 5 B.C. A nova is actually a white dwarf — that is, a dying star — that has gathered enough material, usually from another nearby star, to build up pressure and explode. A nova quickly peaks in brightness within a few days and then fades to invisible over a few months. The nova the Chinese spotted would have first appeared in the east (that much fits with the Gospel of Matthew). However, that nova would not have visibly moved much as the magi headed toward Bethlehem, which is why Strobel sees it as an unlikely candidate for Star of Bethlehem status.

Comet

Many ancient cultures, including the Chinese, regarded comets as heralds of important events. Trouble is, there are no comet sightings recorded around 6 to 4 B.C. Strobel said Halley’s Comet made a swing by earth in 12 B.C., too early to portend the Bethlehem birth. That’s probably a good a thing. The ancients typically viewed a comet as a bad sign — not a proclamation of joy to the world.

Planetary conjunction

Planetary conjunctions, where two or more planets appear very close together in the night sky, may not make the headlines today the way comets do. Still, Strobel thinks such a conjunction is a much likelier prospect for the nativity’s starring role. And, astronomically speaking, 7 to 6 B.C. were good years for conjunctions.
In late May, late September and early December 7 B.C., Jupiter and Saturn moved past each other three times in the constellation Pisces. Such an occurrence happens only once every 900 years. The following February, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn formed a near conjunction in Pisces, which happens once every 800 years.

The combination of Jupiter and Saturn would have seemed especially auspicious to these astrologers in the Near East, Strobel said. Jupiter symbolized royalty, and Saturn represented the Mesopotamian deity who protected Israel. In addition, ancient astrologers associated Pisces with the Jewish people.
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“(The wise men) would have been aware of the sky and probably kept records of the sky going back centuries,” Strobel said. “They would have known this was a rare occurrence. They’d think, ‘Well maybe this is telling us that something really interesting is going to be happening there in Israel.’”

Jupiter’s retrograde motion

If the wise men were in need of a further sign in the heavens, they got one in 5 B.C., Strobel said. That year, Jupiter, instead of “wandering” eastward as planets typically appear to do, seemed to stop and then go backward among the stars in what astronomers call a retrograde motion.

Strobel compared the motion to what happens when a car accelerates past another car. It makes the slower vehicle look like it is standing still and then receding. In 5 B.C., earth passed Jupiter and it appeared to be stationary for about a week — perfect for hovering in place over a momentous birth. Among the various astronomical possibilities, Strobel thinks that the planetary conjunction and stationary Jupiter theories probably get closest to what the magi might have seen.

The three wise men appear before King Herod in this stained-glass window by an anonymous artist. Despite their crowns, the magi were not kings in the Bible. A web-only public domain image. 

 

“They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2: 11)

The Rev. Ben Witherington III, a United Methodist elder and New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., agrees that astronomical phenomena could help explain the magi’s guide. But, he points out, the magi like most ancients would have seen stars and other celestial objects as living beings — much like “the heavenly host” that visited the shepherds.


While it’s fun to speculate, Strobel said, the nature of the star does not matter to his faith. In fact, he would not care if Matthew made up the whole story of the magi. “He was not writing a science textbook or newspaper account,” Strobel said, “but rather a book to persuade people that this person called Jesus was the Son of God, one who should be worshipped, and one who showed us how to live as God wants us to live.” The story of the nativity contains a deeper truth than can be found in any star chart, he said. “God, the infinite power of the universe, is just so willing and wanting to have a relationship with us that he became a powerless infant who had to be cared for,” he said. “That’s pretty amazing that God would be willing to do that.”

*Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service.
News media contact: Heather Hahn, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

A Season of Mixed Feelings

A Season of Joy:
Joy to the world, the king is coming!

By Melanie C. Gordon

Photo Illustration by Kathleen Barry

So often, we assume Advent is a season of joy for everyone.  We surround ourselves with glittering preparations for Christmas, the smells of pine trees and apple cider, the joyful noise of Christmas carols and the taste of turkey and sweet potato pie.  We see “visions of sugar plums,” and we feel our desire for that new gadget!  


As we look at Advent as a season of joy, we also have to look at the places where joy seems absent – places of famine, war zones, homes filled with anger and hopelessness, prisons, hospitals, underpasses.  What does joy mean in the midst of suffering?  Where is the joy?

My mother loved both the sacred and the secular of this season.  I often remember her last Christmas Eve with us.  I had spent the day with her in her hospital room, finishing the Christmas Eve homily and attending to her needs.  She could not speak nor move much on her own.  I was anxious, torn between my duties at the church and not wanting to leave my mother’s side.  I read my homily for her.  (Bless her heart; she could not get away from me.)  There were moments when I saw her smile a little, especially when I talked about how Mary must have felt as she looked into the eyes of her newborn baby. 

I preached that night in a service that almost became a fiery furnace when a visitor knocked over the Advent wreath. Afterwards, my friends, the Jordals, accompanied us back to the hospital to sing to my mother.  They are creative and musical, and my mother loved all of them dearly.  Jake pulled out his guitar, and we began to sing “Silent Night.” My mother, who had not spoken in days, began to sing softly, but clearly. “… holy night, all is calm, all is bright.”  Stunned and overwhelmed, we continued with “Joy to the World.” I don’t remember all of the songs we sang, but I do remember the peaceful look on my mother’s face as a group of adults and not-too-ornery teenagers gathered around a hospital bed and sang songs about the coming of our Lord and God with us.

Awesome! 

Remembering that night, I am reminded of the joy we find in the coming of Christ even as I look at the space on the couch where my mother planted herself every Christmas Day. 

Joy during Advent and at Christmastime is not a given for those who mourn the loss of a parent, a child, a sibling or a good friend.  Looking at an empty space on the sofa or around the table can bring unimaginable, indescribable pain. A fresh loss creates even more confusion, unsettling us as we are surrounded by merriment. The aches are deep and not always fleeting, but believing and understanding the meaning of Advent can bring joy in the midst of despair or loss. The pain rooted in suffering will come, as it should, but joy will also come.

Joy came to us in the birth of a totally dependent infant, and joy will return to us in glory!  During Advent, we celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus, the promised return of the risen Christ in final glory and the perpetual presence of Christ in the lives of his disciples. 

We first read of preparations for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel.  We read it.  We hear it read from the pulpit.  Even Charlie Brown gives us a bit of it!  If we turn a few pages further to Luke 19, we see another time of preparation for our Lord that is not very different from the nativity story.


King Jesus was not born in the royal comfort that human history would have anticipated.  Jesus was born in harsh and humble circumstances.  Some 30 years later, when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the final time, he entered not as Herod did in robes trimmed in gold, surrounded by an army of soldiers. Jesus entered on a borrowed colt, surrounded by the disciples and the cloaks of the people.  The people who gathered to see him praised God joyfully, not because of glitz and glitter, but because of the wonders they had witnessed from this Prince of Peace.  For them and for us, Jesus is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

As the psalmist says, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”  (Psalm 30:5, NRSV) In  our Advent preparation for the coming of the Lord, we also remember the Resurrection.  In the midst of our mourning, we can find joy, eternal joy in the promise of God’s coming.  We can rejoice in the coming of the Lord!  We can make a joyful noise! Whether Jesus comes as a baby or on the back of a colt or in God’s greatest glory, this is a time for us to prepare joyfully,  for that coming. 

Melanie C. Gordon is director of ministry with children for the General Board of Discipleship and a candidate for deacon’s orders in the South Carolina Annual Conference.

The Journey

Isaiah 43: 1-3

Hebrews 11: 8-10

Luke 2: 1:5

The Journey

Advent. The word as it applies to this season of the year means the coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important.  For us it means the birth of Jesus. It comes from a Latin word, advenire, which is the same origin of the word adventure.  

Our granddaughter loves adventures. She loves to talk about going on adventures.  She likes the uncertainty of going somewhere or doing something new. Adventures are an

1.      exciting experience: an exciting or extraordinary event or series of events

2.      bold undertaking: an undertaking involving uncertainty and risk

3.      involvement in bold undertakings: the participation or willingness to participate in things that involve uncertainty and risk

Certainly the birth of Jesus was—is—an exciting event.  Certainly the journey Mary and Joseph made from Nazareth to Bethlehem was a bold undertaking, involving uncertainty and risk.

I want you to imagine yourself walking from here to Columbus. Walk up route 60 to meet Interstate 70, and then walk along the Interstate all the way into Columbus. Now I want you to imagine doing that while you are pregnant.  That would be about the distance Mary and Joseph walked. And, by walking along the highway you would be experiencing a risk about that which they experienced. Not from traffic, but from robbers, and from things such as heat exhaustion, injuries from the rough terrain they would be walking across. In their case, they probably walked in a group with others, but that did not completely remove the risk. And, of course, there was the fact Mary was full term when they started.

It is likely that Joseph was in Bethlehem when the census was called for.  That was his home town. We don’t really know.  Regardless, he probably went to Nazareth to marry Mary, as would have been the custom, and it is likely he did so as soon as he became aware she was pregnant and he decided to marry her. Then, after that, they would have returned to Bethlehem for the census, because that was Joseph’s hometown. 

Thus Mary made the trip from Nazareth to Judea and spent time with Elizabeth. Then she went home at about the time she was three months into her pregnancy. Then she made the trip again back to Judea, to Bethlehem six months later with Joseph. Given that good devout Jews avoided Samaria, where they would not have been welcomed at all, so would not have found lodging or food, they probably took the longer route along the Jordan River. Three trips of nearly 100 miles each in those 9 months. A lot of walking.

We get the impression from Luke that when they arrived back in Bethlehem they went to a commercial establishment, an inn. And there was no room for them when they arrived. A no-vacancy situation.  Myrna and I have experienced no-vacancy situations before when we have stopped along a journey when we really did not intend to stay overnight in a particular place.  In our case other lodging was available just down the road.  

However, in the case of Mary and Joseph, they would have been coming into Joseph’s little hometown, and most likely would have sought lodging with one of his relatives.  Bethlehem, if it had an inn, would not have had a very big one. Remember, it was a tiny town, only 6 miles from Jerusalem.  Few people would have come to Bethlehem in those days, except to visit family. There was no reason to, no attraction or business that would have brought them there. So, it is more likely given the customs of the day that they went to a relative’s house. They were probably full up, and Mary and Joseph had to stay in an area adjacent to the main house.  

Or, because she was about to deliver, Joseph may have opted to move into the area where they brought the animals in at night so her labor and delivery would not disturb others in the house. It was customary in those days, in rural villages, to bring animals into part of the house itself at night, especially if it were cold. Remember, they did not live in houses anything like ours. Remember how you saw the cave houses that were common in those days, especially in areas such as Bethlehem.

Whatever the circumstances this all certainly qualified as an adventure; a nine month adventure. One which Mary and Joseph were willing to undertake, despite its uncertainty and risk.  Mary literally risked her life by accepting her calling. Joseph risked his reputation and livelihood.  And the trip itself was a risk.

When we become Christians, when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we begin an adventure. We set forth on a journey of events, placing our trust in the promise that God will be with us, even though we may not be certain of where he is leading us.  We are called to accept that uncertainty, and more than that we are called to fully accept risk as we live our faith and do God’s work.

What kind of adventure has your journey with Christ been?  What risks have you taken for Christ?