The Church of the Holy Spirit, Charlestown, RI   

Sunday of the Epiphany – January 8, 2012       

Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-11;

Galatians 4:4-7; Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon by the Rev Dr. Michael Tessman, Pastor

The story is told about a man from Rhode Island who was in in a small Southern town over Christmas. There was a "Nativity Scene" that, despite being unusual, showed that care had gone into creating it. One feature was new to him: the three Wise Men were wearing firemen's helmets!  At a "Quick Stop" on the edge of town, he asked the lady behind the counter what she knew about the helmets. “Of course,” she exploded, "You Yankees don’t never read your Bibles!"  Assuring her that he did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Christmas story, she jerked her Bible from behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, finally jabbing her finger at a passage: "See, it says right here, “The three wise man came from af(i)ar.” [pronunciation essential]

Given today’s global situation, she’s actually correct!  The Three Kings, might just as well be three terrorists from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran – beautiful, historic, rich (fiery - lots of oil) places, but not places any of us are traveling to, except in armored vehicles and crash helmets. If you happened to see the photographs in Sunday’s New York Times on Christmas Day, the security wall running through Bethlehem – on the West Bank – was one of the most sobering.  Not what we think of at Christmas when we sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie…” – but a good reason for today’s wise men (and women) to wear firemen’s hats!

Matthew’s Gospel tells us of a fourth King named Herod, who, along with all of Jerusalem, was much frightened and greatly troubled.  That’s like saying Linc Chafee and all RI is greatly troubled, for Herod was governor of a region about he size of RI.  In other words, there have always been troubles and there always will be troubles, of one sort or another, at Christmas and other times. As believers in Jesus and worshippers at his manger, our job is not to borrow any more trouble than we already have! 

Here I’m reminded of Christmas Eve, when a member of one of our 12-Step groups (who came at the invitation of a parishioner) said he was touched by the honesty of the service – “nothing sugarcoated” was the expression – and the message that everyone is welcome at the “messy manger” where Jesus meets us as we are, not as we “wish we were” or “should be!”  Also present (having been invited by another of our parishioners) were three Jewish persons, who shared afterward that the “service was very personal and not what they expected.”  The youngest, a teenager, said he figured it would be more like “jingle bells” while his mother was thankful for the lament that “wars and slander among peoples, religions, and within families kept the true meaning of  ‘peace on earth’ from being realized.” A parishioner who said she hadn’t been to a Christmas service in years, commented that it was the most beautiful in her memory. Several people present had lost loved ones in 2011. Another has been struggling with the threat of foreclosure and bankruptcy. They spoke of how grateful they were that these “real-life situations” were honestly spoken of not as something to be ashamed of or embarrassed by, but as part of the “holy family’s reality” - they, after all, were homeless!

Not all the reviews were favorable (two people found the service dismal and the sermon depressing) yet, all of them are “gift” – the sort of gift that belongs at the Manger where the perfect gifts of the Magi are no more precious, nor valuable: Gold – symbolizing everything that is pure; frankincense symbolizing all the cares and prayers of God’s children; myrrh – used to prepare the dead for burial, representing the “hopes and fears of all the years.” (O Little Town of Bethlehem…)  Every gift is precious! As we observed last Sunday, only we can decide whether we will “be changed by the gift” or try to “exchange it” for something we decide is better!  God’s gift of Jesus will change us if we truly receive it. Yet, throughout the ages many have tried to exchange Jesus for something He is not.  Jesus is still rejected, beginning with Herod’s disingenuous effort to win over the Wise Men.

So, you know what would have happened if the three Wise Men were exchanged for Women, don’t you?  Why, very practical things indeed; they would have asked for directions, arrived on time, made a casserole, helped deliver the baby, cleaned up the messy stable and brought disposable diapers as gifts!”   Remember, all gifts are welcome!

What is your gift today – what offering will you bring?  All are welcome, for this is God’s Epiphany – God’s manifestation to all humanity – rich gifts and poor gifts, happy and sad gifts, dismal or depressing ones; yet all at once joyful, too, with that joy that comes only from the soul. Let us offer our gifts, most rare, at the manger, rude and bare! Perhaps we’ll set the church af(i)ar, like on Pentecost, and need fireman’s helmets!

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The 4th Sunday of Epiphany, January 29, 2012

Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalm 111, I Corinthians 8:1-3, Mark, 1:21-28

“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

Gospel of Mark, 1:21-28

What more direct question might we ask, on this morning when we gather for what I calculate to be the 65th annual meeting of the Church of the Holy Spirit?  “What have you to do with us, Jesus?” 

We are told that the man asking this question in the synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus was teaching had “an unclean spirit.”  So, what was he doing in the temple?  Had he come to disrupt Jesus' teaching or challenge his ministry?  He asks Jesus, “Have you come to destroy us?”  Clearly, the man is threatened by Jesus’ authority – something the whole congregation recognizes.

But then, if we’re honest, aren’t we all a bit threatened by Jesus’ authority?  And, if we aren’t, shouldn’t we be?  After all, this is God were dealing with, and while God wants the very best for us, sometimes getting the very best means giving up – surrendering, rejecting, repenting of, being delivered of – the obstacles that get in God’s way. 

When Jesus taught the disciples to pray – answering their request for such instruction! – he said, “Our Father . . . thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; . . . forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. . . and deliver us from evil . . .”   Try praying the Lord’s Prayer using the personal pronoun, “me” instead of the familiar “us” – forgive me my sins as I forgive those who sin against me. . .and deliver me from evil.  If I’m honest, I have to think that’s what the man in the temple was praying – and Jesus answered his prayer, right then and there! 

The dramatic way in which the man is convulsed while being exorcised, and the cries that he utters, could distance us from him. We may say, “Well, I’ve never done (or said) those things!”  Yet, if we’re honest, we recognize that we are all “possessed” by something unclean. At various times in my life, I’ve certainly been “convulsed” by jealousies, addictions, pride, excessive worries, resentments and unforgiveness - issues that needed to be exorcised in order for me to live the life that God intended for me.  The man with the “unclean spirit” could have been any one of us!  

In Mark’s Gospel, this is Jesus’ first public act of ministry – the healings, miracles, and everything else that follows, shows us that when an unclean spirit (from the Greek daemon) animates or possesses us, it is in opposition to the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit – which animates a healthy and whole life.  This is as true for churches and other communities of faith as it is for individuals. 

So, what animates our being at the beginning of this new year?  What possesses or consumes us?  How can we cleanse ourselves and be released from the unhealthy things that possess us?  How can we fill our lives instead with habits and activities that will support our lives as disciples of Jesus?

The “annual reports” for 2011 review some dramatic events – changes in how we do our business, how we discern the way forward, and whose authority we follow.  We’ve had a lean year – tending to the root system – and as any gardener knows, that means pruning off some of the showier branches.   Today’s first reading from Deuteronomy, reminds us that this is not new in a healthy community of faith.  Faith in what?  Faith in whom?  In the earliest days of the Hebrew faith, the people were confused by a multitude of options – advice and counsel has always been cheap, and if you go looking for it, you can find it anywhere.   Seeking satisfaction, answers to perplexing questions, advice – well, just turn to your left or right – maybe they know the answer!  Individuals and institutions become self-reliant and self-possessed.   We all need periodic re-orientation to get back on track – whether it’s the proverbial new year’s resolution, or the 19th hole at the gold course! 

The prophets were not fortunetellers nor were they predictors of the future, but they did foresee with the eyes of faith.  What they often saw was not pleasant. It often had to do with breaking old habits and being freed from old attitudes – hard work.  The prophets re-oriented the people to their true Authority – to God.   Not an easy task, yet an essential one if we are to become what God intends for us, personally and collectively. 

In the second reading, Paul is addressing a serious problem in the Corinthian church – idolatry – and specifically, idolatry around food!   Imagine, the Corinthians were “foodies” and didn’t realize it was taking God’s place in their faith community.  Anyone who has ever struggled to stay on a diet, let alone face up to an addiction, will know how hard this is!  I once served parish that was convinced it had the best “coffee hour” on earth!  When asked why people came to that church, everyone said, ”because we have great preaching and music, and because we believe Jesus is present – but really?  Well, … for the coffee hour!”  That seemingly harmless bit of fun turned into a serious examination of what they really counted essential.

Today we can all be very grateful that, despite many challenges this past year – and surely in the year ahead – our congregational leadership has undertaken a serious and steady “re-orientation” as to Whom the church of the Holy Spirit serves, and how we serve.  “To seek and serve Christ, in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves,” is one of the promises we make – and renew – every time we Baptize a new Christian.  When we open ourselves to the opportunities for education and transformation of life offered by the church and other healing agencies, we become better equipped to embody and live-out the authority given to us in Baptism [BCP Baptismal Covenant, p. 302] -   

·To renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God  

·To renounce the evil powers of this world that corrupt and destroy God’s children

·To renounce all sinful desires that draw us from the love of God

·To turn to Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Saviour

·To put our whole trust in His grace and love

·To promise to follow and obey Him as Lord

Jesus is still casting out unclean spirits today; evil forces that affect people bodily, mentally, and spiritually; and that affect our life as a community of Faith in Jesus.  Transforming lives from the inside out is the business of the Christian faith – whether by delivering people from destructive habits and poor self-esteem, or from the many unhealthy fears, lusts, greed and shame that prevent us from being all that we can be! 

Let us pray:  “…deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever!  Amen.