Decorating churches while sharing good news

Posted on December 6, 2010 by David Nuottila

This week, many congregations took time to decorate their churches for the coming Christmas celebration.  These symbols of Christmas bring us joy and delight as the Church waits in hopefulness, and prepares to receive the good news yet again.  Through the birth of the Christ child, God fulfilled his promise of the long awaited Messiah.  Evergreens, poinsettias, wreaths in the windows and even a tree filled with Christian symbols help us to proclaim this good news.  Their symbolism reminds us of God’s long ago promise, and opens our eyes and our hearts to God’s perfect and unconditional love.  When connected to God’s Word in Holy Scripture, these symbols, in their own way, share the good news of Christ Jesus with us.  Yet, these decorations are not holy things; they are not the object of our focus.  However pleasing it may be, the beauty of our churches during Advent and at Christmas, the music of beloved songs and the joy that tradition brings, are not the good news.  For Christian joy and celebration is not rooted in decoration, rather, it is rooted in the gospel.  The word gospel literally means, “good news.”

In the first chapter of Luke, the evangelist tells us of a young girl receiving good news from the angel Gabriel.  The good news of Christ is first brought to Mary, and upon receiving it, her heart’s desire becomes doing as the Lord commands.  Later in Luke’s gospel, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who is also expecting a child and shares this good news with her.  The sharing of good news leads to even greater joy and celebration.  As Mary sings her “Magnificat,” this humble young woman from Nazareth sings praises to God as the promise for salvation begins to unfold.  Mary’s song speaks of how God’s grace and mercy will bring joy and celebration to even the most lowly on earth.

Mary sings, “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”  Luke 1: 50-53

Mary sings as if God has already done these things, because in her heart, she knows God will keep his promise.  So she celebrates this good and wonderful news.  So too the Church celebrates with joy and thanksgiving.  But is doesn’t stop there.   As the good news is to be shared and celebrated, it is also to be lived out in the mission of the Church.

The good news of Christ comes with blessing and the promise that wrong will be made right and oppression will give way to compassion.  The outcast will be made welcome, and the hungry will be fed.  The joy of Mary and her beautiful Magnificat is a joy meant for all people; the joy of a young unwed mother to be, whose heart’s desire is to do as God wills.

Mary’s journey began in earnest when she embraced the promise of God as brought to her by Gabriel, the promise that says  “…nothing is impossible with God.”  In joyous refrain Mary answers, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Luke 1: 37-38.

Throughout our Advent journey, let our hearts also be drawn to the day God came with blessing unto Mary and shared with her the good news of Christ Jesus.  An angel brought the good news to Mary, who in turn shared it with the Church for all time.  Today this good news comes to us once again; the good news of a young woman suddenly expecting a child, who is Christ the Lord.  As Mary heard the good news from Gabriele, her heart was drawn to God’s message of hope, and she gave of herself according to God’s call.

I pray that during this season of Advent, as our churches are beautifully decorated and we take delight in the long standing traditions of our congregations, we do not lose our focus on what God wills us to do.  May our hearts be drawn to give something of ourselves according to God’s call.  May we continue to serve our neighbors and welcome the strangers among us.  Good news is news to be celebrated with great joy.  Yet it is also to be lived out through the lives of God’s faithful people.  As we welcome others into our churches, I pray that the beauty of these decorations is pleasing in their sight, and that their symbolism of God’s love and grace for all people is proclaimed, so that all may experience the joy and celebration at Christmas.

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Emmanuel Shall Come to Thee

Posted on November 29, 2010 by David Nuottila

       The season of Advent is a wonderful time in terms of church music and hymnody.  The hymns of Advent speak to the expectation and anticipation of God’s long awaited Messiah.  We also get a small taste of Christmas as we begin to hear and even sing some of the sweet refrains of Christmas hymns and anthems.  Soon the celebration of the Nativity will be upon us, but not quite yet, for it is Advent, the time for preparation and faithful waiting.  Just as people of biblical times longed for the Christ to come and restore God’s kingdom, the church awaits our Lord and King Christ Jesus at his second coming.

      One Advent hymn in particular is a favorite of mine and its melody and lyrics run through my head nearly every day of December.  O Come, O Come Emmanuel holds many memories for me as a child.  As I listen and remember, I can still hear choirs and congregations from my youth singing those soothing yet sometimes haunting verses.  I can envision children and adults lighting the candles of the Advent wreath as voices lift up the refrain; “Rejoice!  Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel.”

       The promise of God’s Messiah; salvation for God’s people and the restoration of God’s kingdom are all joined together as we await Emmanuel, that is, God with us.  That is what the name means, God with us.  Indeed God invaded earthly time and space and lived among his people in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  Through his life of obedience to God’s will, and never ending love for all people, Jesus gave the world a glimpse of the in breaking of God’s kingdom on earth.

       Even as he made his way to Jerusalem, where he was greeted as a king, yet was ultimately handed over and crucified, Jesus showed us the totality of God’s love.  His victory over sin and the grave is realized by his offering up his own body and blood as the final atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world.  This victory is affirmed and proclaimed as those who journeyed to the tomb on Easter morning found it to be empty. Angels gave them the good news that God has raised Jesus from the dead.

       Through the birth of a small child in a stable, who later grew to be a great prophet and teacher, then ultimately gave his life for the sake of the world, Emmanuel has indeed come to the world.  God took upon himself human flesh and became fully human and lived among his people.  And now, the Church awaits the day of his triumphant return as Christ ushers in the kingdom of God in its full glory.

       As we patiently wait for this day, God calls us to be as living reminders of Emmanuel, God with us.  God calls each of us to be as Christ to others, sharing the good news of Christ Jesus, caring for the poor and needy, feeding the hungry, and welcoming the stranger into our midst.  As we do these things, we give powerful witness to the promise fulfilled in the person of Christ Jesus, strengthening our faith and the faith of others as we await the fulfillment of Christ promise to come again.  Rejoice! Rejoice!  Emmanuel shall come to thee.

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Redemption Turkeys

Posted on November 25, 2010 by David Nuottila

When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”  Matthew 14: 15-16

It was very short notice, but the call went out just about week ago, “The local super-market is redeeming Greenbax for turkeys.  Let us all take our stamps that we have been saving and feed the hungry in our neighborhood for Thanksgiving.”  Once a month, our little church supplies groceries for approximately thirty families, so in order to pull this off we would need to collect enough Greenbax for thirty turkeys, that’s one hundred fifty books, and not all of us shop where they give stamps.  Yet the call had been issued and the response was given; “We will do this.”  Yet, there were only two days to make it happen.

Emails were sent and received at a frantic rate.  One family pledged two turkeys, then came another pledge, and another and so on.  One woman sent a message wondering, “Will the store redeem stamps from 1980?  I just found enough for three turkeys.”  Yes they will, and yes they did.  Soon we were up to eleven; one third of the way there, then fourteen, sixteen, nineteen.  By mid-afternoon on Thursday the project had reached the point of no return.  No matter how many turkeys were pledged, the church and pastor would see to it that all thirty families would have turkey this Thanksgiving.

The church office was closed on Friday and with this the emails and text messages seemed to evaporate.  I am always amazed at what our congregation can do, especially when it comes to reaching out to our community, but this time it seemed as though we bit off a little more than we could chew.  At last count before the lull in messaging we appeared to be stuck on twenty-one turkeys.

When the phone rang the woman on the other end had an idea.  She had been out shopping and the store manager agreed to make a donation.  All she would need is a request on church letterhead.  I sent it, and the donation was made.  Anticipating the answer to our call for at least ten more turkeys, the store gave one.  Now, being fair, it was short notice and the assistant manager made an on the spot decision.  With more notice he would have done more and we are grateful for the donation.  With this turkey, another family would have a feast at Thanksgiving.

Saturday morning brought much anticipation, more anxiousness, and even more concern that we would have enough turkeys to supply our thirty families.  When I got to the church I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Somehow, word got out and there were forty-two families in line an hour before we would begin our distribution.  Not wanting to hear the news of a shortfall, I stayed outside and visited with some of the folks waiting in line.  Once inside I asked if the people on the sidewalk knew about the turkeys.  They did, but God had something in store for all of us.  Going over the totals of messages received and turkeys pledged, we had exactly forty-two turkeys and one ham.  In addition to the turkey, one family brought along over thirty-five pounds of fresh sweet potatoes and another brought boxes filled with loaves of bread in several varieties.

One by one folks came into our parish hall to receive their usual monthly bag of groceries.  Each also received a turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner, along with at least two large sweet potatoes and a loaf of fresh bread.  One by one they entered.  One by one their carts and arms were filled with good food in order to help feed their families.  Most who come month after month have very little, so they are grateful for the gift and blessing.  This morning there are forty –seven families savoring the aroma of turkeys roasting in their ovens.  Yes, I said forty-seven, more folks showed up at the last minute so we purchased five more turkeys.

I am ever thankful for the people of my congregation.  They care so much for those whom God puts in their midst.  They sense God’s call to be as Christ for the needy in our community, and they are so willing to share that which God has so graciously provided.  As we continue in our ministry together, we can’t help but look to the most needful in our neighborhood and hear the voice of Jesus as he says to us, “You give them something to eat.”  Indeed, with God’s help we shall.

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Give Us this Bread Always

Posted on November 24, 2010 by David Nuottila

Being that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I like most people, can recall many fond memories from Thanksgivings past.  They play in my mind like film loops running in succession, over and over again.  And on a quiet morning such as this one, the best part is they are presented without commercial interruption.  One of my fondest memories is watching my grandma as she went about the task of making her famous biscuits.  Here in the South they would be better known as dinner rolls, but we didn’t live in the South back then, and in Michigan they were called biscuits, so biscuits it shall be.

For every gathering of the extended family, my grandma’s biscuits would be the highlight of the meal.  She would begin making them early in the morning when she could enjoy peace and quiet, having the kitchen all to herself.  Sometimes I would sneak into the kitchen and just take up a place next to her without saying a word.  Grandma would give me a nod and then continue with her work.  Taking a fist full of dough, she would squeeze it just right and “pop” just enough through her thumb and forefinger to produce a perfectly sized ball that would later be my biscuit, or my brother’s, or someone else’s.

Every now and then she would let me give it a try. I’d snatch up some dough, give it a squeeze, but try as I might I just couldn’t get the hang of it.  Grandma was a pro, she could pop out those dough balls faster than I could count them and soon enough she would attract a crowd, all of her grandchildren assembled around the table, watching the dough “pop” through her fingers.  The more she would do it, the more we would say, “Go slower so we can see how it is done.”  We never quite got the hang of it, but we always looked forward to Grandma’s biscuits.  As the family grew over the years, so too would the number of biscuits, each year leaving us wanting more and more.  But I’m not sure what we wanted more of, the delicious biscuits, or the wonderful experience of watching Grandma as she “popped” them out.

Reading the gospel according to St. John, I see Jesus also had a situation concerning having enough bread.  Jesus had been seen performing great miracles of healing, and the more such signs and wonders were witnessed, the larger the crowds following him became.  Then, while in the wilderness, crowds of people who were gathered around Jesus grew hungry.  Having compassion for, them, Jesus provided the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes, feeding more than 5000 people.  The people were fed and satisfied, and amazingly, twelve baskets full of bread were left over.  The bread seemed to “pop” out of nowhere and the people were amazed.

When Jesus had crossed the sea and returned to Capernaum, the crowds of people that were fed previously on the other side had made across the sea first and stood by greeting him as he arrived.  They wanted more, question is, what did they want more of?  They asked to see the miracle again.  Perhaps they were still hungry, but I can’t imagine that free bread would be enough cause for so many people to travel such a distance, especially so quickly.  They wanted more; they wanted to believe Jesus was God’s long awaited Messiah, and they wanted him to prove it by producing more bread.  Jesus’ answer?  “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The people wanted a sign so that they might believe, yet with the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Jesus had already done so.  The crowds wanted to see the miracle again, they wanted to be sure.  What they failed to realize is that, it isn’t bread that satisfies the hunger they were experiencing, it goes much deeper than that.  Earthly bread satisfies hunger for a little while, Jesus satisfies the hunger that goes much deeper; Jesus satisfies the hunger of our souls.  Jesus gives food for life, food for forgiveness, food for our salvation.  Jesus satisfies our hunger for God’s love and grace by giving his body and blood as ransom for our sin.  Jesus satisfies our hunger to live in the peace of Christ, knowing that no matter what trials we face on earth, we will never be separated from God’s love and we will become inheritors of his kingdom forever.

This is the food that leaves Christians wanting more, but not wanting more signs and wonders so that we may believe.  No, Christ has already provided enough for us to believe.  Yet as our thankful response to God’s mercy and grace through Christ Jesus, we want God to further equip and empower us to share this wonderful gift with all whom God places in our midst.  We want to experience the joy of being as Christ for others who are in need, especially during times of thanksgiving.  It is the mission of each and every Christian to share this gift of God’s love, so that all may come to his table and receive the Bread of Life which satisfies the deepest hunger of humanity, the hunger and longing for God’s eternal grace.  So because of this, we say to Christ, “Give us this bread always, that we may share the good news with others.”  Thanks be to God.

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Seeing Christ the King

Posted on November 21, 2010 by David Nuottila

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

For just a few seconds, close your eyes and relax.  Go ahead and tilt your head back a few moments, don’t be shy; it isn’t often that a pastor gives you the freedom to daydream during a sermon.  Get comfortable, clear your mind and imagine seeing Jesus.  Imagine actually seeing his face, Imagine being there with him.

Who could see an image of Jesus?  Who saw him as a baby born in Bethlehem?  How about as a shepherd…or blessing little children?  Who saw Jesus as healer?  These are often the images we see of Jesus in our mind.  Such images provide us with all of the best known metaphors associated with Christ.  Jesus our friend, Jesus our brother, Jesus our comforter.  We learn to see Jesus as the one who walks with us and talks with us.

I would imagine that few if any saw Jesus as King.         Kings aren’t normal images for too many folks these days.  The world’s kings aren’t the same as the ones in story books or fairy tales.  Today’s kings mostly wear suits and look like presidents, or wear military uniforms and look like soldiers.  Jesus doesn’t fit this description.

When we think of kings we imagine old men sitting on large thrones.  They have long flowing robes and white beards.  The kings of our imagination wear gold around their necks and rings on their hands.  On their head sits a jewel encrusted crown.  Jesus doesn’t fit this description either.  The image we have of Jesus isn’t one of a man living in a palace.  He doesn’t wear gold around his neck or rings on his fingers.  He doesn’t wear a suit and certainly not army fatigues.

I’m curious, when you imagined seeing Jesus, how many saw a man beaten to within an inch of his life, his outstretched hands nailed to a cross beam and gasping for breath with bystanders mocking and taunting him?

Oh…and as for his crown?  Thorns, sharp and pointed; digging into his forehead.

Sadly, according to our gospel text this morning, this is the description that fits our King Jesus Christ.  Now, perhaps some are thinking that this is a curious subject for today.  Most likely this gospel text wasn’t the text you may have thought you would hear in church on Christ the King Sunday.  But for a year now St. Luke has been telling us a story, a story about our king and today the story comes to its illogical conclusion.

Last year about this time, Luke began the story by telling us about angels and dreams.  He told us about Mary, and then about John the Baptist.  Luke told us about the baby, God’s only Son who was born unto earthly parents in relative obscurity.  This boy who would be king grew up to be a wandering preacher, a rabbi, a miracle worker feeding thousands and healing people from their diseases.  As he grew in stature, he became famous, beloved and seen by many to perhaps be the one whom God sent to deliver the Jews and restore God’s kingdom.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey.  The people shouted “Hosanna” and hailed him as their king.  Yet by week’s end, they convicted him according to trumped up charges and crucified him.  Thus today’s illogical conclusion to Luke’s story about Christ our king.  How could this happen?  Where did things go wrong?  Why did the baby born to be king die in such a humiliating way?

Many people even to this day find the fact that Jesus died on the cross confusing.           Many don’t understand why it had to happen, especially when the church proclaims him to be King of Kings and Lord of all.  But perhaps the confusion is because we humans don’t really understand real kingship.  Perhaps we can’t grasp the essence of what being the true king means.

We understand kings as leaders who issue commands that are to be obeyed to the letter of the law.  Kings command and the people obey.  At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.  Yet, ever since Adam and Eve bit the forbidden fruit, humanity has had a problem with authority.  Kings issue commands, others are supposed to obey no matter how they might feel about it.  But we, in this age, don’t like that.  Humans don’t like the idea of obedience.  We do not like the idea that someone can “command us” to do something.  The question becomes:  “Do I want someone other than myself to be Lord of my life?”  Those who hailed Jesus as King on Palm Sunday and then crucified him on Friday answered this question with a resounding “no.”  Nearly 2000 years later not much has changed.

We like the Palm Sunday Jesus, he only shows love for us.  But the Good Friday Jesus makes us a little uneasy.  We adore the baby born in a manger, but the beaten and bloody Jesus of the cross points out our disobedience to God in a most uncomfortable way.  Seeing this Jesus we would rather turn our heads.  Maybe that’s why being a faithful Christian is such a difficult thing.  We don’t want to face the truth about ourselves, that we are sinful and because of that it is us who deserve to die, not Jesus.

Yet as we look to Jesus on the cross, we begin to see something else; we begin to see what real kingship is.  A King who would lay down his life for the sake of those whom he rules.  Perhaps the conclusion to Luke’s story isn’t so illogical.  Perhaps there is a truth that we often fail to see; it takes a king to truly save us from our sin.

The truth is that God wants so much to be in relationship with his people that he gave his only Son in order to save us.  When asked if he was a king, Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world.  It doesn’t function like earthly realms.  The kingdom of Jesus Christ is a kingdom of mercy; a kingdom of forgiveness; a kingdom of grace.  Seeing Christ our King on the cross reminds us that sin and the power of the devil has no power over Jesus Christ our Lord.  We see the ugliness of our sin, but also the beauty of God’s love for all who believe this to be true.

Each week when we receive the body and blood of Christ Jesus, this same love and forgiveness is ours; a gift freely given of Christ himself.  This is true sovereignty.  This is true kingship.  As Luke concludes his story for this year, this is the picture of Christ that we must learn to embrace, the saving power of our Lord and our King in his victory on the cross.

So once again I invite you to close your eyes, picture Jesus in your mind.  What do you see?  Yeah, me too.  I see the babe of Bethlehem, the Good Shepherd and the one who feeds the hungry and cures the sick.  But that’s ok, that’s who Jesus is as well.  And next week Matthew will begin telling us the story in his words; the story of Christ our King.

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