Epiphany

Epiphany  - January 6

Scripture

Psalm 72; Isaiah 60; Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:30-32

For Reflection

It is likely that in most of our households the nativity crèche and figurines of the first Christmas story are by now packed away with all the other Christmas decorations.  But in some ancient Christian traditions, today would be the day that the figures of three wise men, or Magi, would finally be placed at the nativity scene.  Their arrival completes the entourage of people who are drawn to the Christ child.  In the fullness of Christmastide and in the light of the star, the journey to adoration of the Christ child is nearly complete.

The arrival of these mystery people from some distant place signals something new that has forever broadened, opened, and heightened the trajectory of grace.  The trajectory of grace now emphatically includes Gentiles—all those not heretofore considered a part of the story of salvation.  The advent of the Messiah, spoken of in Old Testament prophecies (like Isaiah 60) and in the Magi being led by a star to Bethlehem, signals that something long hoped-for and anticipated has come to be: the promise of grace and the way of grace is open and inclusive.  From this day forward, “whosoever will” may come.

Epiphany celebrates that God’s light draws unlikely people to grace by circuitous means.  Perhaps now more often than not, people may see light and respond to grace from odd places and by unorthodox means.  Praise God for people who have been reared within orthodoxy, who have for generations been brought near to Biblical faith, who are faithful to the means of Grace as they have been taught.  Praise God, also, for the fact that grace is just as likely to shine its light in unlikely places, on unlikely people, and bring them by unlikely paths to the foot of the Cross.  Epiphany celebrates such “appearings,” such small and great invasions and in-breakings of grace as part and parcel of the Kingdom.

Epiphany also celebrates the fact that the child is, in fact, born King of kings.  This is signaled not only in the Old Testament (like Psalm 72), but in the declaration of the Magi and in the gift of gold they present.  The prospect that a child has been born “king of the Jews” sends Herod’s regime into a search and seizure mode.  The announcement that a new King is on the scene is simultaneously welcoming and threatening.  For those living off the spoils of the present reign, who have invested in and count on the continuance of present power arrangements, the news of a new king is unsettling, threatening, undermining.  For those who long for justice, for mercy, for inclusion, for place, for peace, for dignity, for a tomorrow, for equitable economy, for fairness, for a second chance, for just a chance, the news of a new King is Good News, indeed.

Earlier, I wrote that the journey to adoration of the Child is nearly complete.  Nearly.  It is as nearly complete as our own adoration.  Have you made the journey in your heart?  Place yourself among the unlikely figures who hear the Good News, who have been drawn by some light.  You’re no less out of place than anyone.  I am no more worthy of being there than the next person.  But have we been drawn?  If so, then let us do the only thing one can do in the presence of divinity, of unparalleled royalty—let us be silent, let us be grateful, let us bow down in worship and adoration, let us prepare ourselves to be forever changed, let us be still and know that God is God.  Let us be amazed at grace.  And let us turn it inside out in a lifetime of bearing grace to all who are drawn to His light.

Song

“As With Gladness Men of Old” by William C. Dix

As with gladness men of old

Did the guiding light behold,

As with joy they hailed its light—

Leading onward, beaming bright,

So, most gracious Lord, may we

Evermore be led to Thee.

As with joyous steps they sped

To that lowly infant bed,

There to bend the knee before

Him whom heav’n and earth adore,

So may we with willing feet

Ever seek Thy mercy seat.

As they offered gifts most rare

In that dwelling rude and bare,

So may we with holy joy,

Pure, and free from sin’s alloy,

All our costliest treasures bring,

Christ, to Thee, our heav’nly King.

Holy Jesus, ev’ry day

Keep us in the narrow way;

And, when earthly things are past,

Bring our ransomed souls at last

Where they need no star to guide,

Where no clouds Thy glory hide.

Benediction

May your journey ever lead you to the wonder of the Christ child.  May God’s light ever draw you, lead you, comfort you, challenge you, send you.  May grace guide you from morning to evening, day by day, until, at last, either His Kingdom has come or you have come into His Kingdom.  Amen.

Twlefth Day of Christmas

“On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…twelve drummers drumming.”

Scripture

Psalm 19; Colossians 2:6-17 

The Apostles’ Creed

1) I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth:

2) And in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord;

3) who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,

4) suffered under Pontius Pilate,

5) was crucified dead, and buried;

6) He descended in to hell (or Hades, the place of death);

7) the third day He rose again from the dead;

8) He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;

9) from there He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

10) I believe in the Holy Spirit,

11) the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

12) the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

For reflection

The final day of Christmas at last!  Every day we have been keeping vigil at the manger.  Every day we have been focusing on the Word become flesh.  Every day we have been attempting learn what it means to be among the “ye faithful” who respond to the invitation to “come and adore him, born the king of angels.”  And every day we have been opening and receiving the distinctive Christmas gifts, gifts that bring the full impact of this child home to our hearts and our world.  And we have one more gift to open.

Tomorrow is a new celebration, a new festival.  It is Epiphany.  It recalls and celebrates the visit of the Magi, or wise men, who followed a star from distant places to find the one born King of the Jews.  Epiphany, which means “appearing,” focuses on two things: 1) the Incarnation being announced to and made available to Gentiles, and 2) the fact that Jesus is not only born a Savior, he is born the King.  I hope you will join me for one more set of readings and reflections for Epiphany.  It will be something of a capstone and “sending” from this Christmastide journey.

Open today’s gift: the twelve points of the Apostles’ Creed.  Reading through the Apostles’ Creed and realizing it is one of the twelve core gifts that have been included in this clandestine catechism, I make note of some personal responses.

First, I note that this and other summaries of essential Christian faith are very under-appreciated and under-used in the Free Church tradition in which I was reared and educated.  Our near total emphasis on what the heart feels all but eclipsed a heart-felt reasoning of that on which faith is based.  It is apparently difficult for some to hold these two in common.   Based on the fuzzy theology and all-but-heretical notions I have encountered among my holiness tradition brethren, I have come appreciate and embrace such Biblically-rooted, time-tested declarations as the Apostles’ Creed.

Second, the Apostles’ Creed is, in itself, a catechism, a carefully constructed rehearsal of essential points of the Christian faith.  It is a statement carefully worked out in early days of the church when the church faced not only external threats but internal divisions and factions.  Every point of the Apostles’ Creed was fiercely tested for Scriptural validity, debated, and ultimately ratified.  Perhaps another twelve days (or years) should be spent unpacking each point of the Apostles’ Creed (a number of resources for this can be found at a local library).

Finally, I note that the Apostles’ Creed helps me declare my simple and profound faith in the midst of world awash with relativism, syncretism, and despair.  In a world that is constantly implying that there are no constants, nothing commonly authoritative for all, nothing that isn’t dispensable for the sake of practicality, convenience, or comfort, the Apostles’ Creed stands firm.  But the Creed also is a beckon to all who have been washed ashore by the “every wind of teaching and cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”  It is an invitation to God’s love for all who are overwhelmed, confused, despairing, shame-ridden, wounded, broken, and dying.  As the song declares “Where cross the crowded ways of life…we hear Thy voice, O Son of man!”

Journaling/prayer possibilities

Read over the Apostles’ Creed several times.  Stop and spend reflective or journaling time with each point.  Is this what you believe?  Spend a few moments with the words “I believe.”  What does it mean to you to “believe?”  In what ways is belief expressed in your life?  What opportunities to express this belief lie before you today?  Taking each point of the Creed, offer thanks for the faith, hope, and love that shines therein.

Song

“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life” by Frank Mason North

Where cross the crowded ways of life,

Where sound the cries of race and clan,

Above the noise of selfish strife,

We hear Thy voice, O Son of man!

In haunts of wretchedness and need,

On shadowed thresholds dark with fears,

From paths where hid the lures of greed,

We catch the vision of Thy tears.

From tender childhood’s helplessness,

From woman’s grief, man’s burdened toil,

From famished souls, from sorrow’s stress,

Thy heart has never known recoil.

The cup of water giv’n for Thee

Still holds the freshness of Thy grace;

Yet long these multitudes to see

The sweet compassion of Thy face.

O Master, from the mountainside,

Make haste to heal these hearts of pain;

Among these restless thrones abide,

O tread the city’s streets again.

Till sons of men shall learn Thy love

And follow where Thy feet have trod;

Till glorious from Thy heav’n above,

Shall come the city of our God.

Benediction

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.”  Amen (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Eleventh Day of Christmas

“On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me…eleven pipers piping.”

Scripture

Psalm 40; Luke 5:1-11; 6:12-16; 24:45-53

For reflection

Here is a multiple-choice quiz regarding today’s gifts: “The Apostles were: a) not highly gifted supermen; b) rather ordinary people from a variety of walks of life, c) early responders to Jesus’ invitation to follow him and who were subsequently designated and equipped witnesses to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; d) all of the above.  I am wondering if this might have been a question asked of the English Catholic children of the 1500’s who were being taught, as part of a catechism, that the “eleven pipers piping” really meant The Eleven faithful Apostles.  The answer is (drum roll): all of the above.

Those of us who have put the Apostles on a stained glass pedestal would benefit from participating in a “Living Last Supper.”  This Easter-time drama brings the Last Supper to life with Jesus and the twelve Apostles gathered around the table.  Frozen in a pose, each actor ponders Jesus’ statement that one of them would betray him.  Each disciple, in turn, steps into the spotlight to tell his story and reflect on the betrayal question: “Is it I?”   Painstakingly researched for biblical and historical integrity, the soliloquies reveal the earthiness, unique character, selfish desires, questionable motives, noble aspirations, and trusting hope of each Apostle.  One comes away with a sense that the Apostles are ordinary people; they could be you and me.

On the other hand, these ordinary people had an extraordinary encounter with Jesus.  They received an education that stood everything they believed upside down.  They witnessed incredible value placed repeatedly on those whom society and religion discarded as refuse.  They observed the miraculous on a routine basis.  They grappled with the mind-boggling prospect that their journey to Jerusalem would not result in Jesus being crowned king but in Jesus being crowned with thorns and crucified on a cross.  They witnessed the surprise of the empty tomb, welcomed the presence of the risen Christ, watched him ascend, and received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Whatever had been ordinary about them became extraordinary.

The New Testament uses two terms to identify the Apostles.  First, they are considered “witnesses” to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Second, they are “sent ones,” sent forth to tell their unique story and teach the way of Jesus.  They who joined many others as followers and trainees, or “disciples,” became a designated core to become special witnesses of the heart of the Good News.  Their companionship with Jesus and their faithfulness to His calling set them apart.  In the light of the Resurrection and Pentecost, every small detail in their years with him became magnified.   It is clear that the early church revered their unique role in terms of witness and leadership.

Eleven remained faithful.  It is to this day one of the most tragic and haunting elements of the gospel story that one of the Twelve would ultimately decide to betray Jesus.  Judas Iscariot’s story should be witnessed and weighed as carefully as the other Eleven.  After betraying Jesus, Judas hanged himself.  What we might understand of his turbulent heart could steer us clear of his choices and outcome.

History records that all but one of the Apostles died horrific deaths at the hands of those who also conspired to crucify Jesus.  The most notable is the death of Peter, who asked to be crucified upside down, for he did not consider himself worthy of being crucified in the manner of his Lord.  Only John, it seems, escaped a gruesome death; it is believed he died of old age while exiled on Patmos Island.  The Apostles are appreciated not only for their witness to the Good News, but for their faithful witness to the Good News to the very end of their lives.

Journaling/prayer possibilities

Reflect on the story of the calling of the first disciples—Peter, James, and John.  Note what is ordinary about them.  Note, also, any indication of what is about to become extraordinary in and through their lives.  What do you receive in receiving the gift of the witness and teaching of the Apostles?  Offer thanks for their obedience and witness.  Consider the extraordinary hope and future God is bringing near to you as you follow Jesus.

Song

“Jesus Call Us o’er the Tumult” by Cecil Frances Alexander

Jesus call us o’er the tumult

Of our life’s wild restless sea;

Day by day I hear Him saying,

“Christian come and follow me.”

As, of old, disciples heard it

By the Galilean lake,

Turned from home and work and leisure,

Leaving all for His dear sake:

In our joys and in our sorrows,

Days of toil and hours of ease,

Still He calls in cares and pleasures,

“Christian, love me more than these.”

Jesus calls us: by Thy mercies,

Savior may we hear Thy call,

Give our hearts to Thine obedience,

Serve and love Thee best of all.

Benediction

May you hear the call that goes out to all people: “Follow me.”  May you respond with an open heart and grace-assisted discipleship.  May you offer your life in witness to the Good News, saying “send me” amid the dailyness of life.  Amen.

Tenth Day of Christmas

“On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…ten lords a leaping.”

Scripture

Psalm 119:9-16; Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 4:1-14; Mark 10:17-22

For Reflection 

Ever give or receive one of those “for the person who has everything” gifts?  What about a gift for a person who has nothing?  Or for a recently appointed leader?  Or for a couple just beginning their life journey together?  Or for a community plotting its course or a nation begin birthed?  Today’s gifts are perfect for these occasions.  Opening today’s gifts, we hark back to something familiarly old and are invited to embrace something promising enough to dramatically reshape our future.

The Ten Commandments may have done more than anything else to form the Hebrew people into a distinctive and cohesive people.  The Decalogue gave them unique identity.  It truly made them peculiar among neighboring nations.  The Ten Commandments formed the core of their covenant with the unseen Yahweh, the exclusive relationship with whom is the first of the Commandments.  Through the Ten Commandments, they became principled in their actions, successful in their dealings, and enduring in their posterity.

How we approach the Ten Commandments makes all the difference in how--or if--we incorporate them into our lives.  I learned them mostly as prohibitions and this is how most people think of them.  A bunch of “Thou shalt nots” is the lingering and negative impression.  An alternative approach is to explore the provision of each commandment.  What does each commandment affirm about life?  What does it uphold as valuable?  What does it preserve and promote?  Look for the covenant principles behind the “Thou shalt nots.”

E. Stanley Jones talked about the fact that we do not break the Ten Commandments, or any other God-given precepts.  Instead, we break ourselves upon them.  The commandment holds; we yield.  Richard Foster put forth the image of a life-giving river with boundaries.  When the boundaries are observed the river provides for many aspects of life.  When the banks are flooded and breached, it becomes a rampaging torrent leaving chaos in its path.  So it is when we venture beyond the Commandments.  The boundaries are not set because we cannot be trusted; it is that covenant life simply cannot survive beyond them.

What happens with the Ten Commandments in the New Testament?  The encounter with the rich young man in Mark 10 is indicative of the way Jesus interpreted the Ten Commandments and the Law.  Keeping them minimally or self-righteously may well miss the mark.  There is something beyond the letter of the law that is life giving; there is a spirit of the Commandment that invites us to an authentic and growing relationship to self, others, and God.  It is this life in the Spirit, with its hallmark of love, that brings the Ten Commandments into the realm of provision and affirmation of all that is life-giving.

So, the image of ten lords leaping in joyful dance fits the Ten Commandments.  They are "lords," holding power that impacts day-to-day aspects of our lives. But they are leaping because in the intent and fulfillment of their "rule" is joy. Put these together in life in the Spirit and you've got a celebration that is inviting and inspiring, indeed. 

Journaling/prayer possibilities

Open the Ten Commandments and read them separately and thoughtfully.  What likely principles or life-affirming values can you discern behind each one?  How are you incorporating the Ten Commandments into your life?  Which of the Commandments have implications for you in relationship to the larger community?  Offer thanks for the Commandments and for the Spirit who brings them to life within us and within our communities.

Song

“Father, Thy Merciful Design” by Charles Wesley

Father, Thy merciful design

We see and joyfully approve;

Thou kindly dost Thy laws enjoin

To make us happy in Thy love.

With joy we own the gracious end

For which Thy laws were all bestowed;

Thou dost each command intend

Our present and eternal good.

Benediction

May you find God’s commands gracious in intent, directive in decision-making, and sweet in fulfillment.  May they open to you a freedom not found elsewhere or before.  Amen.

Ninth Day of Christmas

“On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…nine ladies dancing.”

Scripture

Psalm 37:1-9; Galatians 5:16-26

For Reflection

Long awaited, Christmas Day came and went.  We lingered in its afterglow and looked forward to the New Year holiday.  Yesterday we enjoyed the first day of the year with a day off, the last of the season.  Today we look at a calendar that stretches before us with two full months of winter.  And yet we are still being equipped for this season of the spirit.  We are still receiving gifts on our way to Epiphany.  What we receive and incorporate into our lives may be invaluable for the journey ahead.

Behold today’s gift: a gracious fruit basket, the very finest quality and choice selections.  Unconditional love.  Surpassing joy.  Abiding peace.  Longsuffering patience.   Generous kindness.  Genuine goodness.  Sensitive gentleness.  Unflagging faithfulness.  Heart-guarding self-control.  Savor each one.  They are yours, every one.  Not something to strive toward, attain to, earn, or hope for.  They are part and parcel with the very Christian Spirit.

Unlike the gifts of the Spirit, which may be given diversely and selectively, all believers are graced with all the fruit of the Spirit.  Gifts of the Spirit are given as needed for unity in the body and for creating community.  But the fruit of the Spirit are core qualities given to every believer.  Gifts of the Spirit may come and go; the fruit of the Spirit are constant.

The extent to which this fruit are flourishing in our lives depends, in part, on how effective we are in dealing with what the Apostle Paul describes as “the sinful nature.”  The fruit of the Spirit is in sharp contrast to the acts of the sinful nature.  In Romans 7-8, Paul makes it clear that there is a major conflict between the sinful nature and the Spirit.  Demanding gratification for insatiable desires, the sinful nature leads one down a path of shame, self-destruction, and community chaos.  But there is a way of out of this trap: “Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

The other part in letting the fruit of the Spirit flourish in our lives is to “live by the Spirit,” be “led by the Spirit,” and “keep in step with the Spirit.”  The answer to the debauchery and topsy-turvy life led by the sinful nature is not the law.  Law-ish living sets up a façade that appears civil and righteous, but it is unable to contain, quell, or redirect warring passions.  The invitation to live by the Spirit is a way of the heart caught and taught as we draw near to God in faith.  We turn away from the demands of the sinful nature; we turn toward Christ and find our identity, belonging, and life-leadership in him.  As we let go of that which cannot change or save us, we wholeheartedly embrace the love of Christ that will never let us go and never cease to draw out the best in us.

The fruit of the Spirit are gifts for personal growth and for making a difference in the world.  Remember the prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury pardon, etc.”?  Living in or by the Spirit frees us from pettiness and self-absorption; we are free to look upward, outward, to serve, to care, to mend, to bridge.  And as we do, the fruit feeds us.  Love begets love.  Joy sows joy.  Gentleness begets gentleness.  These nine ladies dancing may well sweep us off our feet and into such a dance that we will never be satisfied standing on the sidelines again.

Journaling/prayer possibilities:

Reflect on this dynamic of turning away from the sinful nature and being led by the Spirit.  How is this essential conflict being resolved in your journey of faith?  Consider the fruit of the Spirit as essential resources given to you to make faith and discipleship possible; receive each one afresh.  Also imagine them as an ever-ready resource in the daily opportunities of decisions, relationship-building, conflict resolution, negotiations, etc.  Thank God for these gifts and for the opportunities to share them.

Song

“Eternal Life” by St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace:

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Benediction

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.  (Numbers 6:24-26)

Eighth Day of Christmas

“On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…eight maids a milking.”

Scripture

Psalm 46; Matthew 5:1-12

For Reflection

Opening the gifts from our True Love today, we come to the heart of the Good News shared and lived by Jesus Christ.  As only sharing apprehends the seven gifts of the Spirit, so the Beatitudes are most often perceived as blessing when we have lived through the tough circumstances to which they are the gracious response.  When we respond in Beatitude responses, we will know we have embraced today’s gifts.

Of all the twelve days of gifts, these are the most radical.  The Beatitudes go to the heart of our deepest passions and life circumstances.  They point to gut-wrenching realities of life: poverty and emptiness, loss and grieving, powerlessness and social contempt, spiritual hunger and yearning for right to prevail, seeing needy persons being treated unjustly and neglected, bitter division and violence, religious persecution, insults, gossip, and false accusations.  Only heaven-borne grace can conceive of and make possible the radical outlook and actions described in the Beatitudes.

It is one thing to learn the Beatitudes, to have memorized them and to be able to quote them.  This is often as far as it goes in Christian catechism or Sunday School.  But, like the Ten Commandments or the Lord’s Prayer, familiarity does not mean we understand them or joyfully cultivate them as a heart and life orientation beyond a merely formal and legal application.  Compliant and eager to be an ideal Christian as I was as a child, I remember inwardly revolting at most of the Beatitudes.  It was easier to just recite them and keep them as stained glass phrases.  As I have continued to revisit them, my understanding and appreciation has increased, but they are no less challenging forty years later.

The Beatitudes run counter to American machismo and status quo.  They unsettle the presumptions of consumer Christianity.  On the surface the Beatitudes seem to be a se-up for certain failure in society that apparently rewards rugged individualism, conformity to sameness, upward mobility, the appearance of mental or physical toughness, and a thoroughly materialistic and self-indulging orientation to value and action.  Dig deeper in the Beatitudes and it gets increasingly difficult to straddle kingdoms.  What emerges is that Jesus actually declares people blessed whom Western civilization has over the millennia come to despise or disparage.  The rest of Jesus’ ministry is one way or another verification that his is an upside down kingdom, an invitation to downward mobility, and an lifting up of all who sorrow, who are relegated to the margins.

Above all, the Beatitudes call for trust.  They call for what Brennan Manning names “ruthless trust.”  Because the blessedness or results described in the Beatitudes seem so far-fetched or distant, they call for ruthless trust in the invitation, worldview, Kingdom order, and certain future Jesus describes.  As Manning puts it: “Faith in the person of Jesus and hope in his promise means that his voice, echoing and alive in the Gospels, has supreme and sovereign authority over our lives.”  Does it get any more radical than that?

It is appropriate that the Beatitudes are received on the first day of the New Year.  And in this case they are received on the first day of a new decade.  So while we wish each other a Happy New Year, we might do better by offering each other a prayer for Beatitude grace.  Receive these eight maids a milking, these extraordinary gifts for the year’s journey.  And may we also receive the ruthless trust to see them come to fruition in our hearts, lives, and world.

Journaling/prayer possibilities

Turn the Beatitudes into prayers for those you know are in the circumstances they describe.  Who is poor, empty, at the end of themselves?  Who is grieving?  In need of mercy?  Persecuted?  Hungry for God and for justice?  Turn the Beatitudes into prayers for yourself.  This may be confession or petition.  Offer thanks for the promises of each Beatitude.  Embrace these deeply in expression of ruthless trust.

Song

Scandalon by Michael Card

The seers and the prophets had foretold it long ago,

That the long awaited One would make men stumble.

But they were looking for a king to conquer and to kill.

Who’d have ever thought He’d be so meek and humble?

He will be the Truth that will offend them one and all.

A stone that makes men stumble and a rock that makes them fall.

And many will be broken so that He can make them whole.

And many will be crushed and lose their own soul.

Along the path of life there lies this stubborn Scandalon

And all who come this way must be offended.

To some He is a barrier, to others He’s the way,

For all should know the scandal of believing.

He will be the Truth that will offend them one and all.

A stone that makes men stumble and a rock that makes them fall.

And many will be broken so that He can make them whole.

And many will be crushed and lose their own soul.

It seems today the Scandalon offends no one at all.

The image we present can be stepped over.

Could it be that we are like the others long ago?

Will we ever learn to listen and to stumble?

He will be the Truth that will offend them one and all.

A stone that makes men stumble and a rock that makes them fall.

And many will be broken so that He can make them whole.

And many will be crushed and lose their own soul.

Benediction

“Ruthless trust is an unerring sense, way deep down, that beneath the surface agitation, boredom, and insecurity of life, it is gonna be all right.  Ill winds may blow, more character defects may surface, sickness may visit, and friends will surely die; but a stubborn, irrefutable certainty persists that God is with us and loves us in our struggle to be faithful.  A nonrational, absolutely true intuition perdures that there is something unfathomably big in the universe, something that points to Someone who is filled with peace and power, love and undreamed of creativity; Someone who inevitably will reconcile all things to himself.”  Amen. -- Brennan Manning in Ruthless Trust

Seventh Day of Christmas

“On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me…seven swans a swimming.”

Scripture

Psalm 133; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

For reflection

We are half way on our spiritual journey to Epiphany.  We have received six precious gifts thus far: 1) Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh, God Incarnate.  2) The Old and New Testaments.  3) Faith, hope and love.  4) The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  5) The Pentateuch or Torah.  6) The days of creation.  What are we doing with these invaluable gifts?  Or, what are these gifts doing in us?  These are not the kind of gifts that lose their luster or wear out.  We may lose interest in them, but they never lose interest in us.  These Christmastide gifts are ones that keep on giving, ever beckoning, ever inviting us to receive them afresh and to be transformed.

Go ahead, open the seventh gift.  What is it?  Oh, it is a gift!  What is inside that gift?  Oh, another gift!  And what is inside THAT gift?  Hey, another gift!  And another.  And another.  And another.  And still another.  You get the feeling that you could keep opening boxes inside of boxes, gift upon gift.  Such is the multiplicity and diversity of spiritual gifts given by God.

The specific gifts recalled on the seventh day of Christmas since the sixteenth century are those listed in Romans 12: Prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, compassion.  Many more could be named.  But whatever the gift, it is vital to know this: spiritual gifts are given for the sake of empowering people of faith to join God in sharing Good News, bearing grace, and making real the anticipated Reign of God.

The spiritual gifts described in Romans 12, as well as in 1 Corinthians 12 and elsewhere throughout the Epistles, are essential gifts for forming, sustaining, and extending community.  Spiritual gifts are about community.  Not about personal advancement.  Not about possessing.  A spiritual gift is not a spiritual gift unless it is selflessly shared.  A community will be a thriving and vital community when graciously given gifts are freely and strategically shared.  What better follow-up to Christmas than for gifts, great and small, to be turned toward serving and building up the community?

It has become an inadvertent tradition in our household to keep a few opened gifts on the skirt around our Christmas tree for days after the 25th.  Big gifts get whisked away, played with, put on, plugged in.  But to this day a few small ones remain under the tree: a box of fireplace matches, a bottle of cologne, a bag of potpourri, a couple of games, a basket of crafts, a book, a flashlight, a quote a day calendar of the 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said.  Not the most expensive or desirable gifts, but useful ones just the same.  They remind me of the diversity and usefulness of spiritual gifts, particularly less desirable ones.

Like the faith, hope, and love received on the third day of Christmas, the gifts we receive today are spiritually perceived, inwardly apprehended, and entirely relational.  Perhaps we will never know our gifts, or what impact on a relationship, neighborhood, church, or community we can have until we start to serve, to give, to lead, to show mercy, to teach, to encourage, to declare what is burning in our hearts.  Why not start today?

Journaling/prayer possibilities

Have you observed or explored spiritual gifts?  If so or if not, reflect on the seven gifts listed today.  To what extent do you have opportunity to express, explore, or develop these or others?  Thinking of the upcoming New Year, build one or more gifts that you believe you have been given into your priorities and plans.  Be intentional about expressing gifts or they will be useless to you and others.  Offer thanks for whatever gifts you have or that you see in others.

Song

Because I Have Been Given Much by Grace Noll Crowell

Because I have been given much,

I too must give.

Because of Thy great bounty, Lord,

Each day I live.

I shall divide my gifts from Thee

With every brother that I see

Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed,

By Thy good care,

I cannot see another’s lack

And I not share

My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,

My roof’ safe shelter overhead,

That he too may be comforted.

Because love has been lavished so

Upon me, Lord,

A wealth I know that was not meant

For me to hoard,

I shall give love to those in need,

Shall show that love by word and deed:

Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

Benediction

And now may the Spirit which was in Jesus Christ be in me, enabling me to know God’s gifts and empowering me to share them freely.  Amen.