Christmas Eve 2020: Indescribable.

Isaiah 9:2-7 

The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light; 

Those who lived in a land of deep darkness–

On them light has shined. 

You have multiplied the nation, 

You have increased its joy; 

They rejoice before you

As with joy at the harvest, 

As people exult when dividing plunder. 

For the yoke of their burden,

And the bar across their shoulders, 

The rod of their oppressor, 

You have broken as on the day of Midian. 

For all the boots of the tramping warriors

And all the garments rolled in blood

Shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 

For a child has been born for us, 

A son given to us; 

Authority rests upon his shoulders; 

And he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

His authority shall grow continually, 

And there shall be endless peace

For the throne of David and his kingdom. 

He will establish and uphold it

With justice and righteousness

From this time onward and forevermore. 

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 

Luke 1:1-20 

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

John 1: 1-8

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own,and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

***

How do you describe the indescribable? 

An impossible question, really. Describe the indescribable? Isn’t it indescribable for a reason? 

But that doesn’t mean we don’t try to. Have you ever seen a breathtaking sunset and tried to tell someone about the light, color, and shadows? Or listened to a piece of music that spoke to your soul, and tried to relay to a loved one how it made you feel? Or witnessed a momentous event and tried your best to capture your emotions in words? 

Poets and songwriters have tried to describe the indescribable ideas of love, grief, or even the meaning of life itself. Taylor Swift describes love as something you “can hear in the silence / feel on the way home / see with the lights out.” Mary Oliver ruminates on grief with the words “Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us / even in the leafless winter / even in the ashy city.” John Keats sums life up with the line “beauty is truth, truth beauty–that is all.” 

Although the task is impossible, for as long as humans have communicated with language, we have tried to describe the indescribable. 

This is what the Gospel writer John is attempting to do in his prologue, this poetic musing on word and light and life. John is trying to put to words the ineffable reality of Immanuel–God with us, divinity meeting humanity. He doesn’t do so with a play-by-play description of the birth narrative, like Luke does. He doesn’t bother trying to connect the birth of the Messiah to the promises of Hebrew Scriptures, like Matthew does. John is trying to say Christ has always been. Christ is. Christ will be. He’s attempting to capture the entire history of salvation in one fell swoop. 

How do you describe that? 

For all his poetics and sweeping language, all his talk of word and wisdom, John gets to the very heart of the Christmas story with these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…[and] The Word became flesh.” There we have it, the true, indescribable miracle of Christmas: The Word became flesh. 

This is the ultimate truth of Christmas. God, the Divine, the everlasting Word, the true light…became human. 

Immanuel. God with us. Here. Now. In a very real way. 

Every single commentary I read on this passage warned me against trying to explain the incarnation, simply because it is unexplainable. It feels impossible. The divine being enfleshed in a human body? How? What? Why? Why would our glorious God choose to come and be with us? Why would God choose to enflesh the Divine in a baby? A baby born to common people, with little power? A young woman and her carpenter husband? None of it makes any logical sense. There is no good way to talk about this profound reality. 

And yet, perhaps that is the point. There is no way to capture the incarnation with words. And yet, we know exactly how it makes us feel. 

When Taylor Swift describes love or Mary Oliver describes grief or John Keats tries to make sense of life, they’re describing truths that are best known through feeling. The same is with John. All the poetics. All the imagery. What he says in this prologue to his Gospel. It tries to capture a deep truth that is best known through feeling. 

Perhaps we don’t have the words to describe what the incarnation, what Immanuel, truly means. But we feel the truth of it, do we not? We feel the profound love and hope, grace and glory that this truth floods our life with. The distinct feeling of knowing that God is with us is something that we cannot always describe in words. I mean try it. Right now. Say it out loud. Write it down. Send off a text message to a friend. Try to put into words, right now, how you feel when you think of the truth and promise of Christmas. 

What sort of words did you use? Loved? Hopeful? Inspired? Warm? Fuzzy? Excited? Did you say, “You know, I can’t quite put it into words?”

I’ll tell you the one word that I have been thinking about over and over: constant. This promise of God, this promise of Immanuel, this promise of Christmas. It feels constant. Like a cup of hot tea on a rainy day. Or your favorite cardigan that you wrap yourself up in. Like the unconditional love of family. The reality of God with us has been a constant in my life this year, something that has kept me tethered, rooted, and inspired even as this unpredictable year has unfolded. Like I said, words fail, but the thing is, our God is constant. 

Although we couldn’t meet in our church buildings, although we couldn’t fellowship with our church families, although work and schools, vacations and outings were closed and cancelled, although life as we know it was interrupted, the one thing that remained constant was God, and the hope and love that knowing Jesus brings. The constant of God with us. God never left us, because God never leaves us. God is always Immanuel, with us. 

Back at Easter I preached these words:  It’s still Easter. Today, I say this: It’s still Christmas. 

And just as I’m sure the miracle of the resurrection felt odd and out of place, so, too, does the miracle of the incarnation. This indescribable, yet totally real, miracle of the Word, flesh, of God, human. There is no darkness so great that stops the truth we feel at Christmas’ promise. There is no darkness so great that it overcomes the light of God. 

Nothing can get in the way of God. In Luke we’re told of all the challenges that faced Mary and Joseph as they prepared to welcome Jesus. A long trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem could not stop God from showing up. Not being able to find a room at the inn did not stop God from showing up. No amount of human fear or worry could stop God from showing up. Nothing could stop God from showing up. And on that first Christmas, Jesus was born, the Word became flesh. The promise of Immanuel was fulfilled. 

Because the truth is: God will always show up. God will always be with us. God will be with us for eternity. 

As we come to the end of this indescribable and unpredictable year,  I invite you to hold onto the indescribable feeling of Immanuel. Of God with us, that goes beyond all words. May this hope, this joy, this sacred love, this divine peace, be the constant in your life. May this promise of Christmas, a promise born as a little baby lying in a manger, be the light that shines so brightly in your life that nothing can overcome it.

And may you share this true light with the world. Whether you share it with poetic words and images and metaphors. Whether you share it by trying to make another feel the same way you do. Whether you share it simply by acting in a way that declares you know the truth and the promise of God–share it with the world. Share the uncontainable promise of Christmas. Make room for the indescribable truth: 

The Word became Flesh. 

God became human. 

Love came down to Earth. 

Immanuel. God with us. Evermore and evermore. 

Merry Christmas and Amen.

Topsy-Turvy Joy

Isaiah 61:1-4 

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

    because the Lord has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

    to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

    and release to the prisoners;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

    and the day of vengeance of our God;

    to comfort all who mourn;

to provide for those who mourn in Zion—

    to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

    the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

    the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

They shall build up the ancient ruins,

    they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

    the devastations of many generations.

Luke 1: 39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be[e] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary[f] said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name.

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.

He has helped his servant Israel,

    in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

***

Imagine. You’re a teenage Judean girl, betrothed to be married, and you’ve just been visited by an angel who tells you you’ve found favor with God, and are going to bear the Son of the Most High. This angel also tells you that your relative, who has been barren, is also to have a child, presenting you with two miracles in one day. 

What would you be feeling? Fear? Awe? Confusion? Calmness? Inspiration? Doubt? Worry? Joy?

We don’t know all that Mary was feeling after the annunciation of Jesus’ birth, but we do know that she had a spark of joy in her heart. Whatever else she was feeling, Luke makes it clear that she allowed joy to take over. She needed to celebrate. She, carrying the burgeoning good news, needed to go and share. 

So, she runs to her relative, Elizabeth, who is about six months pregnant with her own miraculous child. Elizabeth, who may just understand the incredible joy Mary is experiencing at this moment. Elizabeth, who may understand the most what Mary is feeling, and who will not judge her for her pregnancy. 

The two women, both touched by miraculous divinity, meet. Elizabeth’s baby, who we know to be John the Baptist, “leaped in her womb,” and the two women have a joyful scene. Elizabeth declares Mary to be blessed among women. Mary, in turn, declares praise to the Lord, in a song we see in verses 46-55. “My soul magnifies the Lord,” begins Mary’s joyful song. “My Spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” 

In the meeting of these two women, joy abounds. 

But we should know that their shared joy is so much wider and deeper than the shared joy of two people experiencing pregnancy. This is not just a baby shower where expectant parents swap stories or ask about how tired the other is. This is so much more than a joyful conversation about morning sickness or swaddling techniques or swollen ankles or how to make a home ready for a little one. 

This is the joy of two people, realizing that what God has promised them is about to come true. This is the joy of two people realizing that God is breaking into the world. That Immanuel, God with us, is about to literally be true. That the world is about to turn upside down, become topsy-turvy, because God is coming. See, it’s not the expectation of pregnancy that causes them the most joy. It’s the expectation of a coming Savior, the expectation of God’s promise fulfilled, that brings them the most joy. 

This is seen in the words of both women. First, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, says, “Mary, you are blessed! Your child is blessed! Who am I that the mother of my Lord comes and visits me? Even my child leaped for joy! This promise is being fulfilled!” Elizabeth’s joyful words are the recognition of God at work in the world. Past any judgement, past any worry, past any fear for her young relative is the joy that comes at recognizing the truth. Our God is coming, just as God has promised. Let us celebrate. 

Mary’s Song, also known as the Magnificat, goes deeper into why this is such a joyful promise. It’s not just that God will come and walk among God’s people, it’s not just that Immanuel will be here with us, it’s not just that people will get to know God face to face, it’s that the Savior is coming. The Savior of the people. The Messiah who will lead the people in truth and righteousness. The One who will turn the world topsy-turvy so the wolf and lamb, leopard and goat, lion and calf will dwell together. Who will usher in a time when harm and destruction are no more. When everything is made right. 

This is the joy that undergirds Mary’s song. 

She’s not joyful because she, alone, has been chosen to be blessed. She’s joyful because she, and all, are blessed by God’s imminent coming. Everything is about to be made right, she can feel it. The poor will be lifted up, the mighty brought low. The hungry fed, the rich sent away with empty bellies. 

The scripture we read from Isaiah is parallel to the Magnificat in that it speaks of a joy rooted in the world being turned all topsy-turvy. In fact, the passage from Isaiah, where it talks about release to the captives, good news to the oppressed, liberation, and proclamation of the Lord’s favor is directly connected to the practice of Jubilee, where, in the 50th year, liberation was declared. Every man has his properties and possessions returned. Every man returned to his family. Freedom, generosity, liberation. 

Now, if the Isaiah text sounds familiar to you, it’s because the same text is quoted in Luke, Chapter 4, when Jesus is in his home temple. By the time Jesus is preaching to the people, and especially by the time Luke wrote his Gospel, the Year of Jubilee Isaiah talks about was seen as a promise of God, rather than a regular practice of the people. 

All of this is to say, the joy that abounds in the scripture of Mary and Elizabeth is rooted firmly in their understanding of what would happen when God came into this world. God’s coming will bring justice, righteousness, truth, liberty, and freedom. God’s coming will turn the world on its head. 

I wonder, how does this promise strike you? How does the promise that God is going to come and turn everything on its head make you feel? Does it fill you with joy? Or do you feel something else? Maybe fear? 

For some, finding the joy in the words of the Magnificat or the promise of Isaiah 61 can be hard. “Send the rich away empty!” “Tear the powerful from their thrones!” “Proclaim liberty! Release prisoners!” These sound like extreme words. Send the rich away empty? But didn’t the rich earn their money just like the rest of us? Why must they be punished for their hard work? Tear the powerful from their thrones? If there is no one in a seat of power, who will lead us? Proclaim liberty sounds fine, but release the prisoners? Are they not prisoners for a reason? These words may certainly sound fine to those who want something, even if it’s for nothing, but what about all of us good, upstanding citizens who follow the rules and do what we need to do and live in this world comfortably? How could these words possibly be joyful for us? Aren’t they more of a threat? 

You know, maybe they are. These words of joy are threatening, in some ways. They don’t threaten our lives, but they threaten the way we know life to be. The point of God coming into the world is not that God will ordain and confirm the world as it is. We know that can’t be the case because so much of the world is broken. Instead, God will turn the world into what it should be. God will heal the world to make sure that it works well for everyone, not just some. And, when some of that healing means turning things upside down and inside out, it doesn’t feel joyful, at first. 

In her book, This Far by Faith: 20 Years at Cass Community, Rev. Faith Fowler, pastor of Cass Community United Methodist Church and Executive Director of Cass Community Social Services in Detroit talks about the idea of “Not in My Backyard.” A common mantra among people who are used to things being a specific way: “In reality, there are plenty of things I’d prefer to keep out of my backyard–like residents of the zoo’s reptile house or an angry armed militia or unsupervised birthday parties for children under seven,” Rev. Fowler writes. But, “the difficulty is that the undesirable things most ‘Not in My Backyard’ people organize against are things that we need…like…halfway houses, rehab facilities, methadone clinics, adult foster care homes, and low-income housing.” Rev. Fowler goes on to write about how, in 1995, Cass Community was granted money to establish Michigan’s first Safe Haven for homeless men with mental illness. They ran into problems with one building, and had to look for another. They found one. But then the Community Association said, “Not in My Backyard.” It didn’t matter that the program was small and Cass was committed to being good neighbors. They didn’t want it. No one did. Not in My Backyard after Not in My Backyard after Not in My Backyard was said to them. Until, finally, they found a building. 

In that building, Cass Community was able to establish their programming, as well as another transitional housing program. They built a garden so residents could enjoy the outdoors. And, as Cass Community grew, so did the impact of its residents–who helped with neighborhood cleanup and beautification projects. The fact is, when given the opportunity to do something that uplifted those in need, the entire neighborhood was blessed for it. All those “Not in My Backyarders” missed out on the joy that came with letting Cass in their backyard. They missed out on the joy that came when comforts were confronted and life as they knew it was disrupted a little. On the other side of that disruption came something joyful. 

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to joy is fear. We cannot always get to the joy because we give into irrational fears. We don’t know what happens if we disrupt our way of life, if we turn things on their head, live into a little bit of topsy-turvy change, and so we don’t take the risk or the chance to see what comes of it. Not in My Backyarders were afraid of who would come to their community if Cass set up a Safe Haven shelter, so they stood against it being brought into their communities. Imagine if Mary had given into fear and said “No,” when the angel Gabriel visited her? Or if she had been afraid of others knowing and hid herself away for nine months, visiting no one? What if she hadn’t celebrated the joy of God’s Promised One coming to turn the world on its head? 

Certainly, our Christmas story would sound different. 

As we continue to walk on the path toward Bethlehem, I invite you to consider where you can find joy? What sort of disruption, what sort of topsy-turvy move do you have to make in order to get to the joy that God promises? The joy that benefits all people? What sort of fears do you have that may be holding you back from experiencing the fullness of joy that God can offer? I invite you to think about these things on an individual level, a church-wide level, and a political level. What sorts of fears are holding you back from seeing or experiencing a fullness of joy that God has to offer to us? 

Mary, for all the reasons she had to feel anything but Joy, was still joyful after the annunciation of Jesus’ birth. She was still filled with the spark of joy that comes when God’s promises and God’s truth are being realized. The joy that comes when it is clear God is going to come in turn the world topsy-turvy, make everything right. This season, may we cling to the joy that comes when we trust in God’s promise. The joy of God’s love being made known, God’s salvation being rung in. May we cling to a sort of topsy-turvy joy, trusting that, even when things feel fearful or threatening, that God’s plan is at work.

A Christian Case Against the Death Penalty

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NRSV)

Let me write that again, in a different translation.

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing–nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable–absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way Jesus our Master has embraced us. Romans 8:38-39 (The Message)

I keep reflecting on these words as news of another federal execution reached me on December 10th. Another. After 16 years of not carrying out federal executions, the government has carried out 9 in 2020. A 10th is scheduled for today.

The words of Romans 8:38-39 echoed in my mind as I read a statement from the family of Todd and Stacie Bagley, a couple of youth minsters who were robbed and killed by four young adults in 1999, after the execution of Brandon Bernard, one of the men convicted in their murder:

“I pray that Brandon has accepted Christ as his Savior, because if he has, Todd and Stacie will welcome him into Heaven with love and forgiveness. God will forgive us for our sins, but the consequences of our sin will always play out.”

In other words, “We can kill this man, because he first killed. God will forgive him, but only if he first accepted God.” Kind of the ultimate “We’ll just let God figure it out.” Right?

On the surface, this statement seems like it’s full of grace. The man, when dead, would be accepted with love and forgiveness by those whose murder he participated in (caveat: if he has accepted God by the time of lethal injection), and God will forgive him his sins. What’s being masked, however, is a much darker theology. We on Earth don’t have to work through grace toward forgiveness and reconciliation, because that’s not our job.

I’ve long struggled with American acceptance of the death penalty, and, particularly, the American Christian’s acceptance of it, whether active or passive. How can we, as people who claim to love God and have Christ in our heart, accept a policy that so clearly denies the teachings of God and Christ? Isn’t one of the top 10 commandments we are given “Thou shall not kill?” Aren’t we commanded to turn the other cheek when someone wrongs us? Do we not follow the teachings of a Messiah who invited prostitutes and tax collectors and sinners to his table? Do we not believe in a Savior who, while being crucified by the state, pardoned and forgave a thief hanging next to him? Do we not believe the words of Romans 8:38-39, that there is absolutely nothing we can do, no sin so great, that we cannot be reached by God’s love?

How could any good Christian accept the death penalty?

I am lucky that I am a pastor within a church that takes a clear stance on the death penalty. Paragraph 164.G in the United Methodist Book of Discipline clearly states our denominational social principle:

“We believe the death penalty denies the power of Christ to redeem, restore, and transform all human beings. The United Methodist Church is deeply concerned about crime throughout the world and the value of any life taken by a murder or homicide. We believe all human life is sacred and created by God and therefore, we must see all human life as significant and valuable. When governments implement the death penalty (capital punishment), then the life of the convicted person is devalued and all possibility of change in that person’s life ends. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the possibility of reconciliation with Christ comes through repentance. This gift of reconciliation is offered to all individuals without exception and gives all life new dignity and sacredness. For this reason, we oppose the death penalty (capital punishment) and urge its elimination from all criminal codes.”

Perhaps you’ll say I’m biased. Perhaps you’ll simply write me off as socially liberal. But, I truly believe that this stance is, unequivocally, the only right Christian stance regarding the death penalty. It is to be opposed. Undeniably. Unequivocally. Opposed.

The death penalty is antithetical to and incompatible with Christian teaching, and therefore its existence should be a problem for Christians. First, ends a human life. A problem for two reasons. It passes judgement on a child of God and treats that child of God as less than human. The death penalty makes a statement that someone is beyond forgiveness, beyond grace, beyond the reach of God. This, as we can read in Paul’s words from Romans, is not true. No one is beyond the reach of God’s love and grace. This is a teaching Christian communities put forth quite often, particularly when it comes to absolving someone of their past actions. They messed up. God will forgive them. God still loves them. If Christian communities can use this logic to say a pastor who abused and harassed people, cheated on their spouse, or stole money from the church can be forgiven through Christ, then certainly they can extend the thought to those who committed even the most unthinkable of crimes. The death penalty only affirms that we believe someone is beyond forgiveness and grace.

Furthermore, we believe that all humans are created in the image of God, that all humans reflect God in this world, that all humans are beloved children of God. Because of this assertion, we are called to love them and care for them, regardless of our relationship with them. Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies. A strong word, but a stark reminder that even those who harm us, hurt us, or betray us are, too, made in the image of God. No matter how distorted that image may be, it is still present in them and they are still capable of redemption, when redemptive grace is offered to them. We are called to love. We are not called to rejoice in suffering.

Which is the second Christian problem with the death penalty. It encourages rejoicing in suffering. The practice of the death penalty–and, really, our larger retributive justice system as a whole–is that it encourages and ordains vengeance. It says “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life.” Which, again, is antithetical to Christian teaching. Jesus asks us to turn the other cheek, to offer the coat off our backs. We struggle with this particular call as Christians, a lot. Perhaps it’s because turning the other cheek, offering ourselves up for hurt again, simply strikes us as weak. We don’t want to be trodden all over. We want to be seen as strong and capable. But turning the other cheek is not weak. Instead, it is an incredible show of strength that says, “You have hurt me, but I am not going to hurt you back.” It interrupts what could become a dangerous cycle of violence and suffering. Instead of causing more suffering, we show care. Instead of rejoicing in one’s downfall, we offer the chance to be uplifted. We take a deep breath in, acknowledging the pain and loss we have felt at their hands, and we take a risky step of love toward healing.

Finally, the death penalty lends itself well to an incomplete theology of forgiveness, which Christians should question. This incomplete theology is reflected in the statement of the Bagley’s families. If Brandon Bernard has accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, then when he dies both his victims and God will forgive him. Not an untrue statement, but an incomplete one. Such a theology of forgiveness absolves us here on Earth of our need to forgive. It negates the words of Jesus in Matthew 18 , where Peter asks Jesus “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? Seven times?” and Jesus answers, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times” (21-22). For those listening to Jesus, and for Matthew’s first audience, seventy-seven is not a numerical limit, but a number meant to say, “Forgive every time. An unlimited amount of times. Make the practice of forgiveness your lifestyle.” Peter does not ask Jesus “How often does God forgive me when I sin? How wide is God’s forgiveness?” Peter asks “Lord, how often do I forgive? In this day, this time, this moment, this life?” The death penalty does not reflect a Christian lifestyle of forgiveness.

All of this is to say, the Christian stance on the death penalty is cut-and-dry. It should not exist. We should unequivocally oppose the fact that it does exist. We should speak out against it and actively work to dismantle it.

It is, after all, completely incompatible with all of our teachings.

Active Preparation

Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

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Mark doesn’t waste any time. From the very beginning this Gospel is clear: This is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God. Any questions? Forget the long genealogy, like Matthew, Forget framing this good news as a historical story, like Luke. Forget the poetics of Diviness, like John. Mark is clear. Let’s get down to business, he says. This is the story of Jesus. Son of God. And this is Good News.

Mark then immediately launches into a narrative of Jesus’ emergence into ministry, beginning with a narration about John the Baptizer. Though Mark does not offer any familial connection, like Luke does, he does connect the ministry of John and Jesus. Like in other Gospel narratives, Mark portrays John as someone who is preparing people for the arrival of Jesus. “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me. Stay tuned!” He says. “I’m baptizing you with water. He’ll baptize you with the Holy Spirit. I’m merely getting you in the right space for change. He’s actually going to change you!”

Even as he gets down to business, Mark wants his readers to know, Jesus is someone they need to get ready for. They need to be in the right space for. Receiving this life changing good news means undergoing some preparation, so they will be open to their lives being absolutely and totally changed.

There are very few things in life that don’t require preparation, right? When you’re cooking dinner, you have to prepare all the food. Cut up vegetables, season meat, measure out ingredients. In school, when you’re writing a paper, you don’t just sit down and write it out of thin air. You do research and find sources that inform the point you’re trying to make. Adopting a new pet takes preparation. You have to make sure you have food bowls, pillows, a vet, and a lot more.

What’s something that you’ve had to prepare for?

You know, my sophomore year of college I studied abroad in Ireland. I was very excited for the opportunity, but I had a lot of things that I needed to do to prepare myself for the experience. I had to make sure my passport was up to date, apply for a student visa, get a credit card that had no international fees, find a cell phone that could be used abroad, and then go about figuring out how to fit four months of life into a 50 pound suitcase, a carry-on, and a backpack. There was a lot of preparation that I had to do before I studied abroad. I couldn’t simply hop on a plane and go.

Everything we do in life requires some sort of preparation. Our faith is no different.

Think of the ways that you were prepared to walk a life of faith. If you were a child and grew up in the church, you probably attended Sunday School, where you heard some of the important narratives from our Holy Text. If you have been baptized, there was preparation for that event, either for your parents or, if you were old enough, for yourself. In some Christian traditions, like Catholicism, children prepare to take their first communion. And, depending on your denominational tradition, maybe you attended classes in order to prepare for membership in the church.

In many ways, living a life of faith is like living in a constant state of preparation. We must constantly prepare ourselves for the Good News of Christ. We must constantly prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of God. Yes, we are asked to prepare the world for these two things as well. But, in order to truly prepare the world, we must show we are preparing our hearts, too. If we just talk the talk, but we don’t walk the walk; if we just proclaim Jesus, but we don’t claim Jesus; if we just say “Prepare ye,” without showing we, too, are preparing, then why would anyone want to walk this path with us?

This is what the Scripture passage from Mark is about today. In this passage, we see John preach about repentance and the forgiveness of sins. “Come, be renewed, be baptized!” he says. Through this declaration, he is inviting the people into a renewed relationship with God. He’s inviting them to remember the covenant that they have with God, a covenant where the people promise to stay faithful and God promises to stay with them. John is inviting them to repent of their sins, to repent of the times they were not faithful to God, remember the covenant, refocus their lives, and reorient their hearts. This, in turn, will prepare them for the Good News of Jesus. If the people repent, remember, refocus, and reorient, then they will be open to the Good News.

Repent. Remember. Refocus. Reorient. These are the preparatory actions that we, too, can take in order to open our hearts more and more to the Good News of Christ. To prepare for the day that Christ will come again.

If you couldn’t tell from our scripture today, repentance is a big action that we are asked to undertake. It’s probably the most important act of preparation when we are getting ready to receive the Good News of Christ. See, we have all sinned in one way or another. We’ve all strayed away from God’s vision for this world. We’ve all turned away from our relationships with God and others in some way or another. And so, we all need to repent of something. It’s important to remember that repentance is more than just saying “sorry” or asking for forgiveness. Repentance is not that easy. It requires us to dig deep and confront the harmful actions we have perpetuated, or the pain that we have caused. In other Gospels, that give a little more focus to John the Baptist, we see him call out specific behaviors and people, saying things like “Brood of vipers! Bear fruit worthy of repentance!”

In order to truly undergo repentance, we have to turn inward and call ourselves a brood of vipers, sometimes. We have to ask the questions like, “What have I done that is not in line with what God calls me to do? Have I treated others poorly? Overlooked those on the margins? Have I stood by while others caused harm? Have I been too afraid to confront injustice? Have I been too comfortable with how things are that I don’t want to change?” These are necessary questions that help us turn back to God. Which is what repentance is, truly, a complete 180, a turning back to God. Repentance is about returning to God’s vision for the world. Of course, even when we repent, we will not act perfectly. But if we repent, then we prepare our hearts for the Good News of Christ, because we are keeping our eyes on God’s way of truth and goodness.

Now, you may have noticed that remembrance, refocusing, and reorientation are all intertwined with repentance. In fact, all of these preparatory behaviors belong with each other. It’s through remembering that we are the people of Christ, and that we are tasked with spreading the Good News of God’s love throughout all the world, that we can wake ourselves to those moments we have actually turned away from God. When something happens and we remember what God has called us to do and who God has called us to be, we can then see the ways in which we have or have not lived into that calling. Repentance and remembrance invite us to refocus on God’s vision for the world. We are reminded that God has a plan, and we are meant to stay in tune with that plan and keep that plan clear in our minds, so that the world can be prepared for it. Through this we will reorient our lives to better follow God.

You know, sometimes we are like a person who gets lost in the woods and thinks that they know the way out. And so, without looking at a map or a compass, they wander aimlessly, sure of their own path, until they discover they are just more lost. It’s when they get out a compass or a map, reorient themselves with where they are, and then follow the direction of those tools, that they get out of the woods. God is like our compass, God’s vision, our map. When we reorient ourselves to what God wants, then we are better prepared to receive and share the Good News.

Whenever we enter into a church season, like Advent, we are reminded that faith takes constant preparation. We’re never not preparing. We’re never not undergoing these actions of repentance, remembrance, refocusing, and reorientation. We are always doing something that points us toward the hope we hold for the world, our hope in God’s vision of love, joy, and peace. We’re constantly being reminded that the Sunday School classes we attended as children are not the sole preparation for living in God’s Kingdom. We’re constantly being reminded that a life of faith is a life of preparation.

And so, during this season of Advent, I invite you to think about how you can live into the behaviors of repentance, remembering, refocusing, and reorientation. How can you constantly return to God’s vision for the world, do a 180 from your own way to God’s way? Pray a prayer of confession and illumination? Journal about the things you’ve done that you’re not proud of? Seek forgiveness from someone you have hurt?

How can you remember that you are God’s, and that God has tasked you with an important purpose? Singing some hymns? Taking communion on this Sunday morning? What can you do to refocus on God’s vision for the world? Write down one word in the morning and reflect on it throughout the day? Write down the 10 Commandments or the Greatest Commandments, and intentionally try to live them out in your day to day life? How can you reorient yourself with God? Through your prayer? Through being present with those you love? Through reading some passages of scripture as often as you can? Or challenging yourself by reading a book that talks about the needs of the world?

I encourage you to use this Advent season as a season of preparation. A season where you continuously prepare your hearts and your minds and your spirits to receive the Good News of Christ. A season to pay attention to where God is in your life, and keep awake to where God is calling you.

Because our life is full of preparation. We prepare to go on trips. We prepare to have guests over (when it’s safe to do so). We prepare food to cook. We prepare to adopt pets.

But certainly the most important thing we can prepare for is the Good News of Christ and the Coming Kingdom of God.

And so, let us use this season as an opportunity to prepare for the Good News, knowing that when we are prepared, we can better prepare the world.

Thanks be to God.