Unity Church of Castro Valley
Sunday Message for November 30, 2008
Partnership with God
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. This is a very special and holy time of the year. Let our invocation this week be, "Here am I, God. In this season of waiting and wondering, I open myself to you. Let us share our strength as we embrace each day."
The season of Advent has been set aside as a time of preparation since the 6th century and marks the beginning of the Christmas season and the Church year for most Western churches. The word "Advent" means "arrival" or "coming" in Latin and represents the approach of Christ's birth and fulfillment of the prophecies about that event. It is composed of the four Sundays before Christmas day, starting on the Sunday closest to November 30th, which is the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, and ending on Christmas.
Today is special because it is the beginning of a new season. We call this season "Advent." It is a time when we get ready, preparing ourselves for the coming of the Christ Child. We should get our hearts ready by thinking about Him. We should become "expecters." What we are doing right now around our Advent wreath is a way of preparing for Christmas.
(Light the first candle.) I light this candle on the first Sunday in Advent to remind us that we must prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child.
This is the candle of Hope. Hope is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at the light of this candle we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 9:2, 6-7: "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. 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 with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this"
This candle is symbolic of the long years of waiting and hoping. The prophets, inspired by God, kept reminding the people to look forward to the coming of the Messiah.
(Isaiah 40:3, 5) "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed."
PRAYER:
God of Abraham and Sarah and all the Patriarchs of old, you are our Father too. Your love is revealed to us in Jesus Christ, Son of God, and Son of David. Help us in preparing to celebrate his birth, to make our hearts ready and to place our hope in you. Help us today and every day to worship you, to hear your word, and to do your will by sharing your hope with others. We ask it in the name of the one who was born in Bethlehem. Amen.
THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY
(Luke 1:26-38) "
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
The virgin's name was Mary.
And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God."
Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her."
Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest, said, "If I claim one guiding principle for my life, it is to say yes to unusual propositions and see what happens." She was talking about her personal journey in Women of the Word: Contemporary Sermons by Women Clergy. But her words reveal her as a kindred spirit to her sister Mary who received an unusual proposition of her own generations earlier. Gabriel's proposition was not merely unusual but unbelievable. Unimaginable. Almost inconceivable.
Mary of Nazareth, barely beyond childhood herself was called by God to bear a child of her own. She was probably about 14 years old. Mary, who by her own account had not known the touch of a man, was asked to perform the intimate task of carrying a child within her own body.
People have often interpreted Mary's response to the angel Gabriel's invitation as unquestioning obedience and humility. They have held Mary up as a model of passivity for all women.
Yet, if you listen closely, you can hear the voice of a strong, active woman. This is a woman who dared to question Gabriel. This is a woman whom Gabriel did not leave until she had spoken her words of acceptance.
She said, "Let it be." The words sound like whispers to ears that have always heard them as inevitable, as the only possible response to a demanding God.
But if we draw closer, if we draw back the veil that has obscured Mary's humanity, if we listen to the one who bore divinity out of her own womanliness, what do you think you would hear?
MARY'S STRENGTH
In the Bible, Mary's story begins with the greeting of an angel. So we learn something important about Mary - she is a woman who listens to angels. This puts her in good company. Abraham, Jacob, and Moses all listened to angels.
"Peace be with you," the angel says to her. Mary is receptive to something magnificent, and God is receptive to her. The act of divine interest and grace contains two promises. First, God will share strength with Mary. Second, the very name Yahweh is a promise of strength and an assurance of fidelity. Bärbel von Wartenberg-Potter in The Power We Celebrate writes, "It is given in the phrase, "I stand by your side with all that I have and all that I am, with all my strength" and "you will always be able to count on me!""
With such promises in safekeeping, who could fail to be strong? This, then, is the basis of Mary's strength and daring.
So think about it. What unusual propositions have you received in your life? How have you responded?
How would you respond to an unusual proposition if you knew what it means to "share strength" with God?
MARY'S REAL DANGER
So, for a lot of us, reading or hearing the story of Mary is like reading or hearing a story of which we already know the ending. We know that Joseph is not going to abandon her and that he is not going to throw her to the wolves.
In that era and that culture the penalty for a betrothed virgin being with child by a third party was, after all, death. But we know that everything is going to be all right.
So there is not sufficient awe in us at the incredible courage of this young woman, who said what she said, "May it happen to me as you have said."
Just for a moment imagine the story as if you didn't know the ending.
What do you think of the danger of Mary's decision - the risk she took of being ridiculed, ostracized, or killed?
How does this danger change the impact of her response?
HOW DID SHE AGREE?
I would like to read you something about Mary of Nazareth by Denise Levertov from the book Breathing the Water:
This was the minute no one speaks of,
when she could still refuse.
A breath unbreathed,
Spirit,
suspended,
waiting.
She did not cry, "I cannot, I am not worthy,"
nor, "I have not the strength."
She did not submit with gritted teeth,
raging, coerced.
Bravest of all humans,
consent illumined her.
The room filled with its light,
the lily glowed in it,
and the iridescent wings.
Consent,
courage unparalleled,
opened her utterly.
So ask yourself, as you make difficult decisions, what are your thoughts and feelings?
Think back, when has someone asked you to do something that seemed impossible, beyond your capabilities, or something that might alienate others?
What consequences are you willing or unwilling to endure in making decisions?
ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
In the book Miryam of Nazareth, Ann Johnson writes:
My soul trembles in the presence of the loving Creator
and my spirit prepares itself to walk hand in hand
with the God who saves Israel
because I have been accepted by God
as a simple helpmate.
Yes, forever in the life of humankind
people will sing of this loving encounter;
through remembering this moment, the faithful
will know all things are possible in God.
Holy is the place within me where God lives.
God's tender fingers reach out from age to age
to touch the softened inner spaces of those
who open their souls in hope.
I have experienced the creative power of God's embracing arms
and I know the cleansing fire of unconditional love.
I am freed from all earthly authority
and know my bonding to the Author of all earthly things.
So, ask yourself, what encounters have enabled you to know the possibilities in God?
What places within you long for God's touch?
CO-CREATE
Whether or not we ever experience physical pregnancy, God calls us to give birth to the holy in our lives. Therefore, we are brothers and sisters of Mary and share in her sacred creativity. Like Mary, God invites us to be "co-creators" as we continually seek to bring Christ into the world.
Dorri Sherrill, in her sermon "The Annunciation," writes, "God invites us all to be God-bearers, to reveal God's love and grace, to embody God to the world... We are invited to continue the incarnation, which was not a once-and-for-all event, but rather a process; something that continues still, a continual coming of God in Christ to be present to us."
God invites us. And like Mary, we choose. The call to bear Christ in us does not ask for passive acceptance, for passivity will not provide the strength to survive the birth. The call does not demand conformity or unquestioning submission, because, as Mary discovered, agreeing to bear the Christ often requires stepping outside societal boundaries and asking, "How can this be?" In the shadows of Mary's assent to "let it be" lies the possibility that she - or we - can choose to let it not be. God leaves the choosing to us.
Co-creating with God, being in partnership with God, bringing forth the Christ...what do these images mean to you?
How do these images challenge, affirm, disturb, or welcome you?
WHAT ABOUT JOSEPH?
What about the man who is to marry her, Mary of Nazareth? He stood by Mary because he too has heard the voice of God and he too believes that Mary's submission to God's purposes will bring new life to the whole human community.
Joseph too is going against custom and tradition when he takes a pregnant woman for his wife. We never stop to think how embarrassing his own position is. What will his parents say? What will his friends say?
Here is a man who stood in solidarity with a woman he loved and trusted. A man who had an ear tuned to what God is saying to him and to the world. Does the story have a message for us?
Think back, what men stand in solidarity with you, going against custom and tradition to be with you or work with you?
Where do you find support for your decisions?
THE CHRIST IS BORN IN YOU
When all is said and done, in the tradition, angels are messengers of God. Winged words. Hovering visitations. They are the medium through which God touches our lives. But we must be alert for their arrival, open to hear their words.
In this season especially, we are invited to be alive to their nearness, anticipating their arrival in our time. Who then are our angels that come to us, as it were, out of the clear blue sky? Who in our lives are the messengers of God? Who are those around us - spouse, children, parents, friends, colleagues, members of the congregation, strangers - who come to us as the medium through which God wishes to touch our lives? Have we eyes capable of the simple vision and hearts capable of the wonder needed to discern what they have to say?
What are you feeling at the close of this first week of Advent?
In the midst of the advertisements, activities, and frantic pace that accompany the holiday season, how do you prepare a place within yourself to hear the news of the season - that the Christ is coming and seeks to be born in you?
Who brings this message to you?
God is with you, favored one! As this sacred season begins, may you know God as an intimate partner. May your knowing enable you to imagine the unimaginable and to conceive the unexpected.
Let it be your way.
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; Isaiah 40:3, 5; Luke 1:26-38
REFERENCE: Women of the Word: Contemporary Sermons by Women Clergy; The Power We Celebrate Bärbel von Wartenberg-Potter; Compassionate and Free: An Asian Woman's Theology Marianne Katoppo; Breathing the Water Denise Levertov; Miryam of Nazareth Ann Johnson; Who Will Roll the Stone Away Mercy Oduyoye; The Vigil Wendy M. Wright; Sacred Journeys Jan L. Richardson
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