Sermon 12-21-03
As A Little Child
William Willimon, dean of the chapel at Duke University, questions: Don’t
you find it interesting that when the great Lord, the Creator of the
universe, the One who hung the stars in the heavens and set the planets
spinning in their courses, when this great God chose to come among us he
chose to come to us as a baby? And when that baby grew up, he told those who
would be his disciples, “You cannot enter my kingdom unless you turn and
become as a little child.”
Competitiveness and Women
In the musical, My Fair Lady, the leading male character asks, "Why can't a
woman be more like a man?" I'm not certain the world now needs a new crop of
competitive, masculine women. The world has enough of competition, jousting
for honored places, dog eat dog, crawl, scratch and kick your way to the top
of the pile. That lifestyle is what causes wars and always has. Perhaps the
question for our day is, "Why can't a man be more like a woman," more
cooperative than competitive, more intimate than public, more accepting of
others than needing to parade the colors, wave the sword, and perpetually
seek to prove who's number one?
In short, why can't a man be more like Mary.
Humble people are those who feel unworthy of any blessing or honor bestowed
upon them. The shepherds would never have considered themselves worthy of
hearing the good news from the angel and the choir of angels nor of seeing
the Christ Child. In 1979 a Roman Catholic nun, Mother Teresa, was given the
Nobel Peace Prize. Most of her adult life was spent ministering to the poor
and diseased in Calcutta, India. She accepted the prize with the comment, "I
am unworthy." The humble person receives at Christmas the greatest prize of
Christ and responds likewise, "I am unworthy."
Our humble God comes to humble people like the shepherds who know they are
outcasts because of their sins. It is a paradox that the best people
consider themselves the worst sinners. The greatest leader of Israel, Moses,
was told by God at the burning bush to remove his sandals for he was on holy
ground. His sandals represented his sinfulness. The great prophet, Isaiah,
confessed, "I am a man of unclean lips." The great Christian, Paul,
confessed that he was "chief of sinners."
When the funeral cortege of Charlemagne came to the cathedral, they were
shocked to find the gate barred by the bishop. "Who comes?" shouted the
bishop. The heralds answered, "Charlemagne, Lord and King of the Holy Roman
Empire!" Answering for God, the bishop replied, "Him I know not! Who comes?"
The heralds, a bit shaken, answered, "Charles the Great, a good and honest
man of the earth!" Again the bishop answered, "Him I know not. Who comes?"
Now completely crushed, the heralds say, "Charles, a lowly sinner, who begs
the gift of Christ." "Him I know," the bishop replied. "Enter!
Receive Christ’s gift of life!" It is only when in humility we see ourselves
as nothing that God can create something out of nothing. When we stop and
think that God in Christ loves us by coming to earth to make us good, we are
overwhelmed with gratitude.
John and Barbara Brokhoff, (In the Chapter: Born to Make us Good), There's
Always Hope, CSS, 1980, pp. 38-39.
________________
Hopelessness
The message of Christmas is that God intrudes upon the weak and the
vulnerable, and this is precisely the message that we so often miss. God
does not come to that part of us that swaggers through life, confident in
our self sufficiency. God leaves his treasure in the broken fragmented
places of our life. God comes to us in those rare moments when we are able
to transcend our own selfishness long enough to really care about another
human being.
From the Definitions file:VULNERABLE (Vul-ne-ra-bel) adj.Female: Fully opening up one's self emotionally to another.Male: Playing football without a helmet.
He sent angels to protect him.
He shall give his angels charge over thee
As A Little Child
William Willimon, dean of the chapel at Duke University, questions: Don’t
you find it interesting that when the great Lord, the Creator of the
universe, the One who hung the stars in the heavens and set the planets
spinning in their courses, when this great God chose to come among us he
chose to come to us as a baby? And when that baby grew up, he told those who
would be his disciples, “You cannot enter my kingdom unless you turn and
become as a little child.”
Competitiveness and Women
In the musical, My Fair Lady, the leading male character asks, "Why can't a
woman be more like a man?" I'm not certain the world now needs a new crop of
competitive, masculine women. The world has enough of competition, jousting
for honored places, dog eat dog, crawl, scratch and kick your way to the top
of the pile. That lifestyle is what causes wars and always has. Perhaps the
question for our day is, "Why can't a man be more like a woman," more
cooperative than competitive, more intimate than public, more accepting of
others than needing to parade the colors, wave the sword, and perpetually
seek to prove who's number one?
In short, why can't a man be more like Mary.
Humble people are those who feel unworthy of any blessing or honor bestowed
upon them. The shepherds would never have considered themselves worthy of
hearing the good news from the angel and the choir of angels nor of seeing
the Christ Child. In 1979 a Roman Catholic nun, Mother Teresa, was given the
Nobel Peace Prize. Most of her adult life was spent ministering to the poor
and diseased in Calcutta, India. She accepted the prize with the comment, "I
am unworthy." The humble person receives at Christmas the greatest prize of
Christ and responds likewise, "I am unworthy."
Our humble God comes to humble people like the shepherds who know they are
outcasts because of their sins. It is a paradox that the best people
consider themselves the worst sinners. The greatest leader of Israel, Moses,
was told by God at the burning bush to remove his sandals for he was on holy
ground. His sandals represented his sinfulness. The great prophet, Isaiah,
confessed, "I am a man of unclean lips." The great Christian, Paul,
confessed that he was "chief of sinners."
When the funeral cortege of Charlemagne came to the cathedral, they were
shocked to find the gate barred by the bishop. "Who comes?" shouted the
bishop. The heralds answered, "Charlemagne, Lord and King of the Holy Roman
Empire!" Answering for God, the bishop replied, "Him I know not! Who comes?"
The heralds, a bit shaken, answered, "Charles the Great, a good and honest
man of the earth!" Again the bishop answered, "Him I know not. Who comes?"
Now completely crushed, the heralds say, "Charles, a lowly sinner, who begs
the gift of Christ." "Him I know," the bishop replied. "Enter!
Receive Christ’s gift of life!" It is only when in humility we see ourselves
as nothing that God can create something out of nothing. When we stop and
think that God in Christ loves us by coming to earth to make us good, we are
overwhelmed with gratitude.
John and Barbara Brokhoff, (In the Chapter: Born to Make us Good), There's
Always Hope, CSS, 1980, pp. 38-39.
________________
Hopelessness
The message of Christmas is that God intrudes upon the weak and the
vulnerable, and this is precisely the message that we so often miss. God
does not come to that part of us that swaggers through life, confident in
our self sufficiency. God leaves his treasure in the broken fragmented
places of our life. God comes to us in those rare moments when we are able
to transcend our own selfishness long enough to really care about another
human being.
From the Definitions file:VULNERABLE (Vul-ne-ra-bel) adj.Female: Fully opening up one's self emotionally to another.Male: Playing football without a helmet.
He sent angels to protect him.
He shall give his angels charge over thee
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