God brings life through our hesitant rash words – Jonah 3:1-5, 10, Mark 1:14-20

OT 3, Yr B; Holy Cross parish.

Jonah is famous for being hesitant, for running away from God’s call.  The story of him sailing away from the place God had called him and surviving three days in the belly of a whale is probably one of the more famous stories in the Bible: an iconic tale of how God’s will is done despite human refusal.  Plus, it’s a great story: vivid, action-packed, and Jesus makes reference to it in his teaching.  What is much less well known though, is what happens next, what happens when Jonah finally gets to Nineveh.  Now, he’s no longer hesitant.  In fact, he’s pretty much the opposite.

God calls us in serving and resting – 1 Sam 3:1-10, John 1:3b-10, 19

OT 2, Yr B; Holy Cross - St. Stan's

The Lord called Samuel.  We’re not told exactly what that means.  We’re not told exactly what that experience was like for hm.  We do read that it wasn’t obvious: it wasn’t a burning bush or an angel.  In fact, it presented itself as something very mundane, very worldly; the young temple servant thought he was hearing Eli, the priest he worked for, calling him!  But, eventually, with Eli’s help, he realizes that something quite marvelous is happening.  God is calling him.

Jesus baptizes us – Mark 1:7-11, Isa 42:1-7, Acts 10:34-38

Baptism of Christ (Year A readings); Holy Cross parish.

Jesus’ baptism is clearly important.  Mark pretty much opens his Gospel with it, it’s narrated by more gospels than Jesus’ birth is, one of our stained glass windows depicts, in fact the stained glass window that I chose to put on my ordination holy card.  Yes, Jesus’ baptism is clearly important.  But, Jesus getting baptized isn’t what struck me as the most important thing in this gospel.  Studying and praying with it over this week, one sentence stuck with me: “He will baptize you.”

God guidess our restless hearts to a place of giving – Matt 2:1-12

Epiphany; Holy Cross Parish.

They only feature in these twelve verses of Matthew’s gospel.  No other evangelist mentions them.  But they capture our imagination, these magi from the East.  They’d noticed curious happenings in the sky, which doubtless most people had missed.  Given how strange the happenings on earth had been, that God who created the universe and holds the heavens in his span had been born in a Jewish backwater, that all-powerful God had embraced the vulnerability of babyhood; it should be no great surprise if the heavens themselves declared with ripple effects this divine irruption into the human world. 

God fills our hearts with a word worth contemplating – Luke 2:16-21

Mary, Mother of God.  St. Stanislaus parish.

I wonder what the experience of pregnancy was like for Mary; the experience of having her barely teenage body filled with new life, filled with Him who was Life itself.  There’s an embodied experience there that I can never know, and having spoken with so many friends who have born children, I’ve come more and more to realize that in a way, none of us can know, as no two women’s experience of pregnancy is the same.

God makes good on his promises to us – Heb 11:8-19, Lk 2:22-40

Holy Family (Yr B); Holy Cross - St. Stanislaus.

I’ve heard it said that we only ever receive something as a gift once we’ve been offered it twice.  When we received what we’re owed, our wages say, we simply pocket the envelope and then go ahead and make use of it, hopefully responsibly.  I doubt if many of us write thank you notes to our employers after each payday.  In fact, it would be odd if we did.  But gifts are different.  For something truly to be received as a gift there must at least a tacit unspoken resignation upon the first offering: “no, thank you, but this is too much.  I don’t deserve this.”  I use the word ‘resignation’ deliberately: it’s a re-sign-ation, changing the sign on the object, clarifying, this isn’t anything I’m due or have earned, this is gift.  Then, under the new sign, the gift can be given and received as gift: “no, please, I want you to have it.” 

God makes us His candles in the world – Luke 2:1-14, Isa 9:1-6

Christmas Mass "during the Night"; Holy Cross Parish.

The glory of the Lord shone.  Take a moment to take that in.  We normally think of light or a source of light as shining, as flashing, as illuminating.  But, here, we read that the glory of God shone.  To understand what it means for glory to shine, let’s back up and think about quite why we want light.