It seems almost trite and superfluous to say that the incarnate is the greatest statement, the greatest manifestation of love ever – but that doesn’t make it untrue. The name Immanuel – God with us – is a profound and powerful statement of God’s desire to be in intimate communion with human beings. The challenge for us is to recognise God’s presence in all situations and circumstances. We can doubt God’s love in times of grief, pain and trauma, but we find comfort, healing and strength when we are able to experience God’s “with-us-ness” even in such times. And, when we are able to help others to recognise and experience God’s presence and love in their lives – whatever they may be going through – then we have truly become Advent people.

May our worship overflow with proclamation and experience of God’s ever-present love this week.

READINGS:
Isaiah 7:10-16: God promises a sign for King Ahaz, who is looking to Assyria for assistance with the threats of neighbouring Damascus and Samaria, that a virgin will give birth and call the child “Immanuel”, and that the enemy nations will be desolate before the child knows good from evil.

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19: A prayer for God to forgive and restore God’s people, and to send and empower the One God raises up to keep God’s people from turning away from God.

Romans 1:1-7: Paul celebrates Christ who is of both human and divine descent and who has called the apostles – and all of God’s people – to belong to Jesus and to spread the Good News.

Matthew 1:18-25: Mary discovers herself to be pregnant while betrothed to Joseph, but Joseph is informed in a dream that the Child is of God, and must be named Jesus. These events are proclaimed to be the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin who conceives and gives birth to Immanuel.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The final Advent week before the Christmas celebration turns our attention to the significance of the name given in Isaiah’s prophecy, and ascribed to Jesus by Matthew – Immanuel. The idea that God is with us may seem commonplace to us now, since we’ve heard it so many times, but for the ancient hearers of the Gospel, it must have sounded radical, or even scandalous. Yet, it reflects the intense longing within God for intimate union with humanity. It is a testament to God’s unfailing, unconditional love, and is reinforced by all the readings this week. Isaiah speaks a prophecy which offers a sign of God’s care and willingness to protect God’s people to a king who has largely ignored God’s law. The Psalm offers a prayer in faith and expectation that God cares for God’s people and will send one who will lead and deliver them. Paul celebrates the Good News of God’s kindness and the belonging we find in God through Christ. And, in a rather moving narrative, Matthew describes Joseph’s love and care for Mary, which becomes something of a metaphor (whether intentional or not on Matthew’s part) for the love of the God who is about to step physically into human affairs and experience.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: On the scale of global issues, love may seem to be completely irrelevant. When governments negotiate, when corporations strategise, when soldiers march, or when the weak and poor struggle to survive, what place is there for love? Yet, God must know something about love that we don’t since love is the only command we have been given as followers of Christ. In truth, if love was the driving force behind our voting, our business dealings and our consumption, our dealings with friend and enemy, and our awareness and care of the most vulnerable, the world would be a far more whole place. How could a policy of love actually work out practically in the world, though? Perhaps if followers of Christ in places of influence began to embrace dialogue, collaboration and the quest to listen and understand, that would be a powerful first step. Secondly, if all followers of Christ chose to operate from love in whatever capacity we may engage in social and political structures – whether voting, volunteering, contributing, lobbying, petitioning, negotiating or communicating with leaders, this could have a transforming impact on the systems that operate in our world. Such a policy of love would inevitably impact economic realities (poverty and the gap between rich and poor) climate change, conflict, health care, immigration and xenophobia concerns, crime, exploitation and human trafficking in positive ways, because we could no longer remain uninvolved in the struggles of our world, and we could no longer choose the methods of expediency, dominance and self-service in our responses to our world’s need. The Advent challenge this week is for us to follow Christ in becoming – individually and together – Immanuel in our broken world. The incarnation continues through Christians if we take Christ’s call seriously!

LOCAL APPLICATION:  It’s not hard to discern, in our churches and communities, how the call to be agents of God’s presence and love should be worked out. Within our own groups, it’s the simple acts of service, inclusion and grace that easily manifest God’s love. In this Advent season, a particular awareness of, and care for, those who have significant need is a visible reflection of God’s care. Food parcels, invitations to be part of small groups and special community building events all open us, and those in need, to God’s presence and love. Beyond the walls of the church, simple neighbourliness can be a very effective reflection of God’s care. Setting aside time to volunteer in a shelter or caring ministry, or welcoming needy or lonely people into our celebrations – making them part of our family – also offers tremendous healing and transformation. Whatever the actual actions we may choose to do, the key to experiencing Immanuel again this Advent, is to offer ourselves to be “little Immanuels” in practical ways in our own world. If we can lay aside any possible benefit we may receive – whether church growth or personal satisfaction – so much the better!

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
God With Us
Come Again
Where Is The Love?
Love In Action

Hymn Suggestions:
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Love Came Down At Christmas
Let Earth And Heaven Combine
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
What Child Is This?
God With Us (Link to YouTube video)
Jesus Messiah (Link to YouTube video)
Born That We May Have Life
Joy Has Dawned
Light Of the World

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Advent & Christmas
A Liturgy for the Sacrament

Video Suggestions:
Advent: Love
God With Us
Four Words
Christ Is Coming

The Gospel reading for this week continues with the Sermon on the Mount with a focus on holiness – but with a twist. In fact, pretty much all of the readings this week speak about holiness, but with a different angle than we usually think of when the word is mentioned today. Holiness, in this week’s readings, is all about social justice, non-violence and community (and, by extension, if I may be permitted to interpolate into Paul’s letter a little, hospitality).

What a wonderful opportunity to deconstruct and reconstruct what we believe about this often unpopular word in our worship and preaching this week!

READINGS:
Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18: God calls the people to holiness, instructing them to treat one another with compassion, integrity, justice and fairness.

Psalm 119:33-40: A prayer for God to teach the psalmist God’s ways and to give understanding, commitment and reassurance to help in following God’s ways.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23: Christ is our foundation, and we all build our lives and community on that foundation so that we become together the temple of God’s Spirit. To do this does not require human wisdom, or following particular leaders, but recognising that God has given us all things in Christ.

Matthew 5:38-48: Jesus teaches his followers not to seek revenge or pay-back, but to treat those who oppress and harm them with grace and generosity, and to love even their enemies and persecutors.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The idea of ‘holiness’ appears in all of this week’s readings in different forms. In Leviticus the people are commanded to be holy as God is holy, and this holiness is revealed in their treatment of one another and their seeking for justice. The psalmist prays for a life that is directed by God’s ways and God’s commands, and for the strength to pursue this life faithfully. Paul challenges the church to be a holy temple for God’s Spirit by building their lives and community on the foundation of Christ. And, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches what ‘perfection’ or holiness is to be like – compassionate and non-violent, refusing to retaliate when harmed, and seeking the best even for those who consider us to be their enemies. What is clear here is that holiness is not about not doing things. It is about doing things that make a difference. It is not about avoiding so-called sinful behaviour, but about doing justice, compassion, fairness, non-violence and generosity. It is about caring for those who are vulnerable and poor, and treating all people with the same respect and dignity. Note: Interestingly, Luke’s parallel for Matthew’s “Be perfect…” is “Be compassionate…” (Luke 6:36 NLT).

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: I’m not sure when holiness became synonymous with piety, but that does not seem to be what the Bible is trying to teach us about holiness – at least not this week. Both the Old Testament lesson and the Gospel point to the link between justice and holiness, and in a world where social justice can sometimes be labeled as unChristian, this is a message we need to hear. As a Methodist, my Wesleyan heritage is a huge help here. John Wesley spoke about holiness (Christian perfection) as both perfect love and “social holiness”. Jesus of course makes this all-encompassing when he includes even enemies in those who deserve love and justice. Even Paul’s teaching for the Christian community makes the foundation of Christ the platform on which this community is built, and through which we experience God’s indwelling Spirit. But what does this mean practically for our world? It means we need a world-wide “no-enemy” campaign – a global movement of people who refuse to view anyone else as an enemy, irrespective of religion, race, sexuality, language, economic status or even action. Martin Luther King Jr. made it clear that the essence of non-violent transformation was learning to love those against whom we work. Perhaps the most profound work of justice is this work of unconditional indiscriminate love (or compassion, if we follow Luke). And just maybe this is, as Wesley suggested, the essence of what it means to “be perfect as God is perfect”. What might our world look like if we worked harder at loving our enemies than we do at killing them?

LOCAL APPLICATION: At the most simple level Christian worship has so often been the cause of hatred and injustice, setting even believers against each other as “enemies”. Throughout history Christians have warred against each other – and this has not stopped today. We may not always use physical weapons, but we certainly use the weapons of the media, of words and of rejection. We do this against people of other religions as well, but as long as we do this, we fall short of God’s holiness, and we inflict death on both our enemies and ourselves. It is when the offer of grace costs us the most that we are most reflecting the grace and character of Christ. When we refuse to hate or attack or reject even those who are the most threatening and unloving, we begin to embody the “perfection”, the holiness which Christ teaches about. This may be expressed in small ways – like learning to worship to musical styles that we do not enjoy – or in large ways – like taking the hand of someone who we believe is completely wrong in their beliefs or actions. As I explore in Chapter Three (Becoming Holy) of my book The Hour That Changes Everything, holiness comes down to wholeness (integrity and authenticity), compassion and hospitality. These three characterics are what God offers us, and what we are called, in this week’s Gospel and Old Testament readings, to extend to others – even those we most want to reject or condemn. What would it mean for your church if you measured holiness not by attendance at church or small groups, and not by what your people avoid doing, but rather by the extent to which compassion and justice were extended to others?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Whole-y God
True Whole-iness
Holy God
Fruit

Hymn Suggestions:
A Charge To Keep I Have
Saviour Thy Dying Love
It Passeth Knowledge That Dear Love Of Thine
What Shall I Do My God To Love
God Of All Power And Truth And Grace
Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace (Link to YouTube video)
You Have Shown Us (Link to YouTube video – Song starts at 1:24)
God Of Justice (Link to YouTube video)
How Long: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon Mp3 Store)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy For the Celebration Of Sacrifice

Video Suggestions:
Gandhi: Eye For An Eye
Know The Word: Love Your Enemies

It’s not the first time the Lectionary has brought us face to face with the scandalous inclusivity of the Gospel, but that’s the thread running through all of this week’s readings. As tempting as it may be to find ways to draw lines and keep some people out for whatever reason, the Scriptures do not allow us that luxury – and, in truth, our world desperately needs us to be people who, like Christ, embrace, include and welcome all people indiscriminately.

May our worship this week lead us into the scandalous inclusivity of Christ again – and there find a welcome not just for ourselves, but for all.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7: Jeremiah encourages the exiles in Babylon to settle into their new country, to vuild homes and lives there among the Babylonian people and to work for the propserity of their new land.
OR 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c: Naaman, the Aramean commander, is healed of his skin affliction after reluctantly obeying Elisha’s instruction to wash in the Jordan River seven times.

Psalm 66:1-12: A call for all the earth to praise the God who rules over all, and for all nations to bless God.
OR Psalm 111: A Psalm of celebration for God’s mighty acts, and for God’s miraculous, merciful and compassionate acts on behalf of God’s people.

2 Timothy 2:8-15: Although Paul is inprisoned for preaching the Gospel of Christ’s resurrection, the Gospel itself is not imprisoned. God offers life to those who die with Christ, and God remains always faithful, which is why Paul encourages Timothy to remind people of these thigns and to continue to serve and teach faithfully.

Luke 17:11-19: Jesus sends ten men with a skin disease to show themselves to the priests and they are healed as they go, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks.

(more…)

In the lectionary this week we find the powerful metaphor in Amos of God’s plumb line – the measure of God’s people and their faithfulness to God’s purposes. Then, alongside this, the Gospel places the parable of the Good Samaritan – clearly the plumb line measures things differently from how we normally would! So, the question is how do we measure our spirituality, our faithfulness to Christ and our living of God’s Kingdom principles and values? Once again, we are reminded that God measures not by success, or power or money, but by compassion, service and sacrifice.

May your worship be uncomfortable this week, as you invite God to measure you against God’s standards of grace and mercy.

READINGS:
Amos 7:7-17: God gives Amos a vision of a plumb line, and prophesies that Israel is to be destroyed. When the high priest, Amaziah, tells Amos to go home and stop prophesying, Amos (the ‘unprophet’ – shepherd and farmer) speaks judgment on him as well.
OR Deuteronomy 30:9-14: Prosperity and blessing is promised for those who obey God’s commands, which are not far off or distant. They are as close as our own lips and hearts.

Psalm 82: A prayer for God to judge oppressive rulers, because all nations belong to God.
OR Psalm 25:1-10: A psalm in which David prays to be protected and guided into right ways of living by God, and affirming the promise of God’s goodness for those who follow God’s guidance and commands.

Colossians 1:1-14: Paul’s prayer for the Colossians to continue to grow in wisdom, strength and joy, and to enjoy the inheritance of freedom that God has made available through Christ.

Luke 10:25-37: In response to the question of how eternal life can be inherited, Jesus offers the Great Commandment, and then explains the practical outworking of this through the story of the Samaritan who helped the man beaten by robbers on the road to Jericho.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
It is a challenging exercise to hold the prophecy of Amos alongside the parable of the Good Samaritan, but this is what the lectionary calls us to do this week. On the one hand we find God’s judgment expressed against God’s unfaithful people who, as we know from biblical history and from other parts of Amos’ prophecy, had neglected justice and mercy. The Deuteronomy reading is simply a contrast to this – blessing and prosperity is found when God’s commands (to love and to live justly and compassionately) are obeyed. The Psalms echo these words in contrasting songs as well – judgment on oppressive and unjust rulers; blessing on the one who prays for God’s guidance and the strength to follow God’s commands. On the other hand, we have the way to life explained clearly and powerfully through the association of the Great Commandment with the parable. The message is strong and clear – God asks one thing from God’s people: to be people of love, mercy and justice. And, when we embrace this call, we will, inevitably, know better relationships, and more peaceful and prosperous societies – not so much as a reward, but as a simple consequence of the work of love and justice that we have done in God’s strength. Essentially, in his prayer, Paul celebrates the way this has already happened for people who have responded to the Gospel, and prays for ongoing strength for the Colossian Church to continue to live this way and enjoy the fruit that such a life brings. If the plumb line is the sign of God’s measurement of God’s people, the Good Samaritan is the picture of what the plumb line is actually measuring.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: It is popular to speak of nations, governments, companies and prominent individuals as “great”. Usually what we mean by this word relates to dominance over others, a unique ability to wield power, the accumulation of wealth beyond the highest levels of ‘normal’ or in some other way becoming ‘bigger’ than others. And the way we measure this ‘greatness’ is in quarterly performance reviews and financial statements. The Scriptures, however, define ‘greatness’ very differently, and measure it against an eternal time frame. Israel’s prosperity means nothing if they fail to follow God’s command to uphold justice, mercy and love. Oppressive rulers are not ‘great’, according the Psalmists, they are to be humbled by God, while those who humble themselves and pray for God’s strength to follow the law of love are honourable. The ‘great’ religious leaders in Jesus’ parable are shown with far less than true greatness, while a hated outsider is used to demonstrate the true greatness of service. Perhaps it would be good if we began to measure our governments, companies and communities not so much by economic growth, military dominance or political influence, but by self-giving, service and contribution to the greater good. What might our world be like if we started to hold our nations and leaders to this standard of greatness, If we measured our policies and successes by God’s plumb line of love?

LOCAL APPLICATION: The power of the Gospel is revealed in Paul’s prayer – that those who embrace it find joy, strength and vibrant life in love for, and service of, others – in the fruit they bear for God’s Kingdom, and the benefit people experience through this loving, serving community. What a pity that the Church is so often seen by those outside as hypocritical, judgmental and self-serving. What a pity that we have fallen into the trap of measuring spirituality and godliness by the same standards that society uses to measure worldly success – wealth and power. How different might our impact on the world be if we learned to assess ourselves not against the latest ‘technique’ or formula, but against God’s standard of love, compassion, justice and service? How different might our communities feel about us as Church if we were more other-centred, more willing to sacrifice not just money, but time and energy in making our communities more peaceful, equitable and whole? How attractive might communities of faith be if we actually lived what we proclaimed and sang? How would we measure up as a local church if we honestly and ruthlessly measured ourselves against God’s plumb line?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Measure Of Faith
Living Aligned
Serving All
Biographers Of The Least
Small Random Acts Of Peacemaking

Hymn Suggestions:
O Love How Deep
O For A Heart To Praise My God
A Charge To Keep I Have
Jesus, United By Thy Grace
Plumb Line
God Of Justice (Link to YouTube video)
May The Words Of My Mouth (Link to YouTube video)
Servant Song (Link to YouTube video)
Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace (Link to YouTube video)
The Servant King (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy of Compassion

Video Suggestions:
Show Mercy