We Are All Chosen and Called By God

Most of us take most of our lives trying to figure out what God wants us to do. It took me about 45 years. The story of God calling Mary to become the mother of Jesus  is the ultimate “call story”. God is calling Mary to take an enormous risk, to really trust in God. She lived in a culture that stoned women to death that had children outside of marriage. This young girl of about thirteen was called to have an intimate relationship of absolute trust in God.

1. Notice how personal this relationship is.

The angel does not say God is going to give her some teachings or some rules to pass on. This is what the prophets had been doing ever since Moses. God was doing a new  thing. God was about to come Himself in human form. He needed a human partner he could trust. He chose Mary and called her into a personal relationship.

Advent Calls Us To A New Beginning

Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year. This is a new cycle of teaching. In Year A we studied Matthew's Gospel. In Year B we will study the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark was written just before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. It is a bare bones historical account written in a breathless tone. The first sentence - "In the beginning" tell us this is a new creation story modeled on Genesis. God is going to do a new thing. This new thing begins with the ministry of John the Baptist calling people to repentance. This repentance and symbolic water baptism is in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. John promises that the Messiah will come in spiritual power and baptize people with the Holy Spirit. This is the beginning of a new relationship between God and humanity.

We Are to Watch for What God is Going to Do

The First Sunday in Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year. The Readings follow Jesus warning from last Sunday to watch for His return at the end of time. Now we also watch for what God is going to do at Christmas. Watching is a serious religious responsibility. In ancient times only the best soldiers were trusted to be on watch for enemy attacks. The survival of the whole community depended on the diligence of the watchman. The watchman needs to stay awake, know what e is watching for and avoid distractions.

Love Reaches Out To Those in Need

The Reign of Christ is the last Sunday in the Church Year. It is the time we celebrate our looking forward to the coming of Jesus at the end of time. We are looking forward to that time when those in right relationship will be separated from those who are not, and gathered into the Kingdom. In today’s Gospel (Matthew 25.31-46) the sheep and goats are separated on the basis of their response to God’s reaching out to them in love. Only those who have responded to God’s love by reaching out to others in need will be invited into the Kingdom. This is the test of our love.

1. Ezekiel (34.11-17, 20-24) describes a God who actively seeks the lost and those in need

I Believe In The Resurrection and the Life Everlasting

Both the Apostles and Nicene Creeds affirm belief in personal resurrection and eternal spiritual life. Christian believers have hope. Unlike others, we have the hope of eternal spiritual life in Jesus Christ. Our hope is that when we die, we die 'in Christ'. We are connected to Him in a relationship of love. This relationship of love is the 'oil' of the Holy Spirit that the Foolish Virgins in the Parable did not have. The message is that those who do not have this 'oil' of relationship or love may be shut out of the Heavenly Kingdom.

Our Mission Is To Proclaim The Good News

(Homily notes for St. Luke’s Day, Year A, 2011 by Rev. John Gishler)

This brief announcement by Jesus is both a declaration of who He is and a statement of His mission. It is one of the most dramatic moments in the Bible. As followers of Jesus we need to keep focussed on this mission of proclaiming good news to the poor. Many people and churches have become side-tracked and settled into a more comfortable mission of keeping the physical church going. The good news that Jesus proclaimed challenged religious and political authority and led to constant and violent opposition. It transformed lives. In our time many people are fearful, confused prisoners to false religious ideas. Many are spiritually, emotionally and physically blind and in need of healing. Many are not even aware of the possibility of spiritual oppression. Our mission is to proclaim the year of God’s blessing, to challenge people to go from error into truth, sin into righteousness and out of death into life.

Thanksgiving Leads To More Blessings

(Homily notes for Thanksgiving, Year A,  2011 by Rev. John Gishler)

Thanksgiving is a special time of the year when we focus on how God has blessed us – at least that was the original intent. The readings remind us that Thanksgiving leads to increased blessing. Thanksgiving acknowledges our dependence on God for material and spiritual blessings and keeps us in right relationship with God. Thanksgiving increases our blessings. It is like a harvest of righteousness

1. The flip side of this is a warning that failure to give thanks leads to disaster
In the Deuteronomy Reading (8.7-20) Moses is reminding the Israelites of how God has made a covenant with them. God has promised to give them protection, good land and prosperity. They are reminded of the powerful and miraculous things God has done for them. They are warned to not become proud and forget their God. Being human, this is of course what happened over the centuries. In the Old Testament Isaiah describes the long period of apostasy when Kings and clergy forgot their part of the covenant. The official reading from the Common Lectionary stops at verse 18. The next two verses are very sensitive, particularly in our time of conflict in Palestine. In verses 19 and 20 the Israelites are warned that “If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods...you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you...” Moslems and Christian Palestinians obviously interpret this as negating the territorial claims of modern Israel. Failing to give thanks has consequences