"You can spend forty years teaching people to be awake to the fact of mystery and then some fellow with no more theological sense than a jackrabbit gets himself a radio ministry and all your work is forgotten."
         - Rev. John Ames, a character in Gilead, by   
           Marilynne Robinson


READING:
They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
                                                        - Mark 1.21-28


REFLECTION:
Andy Warhol is widely credited with coining the expression fifteen minutes of fame so prevalent in our popular culture. That is seemingly what we all want; fame, and the fortune we envision going with it like white on rice! In the passage cited above, Jesus began his fifteen minutes of fame, and the disciples were amazed. It would take much longer, however, for their amazement to resemble anything like faith. It would take time, trials, and traveling with Jesus on the way.

There is a significant difference between amazement at the charisma and wonder of Jesus, and the willingness to trust ourselves into the care of this… Man? God? Prophet? Healer? Just who is this Jesus? This is the question for faith. And its response must be reflected in a slow but steady growth in understanding as we travel with Jesus on the way.

Between fame and faith lies the willingness to give up the sensationalist, naïve, and widely popular views of Jesus, and to probe, prod, and ponder our way into the mystery of God with us. This way to faith might not make us famous, but it will make us slow to judgment, quick to compassion, and less dependent on always being right about Jesus. For my money that’s not a bad trade-off!

Only when they spread their wings are they the wakers of a wind: as if God with his broad sculptor’s hands were turning pages in the dark book of the beginning. 
       - Rainer Maria Rilke


READING:
When God began to create the heavens and the earth— the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters… Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.” God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them …the Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils.
                         - Genesis 1.1-2, 26-27; 2.7 (CEB)



REFLECTION:
It’s early – wicked early – but I can’t sleep for the wind stirring in my spirit; urging me, enticing me, inspiring me… challenging me to pray, reflect, listen, and write something of substance on freedom and equality. The very prospect is exciting because this conviction – the equality of all - has a prominent place in my heart; on this one theological issue at least, there is no ambiguity; on this point God’s Spirit brooks no excuses. 

Despite our best efforts over the years to coax the biblical tradition to support notions of our superiority over others (feel free to define our as you will), the biblical tradition has spread its wings and wakened the wind, inviting us to soar above and beyond the limits imposed by fear, jealousy, and a sense of entitlement; and to see the human community from God’s perspective: equal and unified. 

Despite our diligent attempts to paint Jesus as the defender of all things free – markets, accumulation of wealth, the assertion of power and control – Jesus emphatically refuses this role. Read his story; you don’t have to take my word for it; there is a clear sub-text. “Ain’t gonna happen,” Jesus insists. “You won’t use me to assert economy over equality, privilege over poverty, personal security over succor for the weak and marginalized. Ain’t gonna happen.”

And despite our fervent desire to bundle up against the wind and avoid being swept away on God’s cause, the wind has been wakened; the same wind that swept over chaos “in the beginning,” presaging the explosion of God’s creative activity. That wind continues to blow because God, with sculptor’s hands, continues to create children, women, and men in the divine image. The one, clear divine image, mind you. This image doesn’t come in stages or degrees. This image is not an entitlement. This image is not deserved but granted as a gift… to all. We are called to recognize and embrace its profoundly simple reality, a sign of God’s tender embrace of each and every individual, culture, and people. It’s just easier to recognize from above the clouds. Shall we soar?

                                     - Bo

To celebrate Epiphany is to join the magi in laying before the Christ everything we have to give, beginning with ourselves.  And when we do, we too will find our pride empty, our wisdom lacking, and our gifts overshadowed by God’s gifts to us.


READING: 
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.


REFLECTION:
At long last we approach the 12th day of Christmas – Epiphany – and the conclusion of our Christmas celebration. Throughout this joyous season, worship at OPCC has been guided by the image of a star. One Star… Many Lights has been our mantra. One star, that is to say, that not only shines on our lives, but shines as well into and through our lives.

This image is particularly appropriate for Epiphany, for the star plays a central role in the story Matthew recounts. It was a star that seduced the Magi, lured them from their home far away, and guided them to Bethlehem. And what better image to represent Epiphany, which is itself a shining forth or revealing? In its light we see clearly for the first time, and the sight we behold changes our lives dramatically, just as it changed the lives of our ancient friends, the Magi.

But here, at long last, the image must change. For when all is said and done it is not a star we seek; one unique star that will continue to guide our steps. It is not a star whose nature is illuminated by the story. It is, rather, something like a star that we seek; something – or someone – whose impact is so very star-like: it illumines, it guides, it warms, it enlivens, it animates, it inspires, and it empowers us to live abundantly and fully.

The expression – choose something like a star – of course derives from the poem of the same name by Robert Frost. In part the poem reads:

O Star (the fairest one in sight),
We grant your loftiness the right
To some obscurity of cloud…
Some mystery becomes the proud…
It asks a little of us here.
It asks of us a certain height,
So when at times the mob is swayed
To carry praise or blame too far,
We may choose something like a star
To stay our minds on and be staid (calm).

As we gather for worship on Sunday, it will not be a star we seek. Rather, we will seek something like a star; we will seek the One whose luminous nature is reflected meagerly in the star’s light. And I hope you will join us.