In case you missed it this morning, we focused on the ascension of Jesus; that day not too long after Jesus had appeared to the disciples for the first time, when he would bless them, pray for them, and then rise up to be with God.

Among many other things, in the ascension we are reminded that we are called to continue this story of God's love and saving acts.  As Jesus rises to be with God, so too are we called to rise up - and to share God's story and grace with the world!

We hope you enjoy this short video shared this morning, of Maya Angelou reading portions of her poem, "And Still I Rise."  

I have little patience for the blind joy of those who fail to see the sufferings of the world. I am skeptical of those whose joy seems forced, happy no matter what befalls them. But there is another joy a joy that lifts us when we cannot lift ourselves, a peace that grasps us and returns us renewed.
                                                                    -Barbara Gerlach

Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.
                - Philippians 4.4-7 (CEV)

With all my heart I praise the Lord, and I am glad because of God my Savior. He cares for me, his humble servant. From now on, all people will say God has blessed me. God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and his name is holy.
                - Luke 1.46-49 (CEB)

By the time we reach the third Sunday of Advent, there are fewer pilgrims on the road to Bethlehem. Some get foot sore, others have been distracted by the glitz and glitter Christmas in the big city has to offer. Others, however, lose their way through no fault of their own. They hang in there through hope and even peace, but it’s hard to celebrate the joy of Christmas when you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, marking your third year without a job and nothing on the horizon, or having received news that the chemo didn’t work as well as hoped. Under such circumstances it’s hard to celebrate Christmas joy.

Or is it? Perhaps it depends on the type of joy you’re seeking. There are, of course, plenty of folk who cling to what Barbara Gerlach calls blind joy, which survives by refusing to see the sufferings of the world. They maintain some semblance of happiness by shielding themselves from the darkness… by simply refusing to look at the world’s brokenness. Such blind joy is brittle, vulnerable, and short lived. But there is another joy, a deeper joy given expression, for example, in the exclamations of Mary and Paul cited above. They share in common a focus not on their personal situations but on God, and maintaining this focus they learn a secret about the world: even the darkness is an unlit wick that needs only the touch of God to become a sacred flame (as Francis of Assisi expressed the matter). Joy runs too deep in the creation to be effaced by life’s ills. This is a joy we can all share; this is a joy we can all celebrate; and this is the joy we will seek together on Sunday.

"Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Reading: Luke 20:27-38
Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.’

Reflection: The law about which Jesus squabbles with the Sadducees in this passage referred to Levirate Marriage, and was intended to answer a significant cultural question; how to preserve the legacy of those we love; in this case a brother who died childless. Of course this is not the way they approach it on this occasion. This passage represents a common place debate between conservative and progressive Jews about resurrection life. The Sadducees hold that since resurrection life is not mentioned in what they consider the word of God (inscribed in Genesis through Deuteronomy) it surely doesn’t exist; while Jesus sides with the Pharisees in affirming its existence on the basis of God’s continued speaking (let those with ears to hear do so!). Nevertheless, this passage offers a useful reminder for us so soon after we honored the lives of our deceased loved ones on All Saints. We have honored them; yes. We have acknowledged the impact they have made on our lives; yes. But how will we preserve their legacy?

This is an especially important question for us as a faith community as we begin a time of discernment of God’s vision for a revitalized life and ministry. We stand on the shoulders of many who have gone before us, who have given much, and who are watching from that great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, rooting for us in our spiritual efforts. Yet the question remains, how will we honor their legacy? I have seen far too many churches whose idea of honoring legacy was to wrap it carefully in sentiment, store it away and keep it forever unchanged. That way it would always be available for a pleasant stroll down memory lane. Others don’t recognize past as past; but continue to live out the patterns others have laid down without regard to their effectiveness in new settings. In this instance it’s not so much a matter of honoring legacy as mindless repetition of its patterns.

In my estimation, neither of these options honors legacy, because they treat it as dead, lifeless. Their value lies only in intimidating us with memories of the glory days long gone by. But consider what Jesus says of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Are they dead? Is their legacy powerless? No, because God is God not of the dead, but of the living. Thus, as they live, so their legacy is powerful, and can inspire great things. So it is with the legacy of our loved ones.They are like that burning bush Moses stood before in awe and humility. They are common bushes, every one; and yet every one burns with holiness, every one is afire with God. If we will only open our eyes we will see that earth’s crammed with heaven; we will see that the legacy left us by our loved ones is living and powerful, and that it can and will inspire great things in us – in our ministry – in the years ahead. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to take off my shoes and walk bare footed!