The Gospel Symbols of Christmas - "SNOW - Remembering Your Baptism"

* Read Mark 1:1-8



A nice married couple, we’ll call Terri and Kirk, were sitting down to their usual morning cup of coffee, listening to the weather report coming over the radio. "There will be 3 to 5 inches of snow today, and a snow emergency has been declared," the weather report said. "You must park your cars on the odd numbered side of the streets." Kirk says "Jeez, okay," and gets up from his warm coffee, bundles up and moves the car. The next day they're sitting down with their morning cups of coffee and the weather forecast declares "There will be 2 to 4 inches of snow today, and a snow emergency has been declared. Now you must park your cars on the even numbered side of the streets. Again, Kirk says "Jeez, okay," and gets up from his coffee. Two days later, again they're sitting down with their cups of coffee and the weather forecast says, "There will be 6 to 9 inches of snow today, and a snow emergency has been declared. You must park your cars on the -" Just then the power goes out and Kirk doesn't get the rest of the instructions. He turns to Terri and says "Jeez, what am I going to do now?" Terri replies "Aw, Kirk, why don't you just leave the car in the garage today?"

So, as you can guess, our worship theme this morning is all about Snow. Now unless you are under the age of 16, or don’t have your driver’s license, Snow is hazardous to your health this time of year. I really don’t like the snow. Oh, yeah, it’s all nice and fluffy looking as it first begins to fall to the ground. It does bring some warm images of Christmases past to mind…and it wouldn’t really be much of a holiday season without at least one or two inches of the stuff lying around. But if you are really honest with yourself, doesn’t it bother you after the first couple days following the first snowfall…especially when it begins to turn black with soot and dirt from the passing cars. Let’s face it; does snow really have a purpose at all?

Well, I went to the internet and posed that exact question. What came up from my search was a bit astonishing! Scientifically, here were the answers: Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Now we know that precipitation is a major component of the hydrologic cycle, and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet. Now apart from the obvious role of precipitation in our ecosystem, snow serves as an insulating blanket, lessening to some extent the extremes of temperature fluctuation to which the soil is subjected. But it also brings about a rapid cooling of the overlying atmosphere, which gives rise to polar air masses that drive the ocean currents like a global conveyor belt. In short, snow plays a dominant part in the climate of many of the Earth’s regions.

Besides the ecological benefits of snow, we can understand it to also have spiritual effects. It can be viewed as one of God's instruments for assisting us in the maintenance of our spiritual growth. In dreams, water represents our conscious life experiences – whereas snow is made of frozen water particles. It symbolizes stagnancy, or unchanging life experiences. When there is no change in life, the same experiences are repeated. Have you ever had the same experience over and over, and just couldn’t understand why the same scenario seemed to be constantly played out? It might be the same kind of relationship within your family, or with your supervisor at a job. It could be with your kids’ teachers at school, or with a waiter at a restaurant. Whatever the situation, having the same kind of life experience is not just a coincidence, but is an opportunity for reflection and spiritual growth.

Let’s unpack that a little bit more. For instance, in our text today we have a really interesting character that opens Mark’s gospel. John the Baptist is preparing people for Christ’s coming by calling them to repentance and baptism. He was warning them about what, and who was to come. And what was coming was no picnic for the Jews under Roman occupation. He was a preacher who had no qualms telling people the truth. He showed up wearing clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist and chomping grasshoppers dipped in wild honey. Everybody knew what that meant. In the popular Judaism of Jesus' day, there was this expectation that on the day God started to make things right for the poor and dispossessed - Elijah would reappear. Of all the prophets of Israel, no champion of the oppressed had been more popular than Elijah, a man, they said, who ate false prophets and evil kings for dinner.

It would have been something like Abe Lincoln showing up during the march on Selma in the 1960s;




or Mahatma Gandhi landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln when President Bush declared “mission accomplished” in Iraq;



or Martin Luther King addressing congress about the rights of immigrants, same-sex couples, or displaced residents of New Orleans. John the Baptist wasn't just a popular prophet. He represented the very spirit of Israel at its most just and courageous. "Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near" he warned them, reminding his listeners of that time in the future when everything that stood in opposition to goodness and justice would be swept away once and for all. He was announcing that the reign of God was drawing near and that it would be "game over" for all who worshipped loveless power. "Repent," John pounded from his wilderness pulpit. But he didn't mean simply feeling sorry for cheating on your income taxes, but a reorientation of your entire life. He called everyone to be baptized into a new orientation of life experience, to defrost the old way of thinking and thaw out frozen attitudes of self absorption and indulgence.

It seems that this holiday season has brought out the worst in some people. On the day after Thanksgiving this past year, Black Friday they call it, the lines out front of retail stores began forming the night before. On TV we saw stampedes recorded on security cameras in Wal*Marts across the nation as people rushed to buy their $349 lap-top computers.

Our incessant need for more and blinding greed keeps our hearts and minds “snowed” in from responding to our true mission as God’s children. That mission is to be a people of faith that consider the needs of others before ourselves. And like John the Baptist we are not simply preaching "self-help,” but are reorienting people to the necessity of change in response to the reality of a new set of circumstances. A new world is breaking in, one which would not tolerate injustice, oppression, deceit, greed and fear. It is time to re-define one's life, to re-align one's ethical stance in keeping with such a new order. "The kingdom of heaven is drawing near."

And that is why John speaks so sternly, so sarcastically to the religious conservatives and liberals who showed up to hear him preach; for that is who the Pharisees and Sadducees represented. It wasn't enough to trust the old patterns of thinking, the frozen-in-stone rules, the predictable rituals - no matter how venerable. It didn't matter whether you were Democrat or Republican, fundamentalist or liberal, pedigreed or newcomer. It was deeds that counted not talk; action not reputation. And why was it so important for John that people get their act together in a hurry? Well, here, of course, was the main point of his message. Because John believed that what he was doing was just a preview of coming attractions.

The Bible is very clear about this. It says that a day will come when God will bring an end to things as we have known it, which means an end to climbing over each other for a bigger piece of the cake, an end to exercising power over others simply because you can, an end to the importance of being famous, an end to the obscenity of fabulous wealth living alongside abject poverty - an end to all of that. And the one who will end it will be Christ, of all people. The one who is coming to judge us most fully is the one who loves us the most fully. He will burn away all this chaff that makes us less than human and the world far less human than it is - precisely because he loves us. That is what we are getting ready for - those of us who call ourselves Christ's people and who long for the birth of such a love!

And where will this Christ be born? You guessed it…in the stable of our hearts. Christ comes to us bathed in a new consciousness. He melts the frozen thoughts of our conditioned life experiences with the warm light of awareness. Snow is the water of our baptism, thawed out from frozen attitudes and frigid fears of change. It may seem like a hazard at first, but can renew our understanding of communion with each other – and that’s what the Christ mass is all about, right? Amen!
(Excerpts from Barry J. Robinson’s sermon “A Preview of Coming Attractions” for December 4, 2005 – www.fernstone.org)

The Gospel Symbols of Christmas

The Gospel Symbols of Christmas: "Hanging the Greens"

* Read Mark 13:24-37

I like surprises. No…that’s an understatement…I love…in fact live for surprises. And for me, the Christmas season is the epitome of a surprise party. The anticipation of putting up the Christmas tree in my living room; shopping for presents for my family and loved ones; wrapping each gift and envisioning the look on it’s future owner’s face as it is opened. Now I admit, I love getting Christmas presents too…but for some reason it is not as exciting as giving them. I wouldn’t say it’s because I’m so generous…or even selfless. I can be as self-indulged as the next guy.

I will never forget Christmas morning as a child. I loved it. I would sneak out of bed on Christmas Eve night and sit in front of the Christmas tree, watching the lights twinkle…and count my presents under the tree. But I didn’t just count my presents, I counted everyone’s presents. One particular Christmas Eve, I was about 10 years old, I counted all of my siblings gifts. I went as far as putting everyone’s presents in little piles on the living room…and counted them. This one particular Christmas Eve I encountered an upsetting surprise. All of my brothers and sisters each had eleven gifts…except for me. I only had ten.

Now even as I retell this story, I feel a bit guilty. Not because I counted them, but because of what I did that next morning. I certainly expected after everyone had opened their presents, my eleventh present was hidden somewhere, either in a closet, or out in the garage. Just at the right moment, when all of the gifts had been unwrapped…Dad would emerge from his bedroom with my amazing, exciting, exhilarating…and very expensive, eleventh gift. I was just sure of it. And I just knew that this eleventh gift was a bright, shiny new bicycle. Not one of those little tike bikes that was no taller than my waist, but an adult sized bike. This was my year. I was ready for that bike.

I waited with anticipation…unwrapping each of my gifts…still thinking of what lay beyond my pile of presents. And yet when all was said and done, the living room floor full of wrapping paper and toys and gifts scattered about…there was no surprise eleventh gift for me. I sat there in the middle of the floor, a bit stunned and anxious. But wait, something’s wrong I thought. I went over to the tree, surveyed underneath its tinsel covered branches, looked behind the couch, peered into the closet, searched through my own collection of gifts…perhaps I had missed it. I couldn’t hold my grief and disappointment any longer. “Mom” I exclaimed, “I have 10 gifts and my siblings have 11 gifts each!” I thought I was making a fair claim. Something was not right. I had been wronged. Surely things were not as they seemed. I demanded an explanation!

And speaking of things that do not mean what they seem to mean, we have an unusual gospel text for the first Sunday of Advent. Just what do these apocalyptic words mean to the audience that the gospel writer was addressing? This is what we do know. Mark’s gospel was written during a turbulent political era in Judea. Judea was the area of ancient Israel that was occupied and governed by the Roman Empire. The time frame was about year 70 of the Common Era, or roughly 40 years after the death of Christ. The situation had become gravely dangerous. Enemies and spies were everywhere. It was not safe to be a known follow of Jesus. And people spoke in coded language for their own safety, especially members of that tiny, persecuted community called the church.

The author of the gospel of Mark writes, “Then (referring to the time after the suffering of the followers of Jesus) they will see ‘the Son of man coming in clouds’ with great power and Glory.” As I read this I have to ask myself, is this a reference to a literal ‘end of the world’ scenario? Growing up I was taught that this passage was evidence that Jesus was predicting the end of the world with very specific signs…and that only those who endure to the end would be saved. How many times have you heard that the end of time is closer than ever now? But what did these words mean to the people that Mark was writing to? We do know that Mark was indeed writing about the end of an era when Jesus died on the cross. That was the beginning of the end for Mark and that tiny Christian community. But Mark believed that the powers that ruled their world were toppled in the very moment that Jesus died on the cross. When Jesus stood up to the powers, it was the dawn of a new day, the beginning of the renewal of everything in the whole universe. . . . stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken, the scripture says. Nothing would ever be the same again.

And then Mark recounts Jesus’ story about a fig tree that is about to blossom signaling the end of one season and the beginning of another. Mark confirms that the old order of domination is about to end and a new day is about to blossom. It is happening now. . Jesus is near, at the very gates . . . Mark tells us. It is the moment of truth for the Christian community—a chance for things to begin. Pay attention! And then, just to make sure we get the point, another story hot on the heels of this one - about a man who leaves on a journey, leaving his servants in charge, telling them to be ready for his return, for they do not know when that will take place. It could be . . . in the evening.

“Ah,” members of Mark’s community would have remembered. “That’s when Jesus met with his friends in the upper room, wasn’t it? . . . or at midnight when Jesus was arrested . . . or at the cockcrow when Peter denied Jesus . . . or at dawn when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus!” You see? Code language that Christian people would have understood during those dangerous times to refer to the fact that they were living in a time of momentous importance.

“Beware, keep alert,” Mark writes, “for you do not know when the master of the house will come . . . or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. What I say to you I say to all. Keep awake.” It’s the same word Jesus used in the garden of Gethsemane when he begged Peter and James and John to stay awake with him. Stay awake! Stay alert! Stay conscious! Don’t go to sleep on me! This is the hour, Mark is saying in coded language.

I’ve often wondered why there is no story about the birth of Christ in the gospel of Mark. When it comes to Christmas, Mark is not concerned about a stable, a star, shepherds or Wiseman. For him, more cosmic things are happening. This passage is not a vision of the end of the world but words of encouragement to a dispirited group of Christians who were in danger of giving up the cause. The cosmic images and parables are ‘coded’ language, intended to remind members of the Christian community of the importance of remaining faithful in these dark days of world history, a time not unlike that time for Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

Our Christmas symbols represent a similar coded language that is intended to remind us of exactly what we are waiting for during advent. The Christmas season has been developing through many centuries. It is still changing and continues to grow as our customs are refined and new traditions begin. However, some of these traditions actually originate in pagan customs and have little to do with the biblical account of Christ’s birth. For instance; The Poinsettia as a symbol of Christmas comes from an old Mexican legend. A poor little girl was heartbroken because she had nothing of beauty or value to offer the Christ child, so she plucked some weeks from the side of the road and, as her only possession in the world, laid them at the feet of the statue of the Virgin Mary. The legend says that the weeks were miraculously transformed into the scarlet brilliance of the poinsettia flower that we know today. In fact, in present day Mexico people still refer to it as the flower of the Holy Night. What do priceless gift do you possess that may seem worthless on the outside? What can you give as an expression of your love for the Christ-child? A smile for the depressed or grouchy person in your life? A warm embrace for the unlovable relative? A kind word for the sarcastic or hateful comment thrown in your direction? These seemingly valueless gifts can miraculously transform any situation or relationship this Christmas.

How about the wreaths that we hang on our doors and windows, or the greenery we string along our banisters and archways? Evergreens, which flourish when all else is brown and dead, are obvious symbols of enduring life. Our primitive fore parents brought in green branches at the festival of the Winter Solstice, which occurs every year on December 21st. They used them in magical rites to ensure the return of vegetation in the spring. Holly, ivy and mistletoe were strong life-symbols because they could bear fruit even in the winter. And wreaths represented the Teutonic fire wheel, a symbol of the sun god. Although these were pagan rituals, and were at one time forbidden by the early church, we understand that back them, like now they represented the ever-living, eternal God whose constant and abiding love is always ours…and that God is always present with us. What fruit will you bear when the environment around you seems cold and lifeless? How will you express the enduring life of God within you when all else seems dead and forgotten? That is our gospel duty, not just through tough times like we are experiencing today, but in all the challenges and conflicts we experience in this experience we call humanity.

Our Christmas tree comes from an old Germanic custom where bringing a tree into the house was like bringing God into the house, adorning offerings to their gods on the branches. (ornaments) This custom evolved into putting wrapped gifts under the tree that are intended for those that we love. These are gifts that draw our attention to who and what is really important in our lives. It is our connection to every one around us that is the gift we celebrate. That’s why it’s called the present.

Advent means coming. The Advent wreath symbolizes our journey of waiting for the Messiah, the anointed one who came to liberate us from our own personal bondage. The light has come to wake us up from our slumber and lead us to a new way of being.

Are you awake to these dark days of so many in our world? Do you read about the suffering of the poor, but have no desire to ease their pain? Have you fallen asleep spiritually? Do you snooze through the anticipation and excitement of Christmas? Have you dozed off from following the gospel—no longer alert to the realm of God around you?

I never did get an eleventh gift on that Christmas day almost 32 years ago. As you can imagine, my parents were not too happy with me. After all, they had given me more than they could really afford. And of course it wasn’t intentional. What was intentional was their love for me even in the midst of my self-centeredness. I learned a valuable lesson then…that has hopefully stuck with me now. It’s not what you get…but what you give that blesses you.

There is one present that I got that Christmas morning that I still have today. It’s these boots. Boot that I’ve worn since I was 10 years old. These are the boots that carried me through some rough times in junior high and high school. They took me into the Air Force and a transfer to Germany. They brought me back to the U.S., protected me as I wandered and worked in some dangerous cities, led me to college, transported me while I traveled, gave me a kick in the pants when I needed to go to seminary, and eventually led me on my journey to you. Yeah, these boots were made for walkin’. And I would have missed out on their specialness had I stayed asleep and kept looking for that eleventh gift. What’s the surprise on this first Sunday of Advent? That a baby is coming—to love the world. I for one, hope to stay awake for that! Amen.

(Excerpts from Barry J. Robinson’s sermon “Don’t Go to Sleep on Me” for November 27, 2005 – www.fernstone.org)

Does God Want You to Be Rich?

*Read Matthew 6:19-21; 25-33

There once was a rich man who was dying. While on his death bed, he tried to negotiate with God to have God allow him to bring his earthly treasures with him to heaven.

"God, please, I have worked so hard to accumulate all these riches. Can't I bring them along?" "This is very unusual," said God, "but since you have been such a faithful steward, I will allow you to bring one suitcase."

The man immediately had a servant fill a large suitcase with gold bricks. Shortly thereafter, he died. When he arrived at the pearly gates, he was stopped by St. Peter. "I'm sorry sir, but you know the rule -- 'you can't take it with you.' You may enter, but the suitcase has to stay outside."

"But God told me I could bring one suitcase," the man protested.
"Well, if God says it's okay -- but I still need to examine the contents before you enter." St. Peter took the suitcase from the man, opened it, and, looking very puzzled, said to the man, "You brought pavement?"

We have been tacking the tough questions over the past six weeks in an attempt to discern, do our beliefs as progressive Christians fit the stereotype that the culture perceives of us? For the past 11 years of my Christian life my spiritual beliefs have been in constant evolution. And the issue of prosperity has been one of those areas I’ve struggle most with.

A few weeks ago I talked about stumbling blocks – a physical obstacle in our path that trips us up and deters us from our destination. The promotion of a version of Christianity that is premised on the notion that God wants all of his followers to be financially rich is, in my opinion, the greatest of all stumbling blocks.

If we consider the history of prosperity in the church, financial prosperity is a relatively new concept. The fact is, the financial status of Christians through the ages has been fairly representative of the economic level of the society around them. Eking out a living has been most everyone’s primary concern through the history of the church. Until the middle of the last century, Christians were known for being hard working. Our Protestant work ethic “Idle hands were the devil’s playthings” was the rule by which we lived. But in the 1970’s a new kind of theology emerged; God loves you, and He wants you to have lots of money. It was the emergence of the “name it and claim it” gospel.

No the God that this gospel espouses is very, very appealing – after all, how could you resist a God who wants to poor out financial riches upon you? There are countless verses in the Bible to confirm this kind of God. Psalm 50:10 – The Almighty God says to King David, “I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” With all of these assets of the world at his disposal, wouldn’t he likely spread some of it around to his spiritual children? A Time Magazine poll suggested that 61% of Christians believe that God wants them to be prosperous. However, there is a “Catch” – God wants you to make you rich, but you have to get the ball rolling by giving money to him first. Giving so you can get has become the mindset of most Christians. Another Time magazine poll revealed that 31% of Christians surveyed agreed that if you give your money to God, God will bless you with more money.

There was a feature story in the Los Angeles Times that exposed these statistics about a prominent prosperity-gospel television ministry; 70% of contributions to the ministry’s $170 million revenue were made by lower-income rural Americans. Think about it. My gripe isn’t against poor Americans who make these donations; those who benefit from the charity in some way. I take issue with the way in which these funds are solicited. Ever listen to the pitch? My grandma faithfully watched these TV Evangelists and the statement that shocked me most was, “If you have been healed or saved or blessed through this ministry, and have not contributed…you are robbing God and will lose your reward in heaven.”

What is the theology behind the prosperity Gospel? God is a means to an end, not the end in himself. If that is indeed true, then apparently Jesus didn’t know how to work the system. If God wanted everyone to be rich, wouldn’t that at least include his only Son? But Jesus spent his entire life in poverty. What about the disciples? They should have been rewarded for their service to Jesus and God. Did they get it wrong too? What about poor Christians living in Africa, China and other 3rd world countries? Have they missed the boat too? The prosperity gospel has demeaned God to the status of an ATM.

The critical different between the Gospel of Christ, and the prosperity gospel is; Human Independence vs. Divine Dependence. Our independent nature affirms being self-made and self-sufficient; we want to be in control of our own destiny—and when we aren’t…then something has gone wrong and desperately try to correct it through blame or shame. The Bible frequently reminds us to rely on God for our well-being rather than our own ingenuity. The more we acknowledge our divine dependence, the more we appreciate God’s provision.

Jesus’ divine perspective on finances comes from Matthew 6; “Do not store up treasures here on earth, whose moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust can never destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (19-21)

The apostle Paul encouraged the church of Philippi; “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. God’s peace will guard your hears and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (4:7)

The question of riches should draw us intead to an understanding of living in "Sacred Simplicity." In addition to wanting us to recognize him as our sovereign source for all that we have or need, God also wants us to disengage ourselves from the society pressure to accumulate enough to become self sufficient. God doesn’t want us to be motivated by a quest to possess but rather invites us to live in the context of sacred simplicity.

Jesus is clear, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need" (Matthew 6:33). Just what is the Kingdom of God? It is your inner spiritual search for truth. Making your inner relationship with God and others the most important thing above all else will produce the prosperity you need to continue blessings others. Did you really get that? Let me say it again.

"Making your inner relationship with God and others the most important thing above all else will produce the prosperity you need to continue blessings others."

It’s not that money isn’t important; it’s just not to be our focus—ever. Paul summed it up in his letter to the Philippians; “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. (4:11-13).

The prosperity Gospel renders any notion of suffering or sacrifice for God null and void. The theology of mainstream Christian thought puts God at the center, and we are called to do whatever is necessary for us to serve others in God’s name. Sometimes our financial comfort is the stumbling block that keeps us from putting God in the center of our life. Chances are, financial hardship is a self-correcting way to remind us of who we are, and who our god is.

Does God want you to be rich? Perhaps the answer to that question just might be, IF: If God blesses you financially, he does it so you will be able to help others. And that golden nugget of truth…you can take to the bank! Amen!

Excerpts from Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz's awesome book, "I'm fine with God...It's Christians I Can't Stand" (2008: Harvest House Publishers) www.conversantlife.com