December 30, 2012 "Gradual Awareness"

I Samuel 2: 18-20, 26 Luke 2: 41-52 This morning we have a RIDDLE: What wears upon us all, but no one ever puts on? What is there none can avoid, yet all search to find? What is there that changes us, yet we can never stop or hold? What is there that defines yesterday, today and tomorrow? What has hands but has no arms? What moves but has no feet? What has a face, but has no smile? The answer to all of these, is TIME. Some years, the church calls for us to share the story of Mary and Joseph presenting the child at the Temple with the Offering of Two Turtledoves, and Simeon and Anna naming Jesus as Destiny's Child. Other years we read of King Herod murdering the children, which this year is far too close with the deaths of children in Connecticut. Instead, this year, we recall in the Old Testament that at the end of the Time of the Judges, in gratitude for the opportunity of giving birth Hannah gave her child to God; and annually she came to witness his growing, to give thanks for him in her life, and to be blessed. That regularly Mary and Joseph and their family had gone to the Temple at Jerusalem, but when he was about twelve, the family had left like everyone else, while Jesus had remained to ask questions and seek wisdom. Christmas Eve someone left their glasses, another left a purse, yet another left their gloves, and yesterday someone left a Cadillac at the church unfortunately they did not leave the keys. What is particular about these Scriptures, is that both the time of Hannah and the time of Mary were times of transition. The Old World was ending and a new era about to begin. In Hannah's time, everyone did what was right in their own heart, often being punished for it. Pharaoh, Moses and Joshua had been dead a long time. The Priest was named Eli and his sons did not follow in his ways, they were corrupt, immoral, abusive, evil. While the priesthood was passed by inheritance, something new had to come. Hannah wanted only one thing in life, not to be a mother, not to see her child graduate and marry and become a grandmother... but only to be able to have a child, at all. She vowed, that if she were to have the gift of having a child, she would give that child to God. Where others had made foolish vows only later to recognize the cost, Hannah meant what she had said, and literally gave her child to God. There is a level of devotion here, that is difficult for our world to identify with. In the Anthem on Christmas Eve and in the Carol “The 12 Days of Christmas,” we refer to OUR TRUE LOVE... Whom do we mean? Is our True Love, our Soul Mate? The one we fell in love with the first day of College, to whom we have been married and devoted to? Is our True Love: HOME, MOM, APPLE PIE, America? Is our True Love: SAFETY and SECURITY? Is our True Love our Self? Could our True Love be GOD? In Education and Career planning, we discuss Aptitude for differing subjects, what you naturally excel at doing, what you enjoy, what you want your career to be; now expecting, that there will be second and third careers. True Love and Devotion, being Given, seem in our world to be like Romance Novels and Children's fairy tales. As your pastor, I agonize and feel guilt at this time each year, not for broken New Year's Resolutions or failed dreams, there are actually very few of those, but for how many have served as Elders and Leaders, who then disappear all together from the Church. As our current Elders and Deacons complete their service in leadership, and the next prepare to be ordained, I wish we as the Church had the faith, the devotion, the love of one another let alone GOD, to express our thanksgiving for what leaders among us have done. It is wonderful every Spring to have those who have retired elsewhere return home, excited recalling that years ago there was no focus to the church, and we got down on our knees to unscrew and move the pews. Hearing the windows rattle and moan, some recalled the bellowing of the old organ. Work in mission has been something unique, making a difference in the world, where faith has been made real! Bible study has not been teaching, but sharing what we each believe and valuing one another's faith and interpretations. Like seeing Grandchildren, those who come home are thankful for change, but our awareness is often different in the day to day. In recent years, I do not think I can name one person who has not struggled with whether they should have resigned from leadership as their life had competing responsibilities, illnesses, job pressures. I fear that one of our most treasured symbols is a hollow one. At Ordinations, we invite and encourage all those who have been ordained, all those who have previously served in leadership to come forward, to stand at the Chancel Steps laying hands upon those being Ordained, passing the Holy Spirit from one to another, and literally standing behind those who currently lead to encourage. My fear is that while in this congregation nearly 95% of the body have served previously, rarely do any of us express “When I was on Session, we faced difficult decisions!” This last year, we installed a restroom in the Narthex that the congregation has been discussing how to accomplish for forty years. We live in an era in human society, in American society where leaders are targeted for blame, for responsibility. We have exceedingly great transparency and availability, yet someone needs to be the recipient of our fears and angers. One of the difficulties with the passage about Samuel, is that the Bible does not say, Hannah gave her child to lead as she wanted, or that Samuel entered leadership to remake the church. But that God blessed Hannah for her devotion, for following through on her vow, and used Samuel as a Gift of God not always as he wanted to be used. Our Parish Associate this last year, described to the Nominating Committee: “Be careful of people volunteering to lead! Often these have their own agenda, their own axe to grind that is not part of working together as the church.” A great deal has been said in the last fifty years about parity among the ordained, that if something is true for Elders and Deacons, it needs to be true for Pastors as well. The fact of the matter is that being Ordained, is different from anything else in life, it has to be because the church is different, faith is different, our relationship with God is a Devotion, a Love, rather than a responsibility or a job. This passage from Luke, with Mary and Joseph standing in the Temple staring at Jesus, represents for me one of the most exciting moments in life. Not the feeding of 5000. Not walking on water. Not even the Incarnation that the Word of God became a Human being, or the Atonement on the Cross. But that first moment that happens to each of us, when we go from being taught, given information to regurgitate, to instead questioning and devoting ourselves to what we Believe. There is a distinction in the Gospels over what is described as “The Messianic Secret” of whether Jesus fully knew, understood and accepted as a human being the cost of being The Messiah. There is the wrestling with the Devil, wrestling with himself, being driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, which comes at Jesus' Baptism. But here as a twelve year old, Jesus is witnessed to be struggling with who he is in relation to God, in relation to his family. Throughout the history of the Church, people have struggled with whether we come to faith through a Cathartic moment or a Slow and Gradual Maturation of Belief. What I see evidence of here, is that about the age of puberty, we have the first of many occasions when we discern by gradual awareness that what we believe matters. Like Jesus born into a time that would be the Fall of Rome, like Samuel born into a time that would be the End of the Judges and rise of the Monarchy of Israel, we are at the end of an era and beginning of something new. I pray, that we are at the end of an era where as quoted by the man in Webster, NY: he only enjoyed killing things. And that a new era is about to dawn when we wrestle with what we are devoted to creating. The difficulty of Dawning Times, is that they do not come all at once, or by evolution but through gradual awareness of something deeper, something we can devote ourselves to Be.

"Impossible Is What You Will Not Do", Christmas Eve Midnight

Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 20: 1-20 Of all the worship services of all the year, this is my favorite. Some pastors dread it, assuming that those attending are doing so out of obligation, but I love this night because we know those who have been out in the world, away at college, in war, those who married and began their careers come home, juggling the realities they know, with what they were taught to believe. Coming home, knowing in experience that life is not as easy as we thought. Moving away from this little village, living in love until death us do part, is not what we thought. More than all the Sundays when we have “Given” texts to preach upon some more obscure than others, this night everyone knows the story, we have heard it since before we were two, before we could walk, or talk, before we knew a Manger was a feed trough WE KNEW THIS WAS JESUS CRADLE. And those who have passed these stories to us from Matthew and from Luke, knew also, that the one who came to be born in a stable was the One WHO WOULD DIE ON THE CROSS. So this is not the pajamas story, but wrestling with making meaning of life and reality. 2012 is a difficult Christmas, as hard as many have been this one even more so. For first there was FEAR, in the wake of RECESSION, Government stalemates and partisan bickering, an ECONOMY headed for the cliff, The ARAB SPRING which still is settling out as SYRIA's leadership is killing its own citizens. Then Super-storm SANDY, followed by SANDYHOOK ELEMENTARY. The description of being a people who have lived in darkness and fear, seems only too appropriate. That passage from Isaiah is about the past is over and gone, living in fear, in darkness, in blood is over. FOR unto us a child is born. The simple story shared this night is a story of hope, a story of the IMPOSSIBLE being REAL. This is a story never before portrayed, and never repeated. That God, the Creator of TIME & SPACE, would become Mortal, become human. That truly God so loved the world that God sent God's Only Begotten Son. A Gift, an unwarranted, undeserved, unexpected, even Rejected Gift, of an innocent baby, who IS GOD AMONG US, Emmanuel. Since the Reformation there has been a pendulum of human acceptance of the DUAL NATURE OF CHRIST. At times the Church, the World both emphasized Christ's Divinity, that this Jesus was HOLY and Pure. At times the Church emphasized the Humanity of Jesus, as being just like all of us with Temptations, with fears and suffering. Recently, I saw the Film LINCOLN, if you have not seen it, I would highly recommend. It focuses upon the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the question of whether All PEOPLE are Equal Equal to one another, Equal Under the Law, With the Same Inalienable Rights. Equality was the issue of Slavery. Equality was the Issue of Women's Suffrage. Equality was the issue of Child Labor. Equality was the Issue of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Equality has been the Issue of Women's Rights. Equality continues to be the issue which divides us and causes us to struggle, struggle with whether equality can be and must be legislated, or whether equality can be granted by us all in relationship. Witnessing this, it made me recall a verse from Philippians 2 “HE DID NOT CLAIM EQUALITY WITH GOD A THING TO BE GRASPED he poured out his divinity, taking the form of a Servant and was made Man.” Suddenly it occurred to me, that that is the crux of where we are today. Not only whether we are equal with every other person, or even just a little more equal than everyone else, but we live in a world where it is possible to believe, to desire to be Equal with God. We want to be able to determine how we shall live, whom we shall love, what we will become, when we will have children, when we die, how we feel. All the Powers of God over us. And yet, that passage names that Jesus, who could have Claimed Equality With God DID NOT! Instead, God chose to be ONE with us. That there is something about the human experience, the experience of life and love and death and after-death, that is uniquely human and precious unto God. I BELIEVE that in EVERY sense the IMPOSSIBLE has BECOME POSSIBLE for us. The Only distinction between what is Impossible and what is possible is what we are unwilling to do. BUT still the question of The Savior is CAN WE CHOOSE to not claim equality with God, Can we intentionally choose to take the role of The Servant? When everything is possible, limited only by what we will not do, what limits what we will do and what we will not not do? Instead of claiming some tasks are too menial, that we are not being treated equal, that we choose instead to risk and to serve.

Christmas Eve Pajama Service

Luke 2:1-20 One of my favorite Christmases was when my kids were very little and all the Grandparents came. The trouble was that there was a terrible cold and flu being passed around. Well, that Christmas our youngest who was about about 2 ½ received a Doctor's Bag for a present. He put on one of his father's white shirts, and had this head band with a reflector on top of his head. He would go from patient to patient lying on couches groaning, or sitting at the kitchen table sniffling and coughing. He would methodically set down his bag and open it, taking out what he called the THETHISCOPE to put in his ears. After a moment, he would shake his head saying “Very Bad, very bad, only one thing to do” Then he would lean over to give the Mom or Dad or Grandma a wet Kiss and declare “All Better.” In many ways that is what Christmas is all about. We are sick. There is an awful lot of groaning going on. There are a lot of hurts and hates, which anyone could diagnose as Very Bad. But what makes it better is the love of a child, a very special child, the child of God. Long, long, long ago, before well before there was anything else, there was God. And God decided it was God's job to Create, so God created everything, The world. The Stars and Moon and Sun. The mountains and rivers and lakes and oceans. God created the birds and fish and bugs and horses and cows and donkeys, and puppies. And God created people. And for a long time, that was all there was. But people did not do what God created us to do. Instead people hurt each other. So God did something no one had ever done before, and no one has ever seen since, something people imagined long before but nobody ever thought was going to happen. God recreated god-self as a human being, just like us! Now if God was going to live among us, that person would be pretty special wouldn't they? As God, they would be ALL POWERFUL, but he did not come as a Soldier, or Police or Firefighter. As God, they would be ALL KNOWING, but he did not come as a Scientist or College Professor or Teacher. God, the Creator of Everything that is, who had been around for ever, you might expect them to be VERY OLD, but God who is well GOD, became a BABY. Not “like” a baby, became a real baby. They would have to be born in the finest Palace, or Church, and his parents would have to be Celebrities or Heroes, right? Except his Mom was just a girl named Mary. And his Dad was just a man named Joe. He was not born in a Palace or a Church, or even in a hospital, he was born in a Barn, not even a real barn, just a stable for animals. And they did not even have a crib or cradle for the Baby, so they took the feed trough from the cow and donkey, the place where they put hay for the animals to eat and used this to put the baby in. And when Babies are born, you want everybody to know, so on the computer, or in the mail you tell everyone the baby's name and birthdate and how big the baby was. But when God was a baby ANGELS real Angels spread the news, not on Facebook, not in the NY Times or People Magazine. Instead The Angels told Shepherds! Can you believe it Shepherds out in the Country. Do you know ANY shepherds who command people? Shepherds do not even lead sheep, Shepherds follow the sheep, and push them, shepherds never Call out to the world: “Hey, Angels Told Us: God has been Born!” They did not know the Baby's name, or even his Mom or Dad's name... They did not have an address... they did not even know exactly when or any of the important stuff about the baby. Shepherds move slow, following their sheep, keeping them out of trouble. But instead, the Shepherds ran quickly and brought with them their whole flock of sheep. They went straight to the Stable where Mary and Joseph were with the baby. And the Shepherds told them everything that had been told to them.

December 23, 2012, "A Facetious Tale"

Micah 5: 2-5 Luke 1: 39-55 Centuries Ago, this the Sunday before Christmas was described as “The Feast of Fools!” A Carnival in contrast before the holiest night of all the year. The birth of the Child of God, the Messiah, our Savior and Lord, would turn everything we thought we knew upside down and inside out. Instead of a God, Jesus comes to us as an infant. Rather than the birth of a Priest and King ending one era and beginning a new, Jesus comes to us as the most common, most lowly, most ordinary of births. So a carnival was celebrated this day; both because the word INCARNATE and the word CARNIVAL come from the same root meaning FLESHY, REAL, of SUBSTANCE, and to emphasize that Jesus coming among us changes everything, that we would live differently. Those leading worship this day turned their robes inside out, they put chemicals on candle wicks to make them like sparklers, there was loud raucous singing and bawdy laughter, priests dressing as Jesters, choir members wearing the ears of a donkey, children singing in the worship of God. Two thousands years before that, the Nation of Israel lived in fear. Their kings and leaders had been disgraced. The Economy and infrastructure lay in ruins. The nation had put their trust in the weapons of power, and the Assyrians had destroyed them. Everyone was searching for leadership, searching for where to invest, what to trust, they had been disappointed and disillusioned so many times. Suddenly the prophet MICAH appears on the horizon. In contrast to the Wealth of Kings, in comparison to the pageantry of Priests, in opposition to the destruction of Sword and Fire, Micah pointed to Bethlehem. Cities as we know them, were impossible in the ancient world. There was not a sufficient system of supplying food and water, of dealing with waste to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, the systems of industry and commerce had not been developed. Most major cities were a thousand people. Imagine 1/4 the population of Skaneateles without Dickens, without the tourists or summer residents. And in contrast to this, the Prophet Micah points to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was not a major city, not even a one camel town. Jerusalem had become the Capital City of King David, Bethlehem was the remote rural home of the birth of David the Shepherd boy. People relate to one another differently in a small town than in a city. In a city one might get lost. In a place like Bethlehem there were numerable contacts with the same people, there was a sense of community, where we know one another and are known. Rather than power and prestige, wealth and the accumulation of stuff, Micah pointed to a place and time where we have been real with one another, where we had connections and community. How very odd, that the Sunday before Christmas, this day before Christmas eve, we would read the story of Mary and Elizabeth! Not the story of John the Baptist preparing the Way. Not the lineage of King David. Not even the Covenant between God and Abraham. But the story of two women long ago, sharing their common experience of being pregnant. Just before this, The Gospel of Luke had described Mary being told she would conceive and give birth to a baby, as confirmation of this the Angel told Mary her kinswoman Elizabeth was also having a child. So if you were Mary where would you go? We do not know much about Elizabeth. She was the wife of Zechariah, who was a Priest of Israel. All their lives they had wanted one thing most of all, to have a child. But decades had gone by and they were unable. Zechariah and Elizabeth were now advanced in years. After the Assyrians, had come the Empire of The Greeks, and now the Romans with their Caesars. In that time, the role of the Priest required staying awake and attentive for when God might speak to the people. Therefore, there was a rotation among the Priests in each village, and it was Zechariah's turn to serve as Priest on call. The Priest listened to the confessions and prayers of the people, then the Priest alone went in to offer the people's sacrifices and prayers, after which the Priest offered Assurance of Pardon and Prophecy of Fulfillment to the people. Zechariah went in to offer the people's prayers and confessions for them, when suddenly what should appear but an Angel of God. In many ways, Zechariah and Elizabeth were symbolic of Old Israel; for generations the Nation of Israel had wanted a Messiah, but now it seemed they were too old and no one believed it could still be. This angel declared that God had heard Elizabeth's prayer and she would be given the birth of a Child who would be John the Baptist, the Herald of the Savior. Overcome, Zechariah laughed, and for this the Priest was unable to speak throughout Elizabeth's nine months. Because he had doubted, because he had disbelieved, Zechariah was unable to offer Assurance to the people, unable to offer Prophecy. Imagine how Elizabeth might have felt... We have this scene in Luke. Elizabeth is alone in her house, cooking. This is not Martha Stewart standing over a Viking Gourmet Stove. This is a home with a mud floor, with an open fire, with no chairs or table, so you stood, or sat or lay on the floor, or squatted. Elizabeth is advanced in age, with graying hair and aching joints, and now on top of this, feeling all the effects of being pregnant. Could you feel any more alone, isolated and frustrated. According to Levitical Law she could not be out in the Marketplace, she could not be among people, besides her own husband had laughed what would people think, what would they say. And to Elizabeth's door comes Mary. I have always envisioned this visit as being like the conversation between a Grandmother and grandchild. Well not my Grandmother, who used to begin letters “I am sorry you broke your arm. I assume your arm is broken because you have not written.” Instead, like my wife's grandmothers, who loved to have visitors to sit beside listening to your hopes and fears and dreams and connecting in ways we as parents never can because we are too close. Here are Mary and Elizabeth, each feeling like a beach-ball sitting on the floor. The wonderful nature of this scene is that the relationship does everything that is needed. Elizabeth was alone and isolated, needing connection and community; and Mary supplied this. Mary was overcome with feelings and experiences like nothing she had ever felt before, and there was Elizabeth to listen and comfort. To the world it was a facetious tale... but to these two, nothing could have been more precious. And according to the Gospel of Luke, who were the first to describe the meaning of the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus, not Archangels, not Priests, not Kings, but these two women connecting together. We all seek connections and community. Ironically, our society has given us more and more stuff, more technology that isolates us and creates games for competition. This has been an extremely hard season for many in our world. First, our world was primed by hostility separating and dividing groups, then immobilized by fear not only that the economy was failing but our leaders were out of control, there was the Storm Sandy that with wind and flood destroyed cities, neighborhoods, businesses, homes and lives. Then there was the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. All of which have left people feeling very afraid, isolated and raw. On this stage, come two pregnant women talking and laughing together, over the meaning of a kick and a cramp. Would that this Christmas, rather than focusing on our Diets, or How many presents, whether we got what we want, we could sit and talk with someone. It is so simple a thing, so real and common we might overlook. It does not have to be about solving the problems of the world, but connecting and sharing.

"Behaving As We Believe", December 16, 2012

Zephaniah 3: 14-20 Luke 3: 7-18 The temptation this morning is to speak tenderly to Jerusalem, saying “Comfort, comfort my people says your God,” recognizing that we are all in a state of Post Traumatic Stress. When the first Iraq War had begun, with minute by minute television coverage, our children now in their twenties were three and five, and they stood before the screen shouting “No More, No More.” Since that time, we have witnessed the bombing of Embassies, and hijacking of ships, the events of 911, killings in an Amish community, in a movie theater in Oregon, so many conflicts, so much war, we have begun to be numbed by the evil in our midst. Then 48 hours ago, a 20 year old in a community much like our own, shot and killed his mother, filled with hate and anger he tried to kill everyone that represented what he thought she most loved and 20 children in one elementary school are dead. There is a temptation, in response to this to react by placing guards and metal detectors in all our schools, to see the deaths of so many innocents as a cry for gathering up all the weapons across our society, to get rid of all the weapons of the world, in order to make this world safe, to make our lives secure. This is Advent, when we long to sit before the television watching Charlie Brown's Christmas and Frosty the Snowman, singing the Carols of White Christmas. Someone this weekend asked how we planned to respond to the events of Friday? Whether we would just go ahead with the Bible readings planned and celebrate Christmas as if nothing had happened? And without having to think, I replied the 3rd Sunday of Advent is focused on PEACE and SALVATION. Last summer, in the Evening Bible Study, I accepted a challenge, that as a pastor known for preaching trust and compassion, love and forgiveness, speaking softly and tenderly, that I would try to preach a sermon this year with Hellfire and Brimstone. We in the Church, have made of Baptism, a tender sacrament of parents presenting their infants for the love of God, however the origin of Christian Baptism comes from John. On Jordan's Banks, John preached to the people who came to be Baptized: “You Incestuous Nest of Blood-sucking Snakes! You Brood of Vipers, who warned you to Change?” We remember that John the Baptist preached and all the world, even Jesus, came out to be baptized. We remember that his was a baptism of water, proclaiming that the Messiah was to come, who was so holy and so pure that the lace of his sandal even John the Baptist claimed he was unworthy to tie. But the whole of the Gospel is that John came preaching “REPENTANCE” and later when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, Jesus came from the wilderness also preaching REPENTANCE. One of my children's favorite stories, when they were little was Rudyard Kipling's “Elephant Child or How the Elephant Got It's Trunk,” which ends with the affirmation that a leopard cannot change its spots, nor a person their skin, but we can choose to change. The fact of the matter is that we cannot get to Bethlehem, we cannot witness the birth of the Savior at Christmas, if all we have done is to buy a tree and presents, put up the decorations and send out greetings, even if we got exactly the gift that they always wanted. Christmas is expensive! Christmas requires our self-examination of whether we are living the words we claim to believe. According to Luke, the question of Advent is WHAT SHALL WE DO? The other Gospels describe John addressing the Scribes and the Pharisees with his rebuke, but Luke insists John the Baptist preached repentance to everyone, and instead of walking away the people asked what they/we must do? SHARE when you have more than you need. DO NOT SCAM others for your profit. DO NOT INTIMIDATE and cause others to fear you. But the first half of this Gospel passage is also vitally important. Luke names every historic person for that time, in National and Local Government, Tribally and Religiously, to say this is when this actually did happen in history. These events and circumstances are not philosophical, they are not myth, this is what took place. And John the Baptist went on to say, “DO NOT SAY TO ME, WE ARE DESCENDED FROM ABRAHAM.” Do not tell me I am a resident of Florida, or our church did wonderful things in Africa, or thank God we are not in Connecticut, because hatred and divisiveness and anger, like "family," are common to us all. And until we face these angers, until we resolve our differences, we are only prepared to drown in the River, not to be Baptized. The events of this week were horrific. I hope and pray we get over sensationalizing this, interviewing people on how they feel. But we cannot adopt an attitude of amnesia, that this never happened, because 20 children are dead, 20 families, a whole community, our Nation, the world, cannot forget. Violence, anger and hate, domination of others have become accepted in our world. IF we are to make plain the rough places, fill the lows and lower the highs, we must try to live life differently, to live as we claim to believe. That what is to happen within 10 days, is not a cartoon or claymation, not scripted in a movie. God is reconciling all of life to God. God is preparing to enter into our lives, are we cluttered, are we distracted, or are any of us prepared for God to judge us as we are?

12 02, 2012 "Longing for Righteousness"

Jeremiah 33: 14-16 Luke 21:25-36 Surprises are fun. To catch someone you love off-guard, to honor them by planning an event in demonstration of how much they mean to us, without their ever lifting a finger is fun. A year ago, the news was abuzz with story of a couple, who had been in a relationship so long she thought he would never propose marriage. Meanwhile the groom had planned their entire wedding so he could surprise her. He blindfolded her, had a limo drive until she was disoriented, when she took the blindfold off they were standing at the doors of the Church with her family and all their friends, the pastor and rings, flowers, photographers and the dress, and all she needed do was say “I Do.” The culture declared “How romantic!” At the time I wondered, and what would have happened if she looked at everything he did without her, and she said “No, I do not”? As stressful and expensive as weddings can be, the intent of Advent, the planning a wedding, like the 9 months of pregnancy, is to become one with another, to become one with this change in life's circumstance. As romantic as the story is, that the groom would want to do all this for her, and would spare her all the stress and decisions, this is not righteousness. We too often become jaded by being self-righteous, believing that we and we alone (using the Royal “We”) know what is best for everyone else, for all of our world. This first Sunday in Advent is about two things, first: Our goal, our intent, the purpose of human history is The LORD is our righteousness! Being right with God, and right with everyone, being right with everything in all creation, that is righteousness. This is not about winning, or accumulating, having power or prestige. Righteousness is having nothing hidden, but being transparent, being open, being honest, being one with all creation. At different times, as a pastor, I have been called upon to sit on Ethics Committees, for our Government, for Hospitals, and in the Church, in each case the focus has not been upon what is Ethical, or what is Moral, or what is Justice. The point of Ethics' Committees is that everyone involved be fully informed, fully able to make an informed decision about the costs and benefits and possible effects of actions or inaction. Our “Informed Consent” is the legal demonstration of righteousness, as we attest with our name and signature that we know what is going to happen and we are not only complicit we take our responsibility for ourselves. Recently our Village, Town, County, State and Nation held an election, and next week we as a church will elect our leaders. Our society is not a true democracy in which we each are able to express our opinion and vote on every issue, but rather our church like our government is a democratic republic, in which every person has a vote, but we vote to place our trust in others to make decisions for us. In truth, there are very moments in time, in which the pastoral ministry feels “holy.” More often than not, the ministry is worrying about how to have heat when the boiler shuts down, and how to pay for it when we have to call the repairmen on a Saturday. How to make everyone happy, when at times people have been unhappy enough with other parts of their lives that we have wanted a safe place to act out. Officiating at Weddings today includes being attentive that the Sheriff has been asked to stand guard in case the groom's mother shows up, and keeping the photographers and event planners at bay while the couple speak the vows of their hearts to each other and kiss. One of the few moments which truly are “holy” have been those times when persons have been prepared to reflect on their lives, to name what needs to be confessed and atoned for, before they die. Increasingly our world is about secrets, churches have disposed of “Confessionals,” and the point of a good defense is being able to tell the truth, without admitting the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Would that we lived in a time in history, where nothing was hidden, where we had relationships without secrets, when we could be wholly honest with one another and with ourselves, which would mean we could be one in righteousness with God. Righteousness with God and all Creation is one of the two themes of this first Sunday in Advent. The other is longing. The advertising business has been counting down the decreasing number of days left for us to get all of our shopping done, to have everything everyone wants for Christmas. Advent accepts a fluidity to time and space. We know all too well the words that will be spoken, words that have been professed for two thousand years. Similar to Once Upon a Time, or Long Long ago, the Gospel of Luke names a time in the past: “In those days, when a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled, the first enrollment when Quirinius was Governor of Syria.” Luke wrote down these words after Jesus' Arrest, Crucifixion and Resurrection from the Dead to identify the historic reality of what had been longed for, by a people counted as sheep by an empire, counted for taxation, and the hope of fulfillment after 2000 years of longing. There is something in me, I believe in us all, that feels discomfort with much of the Church year. At LENT we do not always feel ready to repent. On EASTER, there are personal circumstances that get in the way of feeling Triumphal, even with trumpet fanfare of feeling Joyful. PENTECOST is a long season, half the year in length, when as the church in this place and time we do not always feel spirit filled and spirit led. BUT ADVENT, all humanity can identify with the longing for what might have been long long ago, and which we hope and pray will come soon. Longing for a time, when we can be complete, and honest about everything in our lives, assured that we will be accepted and loved. Advent is the beginning of the year, as we begin in anticipation, waiting, longing for accomplishment, longing for acceptance of who we are with one another. On Thursday evening, our Village leaders affirmed the leadership of over 25 people from this congregation and the support of so many others in the church and throughout our Village. The Village Board extended a relationship to the Village of Jacob and John and Martha, and Andrew and Mary, and Santino, that our villages would claim one another as Sisters. And this day, and this coming week, representatives from here are traveling to the opposite side of the earth, to bring other refugees to their homes. Those refugees represent tribes that have been at war with the refugees we have known for thousands of years, longer than any remember. Bringing those refugees home to their families and villages, they will each then bring persons who are blind (from their tribe to the clinic located in what had been enemy territory, our sister village), blinded because they are so close to the equator, they will receive their sight. What a gift to long for in the ADVENT of Christ's Birth, that the scattered refugees dispersed over all the earth would be brought home, and the blind would renew their sight and see. Longing for Righteousness begins from tis moment on...