Twelve Days of Christmas Reflections - Day 12

And when the centurion,who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,he said, 

“Surely this man was the Son of God!”     Mark 15:39

On the last day of Christmas, I am reflecting on the end of Jesus' life. I am looking again at what another person says about Jesus. This time though it is not an angel, God or even a disciple. The man was a centurion, a leader in the Roman army. His title tells us that he commanded 100 soldiers, so he was an important soldier standing guard at Jesus' crucifixion. He had probably witnessed hundreds of crucifixions during his life, I envision him almost being bored by the whole procedure. Then Jesus dies and the centurion declares, “Surely, this man was the Son of God.” 

I wonder what it was about His death that was so different than all the others. Since the Jews standing there didn't understand Jesus' last words I doubt the centurion understood Him. I'm not sure that the cry of "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" would lead the centurion to decide that Jesus was the Son of God even if he had understood. I imagine many people let out one last final cry just before death. So what was it that made the centurion see Jesus as the Son of God? And why was he the only one to see this? Would I have noticed?

I think that I am more like the bystanders who waited for Jesus to come down off the cross; that would have been a miracle. That would have proved He is the Son of God! But that isn't what happened and it was a Roman Soldier who understood, not the leaders of the Jewish community, not Caesar or Pilate. I wonder how often I miss Jesus when He is right in front of me. Perhaps I don’t see Him because I don’t like the message; sometimes the truth hurts. Maybe I don’t see Him because I'm looking for the big miracle. Maybe I don't see Him because I want the situation to change, but He is there to help me get through the storm not make it disappear. I have found that it is often the atheist friend or the person I think that would be least likely to notice Jesus who, like the centurion, points to a situation or person and says there is the Son of God. 

As the Christmas season draws to a close and we prepare for Epiphany, the visit of the Magi from the East to the Christ Child, I would like to share the Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32) as it appears in the Compline service of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (page 135).  

     Lord, you now have set your servant free

          to go in peace as you have promised;
     For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
          whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
     A light to enlighten the nations,
          and the glory of your people Israel.

Let us be like the centurion and Simeon and notice the presence of Jesus in our lives. Amen.

Thank you for joining me on this journey to find the true Christ this Christmas!

Twelve Days of Christmas Reflections - Day 11

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:1-4

Today I'm still on Jesus' very long speech to the disciples before His arrest. Jesus says that He is the True Vine and that we are the branches. We cannot bear fruit without Him. How easily we forget this! I have been struggling with this all week. I have felt overwhelmed by what needs to get done at work and home and have been rather irritable. Then it hit me last night that I had been trying to do everything on my own. I was so busy thinking of everything that I needed to do that I forgot to include Jesus! Of course Jesus never left, He was just waiting to be asked to help me bear fruit. This isn't the first, or last, time this has happened, but cutting myself off from the vine is painful. I get crushed by all the things on my "To-do List" and forget that I can't bear fruit if I don't take the time to pray and ask Jesus to help. 

I have found over and over again in my ministry that the most successful events are not the ones I am most prepared and organized for, with everything done according to schedule. The most meaningful classes, programs or events are the ones I pray about, asking Jesus to bless those working/leading and attending the program. Usually these prayers are more about my lack of preparedness than anything. I don’t want my failure to be organized or get something done to prevent someone from encountering Jesus. And Jesus answers my prayers in ways I could never have imagined! This of course does not mean that I can leave everything to chance and let Jesus step in at the last minute, but I do need to stay close to Jesus and invite him before and during any task. Imagine how much better our lives would be if we remembered to remain in the vine, close to Jesus, in all we do!

Twelve Days of Christmas Reflections - Day 10

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

I've jumped ahead to the last supper. Jesus has just washed the disciples' feet, predicted His betrayal and Peter's denial. This was clearly not a comfortable time for the disciples. They had been told one of them would betray Jesus, Peter was told, despite his insistence that he would never leave Jesus, that he would deny knowing Jesus three times before dawn and Jesus would be leaving them soon. But Jesus assures them that He is going to prepare a place for them in His Father's house.

The disciples are struggling to understand Jesus and they are clearly not comforted by Jesus' words. Thomas asks the question we all are asking, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus' response is to say that He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. He goes on to say that because the disciples know Him, they know God. They are still confused; Philip says, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." After three years of watching Jesus heal, teach and forgive the disciples still want more! 

They lived, ate, talked to and listened to Jesus for three years. Yet, they still didn't understand that knowing Jesus is enough. Jesus had given them everything they needed to know. That means that knowing Jesus is enough for you and me. Everything we need to know to get to His Father's House is in the Bible. If we study Jesus' life, ministry, teachings we know the Father! 

This means that we must walk with Jesus everyday. We must continually spend time in prayer, Bible study and around other Christians. This is how we can get to know Jesus and as the disciples show us, it takes a lifetime to know Jesus. And to know Jesus is to know the Way; we won't get lost if we follow Jesus!

Twelve Days of Christmas Reflections - Day 9

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus declares that He is the Light of the World shortly after He stops a woman from being stoned to death for committing adultery. The Jewish leaders brought this woman to Jesus to try to trip Him up. They asked whether they should follow the Law of Moses which states that she should be stoned to death. Jesus finally answers after much questioning and badgering, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." 

This caused them all to think a bit about themselves. One by one, the oldest first, they left until it was just the woman and Jesus. Jesus asks if any one condemned her and she said no. His response was to not condemn her and send her on her way with the command to "leave your life of sin."

I don't think the world can get much darker than when people want to judge and punish another person, especially by stoning her to death. The woman must have felt she lived in darkness and her religion was making her world even darker. Yet Jesus showed her the Light of forgiveness and grace. This is the beacon of hope for all of us, because none of us is without sin.

How often do we look at others that are different than us and judge them? I have heard many people look at the poor and homeless and say, "get a job." We often assume that a person less fortunate than ourselves, especially those living on the streets, must be at fault for their station in life. We think, "There must be something wrong with that person. Why should I help him if he won't help himself?" Thus, we contribute to the darkness of their world. However, as followers of Jesus we are suppose to shine His light into those dark spaces.

I was blessed to help bring the Light of the World to the homeless in downtown Buffalo on a rainy Friday night in December. I went with a group of people from St. Mark’s to join with Hearts for the Homeless at their mobile soup kitchen to hand out gift cards to Burger King from St. Mark’s as well as help serve the meals. The people that were surrounded by darkness included a family with a two-year old child, the young and old, men and women, well-spoken and educated as well as the barely literate. They needed food, clothing, bedding and self-care items. But most of all they needed to be treated like human beings, with respect. I was awestruck as I watched the dedicated Hearts for the Homeless volunteers freely give their love, time and treasure to those in need; offering all this with respect and dignity. I was reminded as I looked into the eyes of those I gave the cards to how much each one is like me. There is no difference between us except that I got to get in my car and drive to my nice warm, dry house. The RV that parks by the Buffalo Library six nights a week is a beacon of light and hope to so many people. 

Let us all strive to be a beacon of light for someone else each day!

Twelve Days of Christmas Reflections - Day 8

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35

Jesus says He is the Bread of Life and if we come to Him we will never be hungry or thirsty. He says this to the crowd that he had fed the day before. It wasn't a small crowd, it was 5,000 people. Not only did He fed them, He fed them with five small loaves of bread and two small fish! Because the crowd's hunger was satisfied they crossed the lake in search of Him the next day. Upon finding Jesus, they start to question Him. Jesus tells them they followed Him because they "ate the loaves and had your fill," not because of who He is. 

Then Jesus tells them to work for food that "endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." The crowd asked, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus' answer is simple, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." Jesus than tells them that it is God, not Moses, that gives them the bread of heaven and this bread "gives life to the world."

Wow, give me some of that bread! My response is the same as the hearers of Jesus' words, so Jesus tells them and us that He is the Bread of Life. I am struck by the questions the people had. They had just witnessed a miracle in which their hunger was satisfied, yet they still don't get it. They actually start to grumble, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" 

One minute they are seeking Jesus and asking for the Bread of Life and the next they are saying, "Who does He think He is?" What does He mean by "I am the Bread of Life?" It is as if they are saying, "what have you done for us lately?" How often do I say the same thing? How quickly we forget!

The thing is Jesus is not making any big demands, this isn't one of those hard lessons like giving up your wealth or loving your neighbor. He just says "believe in me; I am the one God sent." It seems so simple but when push comes to shove the people want signs. Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five small loaves of bread and two small fish is not enough. We want more! I wonder what would have been enough of a sign, what is it that they needed to see? What do I need to see?

I often joke that I want a flashing neon sign when I am being called to do something. I don't want questions or doubt. I want the certainty that I am doing what God is calling me to do, that I am doing God's work. But, if I truly am doing God's work, which is to believe in Jesus, no neon sign is necessary because anything I do out of my faith in Jesus is God's work. And in doing that work I will be fulfilled; I will not be hungry or thirsty. Jesus will be there giving me the ability and strength to complete the task at hand. 

As we start the new year I want to do God's work, believe in Jesus. I don't want to say, "but isn't this the son of Joseph?" I don't want to question His authority. I want to just believe, not make demands, not ask for signs and miracles. I want to keep my eyes open for those signs. I want to believe even when I don't see the signs of Jesus working in my life. This is a New Year's Resolution worth keeping - I'm praying that the Holy Spirit will help me keep this one.