12/26/21 1st Sunday of Christmas Luke 2:21-40

            The gospel of Luke is about Jesus.  That’s obvious.  But it’s also a weaving of characters and themes.  While Luke has many aspects of being an historian he’s not a historian by our sense of the word.  He’s telling us about the past, yes.  But he’s doing it in a way that weaves into the future.

Thus far in Luke’s gospel we’ve been switching between Jesus and John the Baptist.  That’s something that’s often overlooked when all we read is the birth story on Christmas Eve.  That story is not meant to stand alone.  It speaks most clearly in its broader context.  John the Baptist serves as a bridge between ancient Jewish history and identity and then the emerging Kingdom of God that Jesus ushers in.

There is a concept called “supersessionism” or “replacement theory” in Christianity.  The idea is that God replaces Judaism with Christianity.  The idea is that Judaism was either so corrupt, or so hopelessly misguided, or hopelessly lost when Jesus arrived that God has rejected Judaism.  While many Christians consider it to be the truth, it is not.  At least it isn’t in Lutheran theology, and it certainly isn’t in Luke’s gospel.  Luke wants to portray the life and ministry of Jesus as an ongoing expression and expansion of Judaism.  Luke is not anti-Semitic.   Luke wants us to see that God has been at work all along guiding things forward.  John the Baptist links the history and theology of Judaism to Jesus’ ministry.  That is why Luke swaps back and forth between John and Jesus in these first chapters.  That will continue for the next few chapters.

And the story to this point is about more than just the initial lives of John and Jesus.  We’ve met a whole host of characters: Zechariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, shepherds, religious leaders, and today: Simeon and Anna.

Both Simeon and Anna are described as being deeply faithful Jews.  You’ll remember the same was said of John the Baptist’s parents Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Luke deeply values ancient Judaism and wants us to also.

And so we have Jewish history, and Jesus and John, and a whole host of characters woven together as God’s kingdom is expanding in new and impressive ways.  God is rejecting no one.  And ultimately Luke wants us, his readers, to realize our lives are woven into the story as well.

Yesterday was Christmas.  When I was a kid I remember receiving one of those little square looms that you could use to make potholders.  It was about 10 inches square with little pegs along the sides.  It seemed like everyone had one.  It came with a bag loops and you could set to work making potholders right away.  I remember making potholders for any number of relatives.  Doing the first direction was easy.  You just stretched the loops from one peg across to the other, making sure you didn’t accidentally cross them.

The second direction was always harder.  You had to hook them on one side and then weave them up and down through the other loops.  Sometimes they would pop off the pins and you’d end up with a frustrating mess.  Still though, it was a good activity and you had something lasting to show for it.  It also taught how strong a simple weave could be.  Crisscrossing fabric bands creates a tremendous amount of strength.

I could simply take this image and say that is how the story our lives are woven into the story of: ancient Israel, and Zechariah & Elizabeth, and Simeon & Anna, and John the Baptist, and Jesus.  But that would be selling things short.

A weaving like a potholder is tidy and orderly.  You can create pretty patterns.  And you can still make out each individual color and loop.  The whole thing is together, but yet still distinctly separate in its parts.

I believe this is how people think a life of faith should work.  They find the idea of God weaving them into his greater work of the kingdom, and into the story of salvation appealing.  They feel like they are being made into part of something that is strong.  Those are good thoughts.  However, Jesus never said we will be woven by God into a “heavenly potholder”!

Of course he didn’t use that image because woven potholders hadn’t been invented yet.  People would have look at him as if he were strange!  But it’s also a flawed image.

The image that Jesus uses to describe our connection to him and to each other is the image of grape vines.  In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  Now that’s another image we can understand well, especially living here in the Finger Lakes wine country.

I think you’d all agree from seeing the vineyards around that vines definitely weave themselves together.  Except it is not a pretty tidy pattern.  It is truly a mess.  If you have grapes in your own yard, or if you’ve ever been to one of the pick you own grapes vineyards, have you ever tried to trace a single vine?  It’s possible but it’s really hard.  They’re all the same color and they weave together in completely irregular ways. 

People will often ponder what they are good at.  And then when they find it they focus on it and grow and to that thing well.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  But too many people say they aren’t good at anything.  Or they see someone else who is better than them and so they think they must focus on something else.  That may be how an orderly potholder works.  That’s now how a vine works.

In a vine there are countless branches.  Some big.  Some small.  They are often indistinguishable, but they are all absolutely important and contributing to the strength and productivity of the plant.

The few times I’ve picked grapes I’ve been amazed at how much fruit those vines produce!  There’s so much weight the wires that hold them up have to be very strong, and even so they still collapse sometimes.  That is the kingdom of God.  It is not a pretty woven potholder.  It is often a complex, messy, tangle – but one that is incredibly productive.  Everything is a mix and there are no individuals.  There are no golden or silver strands in a grapevine.

And are they ever strong!  For the last several years the property committee has been working to clear back the brush that has been growing in along the tree lines and around the stream that runs through the property.  There used to be countless vines in the midst of the tangles.  Most of them are gone now but there are still some.  Of course the vines are rooted in the ground, but they stretch all the way to the tops of the tree canopies.  I remember trying to pull them down.  Good luck!  You’d make a little progress but then they’d yank back, and if you weren’t careful they’d pull you off your balance.  The Boy Scout troop we charter has been and great help in getting rid of the vines.  Several boys grab onto a vine and pull for all their might.  Sometimes they succeed and the vine suddenly lets loose and they go toppling backwards.  And sometimes the vine stays stubbornly in the treetop’ absolutely refusing to let go.

So it is with the way we are woven into God’s story.  Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.  There are no individuals but everyone has a part in the common strength.  And strong it is!  Every time someone becomes a part of this community of faith it grows stronger.  Every time someone dies or leaves another branch is gone.

All in all, don’t expect life in God’s kingdom to be tidy weave.  It is a complex and messy business, and God is in and through the midst of it.

So, whether you are young or old, weak or strong, talented or average you are woven into God’s kingdom.  You are tangled in with Zechariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Simeon, Anna, a whole bunch more people we have yet to meet in Luke’s gospel, and everyone who is a part of God’s church.

The baby born in the manger, and presented in the temple, will tie all things into himself.

12/12/21 Advent 3 Luke 1:39-56

             The gospel writer Luke introduced us to Mary the mother of Jesus in what we read last week.  You may recall that I made a big deal about how unremarkable she was.  In what we read the week before we met Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Luke told us they had perfect pedigrees and that they were upright and holy in all respects.  They would go on to become the parents of John the Baptist.  By contrast Luke tells us nothing, absolutely nothing, about why God chose Mary.  We are left to conclude that what made Mary special was simply that God chose Mary.  God’s choice was God’s choice because that’s what God chose.  It’s a perfectly circular bit of logic!  But Luke does not let Mary’s character go completely undeveloped.  In what we read today her personality explodes into the storyline.  Quite likely, however, we missed it.  And I am saddened to say that many western biblical interpreters miss it too.

It starts with the very first line of what we read, “In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country…”  (Luke 1:39)  Okay, so what’s so remarkable about that?  Here’s where our lack of geography and social customs fails us.

That journey, which it appears Mary takes all by herself, is a journey of at least 70 miles.  70 miles!  When was the last time you set out on a 70 mile walk?  And, remember, Mary is probably 13 years of age!  Forget 1^st century Palestine.  Think about today.  How would you feel about a 13-year-old girl just up and walking 70 miles to visit a relative!?!  It’s not safe!  In fact it’s downright nuts!  And 21^st century America is far safer than 1^st century Palestine.

            So, it turns out 13-year-old Mary has got some guts!  She’s either very brave or she’s crazy, or probably some mix of the two.

            There’s a second issue.  Consider these thoughts from commentator Joel Green, “As a young girl, Mary would not normally have left her home without accompaniment – either to browse her hometown or (especially!) to travel some seventy miles to the hill country around Jerusalem.  Until she entered the bridal chamber, a girl lived in seclusion in her home.”  (New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Luke, Pg. 94-5)

            Said differently, Mary is thumbing her nose at societal expectations of a girl.  And, according to Luke, she goes of her own accord.  The angel doesn’t tell her to go see Elizabeth.  The angel tells her about Elizabeth’s pregnancy but nothing more.

            Mary, all on her own, in complete disregard of all social propriety, and with disregard for the physical dangers, goes on a 70 mile journey.

            When I think of Mary the mother of Jesus the first image that pops into my mind is someone along the lines of the way the Christmas carols speak of her.  Mary… sweet, tender, meek, mild.  Mary… obedient, accepting, vulnerable.

            That is NOT the way Luke describes her.  Who knows what her attitude really was, but based on this trip she’s a strong woman and she’s got guts!

            I often envision Mary telling Joseph of her pregnancy with fear and trembling in her voice.  I imagine her scared out of her wits that Joseph will reject her and that she will have to live a life of shame and humiliation.  But based on this text I imagine her striding up to Joseph, poking him hard in the chest with her finger and proclaiming, “So Joseph, this is how it is.  I’m going to give birth to the Son of God.  You’re going to marry me anyway.  That’s just the way it is because God said so.  If you’ve got a problem with that then take them up with God!”  And then Joseph, shrinking from this little firebrand of a woman, nods his head in visible agreement.

            Pants hadn’t been invented yet so this image doesn’t work, but it’s quite possible that Mary was the one who wore the pants in the family!

            Going a bit further into the text we find Mary’s bold actions are echoed in the attitude behind her words.  Mary’s song, often called The Magnificat, may sound sweet in our ears.  But we read it with the ignorance of 21^st century white American  church culture.  Read The Magnificat from the point of view of a black person, or a third world person, and you get a completely different feel.

            We interpret her words as sweet.  But I invite you to sit down and read it carefully sometime.  Realize that what Mary says could quite possibly be a religious terrorist manifesto.  Consider:

            “[God] has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.”

            So, the powerful will be brought down.  The lowly will be raised.  And notice how boldly Mary speaks.  Notice the tense of her verbs.  She does not use a future tense.  She does not say, “God will show strength with his arm… he will bring down the powerful...  he will send the rich away empty.”  No, she uses the past tense.  She is so certain of God’s promised future actions that she speaks of them as if they’ve already happened!

            This girl’s got faith!  And bold confident faith at that!  As Luke portrays Mary there is nothing meek, mild, or tentative about her. 

            The content of what Mary says in the Magnificat will come up over and over again and be developed further as we go further into Luke’s gospel.  We’ll be revisiting those themes many times.  For this week again though, we keep our focus on this character Mary.

            Mary is a superb model of feminism.  She seems to know who she is.  She is strong.  She thinks and act on her own.

            However, she is not an aggressive fire breathing man hater either.  She is not disobeying social customs because she wants to be a rebel.  She is not doing dangerous things because she is a daredevil.

            Let’s make sure we understand her actions fully in context of Luke’s gospel.  What we see here is a person who is confidently and boldly inspired by God’s promises of action that that is what is going to lead and shape her life.  Nothing is going to get in the way of that.  What remains key is that it is God’s prompting.  It is God’s action.  It is the coming of God’s kingdom that is driving Mary.  Indeed she is being bold, and probably careless, but she is doing it in faith.  Anything done in faith is going to be done with integrity, authenticity, and humility.

            I came across this quote from Mark Twain last week, “Each man is afraid of his neighbor’s disapproval – a thing which, to the general run of the human race, is more dreaded than wolves and death.”

            I suspect there is far more truth to that than we want to admit.  I suspect that in our subconscious we fear disapproval from others far more than anything else.  I suspect getting approval from others is the number one motivator in our lives.  We will say what we have to say, we will do what we have to do, we will shape our lives the way we have to shape our lives in order to get approval.

            Sure, we know we can’t please everyone all the time.  We know there are people who are going to like us and there are people who are going to dislike us, maybe even hate us.  We know we are individuals and there is lots of room for personal expression.  But for the most part we conform to societal norms.  Assuming those norms are basically honest and decent and life-affirming there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with that.  But that is still missing something.  We see that something in Mary.

            Just like we saw last week, God is shaping Mary.  God’s actions and God’s promises drive her life.  God defines her, not other people.  That is the way to true confidence.  That is the way to true authenticity.  That is the way to fullness of life.

            Perhaps you think that is all fine and good for Mary.  But what about us?  And that is a good question.  It is not a question I’m going to answer; at least not today.  I’ll let the gospel writer Luke bear that task.  For now, that is exactly where he wants us to be as his readers.  The answer is going to come in the remaining 23 chapters.  And he will pick it up again in the 28 chapters in Acts.

            Mary’s life was an adventure.  So is what Luke wrote in the Bible.  And we are a part of that adventure too.

12/5/21 Advent 2 Luke 1:26-38

            Last week I said that Luke was an excellent storyteller.  Not only are the words that he put on the page capable of inspiring our hearts and souls he has a way of making the story extend beyond what he actually wrote.  In other words, what he does not say can carry just as much meaning as what he does say.  Today as we look at the story of the announcement of the conception of Jesus to Mary, often called the Anunciation, we’re going to discover a lot of things by what is not there.

            Luke crafted this scene with many parallels to what we read last week.  That was the announcement of the conception of John the Baptist to Zechariah, the man who would be his father.  Consider:

 

Luke 1:11-20                                       Luke 1:28-38

“he was troubled” (12)                       “she was much troubled” (28)

“the angel said to him” (13)               “the angel said to her” (30)

“Do not be afraid” (13)                       “Do not be afraid” (30)

“will bear you a son” (13)                   “you will… bear a son” (31)

“and you will name him” (13) “and you will name him” (31)

“he will be great” (15)                        “he will be great” (32)

“said to the angel” (18)                      “said to the angel” (34)

“and replying the angel said” (19)      “and replying, the angel said” (35)

“Gabriel… God… sent” (19)                 “Gabriel… sent… God” (26)

“and now” (20)                                   “and now” (36)

 

Commentators note that each story interprets the other.  So, what is missing in the second that is so important?

You’ll remember the story about John’s conception starts this way, “…there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah.  His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.”  (Luke 1:5b-6)

Turning to the story of Jesus’ conception what does Luke tell us about Mary’s background?

Does Luke tell us about her ancestors or family line?

Does Luke tell us anything about her faith?

Does Luke tell us anything about her righteousness according to the religious law?

The answer to all of those is, “No.”

John the Baptist will be born to very deserving parents.  What has Mary done to deserve the honor she will have?  What made her special?  The only thing we get from Luke is when the angel Gabriel says, “…you have found favor with God.” 

There are many traditions and stories about the background of Mary.  They mostly come from the Roman Catholic Church.  There’s no way to verify or deny any of them.  But as far as Luke is concerned, they don’t matter.  Commentator Joel Green notes this, “God has given favor to one who had no claim to worthy status, raised her up from a position of lowliness, and has chosen her to have a central role in salvation history.”  (New International Commentary on the New Testament, Luke, Pg. 87) 

This is not just about noticing what is not in Luke’s text. He reinforces it with what is there. 

Last week we read about the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah.  The location of the event couldn’t have been more precise.  The city is Jerusalem.  The building is the temple.  The room is the sanctuary within the temple.  Then we are told that Gabriel appears while Zechariah is at the incense altar.  While few people ever set foot inside the temple proper those few who did could tell precisely – to within a square foot – of where this amazing event took place. 

How about Gabriel appearing to Mary?  We are just told it is a town in Galilee called Nazareth.  Nazareth is only significant today because of the Bible stories about Jesus.  In those days it was completely obscure.  Ask a resident of New York City where Victor is and they’ll probably give you a blank stare.  Ask a Jew of those days where Nazareth is and they’d probably never heard of it.  Nazareth was “nowhereville”.  So this time Gabriel appears in an unknown place in an unknown town to an unknown and completely unremarkable girl.

What makes Mary remarkable?  God decided to favor her.  Why?  Luke doesn’t say.  This is God’s business done in God’s own time and in God’s own way.  What made Mary remarkable was God’s work, not hers.  I believe there is something deeply significant for us in this. 

We are in the season of frantic buying for Christmas.  Perhaps this year is a bit more frantic than most because people are concerned about supply chain issues.  This buying can tell us something about ourselves.  Now I’m not talking about those who make a Christmas list of all practical things, and then they buy practical things for others as well.  I don’t mean to knock the idea, in fact I like it a lot.  However when it comes to exchanging gifts on Christmas day all you’ve really done is have someone else buy you something you were going to buy anyway, and you’ve bought them something they would have bought anyway.  It ends up being a wash.

No, I’m talking about the stuff that we ask for because we think it’ll improve us in some way.  Or perhaps its stuff we like or are excited to have.  Stuff like a piece of jewelry to make us look glamorous, or perhaps a tool to make us look capable.  And going beyond typical Christmas gifts, things like houses and boats and cars and all the things that people have to create an image of themselves.

Most people want to look capable, successful, and meaningful.  They try to accomplish it through the possessions they surround themselves with and the lifestyle they seek to present.

If Luke told us that God chose Mary because she lived in a prominent city, or was from a wealthy family, or was well connected, or because she had an outstanding education, or that she had nice clothes, or…  …even that she was somehow particularly holy or righteous, then we could understand that there was something she could do about herself to earn such a favorable place in God’s plans.  But again, everything about Mary herself is unremarkable.

I believe many people believe that by their own power they can give themselves an important place in the world and have a life that is meaningful.  But that is a recipe for emptiness. 

So much of what people work for, and buy, does not give lasting satisfaction.  How many Christmas gifts this year will be giving joy for a short term, but then they will break or their owners become bored with them, or they simply go out of style?  People want ever more in their search for meaning.

This story of the announcement of the conception of Jesus is more than just a story.  It carries deep meaning for us.  Its message is one that is central for living a meaningful life.

Last week I joked that when Gabriel told Zechariah that he would have a son Zechariah said something that was very reasonable but completely stupid, “How will I know that his is so?”  I said don’t ever ask an angel for proof because you just might get it!  Zechariah got his proof.  He lost the ability to speak until the birth of John. 

Contrast that with Mary’s response.  Though what Zechariah was promised was improbably what Mary was promised was impossible.  Yet she says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

That is among the deepest and most profound statements of faith of all time.  It comes from the mouth of someone scholars believe was only 12 or 13 years old.  While that is criminally young by today’s standards it was adulthood for a woman then.  Mary basically says that she will let God define her.  She’s not looking for clothes or jewelry or a fancy car or a powerful marriage, or an amazing circle of friends.  She is not looking for a place in history or has any interest in making a name for herself.  She is a completely unremarkable person who is simply letting God define her. 

There are going to be risks!  In fact her life could be ruined.  But she accepts because ‘who she is’ will be defined by God and God alone. 

            As we light more candles of the Advent wreath and draw ever close to Christmas, may we let God define us.  May we realize that God will probably not do anything through us that people think is particularly remarkable, but it will still be fulfilling.  May we say to God, “Let it be with me according to your word.”

November 28, 2021 Advent 1 Luke 1:1-25

             When was the last time someone called you “excellent”?  I’m guessing it’s been a long time, and maybe never.  It’s certainly not a compliment we get every day!  Luke’s gospel starts off with a dedication by the author, “I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write and orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.”

The question is, who is Theophilus?  Who is this “most excellent” person?

Most biblical scholars that I know of say that Theophilus was the author’s patron.  He was Luke’s financial benefactor.  It’s no surprise that if someone is financing your life you’re going to be flattering toward them.  Theophilus is otherwise unknown though.  And importantly, not all biblical scholars take that approach. 

I think it is contrary to the theology of Luke’s gospel to butter up a wealthy person.  Luke has a contemptuous view of wealth.  Also, “theophilus” as a word means “friend of God,” or “lover of God”.  So, some biblical scholars say that Theophilus is the reader, whoever that reader is – including you.  I think that fits.  Luke is a clever and playful writer.  At the very least it’s the sort of thing he would do.

So, quite possibly Luke is calling you, you who he’s never met, “most excellent lover of God.”  Part of the Bible is dedicated to you!  And the Bible is calling you “most excellent”.

Now if that gives you an inflated ego you’ve missed the point.  It is intended to be a compliment and also an affirmation.  We need to take a moment to remember the world that Luke is writing into.  It seems most likely that this gospel was written around the year 80.  You’ll remember that there were Jewish revolts in the 60’s and the Romans clamped down in the year 70.  They destroyed Jerusalem completely, which of course included the temple.  The Roman destruction was so complete that archaeologists can only find fragments of the foundations of buildings. 

As a religion Judaism was in shambles.  The temple was gone.  The central leadership appears to have either fled or been killed.  Several of the sects within Judaism disappeared – either the Romans killed them or they were too scared to continue.  Romans also didn’t consider Christianity to be its own religion.  They saw it as another sect of Judaism.  In some places Christians were persecuted.  In other places not.  Regardless, it wasn’t safe to go around proclaiming that one was a follower of Jesus of Nazareth.  All in all, Luke’s original audience did not feel like they were most excellent lovers of God.  Their faith and the world around them were a mess.  They needed reassurance.  And they needed to know that God was in control.  They needed to know that God would bring order to the chaos.

And so the first person we meet is Zechariah.  We are told that he is a priest.  Being a priest was not, for the most part, an occupation.  Being a priest was a role you were born into.  It just meant you were of the tribe of Levi.  It appears as if there was a rotation among the priestly tribe and they would come to serve in the temple for a time, probably twice a year.  Once there what they did was determined by lot, which is basically like rolling dice.

Luke tells us that not only was Zechariah a priest his wife Elizabeth was also of priestly descent.  And both Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous people. 

Luke wants his readers to see the orderliness of God’s actions.  He wants his readers to see that God remembers and honors the religious laws and those who live righteously.  The whole world may appear to be going off kilter, but God’s firmly in control.

We learn that despite their righteousness they have been unable to have children.  That would have been seen as a contradiction in those days.  With a lack of medical knowledge most people viewed a couple’s inability to have children as proof that God did not like them.  They must be somehow in wrong with God.  Typically the woman would bear the brunt of the blame.  The eventual birth of John the Baptist brought honor and dignity to Elizabeth. 

The barrenness of the Zechariah and Elizabeth as an old couple also carries a symbolic meaning.  We just spent the whole summer in a worship series on the prophets.  You’ll recall that by the time we got to the prophet Daniel the people had been waiting in expectation for God to act for hundreds of years.  Israel’s hope is paralleled by an aging couple hoping for the birth of a child.  In both cases the waiting had been so long that they were despairing of it ever happening.  The announcement of the birth of John is a call for renewed hope.

The hope is not going to be exactly what the people had in mind, however.  The angel’s message says nothing about a restored kingdom of Israel.  It also says nothing of the expulsion of the non-Jews, which was another Jewish expectation.  The message is one of renewed hope, begun by repentance and ongoing faithful living.

            We know the story of Jesus well, so it will carry no surprises for us.  But as Luke tells it, it is a story of surprises.  Zechariah is certainly surprised.  Elizabeth will be surprised.  Many characters will be surprised.  King Herod is mentioned as a reference point.  There are some surprises there too.  What is King Herod most known for?  Or perhaps I should say it this way: Herod is one of the most famous people in history.  But why is he famous?  He undertook great building projects.  He often acted to solidify his power.  He was interested in proving his legitimacy as a ruler.  He saw himself as a power player in the Roman world.  But is he actually known for any of that stuff?  No.  Herod’s known not because of what he intended to do.  He is known for how his life intersected with the lives of John the Baptist and Jesus.

            So much for the grand plans of human beings!  We need to remember that our greatest efforts are nothing if they aren’t connected to God’s designs.  And there’s no point trying to convince God that your agenda is going to be of benefit to God.  You just can’t make that case.  It is far better to let God’s desires and designs be what makes the plans for your life.

Things don’t go according to Zechariah’s ideas either.  I know that the Bible always describes angels as terrifying beings.  Every time an angel appears its first words are, “Do not be afraid.”  I know if my life were ever interrupted by the sudden appearance of a divine messenger I’d be terrified out of my wits!  But remember, Zechariah was ministering in the sanctuary of the temple complex.  Only the Holy of Holies was a more sacred place, and that was just a few feet away from where he receives the visit of the angel.  Zechariah was not just out in the street somewhere.  Perhaps he would be startled, but he should not be shocked that something divine happens when he is in a holy place.  Nevertheless he is terrified.  He also appears unprepared to accept the amazing news the angel brings.  He says a very logical but very foolish thing.  He asks for proof.  Here’s a hint.  If you’re ever met by and angel, and the angel promises something beyond belief, just accept it.  Don’t ask for proof!  You might just get it!  Zechariah got his proof.  He was unable to speak until the promise is fulfilled!  Who knows, those quiet days may have been the best days of his wife’s life!

We can sense some of the themes that are going to be laid out in Luke’s gospel right here at the beginning.  While yes, God will honor and fulfill promises made long ago, they will not be fulfilled as humans thought.  Also while God respects the promises made to the Jews and God honors their ideas of righteousness, God will also not be overly bound by such things. 

            There are many parallels between the announcement of the conception of John the Baptist and the announcement of the conception of Jesus.  We’ll look at them more next week.  For now realize that the Bible has called us excellent lovers of God.  Whether we feel it or not God is working in and through us.  Maybe we will see the results of what God is doing through us.  Maybe we won’t.  But we do not loose heart.  We, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Mary who we will meet next week, and many others we have yet to meet in the gospel, embark on the adventure of being a lover of God.

11/21/21 Prophets – Daniel; Lion’s Den Daniel 6

            There is an old story about a hungry lion roaming through the jungle looking for food.  He came across two men.  One was sitting under a tree reading a book.  The other was intently, incessantly writing in a journal.  The lion quickly pounced on the man reading the book and devoured him.  You see, even the king of the jungle knows that readers digest and writer’s cramp.

The story of Daniel in the lions’ den is one of the mostly widely known biblical stories.  It is always included in Children’s Bibles and there are countless pieces of art about it.  In the art Daniel is usually depicted as a strapping young man at the height of his manhood.  You almost think he could take on the lions in a fight and win. 

But what if Daniel isn’t a young man?  The timeframe of Daniel doesn’t work historically.  There are outright factual inaccuracies.  I’m not going to get into them, but for those scholars who do attempt to wiggle some consistency out of it, Daniel would have to be about 80 years old when he is thrown in the lions’ den.  How does seeing Daniel as an 80 year old affect your understanding of the story?

The origins of the book of Daniel are puzzling.  One thing that I do find consistent among the diverse scholars who attempt to make sense of it is that they all categorize Daniel as folklore and not history.  They then interpret it as such.

Last week we looked at Shadrach, Meshack, Abednego and the fiery furnace.  It has a lot of parallels with Daniel in the lions’ den.  In both cases innocent Jews are persecuted for their faith.  In both cases there is a king who is in charge.  In both cases the Jews survive but others are killed.

There are two major distinctions though.  Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego simply refused to comply with the demands of the king.  In Daniel’s case other leaders are plotting against him and come up with a trap.  The other distinction is that, again,  Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego simply refuse to comply.  However, Daniel flagrantly disobeys.  In 6:10 we learn that Daniel continues to go to his house, “which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem,” and he gets down on his knees three times a day to pray.  There are variations in the ancient texts here.  Some say, as our translation chooses to follow, that the windows were simply always open.  Others say that Daniel deliberately opened the windows.  There’s no way of knowing which is the original.  What is certain, though, is that Daniel is deliberately performing an act of civil disobedience.  He knows it’s against the law.  He knows he will get in trouble for it.  But he does it anyway.

Civil disobedience has been used by powerless people for many centuries.  You’re surely familiar with it being used by many in America today, especially to address issues of race and poverty.  If Daniel is folklore then the entire Daniel in the lions’ den story can be symbolic of what the Jews were facing as they lived in perpetual oppression.

Notice that Daniel is described as having “an excellent spirit.”  Apparently he is trustworthy, hard-working, and loyal.  These are qualities the ancient Jews felt they needed to maintain even as they were being oppressed.  And it forms the foundation of a reform movement based on civil disobedience.  If the people using civil disobedience to bring about change are not upright and trustworthy then the whole thing doesn’t work.  The oppressor can just say, “Look at those worthless, lazy, criminal rebels.”

            Also notice that the other races – or the dominant race – are jealous of the power the Jew, Daniel, has acquired through his integrity.  They conspire to create a legal trap against him.  Some scholars suggest the den of lions is symbolic of the imperial oppression the Jews had long lived under.  If Daniel is indeed written in the second century B.C.E. then the Jews have been almost perpetually under foreign control for 300 years.  300 years!

            Actually, we may be able to get a handle on that.  The United States is almost 240 years old but its roots clearly go back a century or two more:

What is the story of America if you are of European background? 

What is the story of America if your background is African and your ancestors were part of the slave trade?  

What is the story of America if you are from one of the indigenous Indian civilizations? 

            (I know there are Asian and Hispanic dynamics in America too, but I mention European, African, and Native because they all share the same centuries-long experience.) 

I don’t want to get into hot button issues like critical race theory, but I’m sure you’d agree that the same factual history is going to be experienced differently depending on where in that history you connect.  It also affects how you experience other people’s history.  It can be very difficult for those of European descent in America today to understand Daniel in the lions’ den.  We see it as a story about the persistent faith of a young man.  Others however, may see it as a pathetic old man from the race of a captured people who has been trapped in legal maneuvering and is being pointlessly thrown to lions. 

Perhaps we ignore, or maybe we are offended by, the scene near the end when after Daniel survives those who sought to kill him are thrown in to the lions; along with their whole families!

How can this be?!?  How can the innocent children suffer because of their father’s failings?  How can that be a Bible story about faith?

How indeed?  But we have to remember the story is from the point of view of people oppressed for centuries.  I certainly do not condone their desire to see their oppressors hurt, but I think we can understand their feelings.  Texts like this should not be used to condone violence.  However they do give us insight into the seething anger that develops when one people feels the ways of society forever punishes them or keeps them oppressed.

At an adult level the story of Daniel in the lions’ den is a story about oppression and civil disobedience.  The Jews felt like their whole existence was like being in a den of lions.  Deadly threats that were far more powerful than they were all around.  The ultimate moral is for the Jews to stay the course.  They should not lose faith.  They should not lose hope.  And they should continue to be productive and supportive citizens so as to give their enemies no reason to hurt them; or to shame their enemies when they do.

Some Christians creatively see Daniel and the lions den as having parallels with Jesus.  Daniel is unjustly thrown to the lions by a great imperial power.  Jesus is unjustly killed and put into a tomb by a great imperial power.  Daniel survives the ordeal of the lions and emerges unscathed.  So much for the might of the Persian Empire!  And Jesus too is resurrected, leaving the tomb unphased by death.  So much for the might of the Roman empire! 

And there is the threat.  Resurrection is a threat to imperial power.  If the imperial armies cannot keep their prisoners dead, where now is their power?

For the most part we live as the people who call the shots in the world.  Most of us are of the dominant race in the dominant nation on earth.  We need to exercise our power with conscientiousness and kindness.  We need to be careful not to exercise imperial power, whether that is in the form of our nation’s policies and laws, or our own interactions with those around us.  In other words, we have more power than most.  That is both privilege and obligation. 

Of Daniel 6 John Calvin writes, “Earthly princes deprive themselves of all authority when they rise up against God, yea, they are unworthy to be counted amongst the company of men.  We ought rather to spit in their faces than to obey them when they… spoil God of his right.”  (John Calvin, Commentary on Daniel, quoted in New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 7, Pg. 94)

So yes, we need to humbly submit to God in our use of power.  God sees and God knows.  God’s power is greatest.  When people are saved from lions and people rise from the dead we know that earthly power is no real power at all.  Real power only belongs to God.

11/14/21 Prophets – Daniel; Fiery Furnace Daniel 3

            The story of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the fiery furnace is a vivid one.  I remember first hearing it in Sunday school when I was a little kid.  Three guys who stand up to the king whose decree would compromise their faith are punished by being thrown into a burning furnace.  They should have been incinerated.  The guards were.  But, God miraculously protects them and they not only survive but are rewarded for their faithfulness.

            I don’t think I asked at that time if the story was historically true or not.  I just assumed that every Bible story told by an adult was true.  But as an adult such questions do come time mind; and also an ability to understand this story on a much more sophisticated level; for indeed, there is more going on than a child would pick up.

As to whether it is true or not… Well, God can do anything.  So I won’t go so far as to say it is untrue.  However, it is not just the fact that it requires a suspension of the laws of thermodynamics to work, the literary style is crafted in such a way as to be more of a spoof, or a satire, than as an historical story.  And whether there is historical truth behind it or not, this story gets at the issues of ego and the use of power.

First there is this gigantic golden statue.  We are told it is sixty cubits high and six cubits wide.  That works out to being ninety feet high and nine feet wide.  We should get the image of an obelisk (like the Washington Monument) in our minds rather than a statue.  Dutch theologian Ton Veerkamp describes it as a “golden monstrosity”. 

Remember, it is at about this time in human history that gold becomes money, or a medium of exchange.  Earlier in the book of Daniel we learn that King Nebuchadnezzar likes to be considered the “king of kings”.  His ego is gargantuan.  Among the things he does is set up this enormous monument to himself made of gold.  Whether Nebuchadnezzar ever actually did erect such a thing to himself (and the Babylonians were known for creating colossal statues and monuments) the point is that he could.  He could amass that much gold! 

This story is all about power.

You may have found it somewhat annoying, or maybe silly, the way the text said numerous times, “the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces”.  You start to think, “Okay, enough, I get it already!”  But this is part of the storyteller’s style.  Commentator Daniel Smith-Christopher notes, “This frequent repetition of orders, usually repeated word for word, gives the impression that all the minions of the Babylonian emperor obey his whim to the letter.  This is what he wanted, and this is exactly what happened.”  (New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VII, Pg. 62)

Similarly it becomes annoying the way the story lists the musical instruments over and over again, “horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble.”  You start to think, “How ‘bout if you just say ‘every time you hear music’?”  And that would be the point.  Notice how invasive the decree of Nebuchadnezzar is.  He does not say something like: three times a day you have to bow down to my statue, or whenever you hear the official trumpets sound, or anything like that.  No, it is any instrument and all forms of music.

Andre LaCocque in his book, The Book of Daniel, (pg. 57) notes that the instruments cover the entire economic spectrum.  The ‘flute’ was a simple peasant instrument.  While the lyre would be made of precious metal or ivory and would be an aristocrat’s instrument.  He also notes that instruments like the trigon and an entire musical ensemble had a bad reputation with the Greeks.  In their culture they were associated with shameful public spectacles.  This may have been the case with the Babylonians too, but it isn’t proven.  Still, if LaCocque is correct, then the decree is meant to cover all economic classes: rich and poor, native and foreigner, shameful and proud.  In other words, more of the idea that Nebuchadnezzar wanted his power to invade all aspects of everyone’s life throughout the empire.  He was demanding universal obedience from all his subjects at all times.

As the story sets it up Nebuchadnezzar was demonstrating to his empire that he had the gold and the power to do whatever he wanted.

The story doesn’t tell us how all Jews reacted to the king’s decree.  We just focus in on three Jews who held positions of leadership: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  They are caught and brought before the king.  Will they obey and worship this statue set up by the king?  Or will they stay true to their faith and suffer the consequences?

As we read through Daniel we discover this to be a recurring theme.  Will the Jews compromise on their faith?  The answer is no.  And when the consequences come God protects.

What is perhaps the most powerful statement of faith in the book of Daniel comes in verses 17 and 18.  The men say, “If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us.  But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”  We will come back to that in a bit.

At these three Jews refusal to obey this tyrannical king’s command the king throws a temper tantrum.  He doesn’t just command that they be executed he makes a big deal of way overheating the furnace.  Apparently King Nebuchadnezzar has no regard for the life of his faithful subjects either because he seems unconcerned about the death of his guards as they throw the three men into the furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar then observes four men in the furnace.  The fourth is presumably a protective angel.  And significantly, don’t overlook this point, the men were thrown bound into the furnace.  Now they walk around unbound and unburnt.  God not only protects them from the tyranny of the king and his absurd reaction to disobedience, God frees them as well.

Stories like this one about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego have been used by Jews and Christians alike to say that with enough faith all things are possible.  That if you faith is deep enough and pure enough nothing can hurt you, not even an overheated furnace.

But there are problems with those thoughts.  Most obviously, when something bad does happen people immediately think their faith is lacking or not pure enough.  People can beat themselves up endlessly when things don’t improve.  Or, people can become so obsessed with believing in things without doubt that they forget that their faith is not an end unto itself.  Faith is a means to relationship with God and wholeness of life.  It is not a measuring stick of its own.

And the other problem is what we read in verses 17-18, which is where we’ll conclude.  The three men say that if it is God’s will that they be spared then so be it.  And if not?  What happens if they are not saved?  Has God failed?  Has their faith failed?

Remember, the time the story presents itself as being written in is during the Babylonian captivity.  The Jews had lost everything and had been hauled off into exile.  And at the time of the writing of the story – centuries later – life for the Jews was still miserable under the oppression of imperial forces.

The answer, and this is a statement of true faith, “But if not, be it known to you, O king that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

These three men never asked for divine protection.  And whether they got it or not didn’t matter.  They were going to stay faithful to God whether it benefitted them a lot or did nothing for them.  It is hard to stay strong in faith when you feel no benefits from it. 

Though it is unlikely that this story is historically true, it does speak to deep truths.  Tyrants will always emerge and want complete obedience.  Powerless people get caught and hurt.  Whenever we are in power, we need to exercise it with responsibility and kindness.  When we are the powerless we remember that God is with us whether we benefit or not.

This story in Daniel is a story of great defiance because of faithfulness.  If we are ever so tried may God give us the faith that is needed.