Rev. Steve Ellis
The Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist welcomes all to worship God and to share Christ’s love in the world. We are a parish family committed to provide liturgy, Bible study, music, counseling, and Christian education for children, youth, and adults, and to equip all our members for life and for service to others.
O God, you have caused this holy [night/day] to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Isaiah 52:7-10 – How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the LORD to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the LORD has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
Psalm 98 Page 727, BCP
1 Sing to the LORD a new song, *
for he has done marvelous things.
2 With his right hand and his holy arm *
has he won for himself the victory.
3 The LORD has made known his victory; *
his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
4 He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *
and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
5 Shout with joy to the LORD, all you lands; *
lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.
6 Sing to the LORD with the harp, *
with the harp and the voice of song.
7 With trumpets and the sound of the horn *
shout with joy before the King, the LORD.
8 Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *
the lands and those who dwell therein.
9 Let the rivers clap their hands, *
and let the hills ring out with joy before the LORD,
when he comes to judge the earth.
10 In righteousness shall he judge the world *
and the peoples with equity.
Hebrews 1:1-4,(5-12) – Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
[For to which of the angels did God ever say,
"You are my Son;
today I have begotten you"?
Or again,
"I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son"?
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
"Let all God's angels worship him."
Of the angels he says,
"He makes his angels winds,
and his servants flames of fire."
But of the Son he says,
"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."
And,
"In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like clothing;
like a cloak you will roll them up,
and like clothing they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will never end."]
John 1:1-14 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Sermon:
Purify our conscience was our theme-prayer last week. I thought a lot about it: purify our conscience. I think it speaks a lot to the temptations around us:
Our world is jaded, yet we need to care; so how can we be refreshed?
Our world is impatient and we need the Divine peace,
Our world is defensive (self-justifying?) and we need the Holy Spirit’s presence and strength so we can relax and open our hearts.
Is there something to sustain our in this world, a way of being that will let us be, “full of grace and truth”, like Jesus, and make a difference?
Why do we make such a big deal of Jesus’ birthday? I think God wanted to be a baby, a child, a grown-up! . . . So that he could be with us in a way that we could feel – and see – and maybe, understand. So that we could see the best kind of love, see what we were missing, so we could do better by each other. So we could want the best kind of love and reach for it.
Sometimes, when you are angry or afraid you need someone to be with you, to understand you. If someone really loves you, they can help you remember your best self, even when you are at your worst. Forgiveness, but also a calling to be more. Their love can help you be a good person. That is why we make such a big deal of Jesus’ birthday!
That is the Christmas message. You can say it in the simplest way, like Matthew and Luke do, the story of the Holy Family and the virgin birth and the shepherds and angels and wise men and King Herod. Or you can say that after fourteen billion years of the Creator’s patient guidance there is, at least in this obscure corner of the known universe a kind of emergent personhood that is becoming capable of reaching as high as conscience, and as high as self-giving love, and that the Creator entered the creation, as much as that is possible in creaturely form, to invite partnership between that creature and Creator in aspiring to live in that love.
The Creator is not just a cosmic watchmaker, galaxy maker, cosmic biologist, but a lover who desires our participation in the risk of love, the joy of love, the sacrifice of love, the fulfillment that can only come through love. Who knows what God may yet do, but this far in Creation, this much God has dared.
Tell it too simply and there’s the danger we’ll get too familiar with it and think of it as cute, when it is really the most radical challenge imaginable. Treat it as merely fact and it will be too small. Treat it as fantasy and we might miss all that God is offering. That’s why we often just leave these enormous realities to composers and lyricists and painters and authors and storytellers. Maybe our best approach is worship, the response that centers us. On reality. In our daily prayers, and in Sunday worship.
The thing is we need to tell it lots of ways, for lots of different people. Me, all you have to do is mention Jesus and you have my full attention. I love him, and he’s shown me enough of the Father to keep learning and lost in love all these years.
Whatever language speaks to you, wonder is the essential thing. The Divine has entered human life to be with us. The Creator has become a creature so that we can know we’re beloved – now and forever. So that we will know we are accompanied through all our sorrows and joys. It isn’t just a wonderful feeling when someone has that experience of the oneness, the importance, the connection of everything. It’s the truth. The Creator loves. Loves all. Loves me. Loves you. Enough to make this crazy story true.
All this we celebrate at Christmas. It is a wonderful way of life. You can love and do right. It’s a risk, but it is God’s kind of risk, and God is with us every step of the way.
