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By Jeff Gang, December 24, 2011 12:25 pm

This week’s lectionary reflection comes from my good friend Matthew Burdette, one of the most talented young theologians I know. Matt is finishing his thesis for a Masters of Theology degree from La Sierra University. He is a high school Bible teacher in Redlands, California, and occasionally blogs at Constructing Theology: The Theological Explorations of a Progressive Adventist. I asked Matt to share the lectionary reflection this week at The Suburban Pastor, it comes from the sermon he preached today at the Highstown Church, in Highstown, NJ. Thanks Matt!

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Today is a day on which we remember an old story that just about all of us know, a story that all of us could probably tell from memory. It is a common story about a baby, some angels, a some shepherds, a pregnant teenage mother, her bizarre account of how she ended up pregnant, her confused fiancé, a few astrologers, a nervous king, a hotel with no vacancy, and the fate of the world. This is, as I said, a story we’re quite familiar with.

One of my favorite things to do as a child was listen to stories. I had several favorites. Two that I remember in particular were called Milk and Cookies and Are You My Mother? I am certain that the only other persons besides myself who remember this are my mother and maybe my teddy bear. Now don’t be deceived by the title of Milk and Cookies. This isn’t so much a story about food as it is about a baby bear visiting his grandparents’ house, terrified of a furnace in the basement that he is convinced is a dragon. Scary stuff. Likewise, Are You My Mother? is a very dramatic story about a newly-hatched bird who strays from the nest, and suffers all kinds of confusion as he attempts to identify his mother. Again, scary stuff.

As a child, I wanted to read these books all the time. Now, have you ever stopped to wonder why it is that children do this? I remember my little sister Lizzie had a favorite book when she was a kid, and my mom would read it to her all the time too. And I know of other kids that do the same thing, so it isn’t just my family. Why is it that children can watch the same movie over and over again, or read the same book every night? It isn’t bad memory. Kids know what’s coming next. They wait anxiously for their favorite parts. They mumble along with the movies, having memorized all the lines. They correct you when you misread the sentence in the book. It isn’t bad memory. It is something else. Continue reading 'A Christmas Sermon'»

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By Jeff Gang, December 17, 2011 12:56 pm

The Gospel reading for the fourth week of Advent comes from Luke 1:26-38, where the Angel Gabriel visits Mary, announcing that she is chosen to bear God’s Son. In verse 34, Mary is struggling to believe Gabriel’s news, she says to the angel, “How will this happen?’ … ‘I’m still a virgin!’” Gabriel replies, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” To which Mary responds in verse 37, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Mary’s response to the Angel (and in turn to God) are some of the most courageous words in Scripture. Mary was likely aware of what could happen to her. Being a young single pregnant Jewish woman in first century Palestine would not be easy. Yet despite all the risks, Mary responded, “Let it be.”

Mary had courageous faith. She was willing to trust God no matter the consequences. Through the history of the church there have been many followers of Jesus who have said the same thing, even to the point of death. It reminds me of people such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said “let it be” to God as he resisted the rise of Nazism in Germany or Martin Luther King who said “let it be” to God as he fought against unjust laws in Birmingham Alabama. They practiced radical courage.

We need that kind of courageous faith today as well. Our “let it be” may not be on the scale of a Bonhoeffer or King, but we need courageous faith everyday, even in small ways–in our home, our work, our school, our church, and our community. God needs women and men who are not afraid to trust him despite the consequences. Mary said, let it be. And because of that she embraced the awesome responsibility of bearing God in her womb. In a sermon about Mary’s response to God, Barbara Brown Taylor once said:

“If you decide to say no, you simply drop your eyes and refuse to look up until you know the angel has left the room and you are alone again. Then you smooth your hair and go back to your spinning or your reading or whatever it is that is most familiar to you and pretend that nothing has happened…. Or you can set your book down and listen to a strange creature’s strange idea. You can decide to take part in a plan you did not choose, doing things you do not know how to do for reasons you do not entirely understand. You can take part in a thrilling and dangerous scheme with no script and no guarantees. You can agree to smuggle God into the world inside your own body.

- From “Mothers of God ” in Gospel Medicine

Thinking about Mary’s “let it be”, reminds me of the classic song from the Beatles by the same title. At one point in the song, they sing: “And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.” May we alongside Mary, hear with awe and wonder that the God of all the universe has strangely decided to act through us, and with Mary may we ponder what all of this means, and may we have the courage to respond, let it be.

Advent 4, Year B, 2011

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By Jeff Gang, December 9, 2011 6:41 pm

Matthias Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece (1515 AD)

I have an affinity for the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with Mark’s Gospel being my favorite (as I mentioned a couple posts ago). So I am pleased the Gospel readings for Year B are primarily found in Mark. However the Gospel reading for third week of Advent is from the Fourth Gospel, John. And like last week, we return again to the story of John the Baptist, John 1:6-8, 19-28.

Unlike the Synoptic Gospels, the Fourth Gospel approaches the story of John the Baptist from a different angle. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke emphasize the “Baptist” as an Elijah like prophet, preaching a message of repentance, John has a different emphasis. John (He’s never actually referred to as “the Baptist in the Fourth Gospel) immediately follows a theologically rich prologue, which proclaims Jesus as the eternal Word of God. Similarly, John’s role is one of proclamation. We are told that he was sent by God as a “witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.”

A few verses later we return to John, this time in conversation with the Jewish leaders. John turns the attention from himself to Jesus, demonstrating what had been said earlier of him, that he was not the light, only the witness to the light. In many ways, John’s role in the Gospel story, is the role of the church and disciple of Jesus today. Yet sadly, more often than not, when the world asks, “Who are you?” our response is filled with pride. Our answers are more about us than about Jesus.

In 1515 AD, Matthais Grünewald painted the Isenheim Alterpiece in the Monastery of St. Anthony near Colmar, France. Considered one of the artist’s greatest masterpieces, the center of the altarpiece is a scene from the crucifixion of Jesus. To the right of the cross Grünewald painted John the Baptist with his finger extended pointing up to Jesus. Many observers of the painting have agreed that the artist wanted to emphasize John’s role as witness to Jesus over and above himself.

In this third week of Advent, may we remember the testimony of John, who in total disregard for himself, proclaimed Jesus as the true Light sent from God. May we like John be able to find the courage to live the same way, letting go of our pride, and faithfully proclaiming Jesus as God’s crucified and resurrected One, over and above ourselves. By God’s grace may it be so.

Advent 3, Year B, 2011

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By Jeff Gang, December 4, 2011 12:44 am

The Santa Ana Winds descended upon Southern California this week with a vengeance—the strongest winds here in thirty years. They remind me of the hurricanes we lived through in Florida years ago. After a calm night the winds were back this morning. My daughters were hurriedly preparing to go outside. In the midst of the commotion I asked, “What are you going to do outside?” My oldest daughter, Madison, replied, “To see the wind!”

The Gospel reading for this week is from Mark 1:1-8. The Markan gospel skips Jesus birth narrative and begins with John the “baptizer”, who’s radical message of repentance and forgiveness is turning the world upside down. As the text says, “And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” They’d come to see the wind!

In 1991 a Nor’easter off the coast of New England became known as the perfect storm. For that event to occur, three weather systems had to collide—a cold front from the west, a high-pressure system from the north, and a hurricane from the southeast. In his new book, Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters (HarperOne, 2011), N.T. Wright uses this “Perfect Storm” as a metaphor to talk about the turbulent times of Jesus’ first century Advent.

Continue reading 'Advent 2'»

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By Jeff Gang, November 26, 2011 11:09 am

This weekend marks the beginning of a new year, i.e. the Christian Year. The season of Advent has arrived—a time of expectation and hope, as we anticipate the coming of the Christ in our world. For those familiar with the Revised Common Lectionary, we are entering the Year B cycle. Much of the year will be spent in the Gospel of Mark (my favorite Gospel). Mark is short and full of action, possibly the earliest written Gospel during a time of persecution for Christians living in Rome.

Ironically for Seventh-day Adventists, a people who place much emphasis on the second Advent of Jesus Christ, this should be one of our most celebrated times of the year. In fact the Gospel reading for Advent 1 is Mark 13:24-37, a passage often used by our evangelists to preach about the second coming. Yet not all biblical scholars agree that’s the context. I recall my New Testament Professor in seminary, Dr. Jon Paulien, observing that many of these “end time” events had taken place by the end of the first century CE. Continue reading 'Advent 1'»

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By Jeff Gang, February 21, 2010 2:51 am

Here’s an article by Barbara Brown Taylor on the meaning of Lent. I like her take on how the forty days idea took root in Christian faith & practice. It’s from a 1998 issue of Christian Century, titled Settling for Less, based on Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness in Luke 4:1-13:

Do not bother looking for Lent in your Bible dictionary. There was no such thing in biblical times. There is some evidence that early Christians fasted 40 hours between Good Friday and Easter, but the custom of spending 40 days in prayer and self-denial did not arise until later, when the initial rush of Christian adrenaline was over and believers had gotten very ho-hum about their faith.

When the world did not end as Jesus himself had said it would, his followers stopped expecting so much from God or from themselves. They hung a wooden cross on the wall and settled back into their more or less comfortable routines, remembering their once passionate devotion to God the way they remembered the other enthusiasms of their youth. Continue reading 'The Meaning of Lent'»

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By Jeff Gang, February 10, 2010 1:53 pm

This week is Transfiguration Sabbath at CrossWalk. The lectionary readings come from Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; and Luke 9:28-36, (37-43). I am focusing on the Gospel reading for my sermon this week, but I’m weaving all of the readings together to make my point. Dwelling in these passages leaves me in awe of God’s humility. What kind of a God chooses to reveal his glory to the world through suffering (Lk. 9:57-62) and brokenness (2 Cor. 4)? Would anyone choose to make up this kind of god? We want temples and shrines for our gods. But the God of the Gospels gets things done another way. And our “departure” (Lk. 9:31) is the same—the path of Jesus Christ and his radical call to discipleship. So what are the implications? How about the church is meant to give herself away rather than prop herself up with success, impressing people with her buildings, attendance, or cash (a kind of pseudo-glory)?  Seems to me, Jesus’ path is the only way the world is transformed. I think Henry Nouwen would agree:

“Jesus showed us all that the very things we often flee – our vulnerability and mortality – can, at any moment, become the place of holy transfiguration, for us and for our world.”

- Henri Nouwen: Writings Selected With An Introduction By Robert A. Jonas