03-08-2026 The Woman at the Well

Thomas J Parlette
“The Woman at the Well”
John 4: 5- 42
3/8/26
          Perhaps you are familiar with the short poem by Emily Dickinson, “I’m Nobody.”
          “I’m nobody! Who are you?
          Are you nobody, too?
          Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell
          They’d banish us, you know.”
          “How dreary to be somebody!
          How public, like a frog
          To tell your name the livelong day
          To an admiring bog! (1)
          Written around 1861, “I’m Nobody” wasn’t published until 1891. Emily Dickinson seems to relish in being a nobody. In fact, she seems to dread the idea of being somebody, to be forced to live a public life. She has no desire to live in that bog.
          I don’t know if that was true for this woman at the well we meet today. But I do know, she would have been considered a nobody as well.
          In John’s Gospel we have just heard the story of a prominent “somebody” – Nicodemus. He is the polar opposite of this nobody from Samaria.
          To start with, Nicodemus has a name – the woman at the well does not. Nicodemus is a man, an educated man, a teacher of Israel. While we have no indication that the Samaritan woman is educated at all beyond household work skills. Nicodemus is a Jew – the woman at the well is a Samaritan. He is a respected moral leader – she has a questionable past. Nicodemus meets Jesus undercover of the night, at midnight, to be precise - while the woman at the well meets Jesus at high noon, in the middle of the day. Nicodemus has a very short encounter with Jesus, while the woman at the well has what seems like a debate. They could not be more different. Perhaps we remember Nicodemus’ story because Jesus’ most famous saying comes out of that conversation – John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Verse 17 is just as important – “God did not send the son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
          So after that encounter, Jesus left Judea and started back to Galilee. But in the verse immediately preceding our passage for today, we hear that Jesus “HAD to go through Samaria.” He had too. Why?
          No self-respecting Jew would be caught dead in Samaria, they were arch enemies, under no circumstances did you go through Samaria – it wasn’t wise, it wasn’t safe. Jews would travel miles out of the way to avoid going through Samaria – kind of like many of us who have to travel east will do anything we can to avoid driving through Chicago.
          So, why did Jesus HAVE to go through Samaria? Was there traffic, was there road construction? No, as always in John, there is a theological reason why Jesus had to do this. To demonstrate the truth of what he had just said to Nicodemus – that the Son had come into the world to save the world, meaning everyone in the world, he had to go to the place where the unsaveable, the unloved, the nobodies lived. And that was Samaria. So Jesus takes a detour through Samaria to demonstrate that he had come to save ALL people – even the hated Samaritans.
          Back in 1953, former President Harry S. Truman was taking a car trip with his wife, Bess, from Independence Missouri to Washington DC and on to New York City. At that time, the secret service only protected the current President, so it was only Harry and Bess.
          They stopped along the way to have some lunch, and a local Democratic Party leader stopped by their table and asked the ex-President if he would be willing to visit his elderly, bed-ridden mother. She had just broken her hip and she had been a life-long republican for all of her 92 years. Truman said sure, and he and Bess detoured two miles out of town to see her.
          Truman said, “We had a nice chat. That little detour may not sound like much, but it was the high point of the whole trip.
          On that trip, he would have lunch with 44 senators at the Capitol, a lunch in New York with the editor of Life magazine, and visit the United Nations. But the high point, he said, was that visit with a bed-ridden 92 - year old lady. (2)
          Sometimes the best things happen on detours.
          That was certainly true for Jesus’ detour through Samaria.
          In this encounter, Jesus revealed two important things about himself.
          First – He is “living water.” He is the water that brings new life. I like the way Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message: “The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”
          The story has been passed down about a slave who tries to escape Missouri, a slave state, to reach the freedom of Illinois, a free state. Late in the day he arrives at the edge of the Mississippi river – the boundary between the two states. He is unsure of the water that lies before him, so he decides to sleep by the river on a narrow neck of land, still in Missouri, that juts out into the river and undertake the crossing in the morning.
          While he sleeps, a storm whips up in the night and the river cuts a new channel, right through the neck of land on which he lay sleeping.
          When the slave awoke the next morning, he found himself not in Missouri, but on the other side of the river, in the free state of Illinois. The rushing water had freed him! (3)
          Such is the case for this woman at the well – the water Jesus brings frees her and offers new life – an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.
          Just as Jesus brings new life as the living water that refreshes forever, Jesus also reveals that as the Messiah, he crosses all boundaries that seem to divide us – all boundaries that we may erect or sometimes society does that for us. Jesus crosses them all.
          Michael Lindvall writes about the time he met an archbishop named Father Chacour, a multi-cultural man who ran a school and college in Israel where Christian, Jewish and Muslim students are invited to study side by side.
          One evening, says Lindvall, “we were walking and talking on his rooftop overlooking the hills of Galilee, the very hills Jesus had once walked. He told us that when people in that part of the world first meet, they often ask each other a routine question, “What were you born?”
          It’s a big question, and you are expected to answer, ‘I was born a Christian”, or “I was born a Shia… or an Israeli… or a Lebanese.”
          Chacour told us that when people ask him this question he always answers the same way. He always says, “I was born a baby.” He said it that night on the rooftop – “I was born… a baby.” He paused a moment and caught our eyes… the he laughed, and laughed and laughed until the tears came.
          His point was obvious – there is no “us” and “them” in the love of God. We are all born children of God. (4)
         It’s the embodiment of what Paul talks about in Galatians, the words we say during our baptisms – “there is neither Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free – we are all one in union with Christ Jesus.”
          The Messiah, the Son of God, comes to us all – not to condemn, criticize and vilify – but to save, redeem and reconcile. For we are all born a baby – the child of God.
          Jesus reveals two very important things to this un-named woman at the well in Samaria. First – he is the source of living water, a water that frees us and offers us eternal life. And second – the love of God knows no boundaries, we are all children of God, worthy of redemption, forgiveness and grace.
 

          And that, my friends, is Good News indeed.

          May God be praised. Amen.

 

 

 

 

1. Emily Dickinson, “I’m Nobody” retrieved online 2/26/26

2. Homileticsonline, retrieved 2/26/26

3. Ibid…

4. Michael L. Lindvall, Connections, Year A, Volume 2, Westminster John Knox Press, 2019, p75-76.

03-01-2026 Our Keeper

Thomas J Parlette
“Our Keeper”
Psalm 121
3/1/26
          I graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1986. I majored in Psychology – but I started college as a political science major. I thought I might go to law school after college, but then I took a class where one of the assignments was to go to the library and actually read some laws and write briefs about them. Well, that was enough for me. I figured out pretty quickly that the law was not my calling. I went right over to the Administration building and switched my major to Psychology.
          But I had already taken some courses that counted toward a political science degree, and I was still interested in the topic, especially speech writing and political ads – so I made that my minor instead.
         I remember in one of the classes I took, we watched various political ads – the ones that were effective and the ones that didn’t work so well. I remember one in particular, and I bet you do too. It was one of the most effective politics ads ever produced.
          It was a notorious TV spot called “Daisy” that ran in 1964 during the race between President Lyndon B Johnson and Barry Goldwater. Johnson and assumed the Presidency after John F Kennedy’s assassination, and this was his re-election campaign. Goldwater was a staunch conservative who favored a tough, militaristic approach to the Soviet Union – the nation that represented the “evil empire” for many Americans in those cold war days.
          Just one minute in length, “Daisy” depicted an innocent school girl slowly plucking petals from a daisy. She counts them off, 1-10 as they fall to the ground. When she removes the last petal, a voiceover begins a rocket countdown, from 10 down to 0. The camera slowly zooms in on the girl’s eye, until all is darkness. As the announcer reaches “zero”, a sinister glowing mushroom cloud appears with the sound of a massive explosion.
          As the cloud grows, the sound of LBJ’s distinctive Texas drawl is heard – “These are the stakes, in which all of God’s children can live, or go into darkness. We must either love each other, or we must die.”
          Then another voice is heard – “Vote for President Johnson on Nov. 3rd. The stakes are too high for you to stay home.”
          That’s it. The “Daisy” commercial never mentioned Goldwater by name, we never see LBJ’s face. But the message was unmistakeable:
“America, President Johnson is your keeper. A vote for Goldwater could be a vote for nuclear war.” And it worked. President Johnson was re-elected in 1964 – some experts say “Daisy” swung the election. (1)
          Our reading from the Psalms this morning is Psalm 121 – a popular pick for funeral services. This psalm speaks of God as our keeper, as our protector. This short Psalm uses some form of the word to keep six times in just eight verses. Different translations use slightly different words. For instance, the New Jerusalem Bible uses “guarding” and describes God as our “guardian”- as does the Message. The New International Version uses the language of “watching over” as well as “keeping.” The King James Version uses the words “keep” and also “preserve.” (2) This Psalm celebrates the Lord as our Keeper, but also our Guadian and Protector, the One who watches over us, shields us, shelters us and preserves us.
          Psalm 121 is part of a group of Psalms that scholars refer to as “Songs of Ascent,” or “Pilgrim Songs”, as Eugene Peterson calls them in The Message. Psalm 120 – 134 all share this designation.
          These Psalms were songs that pilgrims to Jerusalem would sing or chant while they walked up to the Holy City. Incidentally, you always walk “Up” to Jerusalem because the Holy City sits on a hill. Likewise, when you leave the city, you come down from Jerusalem.
          Psalm 121 may have been a call and response song – much like we do our Call to Worship each week. Or, some scholars have suggested that it may have been chanted as the people walked, led by a cantor. Notice that the first few verses are arranged much like a catechism, in a question and answer format:
-         The cantor begins, “Where does my help come from?”
-         The people respond – “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
-         “He who keeps you will not slumber…”
-         “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
-         Then perhaps the Cantor finishes up from there…
-         “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon at night.” You get the idea.
The central question of Psalm 121 is “Where does my help come from?” It’s a question we still ask today. We ask it as a country. We ask it as a community. We ask it as a church.
We have so many challenges. We have so many problems. Things look so hopeless. Where is our help coming from?
The central response to this question is – The Lord. Our help comes from the Lord.
It’s tempting to turn towards other solutions – solutions we feel more comfortable with, methods and strategies that we know from other areas of our lives.
But ultimately, our answers as a faith community lie elsewhere. We turn our eyes to the Lord – that’s where our help comes from.
Richard Rohr has written that “Those who demand certitude out of life will insist on it even if it doesn’t fit the facts. Logic has nothing to do with it. “Don’t bother me with the truth – I’ve already come to my conclusion!” If you need certitude, you will surround yourself with conclusions.”
“The very mind-set of faith stands in stark contrast to this mind-set… If you think you have a right to certitude, then show me where the gospel ever promised or offered you that. If God wanted us to have evidence, rational proof, perfect clarity, hard data and statistics – the incarnation of Jesus would have been delayed till the invention of audio recorders and video cameras.”
“Rational certitude is exactly what the Scriptures do not offer us. They offer us something better and an entirely different way of knowing: an intimate relationship, a dark journey, a path where we must discover for ourselves that grace, love, mercy and forgiveness are absolutely necessary for survival in an uncertain world. You only need enough clarity and ground to know how to live without certitude! Yes, we really are saved by faith! People who live this way never stop growing, are not easily defeated, and frankly, are more fun to live with.” (3)
Saved by faith – we Presbyterians know that term well. It means that we walk thew sometimes dark paths we face, not always knowing exactly what lies ahead – but always confident that the Lord is our keeper. The Lord is our shield, our guardian and our protector.
There is a Kenyan scholar named Loreen Maseno-Ouma who can best be described as a “theological anthropologist.” In her 2014 study called “How Abanyole African Widows Understand Christ,” she examines the lived reality of present-day widows in East African society, and how this shapes their understanding of Jesus as their savior.
Womanhood in Abanyole culture means that you live under the protection of a male guardian. Without that, you are viewed as less-than, and are open to ridicule, mistreatment and abuse. A woman without a guardian, or a keeper, very vulnerable.
Maseno-Ouma describes how Jesus becomes a saving reality for these women. Jesus becomes a kind of omnipresent custodian for them, the loving male who will claim them and never abandon them. Many widows report taking great comfort is knowing that Jesus is with them.
Maseno-Ouma summarizes the experience of Jesus in these widows lives with two interesting examples. The first is that in the lives of these widows, Jesus is present to them as breath itself. She writes, “Jesus is so close to them, by them, with them, energizing them, breathing in them…”
The second example is Jesus as skin. The widows felt that their husband’s death left them exposed and uncovered, with nothing to defend them. They see Jesus like skin – covering them, protecting them, shielding them from what the world would throw their way – literally acting as their keeper. (4)
So let us come to the table this morning remembering that our help comes from the Lord. The Lord is our keeper. The Lord will keep our life. The Lord will keep our going out and our coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
And for that, may God be praised. Amen.

 

1.    “Daisy” on YouTube.

2.    James H. Evans Jr. “Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 2, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p 56.

3.    Richard Rohr, “Welcome darkness and mystery,” daily meditation for July 19th, 2017. Cac.org.

4.    Michael Fitzpatrick, “Theology by Widows,” Journey with Jesus for August 14th, 2022.

02-22-2026 Tricky Devil

Thomas J Parlette
“Tricky Devil”
Matthew 4: 1-11
2/22/26, 1st Lent
 

          Do you remember the first time your parents ever left you alone in the house?
          It’s a bit thrilling at first. You have the whole house to yourself. You can do anything you want. At first we’re all act a little bit like Kevin from Home Alone. You can watch the scary movies our parents wouldn’t let us watch and order a large cheese pizza that we didn’t need to share with anyone.
          But then, being alone can turn a little scary – especially when it gets dark outside. It’s amazing how many noises a house makes when you’re all alone – noises that you never seem to hear in the daylight. Every bump, every squeak, every groan seems terrifying when you’re all alone.
          That may be why the reality TV show Alone on The History Channel is so popular. For 11 seasons now, participants have been challenged to survive all alone in remote wilderness locations, with limited gear and no support – just a camera to document their struggles. The last one to give up their solitary adventure and “tap out”, as they say, wins up to a million dollars in the most recent seasons. So far, the record for being alone in the wilderness in a single season stands at 100 days.
          Even though it can be scary and intimidating to be alone – there is value in being by yourself. Some of the wisest, most spiritual people knew the truth of this. Anthony the Great for instance was one of the first of the Desert Fathers, early Christian mystics who sought a deeper connection to God by living a solitary lifestyle in the wilderness, to seek out alone time. (1) Being alone helps to open yourself to prayer, confront hard truths and the temptations of life and seek out God’s presence in the silence. In the rush of the relentless pace of modern life, there is more truth to the value of aloneness than ever before.
          A few years ago, the actor Ewan McGregor – best known as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars movies – made a film called Last Days in the Desert, in which he played both Jesus and the Devil. To prepare for the role McGregor spent some serious time alone in the desert. He says of the experience:
          “There was no cell phone signal out there – it was just fantastic. It was just space and time, which we’re getting further and further away from in our modern life.”
          “You think of a lot of things you don’t normally have time to think about. You think of things you thought were buried and away and dealt with, and they bubble back up and you realize they weren’t dealt with. Things from your childhood, your relationships, everything.” (2)
          I wonder if Jesus had those same kind of thoughts during his 40 days in the wilderness – reflecting on what his life has been, and preparing himself for what God was calling him to be and do. There are a lot of things you can learn in the wilderness when you’re alone – things you can’t deal with in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
          In our passage for today, we turn to one of the mainstays of the Lenten season – Jesus, alone in the wilderness for 40 days. Being tested or tempted by the Devil. The number 40, of course should ring some bells for us, that number is highly symbolic here. The most well-known parallels are the 40 days and 40 nights in the story about Noah and the Ark. Then there’s the story of Israel wandering in the desert wilderness for 40 years as God formed and molded them into a holy people. But there are other examples of spiritual people being led into the desert, alone, to be tested and sometimes taught by God.
          In 1st Kings, in chapter 19, Elijah is urged by the Lord to fast for 40 days and nights as he fled to Mount Horeb in Sinai, where he encountered God. Looking back even further, in Exodus, chapter 34, we read how Moses fasted alone, in the presence of the Lord, on top of Mount Sinai as he wrote the 10 commandments. (3)
          Matthew no doubt has all these stories in mind as he tells us about the temptation of Jesus.
          Temptation and Sin are the two themes that hold together the lectionary scripture readings on this First Sunday of Lent.
          Our readings start with Genesis as we remember the story of Adam and Eve being tempted by the snake. This story points out the central temptation going on in these passages – the temptation to be like God, or the temptation to put ourselves on equal footing with good.
          You remember that the snake asked Eve – Did God say you could not eat any fruit of the garden?”
          “Oh no. We can eat of any tree in the garden except that one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good Evil.”
          “Oh, I see. Do you know why, let me tell you. Because if you eat the fruit of that tree, you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Doesn’t that sound good? Go ahead – take a bite.”
          Eve takes a bite and gives the fruit to Adam – they both eat… and that’s how sin first entered the world. For disobeying God, Adam and Eve are put out of the garden and must fend for themselves.
          Paul picks up the thread of the story and temptation and sin when he reminds us how sin first entered the world – through Adam. But now, in Jesus Christ – the New Adam – Jesus is removing the stain of sin and reconciling humanity and the world to God – putting us all back into God’s good graces. Paul, in essence, gives us a peek at the last page of the story – Jesus conquers sin and death and we are redeemed.
          But first, Jesus must face the tricky devil and his tests. The devil gives Jesus three variations on the age old temptation to put ourselves on equal footing with God. First, the devil challenges Jesus to use his divine powers to feed himself – “make bread from these stones.”
 But Jesus counters with “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
So the devil quotes some scripture of his own. He takes Jesus to the top of the Temple and says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written
“He will command his angels concerning you; and on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”
Again Jesus counters, “It is written, do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
But the devil has one more trick up his sleeve. He takes Jesus to the top of a high mountain, shows him all the Kingdoms of the world – “All this, I will give to you, it’s all yours, if you fall down and worship me.”
But Jesus is not fooled. “Away with you Satan! For it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
And the tricky devil leaves him as the angels arrive to celebrate with Jesus.
Richard Rohr has written about this passage that:
“There are three primary things that we have to let go of, in my opinion. First, is the compulsion to be successful. Second, is the compulsion to be right – especially theologically right. And finally, there is the compulsion to be powerful, to have everything under control.”
To be like God, as the serpent from Genesis would say.
“These are the three demons Jesus faced in the wilderness. Until we look each of these three demons in their eyes, we should presume that they are still in charge. The demons have to be called out by name, clearly, concretely, and practically, spelling out how controlling and self-righteous we all are.” (4)
This is what we do in Lent. We look at ourselves. We confront the temptation to be in control and see ourselves as all-powerful. In this season, we confront the reality that we are tempted by sin, and we turn to God for help. But we always know that help from God will always be given, if we simply ask.
The great Peter Marshall was known to say, “It’s no sin to be tempted. It isn’t the fact of having temptations that should cause us shame, but what we do with those temptations. Temptation is an opportunity to conquer. When we eventually reach the goal to which we are all striving, God will look us over – not for diplomas, but for scars.” (5)
Temptations and times of trial and testing are simply opportunities – opportunities to rise and conquer by the power of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Like many people, I have been absorbed by the Olympics these last three weeks. There is a commercial I’ve seen several times, put out there by Visa, that features the skier Michela Schiffrin riding up a mountain on a ski lift. The voice over says:
“From where you start, you can’t see the top, you just start to climb. You take one step, and there you are… and still you climb. And then you realize, there is no top – there is just the choice to rise.”
That is the opportunity before us in this Lenten season. We face the testing, and the temptations from this tricky devil, and leaning on our Savior Jesus Christ, we take one more step, we continue the climb toward Easter morning, using every challenge as another opportunity to make the choice to rise.
May God be praised. Amen.

02-08-2026 Fulfilling the Law

Thomas J Parlette
“Fulfilling the Law”
Matt. 5: 13-20
2/8/26
          Lately I’ve been re-watching one of my all-time favorite shows – The West Wing. In the sixth season, the series starts to focus on who will succeed the current President. The race comes down for the White House comes down to Republican Arnie Vinick, played by Alan Alda and Democrat Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits.
          In one memorable scene, the current President, Jed Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen, is sitting with Arnie Vinick after hours in the White House kitchen, raiding the White House’s supply of ice cream. The topic turns to religion and church attendance.
          The President asks Vinick if he goes to church – Vinick says no, not in years. Bartlet asks why. And Senator Vinick gives an answer that many people identify with. He says:
          “One Christmas my wife gave me a very old copy of the King James Bible. A real find for a book lover, which I am. But then I read it.”
          “I couldn’t believe there was a God who said that the penalty for working on the Sabbath was death. I couldn’t believe there was a God who said the penalty for adultery was death.”
          Then Pres. Bartlet says – “I’m more of a New Testament guy myself.”
          Vinick continues, “I struggled with that book for a long time. After a while, I gave up the struggle.”
          Their conversation captures the way many people feel about the Bible – especially when it comes to Old Testament versus New Testament. Our passage for today, in which Jesus says that he isn’t here to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law, seems to contradict what we hear in the verses that follow, the ones that go “You’ve heard it said… But I say to you…” Those verses would seem to support the view that you can choose to focus on the New Testament and disregard the Old Testament. It sounds like Jesus is indeed either disregarding or re-writing the Old Testament.
          This isn’t really a new development. In fact, this is one of the oldest heresies that exist in the Christian religion.
          In the second century, a man named Marcion of Sinope founded a movement within Christianity the rejected the Old Testament and the Old Testament God as too vengeful and chose instead to focus on the merciful God of the New Testament as revealed by Jesus.
          Marcionism proposed two distinct Gods, the wrathful, legalistic God of the Old Testament versus the loving compassionate God of the New Testament. In addition to rejecting the Old Testament, Marcionism believed that Jesus wasn’t really fully human, he only appeared to be.
          To back up their beliefs, the Marcionites relied on a heavily edited version of the Gospel of Luke and only ten of Paul’s epistles – also heavily edited to remove all references to the Old Testament and Judaism.
          So whenever we hear modern day Christians say things like they believe in the New Testament God, or they don’t understand why we need the Old Testament at all now that Jesus has come – what we are hearing is a little bit of the ancient heresy of Marcionism.
          Marcion was eventually excommunicated from the Church in 144 and the church put out pages and pages of theological reasons why we needed both the Old and the New Testaments, but Marcionism still lingers on into our present day. One of the positives of dealing with this heresy was that it forced the early church to formalize what it believed and establish a canon of scripture that would eventually become the Bible as we know it.
          But for Jesus, Marcionism has no place in Christianity. He is very clear that he has no intention of eliminating the Law. He is not intending to abolish the law, but he intends to fulfill the Law. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows us how this fulfillment is going to happen.
          He starts with what we heard last week – the Beatitudes, the “be like this” statements. This leads us into our passage for today. Jesus uses two metaphors to describe how we are look at ourselves as disciples. As followers of Jesus, we are to be Salt and Light.
          First, we are described as salt. Salt was very common and quite valuable in the ancient world. Salt had many uses – the most common were as a preservative in the days before refrigeration, and as a  seasoning, as it is now. But there were other uses as well. Salt was used for fertilizing soil and it was used in sacrifices and covenanting ceremonies as well as purifying and cleansing rituals, and as a way to symbolize loyalty. Most significantly in the way Jesus is using it, is Salt as a flavoring agent and as a preservative. (1)
          Jesus’ use of salt to describe his followers refers to Jesus’ desire that we bring our unique personality and combination of talents to bear in serving God’s kingdom. We are salt.
          We are also Light. We are not the source of the light, but we point towards the light of God in Jesus, we reflect the light that has come to dwell among us.
          One of my favorite authors, Robert Fulghum tells the story of being at a conference in Greece. “On the last day of the conference, the discussion leader walked over to the bright light of an open window and looked out. Then he asked if there were any questions.”
          “I jokingly asked him, What’s the meaning of life? Everyone in attendance laughed and stirred to leave. However, the leader held up his hand to ask for silence and then responded, “I will answer your question.”
          “He took his wallet out of his pocket and removed a small round mirror about the size of a quarter. Then he explained:
         “When I was a small child during World War II, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. I tried to find all the pieces and put them back together, but it was not possible, so I kept the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round.”
          “I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun could never shine. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places that I could find. I kept the little mirror, and as I grew up, I would take it out at idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.”
          “As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game, but a metaphor of what I could do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of the light. But light – be it truth or understanding or knowledge – is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it.”
          “I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have, I can reflect light into the dark places of the world – into the dark places of human hearts – and change some things in some people. Perhaps others seeing this happen will do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.” (2)
          Jesus is quite clear this morning – He comes to fulfill the law. To do so, he calls us to be Salt and Light.
          He calls us to be Salt, to be who we are to give this world a taste of God’s kingdom and to preserve God’s covenant with humanity.
          He calls us to be Light, to reflect God’s love into the dark corners of our world.
          May God be praised. Amen.

1.    Jin Young Choi, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol 1, Westminster John Knox Press, p 81, 83.

2.    Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, Ballantine Books, 1988, 1989, p 174-175.

02-01-2026 What is Required

Thomas J Parlette
“What is Required”
Micah 6: 1-8
2/1/26
          January 20th, 1977 was a cold day in Washington DC. Under a bright blue sky with a mild wind blowing, the 25 degree day felt more like 10 degrees. At precisely noon, President-elect Jimmy Carter stepped up to the podium to take his oath of office as the 39th President of the United States. On the podium that day was the Washington Bible, often used for Inaugurations. But Carter also brought his own personal bible, a Christmas present from his brother, Billy.
          Carter’s Bible was a New Marked Reference Bible, a King James translation, with all his personal notes in the margins and contact information for his Sunday School teacher. As he took the oath of office, his Bible was open to our passage from Micah for today – “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Throughout his Inaugural address, Carter referred to this well-known verse as his guide for the next four years of his administration.
          The Book of Micah is divided into 3 major sections, each beginning with the word, “Hear.” The sections alternate between words of doom and gloom and glimmers of hope.
          Our passage today, from chapter 6, is among the chapters that offer hope. It begins with the portrayal of God and the people facing off in a courtroom drama (1).
          The prophet begins the proceedings, sounding like a bailiff or other courtroom official – “Rise, plead your case… for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.
          Then God steps up – “O my people, what have done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!”
          God follows with a laundry list of what he has done for the people over the years, urging them to remember these things done so that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.
          Next up, Israel answers God’s charges, basically saying, “What do you want from me? What is it you expect?”
          Israel then offers a bunch of examples of various sacrifices, getting increasingly melodramatic, leading up to the final, “Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
          Finally, the Prophet steps back in, sounding more like a judge this time – “He has told you, O mortal what is good: and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
          All of our lectionary passages for today have something to say about what the Lord requires of us. Psalm 15 reminds us that those who do right live in the presence of God. In the Gospel of Matthew, we heard the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus talks about the Beatitudes – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, reviled or persecuted, and blessed are the peacemakers.”
          And that brings us to Micah’s words about what God requires of us. This well-known verse has earned nicknames over the years such as “Biblical ethics in a nutshell,” and “The Golden verse of the Old Testament.” Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.
          In the court case we read this morning, the one being accused by God assumes that God is looking for a certain kind of sacrifice. The response to God’s charges gets increasingly dramatic and ends with a fairly ridiculous statement – “Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression…?” Fortunately, God and the Prophet recognize this is a pretty sarcastic response, and counter with the idea that God does not demand a sacrifice at all, at least not the kind that the accused is expecting. What God desires is a certain way of living.
          God requires a life lived in the pursuit of justice. By this, Micah means a life that seeks to establish and restore community, while aiming to balance personal good with the common good. To do justice means to work for the establishment of equity for all, especially the powerless and the marginalized, those who are persecuted or threatened. ( 2)
          God also requires a life that demonstrates a love of kindness. A life marked by and grace is what God expects. You can keep your elaborate sacrifices and fancy words and ceremonies – just be kind, be merciful, show others the same kind of grace God has shown you.
          The third requirement of the kind of life God requires is to walk humbly with your God. It’s tempting to focus on the adverb “humbly” in that phrase, but the verb “walk” is actually more important.
          We often describe the life of faith as a walk, as a journey. In Judaism the word for ethics is “halacha”, which means “walking.” So, the idea is that the task of ethics is to describe how one ought to walk one’s day-to-day life. (3 ) Just recently, we listened to Jesus call to “Follow me.” Jesus never said “Believe this or believe that.” He said “Follow me,” or perhaps, “Come, take a walk with me.”
          So, when Micah says walk humbly with God, he is encouraging us to walk with God and be still, be quiet in a spirit of humility – because you just might learn something. That’s what God wants. God wants us to come, take a walk.
          Over the centuries, Christian theologians have interpreted these verses from Micah in a variety of ways. For Cyril, the important thing here was God’s compassion. For Tertullian, he emphasized that God expects people to act with the same divine mercy and compassion that have been bestowed upon them. Augustine notes that the love of God, the love of neighbor, and the offering of self in loving service to one another are far superior to any other sacrifice or burnt offering. ( 4) From the earliest days of Christianity, the church has understood these three qualities are what God requires of us.
          I began today with the story of how President Carter had his personal bible open to this passage during his Inauguration. During his rather short speech that today, he referred to Micah on numerous occasions, with words and ideas that still ring true today, especially in light of what is happening all around the country in regards to immigration enforcement. Let me share just some of what President Carter said in 1977:
“As my high school teacher, Miss Julia Coleman used to say: We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles…”
“Let our recent mistakes bring a resurgent commitment to the basic principles of our Nation, for we know that if we despise our own government, we have no future. We recall in special times when we have stood briefly, but magnificently, united. In those times no prize was beyond our grasp.”
“But we cannot dwell upon remembered glory. We cannot afford to drift. We reject the prospect of failure or mediocrity or an inferior quality of life for any person. Our government must at the same time be both competent and compassionate…”
“It is my hope that when my time as your President has ended, people might say this about our Nation: That we remembered the words of Micah and renewed our search for humility, mercy and justice…” (5)
So as we gather at the Lord’s table once more, let us ask – What does God expect from us? What is required to live the life calls us to?
Micah boils it down to just three things:
Do justice,
Love kindness,
And walk humbly with your God.
May God be praised. Amen.

1.    James Limburg, Interpretation: Hosea – Micah, John Knox Press, 1988, p 159-161.

2.    Carol Dempsey, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 1  Westminster John Knox Press, p 294.

3.    James Limburg… p 193.

4.    Carol Dempsey … p 294.

5.    Inaugural Address of Jimmy Carter, Thursday, January 20th, 1977, The Avalon Project, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/carter.asp

01-25-2026 Disciples of the Light

Thomas J Parlette
“Disciples of the Light”
Matt. 4: 12-23
1/25/26

          In 1949, Joseph Campbell wrote a seminal work that still has influence over writers and storytellers 75 years later. Campbell studied stories found in cultures around the world and noted similarities in structure and style. His book “Hero with a Thousand Faces” was the result of his research. With the rise of narrative theology in the 1970’s and 80’s, more and more biblical scholars started applying his work to the stories of the Bible.
          One of the aspects of stories that Campbell identified was something he called the “Call to Adventure.” This was the opening of a story, when the main character is called to start something new, leave his life as he knows it behind, and to begin an adventure or a journey of some sort, with a noble cause to save the world or benefit humankind in some way. (1)
          You can see examples of Campbell’s “Call to Adventure” in stories such as the original “Star Wars” movie – when Luke Skywalker accidently sees a hologram being carried by R2D2, from Princess Leia asking for help from Obi Wan Kenobi. Thus starts his great adventure fighting the Empire.
          You can also see it in Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring”, when the Wizard Gandalf shows up at the door of the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, and calls him to leave the comfort of the shire and begin a great adventure.
          That is what we see this morning in our Gospel passage from Matthew – Jesus’ call to begin a great adventure.
          Last week, we took a look at the story of Jesus’ baptism and invitation from the Gospel of John – to “come and see” this one who is the Lamb of God.
          This week, we look at Matthew’s version of the story of how Jesus went about calling his first disciples- two sets of brothers, all four fishermen – “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”
          Matthew intentionally sets his story in the region of Galilee, in the little fishing village of Capernaum. Both of these locations are within the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, spoken of in the prophets and in the Psalms. These are regions that are well acquainted with the darkness that the prophets spoke of. First of all, there was the darkness of the Babylonian exile that still hung in the background of life. Then there was the current darkness of living in a heavily taxed region of the occupying Roman Empire. The people of this idyllic region knew what it was like to sit in darkness and wait for light to arrive. In the midst of this darkness, Jesus begins his ministry by calling his first disciples.
          In John, we are left anticipating the Kingdom of God. John says – “The Kingdom of God is near,” implying that it is not here yet, we are still looking for the Kingdom to arrive.
          But in Matthew we hear “the Kingdom has come near,” implying that the Kingdom is here, now – it has arrived. So the invitation, “Come and See,” changes to a command to “Follow Me.” This is Jesus’ call to adventure, to become disciples of the new light that has dawned.
          The invitation “come and see” is a bit passive. It leaves the final decision open – “come, see what you think, decide for yourself.” The kingdom is near, but it’s not here yet. It’s something to look forward too, and then you can decide what you want to do.
          But in Matthew, Jesus issues a command more than an invitation. Follow me. This doesn’t seem open to debate. Jesus doesn’t seem to be inviting questions. Follow me – let’s begin our journey of adventure, let’s hit the road to becoming disciples of the light.
          Jesus is calling us to participate in the Kingdom. Jesus is gathering and healing as the embodiment of God’s empire as opposed to Ceasar’s empire. The New Testament scholar N.T. Wright notes that “Jesus’ teachings are not about our escape from this world into another one, but to God’s sovereign rule coming to earth as it is in heaven.” (2) God’s Kingdom is not something we escape to in the future – God’s Kingdom is something we participate in here, now, in the messiness and pain of the world as it is.
          Discipleship, as it is portrayed in Matthew, is not presented as something chosen by the disciples. It is a decisive commanding act of Jesus, a command to participate in modeling what life in God’s kingdom is like, and how it is different from the empire that is all around us.
          Think how different that is from how we usually think about discipleship. We typically think of disciples, or members, weighing their options and making a choice based on what kinds of programs a church offers. And then they pursue their calling largely on their own terms.
          But, as the Gospels present Jesus’ call – the call comes from God, it is not up to the disciples. Matthew uses the same word that Mark often uses in his Gospel to describe the brother’s reactions to Jesus’ call – they respond “immediately.” They didn’t weigh their options. They didn’t do their own research. They simply responded.
          This response requires what biblical scholar Douglas Hare calls “radical obedience.” (3) It’s a radical response for at least three reasons. First, the brother’s respond “immediately,” there is no debate, no hesitation. Second, they leave their profession, likely a fairly lucrative business at that. Anyone who has ever changed careers knows how radical that is. And third, they leave behind not only their livelihood, but their families as well. I’m sure such a radical decision did not go over well at home. The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that the call to “follow me was a call to absolute discipleship,” and that only in surrendering ourselves to Jesus’ command could we, paradoxically, know our greatest joy. (4)
          As disciples of the light, our greatest joy is being part of Christ’s body in this world, of pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. As members of Christ’s body, the church, we are called to model what life is like in the Kingdom of God, in the here and now.
          In his book, The Power of Habit: Why Do We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg talks about “keystone habits.” Some habits are more strategic than others because they connect with and lead to other habits. For example – if you develop the habit of going to the gym four times a week, it will have all kinds of beneficial effects in your life. (5) That is a keystone habit – develop one habit that grows into many other good habits.
          When Peter and Andrew, James and John responded to Jesus’ call to follow him, they made a “keystone decision”, a decision that made many other decisions easier to make. Once they decided to follow, everything else fell into place.
          That’s what Jesus asks for this morning – to make a keystone decision. “Follow me – I will make you fish for people.” After that first decision, everything else will fall into place.
          These two sets of brothers display radical obedience by laying everything else aside and choosing to strike out on an adventure, as disciples of the light, called to model what life is like in the Kingdom of God – right here, right now – right under the nose of the empire that surrounds them.
          May God be praised that we receive the same invitation this morning. Amen.
 

 

 

1.    Rodger Nishioka, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 1, Westminster Knox Press, 2010, p 287.

2.    Ibid… p 285.

3.    Troy A. Miller, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p 289.

4.    Greg Garrett, Feasting on the Word , Year A, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p 289.

5.    Mark Abbott, Connections, Year A, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2019, p 207.

01-18-2026 Standing There

Thomas J Parlette
“Standing There”
John 1: 29-42
1/18/26

          It is one the most difficult social invitations to get.
          Every year on the first Monday in May, the glitzy affair commemorates the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibit, with the party’s theme often taking inspiration from the show.
          Though the black-tie event is technically a fundraiser, earning money for the museum’s extensive fashion collection – it has also become a cultural touchstone, largely due to the influence of Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who has chaired the event for nearly three decades, transforming this charity fundraiser into a pop culture phenomenon.
          Under Wintour’s guidance, the Met Gala has become a night for celebrities, fashion insiders, art enthusiasts, and society’s most powerful and influential figures to strut their stuff on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. And an undeniable part of the allure of the event is its highly exclusive guest list.
          There is no guaranteed way to get invited to the Met Gala. Each year, Wintour herself decides you gets an invitation and who gets relegated to the wait list. For most charity events, if you make a sizable donation, you’re in – but not so with the Met Gala. The criteria for getting an invite to the Gala depends on a variety of factors seemingly only known to Wintour, ranging from timely achievements to cultural clout.
          Even if you do make the cut and receive an invitation, there is still a hefty price tag. In 2024, a single ticket went for 75,000 dollars, and if you wanted to buy a table, the price starts at 350,000 dollars. (1)
          An invitation to the Met Gala is difficult to get – and expensive to boot!
          This morning, in our passage from John, we get a different kind of invitation – an invitation that is open to everyone, and costs nothing, at least on the surface.
          Today we hear John’s version of the baptism story. There is no water involved, but John is standing there, sees Jesus approaching and points to him as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” I baptize with water – but he will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I testify to you that He is the Son of God.

         Then, the next day, John was again standing there with two of his disciples, and points out Jesus again – “Look, here is the Lamb of God,” a term unique to John. This is the only time that word for “lamb” is used in the New Testament. The term comes up again in Revelation – but it’s a different word that is used. One of the many unique things about John.
          I often say that John has his own way of telling the story of Jesus. For instance, John does not have a birth story, but he does have two cleansing of the Temple stories – his is the only Gospel to do that. John records no parables and talks about Jesus’ miracles as “signs” – again, the only one of the Gospel writers to do that. John often relates not simply what Jesus does or says, but also why or for what reason he does the things he does. When you compare the four Gospels, John paints a more divine portrait of Jesus than the other three, that portray more of the human aspect of Jesus. (2)
          A few Sundays ago we took a look at John’s Prologue, the beginning verses of Chapter 1, which John uses as a kind of creation story to introduce Jesus as the Incarnation of God and the Light that has come into the world.
          The rest of Chapter 1 is structured around a series of four days. We are looking at the events of Day 2 and Day 3 this morning. (3)
          There are two important theological concepts on display over the course of these two days. First, we continue with the concept of Incarnation – God with us in the flesh – as John refers to Jesus as God’s Son, the Divine walking amongst us.
          The second important theological concept here is Atonement. When John says, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” what does he mean by that exactly. Well, theologians have been debating that for centuries.
          John is not speaking of an individual, day to day experience of sin, as if Jesus takes away the things we do wrong every day. No, John is speaking of sin in the broader sense. He is talking about the sin that came into the world in the time of Adam and Eve, the sin that has plagued us from the very beginning. The sin that John Calvin said rendered us “totally depraved,” incapable of good if left to our own devices, and enslaved to our evil desires – that kind of sin is what John refers to. That is what Jesus, the Lamb of God takes away.
          Over the centuries, theologians have come up with many theories that seek to explain how this happens.
          The most popular and well-known one is probably the Satisfaction Theory that is associated with St. Anselm, which sees Jesus’ death as satisfying the righteous demands of a God offended by human sin.
          Another well-known theory, especially in Reformed circles, is the Substitutionary Theory, which understands Jesus’ death as the death of God’s innocent Son, offered by God on our behalf or in our place.
          And finally, there is the theory connected to Peter Abelard, often called the Moral Influence Theory. This idea sees the death of Jesus as the ultimate expression of the depth of God’s love, that God would offer His own Son to pay for our sin.
          Now there are a couple of problems with these classical theories of the Atonement. The first problem is that God and Jesus are portrayed as separate beings. This is clearly a contradiction of what we find in John’s Prologue. The second problem is that God seems to be rather a callous figure in these theories because Jesus has to die to placate God’s anger, or God comes across as an abusive parent as He offers up his Son for torture and death. Many people over the years have had trouble thinking of God like that.
          But, the Gospel of John offers a unique perspective that you might call the Incarnational Theory of the Atonement. (4) This idea holds Jesus and God together as One Being, like John talked about in the Prologue. The uniting of the Divine and the human in this man Jesus is what makes salvation possible – because God has become incarnate with humanity – God has become one of us.
          Looking at this way, Jesus, and God, show their love for humanity by dying to save us from the consequences of the sin that we have brought on ourselves. In this view of Atonement, there is no anger to be appeased, there is no torture or death that God takes satisfaction in. From the beginning, God and Jesus are the same being, of one essence, as the Nicene Creed says. God becomes incarnate in Jesus to be with us. Since Jesus is God incarnate, and God is Jesus incarnate – God sacrifices Godself on the cross.
          Divine Self-Sacrifice? – Yes.
          God sending Jesus to his death as an Atonement for our sin, to appease God’s anger? – No.
          This is the great invitation that the Gospel of John offers us.
          Simply put – to those just standing there, “Come and See.” Yes, this is complicated stuff – but life is complicated, the best plan is to come and see for yourself.
          In the chapel of the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, France, there is a painting by Matthias Grunewald. It is a depiction of the Crucifixion. Jesus is dying on the cross, surrounded by his mother, the Beloved Disciple, and Mary Magdalene. Surprisingly, the artist has also included the figure of John the Baptist. He is facing the viewer, he holds the open scriptures in one hand, while the other hand points to Jesus on the cross. At his feet stands a lamb, cross in the crook of a foreleg, the ancient symbol of the Agnus Dei. (5) The painting is a brilliant illustration of John’s sole purpose. To everyone standing there, John is there to point to Jesus. As he has said from the beginning, he is not the light, he is not the Messiah – he only prepares the way for the Messiah. John points us in the right direction.
          Noted Christian scholar and author, Rodger Nishioka likes to remind his graduating students that even though they have earned the degree of “Master of Divinity”, they still have a lot to learn. He remembers a time back when the WWJD – What Would Jesus Do – bracelets were all the rage, he started to suggest that perhaps the bracelets should say “WWJBD.” Instead of doing what the Son of God would do – maybe we should do what John the Baptist did. (6) Maybe we should concentrate on pointing not to ourselves, or our programs, or even the church. Maybe we should simply point to Jesus.
          Perhaps the most faithful thing we can do as a disciple is offer the invitation to everyone standing around us “Come and See.” Come and see for yourself what the Lamb of God offers.
          May God be praised. Amen.

 

1. Cady Lang, “How Do You Get Invited to the Met Gala? An Industry Insider Weighs In” TIME Magazine, May 2nd, 2024, Homileticsonline.com.

2. Troy A. Miller, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p 261.

3. Ibid… p 263.

4. Buran Phillips, Feasting on the Gospels, John, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2013, p 30.

5. Joseph J. Clifford, Feasting on the Gospels, John, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2013, p 27.

6. Rodger Y. Nishioka, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol.1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p 264.

01-11-2026 Dangerous, but Life-Giving Water

Thomas J Parlette
“Dangerous, but Life-Giving Water”
Matt. 3: 13-17, Ps. 29
1/11/26
          When I was growing up, every afternoon around 4:30 or 5:00, my sisters and I would announce to our mother – “Can we have a snack, we’re so hungry, we’re dying.” Now we knew that Dad would be home at 6:00 pm, he was very predictable that way, and dinner would be on the table by 6:15. That’s the way it was for us growing up in the early 1970’s.
          Without missing a beat, my mother would respond to our melodramatics with something along the lines of “You’re not dying – have some raisins, they’re nature’s candy.”
          Well, we weren’t falling for that – but dinner was at 6:15, and we were not allowed to spoil our evening meal with snacks.
          The human body is an amazing thing. Despite my 10-year-old self’s melodramatic hunger pangs – we did not die. We didn’t even pass out. We always made it to dinner time. In fact, I would learn years later that the human body can survive without food for weeks, maybe even a couple months. What we really need, what we can’t survive without – is actually water. Whereas we can go a month or so without food, the human body can’t survive for much more than a week without water. Water is crucial to our survival.
          Water plays a central role in our passages for today – as it should. Today, we remember Jesus’ baptism, and by extension, our own.
          We start by recognizing the awesome, dangerous power of water as we see it in Psalm 29. If you’ve every stood near the bottom of a waterfall or sat in a kayak out in the ocean, we have a sense of what Psalm 29 is talking about. God is described as having power over even the most extreme and ferocious waters:
          “The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas, the glorious God thunders, and God’s voice echoes over the ocean. The voice of the Lord is heard in all it’s might and majesty.”
          And later we read:
          “The Lord rules over the deep waters…”
          The seas and the oceans were the ultimate mystery to the ancients. They were unknown, powerful and uncontrollable, yet God ruled over them with just the sound of his voice.
          Then, we move to Matthew’s story of Jesus’ baptism. And once again we hear the voice of God over the waters.
          All four of the Gospel writers tell us about Jesus’ baptism, and they share many similarities. They all happen in or near the waters of the Jordan. They all make mention of the Spirit of God, like a dove, descending upon Jesus. All but John make mention of a voice over the waters, sometimes audible to everyone and sometimes only to Jesus – “This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
          Luke has clearly used Mark as resource, as his version of the baptism is nearly identical to Mark’s. John, as is his habit, tells the story in his own unique way. But Matthew follows the basic outline of the story from Mark and Luke, with the exception of one detail. Matthew mentions that when Jesus presents himself to John for baptism, John is hesitant.
          The NRSV says – “John would have prevented him from receiving baptism…”
          The Good News translation says: “But John tried to change Jesus’ mind…”
          And The Message says simply – “John objected.”
          John didn’t want to baptize Jesus, his own cousin. Strange. Why? The translations are all consistent – John believed that he was the one who should be baptized, not Jesus.
          But Jesus is insistent. The NRSV has Jesus respond – “Let it be so for now. For it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
          The Good News says – “For in this way we shall do all that God requires.”
          And the Message says – “God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism.”
          And so John agrees, and Jesus is baptized.
Over the years, people have been bothered by the fact that Jesus was baptized. They wonder – “Why, he was without sin, he doesn’t need to be baptized. Are we saying Jesus needed to be forgiven of his sins?”
No, in Jesus’ case, his baptism wasn’t done because he needed it, but because that was the will of God for everyone – so Jesus was obedient to God. Jesus’ baptism further reinforces his identity – he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and relives Israel’s history in a way, because he comes out of Egypt. (1) In sense, the world is re-created through Jesus’ baptism, and when the dove comes down from heaven and the voice of God speaks, the world is re-created as a place full of forgiveness and grace.
 Jesus’ baptism is also an important milestone moment as well. It is like the coronation of a King. His baptism signals the fulfillment of God’s intentions for the one true King, the Messiah, to rule the world. What we see emerging from these dangerous, but comforting waters of baptism is a new kind of king who aligns himself with God’s kingdom. Jesus’ baptism signals his denial of the power of sin over him generally, but also a refusal to bow before any power but God – including the powers of state, country or empire that seek to dominate and oppress the people, as was happening in Jerusalem at the time, and can still be seen today. (2)
Our baptism certainly signifies a cleansing of the sin that took hold since the days of Adam and Eve. It is a sign of forgiveness and grace. It is a sign that we are now grafted onto the Body of Christ. In the classical understanding of the Reformers, our baptism is “a visible sign of God’s invisible grace.”
When we arise from the baptismal waters, we announce that we are committed to be part of the Jesus story, that we will follow Jesus’ ways, and we accept his fate as our own. We accept that we will often fly in the face of what our culture tells us to do. It means we side with the poor, the oppressed, those who are at risk and those who live on the margins. And that is sometimes dangerous, leaving us open to ridicule and sometimes harm – although it’s highly unlikely any of us will ever face the extreme that Jesus faced, death by crucifixion. It is nevertheless a dangerous endeavor to live out our baptism.
What we see here today as we ordain and install new officers is, in a sense, the third act of our baptism. The first act, of course comes when we were baptized, most of us as babies. The second act is when we are confirmed. The third act is when we answer the call to serve as an officer in the church, proclaiming our faith in a public way once more, pledging to lead the church in the ways of Jesus for the growth of God’s kingdom. The fourth, and final act, comes when we finish our earthly work, shuffle off this mortal coil, and join the great cloud of witnesses in God’s heavenly realm – then our baptism is complete.
Today, at the beginning of a new year, we celebrate Jesus’ baptism – and our own. We celebrate that the waters that began as a chaotic, uncontrollable force, now yield to the voice of God, which in Jesus’ baptism assures us that we are beloved children of God. In the waters of baptism, we are commissioned to follow the ways of Jesus and live out faith by serving to further God’s kingdom in this earth. In the dangerous waters of baptism we receive God’s comfort of Grace and Forgiveness.

These are the gifts we are called to share with the world.

May God be praised. Amen.

 

 

1. Timothy A. Beach-Verhey, Feasting on the Gospels, Matthew, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2013, p 44.

 

2. Stanley P. Saunders, Connections Year A, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2019, p 173.

10-18-2026 Standing There

Thomas J Parlette
“Standing There”
John 1: 29-42
1/18/26

          It is one the most difficult social invitations to get.
          Every year on the first Monday in May, the glitzy affair commemorates the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibit, with the party’s theme often taking inspiration from the show.
          Though the black-tie event is technically a fundraiser, earning money for the museum’s extensive fashion collection – it has also become a cultural touchstone, largely due to the influence of Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who has chaired the event for nearly three decades, transforming this charity fundraiser into a pop culture phenomenon.
          Under Wintour’s guidance, the Met Gala has become a night for celebrities, fashion insiders, art enthusiasts, and society’s most powerful and influential figures to strut their stuff on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. And an undeniable part of the allure of the event is its highly exclusive guest list.
          There is no guaranteed way to get invited to the Met Gala. Each year, Wintour herself decides you gets an invitation and who gets relegated to the wait list. For most charity events, if you make a sizable donation, you’re in – but not so with the Met Gala. The criteria for getting an invite to the Gala depends on a variety of factors seemingly only known to Wintour, ranging from timely achievements to cultural clout.
          Even if you do make the cut and receive an invitation, there is still a hefty price tag. In 2024, a single ticket went for 75,000 dollars, and if you wanted to buy a table, the price starts at 350,000 dollars. (1)
          An invitation to the Met Gala is difficult to get – and expensive to boot!
          This morning, in our passage from John, we get a different kind of invitation – an invitation that is open to everyone, and costs nothing, at least on the surface.
          Today we hear John’s version of the baptism story. There is no water involved, but John is standing there, sees Jesus approaching and points to him as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” I baptize with water – but he will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I testify to you that He is the Son of God.
          Then, the next day, John was again standing there with two of his disciples, and points out Jesus again – “Look, here is the Lamb of God,” a term unique to John. This is the only time that word for “lamb” is used in the New Testament. The term comes up again in Revelation – but it’s a different word that is used. One of the many unique things about John.
          I often say that John has his own way of telling the story of Jesus. For instance, John does not have a birth story, but he does have two cleansing of the Temple stories – his is the only Gospel to do that. John records no parables and talks about Jesus’ miracles as “signs” – again, the only one of the Gospel writers to do that. John often relates not simply what Jesus does or says, but also why or for what reason he does the things he does. When you compare the four Gospels, John paints a more divine portrait of Jesus than the other three, that portray more of the human aspect of Jesus. (2)
          A few Sundays ago we took a look at John’s Prologue, the beginning verses of Chapter 1, which John uses as a kind of creation story to introduce Jesus as the Incarnation of God and the Light that has come into the world.
         The rest of Chapter 1 is structured around a series of four days. We are looking at the events of Day 2 and Day 3 this morning. (3)
          There are two important theological concepts on display over the course of these two days. First, we continue with the concept of Incarnation – God with us in the flesh – as John refers to Jesus as God’s Son, the Divine walking amongst us.
          The second important theological concept here is Atonement. When John says, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” what does he mean by that exactly. Well, theologians have been debating that for centuries.
          John is not speaking of an individual, day to day experience of sin, as if Jesus takes away the things we do wrong every day. No, John is speaking of sin in the broader sense. He is talking about the sin that came into the world in the time of Adam and Eve, the sin that has plagued us from the very beginning. The sin that John Calvin said rendered us “totally depraved,” incapable of good if left to our own devices, and enslaved to our evil desires – that kind of sin is what John refers to. That is what Jesus, the Lamb of God takes away.
          Over the centuries, theologians have come up with many theories that seek to explain how this happens.
          The most popular and well-known one is probably the Satisfaction Theory that is associated with St. Anselm, which sees Jesus’ death as satisfying the righteous demands of a God offended by human sin.
          Another well-known theory, especially in Reformed circles, is the Substitutionary Theory, which understands Jesus’ death as the death of God’s innocent Son, offered by God on our behalf or in our place.
          And finally, there is the theory connected to Peter Abelard, often called the Moral Influence Theory. This idea sees the death of Jesus as the ultimate expression of the depth of God’s love, that God would offer His own Son to pay for our sin.
          Now there are a couple of problems with these classical theories of the Atonement. The first problem is that God and Jesus are portrayed as separate beings. This is clearly a contradiction of what we find in John’s Prologue. The second problem is that God seems to be rather a callous figure in these theories because Jesus has to die to placate God’s anger, or God comes across as an abusive parent as He offers up his Son for torture and death. Many people over the years have had trouble thinking of God like that.
          But, the Gospel of John offers a unique perspective that you might call the Incarnational Theory of the Atonement. (4) This idea holds Jesus and God together as One Being, like John talked about in the Prologue. The uniting of the Divine and the human in this man Jesus is what makes salvation possible – because God has become incarnate with humanity – God has become one of us.
          Looking at this way, Jesus, and God, show their love for humanity by dying to save us from the consequences of the sin that we have brought on ourselves. In this view of Atonement, there is no anger to be appeased, there is no torture or death that God takes satisfaction in. From the beginning, God and Jesus are the same being, of one essence, as the Nicene Creed says. God becomes incarnate in Jesus to be with us. Since Jesus is God incarnate, and God is Jesus incarnate – God sacrifices Godself on the cross.
          Divine Self-Sacrifice? – Yes.
          God sending Jesus to his death as an Atonement for our sin, to appease God’s anger? – No.
          This is the great invitation that the Gospel of John offers us.
          Simply put – to those just standing there, “Come and See.” Yes, this is complicated stuff – but life is complicated, the best plan is to come and see for yourself.
          In the chapel of the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, France, there is a painting by Matthias Grunewald. It is a depiction of the Crucifixion. Jesus is dying on the cross, surrounded by his mother, the Beloved Disciple, and Mary Magdalene. Surprisingly, the artist has also included the figure of John the Baptist. He is facing the viewer, he holds the open scriptures in one hand, while the other hand points to Jesus on the cross. At his feet stands a lamb, cross in the crook of a foreleg, the ancient symbol of the Agnus Dei. (5) The painting is a brilliant illustration of John’s sole purpose. To everyone standing there, John is there to point to Jesus. As he has said from the beginning, he is not the light, he is not the Messiah – he only prepares the way for the Messiah. John points us in the right direction.
          Noted Christian scholar and author, Rodger Nishioka likes to remind his graduating students that even though they have earned the degree of “Master of Divinity”, they still have a lot to learn. He remembers a time back when the WWJD – What Would Jesus Do – bracelets were all the rage, he started to suggest that perhaps the bracelets should say “WWJBD.” Instead of doing what the Son of God would do – maybe we should do what John the Baptist did. (6) Maybe we should concentrate on pointing not to ourselves, or our programs, or even the church. Maybe we should simply point to Jesus.
          Perhaps the most faithful thing we can do as a disciple is offer the invitation to everyone standing around us “Come and See.” Come and see for yourself what the Lamb of God offers.

          May God be praised. Amen.

 

1. Cady Lang, “How Do You Get Invited to the Met Gala? An Industry Insider Weighs In” TIME Magazine, May 2nd, 2024, Homileticsonline.com.

2. Troy A. Miller, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p 261.

3. Ibid… p 263.

4. Buran Phillips, Feasting on the Gospels, John, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2013, p 30.

5. Joseph J. Clifford, Feasting on the Gospels, John, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2013, p 27.

6. Rodger Y. Nishioka, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol.1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p 264.

01-04-2026 In Our Midst

Thomas J Parlette
“In Our Midst”
John 1: 1-18
1/4/26

          Shortly after we moved here, I took the boys to visit Niagara Cave down in Harmony. It’s a pretty cool family fun center with miniature golf and gem mining. But the main feature is a cave that offers a mile walking tour with a 60 foot underground waterfall and unique geological features like the “Grand Canyon” formation, “Battleship Island” and “Cathedral Dome.” It’s a great mid-summer day trip because the cave stays at 48 degrees year round – a great way to beat the heat!
          I remember that when we got to the deepest, darkest part of the cave, our tour guide told us to grab hold of the handrail and put a hand in front of our face – because he was about to turn off the lights, and we would experience complete and utter darkness. He gave us explicit instructions to stand still and don’t let go of the handrail, because total darkness can be very disorienting and you might fall.
          So we did as we were told, and the lights went out.
          When our guide said we would experience complete and utter darkness – he wasn’t kidding. The hand I had in front of my face – couldn’t see a trace of it. Inches away, I could not see a thing. I could understand why we weren’t supposed to move – I’m convinced if I had not been holding onto that railing, I would have fallen over, it was so dark. With no light, not even ambient light, it was impossible to get your bearings.
          Luckily, the lights were out for only about 30 seconds maybe, and the guide said – “Not to worry everyone, I have my hand on the switch…” and he turned the lights back on, to everyone’s relief.
          That’s what John describes this morning in the opening verses of his Gospel. What came into being in Jesus was life, and his life was the light of the world. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
          The world was in utter darkness, but God flipped the switch, and the light came into the world.
          This passage is often referred to as “The Prologue of John.” John is quite intentional about using the language and imagery we find in the 6 days of creation story from Genesis – in fact, many scholars consider this to be one of the 7 creation stories in the Bible.
        The Prologue is also John’s version of a Nativity story, a story of how God’s Son Jesus came into the world. But, as always in the Gospel of John, John doesn’t just tell us what happened – he also tells us what it means, and what it says about Jesus.
          And there is a lot to say. These 18 verses are full of theological ideas, densely packed. One of the concepts suggested here is the idea of the Trinity. The word, “Trinity”, is never used in the Bible – but it is one the bedrock principles of Christianity – that God exists in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Or, if we describe them in terms of their functions – God, the creator, Jesus the redeemer and the Holy Spirit as comforter or the source of God’s power available to us. All of those functions are present in this passage.
          John establishes Jesus as being on the same footing as God – there from the beginning, equal on all accounts. Then in verse 12, John refers to Jesus as providing to all who believed in his name, the power to become children of God – many scholars read this “power” as referring to the Holy Spirit. And so, the basis of the Trinity is established.
          But at the forefront of John’s mind is the idea of Incarnation. For John, Jesus is the Word of God, there from the beginning, actively involved in creation, and now incarnated into human form. Jesus is literally God with us, in the flesh.
          Rembrandt, the Dutch artist, once painted a piece called “The Holy Family at Night”, which portrayed the holy family in contemporary dress, enjoying at evening at home together. (1) Mary is depicted reading from a book, which art historians have guessed is a Bible, while Joseph sits off to the side, appearing to nod off. The Christ child lies peacefully in a cradle at the center of the picture.  The painting highlights the two ways we traditionally interact with God. First, we read the scriptures, as Mary does. And the second way is that we interact with Jesus, a living being – in this case a baby. Every parent knows that you can learn a great deal about babies and parenting from books, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” But when the baby arrives, it’s a whole new ball game – you learn a whole lot from the real thing that you can’t learn from a book. Ultimately, that’s what the Incarnation is about. We can learn a great deal about God from the Scriptures, but God is fully known through the Son, Jesus Christ. And thanks to the Incarnation, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, we can know God. Through Jesus, God is with us, as one of us.
          Perhaps my favorite rendition of this passage comes from Eugene Peterson’s, “The Message.” Technically, The Message is not a translation, it is a modern paraphrase that strives to stay faithful to the biblical text while bringing modern language and imagery to the scripture.
          In the NRSV translation, verse 14 reads, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
          In the Message, Peterson renders that verse, “The Word was made flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”
          I like Peterson’s way of talking about this verse because of one word in particular – “neighborhood.”(2) The idea of God moving in next door as a real human being is very intriguing and quite comforting.
          Many of you know I grew up in many different places. I moved about every three years when I was a kid, so I learned how to adapt to different environments, different communities, different schools, and of course, different neighborhoods. This had it’s challenges as you might expect, but there were good things about moving a lot to. For instance, I have fond memories of some of the neighborhoods where we lived.
          One of my favorite neighborhoods was when we lived for about two years just outside Stroudsburg, PA, in the Pocono mountains. We lived in a modest, split-level home in a new sub-division that was still taking shape. Most of the other families that lived there were young, adults in their late thirties and early forties with kids all about the same age. This was great because there were always all kinds of kids to play with. And the most amazing part was that everyone got along pretty well. We ranged in age from 9 to 15, everyone wrote bikes around the neighborhood hung out together. My favorite time was the summer’s when we stay out late and play neighborhood games, like capture the flag. We used the whole neighborhood, nobody had a problem with kids running through their backyards, and every so often, some of the adults would join in.
         In addition to capture the flag, we used the best block parties I had ever experienced. Since it was a new sub-division, we had virtually no traffic except those people who lived there. So, to my knowledge, nobody bothered with permits and the closest thing we had to blocking off the streets were a couple of saw horses and some caution tape.
          I remember how the dad’s would roll out their grills and set up tables and folding chairs in the streets and driveways. The moms would set up buffet lines with card tables and fill them with homemade casseroles, (Yes, I said casseroles – remember, this was Eastern Pennsylvania) while the kids would play “Horse” at the driveway basketball hoops, or “Pickle” in someone’s yard. The older teenagers would put their speakers in the bedroom windows and blast music I’d never heard before, like Fleetwood Mac, Boston and early Bruce Springsteen. Then, when it was time to eat, we would fill our paper plates and sit together at the tables to enjoy our food and each other.
          I like the thought of God, in the form of Jesus, moving into a neighborhood like this. Standing with the dad’s, discussing which grill was the best while debating when to flip the burgers. Hovering over the buffet table with the mom’s “oohing and ahhing” over the various casseroles. Shouting up to the teenagers, “Turn up the music… when “More Than a Feeling” came on the stereo. And shooting hoops with kids my age in the neighbor’s driveway.
          And when the food was ready, Jesus would fill his paper plate and sit down at the table to enjoy the meal and the people gathered there, much like we do on this communion Sunday.
          On this first Sunday of 2026, we gather at the table to celebrate that God has moved into our neighborhood. Jesus, the incarnation of God, sits with us, as one of us, to enjoy the fellowship and make us one.
          So come, let us sit at the table in God’s Kingdom.
          May God be praised. Amen.

 

 

 

1.    Thomas Troeger, Feasting on the Gospels, John, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2015, p 189.

 

2.    Frank Thomas, Ibid…, p 188.

12-28-2025 Questioning Christmas

Thomas J Parlette
“Questioning Christmas”
Matthew 2: 13-23
12/28/25
 

          One of my favorite Christmas specials is “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” It’s one of those classic stop motion shows the 1960’s and early 70’s, like “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “The Little Drummer Boy.” I was 7 years old when “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” premiered in 1970 – and that has always been my favorite.
          I think that’s my favorite for several reasons. It has great original songs. The backgrounds are so detailed and meticulous, and its great story. But my favorite part about “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is that it answers a lot of questions about Christmas traditions.
          In fact, right at the start of the movie, the Mailman/Narrator, voiced by Fred Astaire, opens some letter to Santa from kids around the world, and you hear their questions : Why does Santa wear a red suit? Why does he come down the chimney? Why does Santa have whiskers? Do reindeer really fly? Why do we hang stocking by the fireplace? Why does Santa live at the North Pole? A lot of questions – all of which are answered by the time the show is done. I think that’s why it is my favorite – I like questions to be answered, and I prefer my answers in form of a story.
          Most of those questions center on the traditions of Christmas, not the actual Christmas story about the birth of Christ that we Christians tell each year. For skeptics of the faith, Christmas as tell it brings up its own set of questions, such as: Did the virgin birth really happen that way – How is that even biologically possible? What about all the angels in the story – do angels really exist, I’ve never seen one? Why would Joseph take his wife, nine months pregnant, on a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem – pregnant women do not like to travel, with good reason, it’s not safe. How did Jesus survive being born in a barn with all those animals – talk about unsanitary, that would never happen today.
          Skeptics are often very well read – they know our story and that leads them to question everything about Christmas. “How could it happen like you say ?” as if this is a reason not the believe the story, – as if the “hows,” the mechanics of the story, matter to God. The question we should ask is “Why?” Why is the story told this way? Why does God choose to have the story of Jesus’ birth unfold as it does?
          Matthew is actually the one telling this story, and he has very specific reasons for telling it this way. In the time of Jesus, all important people – like Kings and rulers and prophets – had unique birth stories. It was a technique used to say, “This person is special, this person will do great things.” Certainly Jesus fit that mold.
          Matthew also tells his story this way because he wanted to show that Jesus, even though he was the Son of God – did not live a charmed life. He faced challenges, as did his family. When you look beyond the pretty pictures we paint of Bethlehem and the stable and the angels and the shepherds all present at the manger, you find a great deal of danger. The threats are ever present, like they are in this story for today, when Mary and Joseph are forced to flee with their baby to a foreign land to escape the massacre that’s coming at the hands of Herod.
          Usually we spend these Sundays of Christmas basking in the afterglow of the Christmas story. We don’t tend to spend much time with the stories that complete the events of Christ’s birth. First we have this miraculous escape, after an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. The holy family hightails it out of the country, and flee, as refugees to Egypt.
          When Herod realizes that his plan has fallen apart, he flies into a murderous rage and gives orders to kill all the boys born in Bethlehem, and the surrounding country, who were two years old and younger, just to make sure. Both of these unhappy circumstances took place to fulfill scripture that Matthew knew well – and so did the Jews he was telling this story too. They would have mouthed the words of those scriptures as Matthew told his story.
          So, after Herod died, another angel shows up and tells Joseph it’s safe to go back home. So the Holy family made their way back to Galilee, to a town called Nazareth – again fulfilling what the prophets had said that, “He will be called a Nazarene.” Everything was falling into place just perfectly.
          Matthew told his story in such a way as to answer all the questions the Jews at the time had about Jesus birth and whether he was the Messiah – Matthew gave them the answers to their questions in the form of a story.
          Most often we focus on the comfort we receive from Christmas. The warm glow of lights, the presents, the Christmas cards, the food and the parties.
          But if Matthew’s story teaches us anything, it is that that is not Christmas – that’s the holidays. They are two different things.
          The holidays are all about the warm fuzzys, the decorations, the cookies, the feel-good Hallmark movies and all the rest of the stuff that our culture tells us we need to get into the holiday spirit. And all of that stuff has its place – I enjoy it all as much as anybody.
          Christmas is about God coming to be with us – as one of us. That’s Christmas – the rest is holiday tradition, which is useful to put us in the mood to celebrate REAL Christmas, but they are different.
          Christmas is about putting the Christ child at the center of our lives. It’s about the hope that comes to shine light in our darkness. Real Christmas is about letting God lead us into a foreign land, a land we are familiar with, but a land we are willing to journey to all the same because that’s where God is leading us.
          The author and lecturer, Tony Campolo, likes to tell a story about what happened to his good friend Mike Yaconelli. Yaconelli used to talk about a deacon in his church who was slacking off on his “deaconing” duties, if you will. He just wasn’t doing what he was supposed to do as a deacon.
          So, one day, Yaconelli says to this deacon, “I have a group of young people who go to the retirement home and lead a worship service once a month. Maybe you could drive them over there sometime.” And the deacon agreed, he could do that much.
          The first Sunday the deacon was at the home, he was in the back with his arms folded as the kids were doing their thing up front. All of a sudden, someone was tugging at his arm. He looked down, and there was an old man in a wheelchair. He took hold of the deacons hand and held it all during the service.
          The next month, he did the same thing. And the next, and the next.
          Then, one month, the old in the wheelchair wasn’t there. The deacon inquired and was told, “Oh, he’s down the hall, right hand side, third door. He’s not doing well. He’s unconscious. He doesn’t have too much longer, but if you want to go down and pray for him, that would be fine.”
          So the deacon went and there were tubes and wires hanging all over the place. The deacon took the man’s hand and prayed that God would receive this man, and bring into the next life as comfortably as possible.
          As soon as he finished the prayer, the old man squeezed the deacons hand, and the deacon knew the man had heard the prayer. He was so moved that tears rolled down his cheek.
          As he pulled his together and made his way out of the room, he bumped into a young woman, who turned out to be the old man’s daughter. She said, “Oh, I’m so glad you came. He’s been waiting for you. He said that he didn’t want to die until he had the chance to hold the hand of Jesus one more time.”
          I don’t understand – what do you mean?
Well, my father would say that once a month Jesus came to visit. He would take my hand and hold it for a whole hour. I don’t want to die until I have the chance to hold the hand of Jesus one more time.” (1)
The Lord lead that deacon to a land he didn’t want to go – at first. But he followed God’s call, and became the presence of Jesus for an old man at a retirement home.
That’s Real Christmas – following the Spirit somewhere we never expected to go. You can question the nuts and bolts of Christmas and the finer points of the story of Jesus’ birth all you want – as this story shows, it’s been challenged and threatened from the very beginning. But it doesn’t matter. The story has held up for more than 2000 years, and it will hold up for 2000 more.
 The point is wherever we go and whatever we’re doing, we are the presence, the hand of Jesus, for everyone we meet. For in Jesus, God has come to be with us – as one of us. That is more than the holidays – that is Real Christmas.
May God be praised. Amen.

 

 

1. Homileticsonline.com, Tony Campolo. “Becoming what God intended you to be.” 30goodminutes.org.

Christmas Eve 2025 In Our Dark Streets Shineth

Thomas J Parlette
“In Our Dark Streets Shineth”
Christmas Eve 2025
 

Every year on the 24th of December,
We gather here to rejoice and remember.
We remember the stories passed down from of old.
We rejoice in memories of our Savior foretold
 

His birth announced by legions of angels,
Appearing in the night sky, like stars shining bright.
Their good news was delivered to grumpy, scruffy shepherds,
Keeping watch over the flock in the cold winter night.
 

We gather here in this holy place, surrounded by stained glass,
With their colors so bright,
 

Dressed in festive sweaters in the glow of soft candlelight.
The energy of youth jumps from the pews
As excited boys and girls anticipate Santa, whose arrival is due.
 

In the lobby, explosions of bright red and green pop from poinsettias.
Christmas trees, dripping with lovely decorations,
Some handed down from past generations.
We revel in the glorious music and the comforting words
We recall almost by heart.
 

But we know that the world is not always a treat
It is not always so bright and cheerful and sweet.
The world is often a very dark place,
Filled with heartaches, and losses and behaviors quite base.
 

Even as we gather with joy in our hearts,
The loss of loved ones can still cut deep.
The shadows lengthen and the darkness descends.
 

The prophet Isaiah spoke of this darkness when he wrote:
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,
For they lived in shadows, but now the light shines on them bright.
Isaiah spoke of the baby born in Bethlehem
As the source of this bright hope,
A baby named Jesus,
Born to rule as King of the world, in its full scope.
 

The priest Zechariah, father of John,
Offered a song of hope embodied in this one:
“By the tender mercy of our God,
The dawn from on high
Will break upon us,
To give light to our darkness, in the shadow of death,
And guide our feet into the way of peace.”
 

In December, 1865, young Phillips Brooks decided he needed a break.
As pastor of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia,
A sabbatical he did take.
The Civil War had just ended a few months prior,
So he took a trip to Europe, then on to the Holy Land, as was his desire.
On Christmas Eve, Brooks found himself in Jerusalem, that holy city.
 

He acquired a horse and set out towards Bethlehem,
Exploring the land, dirty and gritty.
He rode six miles south to find the spot the shepherds had been.
The stars were twinkling over the quiet little town.
The peacefulness melted Brooks face to a grin.
The perfect stillness, like a dreamless sleep,
Stayed with him and sat in his heart down deep.
 

When young Phillips returned to his church,
He jotted down some verse about the night of Christ’s birth:
“O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.”
 

As he sat in his office overlooking Rittenhouse Square,
Brooks thought about the state of the nation, still young and fair.
The last four years of war had left people frightened and scared.
They had been through dark times,
And needed some hope just to know that God cares.
He was moved to add some text to his verse:
“Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.”
 

Over the next three years, Brooks added to his poem.
And just before Christmas, 1868, he summoned his friend.
The organist at Church, Lewis Redner, to put music to his verse.
But as hard as he tried, Redner came up dry.
He said, “My brain was all confused, but I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain…
And seizing a piece of music paper, I jotted down the treble of the tune.” (1)
 

“O Little Town of Bethlehem” made its debut on the 27th of December,
Performed by the Children’s Choir of Holy Trinity, (2)
As beautiful as any could remember.
Over the years it has become a standard on Christmas Eve,
With its assurance that hope conquers darkness,
And God will never leave.
 

In December 1941, the times were again as dark as they could be.
The world was at war, Pearl Harbor had been bombed,
 America had to act, this they could see.
So Prime Minister Churchill made the dangerous journey to visit President Roosevelt in Washington D.C.
 

He arrived on December 22nd, and on Christmas Eve, the world leaders
Addressed a crowd of 20,000. As noted in the Washington Post:
“A crescent moon hung overhead. To the southward loomed the Washington Monument… as the sun dipped… behind the Virginia hills.” (3)
 

Churchill began his remarks: “Even though I am far from my own country and my family, I cannot truthfully say that I feel far from home. Here in the midst of war, raging over all the lands and seas, creeping nearer to our hearts and homes, here, amid all the tumult, we have tonight the peace of spirit in each cottage home and in every generous heart… here, then, for one night only, each home… should be a brightly-lighted island of happiness and peace.” (4)
His comments were well received, and the very next day,
He and the President attended church together.
Included in the service was “O Little Town of Bethlehem,”
Which Churchill heard for the very first time. (5)

As we gather tonight to celebrate Christ’s birth,
We revel in the joyful warmth of this season so full of mirth.
But we also acknowledge the darkness that often exists,
The loved ones who are missing, the needs that persist.
So we listen to God’s story and we sing our angel-songs
To remind ourselves for that which our hearts truly long:

In the face of the darkest of times
There is a light that still shines.
We live in the assurance that in our dark streets shineth
The everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years
Are met here, in this place, tonight.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray,
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell,
O Come to us; abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!
My God be Praised. Amen.

 

1.    David McCullough, In the Dark Streets Shineth,” Shadow Mountain, 2010, p 19.

2.    Leben: A Journal of Reformation Life, December 15th, 2016.

3.    McCullough… p 5.

4.    Ibid… p 11.

5.    Ibid… p 15.

12-14-2025 We Are Called to Say Yes

Thomas J Parlette
“We Are Called to Say Yes”
Luke 1: 46b-55
12/14/25
          We all know that this is the season of Advent. In fact, today is the third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Joy, when we light the pink candle as a sign of rejoicing over what God has done and will soon do.
          But we’ve also just begun another new season – Awards season. This is the time of year when all the major film awards begin nominating and voting for all the major awards.
          The season usually starts in November, when nominations begin coming out. December heats up with the Golden Globe and SAG nominations, early predictors of who we might see nominated for the big prizes like the Academy Awards.
          The big prizes are awarded in January and February, like the Golden Globes, SAG, BAFTA (the British Oscars), and finally, in March the biggest prize of all – the Oscars.
          So right now, all the public relations firms that represent major stars are burning the midnight oil trying to line up what they call “puff pieces” for their clients. These are articles, interviews, personal appearances on TV or podcasts trying to raise their client’s profiles, create some buzz, somehow make them stand out as better, more important, more skilled or talented than their competition. (1)
          In the language of our passage for today, P.R.reps and agents are looking to “magnify” their clients for awards season.
        Today, we are looking at the second number of Luke’s musical, “Miracles in the Maternity Ward,” as we listen to Mary’s Magnificat. Luke is definitely the most musical of the Gospels. We’ve already spent some time with the “Benedictus,” sung by Zechariah. Today we move to the “Magnificat.” In chapter two of Luke, we will hear the angels sing the “Gloria In Excelsis,” and later in chapter two, when Jesus is dedicated in the Temple, Simeon will sing the “Nunc Dimittis,” giving praise to God for keeping the Divine promise.
          Mary’s song actually has much in common with another song sung in the Old Testament. At the beginning of the Book of Samuel, Hannah sings a very similar song when she learns she is finally about to have a child- “Lord has filled my heart with joy, how happy I am because of what he has done! I laugh at my enemies; how joyful I am because God has helped me!... He protects the lives of his faithful people… the Lord’s enemies will be destroyed… The Lord will judge the whole world’ he will give power to his king, he will make his chosen king victorious.”
          You don’t have to listen to hard to see the connection between what Hannah sang and what Mary now sings. Both songs magnify God’s goodness to those who are faithful.
          Mary magnifies the generous abundance of God. First, to her personally, for giving her a son, and then to the wider world, for bringing mercy and justice.
          Walter Brueggemann has coined a phrase that describes the Magnificat very well. He speaks in terms of a “lyric of abundance” as opposed to the “myth of scarcity.” (2)
          The myth of scarcity is the belief that there will not be enough to meet our needs – enough food, enough money, enough mercy, enough forgiveness, enough grace, whatever it may be. The myth of scarcity whispers “get what you can now, because there is not enough to go around.” Resources are scarce.
          The lyric of abundance, however, sings about God’s ability and willingness to provide what we need. The lyric of abundance celebrates that God is true to God’s promises – God will come through for us. God will provide. The lyric of abundance falls into line with what the Chinese philosopher Laozi wrote long ago in the Tao Te Ching – “He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”
          Notice that Mary sings the Magnificat with an air of confidence – she sings everything in the present tense. There is no “God will act in the future” kind of attitude. Or, “I hope God will bring justice and mercy and forgiveness and grace. No, Mary sings as if these things are already done. They’ve already happened. God will – fill the hungry with good things. God will – send the rich away hungry. God will – bring down the mighty. God will – lift up the lowly. Mary’s Magnificat is more than a prediction or a prophecy – it is a description of the new reality. (3)
          To be clear, Jesus’ birth does not erase the challenges Mary will face as an unmarried, pregnant teenager. Her joy does not mean the absence of struggle or conflict. Her joy comes in the connection to a greater story, a story much bigger than just her own. Mary’s joy that we celebrate this Sunday is because she is connected to a hope for more than can be seen at the present moment. Her joy comes from the fulfillment of promises God made to our ancestors. (4)  Mary sings with joy because God does abundantly provide.
          As followers who anticipate and celebrate Jesus’ birth each year, we are called to listen for the lyric of abundance in Mary’s song. (5)  We too are called to say “Yes” to what God is doing and put our trust in the God who provides.
          Edwina Gateley captured this call in her poem “Called to Say Yes:
          “We are called to say Yes.
          That the Kingdom might break through
          To renew and to transform
          Our dark and groping world.
          We stutter and stammer
          To the lone God who calls
And pleads a New Jerusalem
In the bloodied Sinai Straights.
We are called to say Yes
That honeysuckle may twine
And twist its smelling leaves
Over the graves of nuclear arms.
We are called to say Yes
That black may sing with white
And pledge peace and healing
For the hatred of the past.
We are called to say Yes
So that nation might gather
And dance one great movement
For the joy of humankind.
We are called to say Yes
So that rich and poor embrace
And become equal in their poverty
Through the silent tears that fall.
We are called to say Yes
That the whisper of our God
Might be heard through our sirens
And the screams of our bombs.
We are called to say Yes
To a God who still holds fast
To the vision of the Kingdom
For a trembling world of pain.
We are called to say Yes
To this God who reaches out
And asks us to share
His crazy dream of love. (6)
 

On this Third Sunday, we celebrate Joy. The joy that moved Mary to sing her Magnificat – my soul magnifies the Lord. My soul rejoices in the fact that God will always come through for us. God abundantly provides. So, once more, let us follow Mary’s lead, and say “Yes” to what God is about to do, through a baby, named Jesus, born in Bethlehem, upon a midnight clear.

May God be praised. Amen.

12-07-2025 Our Yearly Visit from John

Thomas J Parlette
“Our Yearly Visit from John”
Matt. 3: 1-12
12/7/25, 2nd Advent

So here we are, the second Sunday of Advent, and we have our annual visit from John the Baptist.
There is a rhythm to our Advent texts. Every year, we start with some apocalyptic readings that talk about judgment and the second coming of Christ. Then, on the second Sunday of Advent we welcome that mysterious, boisterous man from the wilderness, wearing his camelhair clothes and eating wild honey like a human Winnie the Pooh. Although John is not nearly as sweet as Winnie the Pooh. The third and fourth Sundays of Advent are reserved for Mary’s Magnificat or John’s question from prison – “Are you the One, or should we wait for another,” as well as the story of Joseph and his angelic visitor informing him that he will have a son.
As for John, he always rolls into town with words of judgment and rebuke, but the John we read about in Matthew’s gospel is especially harsh. The text tells us that one day John walked out of the wilderness,
proclaiming “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near.” Everyone knew that these were the words spoken by the Isaiah long ago – and now, a new Isaiah appeared bearing the message –
“Repent.” People from Jerusalem, the big city and the people from Judea, the simple country folk, all came to be baptized along the Jordan, confessing their sins. But then, along come the Pharisees and the Sadducees, “coming for” baptism. There’s an interesting little word used here by Matthew – a preposition “epi.” Usually this word gets translated “coming for,” but according to William Herzog in the commentary “Feasting on the Word,” this word “epi” could also be translated as “coming against.” (1)
The Pharisees were a political interest group with a holiness agenda for Israel, and they promoted their program by aligning themselves with factions within in the powerful ruling class. Those the Pharisees and Sadducees were different in many ways, they had a common, potential enemy in John. This honey-eating wilderness man was a threat to their power and control over the religious life of Israel. They needed to check up on him and see what he was up to. John sensed this immediately. They weren’t really there to receive baptism, there were coming against his baptism. The religious leaders from Jerusalem did not want John usurping their authority. So it’s no wonder that John offers them such harsh words. “You
brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee the wrath that is coming. Even now, the ax is ready to cut you down – every tree that does not bear goodfruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Yes, I’m looking at you
Pharisees and Sadducees.
We would like to think that it’s just the religious leaders way back in Jesus’ day who are the targeted audience here. But, in all honestly – it’s all of us. These words are hard to hear – they are not the warm
fuzzy’s that we would prefer in the days leading up to Christmas. The Chilean biblical scholar Pablo Richard has written a number of works on Revelation and has noted the popularity of the book among Latin American peasants. Whereas themes of judgment are often upsetting to North Americans, these same themes are relished by the poor. It’s not hard to see why: judgment is upsetting only when you
think the judgment will go against you, rather than in your favor! (2) The poor clearly hope that God’s judgment will be good news for them. For us, North American Christians who are pretty comfortable in most things, this call for repentance carries with it a sense of warning and rebuke.
Rebuke is an interesting word. Our bible study this past Wednesday night, we did a quick Google search on rebuke as it related to the original Isaiah. What we learned was that a rebuke was meant to correct and teach – much like a parent would correct their child. They would “rebuke them” with the intent that their child would learn and change their ways. We all had a much more negative idea of the word rebuke than what it was meant to be. We all focused on ideas like punishment, instead of correction. Although John comes across pretty harsh, his call to repentance is less about judgment and punishment and more about teaching and correcting. The word used in this passage is “metanoia.” It means to take on a new mind-set. In this season of Advent, John calls us to change the way we think.

Over the last several days, I’ve been watching the new release of the Beatles Anthology documentary on Netflix. The last episode followed how the remaining members of the group – Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – went about recording the last song that John Lennon recorded on his cassette player at home. After cleaning up the recording as best as they could, they set to work on recording their parts and mixing the sound. All three remembered how strange it felt to hear their friend’s voice through their headphones after so many years. Often, they were too overcome with emotion to get any work done – they didn’t want to make any changes out of respect to their fallen brother. So they sat down and decided to change their mind-set. They decided that they would approach this process like John had taken a last minute vacation and left them a message. “Listen boys, I’ve gone on holiday for awhile, but I left you this song I’ve been working on. Go ahead and do your thing with it – I trust you.” With that change in their mind-set, they were able to work collaboratively, like they always had and released the last songs John
had been working on solo, as the Beatles.

In this Advent season, John calls us to change the way we think. Our preparation for the Advent of God through Jesus has nothing to do with presents, twinkling lights, hot chocolate and fresh baked cookies or anything else that our consumer society would tell us we need to have to get in the Christmas spirit. Our preparation for the baby soon to be born in Bethlehem, is about taking time to reflect on our life. It’s about getting ourselves into a new mind-set and clearing the way for God to break in upon the world once more.
Karen Hanson is a chaplain at a busy hospital in Minneapolis. She remembers a time when the hospital did some major remodeling. She works as a trauma chaplain, so she is in the emergency room quite a bit.
It was very important that there was a direct path from the ambulance bay to the Stabilization Room so that the critical trauma patients could be quickly transported to life-sustaining help. She remembers at the time that the paramedics had to navigate several tight corners and occasionally an obstacle like some piece of
equipment or an unused wheelchair or extra bed had to be moved to get the patient where they needed to go. When they did the remodeling, they redesigned the Emergency Department to create a beeline straight to the Stabilization Room – no turns, no space for extra equipment to accumulate, just a clear, straight path (3) In an emergency situation, removing obstacles, clearing the way, literally saves lives.
John calls us to repent, to change our mind-set and clear the way for God to break into our lives once more. Yes, John’s words can be harsh, they can be hard to hear. But John’s message can be boiled down
to “Come and get it!” That’s the word that we need to hear today. A fellow preacher, Ozzie Smith, points out that “Hope has emerged from the wilderness. It’s not over,” says John. Grace is here, come and get it. It’s yours for the asking. Smith goes on to say that his preaching professor at McCormick Seminary, Don Wardlaw, used to say, “Leave room for Auntie Grace.” And John’s preaching, although harsh, draws us nearer with grace. Auntie Grace. Auntie Grace says it doesn’t matter what you did, matters what you can still do.” (4)
So, as we gather at the table in this Advent season, let us hear once more John’s call to repent, change our mind-set, and clear the way for God to act once more. Let us not get bogged down with what we have
done, but let’s look forward to what we can still do as we live in God’s grace.
May God be praised. Amen.


1. William Herzog II, Feasting on the Word, Westminster John Knox

Press, 2010, p 49.

2. Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Connections, Westminster John

Knox Press, 2019, p 33.

3. Karen Hanson, “Prepare the Way,” Bearings Online, Nov. 30 th ,

2021.

4. Ozzie E. Smith Jr., “Come and Get It” Day1.org.

11-30-2025 In Days to Come

Thomas J Parlette
”In Days to Come”
Isaiah 2: 1-5
11/30/25, 1st Advent
         When we think of Martin Luther King Jr., the first thing that comes to mind is his inspiring, optimistic and hopeful words. In fact, on my bookshelf I have a collection of his speeches, letters and sermons called “A Testament of Hope.” We think of words like:
“Let us not wallow in despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” (1)
         You can probably hear the overtones of Isaiah in King’s speech – in fact he quotes Isaiah 40 directly. This is common for Dr. King. His “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” sounds like the Apostle Paul could have written it. And you can the influence of Isaiah on King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.”
         Today is the first Sunday of Advent. This is the season where we live in the tension of the “Already, but Not Yet.” In Advent, we look back to what God has already done through a baby born in Bethlehem, and we also look for forward to what God has not done yet in Jesus’ second coming.
        Isaiah points to this when he talks about the days to come. One day, Jerusalem will be re-established and the people will stream to the mountain of the Lord, so that the Lord “may teach us His ways and we may walk in his paths.”
         Isaiah also addresses his current situation by looking forward to the day when the people “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” During Isaiah’s time, there were threats all around the Northern Kingdom of Israel. There was a constant threat of war from the much larger, much stronger empires surrounding the tiny Kingdom of Israel. So, Isaiah’s prophecy was pretty bold. When he looked forward to the day when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore,” – there were no doubt people who scoffed at this notion. “Yea, right, Isaiah – that day is never going to come. That kind of peace and harmony will never happen.”
         This is a pretty natural reaction when we consider the kind of peace and justice that both Isaiah and Dr. King looked forward to. These days to come are the “Not Yet” part of Advent. This is the hard part of Advent. Living with hope is difficult – because sometimes it doesn’t look like this hope we point to will ever be fulfilled. It’s easy to think, “Every year at Advent we talk about this hope in the days to come – but things never seem to get any better. We still in the shadow of war, people are starving right under our noses, the poor keep getting poorer and the rich keep getting richer.”  Pessimism seems the logic response – not the kind of hope both Isaiah and Dr. King talk about.
         Truth be told, toward the end of his career, Dr. King started to get a bit more pessimistic himself. Richard Lischer, in his study of Dr. King’s sermons and speeches from 1967-1968, called The Preacher King, noted that King’s optimism began to fade, giving way to “a more profound critique of the American system.” (2)
         Lischer notes King’s despair when he realized that the changes he dreamed about for our country, the vision he shared in his “I Have a Dream” speech, weren’t going to happen. But Lischer also noted that, “The more pessimistic King grew with regard to humanity, the more optimistic he became about God.”
         This is the optimism that guides Isaiah. He is confident that these things will happen. Notice there is no qualifying or wishy-washy language from Isaiah here. Throughout this passage Isaiah uses the word “shall” – he has full confidence that the Lord will do these things. Jerusalem will be re-established on the Lord’s Holy mountain and all the people – underline “all people” there – will stream to the Lord’s mountain to learn God’s ways. Weapons will be turned into farming implements, and the people shall not learn war anymore.
         Our first reaction might be a pessimistic – “Yea, right, that’s not going to happen,” but Isaiah is certain – The day will come when justice and rightness will be re-established, and “we will walk in the light of the Lord.”
         And all of this will start with a baby born in Bethlehem. A baby that will change the world.
         Garrison Keillor once wrote about how a baby changed his world. In a posy on his website, garrisonkeillor.com called “Walking to Church On a Cold Day,” Keillor wrote:
         “Walking to church on December 1st, against a cold wind, made me very grateful to get there, walk into the warm sanctuary, have a cuo of coffee, shake hands with people. And up front hung the Advent wreath waiting for the first candle to be lit.
         Christmas changed for me 27 years ago. It got small. My mother loved the holiday and we had the tree and stockings and piles of gifts and the big dinner, and I did my best to keep up the tradition after I left home. For a few years I spent Christmases in Copenhagen where Christmas is a monthlong festival with obligatory traditions galore. Mt Danish friends didn’t necessarily believe in sanctification by faith but they believed in singing all the carols around an enormous tree elaborately decorated and then opening piles of gifts properly wrapped and not merely with adhesive tape but also with ribbon tied into bows, followed by a dinner of roast goose, red cabbage and rice pudding, followed by serious drinking.
         But in 1997, as Christmas approached, my wife was nine months pregnant and we sat in our New York apartment with no need of tree or gifts or goose. The anticipation was everything. We lit a candle and waited day after day and on the 29th the hol child arrived and the obstetrical nurse handed her to me, her arms waving, her legs dancing, and the songs vanished, the stores full of junk, the Christmas tree lots, the glittery lights, and it’s been a beautiful simple holiday ever since.
         I don’t come to church Sunday morning as a saint, I come to contemplate my messy life and the time I’ve wasted and friends I’ve abandoned, but on this Sunday morning the deacon read from Luke’s gospel loud and clear, “Be on guard that your hearts are not weighed down with the worries of this life.” Astonishing! A command to lightheartedness!- the opposite of what unbelievers believe church is all about.” (3)
         Isaiah gives us reason to be light-hearted on this First Sunday of Advent. For he reminds us that in days to come, the Lord SHALL bring Peace, Justice and Hope to our world once more.
         May God be praised. Amen.

1.   Americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm.

2.   As cited by Issac Villegas, “American Hell,” The Christian Century, April 2025. www.christiancentury.org.

3.   Garrison Keillor, “Walking to Church On a Cold Day,” garrisonkeillor.com.

11-23-2025 Setting the Stage

Thomas J Parlette

“Setting the Stage”

Luke 1: 67-79

11/23/25
         It all started in 1924. Some employees of Macy’s Department Store in New York City decided to try and draw in some extra business by having a parade. That original Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade looked a lot different than it does now. There were no floats, there were now balloons – just an assortment of animals that had been borrowed from the Zoo. The 6 mile route was more than twice as long as the current 2.5 mile walk. But it started a tradition that has grown beyond Macy’s wildest dreams.
         The parade was first televised nationally in 1947, and it has been part of Thanksgiving every year since. This year, the parade turns 99 years old – so next year, for their 100th birthday should be something.
         It takes a lot of work to organize the Parade. Macy’s has never been specific about how much it costs to stage the event, but estimates put the cost at around 13 million. This year, they expect to include 29 floats, 34 balloons, 11 marching bands and 5,000 volunteers.
         Amazingly, watching the parade is free – Macy’s does not sell tickets. Other companies will arrange “viewing experiences” that can cost a couple of hundred dollars up to the VIP level that can go for 4,000 a person. These are the companies that put up those bleachers you see on TV – Macy’s doesn’t do those. Macy’s has always thought of the parade as their gift to their customers all over the world.
The preparations for the parade go on almost year round, with a crew of 27 painters, carpenters, animators, sculptors, designers, electricians and engineers working some 8,000 hours to make the parade possible. All in all, it takes 2,000 gallons of paint, 300 lbs of glitter, 200 lbs confetti and 375 paint brushes to get the parade ready. All those helium-filled balloons means that Macy’s is actually the 2nd largest consumer of helium in the United States, second only to the US government.
         If you want to go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in person – you better go early. Experts advise staking out your spot as early as 6:00 am on Central Park West between 61st and 75th.
         It takes a lot of time and effort to set the stage for a show like the parade. For my money, I think the best seat is in my living room with some hot chocolate and a slice of pumpkin chocolate chip bread – that’s how I like to set the stage for a Happy Thanksgiving. But I love watching the parade every year.
         Today is Christ the King Sunday, sometimes called Reign of Christ Sunday. It is the last Sunday of our liturgical year. Next week we start a new year, as we enter the season of Advent. All the readings we hear on this Sunday celebrate the King who is about the burst onto the scene in the form of a baby, born in Bethlehem. All our Bible passages for today set the stage for the arrival of Jesus.
         Luke begins his Gospel story like he’s writing a modern Broadway musical. You might call it, “Miracles at the Maternity Ward,” because he tells the story of not one, but two miraculous births.
         The first miraculous birth story revolves around Elizabeth and Zechariah. Zechariah is a priest in the Temple at Jerusalem. His wife, Elizabeth, is the daughter of a priest – so holy duties run in the family.
         The Angel Gabriel appears to them and announces that Elizabeth is pregnant and will have a son. Zechariah finds this hard to believe at their advanced age. So Gabriel takes away Zechariah’s ability to speak. For the rest of Elizabeth’s pregnancy – he will be silent.
         Upon first glance it appears that this silence is a punishment for not believing what Gabriel has to say. But upon a reflection, there is another possible way to look at Zechariah’s situation. Instead of being struck as a punishment, perhaps it is meant to provide a time of forced contemplation on this miraculous event. Perhaps Gabriel’s intent is to say – “Look, Zechariah, I know this is hard to believe. It shouldn’t be possible. But just be quiet and observe how God is going to work in this situation. Don’t say anything, don’t try to offer any explanation, don’t offer any skeptical words – just be quiet and watch. Watch and wait.” Sometimes that’s the best strategy – be silent and let things unfold. Perhaps that is what Gabriel is doing here.
         Our passage picks up the story just after John is born. And Zechariah, in the spirit of a classic musical, sings his praises to God and his predictions about what lays ahead for his son. It is a song that we know as the “Benedictus”, meaning Blessed. Later, Mary will also sing her own song, a much more famous song called the “Magnificat” – meaning “magnify”, as in magnify the Lord. But for now, we listen to Zechariah.
         Zechariah’s Benedictus speaks of all the ways in which John will bring God’s blessings to the people of Israel. His son will be the one who will prepare the way for the Lord, he will give knowledge of salvation to the people and remind them that their sins are forgiven. In some of the most beautiful words in the Bible, Zechariah sings – “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from high will break upon us, to give light to those in sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” His song makes clear that John will be the forerunner of Jesus, he’s going the set the stage for Jesus, preparing the way for him and guiding the people into the presence of God’s chosen savior. John is coming to start a revolution – not a revolution of violence and uprisings, but rather a revolution of peace, mercy, forgiveness and love.
         Zechariah doesn’t just bless his new-born son, he also points to the roles we all share, to our calling as disciples of this coming King. We too, like John, are called to be forerunners of Christ. We are called to set the stage, to prepare the way, to bear the light and guide others into the presence of Christ, the Prince of Peace.
         There are a few concrete ways in which we can do that:

1. By practicing mercy. (1) When we live with mercy and forgiveness at the core of our actions, we are setting the stage for the coming of Jesus. The New Testament scholar N.T. Wright says, “The art of gentle – of kindness and forgiveness, sensitivity and thoughtfulness and generosity and humility and good old-fashioned love – have gone out of fashion. Ironically, everyone is demanding their “rights,” and this demand is so shrill, that it destroys one of the most basic “rights,” or at least the longing and hope, to have a peaceful, stable, secure and caring place to live, to be, to earn and to flourish.” (2) Living with mercy is to live counter to what our culture teaches us. To live with mercy is to be a forerunner of Jesus and helps to set the stage for Christ.
2. By speaking hope into despair. (3) When we live and speak hope in all situations, encouraging those who are discouraged, reminding them of God’s faithfulness, we are helping to set the stage for the advent of Jesus.
3. By living peacefully with others. (4) In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” In other words, don’t go around looking for fights, mind your own business. And, as we talked about last week – be a good neighbor. When we live in peace, we are guiding people into the presence of Christ.
4. And finally, By showing up in faith, even when we are filled with doubt. (5) Remember, at the beginning of this story, Zechariah had doubts of his own, but with Gabriel’s help, he let things unfold, and God did what God does. We prepare the way of the Lord not by having perfect faith, but by showing up with whatever faith we do have, even when we have doubts of our own.
         The title of Zechariah’s song this morning says it all. His “Benedictus” is a song of blessing. He sings of the blessing that his son brings him, but also of the blessing that his son will bring to the people who sit in darkness. In our fractured world, our calling is not to win arguments, but to speak blessings, (6) like Zechariah does today.
         By doing so, we set the stage for the advent of Jesus, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and the Prince of Peace – who comes to rule with mercy, forgiveness and love.
        May God be praised. Amen.

 

1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 11/10/25.

2. Ibid…

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…

5. Ibid…

11-16-2025 Here Comes the Cardigan

Thomas J Parlette
“Here Comes the Cardigan”
Isaiah 65: 17-25
11/16/25, Good Neighbor Sunday
 

         Today’s passage from Isaiah is one of two passages known as the “Peaceable Kingdom” passages. In the mid-1820’s, the Quaker minister and painter Edward Hicks painted a number of works, 62 to be exact, based on two passages from Isaiah – this one from Isaiah 65 and also Isaiah 11: 6-7.
         The verses from Isaiah 11 are probably more well-known – “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” That reference to the little child is what makes the Isaiah 11 version more popular, because many people see it as a reference to the coming Messiah. So we will hear from Isaiah 11 again when we get into the Advent season.
         These passages motivated Hicks to paint The Peaceable Kingdom many times because in the 1820’s a severe rift developed within the Society of Friends.  For Hicks, the idea of the lion and the ox living peacefully together was a symbol of unity and redemption that he enjoyed painting to encourage the warring factions of Quakers to settle their differences and come together in peace. In the lion and oxen can do it – why can’t we. 

         Hicks almost always focuses the majority of his attention on the animals, both wild and domestic, living harmoniously together. What he leaves out is the first part of the passage here from Isaiah 65 – the part that talks about God creating a new heaven and a new earth. The city of Jerusalem will be a joy and the people will be a delight. No more weeping, no more cries of distress. Babies will live long and healthy lives and an older person who falls short of 100 will be considered cursed. People will build houses and live in them. They will plant vineyards and enjoy the fruit. They will be blessed, and so will their children. Before they can even think of crying out for help – I will be there, promises the Lord. 

         You don’t see that portrayed in Hicks’ paintings – he keeps his attention on the natural world, not so much on the new heaven and new earth - the New Jerusalem, the city of God. 

         In the Book of Revelation, John refers to Isaiah’s prophecy when he writes: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” 

         The Book of Isaiah is really two separate books. 1st Isaiah runs from chapter 1-39 and 2nd Isaiah picks up in chapters 40-66. 1st Isaiah speaks to Israel before the fall of Jerusalem and warns them about the consequences of disobeying God’s laws. 2nd Isaiah speaks more comforting words to Israel while they are in exile, having suffered the consequences of the disobedience. Some scholars, painting with a wide brush refer to 1st Isaiah as a Book of Curses, and 2nd Isaiah as a Book of Blessing. There were almost certainly two authors, at least who composed the Book of Isaiah – the length of time between the two is just too long for it to be the same author. But in the ancient world, this was a common occurrence. A disciple of a well-known prophet or someone who knew his teachings well, would often attribute their writings to the more well-known person to lead it a little more credence. 

         The passage we are looking at today is towards the end of 2nd Isaiah, sometimes called Isaiah’s Book of Comfort for the people. 

         Isaiah’s comfort are words of hope looking forward to the coming Messiah. Indeed, Isaiah speaks more about the Messiah than any other prophet from the Hebrew scriptures – that’s why we hear so much from him in the coming Advent season. 

         Isaiah describes the Messiah as both a suffering servant and a sovereign Lord. Of course, you can’t get the full picture of this Messiah without reading the New Testament as well. Based on what Jesus does, we know that God freely offers forgiveness to all who turn to God in faith. This is God’s message of comfort to us, that if we come to God in need, we will find eternal peace and fellowship with God – God does not turn anyone away. 

         The message we find in these closing chapters of Isaiah is the glorious good news that God is, indeed at work. God is restoring what is broken in our lives and in our world. As the passage says, “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.” The world is about to change.

         The toughest thing about this passage, and many of the prophetic passages we find in the Bible, is that one, little word – “about.” I am about to create a new heaven and a new earth. It’s coming – but it’s not here yet. That is the toughest thing to live with here in this passage. It’s about to happen. The question for us is – “How do we live in these times just before God creates something new.” Can we be part of that process? How do we participate in that new creation? 

         Here is where we turn to the cardigan. This morning we have been doing some intergenerational activities from a new curriculum that our denomination has put out, based on the teachings of Mister Rogers, called “Good Neighbor Sunday.” Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister, commissioned by Pittsburgh Presbytery to a ministry with children and families through mass media. So, “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” was actually a validated ministry, as we say in the PCUSA – much like college and hospital chaplains. 

         Rogers had a very unique ministry. We all remember how his show would begin with him entering the room, singing – “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…” as he changed into his trademark cardigan and tennis shoes. Then he would discuss whatever issue of the day seemed appropriate. Sometimes, it was a topic from the news, but most of the time it was a topic relevant to his young listeners and the day-to-day challenges they faced growing up. For Mister Rogers, he always preferred talking directly to a camera rather than a sea of people sitting in a congregation. To him, that solitary camera was more personal, more intimate – and it certainly fit his quiet, gentle and friendly style. 

         Although he was ordained a Presbyterian, his theology was very much influenced by the Quakers – the same as Edward Hicks’ was. Fred Rogers was steadfastly non-violent. His show began in the era of the Vietnam war and continued through the Iraq war and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Through it all, he was always anti-war. 

         Some people speak of Fred Rogers as a modern-day Prophet. And I can understand why. But a recent book by Michael Long called, Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers, makes the case that Fred Rogers is best understood as a Peacemaker instead of a Prophet. Indeed, at the end of a series of shows on conflict, he ran some verses from the prophet Isaiah as a screenshot at the end of the last episode:

         “They shall beat their swords into plowshares;

         And the spears into pruning hooks;

         Nation shall not lift up sword against nation;

         Neither shall they learn war anymore” (1) 

         These verses stand alongside the ones we read today about creating a new heaven and a new earth. Now, it is true that only God can bring about this new creation – but we can be a part of the process. We can participate in bringing about this creation. The life and ministry of Mister Rogers gives us some insight about how we might do that. 

         First of all – be generous with forgiveness.

         Rogers had a deep respect for a man named William Orr, one of his professors and mentors. When Orr was hospitalized after a stroke, Rogers and his wife went to visit. That morning in church, the congregation had sung the old Martin Luther hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Rogers asked Orr about one particular verse;

         “The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him.

         His rage we can endure. For lo, his doom is sure.

         One little word can fell him.”

         Then Rogers asked, “What is that one little word.” Orr thought for a moment and then said, “Forgive,” quoting Jesus’ own words from the cross – “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (2)

         So we also should be generous with forgiveness.

         Second – Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Remember, after each day of the 6 days of creation story – God takes a break and considers what has been done. And each time, God says – “Yeah, this is good.” God said that about all of us as well. “Yeah – this person I’ve created, this person is good, just the way they are.” 

         Third – to participate in bringing about God’s new creation, we should strive to see the value, the goodness in other people, especially those people who tend to get overlooked. Rogers often told the heart-warming story about the Seattle Special Olympics featuring nine physical or mentally challenged Olympians about to run the 100-yard dash.

         When the gun went off, one of the boys stumbled at the start line, fell to the ground and hurt his knee. The other eight children ran back to him, helped him to his feet, linked arms with him and all nine finished the race together. The spectators went wild as the kids crossed the finish line. Rogers took the crowd’s reaction as evidence that deep down we all know that what “really matters is helping others win, too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.” (3)

         The value, the goodness of those competitors had nothing to do with who won – only that they helped each other finish the race. 

         And finally, to live as a good neighbor and participate in bringing about God’s new creation, we need to appreciate and advocate for others and ourselves. If we come to one another without judgment, but acknowledging our need, we will encounter the Spirit of God in our lives.

         Rogers likes to tell the story about an early experience he had during a weekend vacation in New England. He was a seminarian at the time and had gone to hear a visiting preacher in a nearby chapel. “I heard the worst sermon I could have ever imagined,” he recounted. “I sat in the pew thinking – “He is going against every rule they’re teaching us about preaching. What a waste of time!”

         But he soon discovered it was not a waste of time for everyone. Sitting next to him was a woman in tears at the end of the service. “He said exactly what I needed to hear,” she whispered.

         Rogers analyzed the experience by saying that a major difference between his response to the sermon and the woman’s was that she had come in need and he had come in judgment. Because she had come in need, she had opened herself to receiving the sermon as a gift of love, and because Rogers had sat there judgmentally, he heard nothing but the faults.” (4) 

         We live as good neighbors and help bring about God’s new creation when we come before one another acknowledging our need, rather than sitting in judgment.

         When we are generous with forgiveness;

         When we are courageous enough to be who we are and encourage others to do the same;

         When we see the God-given goodness, the inherent value in every person;

         And when we appreciate and advocate for others and ourselves, acknowledging our common need, rather than sitting in judgment;

         Then – we are living as good neighbors.

         Then – we are participating in bringing about the new creation of which Isaiah speaks.

         May God be praised. Amen.

 

1. Michael G. Long, Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers, Westminster John Knox Press, 2015, p 27.

2. Ibid… p 30-31.

3. Ibid… p 37.

4. Ibid… p 38.

11-09-2025 Home Renovations

Thomas J Parlette
“Home Renovations”
Haggai 1: 15b – 2:9
11/09/25
They say that there are two things you can always count on:
Death and Taxes.
You can’t escape either one. They’re inevitable.
I think I might add one more to that list.
In the waiting room at Olmsted Medical Center, you can count on HGTV being on the TV set.

I suppose this is true in part because of the divided nature of our country these days. You can’t just turn on the news because whether you turn on CNN or Fox News, you’re bound to offend someone.
So, HGTV looks like a pretty good option. Who doesn’t appreciate a good home improvement show to help past the time while they wait 20 minutes or so to see the doctor or get their blood drawn.

One of my favorite HGTV home improvement shows is one called “Help! I Wrecked My House.” I identify with the show because I’m not a particularly handy person when it comes to projects at home – so I don’t have any trouble identifying with these poor people who take on a major DIY project like a bathroom remodel or installing a new kitchen and end up making a mess of things.

The whole premise of “Help! I Wrecked My House” is that the host, Jasmine Roth, brings in her team of professionals to come in and transform these home disasters into dream spaces in record time.

It’s too bad HGTV didn’t exist when he Israelites came back from the Babylonian Exile. They sure could’ve used some help.

Rebuilding and renovating is what lies at the heart of this text from Haggai today. In this passage, we listen to the prophet Haggai speaking to Judah on God’s behalf.

Haggai is another of the Minor Prophets, a contemporary of Zechariah, who brought the word of God to Judah after they returned to their homeland after being taken away in exile to Babylon some 40 years before.

As with most of the other Minor Prophets, we don’t know much about Haggai as a person. We know he was a well - respected prophet, as he is referred to simply as “The Prophet” five times in his short book. He is also noted as someone “who has authority” as well, so he had solid credentials among the people of Judah.

We also know with a good deal of precision, exactly when he was active as a prophet. The Book of Haggai begins with very specific references to the rulers of the day and the festivals going on during the time in which Haggai prophesied. He was active for just a short time – 3 or 4 months between the end of August and mid-December, 520 BCE during the second year of the Persian King Darius’ reign. So right around this time of year, about 2600 years ago was when Haggai was active.

He and Zechariah were contemporaries, and they both shared a common mission, a common goal. Encourage Judah to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

Twenty years earlier, King Cyrus of Persia had defeated the Babylonians, and the Israelites were encouraged to go back to their homeland and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem.

Well, it took a while, but the Israelites, the people of Judah finally went back home and over the course of those 20 years they slowly rebuilt their homes and their lives. Things were not easy. Their economy was in ruins, some of them had no homes or land to go home to. They lived through droughts and famine – but they persevered.

It was to this struggling community, this remnant of the faithful, that Zechariah and Haggai brought the word of God. Haggai starts with a question – “Who among you remembers this house in its former glory?” He’s addressing the older people in the crowd, it’s been 40-60 years at this point, so it’s possible that a couple of people there might have seen the Temple when they were young. “Do you remember the way things used to be?” With tears in their eyes, they shake their heads – yes, we remember, or we’ve heard the stories of how glorious the Temple used to be, and it was nothing like this. Things used to be so much better.

The Spanish poet Jorge Amado, writing a few centuries ago, once said, “Always to our view, time now past was just better to us.” (1)

Apparently Haggai was facing this same sort of nostalgic, romanticized, backward glance as well.

Even in our own time, we have a tendency to look back and think – “Things used to be so much better. We used to have a membership of 1500 people, we had 3 full-time pastors on staff. We used to have 100 kids for Sunday School every week and 50 high-schoolers in the Youth Group. Ahhh – those were the days. How do we bring that back? Things used to be so much better.”

It’s human nature to look back with fondness at the “good old days.” It’s also human nature to forget all the difficulties and problems that were still a part of those good old days – but we block those memories and hold on to the good stuff.

Haggai begins with the memories, the good old days, when the Temple was still there in all its splendor, acknowledging that, yes, you remember the Temple, the Lord’s house as this magnificent worship space, praising God with its awes-inspiring architecture. It was indeed, magnificent. But then we wrecked it by drifting away from the Lord’s way. The Lord’s vengeance came, we were conquered, the Temple was destroyed and we were taken into Exile. But the Lord never left us completely – punished us, yes. But never abandoned us. Now we are back. Over the last 20 years, you have concentrated on rebuilding your own homes and lives – now it is time to rebuild and renovate the Lord’s house, the Jerusalem Temple, and reconstruct God’s community.

True – it does not look as magnificent as it once was. But if you want God’s presence among you – you must make space for the Lord.

The thrust of Haggai’s message can be boiled down to this:
“Take courage, do the work, for I am with you. My Spirit abides with you; do not fear.”
First, he addresses the leaders of the remnant of Judah:
“Take courage, Zerubbabel. Take courage, Joshua.”
Then Haggai addresses the people:
“Take courage, all you people of the land.”
Three times the prophet calls for “courage.”
“Take courage, do the work, for I am with you.”
Why does Haggai call for courage? What exactly were the remnant afraid of? Were they afraid of being conquered again? No, that already happened. They had returned home with the blessing of the most powerful rulers of the day.
No – they were afraid of failing. The Temple had been so magnificent. Look at it now- it was still basically a pile of rocks. What if God’s house was never restored? What if they failed this ultimate test of home renovation?

It is to this fear of failure that Haggai speaks. “Take courage. Do the work that I have called you to do,” says the Lord. “Do not fear – I am with you. Rebuild the Temple – Rebuild the community. My Spirit abides among you, my Spirit dwells with you. Do not fear.”

I hope you hear the relevance in this old prophecy. In our own day, we are being called to renovate God’s house. We are being called to restore God’s community. In Haggai’s day, the center of religious life was the Temple. That was the visible symbol of God’s presence among the people. It is our Christian belief that Jesus came to take the place of the Temple. Jesus, God’s Son, became for us the visible symbol of God’s presence dwelling among us.

So, when Haggai assures the remnant of Judah that God is with them – he assures us of the very same thing. Not even the most difficult circumstances or the most arduous, overwhelming task will persuade God to stay away. Whatever it takes to help the faithful, God is able and willing to do.

Implicit in this prophecy is that God will also provide what the faithful need for the work they have been called to do. The resources they need to rebuild and restore the church – physically and spiritually – will be there, even if they come from unexpected places and even from other lands and cultures. God will provide, even if God “shakes the nations” to do so.

Which brings us to Haggai’s final point. As you rebuild and renovate, don’t worry about what the new Temple looks like. Don’t worry about how splendid and magnificent the new building looks – or doesn’t look as compared to how things used to be.

No – instead, concern yourselves with whether God has decided to make the Divine presence felt among you – in your building, sure. In your programs and ministries, of course. But most importantly, in your community – how you treat each other, how you care for one another. That is where God truly dwells. That is the true splendor that God desires.

As Haggai reminds us, “The latter splendor of tis house shall be greater than the former – and in this place I will give prosperity.”

And for that, may God be praised. Amen.


1. Nelson Rivera, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 4, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p 266.

10-26-2025 A New Reformation

Thomas J Parlette
“A New Reformation”
Luke 18: 9-14
10/26/25, Reformation Sunday
         Luke makes no secret about where he’s going with his Gospel. He gives us a heads right from the start. Before Jesus is even born, his mother Mary sings the Magnificat, a song about the great reversal that is coming.
         “God has brought down the powerful and lifted up the lowly…
         “God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty…”
         Luke returns to this theme of reversal throughout his Gospel. Just to remind you of a few stories:
         In Chapter 7, we hear about the woman who was a sinner crashing a dinner so she could anoint Jesus with an expensive ointment from an alabaster jar. The host of the dinner party wanted to send her away, because she was a sinner and did not belong with the righteous people gathered at the table. But Jesus offers a quick story about a creditor that forgave one person a debt of 500 hundred denarii and another person a debt of 50 denarii.
 “Which one will be more appreciative?”
 “I suppose the one who has been forgiven the larger debt.”
 “Good answer” says Jesus. “Since I arrived you have done nothing for me, showed me no hospitality. But this woman hasn’t stopped kissing me and anointing my feet. Therefore, her sins, which are many, are forgiven.”
The lowly sinners are lifted up, and the greatly respected are knocked down a peg or two – a great reversal.
Later in Luke’s Gospel, we read about Lazarus and the Rich Man. In life, Lazarus was the lowest of the low, and the rich man enjoyed all the comforts life had to offer. But in death, Lazarus finally received his reward, and the rich man sat suffering in Hades. He tries to convince Abraham to send Lazarus to give him a drink and then to go warn his five brothers of their impending doom – still seeing Lazarus as a servant and not a person.
I don’t think so, says Lazarus. If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, well that’s their problem. There is no getting around the great reversal that is coming, when the powerful will be cast down and the lowly lifted up.
Our story today is one of Luke’s great reversal stories. Jesus has a parable to tell to some of those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and regarded others with contempt
“Two men went up to the Temple to pray,” says Jesus. “One, a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”
Already the alarm bells start going off – “Uh-Oh, a Pharisee, we know where this is going.” Whenever a Pharisee enters the picture, we immediately cast him as the bad guy. After years of conditioning by biblical interpretation, we see them as self-righteous, rigid, hopelessly bound to their rule books, blind to human need and lacking in compassion.
         In contrast, we see the tax collector more as a good guy, a regular, blue-collar guy, struggling to get by, doing what he has to do, repentant, meek and simple.
And yet, in Jesus’ world, this was simply not the case. In fact, the Pharisees were the good guys – religious, devout, trying to live out God’s will the best they could. Yes, for them that meant following the rules, but their intent was good. The Pharisees followed the rules because that’s what they thought God wanted.
On the other hand, we have the tax collector. We tend to look at him as the virtuous characters in parables like this – but in reality, in Jesus’ world, the tax collector was the bad guy. Tax collectors worked for the hated Roman Empire, extorting money from their own people. As agents of Rome, they owed a certain amount of money, no exceptions – anything on top of that amount was their profit. That’s how they made a living, so most tax collectors had a reputation for over-charging and ripping people off. Their fellow Jews looked at tax collectors as traitors, as collaborators with an occupying enemy force. And they were hated for it.
So, when Jesus pulls yet another great reversal and holds the tax collector up as the righteous one in this parable – it is yet another stunner that gets people talking.
And why is that exactly? What does the tax collector, this Roman collaborator do that earns him Jesus’ praise?
It all comes down to how he prays. Notice that both the Pharisee and the tax collector as depicted as devout. They are both at the Temple in Jerusalem. They both engage in prayer. But the Pharisee gives thanks that he is not like other people – especially, it seems, that tax collector over there. The Pharisee reviews before God his resume and considers himself righteous by virtue of everything he has done and the way he lives his life.
Whereas, the tax collector prays differently. He approaches God with obvious shame and humility, not even daring to look upwards to heaven. He does not present any sort of spiritual resume, nothing about the good he may have done with his life – he says only, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
The great reversal hinges on humility, righteousness hinges on reliance on God’s mercy and grace, not trusting in whatever spiritual and religious resume you’ve built up over the years.
In March of 2022, the Religion News Service reported that when asked in a poll how well Christians represent the values and teachings of Jesus, 29% of religiously unaffiliated respondents said “not at all”, while only 2% said Christians represent Jesus’ values and teachings “a lot.” The numbers were a bit less harsh among respondents of non-Christian religions, but still, 18% said “not at all,” and just 6% said “a lot.”
In response to this rather harsh critique, Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry said, “Closing the gap between people’s perceptions of Jesus and their perceptions of his followers will take a “new Reformation,” one that includes not only “re-presenting” a Christianity that looks more like Jesus to the rest of the world, but also a better “re-formation” of Christians around Jesus’ teachings and way of life.” (1)
Re-presenting and re-forming what people’s perspectives were on what God expects is exactly what Jesus is doing with this parable. It’s not the most obvious choice for a Reformation Sunday – but it is a good one. Jesus, the first and greatest reformer comes not to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. Jesus came to re-form God’s people.
Instead of rigid adherence to the law, Jesus comes to temper the rules and regulations with love and compassion. To a people who depend on themselves and their own actions to bring about righteousness, Jesus comes to remind us that God is the only one who grants righteousness – and God does so with mercy and grace. This parable underscores one of the bedrock tenets of our reformed faith – nothing we can do will earn us salvation, instead, salvation is a gift from God, given with mercy and grace.
Some 1500 years later. Martin Luther experienced a great reversal of his own. He said of the experience: “Then I had a feeling that straight away I was born again, and had entered through the open doors into paradise itself. The whole scripture revealed a different countenance to me.” (2)
With this parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus reminds us once again that:
“I have come to hear and respond to the prayers of sinners who cry for mercy.
I have come to make sinners righteous.
I have come to give you the gift of being justified in God’s eyes. (3)
I have come to re- form my followers into the people God intends them to be. A people who are guided by love, mercy, grace and compassion. A people with open hearts for those who have been neglected, downtrodden and ignored.
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all those who humble themselves will be exalted.
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 10/6/25.

2. Richard A. Jensen, Preaching Luke’s Gospel, CSS Publishing Company, 1997, p196.

3. Ibid…

10-05-2025 Rekindling the Gift of God

Thomas J Parlette
“Rekindling the Gift of God”
2nd Timothy 1: 1-14
10/5/25, World Communion
          This morning we are continuing to look at the communication between Paul and Timothy – one of the Paul’s closest companions and disciples. As we learned last week, Timothy had probably been the pastor for the Christian community in Ephesus for up to 4 years when Paul starts sending him these letters of advice and support.
          This second letter to Timothy is a very personal one. Paul mentions some of the hardships and challenges he has faced. He alludes to the churches of Asia turning on him and abandoning his teaching. He also speaks of the physical challenges he has faced. Many scholars believe that Paul knew he was close to the end of his earthly existence, so the tone of 2nd Timothy has the air of a farewell address, Paul’s parting words to his close friend and confidante.
          Farewell addresses have a long history in the pages of scripture.
Moses gave his parting words as he stood at the threshold of the Promised Land, knowing that he was not going to enter the Land the Lord had promised to Israel.
Elijah gave some parting words to his protégé Elisha as he literally passed the mantle to him before being swept up into the clouds on a flaming chariot.
Even Jesus gave a farewell discourse, as it is called, in John, spanning chapters 13-17.
That tradition has continued into modern times with books such as The Last Lecture by Randy Pautsch, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, and the commencement address Steve Jobs gave to the graduating class of 2005 at Stanford when he was dying from cancer.
The noted Psychologist Erik Erikson offered up an explanation of why so many people feel called to offer up some words. In his book, The Life Cycle Completed, he suggests that “the end stages of human life involve generativity and integrity – making a positive contribution and having the confidence that one’s life has mattered.” (1)
Paul is doing that here with his advice to Timothy. He is looking for the positive contribution that his life and ministry have made. In turn, his advice is designed to help Timothy lead a life of faith that will also be a positive contribution to the Christians in Ephesus.
Paul has four main topics to discuss:
1. Recharge yourself, rekindle your faith.
2. Don’t apologize for the faith you have, be proud of it and stand firm.
3. Hone your teaching skills, so you may present the Gospel effectively.
4. Protect what you have, guard your faith.
Paul starts by expressing his confidence in the faith that has been passed down to him – first from his grandmother, Lois and then from his own mother – Eunice.
The story is told that four preachers were gathered for lunch and the question was posed – what is your favorite translation of the Bible and why?
The first preacher said, “I like the King James version. I like the beautiful use of the English language.”
The second preacher said, “My favorite is the New American Standard. It’s a better translation, much closer to the original Greek and Hebrew.”
The third preacher said, “I am partial to the Good News Translation. It’s easier to read and understand in our modern language.”
After a bit more thought, the fourth preacher offered his perspective, “I like my mother’s translation of the Bible.”
The other three expressed their surprise – “I didn’t know your mother was a Biblical Scholar.”
“Oh, she’s not. But she translated her Bible everyday into her daily life. And it was the most beautiful and convincing translation I ever saw.”
That’s what Paul is talking about when he brings up Lois and Eunice. Paul is confident that the faith Timothy grew up seeing in them, lived out every day, will nourish his own faith and allow him to rekindle and recharge.
In essence, that’s what we do when we gather at the Lord’s Table – we remember the words Jesus taught us. We remember the faith of those who’ve gone before us. We gather around the table and when we celebrate with the two most basic sources of nourishment – food and drink, represented by bread and wine – we rekindle our faith and recharge our spirits for the journey of faith. And today, we get to do that with Christians all over the world.
Once upon a time, there was a minister who got a call about a parishioner who hadn’t been to church in awhile. So the pastor stopped by the see this man.
The man was sitting in his living room in front of a fireplace. The fire was dying down – it was still smoking and giving off some heat but the embers were slowly dying.
The man greeted the pastor – “Hello Reverend, what brings you by today?” The pastor sat down by the fireplace, but didn’t say a word.
After sitting in silence for a bit, the man said – “I know I haven’t been around church much lately. I just can’t seem to get myself there. I feel worn-out – I guess you could say my spirit is tired.”
The pastor nodded his head, and then reached forward for the fireplace poker.
Without saying a word, the pastor poked and prodded the logs on the fire, jostling them around, shifting their positions to allow a little more air to fan the flames. Soon, the fire was raging again, giving off heat for the whole room.
The two sat there for a minute in silence, enjoying the fire. Finally, the man said, “I see your point pastor, I just need a little rekindling to get my fire going again. Thank you – I’ll see you on Sunday.” The pastor smiled, got up and let himself out.
Sometimes we just need to rekindle the faith we’ve got – the faith that’s been passed down from our family and from generation of Christians that have gone before us.
So come to the table today, my friends, with Christians from all over the world – as we rekindle our faith with the bread and the cup.
May God be praised. Amen.

1. Erik H. Erikson, The Life Cycle Completed, (New York; Norton, 1982).

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