Herod Lives- Holy Innocents Die

 When Herod knew the magi had fooled him, he grew very angry. He sent soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding territory who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he

had learned from the magi. This fulfilled the word spoken through Jeremiah the prophet: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and much grieving. Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were no more. Matt 2:18

I wonder who decided to have a feast day for slaughtered children- The Feast of the Holy Innocents' (December 28)  right after the feast of the Nativity of Jesus? Perhaps the most tragic thing imaginable- the death of innocent children—babies, no less- commemorated just after the most joyous?? What??

The Feast of the Holy Innocents’ is our needed jolt of reality after the sugar-coma of American Christmas. On any given day, children are dying in active wars and in acts of war,  from  neglect, abuse, disease, starvation and domestic violence. Children, all “Holy Innocents,” are dying in the US. Even though we are the most prosperous nation on earth, armed with the might of a thousand armies and unimaginable technology, we still have not been able to organize our powers in such a way that they at least stop the slaughter of The Holy Innocents. 

I can’t presume to offer a hugely constructive solution, so I will just make an observation that might just propel us all into some positive change, with God’s help: Herod still  lives, and children still die.

By “Herod,” I mean empire- and the violence it wields- and the belief that it will ultimately save us all, or at the very least solve any of the problems of this world. The  Church Fathers and Mothers wanted to  remind us why Jesus came in the first place. Jesus came to show us God’s way that would help us to put away our addictions to violence, scapegoating, and empire that have always held sway in this broken world. 

The Way of the Christ shows us a new way of living into what is real and life-giving- the active, holy love of God. As we as individuals, (and as a world), re-orient our goals and desires around love (and not empire) we will begin creating a reality that will give life to the Holy Innocents everywhere. Thank you, Jesus, for the witness of the Holy Innocents', and may they continue to pray for us that we can create a safer world where all children are safe and healthy. 

Tim

God is Born Because of the Dreams of Ordinary People...

When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. Matthew 1:25

Much of what we are supposed to work with from our dreams is what therapists and others call “dream residue.” Most of what we have to learn from our dreams comes from how we feel when remembering them. If our dream made us scared, then maybe it is a reflection of fear we are carrying that needs tending to.  If we were treated to a funny, or joyful dream, then maybe we need to be more

joyful. 

I had what I think was the first ever dream about George Babuka, my father-in-law, who died about 12 years ago. He was a beloved, sweet man who raised well my beloved Patricia and treated me like the son he never had. (No mean feat, believe me.) Anyway, in what I remember from this dream, he gave me a huge hug that was meant to impart gratitude, or joy.

I woke up that morning with joy in my heart. I did. I remember it being a good day, because what I dreamed shaped how I treated others and how I felt. 

Joseph had an intense dream in which an Angel told him to marry the young woman he was getting ready to drop, and raise the son she carried as his own. Everything rode on his response to the dream.He could have awakened and “dismissed Mary quietly” or any other number of horrible things, but instead, he married her, and named the baby “Yesh-ua”- God saves..

Whatever “residue” was left from his dream moved Joseph to help bring Jesus into the world. Jesus, then,  is the embodiment of God’s dream for us.  Joseph, a regular person,  made God’s dream his dream. We are called, during Advent, to see God’s dream for us and the world in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. 

Joseph teaches us that without “regular folk” who listen to their dreams, Jesus cannot be born into the world! 

Walter White, Mary and Relentless Goodness

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.  From this day all generations will call me blessed:  the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. Luke 1:46-47

Evil, despair, depression, violence, anxiety, fear and darkness are pretty compelling and they all get lots of airtime.  I am watching  Breaking Bad - a case study in how evil and

bitterness can twist a vulnerable human being into doing horrible  things. Great story and acting on the show kept me interested for an entire afternoon of binge-watching on a much-needed “hibernation day” on Monday.  Evil holds our attention quite well.  Yet, Breaking Bad is just as fantastic as a show where nothing bad ever happens and people are perfect. 

As people of faith, we are empowered to engage in the practice of looking out for good.  As people who believe in Jesus as the incarnate word of God on Earth, we are called to look for and point out  God at work among us. Goodness is, in fact, happening all around us in huge and small ways, and we believe that God is a part of all goodness. Witness: someone let us into traffic this morning or  held a door open when our arms were full, we brought clothes for needy children to church or tutored refugees, we stood in front of a painting by Monet, we had Eucharist, we were granted a sense of great peace in the midst of uncertainty… and so on….  Good happens. 

Mary, mother of Jesus, sings  “The Magnificat” (see quoted above) in reaction to hearing the good news of her impending birth of Jesus. Mary lived in a world full of hazards and dangers and evils none of us can imagine. Violence was all around in the form of an oppressive Roman government that had occupied her homeland, and her position as a “nobody” in her culture (a young, pregnant, unmarried woman) should have had her trapped in despair. Yet, Mary notices the good, and she sings. She gives “airtime” to God’s goodness.

Good is relentless, and as witnesses of God among us, “Emmanuel” we are called to be relentless in spreading God's love  in a world fascinated with brokenness and evil. Evil may be a powerful force, but we follow a risen God who overcame death and the grave. In the end, the reality of evil is our "unreality" because we live in the care and presence of a God who loves us infinitely - so much so that she became one of us. Faith is lived out by giving this reality airtime in how we treat others and ourselves and the words, energy and presence we put out into the world.

Tim

Repenting Differently

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, 

make his paths straight.’” Matthew 3:1-2

“Repent!” yelled the rather foul-tempered man who ranted in the “free-speech” space during the Inman Park Festival. 

He condemned whole crowds of people, taking time to target the same-sex couples who were holding hands as they walked by him.  Mercifully,  in recent years the festival organizers have moved his ilk up the hill to Delta park. 

Repentance gets a bad rap from the hell and damnation wing of Christendom, and I want Episcopalians to reclaim it this year. The original meaning of it is closer to something like “to change one’s mind for better” or even “to change directions.” Sure, being a person of faith does mean acknowledging the wrongs we have done by not fully living into our baptisms, or even just being a plain-old jerk. However, the more important and healthy use of the practice is that of positive change. 

How many times do you find yourself waking up in the morning and saying to yourself, “Something has to give…?” I meet so many of you in the midst of what you say is huge anxiety, stress, or self-judgment of some sort. The stuff that life is throwing at you seems as if it is too much— and whatever you are doing to deal with it all is not working so well. So often when you ask me, “What do I do?” my seemingly flip response might be, “Try something else.”  

Repentance is trying something else. The creator of the universe forgives and loves us. Starting with that reality, we are gifted and empowered with the unbounded grace we need to change directions, to pursue a different path, to move closer to our potential as a child of God. 

Jesus calls us to build our lives around trying something different instead of remaining in the clutches of those things that seek to wedge themselves between God and the love that surrounds us. A life of repentance, then, becomes about the pursuit of our source of love, our health, and our joy. So, “Repent! The Kingdom of God surrounds us!”

AMEN!