When it comes to the veracity of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, we have more than just faith alone to support our belief. We may present compelling evidence of Christ’s resurrection, evidence that demands another reasonable explanation, if not the one given by the original eye-witnesses.

Eye-Witness Testimonies
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book, but these are written, so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that, through believing, you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)

The stated purpose of John’s Gospel, and indeed, all four Gospels, is to testify to the truth concerning the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They are written to convince the reader that the things they say happened really did happen. They are based on facts and physical evidence as reported at that time.

“Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” (Luke 1:1-4)

For those skeptics who point to the fact that it was only Jesus’ disciples and a few of his closest followers who saw him after his death and burial, about 15-20 people, we have Paul’s testimony that he also appeared to over 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:1-11). This is a significant testimony that is often overlooked by those who aren’t so familiar with it. And, at the time of its writing, Paul also tells us that many of them are still alive, presumably, so that anyone who wanted to could go and speak to them about it.

All these eye-witness testimonies bring up another piece of evidence, a question really, that a reasonable person might find quite curious. If all of these original testimonies were considered false, how come we don’t find more ancient writings refuting them? Given the speed at which the Jesus movement and the early Christian church grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire, why haven’t we found more historical evidence refuting its most outrageous claim and/or providing some other explanation for the movement’s proliferation?

Physical Evidence
For those who claim that what the eye-witnesses saw was not a bodily resurrection, but an apparition, The Gospels provide the following evidence to the contrary.

“While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.” (Luke 24:36b-42

And,

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’” (John 20:27)

Why do we get two versions of this same story in consecutive weeks this year? Is it just a coincidence or is the valuable physical evidence it supplies worth repeating?

Behavioral Evidence
Perhaps even more compelling evidence then the eye-witness testimonies of Peter and the other disciples is found in the dramatic change in their behavior after their encounter with the resurrected Jesus. They go from hiding out in a house behind locked doors for fear of the Jews (John 20:1) to a band of fearless witnesses boldly proclaiming Christ to the very authorities they once feared would find, arrest and execute them, just as they had Jesus.

{Peter addressed the people}, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:13-15)

And,

“The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is “the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.” There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’” (Acts 4:7-12)

How do you explain this dramatic change in Peter and the other disciples? Why do they no longer fear death the way they did just days before? What happened?

We see more compelling evidence of its truth in the community that began to form around the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. How do you explain what people were doing in Acts 4:32-35?

“Now the whole group of those who believed was of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”

What would cause you to sell all that you own and relinquish it the way those first believers did? Any reasonable or intelligent person would agree that it would take something truly extraordinary to elicit such selfless behavior.

And what about the Apostle Paul? How does a reasonably intelligent person explain the radical change in his behavior? What would cause one of the most feared and zealous persecutors of Jesus’ first followers, to suddenly become willing to risk his life to proclaim the resurrection too?

“For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’” (Acts 9:19b-21)

Or, in Paul’s own words:

“Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God working in me.” (1 Corinthians 15:7b-10)

What happened that caused a man as bright and intelligent as Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee and leader of the Jews, to leave his life’s work behind and spend the rest of his life proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ all over the world?

Concluding Remarks
The skeptic may be able to offer a plausible explanation to refute one or more of these pieces of evidence, but so far, none has been able to offer one that refutes them all together. No, the only logical, reasonable explanation for all this is that something truly extraordinary happened. And until someone comes up with a more plausible explanation, as reasonable people, I think the only sensible, logical thing to do is to accept the explanation that has been given us.

As Christians, we do indeed have a story to tell, and it’s a story that begins with the most astonishing life-changing, historical event of all time— the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Man, and Son of God. Alleluia!

Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ our Lord, who is risen indeed.

In years past, I have often used this sermon time to defend the good news of the resurrection
against the slings and arrows of those who still want to insist that there was no resurrection,
That it never happened,
That the whole thing was some sort of well-conceived religious conspiracy
carried out by a handful of Jesus’ most loyal followers.
Therefore, they insist that there is no resurrection now and won’t be for any of us.
But, this year, I’m not going to do that,
I’m not going to use this precious time, these precious few moments I have to spend with you this morning, to defend a historical event that really needs no defending.
I think the living testimony of those of us who are gathered here this morning,
Along with those who are gathered with us all around the world on this Easter Sunday,
is defense enough. Amen?
Amen.
We are all here this morning because we believe in the resurrection to eternal life
as proclaimed by the psalmist today.

A Song of Victory
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever!
Let God’s people say, ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’
The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

We who sing these glad songs of victory, do not look at death the way those do, who do not sing them,
because we know that death is no longer the end of our life story.
That’s why our Christian funerals have the feel they do.
That’s why our emotions on such occasions can be mixed, and often are.
That’s why at one moment, we find ourselves crying tears of sadness, and then, at another, tears of joy.
WE cry tears of sadness, because we have a good reason to be sad.
We will miss our dearly departed, and the pain of that separation hurts.
But later, we might b surprised to find ourselves also crying tears of joy,
because we have a good reason to rejoice too,
and this day proclaims it.

WE believe in the resurrection to eternal life,
And not just for Jesus, but for us too.
we know that one day, we will all be raised.
Listen to what the great Apostle Paul writes.
“If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.”

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

We who sing the glad songs of victory over sin and death no longer look at death the same way.
But, it’s not just death.
WE no longer look at life the same way either.

Think about it.
Think about how the good news of the resurrection has changed the way we look at life.
I mean, it changes it, doesn’t it?
WE certainly look at it differently than we would if Christ had never been raised, don’t we?
I mean, it introduces all sorts of intriguing possibilities for life for people like us, doesn’t it?
I mean, if God has the power to raise those he loves from the dead,
Then how might God use that same power to shape the lives of those of us who are still alive?
If the resurrection suggest anything, it suggests that, for God, all things are possible.
SO what do you think God might have in store for us?

This is Easter, this is springtime, a time of new life and new beginnings for us and for all of creation,
So, now is the perfect time for us to ponder these things.
Now is the perfect time for us to let our imagination wander.
Now is the perfect time for us to do A little dreaming about what more God might have in store for us.

God in Christ has gifted us with life, new and everlasting life,
the question is, how are we going to live it?
How are we going to live it in the next five weeks, five months, five years?
How are we going to live it in the next five days?

I’m glad you asked, because I have a call to share with you today.
And it’s not just a call for you to pray for the life that Jesus came to give us,
It’s a call for you to begin dreaming about what we might do
to help that risen life become a reality for more people;
not just what each of us might do individually, or as a couple, or as a family,
But also, what we might do with it as a church, as a whole community of believers,
As those who have been called to be the living, breathing, life-giving body of Christ
here on the North Shore.
And,it’s not just a call for us to dream our own dream.
Rather, it’s a call to dream the dream that God has for us.
God has a dream for us and now is the perfect time for us to start dreaming that dream.

WE are all here today for three reasons.
First, we all believe in the good news of the resurrection to eternal life,
Second, we all believe that God has a dream for us.
And third, we are all here today, because we believe that God is with us in it.
That’s’ what allows us to hope and dream all these dreams.
That’s’ what makes all the intriguing possibilities possible.
WE do not worship a God who is dead.
We worship a God who is alive.
WE worship Jesus Christ, who is risen indeed.

Hear it again, in Mark’s own words.
“As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side;
and they were alarmed.
But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Look, there is the place they laid him.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee;
There you will see him, just as he told you.’

And indeed they did.
Aleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

WE worship, Jesus, Emmanuel, which means, God is with us.
and that’s what opens up our lives to faith and hope, and all sorts of other intriguing possibilities.
And that goes for our life together as his church too.
And it’s that life, that faith, that hope, and all thos intriguing possibilities,
that I would like all of us to carry out of here with us this morning.

May the good news of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ
Fill our hearts, and our minds, and imaginations with dreams of the risen life for us and for all people.
Amen. Alleluia!

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”
Which is to say, In those days, Jesus came from nowhere or, out of nowhere.
For, as we have heard Nathaniel say in the Gospel of John,
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
So, Jesus didn’t just come out of nowhere, he came out of nowhere good.

“And just as he was coming up out of the water,
he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
The heavens are torn apart, such that they might never be shut up again.
The original Greek word here translated as “torn apart”
describes the sort of tear that is beyond repair,
Not like a Zip-loc bag,
But like the plastic bag inside a box of cheap breakfast cereal.
You know the kind I’m talking about.
The tough kind.
THE kind that is almost impossible to open.
The kind you pull and pull and pull on, a little harder each time, until finally…
Well here, let me demonstrate.

(Take up just such a bag and demonstrate.)
Just so, the heavens were torn apart,
And good luck sealing them up again.
So, whatever it is that is happening here,
It cannot or will not be undone,
Because the heavens have been permanently ruptured.

So, what is it that has happened that can not be undone?
And why has it happened with such power, such force?

And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my son, the beloved. With you, I am well-pleased.”
Is the heavenly voice speaking only to Jesus?
Is Jesus the only one the voice is pleased with?
If so, why is the voice so pleased with him?
Is it because of who he is, or something he has done,
Or something he is going to do?
Perhaps if the reader continues reading Mark’s Gospel, they will find out.
Perhaps if the reader continues reading Mark’s Gospel,
They might also come to believe in the good news
and to proclaim these same things about Jesus?
“You are the Son of God, the beloved; with you, I am well pleased!”
That would be a confession of faith.

“And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan;
and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.”
I guess being the beloved one doesn’t necessarily earn you a free pass.
The strong, affirming words are barely out of the heavenly voice’s mouth,
we can still feel them hanging in the air,
and, boom!just like that, Jesus is driven out into the wilderness
tempted by Satan and surrounded by wild beasts.
One minute, everything is lovie dovie, and then, just like that, the honeymoon is over.

I guess Jesus’ life after baptism is a lot like ours.
Jus because we have the Spirit of God living and residing in us
Doesn’t mean we won’t have our share of trials and temptations.
No, we don’t get a pass either.
Christians have their share of trials and temptations just like everyone else,
at least all the ones I know do.
But it’s because we now have the Spirit living and residing in us
That we can face those trials and temptations in a way that we could not otherwise.
And since Mark covers all this in the very first chapter of his Gospel,
Maybe the message is, the sooner we all learn this
the better off we’re all going to be?

Maybe the good news for us and others like us
who have to live out there in the wilderness day in and day out
isn’t that, from here on in, life will be smooth sailing,
But that, from here on out, when the storms come up and the waters get rough,
God is right there with us in Spirit to help see us through,
And as we have seen in the tearing apart of the very heavens themselves,
the Spirit that lives and resides in us, is no 95 lb. weakling.
The same strong, powerful Spirit
that burst forth with a vengeance from its heavenly confines
leaving in its wake, an irreparable tear in the very fabric of the cosmos,
is the same strong, powerful Spirit that we have living and residing in us,
even if we don’t always feel it.

Sometimes, we do.
Sometimes, we can feel its power.
Sometimes,, we can feel it helping us to do things that we know
That we could not be doing for ourselves.
Sometimes, we can feel its power resisting temptations and standing up
to the wild beasts in the wilderness that we have to put up with every day,
or helping us find clever ways around them.
For we know, that God has not givne us a Spirit of fear, but of power, of love,
and of a sound mind.” …
But I know. Believe me, I know,
sometimes, it sure doesn’t feel that way.

Sometimes, it feels like the Spirit is far from us, if we even have it at all.
Sometimes, it feels like the Spirit has left us alone.
I think the well-known poem entitled, “Footprints” speaks to this.
(Briefly reiterate the poem)
WE can’t always see it or feel it at the time,
But later on, looking back, we can see that God was indeed with us all along.
Looking back, we can see that we had God’s angels waiting on us in our wilderness,
Just like they waited on Jesus in his wilderness.

“Now after John was arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,
and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent, and believe in the good news.’”
So now, lets’ get back to the questions we raised when this reading began.
what is it that has happened?
More specifically, What is it that has happened that cannot be undone,
And will not be undone?
And why has it happened with such power, such force?

One look at these five little words says it all, I think.
“Now, after John was arrested.”

John? John who? John the Baptizer, that’s who.
You mean, John the Baptizer, the one foretold by the prophet Isaiah,
See I am sending my messenger ahead of you who will prepare the way,
The voice of one crying out in the wilderness.”
You mean, that John the Baptizer?
You mean, the John the Baptizer that people from the whole Judean countryside
and all the people of Jerusalem,
were going out to see,
and were baptized by in the Jordan River confessing their sins?
You mean, that John the Baptizer?
Yes, one in the very same.

When the powers of this world arrested John the Baptizer, that might have put an end to it.
The whole thing might have ended right there.
John’s arrest might have put a nend to the good news of God.
John’s arrest might have put an end to the good news that the time is fulfilled.
John’s arrest might have put an end to the good news that in Jesus Christ,
the kingdom of God has come near.
John’s arrest might have put an end to the good news that when the heavens wer torn apart,
And the Spirit descended like a dove on him,
God’s time, Gods’ kingdom, God’s plan of salvation
was about to come to fruition.
It all might have ended right there in that jail cell.
But then, Jesus came to Galilee.

With the arrest of John and the arrival of Jesus,
It now becomes clear that whatever it is that God has come to do in Jesus Christ,
It cannot, and will not, be undone.
Whatever it is, arresting John won’t stop it.
Whatever it is, imprisoning John, or even serving his head up on a platter, won’t stop it.
And neither will serving up Jesus on a cross.
IN fact, serving up Jesus on a cros will become the very means
by which that salvation comes and stays with us.

The good news of God is this.
God is with us.
God is with us no matter what.
no matter where we go, the wilnderness,
no matter what our trials, the wild beasts,
or what our temptations, Satan
God is with us now, just like the angels were with him then.

Romans 8
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And what do we need to have this love in our lives?
Simply this, Repent, turn to God, and believe in the good news.

So, what have we learned.
Like John the Baptizer, Jesus may have come out of nowhere,
But now that he’s here, he’s not going anywhere either.
now that God is here, God is here to stay.
And now that what God has done is done, what God has done will not be undone.

In Christ’s death and resurrection, the power of God’s saving love
has now been unleashed on the world,
And now that it’s here, it’s here for good.
In fact, by grace, it now lives and resides in us.
And as such, it will never be shut-up in heaven again,
Because as long as they have hands to move and lips to tell
Gods’ people will continue to proclaim it in both word and deed until we all see him coming
on the clouds instead of through them.
Amen.

Hypocrites may do the right things, but they do them for the wrong reasons.
Hypocrites do them for worldly reasons, for the worldly rewards
that such observances might gain them.
They want to win the acclaim and applause of their peers.
They themselves want to be revered for the depth of their religious piety.
Jesus calls them hypocrites.
And if there is one thing that Jesus does not like, it’s a hypocrite.
And to tell you the truth, neither do I,
And you probably don’t either.

You can usually see right through them.
You can see right away what they are up to.
They aren’t fooling anyone, least of all, God.
OF course, not fooling God really doesn’t bother them,
Because that’s not who they are trying to fool.
Hypocrites aren’t trying to fool God.
They are trying to fool everyone else.
They want people to think that they are something that they are not.
They are hypocrites, and rest assured, God knows it.
And, unless they are particularly good at disguising it, everyone else does too.

But tonight, Jesus points us toward another way;
Another way of approaching the practice of our piety;
Another way of approaching our almsgiving, prayer and fasting;
Another way that brings with it, another kind of reward;
A heavenly reward;
A reward that comes when we practice our piety for all the right reasons;
A reward that comes when we do it not for our own gain, but for the love of God and neighbor.

But tonight, Jesus is preaching to the choir, because we all get it.
WE all know exactly what he’s talking about.
We’re not here tonight, because going to church on Ash Wednesday
is the thing to do on the North Shore if you want to be noticed
or make a name for yourself
I mean, one look around tonight, and you would have to concede
That if that’s what you are trying to do,
Then you are going about it in rather small increments. Amen?

Maybe no one sounded a trumpet to announce your arrival tonight,
But you do understand where Jesus is coming from.
WE know well the reward of which he speaks.
Jesus affirms this reward three times in our Gospel Reading tonight,
So as to be sure that those who haven’t caught on yet, will.
but to tell you the truth, I really wish he didn’t have to do it.
I really wish he didn’t have to keep dangling that heavenly reward carrot in front of us
I wish he could have just laid out the proper approach to practicing our piety
and then just said, “and don’t expect anything in return.”

Nothing in return? Really?
Why would you say that, preacher?

Because, it’s way too easy for this left hand to take hold of this right hand
and lead it astray.
It’s way too easy for this left hand to take hold of this right hand and slide it
Right off of all those right reasons and right onto all that hypocrisy.
It’s way too easy for us to move our focus off of the love of God and neighbor,
And onto whatever reward we might have coming to us
for being such kind and loving people. Amen?

Don’t get me wrong.
There is nothing wrong with looking forward to our heavenly reward,
Or with looking to it for strength and inspiration
when strength and inspiration is what we need to sustain us over the long haul.
Yes! WE who persevere in this great tribulation called life
do have a reward waiting for us; a reward that
no ear has ever heard, no eye has ever seen and no mind has even ever conceived of.
It’s jus that good.
But, that aside.

Can I say that?
Can I just move our heavenly reward over to the side like that?
I don’t know why any preacher worth his salt would ever want to do that,
But bear with me just for a moment.
When I’m done, we can move it right back in again.

Let me ask you a question.
What kind of person would you rather have looking after your children?
(Ask it again)
What kind of person would you rather have looking after your children?
Would you rather have someone who does it just for the big fat paycheck
You hand them at the end of the week.
Or would you rather have someone who truly cares for your children,
Someone who genuinely loves and appreciates them,
and wants what’s best for them, just like you do?
Which would you rather have?

So, why should God want anything less in us?
I mean, if we really want to please God,
And most children do, most children want to please their parents.
For a child, it just doesn’t get any better than that, does it?

SO, if we want to please our heavenly Father, we can do so
by caring for all of God’s children, like we would care for our own.
We can treat all of God’s children, the way we would treat our children.
We can choose to love and care for them and do it
Whether there is anything more than that in it for us or not.
and there isn’t an ounce of hypocrisy anywhere in that.

This Lent our heavenly father is asking us to give alms to provide for the care of others;
To provide school kids with school kits called, Baskets of Promise,
which are really baskets of hope,
And to provide bags of food for some of his hungry children.
This Lent, our heavenly Father is asking us to pray with our loved ones,
our children and our grandchildren,
that they too might learn how to practice and live their faith
and to love and care for God and neighbor for all the right reasons,
and not just to be seen by others.
This Lent, our heavenly Father is asking us to choose to give something up,
not something we’ve been wanting to give up anyway,
But something that represents a real sacrifice for us and our loved ones,
in recognition of the great sacrifice God made for us
when God gave up his beloved child for us on the cross,
and our heavenly Father is asking us to choose to do
at least one random act of kindness for one of his other beloved children each day throughout the forty days of Lent.
And this Lent, as in every other Lent,
Whichever way we may choose to practice our piety,
God is asking us to do so for all the right reasons;
Not just to check off one more item on our Lenten spiritual to do list,
But purely and simply for the love of God and our neighbor.

I’m done.
Now we can move our heavenly reward back over where it belongs.
Amen.

(Explain how folks can use the fasting card in the bulletin.)

The reading: 2 Kings 5:1-14
Ttitled: The Helaing Of Naman

“Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man
-and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram.”

Notice how the writer attributes Aram’s victory to the Lord God of Israel,
Even though Aram is not a Jewish, but a Gentile nation.
So, right away, we get our first indication that we have walked right into the middle of a serious rivalry
Between two neighboring nations; the nation of Israel And the nation of Aram.
Which in those days meant more than just a political rivalry, but also, a religious one.
One important question that this story sets out to answer is, “Whose god is more powerful?
Whose God is really in charge?
The god or gods of Aram, or the one Lord your God, O Israel?”

“Now, the man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.”

It’s interesting, isn’t it?
No matter how strong we humans are, or how powerful we become,
there are still some things that even the mightiest among us cannot overcome.
And isn’t it ironic, that, sometimes, it’s the little things that bring us to our knees,
and not necessarily the big ones.
And, in the case of Naman, it was just that;
a tiny bug or germ that even he, with all his strength an military prowess, could not overcome.

“Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel,
and she served Naaman’s wife.”

Again, more evidence that these two great nations were at odds with one another.
And, as we are about to see, another example of how God uses that which the bible says
is lowly and despised in the world To shame the wise.
A young Hebrew slave girl advising Naaman, the mighty warrior, really?
And, the vital role played by this slave girl, and the other servants that appear later in this story,
Will also show us how God sometimes chooses to help us by putting jus the right person in our path
at just the right time.
I mean, was it just a coincidence that this young girl taken captive in a raid
wound up a slave in Naman’s house,

The eskimo story.
Two servicemen in an establishment were having a religious argument.
“If there is a God, the one man said, he certanly hasn’t been there for me when I needed him!”
“What do you mean?” The other man replied.
“Years ago, when I was stationed in’Alaska, I got stranded in a terrrible blizzard.
I managed all right for the first few days, but then my rations ran out and I knew I couldn’t last much longer.”
“So, what did you do?” The other man asked.
“I prayed. I said, “God, please save me!”
“And?” The other man asked.
“And nothing! Not a thing! God didn’t lift a finger to help me.”
“Well, what happened then? I mean, you’re here, right?”
“Yeah, if it weren’t for that friendly eskimo that came along, I’d be dead right now!”

Maybe the next time we need help, we should be on the look-out for a friendly eskimo.
You never know when one might come along.

“She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria!
He would cure him of his leprosy.’
So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
And the king of Aram said, ‘Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.’
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments.”

Here is where we learn just how mighty a warrior this Naman was.
This is an excedingly high price to pay for the King of Israel’s permission
to speak with the prophet.
TheKing of Israel not only had a great prophet, he made a great profit by granting Naman’s request.

“He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, ‘When this letter reaches you,
know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.’
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God, to give death or life,
that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?
Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’”

Here, you have to wonder about the King of Israel, don’t you?
I mean, doesn’t he understand that the King of Aram isn’t speaking literally?
He isn’t asking him personally to heal his servant Naman.
He’s asking him to let him have an audience with the one who can.
OF course, to his credit, the King of Israel does recognize one thing.
HE recognizes that no one but God alone, has the power to do such miraculous things,
as cure a man of his leprosy.
OF course, to his discredit, he doesn’t seem to have the faith to believe that God will indeed do
what the King of Aram is requesting,
either because the man is a gentile and not a Jew,
or because he has no way of knowing if it’s God’s will to heal this man of his leprosy or not.
I mean, to his credit, he may have the faith to believe that God can do it,
But he isn’t sure if God will.
And, we aren’t either, are we?

Like the King OF Israel, we believe that God has the power to heal our afflictions
But we have no way of predicting when, where, or even, how, it might happen.

When I say, when, I mean, I think we all know and believe that, one day,
all of our afflictions will be a thing of the past.
What we don’t know is whether that day will come sooner or later.
And again, like the King OF Israel, we hope its’ sooner.

When I say where, I mean, I think we all recognize that some people do receive their healin gsooner than others. What we don’t know, or can’t predict, is who those sooners are going to be.
The only thing we can say for sure, it that they won’t all be from Oklahoma.
Neither will they all be good, God-fearing Christians like us, even the best of us,
Which just might be the greatest puzzlement of all.
When it comes to healing, why doesn’t God give priority to the best among us;
the most faithful, the brightest, the most talented, or at least, the youngest?
Why does God let his healing mercies rain on the unjust as well as the just?
That certainly isn’t the way most people would have it.
No, most people would have an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, wouldn’t they?
But God sent Jesus to change all that, didn’t he?
Grace. That’s the way it works now, right?

And when I say, how, I mean, I think most of us think we know what Gods’ healing ought to look like.
I mean, a lame man ought to walk, a deaf woman ought to hear, and the blind ought to see, right?
But then again, I think most of us know that more often than not,
Gods’ great healing comes to those who are so affflicted
without there being any change to the physical affliction itself.
The lame man finds a new way to walk without even taking a step,
the deaf woman learns how to hear with her heart and not with her ears,
and the blind receive their sight in spite of their blindness.
I myself fall into this third category.

SO, maybe the problem lies with us and our too narrow view of what constitutes a healing miracle,
And not with God’s supposed too narrow use of his miraculous healin gpower.

“But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes,
he sent a message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me,
that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’”

First of all, we know why the king tore his clothes. Naman has just brought him ten new sets of garments.
So, why not?
Second, it’s not so much that there is a prophet in Israel, which in itself is no small thing,
But that there is a God in Israel, a God in Israel who has the power to cure his leprosy,
And a man who apparently has the ear of that God.
That’s’ the man Naman is looking for.
But here’s where it would have really helped naman to be Lutheran.
Because, Lutherans believe in something called, the priesthood of all believers,
Which means that we believe that there isn’t just one man or one woman among us who has God’s ear,
But rather, all OF Gods’ baptized people do.
In fact, many Lutherans would argue that anyone, baptized or not, who chooses to call on the name of the Lord,
Will find God’s ear too.
So, had Naman been a good Lutheran, he might have just prayed for help at home
and saved himself a lot of time and money
I’m jus tsaying.

“So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house.
Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored
and you shall be clean.’
But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out,
and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot,
and cure the leprosy!
Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?
Could I not wash in them, and be clean?
He turned and went away in a rage.”

Picture this. A long, congressional motorcade that has come all the way from Washington DC
pulls up right outside our church doors, and the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America
steps out on the curb desperate for an answer to a theological question,
that has significant implications for our national security,
but instead of PR. Peg or I going out to address him, we send Jan out with a message for him
to go to the Wilmette Public Library and look it up in the Book Of Concord.
I can see why he was enraged.

“But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you
to do something difficult, would you not have done it?
How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’”

We like to complicate things,don’t we?
We like to think that our problems and therefore, their solutions are more complex than they really are.
But sometimes, or even frequently, we find that the solution to our problem turns out to be a simple one,
Like the one the prophet gives Naman.
So, why not try it? Why not give it a shot?
I mean, what has he got to lose?

Prayer is like that too.
I mean, why not just try it?
There are many peopl who scoff at prayer who have never even tried it.
Or,they may have tried it, but were much too quick to abandon it,
because the answer they got wasn’t what they thought it should be,
like Naman, the mighty woarrior who came looking for a cure for his leprosy,
and came that close to jumping into his chariot and riding away without it,
because it wasn’t what he expected.
It makes me wonder how many other people have been right where Naman was,
and then ridden off without their cure,
Because they didn’t have the good sense to act on what they heard.
Fortunately, Naman did.

“So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan,
according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy,
and he was clean.”

The message for us today is that there is a God in this world who has the power to make the unclean clean,
and that God is none other than the God who has made himself known to the world
through God’s people Israel.
And that ultimately, the way to that salvation isn’t complicated, but simple.
It requires nothing more than a simple act of obedience to the word of God.
And that act is a simple act of faith in the one who has now chosen
to see that all have been made clean, both Jew and Gentile,
by the one man’s act of obedience on the cross.

That’s where all three of our lessons today come together, on the cross of Christ;
who himself chose to become unclean, that all might be made clean.
By his blood, now all the barriers that once stood between God and us have been broken-down.
By his blood, we have all been healed of our greatest affliction;
The sin that once separated us from God and the great prize of our faith- true and everlasting life.
WE have been healed and are being healed every day.
It’s as simple as that.
Amen.

Gracie: Are you Dr. Carringway?
Dr.: Yes. How do you do. And you must be crazy. I mean, Gracie! Oh! I am so, so sorry!
Gracie: Don’t worry about it, Dr. It happens all the time. I mean, the two words do sound alike.
Dr.: Again, I apologize. Please. won’t you sit down?
Gracie: Sure. (Looking around) Where is it?
DR.: Where’s what?
Gracie: The couch. Isn’t there supposed to be a couch? I mean, you’re a shrink, right?
Dr.: So, a “shrink” is supposed to have a couch?
Gracie: Why sure. Don’t you watch TV? A shrink’s supposed to have a long leather couch, so the patients can lay down on it and tell the shrink all their problems. I think it’s supposed to help them relax or something.
Dr.: SO, you have problems?
Gracie: Why, yes. I wouldn’t be paying $200 for an hour with a shrink of I didn’t have problems.
Dr.: No. I suppose not.
Gracie: By the way, that’s just a figure of speech, right? I mean the shrink thing. Psychiatrists don’t actually shrink the brain or anything like that, do they?
Dr.: No, I’m afraid not.
Gracie: Whew! That’s good. Because I’ve been told that my brain isn’t very big, if you know what I mean?
Dr.: Yes. I believe I’m beginning to get the picture. You’ve got problems.
Gracie: Yes, I do. Well, actually, I don’t really have problems, per se. I mean, everyone has problems, right?
Dr.: Right.
Gracie: Right.
Dr.: (After a moment of awkward silence) Sooo, if you don’t have problems per se, why are you here?
Gracie: I’m here, well, because, maybe they’re right.
Dr.: Who’s right?
Gracie: People.
DR.: People?
Gracie: People like you who get my name mixed-up. You know the ones who accidently call me crazy, instead of, Gracie. Maybe they’re right. Maybe I am crazy.
Dr.: Do you think you’re crazy?
Gracie: That depends.
Dr.: On what?
Gracie: On whether you think a person who hears voices is crazy or not.
Dr.: So, you hear voices?
Gracie: Yes. I hear voices.
Dr.: I see.
Gracie: Not all the time. I mean, I don’t hear them all the time, just some of the time.
Dr.: So, you just hear them some of the time.
Gracie: Yes.
Dr.: So, what kind of voices are they?
Gracie: What do you mean?
Dr.: Well, how would you describe them? I mean, are they happy voices? Sad voices? Friendly, Encouraging voices? Mad, angry voices? Mean-spirited voices?
Gracie: That’s it, Dr.; They’re mean-spirited. The voices I hear are mean-spirited. Sometimes, they just won’t leave me alone.
Dr.: I see.
Gracie: It’s like they’re out to get me, or something.
Dr.: Out to get you?
Gracie: Yes, I jus said that. Dr., No offense, but, do you have a hearing problem? Because, if you have a hearing problem, just say so, and I’ll speak up.
Dr.: That won’t be necessary. Now, you were saying?
Gracie: It’s like they don’t want me to have a good day or a good hour or even a good minute, or a good anything!
Dr.: You mean, the voices.
Gracie: Yes. When I’m having a good day, they say, “It won’t last. “ When I’m happy and excited, they say, “Get hold of yourself, Gracie!” When I’m feeling content, they say, “It’s not enough, Gracie!” When I’m at peace, they shout, “Watch out!” It’s one negative comment after another. You’re no good. Who needs you? You don’t have a chance. No one cares about you. You’ll never get a job. No one will listen to you. That’s a crummy idea. It will never work. You’re wasting your time.”
Dr.: I see.
Gracie: Dr., Do you believe in unclean spirits?
Dr.: Unclean spirits?
Gracie: Yes. You know, like in the bible.
Dr.: Say more about that.
Gracie: Well, you see, very early in his ministry, the bible says that Jesus encountered a man in a synagogue with an unclean spirit, at least, that’s how the bible puts it.
Dr.: Tell me more.
Gracie: Well, the bible says that the man stood up while Jesus was teaching and began shouting at him, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the holy one of God!”
Dr.: Really?
Gracie: Yes, just like that..
Dr.: Sooo, how do you think Jesus felt about that?
Gracie: Well, to be perfectly honest with you, I don’t think he appreciated it.
Dr.: And why do you think that?
Gracie: Because, he shouted back at him.
Dr.: Jesus shouted at the man?
Gracie: Well, yes. I mean, no. Actually, he shouted at the unclean spirit.
Dr.: And what did he shout at the unclean spirit?
Gracie: He said, ‘Be silent and come out of him!” which I think is just a fancy way of saying, “shut up and get out of here.”
Dr.: You mean, he rebuked him. Jesus stood up and rebuked the unclean spirit.
Gracie: (With great surprise) that’s exactly right. You mean, you, you know about this?
Dr.: Yes, I do. The phenomenon you’re describing isn’t as unusual as you think.
Gracie: It’s not?
Dr.: No. It’s actually quite commonplace.
Gracie: It is?
Dr.: Absolutely. Gracie, do you remember what you said to me when you first came in?
Gracie: Ummm. Where’s the couch?
Dr.: No. You said everyone has problems. Well, everyone hears voices too, voices like the ones you hear. Voices that try to undermine their peace and happiness by bombarding them with one negative thought after another.. What are those negative, destructive voices, if not unclean spirits?
Gracie: Wow! I’ve never heard unclean spirits explained like that before. I’ve always thought of them as something supernatural. Is this a new teaching, or something?
Dr.: No, not really. It’s not new at all. People like you and I have been helping each other silence negative voices like the ones you’re hearing for thousands of years.
Gracie: Really? How?
Dr.: By helping each other remember who the real boss is.
Gracie: The real boss?
Dr.: Yes. Ask yourself this question, “What was it that allowed Jesus to stand up and rebuke that unclean spirit? What did Jesus know, that no one else in the synagogue seemed to know that day?”
Gracie: That the man was Gracie? Oops! I mean, crazy?
Dr.: No. He knew that whatever it was that had a hold of that man, whatever the negative voice was, that he was hearing, that compelled him to get up and get in Jesus’ face, it wasn’t powerful enough to stand up to the power of God! And neither can those negative, trash-talking voices that try to rattle you, or me, or anyone else in this world. That’s the truth that we need to remember, whenever those unclean spiritual voices start talking their trash. Gracie, you’re not crazy.
Gracie: I’m not?
Dr.: No. Just remember this bible verse. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but, of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”
Gracie: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but, of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”
Dr.: That’s it. That’s Second Timothy, chapter 1, verse 7.
Gracie: Wow! So, the next time those negative thoughts start creeping in, all I have to do is let them know who the real boss is.
Dr.: Yes. That’s what the word “rebuke” means.
Gracie: Wow! Will that cure me?
Dr.: Well, no, not exactly. But, over time, it will get better, if you keep it up. Every time one of those unclean spirits starts talking trash to you, remember the one in whom the real power lies.
Gracie: You mean, Jesus!
Dr.: Exactly!
Gracie: Oh, Dr., thank you so much. I feel better already. How can I ever repay you?
Dr.: Well, for now, you can give me $200 for the first hour.
Gracie and Dr.: THE END

Don’t get a birth mark confused with a beauty mark.
A beauty mark? That’s a different story.
A beauty mark, well, signifies beauty.
I recall several famous beauty marks from my past that graced the faces of Hollywood starlets.
It’s true. They were beautiful.
I also recall several famous birth marks from my past, locally famous birth marks,
That were anything but beautiful,
Especially to those who saw themselves as having the great misfortune of having been born with them,
Take my friend Elaine, for example.
She had an extremely large, discolored birth mark on her upper leg which embarrassed her terribly.
SO much so, that she wouldn’t wear shorts or swim at a public beach.
She didn’t know how fortunate she was.
There was another boy in my hometown that had a large one that he couldn’t keep covered up,
Because it was on his face.
It was big, it was dark and it was hairy,
And his parents weren’t in any position to do anything about it.
It’s no wonder that he grew up with a chip on his shoulder.
His name was Willis, but everyone knew him as Duky.
You didn’t want to get in Duky’s way.

Each of us has a birth mark too.
In fact, all of Gods’ baptized children do.
WE all have a birth mark that was given to us by God on the day of our second birth,
On the day when we were born again in the waters of our baptism.
It was gently etched on our brow along with these words,
“Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.
Forever, that’s the word to remember.

We all have a baptismal birth mark
Right here in the middle of our forehead.
But rather than view it as an embarrassment, an unflattering imperfection,
As something to be hidden or covered up,
We view it as a thing of beauty.
We view it as a symbol of Gods’ perfect love for us,
in spite of our imperfections, those hidden away, concealed, covered up,
and those right out there in the open for everyone to see.
And that includes all the dark, hairy ones too.
WE view the baptismal birth mark we bear as a sign of the great love Jesus showed us
when he went to the cross to lay down his life for our sins,
and not just to cover them up, but to remove them completely and forever.
Forever, There’s that word again.

The sign of the cross is our baptismal birth mark.
It’s traced on our brow on the day of our baptism with an oily thumb and,
to borrow a line from a classic rock hit,
a whole lotta love.
And it remains there forever.
There’s that word again.

So, rather than try to hide it, conceal it or cover it up,
we bear its beauty on our brow for all the world to see.
Only, the world can’t actually see it, because, it’s not visible.
WE don’t actually have a discolored birth mark on our brow,
just the memory of it
and the thoughtful re-tracing we give it now and then
to keep that memory alive.

So, as Gods’ baptized people, called to bear witness to God’s great love,
this presents us with a problem.
But, it’s not one that can’t be over come.
Because, there are other ways to show it.
And as we all know, there is no better way to show the great love we’ve been given than to share it.
Our baptismal birth mark can be seen by everyone in the love we share.
And if we need to, we can always look back to the life of Jesus to get another look
at what that love should look like.

In closing, listen these words taken from our worship planning resource called Sundays And Seasons,
From the Ideas And Images Of The Season Section.

“Breathing is two things, in and out.
You can hold your breath, but there is no way to hold it forever.
While this is obvious, consider how this reflects the Spirit’s power in our baptism.

In baptism, the gift is not just a gift of repentance and forgiveness, as the Acts text reflects.
While it is a gift for our own lives, like the gift of breathing in,
it is also encouragement and life, a breathing out of the Spirit into the world.
Baptism is for our own sake, but also for the world.

In our baptism, we breathe in forgiveness and reconciliation
and breathe out the Spirit in our life and works.
This is the full life of the baptized disciple.

And I would also add, that’s the mark of a beautiful life.
That’s the mark of a life lived in the power and promise of baptism.
That’s the mark of a life lived in the power and promise of Gods’ great love.
Amen.

(As Ludwig approaches, he finds his little buddy Sebastian rummaging around in a gift bag. Ludwig enters singing, “Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Fa la la la la, la la, la la.)
Ludwig: Hello there, Sebastian.
Sebastian: (oblivious to Ludwig’s call)
Ludwig: I said, hello there, Sebastian!
Sebastian: (Just keeps rummaging)
Ludwig: (Shouting) Look! Up in the sky! It’s Santa Claus!
Sebastian: (Sebastian’s head suddenly pops up) Santa Claus? Where?
Ludwig: Nowhere, silly. I was just trying to get your attention. I called you twice, but you didn’t answer.
Sebastian: You mean, you didn’t really see Santa Claus?
Ludwig: No, silly. I was just trying to get your attention.
Sebastian: (Giving Ludwig a cold stare)
Ludwig: (Defensively) You were ignoring me. I had to do something.
Sebastian: (Still staring) Ludwig, there are certain things in life that you just don’t kid around about. And Santa Claus is one of them!
Ludwig: I know, Sebastian. I’m sorry.
Sebastian: (Diving back into the gift bag.)
Ludwig: Wait a minute, Sebastian! I’m trying to talk to you!
Sebastian: Look, Ludwig, you can talk all you want, but I’ve got to get busy. It’s almost Christmas, and I still don’t have a present for Jesus.
Ludwig: A present for Jesus?
Sebastian: Yes. It’s his birthday and I still don’t have a present for him. (Suddenly lighting up) I know! I’ll give him my Scuba Doo sunglasses!
Ludwig: You mean, your Scooby Doo sunglasses?
Sebastian: No. I mean, my Scuba Doo sunglasses. I’m a sea creature, Ludwig. Remember?
Ludwig: OF course, Sebastian. How could I forget?
Sebastian: (On second thought, that’s’ not good enough. I need something really good for Jesus. (Suddenly lighting up again) I’ve got it! I’ll give him my Samurai Sushi action figure!
Ludwig: Your Samurai Sushi action figure?
Sebastian: No, wait! That’s not good enough either. I need some thing really, really good for Jesus, something he will really like.
Ludwig: How about your brand new X-Box Connect?
Sebastian: (Caught off-guard) My what?
Ludwig: You’re brand new X-Box Connect-.
Sebastian: But, Ludwig, I don’t have one. What are you talking about?
Ludwig: I’m talking about the one you asked for for Christmas.
Sebastian: You mean, I’m going to get one? Really? The new X-Box Connect?
Are you sure, Ludwig? (Grabbing Ludwig) Are you? Are you?
Ludwig: Ouch! Take it easy, Sebastian. You’re pinching me.
Sebastian: Oh, sorry, Ludwig. But, am I really going to get one?
Ludwig: Yes, yes.
Sebastian: But, how do you know?
Ludwig: Well, let’s just say a little elf told me. You know, the kind with the big pointed ears.
Sebastian: (Slapping his claws together) Oh boy! A new X-Box Connect! OH, Ludwig. Thank you. Thank you. I can’t wait!
Ludwig: So, when you get it, why don’t you give it to Jesus/
Sebastian: MY new X-Box Connect?
Ludwig: Yes, that would be a really good gift, wouldn’t it?
Sebastian: Yes, but, but, but, my new X-Box Connect? Oh, Ludwig!
Ludwig: Cheer up, Sebastian. I was only kidding. You don’t have to give Jesus your new X-Box Connect.
Sebastian: I don’t?
Ludwig: No, that’s not what Jesus wants from you this Christmas. He doesn’t want any of your toys.
Sebastian: He doesn’t?
Ludwig: OF course not, silly.
Sebastian: Well then, what does he want from me?
Ludwig: He wants your heart, Sebastian. Jesus wants your heart.
Sebastian: My heart?
Ludwig: Yes. Jesus wants you to give him your heart. And I happen to know that you, my friend, have a big one. So, why don’t you give Jesus your great big heart for Christmas.
Sebastian: (Pondering) My great big heart? (Lighting up again) Yes! That’s a great idea. Thanks, Ludwig. I’ll be right back. (Sebastian dives back into his toy box and pops up with a great big red plastic heart.) Here it is, Ludwig. I got it last Valentine’s Day. It’s a real beauty. Do you think he will like it?
Ludwig: Oh, Sebastian. When will you ever learn?
THE END

The names we bear have meaning,
And I think we do well to pause now and then to ponder them.
And, if we are attentive to our reading this morning,
Then we see that there is one more name that we all bear,
And I think we would also do well to take a few moments right now
to ponder what it means that each of us bears God’s name too.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,
Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Do we have any grade school teachers here this morning?
Actually, you don’t have to be a schoolteacher to answer this next question
I mean, we have all been to school, right?
So, here’s the question.
When it comes to turning in paperwork of any kind,
what’s one of the first lessons that every good student learns?
Answer: Put your name on your paper.
And why is this so important?
Without a name, you might not know who the paper belongs to.

So, how did you do?
Were you one of those students who always remembered to put your name on your paper?

Grade school that was a long time ago.
Since then, I suspect we have all had the opportunity to put our names on many papers.
I know, I have.
I’ve had to sign my name on the dotted line many times.
And when I did, it meant something, usually something important;
A college or job application, a driver’s or marriage license, a lease or service contract,
a bill of sale or tax return, a credit card slip.
You name it. When I put my name on the dotted line, it meant something.
I was putting a lot more than just my name on a line.
IN many cases, I was making a legally binding commitment, a promise that couldn’t easily be undone.

That’s how our legal system works, right?
Our word is our name and our name is our word,
So, our name is more than just our word, it’s really us, isn’t it?
When we sign on the dotted line, it’s as if we are putting ourselves;
who we are, and all that we have, on the dotted line too.

Given the exceedingly litigious society we live in,
I’m sure we all understand this quite well.
The name we bear carries certain among of weight with it.
And, depending on the situation and/or the name of the one who is putting his or her name on the dotted line,
That weight can be considerable.
One doctor told me,
When I put my name on a chart, I’m taking responsibility for the information contained therein.
I understand that I might have to defend it some day.

In our reading from Numbers, God declares, so shall they put my name on the Israelites.
So, why does God put his name on his people?
What is God trying to tell them?
What does God want them, and the whole world, to know?
And what about us?
What is God trying to tell us?
For we now bear Gods’ name too.

God put his name on us right here in the waters of our holy baptism.
It was here that God signed his name on our dotted line.
It was here that we became God’s children, chosen to bear God’s name forever.

So, what does God want us to know about the name we now bear?
Does putting his holy name on the dotted line mean the same thing to God
that it means to us when we do it?
When God does it, is God putting himself; who he is, and all that he has, on the line too.
Is God taking full responsibility for us, for all we say and do,
Understanding that there may come a day, when he himself may be called on to defend us?

Let’s look at this from a slightly different perspective.
Some companies spend millions, or even billions of dollars to develop a brand name,
Because they want the public, you and I, to know what that name stands for.
They want us to associate that name with things like, quality, reliability and integrity.
They understand that when they put their name on a product or service,
they are putting themselves and their future on the line too.
They are making a bold statement.
They want us to know that they believe in their work and are willing to stand behind it.
They want us to know that we can trust that they will deliver as advertised.

And isn’t that why God has put his name on us too?
God wants us to know that he will indeed deliver us as advertised.

OF course, everyone has brands they prefer.
And sometimes, people change their brands.
Maybe they just get tired of it, or maybe something happens
That causes them to question the reliability of their brand.

This can also happen with the holy brand we bear.
WE can become much less enthused about our brand, Or,
things can happen that might cause us to question its reliability.
Is GOD really with us?
IS everything God has told us really true?
Will God live up to his word?

Questions like these point to the importance of taking the time now and then
To return to the name we bear,
to lift it up and re-examine it in light of what it means
and what it proclaims about our future and the one who stands behind it,
and ultimately, what it says about us.

It not only says something about him. It says something about us, or ought to.
Quality? Reliability? Integrity?
WE carry the brand that stands for truth.
We carry the brand that stands for justice.
WE carry the brand that stands for God’s love.

This is a day to ponder this, and all it means for us as a faith community,
and for each of us personally as we stand on the threshold of this brand new year.

A reading from Philippians.
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness. and being found in human form, he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name
that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Knowing that we bear God’s name, and all the weight and promise that it carries with it
is both a great comfort to us and a great challenge,
But, whichever it may be, one thing we can be sure of,
It will never fail us,
and the one who put it on us will be with us every step of the way in this new year and always.
Amen.

Also, introduce the idea of giving the new year a name?
The new year is often portrayed as a new baby, the new year’s baby, so why not name it?
Name it, Emmanuel, God is with us.
And share my sincere hope and prayer that everyone would come to experience more fully
this presence, this power, this reality, this truth,
in this new year.
Amen.

I’m going to identify a person, place or thing that appears in our reading today,
and I want you to identify it as either ordinary or extraordinary.
Are you ready?

A town in Galilee called Nazareth, ordinary.
An angel sent from God, extraordinary.
A young peasant girl named Mary. Ordinary.
The angel’s announcement that she, of all women, is God’s favored one Extraordinary.
A virgin engaged to be married. ordinary.
A virgin conceiving. extraordinary.
Bearing a child, a son., Ordinary.
A son who will be great, and will be called, Son of The Most High God. Extraordinary.
The virgin’s question to the angel, “How can this be?” ordinary.
The angel’s response, extraordinary.
And finally, Mary’s response to all that the angel told her. Extraordinary.
(Applaud the congregation)

Our Gospel Reading for this fourth Sunday in Advent invites ordinary people like us
to consider and even believe some extraordinary things.
Is it even possible?
Can ordinary people like us truly comprehend the extraordinary?
And if we can, can it rightly be called extraordinary?
Maybe not.
Maybe that which is truly extraordinary can only be comprehended fully
by that which is itself, truly extraordinary.
OR maybe, like Mary, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit, ordinary people like us can.
“For, as it is written, nothing will be impossible with God.”

Luke goes to great lengths to make sure that we understand
That God works with ordinary people from ordinary places
To accomplish God’s extraordinary purposes,
People like Mary and her relative Elizabeth, Joseph, John the Baptizer, Peter,
and all the Disciples.
But, they all have one thing in common, and that’s, Jesus
Jesus is the common thread that weaves himself through all their stories.
They all had a relationship with Jesus Christ,
which at the time, was no ordinary thing,
as we heard last week in these words from the beginning of Johns’ Gospel.

John writes,
“He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him.
But to those who received him, who believed in his name,
he gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.”

They had A relationship with Jesus. Extraordinary,
At least, it was then.
In fact, ultimately, it got most of them martyred.
It was unique.
It’s what separated them from all the other ordinary people around them.
That, and one more thing, faith.
They had faith to believe things that ordinary people ought not to have believed;
Things that ordinary common sense would have told them not to believe.

They all had Jesus and they all had faith.
That was the unique combination that allowed God to do extraordinary things with them,
That allowed God’s will to be done in them and through them.

Whew! Am I glad God is over that!
Am I glad God doesn’t work that way any more.
Oh, wait, God still does.
God is still doing extraordinary things for ordinary people.
Ordinary people like us.
And that too is extraordinary.

And if you think today’s birth story is extraordinary,
Jus wait until Easter gets here.
Because, God has another extraordinary story waiting for us,
another extraordinary birth story, you might say.

As our reading from Second Samuel reminds us,
Through Christ, The Lord God has made a house for us, a heavenly house,
And when that time comes for us, he will come and take us to himself, just as he has promised..
But, some people have a hard time believing that story too.
Some people have a hard time believing that there really is a heaven
and a resurrection to eternal life,
Just as they have a hard time believing that there really was a virgin birth.
People like Zechariah.

Who Is Zechariah?
Zechariah is that devout religious man that we meet in the verses
Leading up to the annunciation text before us.
Zechariah was a man who was married to a childless woman named Elizabeth.
Zechariah was a man who also received a visit from the angel Gabriel
And a special message from God about a special birth.
(Paraphrasing)
“Zechariah, I know you and your wife Elizabeth are childless, and, how should I say this delicately,
getting on in years,
and I know everyone thinks she’s incapable of having a child.
But, guess what? She will conceive and bear a son, and when she does,
you are to name him John,
not Zechariah, as is the custom of your people, but, John.
You are to name him, John.”

Zechariah was an ordinary man, who received some extraordinary news too,
Just like Mary, only, Zechariah scoffed at the thought of it,
Scoffed at the thought that God could and would do such a thing for him and his wife.
And with that, he was struck mute, mute, absolutely speechless.
He was unable to utter an intelligible sound, until the baby, his son, the promised child,
was born to his wife who everyone else had believed was barren.
And with that, his tongue was suddenly loosed.
And do you know what the first words that came out of his mouth were?
“His name is John.”

Evidently, the whole thing was something of a spiritual awakening for Zechariah.
And won’t it also be for all those scoffers out there;
All those ordinary scoffers out there who say that there is no heaven
and no resurrection to eternal life.
And won’t they also be struck dumb when they see,
like Zechariah, like Mary, like Peter and the disciples, like us,
that it’s all true!
The only difference is, that when all the scoffers are finally able to speak,
the first words out of their mouth wont’ be, His name is John.
But instead, his name is Jesus,
Or like Thomas, “my lord and my God!”
For nothing, absolutely nothing, will be impossible with God. Extraordinary!

Just as we are living now in the hope and expectation of the virgin birth
we are also living in the hope and expectation that,
just as Jesus died and was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
we too will live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his,
We will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

You and I together now. Ordinary.
You and I together now and forever. Extraordinary.
Amen.