Reflections from the Stable

a Christmas Eve story

Roger Lynn

December 24, 2017

(click here for the audio for this story)

(click here for the video for the whole service - the story begins at about 37:15)

My name is Jacob. I am old now, but once upon a time when I was young my family lived in the village of Bethlehem. My father ran the local inn and I often helped out, especially when things got busy. One of my jobs was working in the stable out behind the barn. I swept out the stalls and made sure there was fresh hay in the manger. 

It was a long time ago, but there was one night that I will remember for the rest of my life. The inn was as busy as I had ever seen it. I was young and didn’t really understand why it was so busy, but I later learned that the Roman emperor had made a law which required everyone to return to their hometown for a census. It still seems like a crazy sort of law, but apparently when you are the emperor you get to do crazy things. Anyway, what it meant for Bethlehem was chaos. There were people everywhere. I guess it was fun in its own way – sort of like a giant family reunion. But Bethlehem is not a big place, and there wasn’t really enough room for everyone. My father’s inn was completely swamped. Every room was taken. People were sleeping on tables and in the courtyard. They were everywhere. I remember my father running around trying to keep everyone happy, which only seemed to work part of the time. And finally he just threw up his hands and said, “That’s it! We’re full! There is absolutely no way we can take any more guests!” 

God’s Surprise (Advent 4)

Micah 5: 2-5a & Luke 1: 39-55

Roger Lynn

December 24, 2017

4th Sunday in Advent

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

(click here for the video of the whole worship service - the sermon begins at 18:50)

How often do we miss it because we are looking in another direction? In this world of “might makes right” and “bigger is better” and “the one with the most toys wins” - how often do we fail to notice the presence of the God who shows up in backwater towns like Bethlehem and in the lives of marginalized people like teen-age unwed mothers and old women? Brian Andreas is an artist who does a series he calls Storypeople. In the one that showed up this morning in my Facebook feed he writes. “One time on Hollywood Boulevard I saw a young girl with a baby. It was a crisp winter morning & her hair shone dark purple in the sun. She was panhandling outside the Holiday Inn & the door clerk came out & told her to be on her way & I wondered if anyone would recognize the Christ child if they happened to meet. I remember thinking it’s not like there are any published pictures & purple seemed like a good color for a Madonna so I gave her a dollar just in case.” (click here to view this piece) Over and over in scripture we find this message – God will not be contained or constrained by our narrow vision of how the world works. God will continue to show up in surprising and unexpected places and circumstances.

And this is good news, indeed! Can you imagine what the world, and our lives, would be like if God were no more than what we usually expect? I want to have my horizons expanded. I want to be challenged to step beyond my comfort zone. I want to be surprised by God. Because only then am I most fully in touch with what is real and true and powerful – in me, in the world, in God.

Reflection from the Longest Night Service

a service for those experiencing grief and loss

Commentary on John 1:1-5 & 9

Roger Lynn

December 21, 2017

It is appropriate that this service is held on the longest night of the year. When you have experienced loss and find yourself in the midst of grief, it can feel as if the darkness will last forever, with no hope that the sun will ever again light your world. Journeying through that darkness can be a daunting and overwhelming challenge. We put one foot in front of the other, pulled along by some force which we cannot name and do not understand, because in that moment the darkness is our reality. But we are saved by the fact that there is more to life than simply our own personal perceived reality. The prologue to John’s Gospel (which we heard read just a few moments ago) describes this broader, deeper, fuller reality as “the Word” – the living incarnation of divine presence. And John says that this presence enlightens everyone. Everyone – whether you notice or not, whether you ask for it or not, whether you think you deserve it or not. God’s light shines in our lives, guiding us along through the darkness, even when we have no idea why we should keep going.

Choosing To Live Joyfully (Advent 3)

Philippians 4: 4-9

Roger Lynn

December 17, 2017

3rd Sunday in Advent

(there was technical difficulties with the audio for this sermon - hopefully we will get them resolved by next Sunday)
(click here for the video for the entire service - the sermon begins at 21:33) 

The theme for this third Sunday in the season of Advent is “Joy.” And it is worth noting that we sometimes get confused by the idea of joy. The words happy and joyful are often used almost interchangeably, and then we read something like Paul’s words to the Church at Philippi and it doesn’t make much sense to us. “Rejoice in the Lord always!” How in the world is that supposed to work? We think he is advocating some sort of Pollyanna-ish approach to life, complete with rose colored glasses and a painted on fake smile. We know what the world is like and there’s just no way we can close our eyes and pretend that everything is wonderful when it’s not.

But that is not what Paul is advocating. He understands very well indeed that life can be painful. This is, after all, the man who was shipwrecked on several occasions, thrown into prison more than once, run out of town under threat of death, along with various other hardships we can only begin to imagine. He is not saying, “Just put on a smile and hope it all turns out OK.” What he is offering is far more radical than that. He is urging us to choose joy. He is suggesting that when we choose to place our trust in God it actually changes how we experience life. The same stuff will very likely still happen to us. But how we respond to it will be radically different. 

Whose Peace Are We Seeking? (Advent 2)

Isaiah 11: 1-9  & Matthew 3: 1-12

Roger Lynn

December 10, 2017

2nd Sunday in Advent

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

(click here for the video for the entire worship service - the sermon stars at 21:21)

Every year the second Sunday in Advent is Peace Sunday. It is a time to pause and reflect on what it means to speak about God’s Shalom, and to envision what it would look like if we were to experience it in our lives and in our world. One Sunday a year is certainly not adequate for such a vitally important topic. But at least it is a start. 

We might begin with a reminder about the definition of Shalom. It is a Hebrew word which often gets translated as Peace. But perhaps a fuller, richer, more accurate translation would be Wholeness. When we seek to live our lives in harmony with God we begin to experience healing. The brokenness which contributes to so much pain and violence in our world begins to heal. Peace, real peace, emerges. It is peace which rises up out of an expansive re-orientation of all of life, rather than a peace which is imposed through conflict being repressed. It is not about negotiated settlements. It is about deep and genuine transformation. Such peace does not come simply because we work hard enough to make it happen. It comes when we allow God’s Spirit to flow in us and through us.

Watching For What’s Already Here (Advent 1)

Isaiah 2: 1-5 & Romans 13: 11-14

Roger Lynn

December 3, 2017

First Sunday in Advent

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

(click here for the video of the entire worship service - the sermon begins at 21:09)

Today we enter the season of Advent. This is the beginning of a new year in the liturgical calendar of the Church. It is when we begin again to tell the story of faith. We lift up themes of hope, peace, joy and love. We speak in hushed whispers of expectation and anticipation as we watch and wait and prepare for the message of Christmas – the coming of Christ into the world. There is a stillness about this season, as we wait in the pre-dawn darkness for the wonder of the new sunrise. This is a season for stories, poetry, and metaphor, because the reality we are trying to describe far outstrips the ability of our language to express. When we approach the Sacred by fully immersing ourselves in such stories and rituals we stand a chance of experiencing the fullness of God in ways which are far deeper and richer than mere thinking allows.