“Life Ain’t a Musical, but It Oughta Be” (Luke 1:39-55)

As many of you know, I like musicals.  I like how musicals tell stories through music and dance.  I like how they add flair and class to what would normally be an ordinary discourse or scene.  How they express feelings like love, joy, sadness, and fear in music.  How they can make you smile, laugh, or cry . . . make you see life or someone or something in a different way.  Musicals just make you feel good.

Now, I know that musicals are entertainment . . . that they are not “real” life.  People do not just break out in song and dance in everyday life.  No, “real” life is a far cry from what is seen in musicals.  If you or I were to be walking down the street and suddenly break out in a song and dance . . . well, I imagine that law enforcement would not be too far behind us, or that people would clear out.  In “real” life, people just do not break out in song and dance like they do in a musical.  If you or I did that, people would look at us funny.

At times in my life, I have wondered why life is not more like a musical . . . wondered why more people did not break out in spontaneous song and dance routines when the feeling hit them.  Come on, admit it . . . we have all had those moments in our lives when we just wanted to break out in a song and dance because we were overwhelmed with emotions.  Yet, we didn’t.  We didn’t because life ain’t a musical . . .

. . . but, it oughta be.

Apparently in our scripture reading this morning we are witnessing a moment in which life seems to imitate a musical.  In our reading we have Mary breaking out in song in response to her overwhelming emotions about the love, grace, and blessing she feels as the chosen one to bear the child of God.  In most bibles, Luke, chapter one, verses 46 through 55, is titled “Mary’s Song”.  The words written are referred to as a song . . . Mary breaks out in a song to express what she is feeling . . . and, it is beautiful.  In its beauty, it moves us . . . touches our hearts, as we feel the emotions that she is attempting to express.  It conveys its message in different way.  It makes us feel good.

And, why shouldn’t it.  In the words that Mary shares she conveys the fact that God is coming to save and free us.  That in a time of great darkness . . . of time of political upheaval, violence, injustice, and difficulties . . . there is hope.  Hope is God intervening into the world to bring grace, love, hope, and joy.  God is coming into the world.  That is pretty overwhelming news . . . and, she is the instrument in which it will be possible.  That is more than enough to make anyone want to burst out in a song and dance . . . and, our reading tells us that is exactly what Mary did.  Though she skipped the dance, she did break out in song.

I like that there is this musical interlude thrown right smack in the middle of this journey of Advent that we have all been a part of for the past couple of weeks.  I like it because it kind of sums up all the emotions we feel as we enter into the final days of this journey . . . as we wrap up all of our preparations . . . to receive this “gift”—the presence of God into the world and our lives.  Thus it is that we, too, should break out into song because we are looking forward to something that is better than the violence and suffering and injustice that is all around us in the world in which we live.  We break out into song because we look forward to the kindness and generosity and compassion of our God being fulfilled for the peoples of the world through this gift that we are offered and receive.

That, my friends, is something worth singing about!

But, alas, this is “real” life and in “real” life people just do not go about breaking into song and dance whenever they feel like it.  How sad it is . . . just imagine how much more pleasant life would be if we all started our days with song.  When you think about it, it takes someone with a whole lot of gumption and confidence in him or herself to live life as if it is a musical . . . to just break out in song and dance whenever he or she felt move to do it.  I know that I am not describing myself . . . I can’t carry a tune in a bucket . . . I dance like a fish flopping out of water . . . and, the only ones who appreciate my efforts at such song and dance are my grandchildren!  So, you aren’t going to find me pulling a Mary . . . not breaking out in song and dance.

I am not sure how well Mary could sing, but the message is behind the act and words.  The writer of the Gospel of Luke is telling us that Mary was so overwhelmed with emotion that she expressed her joy through song. Remember the first words of her song: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior . . .”  Through song, Mary lets it all out.

And, so should we. 

I am not saying that we should all break out in song and dance whether we are overwhelmed with emotion—good or bad—like in a musical.  No, what I am saying is that we should not be shy in expressing our emotions—good or bad—about our faith in a God who loves us, cares for us, and is with us.  We should let it out.  Remember, the simplest prayer that anyone could ever say to God is “thank you”. 

As we are entering into the final days of our journey . . . the final days of our preparations to receive this “gift” from God, we need embrace our confidence in what our faith is . . . in the knowledge of what God is doing . . . to allow our joy to spring forth.  We need to sing in thanksgiving, in celebration, in remembrance, and in proclamation of the promise that was made to our ancestors and to us—God is with us.  Even though life ain’t a musical, it oughta be.  In these final days, allow yourself to express your joy through whatever means it is that it takes for this “gift” we receive.  Echo the words of Mary’s song “. . . for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.”

Go ahead . . . sing . . . dance.  God will love it!  Amen!

“A Change of Heart” (Luke 3:7-18)

One of my favorite Christmas stories is Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  The Grinch is an anti-social individual who lives up in the mountains above Whoville and he really, really dislikes Christmas . . . especially Christmas as the community of Whoville celebrates it with all its noise and festivities.  He hates it!  He hates it so much that one year he decides that he is going to do something to put an end to it all . . . he would sneak down and steal everything related to Christmas—the decorations, the trees, the lights, and even all the presents.  In his mind he was certain that it would end all the noise and celebrating . . . finally he would have some peace and quiet.

And, that is what he does.

The Grinch sneaks down to Whoville and steals it all . . . every last bit.  Then he hauls it all up the mountain . . . gloating all the way.  Grinch believes that he has pulled off the perfect crime and solved his problem . . . but, then, he hears it . . . singing.  There is singing coming up the mountain as the people of Whoville gather together to welcome Christmas.  He can’t believe his ears.  It couldn’t be possible because he had taken everything that was associated with Christmas . . . how could they still be happy . . . how could they celebrate . . . they had nothing.  But, there they were . . . celebrating.

Perplexed, the Grinch wondered as Dr. Seuss explains: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

So, what happened then?  Dr. Seuss explains: “Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches plus two.”  With a change of heart, the Grinch returns everything to Whoville and joins in their celebration.

It came down to a change in heart. 

In our scripture reading we get the rest of the story about John the Baptist and his call to repentance.  Now remember that in the Jewish faith, to sin is to go down the wrong path or road . . . to repent is to turn around and go down the right path or road.  That was what we would call the Old Testament understanding of sin and repentance.  Yet, the people of the time that this story takes places do not see it quite that way.  Instead they see the baptism of repentance to be a sort of maintenance thing . . . like changing the oil in your car every couple of thousands of miles; or taking a bath to wash the dirt off.  It was something you did until the next time you needed it.  It made them feel good without having to really turn around, deal with their sins, and head in the right direction.  The baptism that John was preaching was one of turning around and going in a new direction . . . going in God’s direction.

Apparently, John got tired of the people misunderstanding what he was preaching.  In our reading this morning lays into the people harshly, calling them a “brood of vipers”.  He tells them that they are going to pay for their ignorance of his words . . . “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

John the Baptist scares them with what he is saying.  He scares them so much that they begin to question him about what they must do to avoid this fiery picture he is painting.  They want to know . . . “What should we do then?”

He tells them to have a change of heart.  He tells them to love others, not by word, but by action.  If a person has two coats and see someone without a coat . . . give that person, the extra coat.  In not so many words, John is telling them that they are to love others as they would love themselves . . . treat others as you would want to be treated . . . and, to do it with actions and the way that you live your life.  He wants them to embrace this idea of changing heart . . . changing heart to let others in.  To let others into the family, the family of God.

The season of Advent can be a special time of the year for those of us who follow Jesus as we focus on preparing ourselves for the celebrating of the “gift” that is coming.  We can fill it with lots of decorations, pretty lights, wondrous carols, hymns, and songs . . . parties here and there . . . presents . . . all the wrappings.  We keep ourselves busy in our preparations for the coming of Christmas during the season of Advent.  Yet, we sometimes forget that this time of year in our spiritual journey is not so special unless it influences the ordinary, non-special moments of our lives . . . unless we have a change of heart.

Remember that Advent is a season that is grounded in yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  We celebrate the Christ who has come, we anticipate the Christ who will return, and we work on the Christ where we are in the present moment.  Jesus came to change the world . . . to make them turn around and head in God’s direction . . . to do God’s will.  As the followers of Jesus, the expectation is upon us too.  We are expected to change the world.

That is a pretty tall order.  How are little ol’ us going to change the world?  We are not Jesus . . . not John the Baptist.  No, we are just every day, ordinary people . . . not spiritual super heroes.  And, that is a problem.  Too often we do not see ourselves as being very spiritual . . . at least not in the biblical sense that we read in our bibles.  We don’t think that the ordinary things that we do in our homes, work, or play matters much when it comes spiritual implications.  But, we are wrong.  Everything that we do is spiritually important.  What we do has the power to make a difference in someone’s life.

John the Baptist does not tell the people to rise up and overthrow the powers that be when he talks of change.  Instead he tells them to consider the things that they do for others . . . those who are in their lives, and those who they encounter.  He encourages them to love them.  In doing this, one practices one’s faith . . . one makes a difference.  It is a change of heart.

In my heart, when I pray during our prayer time on Sunday morning, I think that it is important to ask God—during the time of confession—to not only helps us to turn around in our repentance, but to also give us the strength to not only turn around but to walk down that path of new direction.  In other words, to not only turn around, but to give us a change of heart to live our lives as God desires us to live them.

To have a change of heart.  That is the goal of the Advent season . . . to have a change of heart.  John the Baptist preaches it . . . Jesus shows us.  The rest is up to us as we stand on the nexus between Advent and Christmas.  We have turned around . . . turned around because, like the Grinch, we know that the gift we are preparing to receive is more than something that comes from a store . . . that it means a whole lot more.  It means embracing God’s desire for love . . . love of God, love of others.  It means having and living a change of heart.  Amen.

“Road Construction” (Luke 3:1-6)

We have all heard the joke about seasons in Montana . . . that there are just two of them—winter and construction.  Winter is marked with snow, ice, and frigid temperatures.  Construction season is marked with orange cones, traffic delays, and lots of people running around in orange vests or leaning on shovels.  Thankfully we have entered the winter season,

whatever potholes that didn’t get filled during construction are now filled with snow and ice.  We all know that it’s not true, but it sure seems as if it is. 

In our scripture reading this morning, John the Baptist talks about road construction: “. . . make straights paths . . . Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.  The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.”  Sounds like he is describing the construction they have been doing on the bypass from Laurel to Rockvale for the past couple of years!  Yet, the truth is that he is not talking so much about actual road construction.  No, he is talking about the promise of God to restore the relationship between God’s children and God’s self.  He is talking about that intimate relationship between God and all of humanity.  He is talking about God’s invitation to restore that intimacy and love . . . an invitation to come home once again.  And, to prove it, God is removing all the obstacles and barriers making the path straight and easy.

In other words, God is paving the way.  All we must do is to travel down that road . . . accept the invitation.

I think that if we were going to be honest, we would probably like to see that road from God’s vantage point because the road we have been traveling down hasn’t always been that smooth or straight.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but the road of my faith journey has not always been smooth or straight.  I have encountered bumps and potholes, washouts, delays, detours, and lots of other wonderful obstacles and barriers that have not made the journey seem much like what John the Baptist is describing.  The road from most of our vantage points looks nothing like the road that God sees from where God is looking down.

But, no matter what the road looks like from our end, we can see the end from here.  The problem is getting there.

That is why John the Baptist proclaims: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”  And then, he goes into filling in the valleys, plowing down the mountains and hills, straightening out the curves, and making things smooth.  The prophet is letting his hearers—and us—know that if God is willing to remove the obstacles and barriers from God’s end, that we need to be willing to do the same thing from our end.  He calls us to do a little road construction of our own.

Advent is a season or preparation . . . we are preparing for the “gift”.  The “gift” that restores that relationship between us and God.  And, we know that that “gift” is Jesus.  That is what we are journeying towards . . . yesterday, today, and tomorrow . . . and, Jesus shows us the way.  Yet, we still need to prepare.  We need to do some road construction . . . do a little removing of obstacles and barriers . . . a little straightening out and smoothing. 

We know that John’s ministry was based on a preaching of the baptism of repentance.  Surprisingly, the repentance that John preached was misunderstood by those who were hearing it.  Those who were hearing it were picturing it as a ritual or legal transaction to rid their consciences of their sins to go about their daily business.  Sort of like taking a bath to clean the dirt off themselves until the next time they needed a bath.  Thus, it was not unusual for people of this time to be baptized many times in their lifetimes.  But, that was not the baptism that John the Baptist was preaching.

No, he was preaching about “turning around and going in a different direction”.  The Old Testament term for “sin” means “to walk on the wrong path” or “to walk in the wrong direction.”  The term used for “repent” means to “turn around” or “to change direction.”  The people have gone the wrong way or direction . . . away from God.  Thus, it is that John the Baptist is calling for a deeper and more literal understanding of repentance . . . something more than a ritual or legalistic transaction.  He is calling the people to return to a covenant faithfulness that will be lived out in the reality of the world . . . a certain kind of lifestyle that puts into practice daily what it means to live in the grace of God.  He is calling for a different way of being religious . . . or being faithful.  That is the path shown by God through Jesus.

That is the “good news” that is being shared.  God has prepared the highway before us . . . shown us what could be . . . that the barriers and obstacles have been removed.  God has done God’s work.  It is right there for the taking.  Yet, at the same time, we need to do our work . . . we need to “turn around”.  We need to “turn around” and start living our lives in and through the grace of God daily.  We need to remove those obstacles and barriers we have constructed that keep us from fully loving God and others.  We need to enter the construction season. 

And, as I say this, I must admit, this doesn’t sound much like “good news” . . . it sounds like a lot of hard work.  Yet, it is “good news” because we have Jesus . . . the one who came to show us the way, the one who walks with us along the way, and the one we journey towards . . . we are not alone in the journey.  This is good news to us as the followers of Jesus as we have committed to live our lives in an attitude of humility, expectation, and repentance knowing that all of life is shaped by the One who came and is coming.

So, we discover that even though the snow has started flying, construction season is not over for those of us on the journey of faith.  In this season of Advent we are hard at work “preparing the way” for the “good news” . . . we are going home!  All we need to do is to turn around.  The road home has been built . . . the paths are straight, the valleys filled in, the mountains and hills made low, the crooked has been made straight, and the rough is smooth.  That is God’s message as we prepare for the “gift”.  Amen.