“Learning From and with Our God of Unconditional Love (Together, in a Variety of Ways)”

“Learning About Jesus is a Life-Long Journey” – Isaiah 60:1-6,  Matthew 2:1-12

2024 is over. 2025 has begun. We stand in a line of souls who loved, love, and will love, because of God’s unconditional love. I’m in the midst of reading Richard Rohr’s newest book, Eager to Love. I’m learning about Jesus and it’s a lifelong journey of discovering the depth of God’s love for me and others. Richard writes this about love, 

Francis and Clare (St. Francis and St. Clare) died into the life they loved instead of living in fear of any death that could end their life. They were both so very eager to love, and they somehow knew that dying to the old and unneeded was an essential part of living this love at any depth.[1]

Let us not forget the past year too quickly. Have we recounted the gracious deeds of God, the Lord, in our lives? Our past has a profound impact on the present and the future.

The movie Les Misérables, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, opens with a vagabond curled up on a stone bench on a desolate French street corner. His bedraggled appearance makes him seem dangerous and causes the townspeople, from whom he sought food and shelter, to snub him. Finally, he slumps over in dejection—until a passerby points to a place where he can find refuge.

He goes to the door and knocks. The homeowner, the town’s bishop, is startled by the late-night visitation but attentively listens to his story. His name is Jean Valjean, and he reveals that he is a recently released convict and marked by the authorities as dangerous. Even so, the bishop welcomes him into his home and serves him dinner.

Later, in the middle of the night, despite the bishop’s kindness, Valjean double-crosses him. Valjean remembers the sparkling silver spoon he used to eat his soup at dinner and sneaks to the dining room to steal the bishop’s valuable silverware. The clanking of metal arouses the bishop, who rises to inspect the clattering below. When they meet face to face, Valjean strikes the bishop, leaving him unconscious, and escapes with a heavy knapsack of silver.

The following morning the bishop’s domestic servant laments the loss of her silver, but the bishop seems unperturbed, telling his domestic servant, “So we’ll use wooden spoons. I don’t want to hear anything more about it.” Moments later, authorities appear at the bishop’s manor with the stolen silver and Valjean handcuffed. Looking deeply into the thief’s eyes, the bishop says, “I’m very angry with you, Jean Valjean.” Turning toward the authorities, he asks, “Didn’t he tell you he was our guest?” “Oh, yes,” replies the chief authority, “after we searched his knapsack and found all this silver. He claimed that you gave it to him.” Stooping in shame, Valjean expects the bishop to indict him. A new prison sentence awaits him. But the bishop says, “Yes. Of course, I gave him the silverware.” Then, looking intently at Valjean he asks, “But why didn’t you take the candlesticks? That was very foolish. They’re worth at least 2,000 francs. Why did you leave them? Did you forget to take them?” The bishop orders his domestic servant to hurry and fetch the candlesticks, while the authorities stand dumbfounded. They ask, “Are you saying he told us the truth?” The bishop replies, “Of course. Thank you for bringing him back. I’m very relieved.” The authorities immediately release Valjean, who is shocked by the turn of events, and the bishop thrusts the retrieved candlesticks into Valjean’s knapsack.

Once the authorities leave, the bishop drops the heavy bag of silver at Valjean’s feet. After peeling away Valjean’s hood, which was cloaking his guilty face, the bishop sternly looks him in the eyes and orders Valjean, “Don’t forget don’t ever forget you’ve promised to become a new man.” Valjean, trembling, makes the promise and with utter humility asks, “Why are you doing this?” The bishop places his hands on Valjean’s shoulders, as an act of blessing, and declares, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I’ve bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God.”[2]

The Danish theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) reflects on the importance of the past, but not losing focus on moving forward in the present to the future when he writes, “Life can only be understood by looking backward, but it must be lived looking forward.”[3] This is the thrust of our reading in Isaiah 60:1-6. Isaiah describes what he sees. He sees a broken community being restored. Isaiah see the City filled with light. Isaiah in 60:4 “Look around, and you will see your children coming home.” The nations of all the earth make a procession to the city all the while praising God and bringing the very best gifts fitting to be placed in the house of God.

The text in Matthew 2:1-12 articulates the role of the wisemen in Herod’s attempt to trap the baby Jesus. The wise men had nothing to do with it. They gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The wisemen paid homage. Herod attempted to spread terror and fear. The wisemen affirmed a new king was coming and Herod would come unhinged.[4]

All of us have a past. All of us are living in the present. All of us have a future. The past, present, and future are all part of what God is doing in and with your life. If you do not believe in God through God’s son Jesus Christ, then I invite you to eavesdrop on the following discussion. And those of you who have trusted your life to the love, care, and mercy of Jesus Christ listen too. Nothing has happened in your past, is happening in your present, and will happen in your future took place, takes place, or will take place outside of the presence of God. God was, is, and will be with you. The gracious deeds God has done, is doing and will be doing in your because you have believed God and God’s promises made in and through Jesus Christ.

We can do this my friends in the freedom we receive in Jesus. Again Richard Rohr writes,

Once we can accept that Jesus has given us an illuminating lens by which to see and measure all things, we can no longer treat Christianity as a threat—or allow it to be a threat—to human or cultural freedom. In fact, it is true freedom’s greatest ally. The gospel is a process much more than a product, a style more than a structure, a person more than a production. It is a way of being in the world that will always feel like compassion, mercy, and spaciousness—at least to honest and healthy people. How different and healing Western history could have been if we had received such gospel freedom and modeled it for others![5]

But it is not too late to continue rewriting the story by learning that loving God and loving others is a game changer. Every day in 2025 asks you to walk in the interval between birth and death by recounting the gracious deeds of the Lord. As Martin Thielen writes, “…forgiveness is a major biblical theme and a huge emphasis of Jesus. I’ve concluded that at heart, forgiveness is a gift, in at least three ways. First, forgiveness is a gift to others…Second, forgiveness is a gift to God…Finally, forgiveness is a gift to ourselves.”[6]  Yes, forgiveness is the greatest act of connecting God’s love and your love to others. By recounting the gracious deeds of the Lord, we are embraced by forgiveness. By recounting the gracious deeds of the Lord, we participate in the ends that God desires.[7] Liberation for humanity is at the heart of God. Happy New Year! Amen.

This sermon was preached on the Second Sunday after Christmas, Sunday, 5 January 20245

in the Great Room and Sanctuary by the Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

at Grace Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas

 

Copyright Ó 2024

Steven M. Marsh

All rights reserved.

[1]Richard Rohr, Eager to Love (Cincinnati, OH: Franciscan Media, 2024),

[2]Taken from http://www.preachingtoday.com/ Les Misérables, rated PG-13, released 1998, based on the novel by Victor Hugo; written by Rafael Yglesias, directed by Bille August; submitted to Preaching Today by Melissa Parks, Des Plaines, Illinois | posted 4/16/2001.

[3]Soren Kierkegaard, as quoted in David Bouchier-Hayes, “’Life Can Only Be Understood by Looking Backward; but It Must Be Lived Looking Forward’ –Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855),” Irish Journal of Medical Science 174 (March 2005).”

[4]The exegesis in the two paragraphs above was influenced by Glen Bell, Melissa Browning, Joel Marcus Lemon, John C. Holbert, Rodger Y. Nishioka, Ronald J. Allen, and Michael L. Lindvall in Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors, Connections, Year C, Volume 1, 143-145, 146-147, 148-150, 151-153, 153-154, 155-157, and 157-159.

 

[5]From Richard Rohr’s daily meditation, January 1, 2025.

[6]Martin Thielen, Searching For Happiness (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016), 69-70.

[7]Idea gleaned from Emily Askew in David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 1, 150.

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12-29-2024 Rev Steven Marsh – Love Links Us to One Another and Others

“Worshipping Our God of Unconditional Love (Together, in a Variety of Ways)”

“Love Links Us To One Another and Others” – 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26, Luke 2:41-52

The Christ Candle is lit. The messiah of hope, peace, joy and love has entered the world. Humanity has been offered grace. The fourth century bishop of Hippo, Augustine, writes this about the significance of the birth of Jesus as God’s most tangible expression of grace, the grace available to humanity,

Our Lord came down from life to suffer death;
the Bread came down, to hunger;
the Way came down, on the way to weariness;
the Fount came down, to thirst.
—Augustine, Sermon 78[1]

He so loved us that, for our sake,
He was made man in time,
although through him all times were made.
He was made man, who made man.
He was created of a mother whom he created.
He was carried by hands that he formed.
He cried in the manger in wordless infancy, he the Word,
without whom all human eloquence is mute.
—Augustine, Sermon 188, 2[2]

It is true. Only Christianity places “grace” at the theological core of its belief system. That is the good news of Christmas and we share it again on this First Sunday after Christmas.

Samuel’s life is an act of grace itself. His mother’s womb was barren until God answered Hannah’s prayer. Samuel was integral in bringing to and exiting from the throne Saul as King and raising up and anointing David as King. Samuel prepared the way for Jesus. We receive from Samuel and Jesus a vision for being God’s loving family, a community of mutual, self-giving, and sacrificial love.

In the Gospel of Luke, we learn that Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and love. Jesus dispensed grace, positioning himself in relationship to and with others in a profoundly loving way. Melissa Browning writes, “Yes, injustice abounds, but God’s justice always wins in the end. No system of governance has ever lived up to the justice that God expects. Our hope comes in knowing that it is within our power to do the work of justice and mercy here and now, even when our rulers are scoundrels.”[3]  God’s plan for saving the world through love…loving God and loving others…was and is a methodology of shared leadership. [4] Shared leadership empowers others to know they are loved by God and can love others. Yet, shared leadership is hindered by ego, fear of failure, control, inefficiency, pride/insecurity, and self-sufficiency.[5]

As people of Jesus we need to bear with one another. Grace dispensed in difficult times requires accountability, support, and encouragement. Practicing grace is not a solo endeavor. We are to do this with one another. We need to support one another in this walk of forgiveness as members of the body of Christ. As followers of Jesus wearing “love” is our defining garment.

Peter Wehner, an opinion writer for The New York Times, writes,

If you find yourself in the company of people whose hearts have been captured by grace, count yourself lucky. They love us despite our messy lives, stay connected to us through our struggles, always holding out the hope of redemption. When relationships are broken…it’s grace that causes people not to give up, to extend the invitation to reconnect, to work through misunderstandings with sensitivity and transparency.[6]

Loving God and loving others brings salvation. This is good news.

When you respond to God’s calling, it is good news for the world. You then represent what a human can look and behave like as envisioned in God’s desire. Increase in stature, wisdom, and the favor of God. Just like road works around our city seem to occur all the time, our lives undergo ongoing construction. Your story is constantly being written. Participate with Jesus in the ongoing construction of your life continually shoring up your life of purpose and service. Amen.

 

This sermon was preached on the First Sunday after Christmas, 29 December 2024  

by the Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh in the Great Room and Sanctuary at

Grace Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas

 

Copyright Ó 2024

Steven M. Marsh

All rights reserved.

[1]Taken from the Preaching Today website in the lectionary section of illustrations for

December 29, 2024.

[2]Ibid.

[3]Melissa Browning in Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors, Connections, Year C, Volume 1 (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), 115.

[4]The exegesis in the two paragraphs above was influenced by Glen Bell, Melissa Browning, Joel Marcus Lemon, John C. Holbert, Rodger Y. Nishioka, Ronald J. Allen, and Michael L. Lindvall in Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors, Connections, Year C, Volume 1, 112-114, 114-115, 116-118, 119-120, 121-122, 123-125, and 125-126.

[5]Ideas on shared leadership are gleaned from Sandra Maria Van Opstal The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2016), 92-93.

[6]Peter Wehner, The New York Times, December 23, 2018.

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12-24-2029 Rev Steven Marsh – Christmas Eve 2024

Worshipping Our God of Unconditional Love (Together, in a Variety Ways)

“Love Wins” – Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-20

Peter Wehner, an opinion writer for The New York Times, writes this about Philip Yancey’s book, What’s So Amazing About Grace?  Wehner writes,

In his book What’s So Amazing About Grace? Philip Yancey describes a conference on comparative religions where experts from around the world debated which belief, if any, was unique to the Christian faith. C.S. Lewis happened to enter the room during the discussion. When he was told the topic was Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions, Lewis responded: “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.[1]

It is true. Only Christianity places “grace” at the theological core of its belief system. And that is important, my friends. That is the good news of Christmas. It is when we are embraced by God’s unmerited favor and embrace God who loves us unconditionally that we see life in a new way. The Light (Love) of God has vanquished the Darkness (Hate) that the world and others hurl people’s way on a daily basis.

Isaiah 9:2-7 describes a people who once walked in great darkness and saw a light which increased their joy, released their burden and removed their oppressor. Why? A child was born. And this child had a name. In the naming of a child, great care is taken to choose the name that will bring distinction to the new life. Jesus’ name derived from the Hebrew Yehoshua means “Yahweh is salvation.” Jesus is the name given to the son of Mary and Joseph. Jesus is the promised Messiah who as God incarnate is God’s self-revelation who brought salvation to the world. Isaiah 9:2-7 states other names for Jesus. They are Immanuel: This Jesus is God present with his people, Wonderful Counselor: This Jesus is God who shows humanity show the way to new life, Mighty God: This Jesus is God who brings salvation and justice., Everlasting Father: This Jesus is God who provides and cares for us, Prince of Peace: This Jesus is God who is the One who brought and continues to bring the Reign of Peace on earth, and Son of Man: This Jesus is the “Son of Man” which is derived from the Hebrew ben adam. Ben Adam designates a collective humanity or an individual within the collective humanity. The first Adam is representative of you and me; the second Adam is Jesus, which is representative of whom we become through faith in Jesus.

The readings from Luke lift up the implementation of Isaiah’s prophecy. Again, Peter Wehner writes, “Grace is different. It is the unmerited favor of God, unconditional love given to the undeserving. It’s a difficult concept to understand because it isn’t entirely rational. There’s a radical equality at the core of grace. None of us are deserving of God’s grace, so it’s not dependent on social status, wealth, or intelligence.”[2] This Light (Love) of grace vanquishes the Darkness (Hate) of exclusion. We worship the Christmas Child, Jesus, tonight. Jesus is calling you by name. Wehner remarks,

If you find yourself in the company of people whose hearts have been captured by grace, count yourself lucky. They love us despite our messy lives, stay connected to us through our struggles, always holding out the hope of redemption. When relationships are broken…it’s grace that causes people not to give up, to extend the invitation to reconnect, to work through misunderstandings with sensitivity and transparency.[3]

When you respond to God’s calling, it is good news for you and the rest of the world.

You then represent what a human can look and behave like as envisioned in God’s desire. Isaiah’s voice on Christmas Eve reminds us that salvation is not merely a spiritual victory that works like a lullaby and lulls us into an individualistic complacency. To the contrary, the Christ Child took on the power of darkness, the tools of war and injustice, unjust laws, and the rod of the oppressor. And in the name of Jesus, we join that mission.[4] Believe in Jesus. Embrace the Light (Love). It vanquishes Darkness (Hate). This is the good news of Christmas. Love wins! Merry Christmas. Amen!

This sermon was preached on Christmas Eve 2024 by the Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

in the Sanctuary at Grace Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas

Copyright © 2024

Steven M. Marsh

All Rights Reserved.

[1]Peter Wehner, The New York Times, December 23, 2018.

[2]Ibid.

[3]Peter Wehner, The New York Times, December 23, 2018.

[4]This paragraph was influenced by Thomas G. Long, David J. Schlafer, E. Elizabeth Johnson, and Paul Simpson Duke in Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery, and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors, Connections, Year C, Volume 1 (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), 63-66, 66-67, 75-77, and 77-79.

 

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12-15-2024 Rev Steven Marsh – God’s Self Is All We Need

“Worshipping Our God of Unconditional Love (Together, in a Variety of Ways)”

“God’s Self Is All We Need” – Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-18

The Hope, Peace and Joy candles are lit. Advent ties the preparation for the birth of Jesus, to the climax of redemptive history with the Second Coming of Jesus. This Third Sunday of Advent focuses on the Joy candle. My friend Dr. Steve Hayner defined joy this way, “Joy is not about my circumstances, but rather about being held and sustained by God’s love.”[1] We participate in God’s limitless future rather than being bound by the limitations of present circumstances. Joy meets us in the exiles and threats of love.

Many people at this time of year feel exiled that is marginalized from others because of the downturns in their lives. Others won’t risk loving due to the threats of being hurt and the general brokenness of life. Do you know how loved you are? When Stephen Colbert, the host of CBS’s The Late Show, was 10 years old, his father and two of his brothers, were killed in a plane crash. Stephen was the only child still at home with his mother in the years that followed the tragic plane crash. In an interview with GQ, Colbert was asked how he dealt with the death of his Dad and two brothers without becoming angry and bitter. Colbert said, “I was raised in a Catholic tradition … That’s my context for my existence…to know God, love God, serve God…That makes a lot of sense to me. I got that from my mom. And my dad. And my siblings. I was left alone a lot after Dad and the boys died. … And it was just me and Mom for a long time. And by her example I am not bitter … She was … broken, yes. Bitter, no.”[2] Our Scripture readings today tell that story of transformation.

Zephaniah and Luke tell a story of how worshipping our God of unconditional love (Together, in a variety of ways) transforms us in the exiles and threats of love. Worship brings us face to face with God, the one who loves us the most and knows us the best. In Jesus Christ we become reconciled with our Creator and one another. Sandra Maria Van Opstal writes this about worship, “Hospitality and solidarity lead to mutuality. First, we say, ‘We welcome you.’ Then, ‘We stand with you.’ In mutuality we say, ‘We need you.’ Engaging in each other’s forms of worship, and worshipping together across differences, leads us to a deeper place of dependence.”[3] Each reading shows us how to live so that we are ready for Jesus to meet us in the warp and woof of life. The prophetic word of Zephaniah exhorts us to cling to God’s strength and salvation in the midst of condemning voices. In Luke, the preaching of John the Baptist helps us look to Jesus the one who gives us in word and deed the unconditional love of God. And both texts demonstrate that when we think all is lost in the exiles and threats to God’s unconditional love, God gives back God’s very self. When we cling to God, we experience unconditional love in a way that wipes away whatever is owning us at the time.[4]

Stephen Colbert allowed joy to transform his experience of tragedy. You can to. Joy lifts us out of exiles and threats that exercise “ownage” of us just like Mary’s knowledge of her pregnancy and the accompanying questions of how and why. Once she embraced God’s choice of her as the mother of the Messiah, society’s scorn no longer owned her although the exiles and threats continued throughout her life. Friends, we need Jesus to experience transformation and joy.

The joy promised by God is good news even though there are constant exiles and threats to love in our daily existences. Finding and experiencing joy in the midst of the exiles and threats of God’s love for you is possible. Homecoming is now, but not yet.

Be led into freedom. Make your supplications with thanksgiving and deep joy. Become the benediction. Keep being the church. Expect God’s reign of peace and justice. Manifest care and concern for others. This is the good news of Advent. Amen![5] 

This sermon was preached the Second Sunday of Advent on Sunday, 15 December 2024

by the Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh in the Great Room and Sanctuary

at Grace Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas 

Copyright Ó 2024

Steven M. Marsh

All rights reserved.

[1]Steve Hayner, former president of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, died of pancreatic cancer on January 31, 2015.

[2]Adapted from Joel Lovell’s article, “The Late, Great Stephen Colbert,” GQ (8-17-15).

[3]Sandra Maria Van Opstal The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2016), 71.

[4]Some ideas in this paragraph were influenced by Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Alan Gregory, Kimberley L. Clayton, Cynthia M. Campbell, Theodore J. Wardlaw, Joel B. Green, and Willie James Jennings in Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors, Connections, Year C, Volume 1 (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), 32-35, 35-36, 37-38, 39-40, 41-42, 43-45, 45-46.

[5]Ibid.

 

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12-08-2024 Rev Steven Marsh – Hear the Urgency of the Message

“Worshipping Our God of Unconditional Love (Together, in a Variety of Ways)”

“Hear the Urgency of the Message” – Malachi 3:1-3, Luke 3:1-6

Advent highlights the power of hope and peace.

A friend and mentor passed away on November 19th. Tony Campolo changed my life  with his focus on Jesus’ commitment to justice and the “least of these.” Tony Campolo wrote a book titled The Kingdom of God is a Party. In chapter one, he tells the story of a trip to Honolulu in the mid 1980’s. Having crossed far too many time zones from Philadelphia to Hawaii, he found himself awake and needing breakfast at 3:30am local time. He ended up in a greasy, dive of a place ordering a donut and a coffee.

While consuming this wholesome breakfast, eight or nine prostitutes walked in. The place was small. Campolo was surrounded and like most of us decided the best thing to do was to get out of there. Then he overheard one of them say, “Tomorrow is my birthday; I’ll be 39.” Somebody else teared into her. “So?? Whadya want me to do about it?? Want me to throw you a party, bake you a cake, sing “happy birthday???” The first shot back, “Come on! Why do you have to be so mean? I’m just telling you; you don’t have to put me down. I’ve never had a birthday party my whole life.”

If you know Tony Campolo, you probably have an idea what happened next. He hung around until they all left, then asked the guy who ran the place if those people came in every night. “They do”, the owner replied. So Campolo asked if he could throw that one prostitute a big birthday party that next night. Tony and the chef got excited about the idea and made all the arrangements. Campolo decorated the diner, the chef baked a cake, and the word went out on the street.

This is how Campolo describes the scene: “By 3:15am every prostitute in Honolulu was in the place. It was wall-to-wall prostitutes… and me! At 3:30am on the dot, the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes and her friend. I have everybody ready (after all, I was kind of the M.C. of the affair) and when they came in, we all screamed, “Happy birthday!” Never have I seen a person so flabbergasted … so stunned … so shaken. Her mouth fell open. Her legs seemed to buckle a bit. Her friend grabbed her arm to steady her. As she was led to one of the stools along the counter, we all sang “Happy Birthday” to her. As we came to the end of our singing with “happy birthday dear Agnes, happy birthday to you,” her eyes moistened. Then, when the cake was carried out with all the candles on it, she lost it and just openly cried.” She couldn’t blow out the candles. She couldn’t cut the cake. In fact, she was so overwhelmed that she asked if she could just keep the cake for a little while. The gruff chef said, “It’s your cake. Go ahead.”

And so, Agnes picked the cake up and carried it home as if it were the most precious thing imaginable. The crowd was stunned into silence. Not knowing what else to do, Campolo said; “what do you say we pray?” And he did. Tony prayed for Agnes, for her salvation, for God to turn her life around. At the end, the chef turned to him with a trace of hostility in his voice and said, “You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?” Campolo replied, “I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30am in the morning.”[1]

Moving from an individualistic understanding and experience of God to one that places a higher value on the community experience of God requires a change of mind. San Francisco Theological Seminary Trustee, the Rev. Aimee Moiso writes, “The science of changing minds is complicated. We humans change our minds constantly — about what we want for dinner, whether to walk or drive, how much to spend. But we are also creatures of habit, and laziness can hold more sway than novelty. A deluge of facts will rarely shift our thinking, but a well-told story can transform our vision.”[2] The texts in Malachi and Luke tell a story of and speak to the change which can occur in the core of our being, because of God’s unconditional love for us and our love for God and others.

The community in Malachi’s day was facing a crisis centered on injustice. The immediate needs of shelter , food and safety faced the Jewish people. The 400-year period of the Jews from Malachi’s day to Jesus’ birth is known as the Deus absconditus, the absence of God. You see, it’s God’s love for us which motivates us to love that makes change possible and normal. During this 400 years the people of God felt abandoned. Abandonment became normalized, until the people realized that the coming Messiah would bring justice. Sandra Maria Van Opstal writes, “Normal is something that occurs naturally: a pattern for how things should be. Describing something as normal implies it is regular and natural not only for us but for the people around us as well. We use the word normal to describe not only what is but what should be natural for everyone. We are comforted by normal. We assimilate to normal. There is a lot of power in naming something as normative.”[3] And in Luke 3:1-6, John the Baptist begins to prepare the way of Jesus to bring justice as the birth narrative in chapters 1-2 indicates. The peace promised by God is good news even though there is a level of uneasiness in it. God loves us in and through change. But real change is a matter of core beliefs and actions, not appearances.[4]

Have you ever heard of this British product, “Spray-on-Mud?” Citing an article on the website guardian.co.uk in 2005,

Many products are designed to imitate the real thing. There is plastic decking that looks like real wood. Vinyl flooring that appears to be ceramic tile. What about a can of Spray-on Mud? Spray-on Mud is designed for use on the outside of your SUV. That way it appears you use your vehicle for more than taking the kids to soccer practice. Spray it on and friends might think you’ve just returned from a wilderness adventure. Sales of the product are going well, especially in London where the concept originated. “If they want an authentic look,” says inventor Colin Dowse, “There’s not a lot else they can do. There’s not a lot of mud in Chelsea.” Apparently, $15 a can seems a reasonable price for the appearance of authenticity.[5]

So, I often experience in my own life and see in others, expressions of imitation Christianity: good wishes mistaken for prayer, success misconstrued as spiritual achievement, inspirational bumper stickers and symbols seen as evangelism, excellent music cover for authentic worship of the heart, humorous or emotional stories pass for inspired preaching, Christian clichés handed out as biblical wisdom and an attractive personality mistaken for a Spirit-filled life.[6]

Friends, we need Jesus, the one who embodies God’s love and shows us the way to love God and others. Change is real when we embrace love, not judgment. We worship God in the light of the real Jesus not a “Spray-on Jesus.” Again, Sandra Maria Van Opstal writes, “As long as our worship makes people feel excluded or in constant visitor status, we are not accomplishing the ministry of biblical hospitality.”[7] Who is this welcoming, inclusive, and loving Jesus? Well, it’s not the “Spray-on…”

Political Party Republican Jesus, who is against tax increases and activist judges, for family values and owning firearms or the Political Party Democrat Jesus, who is against Wall Street and Wal-Mart, for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money.

Revolutionary Jesus, who teaches us to rebel against the status quo, stick it to the man, and blame things on “the system.”

Good Example Jesus, who shows you how to help people, change the planet, and become a better you.[8]

The welcoming, inclusive, and loving Jesus is…

the Son of the living God. God in the flesh; the one to establish God’s reign and rule; the one to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, freedom to the prisoners and proclaim Good News to the poor; the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

the Creator come to earth and the beginning of a New Creation.

the Christ predicted through the Prophets and prepared for through John the Baptist, not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our own desires. He is our Lord and God.[9]

Jesus is calling you by name. When you respond to God’s calling, it is good news for the world. You then represent what a human can look and behave like as envisioned in God’s desire. Believe in Jesus Christ. Repent. Change is possible. Really! This is the good news of Advent. There is hope and peace in Jesus. Just ask Agnes. Amen!

This sermon was preached the Second Sunday of Advent on Sunday, 08 December 2024

by the Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh in the Great Room and Sanctuary

at Grace Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas

                                                                                          Copyright 2024

Steven M. Marsh

All rights reserved.

[1]Adapted from Tony Campolo, The Kingdom of God is a Party (Dallas, Texas: WORD Publishing, 1990), 1-9.

[2]Aimee Moiso, “Changing Minds” in Saving Love & Tender Mercy: Daily Devotions For Advent 2018 (San Anselmo, California: SFTS on Sunday, December 9, 2018).

[3]Sandra Maria Van Opstal The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World, 39.

[4]The two paragraphs of exegesis above are informed by the writing of Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Alan Gregory, Kimberly L. Clayton, Theodore J. Wardlaw, Joel B. Green, and Willie James Jennings in Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors, Connections, Year C, Volume 1 (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), 17-19, 19-20, 21-22, 23-24, 25-27, 28-30, and 30-31.

[5]Taken from the PreachingToday.com website; Ian Sample, “Spray on Mud: The Ultimate Accessory for City 4×4 Drivers” (www.guardian.co.uk June 14, 2005).

[6]Ibid.

[7]Sandra Maria Van Opstal The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World, 63.

[8]Adapted from Kevin Young, “Who Do You Say That I Am?” from his DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed blog (posted June 10, 2009).

[9]Ibid.

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