Sermon: "Coming Home"

Coming Home
Psalm 19: 7-10; Nehemiah 8: 1-10
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
January 27, 2019

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb. - Psalm 19: 7-10

All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding.

This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.

The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen’, lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ - Nehemiah 8: 1-10

If someone asked you to define “home” what would your answer be? I recently asked the question and received more answers than I can share:

Home is where you kick up your boots and lay your head at night.
Home is where family is.
Home is a safe haven I can return to when life's complications are overwhelming.
Home is where I can let it all go and be unapologetically me.
Home is happiness.
Wherever there is love I am home.

For God’s people of Israel, home was Jerusalem. But home was not only the physical address where the former generations of God’s people had been raised. It was also a place where God’s people flourished in the profound presence of God’s love.

In the historical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, God’s people had come home to Jerusalem; they had returned after being held in exile for seventy years in Babylon. Coming home brought a sense of relief to return to a place they called their own. Coming home brought a sense nostalgia as the stories of past generations flooded the people’s minds.

But coming home also brought the difficult tasks of settling in and rebuilding Jerusalem. My Old Testament professor Kathleen O’Conner says coming back home to Jerusalem brought many questions of how to reestablish the people’s “identity, safety, and peace” [1].

It was one thing to rebuild Jerusalem as the home of God’s people. It was a whole other thing to recover the essence that was lost. After months of settling in and rebuilding the Spirit was mysteriously on the move. God opened the people’s eyes to see what was missing: to really be at home with God and one another the people needed to feel the sacred center of worship.

The men, women, and children gathered at the Water Gate; a space where decisions were made for the good of the whole. And so they told Ezra, Israel’s priest and scribe, to read the law – God’s Word of Moses – aloud to them. And for 6-7 hours, Ezra held the attention of every man, woman, and child who could understand.

No one was standing at the Water Gate like the comedian Jim Gaffigan saying, “Alright, let’s wrap this up…we got some sinnin’ to do!”

Instead, the sacred center of God’s Word held the people together. They became more deeply connected to God and one another as mentors helped interpret the law to the men, women, and children.

My commentary states “the people had a deep hunger for the Torah (the first five Old Testament books of the Bible); they had a deep hunger for the teachings of God because their lives needed it” [2]. It was an oral society; there were high illiteracy rates and few biblical scrolls were available. Tradition held that God’s Word was to be read in the temple of Jerusalem, which had previously been destroyed, and of course there was no temple in Babylon captivity. Therefore, hearing the Word of God read aloud had been a rarity.

In the span of those hours every man, woman and child experienced a sense of belonging as the tradition of faith embraced the people once again in God’s steadfast love. And when the “Amens” resounded the people were moved to tears. What an emotional moment suspended in time.

But the tears came for another reason too. Hearing God’s Word brought about a journey of self-reflection. When God’s people came home to God’s Word, they recalled the story of their collective past. The tears rolled down like a confession remembering they had fallen short of the glory of God. The tears stung with questions of why God had allowed certain twists and turns of life to happen to God’s chosen. The tears welled up like a collective affirmation of faith that once again God’s unmerited faithfulness had delivered them and brought them home.

Ezra and Nehemiah worked together to meet God’s people where they were. While the people needed to be embraced by the sacred center of worship, Ezra and Nehemiah gave the people a reason to rejoice in coming home to God. “Do not mourn or weep but rejoice because the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10).

We find joy in knowing the Word of God sustains us. It shapes our identity proclaiming we belong to God. God’s Word tells us we are created to love God with all we are, keep God’s word in our hearts, and teach our children God’s way of life when we are at home, when we are away, when we lie down, and when we rise (Deuteronomy 6: 5-7). We rejoice with a sense of awe and wonder because this gift of faith gives us roots to flourish individually and communally, and be to shaped by the creative love of God.

As we sojourn through the many twists and turns of life it does not take much these days to make us feel restless and unsettled. We come into friction with differing perspectives; we face heartbreaking parts of life that yield no answers; we have pieces of our hearts and minds that are under construction. On some days it is a daunting task to consider what it will take to reestablish a sense of identity, safety, and peace in the wider world much less within our very selves.

Saint Augustine, one of our Church Fathers and North African theologian, once said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God alone.” Truer words have never been spoken. The human spirit has a hunger to connect to something immensely bigger than ourselves. We each need a sacred center that narrates the purpose and meaning of life. And God’s Word is that sacred center.

When we are weak and restless, God’s Word revives the soul and rebuilds our resiliency with unconditional love (Psalm 19:7). When we feel lost, God’s Word directs the compass of our faith with the Lord’s wisdom (Psalm 19:7). When we do not know the next right step, God’s Word shines the way forward (Psalm 19:8). When God’s Word speaks into our lives our faith is moved to a place of awe and wonder (Psalm 19:9).

The writer of Proverbs says, “By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures (Prov 23: 3-4).

There is no greater treasure than coming home to God. The sacred center of faith holds and binds us together as the family of God.

There is room in God’s house to let go and to let God.

We are free to just be ourselves and to discover who we are in God’s love.

There is space for personal and communal reflection to confess where we have been, to question the journey, and to affirm God’s love will never let us go.

There are opportunities to learn how to live in the faithfulness of God’s strength with the help of one another. We were never meant to do that alone.

Are you restless? Are you feeling a little lost? Are you struggling to feel at home with others or even within yourself? Then you are in the right place.

When I am spiritually restless, disconnected, and running short on hope I come home to God. Abiding in God’s Word is like coming home. The Word made flesh in Jesus Christ meets us where we are. God’s Word is a refuge for us to hide in… a strong tower to embrace us in God’s strength, reassuring us that God is still in control.

It is a joy to come home and to be embraced by our Maker, Redeemer, and Sustainer as the One who knows us fully will always lead us by grace to reveal a future with hope.

May the joy of the Lord be your strength. May God’s Spirit lead you to connect more deeply with the sacred center of God’s Word this week. Great is God’s faithfulness as we sang this morning. Abiding in God’s faithfulness is where we flourish because it is by God’s Word revealed in Jesus Christ that we have hope.

As the Spirit leads you and me to come home this week and abide more deeply in God’s Word, may our faith be renewed to go back out into this beautiful yet broken world and help someone else come home to God too.

Borrowing the words of a sister in faith, “Home is a believer’s earthbound heaven; a reflection of the very best of each of us who call it home.”

God’s Word gives us the hopeful assurance that God walks beside us and that we see Jesus Christ – the Word made flesh – in one another. And God is always at work to bring us home ….home to God, home to the family of faith, and even to bring us home to ourselves.

Amen.

Sources Referenced:

[1] Feasting on the Word, “Year C, Volume 1: Advent through Transfiguration” (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), p. 267, Exegetical Perspective by Kathleen O’Conner.
[2] Roger Nam, “Commentary on Nehemiah 8: 1-10” Working Preacher, January 27, 2019.

Sermon: Do Whatever He Tells You

Do Whatever He Tells You
John 2: 1-11; 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
January 20, 2019

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’

His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’

Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’

Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. - John 2: 1-11

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11

The Gospel of John will always be one of my favorite gospels; it was the first one I studied when I was in a women’s Bible study.

I was thirty years old when I felt the nudge to come back to church. God’s Spirit was alive in that women’s study and began changing my life.


John’s Gospel is written to show us what the gift of God’s active love looks like in Jesus Christ so that we may have life in his name (John 20: 30-31).

After Jesus was baptized and anointed for ministry, John takes us to a special community event – the wedding in Cana. It is no coincidence that Mary, the disciples, and Jesus had been invited. Jesus and his mother knew the fabric of the community as they came to know Jesus and his disciples.

There are a number of women and men in the pews today who have the gift of hospitality. Those of us with this gift have an eye for noticing all the preparations for a special gathering.

I have always been curious about what Mary’s eyes were noticing at the wedding in Cana. Maybe her love language was serving others and so she noticed the beverage of choice was getting low.

You see clean water was an issue in the first century, so wine was often the common beverage. Something needed to be done so Jesus’ mother brought this her son’s attention.

In the days of ancient Israel, it was an unwritten rule for the wedding invitees to bring gifts of food and drink to the reception to help offset the costs [1]. You see wedding parties were celebrated with the community for one week, not just a few hours after the ceremony.

Mary knew her son was blessed to do great things as the Son of the Most High God. While Jesus’ response implied that he works on God’s timetable and not humanity’s, Mary knew Jesus would reveal God’s hospitality. Mothers always know best, right?!?! And so, she turned to the servants and said, “Do whatever he tells you.”

The wedding at Cana is where Jesus’ ministry began, for Jesus truly is the life of the party! His very first miracle of turning water in wine was a gift of God’s abundant grace to be received and also to joyfully participate in. Just as Jesus turned the water into wine with the servants’ help, so Jesus took two fish and five loaves of barley bread days later and multiplied it with the help of his disciples to feed 5,000 (John 6).

In both miracles Jesus revealed the gift of God’s abundance in the midst of human lack and scarcity. Jesus invited the stewards and the disciples to be a part of making the miracle of God’s grace tangible for others to see. When God’s grace is made tangible, it brings about opportunities for the community’s faith to deepen and to have fullness of life as God desires.

John’s Gospel shows us that the hallmark of Jesus’ ministry is servant leadership. Jesus sets for us an example that we also should do; to serve and not be served (John 13:15; Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). Jesus’ servant leadership at the wedding in Cana was not about filling everyone’s empty glass. Jesus’ servant leadership was not about Jesus’ becoming well liked and popular.

Jesus’ servant leadership was and always is about putting the needs of others first and using God’s gifts to transform individual and communal lives that glorify God. Servant leadership is about seeing through Jesus’ eyes and looking for the places of humanity’s emptiness where God is calling us bring about Jesus’ grace.

The Apostle Paul tells us that God gives an abundance of gifts to be activated in everyone. “To each of us is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Together with our God-given gifts we join God in bringing about the advancement of God’s kingdom. That is what the common good means in the Greek language.

In this journey of faith God’s Spirit is on the move to open our eyes to discover and to hone our spiritual skills and talents. As we as individuals and as a community of faith are changed by God’s gifts, we also continue to listen for the unique ways God is calling us to work together like a symphony to bring about the melody of grace so that others may come alive to God’s glory, presence, and will.

As we gather as a community of faith in worship, hospitality, study, mission, and stewardship we pray for God’s nurturing Spirit to reveal what Jesus Christ is telling us to do in order to advance the kingdom as servants of God. Know that your baptism is sufficient for your calling to follow Jesus and to serve as the priesthood of all believers. Each of us is called to be a minister of grace. And we celebrate our common calling today!

Today we are also celebrating a unique church union as we affirm that God has called particular individuals to serve in ordained ministry. The second part of our Constitution says, “Ruling elders have particular gifts to share in the discernment of God’s Spirit and governance of God’s people…They are persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills in [servant] leadership and being compassionate in spirit. Ruling elders are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure [the congregation’s] fidelity to the Word of God and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life” (Book of Order W- G-2.0301).

Today we install a new class of ordained ruling elders to serve as spiritual leaders of the church. Vivian and Andy, God has bestowed upon each of you both common and unique gifts to be used in serving Jesus Christ and God’s people on session. You have seen these gifts of faith within yourselves and this congregation and I have seen them in your lives as well.

One of the key factors in putting our gifts of faith to use is having a healthy dose of humility. In his book entitled, “The Road to Character,” David Brooks says, “Humility is an awareness that your individual talents alone are inadequate to the tasks that have been assigned to you” [2].

This odd and wondrous calling of ordained ministry is certainly a humbling one. As our faith and trust grow in the One who has called us out of darkness into God’s marvelous light, we learn the wisdom in the Gospel of John that Christ must increase, and we must decrease (John 3:30).

Vivian and Andy – today you will answer the constitutional questions for ordained ministry once again. They are vows that both our ruling elders and ministers of Word and Sacrament take in serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and God’s people . I encourage you and our ruling elders who will be actively serving with you to remember these things:

1. Prioritize your faith. As a spiritual leader of the church, we can only follow Jesus and lead God’s people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love if we keep in step with the Spirit. Sit in God’s Word daily. Ask Holy Spirit to daily shape your life by God’s faithfulness in Jesus Christ your Savior. It is in the daily reading of God’s Word that we grow in our obedience to Jesus Christ.

2. Pray. Open your heart and mind in a daily conversation with God. Pray to see God’s faithfulness in your life and in the life of your family. Also, pray to see God’s faithfulness in the life of this faith community and in the wider world. Pray for this congregation and your pastor even as we pray for you. Pray for your faith to seek understanding according to the Rule of Love in Scripture. Pray for the mind of Christ that in humility we may look to the interest of others and not self-interest. And pray for God’s will to be done so that we may glorify God and advance the kingdom of God here in this community.

3. Listen. The ministry of discernment requires the ability and commitment to listen. And listening values the humility required to grow in deeper relationship with God and one another. Listen for the Spirit of God speaking to you through God’s Word and through conversations in your daily life. Listen for the voice of Jesus Christ calling you to be curious to “Come and See!”; “Love one another as I have loved you”; and to “Follow Jesus alone.” Listen to understand from differing viewpoints so that your ministry will show the justice and love of Jesus Christ. Listen deeply so that we may do whatever Jesus tells us to do and join God in changing the world.

May it be so and may God always get the glory. Amen.

Sources Referenced:

[1] Lindsey Trozzo, “Commentary for John 2: 1-11” Working Preacher website, January 20, 2019
[2] David Brooks, “The Road to Character” (New York: Random House, 2015), p. 263.

Sermon: Lessons from the R.O.Y. Bus

Lessons from the R.O.Y. Bus
Isaiah 43: 1-7
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
January 13, 2019
Baptism of the Lord Sunday

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight,
and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.

Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’ - Isaiah 43: 1-7

The top two teams were named for the 2018 College Football Playoff for the National Championship: Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers.

There was a lot of expectation and anticipation for the Monday night lights last week at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. For years Alabama has remained the chosen pick to win the Natty.

In a fall interview on ESPN, Clemson’s Head Football Coach, Dabo Swinney said this about being in the mix for the Championship Playoffs, “The reality of it is, back when I was a player [for Alabama], we kind of had the big-time bus and then the R.O.Y. bus – the Rest of Ya’ll – it is kind of Alabama and the rest of ya’ll. We are just kind of glad to be on the R.O.Y bus right now and to still have a chance.” [1]

The finale of every big sports game ends with celebration and disappointment. Watching the championship game, I noticed two things: (1) When a top pick team is defeated by the underdog, it brings a look of disorientation to the faces of the players and fans (2) Dabo Swinney continued to say Clemson’s team remained on the R.O.Y. bus regardless of winning. The final score left both teams reflecting on the teams’ past histories to remember who they are, where they came from, what their purpose is, and what drives them.

God’s people of Israel were God’s chosen pick. However, the plays and tackles of life were leaving Israel feeling disoriented. The prophet Isaiah spoke into Israel’s great disappointment; you see Israel was experiencing Babylon’s crushing upper hand. And God’s people began to feel downcast and defeated.

The memories of being on the big-time bus were fading as they felt God was abandoning them to the R.O.Y. bus. Israel did not feel they had a chance to feel the victory of being God’s chosen pick again. Life felt like a losing game.

In our assigned lectionary text today, Isaiah speaks a word of encouragement when the people of God experience life’s hard places. Isaiah reminds God’s people and us who we are, where we came from, why we still have purpose, and what drives us.

God’s people are precious, honored, and loved (Isaiah 43:4). God has called each child of God by name and we belong to God. The same divine hands that stretched out the heavens and earth also formed humanity from the dust. This kind of chosenness is not just a title, but a symbol of God’s desire to live in relationship with humanity in our greatest joys and deepest disappointments.

Believe it or not, God’s people came from the R.O.Y. (the Rest of Ya'll) bus. You see the divine Dream Team is the only one who rides the big-time bus – that’s our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Throughout the generations our spiritual ancestors climbed into the R.O.Y. bus. They were chosen to follow God’s big-time bus into God’s victories.

Sometimes God’s people experienced losses when they wandered from the truth of God’s faithful and loving lead. Still today we find ourselves losing the game of life to the sin of pride and trusting our abilities over and above God’s power and guidance.

And yet God’s steadfast love led God’s people through the waters of the Red Sea and through the River Jordan into the freedom of God’s promises. The pillar of fire led the way forward through the wilderness and tested the people’s faith to be all in and follow God obediently. Even as God’s people forgot Holy Spirit’s playbook and became disoriented by fear, sin, and defeating obstacles in life, God promised to redeem them by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God’s people are not only loved beyond measure and redeemed, but God’s people are created for God’s glory, forgiven with the promise of new life, and sent to proclaim the wonders of God’s love.

Therefore, the faith of God’s people is driven by the knowledge that through this gift of faith our God is able to do far more than we can ever hope, ask for or imagine. Even when life’s circumstances made God’s people feel like the underdog, Isaiah wanted to shape the hearts and minds of God’s people by the virtue of humility. Isaiah wanted to encourage God’s people to keep their eyes on the big-time bus and obediently follow God’s lead into the Lord’s victory.

Former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker says, “Dabo Swinney has always been the underdog;" Barker was one of Swinney's teammates. "He has had to fight for everything and has never been given anything. That's what has made him so successful. He loves being the underdog because he's lived it his entire life" [2]

Dabo rose up from personal struggles with an alcoholic and violent father, the breakup of his parents’ marriage, the foreclosure of the family’s home, and the difficulty of scraping money together for his own college tuition at Alabama. He learned a lot from times of adversity.

Passing through the waters and walking through the fire shaped Swinney’s life, leadership and relational coaching style.

Dabo said in an interview, “My experiences growing up shaped me from a mental toughness standpoint, a drive, a work ethic, a perseverance, an attitude of hope…Sometimes that’s all you got – hope! And if you’ve got hope that gives you power in the present” [3].

Even after winning the National Championship Monday night, Dabo gave all the glory to God.

When a sports reporter asked about this Swinney said, “It’s hard to survive and thrive in this world if you don’t have a spiritual foundation and something that will give you peace,” Swinney explained. “‘Cause life is hard. And we’re all gonna experience death, failure, setbacks, disappointment, cancer — it’s a really difficult world. For me, my relationship with Christ [is a priority and it] has given me hope and peace” [4].

The lesson from the R.O.Y.(the Rest of Ya'll) Bus are these:

First and foremost, there is no shame being on the R.O.Y. (the Rest of Ya'll) bus. It is a means of living out our faith through a growing humility and trust in the one and only Dream Team who goes ahead of us – God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. As we engage in the playbook of life and faith we all will go through hard places.

When it feels like we are treading the waters of anxiety, uncertainty, or grief or walking through the fiery trials of life we so easily become defeated by fear. The hard places of life are disorienting. When we are disoriented, we easily forget who we are and where we have come from. We lose sight of our God-given purpose and what drives us.

I wish being a follower of Jesus Christ prevented us from experiencing pain, suffering, and hardships.

Instead our faith gives us the spiritual foundation to endure and keep following God. You see God is leading the way for us to know the plans the Lord has for us – not for harm but for our well-being - to give us a future with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). God’s plans are not just individual plans for you and me, but they are plans for all of God’s people.

The Apostle Paul says, “We have peace with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus’s anointing baptism, ministry, death, and resurrection that we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because Gods’ love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5).

The next time your circumstances make you feel defeated, remember these things:

Remember who you are: you are precious, honored and loved by the God who calls you by name. Your circumstances do not define who you are; God’s love does. You are created for God’s glory!

Remember where you come from: you come from the family of God who has always been on an adventure of faith with God. From the beginning of Scripture our family of faith has experienced every high and low imaginable – so rest assured that you are not alone when you are faced with adversity. Not only is God with us, but your sisters and brothers have your back! That’s what the family of faith is for.

Remember you still have a purpose: When you pass through the waters and walk through the fire God will deliver you. God will work through your experiences so that you and I may proclaim God’s mighty deeds to encourage others with humility, hope, and peace.

Remember what drives you: The Lord goes ahead of you and is your rear guard (Isaiah 52:12). As we keep the Lord ever before us, knowing the Lord is our strength, we shall not be moved (Psalm 16:8).

That kind of motivation does not disappoint. God’s truth gives you and I hope and power in the present. God is on our side and we will overcome!

May it be so for you and for me.

In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Sources Referenced:

[1] Staff Reports, “Swinney Says Tigers Are on the R.O.Y. Bus, Alabama Ahead of Everyone Else,” The Clemson Insider, October 30, 2018.
[2] Mark Schlabach, “Dabo Swinney Overcame Pain and Poverty to be on the Cusp of History,” ESPN, January 7, 2016.
[3] Nancy Spitler, “It’s How You Win that Matters,” Clemson Word University Magazine.
[4] Will Maule, “Clemson’s Dabo Swinney Takes Reporters to Church When Asked About His Faith at Press Conference,” Faith Wire, July 20, 2018

Sermon Series: The Bit Parts of the Christmas Story - "The Magi: Seeking the Gift"

The Magi: Seeking the Gift
Matthew 2: 1-12
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
January 6, 2019
Epiphany Sunday

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. - Matthew 2: 1-12

For many, the celebration of Christmas is over the day after December 25. All of the gifts have been opened and the floor is covered by a sea of colorful trimmings. However, Christmas is not just a day; it is a season of celebrating for twelve days.

Today is the twelfth day of Christmas, the day we call Epiphany Sunday. That word “Epiphany” means “to reveal.” Today we celebrate the “bright dawning of God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ” [1].

Therefore, we have one more bit part of our Christmas story; one more figure in the nativity scene that begs our attention before we take down the Chrismon tree and put all the decorations away.

After Jesus was born in Matthew’s Gospel, the first ones to attend to the Prince of Peace were the unlikely ones – the magi. They were not kings or authorities in the Jewish tradition, but astrologers from the East.

My commentary says that in the culture of their day, “the birth of a new ruler was associated with astral phenomena;” the stars would line up just right [2]. Hearing the news of Jesus’ miraculous birth and seeing the star with royal beauty bright, the magi traveled westward to honor the new king with gifts.

What is so very important to remember about the closing of the Christmas story is that God gave the best of all gifts first; the gift of God’s self-revealing love. The magi were filled with wonder and curiosity about this thing that God had done and so they went out seeking the gift and it completely reinterpreted their lives.

The magi’s worldview significantly changed as they responded by bringing gifts to worship the Christ Child. No longer worshipping the gods of the stars, their hearts and minds were turned to worship the creative love of God in Emmanuel, for God is with us.

The gifts which the magi brought to Bethlehem were signs of their new worldview, for they did not bring just any gifts for a new ruler. The magi brought gold to crown the Christ Child as the King of the Jews; the oil of Frankincense to worship the Son of God; and the oil of myrrh which would be used to anoint prophets, priests, and kings. It would also be used to embalm Jesus after his saving death. The magi not only brought gifts that were priceless, they were gifts that signified that Christ alone is worthy of praise.

Epiphany invites each of us to seek the gift that still changes the world. The gift of Emmanuel challenges and reinterprets our lives through the gospel.

In times of despair we have hope that the brokenness of humanity and the groaning of creation is redeemed through Jesus Christ sacrificial love (Romans 8: 24-25).

In the midst of the world’s turmoil Holy Spirit breathes God’s peace into our hearts because the risen Christ has already conquered the world (John 16:33).

In our greatest sorrows we keep the Lord ever before us and we will not be moved because the joy of the Lord is our strength (Psalm 16: 8; Nehemiah 8:10).

In those moments when we are insecure and question where we belong, God’s love claims us, calls us by name and says we belong to God (Isaiah 43:1; Psalm 100:3).

Today we stand in the threshold of a new year. The mysterious and creative love of God goes ahead of us to make all things new. Instead of making a New Year’s resolution, Epiphany offers a spiritual practice of prayerful reflection in this new year with a star gift. His spiritual practice has been occurring in the Presbyterian Church for about 30 years.

Star gifts work like this: Every person in worship will have the opportunity to receive a paper star. Each star has a different word written on it. We each receive a random star which is facing down. You do not get to pick the word that you prefer, rather the star word chooses you. As this spiritual practice begins, we trust Holy Spirit is at work to guide you and me to our Epiphany star, just as God faithfully led the magi to Jesus by the star.

A dear friend in ministry tells me, “The word on your star may be one way God is revealing God to you - leading, guiding, and speaking into your life this year.”

My seminary colleague Rev. Kristen Stroble began the practice of star gifts three years ago. As Kristen took a star for herself, she was disappointed with her first star word – “Restraint.” She said:

I wanted to throw [my star] back. What was that word supposed to mean? RESTRAINT made me think about being held back or being bound. These words were supposed to be a gift, but this did not feel like one to me. And yet, over time the word continued to work on my heart and mind.

I started practicing RESTRAINT at church coffee hours and forgoing doughnuts. I used RESTRAINT to stop myself from getting second helpings at potlucks. RESTRAINT gave me permission to look at how unhealthy I had become and do something about it. When I began to see RESTRAINT as a gift instead of a curse, it freed me to change my eating habits without apology, to leave work earlier to exercise and to focus not just on my spiritual health but my physical health.

In my year of RESTRAINT I lost 90 pounds and, for the first time I could remember, achieved a healthy weight… Instead of making a resolution that I’ll feel guilty about a week later, I take a star word as a gift and keep my eyes open. The stars have allowed me to see God in unexpected ways and places. They’ve been challenging, life-giving and transformative.

Kristen did not realize the impact those stars would have on the church she served either. She said:

One woman in my congregation received JOY last year. Her middle name is JOY. She admits, though, that she had lost her JOY, forgotten how to live with JOY. The star word reminded her throughout the year about the gift of JOY in all circumstances of life; a JOY that comes from the simple affirmation that we belong to God.

Another member received COURAGE. She was in the midst of cancer treatments when this word was given to her. She took that paper star with her to every doctor appointment. She kept the word by her side as she entered hospice care and as she passed from this life to the next.

Susan Foster writes, “Many people keep their star gifts from year to year; gradually accumulating a virtual constellation of wise words and encouragement displayed as a reminder of God’s presence in our lives.”

I pray that as we begin this spiritual practice of star gifts that God may reveal a blessing of wisdom to you this new year. And I pray that we might enter this spiritual practice like the magi did - with curiosity and wonder - as we seek the mystery of God’s greatest gift in our lives this year.

In doing so, our lives just may be reinterpreted by the gospel because God is with us. The hope of the gospel is always to challenge, change, and transform us by God’s love.

Ann Weems bids us God’s best on this Epiphany Sunday with her poem, “Star-Giving”:

What I’d really like to give you for Christmas is a star….
Brilliance in a package, something you can keep in the pocket of your jeans or in the pocket of your being.
Something to take out in times of darkness,
something that would never snuff out or tarnish,
something that you could hold in your hand,
something for wonderment,
something for pondering,
something that would remind you of what Christmas has always meant:
God’s Advent Light into the darkness of this world.
But stars are only for God’s giving,
And I must be content to give you words and wishes and packages without stars.
But I can wish you life as radiant as a star that announced the Christ Child’s coming, and as filled with awe as the shepherds [and magi] who stood beneath its light.
And I can pass on to you the love that has been given to me,
ignited countless times by others who have knelt in Bethlehem’s light.
Perhaps, if you ask, God will give you a star [3]

In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Sources Referenced:

[1] The Book of Common Worship (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), p. 203.
[2] New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, “The Gospel of Matthew: Volume VII” (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 77.
[3] Ann Weems, “Kneeling in Bethlehem” (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1987), p. 71.