First Presbyterian Church
Two-Way Blessing
Sermon for December 10, 2006
by Pastor Susan Barnes

Children's time: Real people

Do any of you know what this is? (I showed them the insert for the Christmas Joy offering.) Do you know why it's in here? Yes, today we're taking a special offering. It goes many places. One of the places helps retired pastors and their families when they have huge medical bills. Yes, it's about Nancy Lower. It looks like ‘lower' but it's pronounced lower, to rhyme with flower.

Nancy wanted to be a missionary nurse. She went to missionary school, and learned a lot. But they didn't let women take any theology courses, and she wanted to know about theology. So a seminary student she didn't know really well said, “I'd be glad to review my systematic theology with you.” That man became her husband.

They went to Africa and did mission work. When she was in Africa, she fell off the roof of a house, and injured her spine so she was paralyzed. See this picture of a horse? She painted it with a paintbrush in her mouth.

Can you guess how I know all this? I met Nancy when I was in Wyoming. She gave me this card. See her picture? She's a real person, even though she's in this fancy brochure.

She taught a class I took in October, when I went to a conference. It was a good class. She explained how her church set up a group of people to help her. Her husband spends most of his time taking care of her and the committee helps George too. On our last day of the conference, at breakfast, I sat at their table, and I said I wish they lived nearby. I would love to help Nancy paint by mixing her paints and putting the brush in the right color for her then putting it in her mouth.

Nancy said, “Well, there is something you can do for me now. George just couldn't get my other earring in. Would you?” Her husband took her earring out of his pocket and gave it to me, and I put it in her ear. It was the first time I ever put an earring in anybody's ear, and I did it right the first time, without hurting her at all. I was glad.

Let's pray.

Our reading from Malachi begins on page 890. We'll be reading from my translation, so the words will be a little different. We'll read chapter three, verses 1-5, not just verse 4 as it says in the bulletin. The prophet Malachi hopes for a leader who will vanquish oppression. The word Malachi means “my messenger.” This prophet urges a return to faith in God and God's covenant.

Listen for the word of God as it is found in Malachi 3:1-5.

3:1 “See, I am sending my messenger to clear away the way in front of me, and suddenly the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—see, he comes,” says the Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord hosts.

2 “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like harsh soap from a cleaner's; 3 he will preside as a smelter and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and melt them like gold and silver, until they bring offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days so long ago and as in former years. 5 Then I will come to you for judgment; I will be quick to witness against sorcerors and adulterers and those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who throw away the homeless and do not fear me,” says Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts.

This ends our reading from Malachi. Malachi speaks of a messenger purifying God's people, especially the priests, as a refiner's fire does, in the smelting process of separating gold from its rocky slag. In the furnace, the gold melts and can be poured away. That's how the impurities get taken out of the gold. Like a dry cleaner gets rid of the dirt and returns your laundry spotless, pressed and hung neatly on a cardboard covered hanger. Except that it those days, the cleaners used very strong harsh lye soap. Sometimes the dirt would come out, but so would the cloth. It's not a completely comforting metaphor.

According to Malachi, the people whom God is going to give evidence against are those who are hurting others: sorcerors, who charge a great deal of money for their magical assistance, adulterers, and those who lie on the witness stand for financial gain, and those who exploit laborers, widows, orphans, and don't help the wanderers or refugees who are homeless. They are warned by this day of the Lord. We too are warned. God is about justice, and wants us to be about justice too.

Our first gospel reading is found on page 58. It is our unison reading. It's called Zechariah's song.

Zechariah is the priest who had just won the priestly lottery. He had the honor of going into the sanctuary to offer incense to God. An angel appeared to him there and told him that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a baby and he should name it John. Zecharaiah doesn't believe the angel, because he and Elizabeth are old. So the angel makes him mute, and he can't speak.

When Elizabeth was pregnant with her baby, Mary the mother of Jesus came to visit her. Elizabeth blesses Mary. When Elizabeth gives birth to her baby, she names him John. The others didn't think that was a good name because she didn't have any relatives named John. So Zechariah wrote “his name is John.” And suddenly he was able to speak. His words are called the Song of Zechariah. Listen for the word of God as it we read it together in Luke 1:68-79.

68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.

78 By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

This ends our reading from Luke 1.

When I read this story, I wondered, “Who does Zechariah think he is? How dare he bless God?” It seemed presumptuous to me. I didn't know that in Hebrew, Greek, and English, bless can also mean praise. So when Zechariah blessed God, he was praising God for all the things God has done. His son John would prepare the way for the light of God, so that we can be guided in the way of peace.

The story of John continues on page 60. Again, we'll be reading from my translation. Our reading from chapter 3 begins with a list of all the local rulers who made laws and judgments during the lives of John and Jesus. In those days, people dated events by who was ruling which region at the time. But here, the list also serves to contrast the power of Rome with the power of God. Listen for the word of God as it is found in Luke 3:1-6.

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the area around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah ,

“The voice of one shouting in the wilderness: ‘prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the path. 5 Every ravine shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked into straight, and the rough into smooth; 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”

Let's listen to the choir tell us of Emmanuel's coming.

A long time ago, I read a pastor's reflection on this text. She had just moved to the prairie, and she said, “People say that the prairie is flat. I see it as smooth. When you are on the prairie you have a particular perspective that you do not have anywhere else. It is like you can see from one edge of the world to the other edge. Nothing is in the way. No mountains. No skyscrapers….The sky goes from where it touches the smooth earth of one horizon to where it touches the smooth earth of the opposite horizon. And it does that no matter where you stand or where you look. Nothing is in the way. Nothing.

For example, when you are on the prairie, you sometimes see someone else's weather, even if it is miles and miles away. You can see smoke coming from a fire that might take you hours to reach. You can watch a storm rolling toward you and have time to get the clothes off the line. Standing on the prairie, it strikes me that if people could see the salvation of God, we would see it first on the prairie.” 1

When I thought of everything being made smooth, I thought of Nancy Lower and her wheelchair. When everything is smooth and level, it's easier for her to get around. The barriers are gone.

Nancy told our workshop the story of her fall and her rehabilitation. She was on the roof of her house, next to the railing, when she saw a hose her husband had left in the tree. She leaned over to get the hose, and the railing gave way and she fell and landed on her head.

She is a person of deep faith.

She told us a friend of hers told her “God never gives us more than we can handle.” She looked right at the class and swore, indicating she knew that statement wasn't true. That first year, she had a dream that she would be healed on September 21. She told everyone of her dream. Her grown children called her to see if she was healed, and she had to say no. She said that was the worst thing she did.

She was able to tell our class the blessings that have come from her fall. Less than 1% of people who have spinal injuries in Africa ever leave the country. But the pilots, the doctors were in the right place at the right time for her, and she was able to fly to France to the best, closest hospital to treat her injury.

She said that in these eight years since her injury she has learned a lot. She said, “God yearns to be closer to us. Faith needs deep roots. Anxiety is like treading water – it keeps your head up, but it's exhausting and no fun. Faith lets you float in the water.” She is thankful for her faith.

Zechariah was a priest, and did not have as much faith as his wife Elizabeth. But he managed to show his faith in the end, when he blessed God. Blessing can mean just ‘greeting', like a salute. In the military, officers and enlisted personnel salute each other, even though the officers have the higher rank. Sometimes blessing is like that. Zechariah gave God the glory by saying "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.”

Zechariah's son John preached a baptism of repentance. I heard a sermon on this a long time ago that blessed me when I heard it, and when the preacher handed me her manuscript, which I still have. I wanted to share part of it with you.

A laywoman, Carolyn Stephens, preached that sermon to a presbytery meeting some years ago. Even though she preached it to a bunch of pastors and elders, I think all of us, whether we're ordained or not, can hear the challenge of the gospel in it.

“So it is advent, the time of waiting, preparing, and getting ready. And on top of all that, we have to repent… How is it that we need to repent? What is keeping us from being ready to meet our Lord? What would John tell us to do to prepare to welcome the Christ in our lives, to get ready to gather at the table? …There are some sins that most of us in this room are guilty of: the first is abuse. Many of us abuse our bodies with food; alcohol, tobacco, [and other drugs] or lack of sleep – some even by denying the need for advised medical care. In my book of definitions, that is sin. Many of us abuse our relationships – we don't give enough time or attention to our families or friends… How long has it been since you said, “I love you” to someone dear to you? Given a kiss to your spouse or child or parent, even a perfunctory kiss? Is there someone who needs a phone call or letter from you telling them how special they are?

Are you one of those persons who is a fault finder?

Is it easier for you to see a person's weak points than his or her strengths? Do you offer more criticism than praise? It may be a personality defect or it may be sin when we are negative rather than praising. I believe our Creator expects us to heap praise on other people as well as offering it to God.

Some of us hide behind busyness or perceived lack of talent or shyness or fear, or even selfishness to keep from helping others. There is so much need in this world – the place we call “our world” knowing full well that it's God's world. Are you doing all you possibly can to help those in need? If not, could that be sin?

…If John walked down that aisle, I imagine he could find something in each of us which he would call sin, something for which we need to repent. John wasn't privileged to witness the rest of the story [of the gospel] but we have the benefit of knowing. We know that no matter what our weaknesses, our failings, our shortcomings, our sins, Jesus took care of them.

May we renew our commitment to God this day and use the next few weeks as a time to prepare – to prepare not only to welcome the Christ, but to allow him to rule our hearts and lives.” 2

And may we bless God for Jesus Christ, who invites us to be his followers, his disciples, his friends. We are even called on to carry his name, and call ourselves Christians. Bless God. Amen.

1 Strickland, Diane J. Clergy Journal, May/June 2000, p. 69-70.

2 Stephens, Carolyn, “You Brood of vipers,” Dec. 5, 1997, Indian Nations Presbytery meeting, Pauls Valley, OK. This sermon was a gift when I heard it, and another gift when she gave me her manuscript after she preached it.