Sermon preached for
Cathedral Church of St. Paul
By The Rev. Vicki K. Hesse
The Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B
Text here
Watch the service here:
(sermon begins around 30:00 until 43:00)
In the name of God, Creator Sustainer and Redeemer. Amen.
Greetings, Favored Ones! The Lord is with You!
Are you perplexed by these words and pondering what sort of greeting this might be? Well, first of all I can tell you that I’m no angel so really, no need to be afraid.
Secondly, I wondered all week about this strange greeting that Gabriel offered Mary. Imagine what it might have been like for Mary?
…
When my parents were
first married (early 1950’s),they lived in a small
house on a hill in Manhattan Beach, California.
One late afternoon in the fall, with the fog rolling in, my mother sat on her porch (probably smoking a cigarette as she loved to do).
A woman came along, walking up the sidewalk by her house. Her steps were slow, her countenance weighted, her gaze on the sidewalk. My mother did what her mother would have done - she called out to the neighbor in her South Carolina accent, “Hey! Y’all look like you could use a hot toddy!”
Wait, what? What is that? She replied (the neighbor, Beverly, later became my mother’s best friend). YES she said. YES, I’ll try that.
(Hot Toddy – hot water, honey, lemon, cloves, cinnamon, and whisky, rum or bourbon. You can make a “not” Toddy with no liquor)
Interrupted by grace,Beverly accepted the invitation not knowing what she was getting into…how our lives would forever be intertwined. My mother invited her into the house to rest awhile and to share in conversation. To this day, my Beverly shares in that attitude of hospitality – y’all come and rest a while,for in that conversation we can know each other and share the load. All are welcome in Beverly’s house!
…
In my imagination, King David sits on his front porch, possibly drinking a hot toddy.We overhear the most powerful king of that era, David, in conversation with his friend Nathan the Prophet.
He wonders out loud,“Hmm… maybe I need to upgrade God’s house from a tent to something a bit more stable? I mean, all the other kings are doing that, too.” Not so fast, God tells David / through Nathan.
God reminds that most powerful King David that God is free from human control.
God is the one who will appoint a place for all the people Israel.…
God is the one who will make the house for David, not the other way around.
Once again we are reminded of God’s self-differentiation from human control. And we are reminded of how God will surprise with grace, no matter how powerful or powerless we are.
That’s why Mary’s “YES, I’ll do that,” is a vexing counter to David’s impulse toward God.
Mary’s response shows the strength of God’s faithfulness even though she is perplexed. This gospel story today is a celebration of reversal. And it models how stupid hard discipleship is –at such a time as this. Not so fast, God tells Mary, and not so easy.
The visit by Angel Gabriel, of course, shows God present to the lowest in the kingdom – a girl, lowest in the societal ring, from nowhereville, lowest place in the region. Although Mary was engaged to Joseph (of the line of David), God shows up to her, The Favored One.
In my mind’s eye, she’s perhaps sitting on her porch, possibly drinking a “not” toddy, snapping beans. Or maybe she’s washing dishes, staring out the kitchen window at the birds, or slopping a mop over the floor, when Gabriel appears.
She comes-to, shaken out of her monotonous work to stop and ponder. Wait, what? What’s that you say? YES she said. YES, I’ll try that.
And Mary’s openness to a
new self-identity, and her courage to say
YES, and her generosity to do
so, (even without quite fully
understanding the implications) gives me pause.
Makes me ponder.
This is the challenge we all face. For y’all – we all – are favored ones and the Lord is with you! And God promises today and every day:
- you will conceive new life [in your hearts]
- you will name Jesus as Lord [God’s dream as a priority]
- you will share his love with others
- and God’s love in you will have no end
- – for nothing will be impossible with God!
Can we ponder this, really? [Wait, what?]
- Even as more and more families are experiencing economic hardship, even devastation.
- Even while the air is heavier and heavier with grief as we list our losses: people, jobs, holidays, opportunities, expectations…
- Even while we are sad with the collective weight of this pandemic pressing down on us, especially this Christmastime.[1]
What does this mean?
For…God’s ancient/future greeting to us, as favored ones, means to risk when all the data is not available.
God asks us to say YES
when we are not sure…
- Taking the vaccine
- Saying no’ to family gatherings to be safe
- Risking offense asking others to step back
God asks us to join God in the work of feeding others
- Like collecting groceries from your neighbors to
- Pass them on to others who are hungry when we have nothing more to bake.
God asks us to forgive while we cry tears of betrayal.
God asks us to write a letter to a friend
- while we have nothing more to say “COVID stinks.”
God asks us to be grateful for all we have been given
- even when our 2020 bingo disaster card is filled.
God asks us to say YES to live upside downly,
- into the right side upness of God’s priorities
- – in the paradox of strong love and tender mercy.
God invites us up the hill.
Come on in God says, to God’s strong love.
- in the midst of whatever hill you are climbing
- in the midst of these pandemics of disease
- and racial inequalities and incivility…
You are not an accident! God says - Forget the circumstances of your life (Mary did!). You belong here right now. You are not an afterthought. You are the YES to God’s request to bring God’s dream to fullness.”[2]
This is good news from Mary…This is the promise God made to our forebears, to Abraham and Sarah, and their children forever!
This house of God cannot contain the good news from all y’all saying YES today.
Let’s bust it out, folks. We were made for this.
Today, we can proclaim the greatness of the Lord.
Favored ones, say YES. The Lord is with you
Welcome home. Amen
[1] Inspired by Cameron Howard at https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/pursued-by-love and by David Lose at http://www.davidlose.net/2020/12/advent-4-a-greetings-favored-ones/
[2] Inspired by Bishop Rob Write in his podcast, https://forpeople.buzzsprout.com/952672/6661100-foolish-for-jesus?play=true .
