C, The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany - Luke 4:28-30 Psalm 71:1-4 "The Cliff's Edge"

Luke 4:28–30 (ESV) When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.

Standing on the precipice, the cliff’s edge, many feelings can flow through the body.  A glorious sunrise or sunset can invigorate.  Looking down at the waves against the rocks can give one giddiness from vertigo, making one cautiously pull back from the edge.  The thought of going over the edge and falling into the rocks and waves of suffering and certain death gives one that funny feeling within that really isn’t that funny at all. 

As you look over the edge you might see things washed up on the rocks, jetsam and flotsam, piles of dead seaweed, rubbish or maybe you’ve come to see for yourself a ship that’s run aground in huge seas.

It also depends on the weather too.  Standing at the cliff’s edge might be quite pleasant on a balmy summer’s day.  But when the wind is howling in from the frigid zone and the sleet is stinging your face, on the edge is no place to be.  One wonders, “Why on earth am I trying to stand here at this place, at this time”.  As the wind pushes one leans into the wind to have a look over the edge. If there’s a wind sheer for a moment, a pause in being held back, it’s over the edge and down to death.  It makes one queasy in the gut just thinking about it.

Now picture being at the bottom of the cliff in big seas.  You’ve been tossed about in a boat without a rudder and run aground.  Huge waves have pounded your punt to pieces.  Disaster has dashed your dinghy.  Climbing the cliff will save you from the waves bashing you into bits.  But it’s wet and your too weak with cold to see or climb a way up the impenetrable slippery cliff.

Two loves emerge from these pictures.  From our perceived position in life, one desires to be at the top of the precipice, or one loves they’re at the top.  Or, on the other hand, one doesn’t love that they’re at the bottom but rather desires to be at the top.

All, in Jesus’ hometown synagogue, spoke well of him while they saw themselves as privileged and favoured.  That was until Jesus made it plain to them that they were akin to the Israelites in the days of Elijah and Elisha, who didn’t receive the freedom from hunger as did the Sidonian widow from Zarephath, and didn’t receive the recovery from leprosy as did the leprous Syrian, Naaman.

Saying the men of Nazareth who heard these things, were unimpressed, is an understatement.  They were furious.  The scriptures were fulfilled in their hearing.  The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus, baptised in the Jordan by John, then led in the wilderness being tempted by Satan.  He proclaimed good news to the poor. He was there to proclaim freedom to these captives of Israel, to recover their sight, to set them free from oppression, and to proclaim the Lord’s favour or approval.

But they did not approve of Jesus’ proclamation, nor his approval of himself.  Nor did they accept they needed being looked upon as captives, blind, oppressed  and diseased.  So, their ease turned into dis-ease. They became blind with rage.  They were captivated by anger and took Jesus to the edge of town, to the edge of the precipice, to toss him over the edge.

However, they didn’t cast Jesus off the cliff.  Unlike a piece of waste, Jesus didn’t allow them to deliver him into the depths below.  Not long before this, Jesus wasn’t tempted by the devil to throw himself from the top of the temple, so there was no way his hometown folk were being allowed to cast him down either.  It was not his time!  That was to come at the cross when his own nation and humanity would lift him up and cast him down in death.

Humanity has a habit of dumping things we don’t want, down into the sea or over a cliff into a ravine.  If it’s out of sight it’s out of mind, ridding from sight the unsightly, so one doesn’t have to deal with it!  Today at least we flush our toilets rather than toss it out the window, down into the street, as they did in the Middle Ages.  Yet humanity still yearns to delete what it doesn’t desire.

The Nazoreans wanted to delete Jesus.  He has become as worthless to them as what they usually cast off the cliff.  Like a child chucking stones off a cliff or rolling rocks over the edge, they wanted to do the same to Jesus, the Rock of Salvation.

When Jesus confronts the idols in our lives, when the Holy Spirit opens the Word of God in our understanding, we are no different to the folk from Nazareth, we too want to cast Jesus aside and roll the Rock out of sight.  How often we seek to put parts of God’s Word out of sight that offends our perceived position at the top of the hill!

However, the reality is, as humans being human, no one gets to stand on the hill because of what  they’ve done or who they desire to be.  Just as a beautiful sunset descends into darkness, any human perception that one stands perfect in life, quickly disappears into the reality of a future without a resurrection from oneself, into the refuge of God’s protection.

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone casting down their thoughts on those, they’ve perceived to be below them at the bottom of the cliff, I’d be a wealthy man.  But even more so, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve done or thought the same, I’d be doubly wealthy. 

But thank the Lord, you and I don’t get a dollar for conceitedly thinking this way.  By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit works faith within us with Jesus, the “Word made Flesh”.  You and I, like those in the Nazareth synagogue are invited to have our sight recovered, and the scripture fulfilled in our hearing.

as Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18–19 ESV)

This means, the Holy Spirit is upon Jesus, because God the Father has anointed Jesus, to proclaim good news to the poor.  That’s you, me, and all of humanity!  God sent Jesus to proclaim freedom to us in captivity, to recover our sight, and to free us from oppression. We’re in an all of life event being raised from the bottom of the cliff to the top.

In fact, every time you cast someone over the edge into your perceived sea of uselessness, realise as you cast them over the edge, you’ve bound yourself to them with the same rope of judgement.  So, when you cast them off the precipice into the depths, feel yourself falling off the cliff into a sea of sin and destruction too.

But the Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus to also proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour!  And the favour was fulfilled at the cross, which at the lifting up of Jesus Christ in death, also lifts us up from our fatal falls from favour.  But it doesn’t end there at the cross!  Favour is fully fulfilled at Jesus’ resurrection!  When our Heavenly Father’s favour saw Jesus elevated in glory, since he bore no sin of his own but bore the sin of all, those who repentantly trust him are in a life event of rescue, resuscitation, and refuge.

While Jesus was one of us, he did not perceive himself at the top but allowed himself to be plunged into the depths of turbulent humanity, looking to God our Father who stands at the precipice of all holiness in heaven and on earth.  The words of Psalm seventy-one show the trust Jesus placed in our Father in heaven.

“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me!  Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.”   (Psalm 71:1–4 ESV)

You are being rescued by Jesus, the only rock of refuge!  You are being elevated by the cross from the depths of sin and death.  These words given to you, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, are words for your lips, because they’re words of God’s promised rescue, resuscitation, and refuge, as you wait for the fulfilment of God’s favour to be finally completed at your resurrection on the last day. Amen.

C, The Third Sunday after Epiphany - Psalm 19:12-14 "Presumptuous Sins"

Psalm 19:12–14 (ESV) Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

These are the words of King David.  Why does he end this psalm in this way?  We’ve all heard variations of these words before.  Usually as a prayer… May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Often prayed at the beginning of a sermon, pastors pray that they preach God’s word acceptably in his sight, to the congregation.  Hopefully, this preaching comes about through the pastor allowing the Holy Spirit to guide his meditations in God’s word, so what is preached is what the Lord God needs his people to hear.  So therefore, pastors pray that the hearer’s meditations are also acceptable to the Lord, our Rock and Redeemer.

So why does David end the psalm this way?  He wants to be blameless and innocent of great transgression. Why does the pastor pray this way?  Pastors, faithful to the word of God, know they are accountable to God for what is taught and preached to God’s people. 

In the letter to the Hebrews we hear, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”  (Hebrews 13:17a ESV)

And from the epistle of James, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1 ESV)

Although David has many liberties as king, he knew as the leader of the liturgical congregation of Israel, David does not presume anything.  He does not gauge his blamelessness nor his innocence by his position or how he feels!  But rather, he is counselled by the warnings in God’s word, spoken by the likes of Samuel and Nathan, and those who came before.

Again, we should ask, “why does he the king, listen to God’s word of warning?”  David knows his true hidden self, in the face of God’s word!   He is a leader in constant learning in the face of death.  David does not have to think too hard to remember, both his failures, and the forgiveness of his failures.  He also knows his rise to power came at the Lord’s hand, in the wake of King Saul’s presumption, removal from leadership, and death.

King David knew he was a sinful man forgiven and sustained by God after his lustful adultery with Bathsheba and its coveting that led to the murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite.  Just as Nathan the prophet was sent to call David out for these sins, David knew of Saul’s fate sealed by the judge and prophet Samuel who revoked his life and leadership saying, “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23 ESV)

David knew that being presumptuous was deadly and he didn’t want what happened to Saul, to happen to him.   Like David, we cannot declare ourselves innocent nor blameless, nor do we want our death to be eternal.  The knowledge of death brings a baptised Christian back to the foot of the cross, where like David, we seek the mercy of he who created all things, and continues to sustain us and his creation, despite our corruption and creation’s corruption. 

This knowledge of death comes as a shock to humanity who’ve made the presumption that their goodness will save them from death.  Especially those who no longer believe God exists, nor created life, justice, and love.  Without God, life is shallow and hopeless.  Without God, justice is every man for himself.  And without God, love is nothing more than human yearnings, boiling in the bowels of desire.

In fact, this is the definition of presumption.  The Hebrew word for presumption is the same word for cooking or boiling stew.  This reminds us of the presumption of both Esau and Jacob when Esau despised and sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of boiling stew. Like Esau, we all know how the smell of boiling food can entice presumptuous desires within us.  Similarly, like Jacob, we know how to act with hidden deceit, cooking up presumptuous plans to get what we want, to get our own way!

But these are not God’s way.  Presumption is meditation without Godly wisdom.  Presumption takes the will and ways of the heart and leads a person to death.  Presumption works in the realm of unwise jealousy and selfish ambition.  As we hear, “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” (James 3:15 ESV)

How often does your frustrations lead you to presume you’re better than your neighbour, to force your way as the way!  This is playing God.   Our presumption works contrary to God’s word, especially the wisdom and meekness of God’s word implanted within.  Presumption opposes the way of Jesus.  Presumption uses the truth of Jesus’ word to serve one’s own imperfect truth.  And presumption foolishly leads one to believe the human spirit over against the Holy Spirit for life.

This is why like King David we call out to God and pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:10–12 ESV)

Three times David says,  renew a right spirit within me, take not your Holy Spirit from me, and uphold me with a willing spirit.  Like David, every believer’s spirit needs to be sustained by the Holy Spirit.  Presumption makes us forget we are human, or at least what being human is, and tricks us into putting God aside in favour of everything else.  Presumption makes fools of us!

Being recreated, not cast away through repentance and forgiveness, restored and upheld by the Holy Spirit, David says, “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.” (Psalm 51: 13 ESV)

And he does just that here in Psalm nineteen.  Don’t be fazed by the numbering of the Psalms.  They were liturgically ordered and numbered years later.  Nevertheless, David reigned thirty-three years in Israel, and constantly struggled with the sins of his humanity, especially within, when threatened from others, tempting him to look to himself instead of God.

And so, David not only teaches the congregation of Israel. But he himself is taught by the words of this psalm and others he authored and authorised for use as he leads the congregation in Jerusalem.

From Isaiah sixty-two Jesus proclaims, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18–19 ESV)

After saying this he says, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4: 21 ESV)

David sought not to be presumptuous and trusted the Holy Spirit to lead him with the Word of God.  In meekness, Jesus came to implant the fulfilment of his word within us.  The Holy Spirit was upon Jesus to do this, and the Holy Spirit continues to work faith within us and remove presumption from within.

We hear in James, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21 ESV)

Jesus is the Word made flesh implanted in us by the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit counsels us to remain in what we’ve received through being baptised into Jesus’ wisdom and meekness.  This is the wisdom and meekness that overcomes your humanity, your presumption.

The words of Psalm nineteen are fulfilled in Jesus, as are all of the Psalms. 

Jesus perfects the law of the Lord, reviving the soul; Jesus’ testimony is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts or teachings of Jesus are right, rejoicing the heart.  Jesus has kept the commandments of the Lord pure, enlightening our eyes, to allow the Holy Spirit’s enduring cleansing with Christlike meekness and wisdom.  The rules of the Lord’s law of liberty are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired is Jesus than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by Jesus’ words is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great eternal reward.  Let us pray.

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, by ourselves we cannot discern the errors of our human spirit from the new person you have recreated each of us to be!  Thank you for daily sending the Holy Spirit with your implanted word, to expose and set each of us free from the desires and deeds that frustrate and cause us to seek our own way.  You declare me, and other repentant sinners, innocent from hidden faults.  Help us to believe this equally of ourselves and of others. Keep back your servants, from presumptuous sins seething within; let them not boil up and have dominion over us!  In feeling the bubbling dread of our guilt, lead us to innocence through the confession of our transgressions.

Lord Jesus, let the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be sweet desirable honey and gold in my life, and in the lives of this congregation, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. 

C, The Second Sunday after Christmas - John 1: 1-2, 14, 16-17, Ephesians 1:7-8, 11-14 "Grace Upon Grace"

Today is the Second Sunday after Christmas.  Epiphany follows on January the sixth.  Epiphany continues the Christmas season, switching the focus from Jesus as a human child, to being also the Son of God from eternity.  But today marks the end of the twelve-day Christmastide church season from Christmas Day to now.  And it's from where we get the seemingly trite carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas. 

For the sake of time, we'll hear just the last verse which summarises all that's given in cumulative number over the twelve days. 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Twelve drummers drumming – Eleven pipers piping – Ten lords a-leaping – Nine ladies dancing – Eight maids a-milking – Seven swans a-swimming – Six geese a-laying – Five golden rings – Four calling birds – Three French hens – Two turtle doves – And a partridge in a pear tree!

But the carol has deeper purpose than what we first might hear.  The carol contains a code that reveals God as a gracious giver, who lavishes us with gifts, one blessing after another - a giver of grace upon grace.

From John's Gospel we hear, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth.  And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.  For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  (John 1:1-2, 14, 16-17)

However, for many today Christmas has become not so much about God and the gifts he lavishes upon us in all his grace and glory.  But rather Christmas has become a melting pot of pressure and things we have to do in a terrible hurry. 

A parody of the Twelve Days of Christmas is the Twelve Pains of Christmas and perhaps you might sigh as you see yourself with, at least, just some of the trials this song portrays.

The twelve things at Christmas that's such a pain to me: Singing Christmas carols – Stale TV specials – Batteries not included – Finding parking spaces – Children wanting stuff – Charities – Facing my in-laws – Five months of bills – Sending Christmas cards – Hangovers – Rigging up the lights – And finding a Christmas tree!

This "me-centred" consumer Christmas is not a very nice picture!  But with all parodies, humour comes about because there's a sense of truth hidden in the satirical song.  Perhaps this parody is more realistic than we would like to admit.  Such is what Christmas has become in a world where Jesus Christ is taken from Christmas. 

If Christ is removed from being the centre of Christmas and its glory and the season becomes "me-centred", perhaps we should call the season "christ-is-me" instead of Christmas.  And if that's the case, then Christmas is an anti-Christ-mass orgy.  When you place yourself at the centre at Christmas, you come against Christ and become an antichrist!  What happens is one ends up doing all sorts of things to glorify the human ego rather than glorifying God.

However, returning to the regular Twelve days of Christmas carol, we hear twelve times in twelve day what "my true love" is giving.  Who is this true love?  God our Father, is of course!  God is love, because his being is the perfection of love.  Our being is human and flawed with our desire to love on conditions, and it's fleeting at best.  But God's love is pure, powerful, self-giving, all-encompassing, and his love is eternal. 

In his love, God gives!  He gives of himself out of love for us.  But God’s love is also jealous!  We hear from Exodus chapter twenty. “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:5b–6 ESV)

This jealous love God gives to us is not just a love bound in feelings.  Rather, it’s a love which comes to us in a real way, encompassing all of God’s being and benefits more than just our emotions.  His love is a love that's practical, physical, spiritual, and as we've already heard, it's eternal - it never stops!  But the greatest thing about God's love is — it's for you, for us, and for all people!

The twelve days of Christmas is a festival of God's love lavished on us.  His love for you is unfaltering kindness and generosity.  It's a gift and it's the most useful gift one will ever get.  It's a practical gift!  It's a spiritual gift!  It's a physical gift!  And this gift is Good News!  This gift is God's one and only Son, Jesus Christ, and through him we are lavished with even more gifts.  From the one gift we receive a Pandora's Box of gifts.  One might say, "Gifts upon gifts!"

In fact, these gifts upon gifts come from the fullness of God's grace and truth.  Each day of this twelve day season your true love, your true Lord, gives upon giving.  Favour upon favour, blessing upon blessing, gift upon gift, grace upon grace!

In the song The Twelve days of Christmas what is given on the first day is also given on the second day with the second day's gift.  And these gifts continue to flood each day onwards so that on the twelfth day we have received gift upon gift.

Do you realise that this is an eternal progression?  What you received in baptism on the first day to the glory of God, you have received every day since!  You have received blessing upon blessing, forgiveness upon forgiveness, salvation upon salvation, and unfaltering kindness upon kindness.  And it will continue despite your sinful nature, because of the fullness of God's love towards you.  And this fullness is found in Jesus' death on the cross.  As we’re continuing to receive these gifts upon gifts, let us return thanks with thankfulness upon thankfulness!  Let us be repentant upon repentant!

Why? In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.  In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.  In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  (Ephesians 1:7-8, 11-14)

For us in these twelve days of Christmas and beyond, our job is to continue to allow the Holy Spirit access into us to continue pouring the eternal blessings of God's love upon us, and through us.  We do this by remaining focused on Christ and the forgiveness he brings us every day. 

If one forbids the Spirit’s work, and the faith he brings, then we walk precariously towards cutting ourselves off from God's grace and the guarantee of our inheritance.

So, let's see the multiplying effect of the twelve days of Christmas as our grace upon grace eternal gift from God as we unlock the song.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree is Jesus born a baby on the first day.  Two turtle doves are the two Testaments of God's Word.  The third day our true love gives us three French hens, which are faith, hope, and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)  The greatest of these being love, because it's God's being and unlike faith and hope will continue in eternity.

Then four calling birds given on the fourth day are the Gospel proclamations of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John!  And on the fifth day of Christmas, the five golden rings are the five books of the Law, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The six geese-a-laying represent the six days in which God laid the foundation of creation.  Seven Swans A-swimming are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11).

Eight Maids A-milking are the eight Beatitudes: Blessed are, 1) the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)

Nine Ladies Dancing are the nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness, 6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control.  (Galatians 5:22)

Ten Lords-a-leaping represent the Ten Commandments.  Eleven Pipers Piping are the eleven faithful Apostles.  And on the twelfth day our true love, our True Lord, gives us Twelve Drummers Drumming the twelve-part confession of the Apostles’ Creed.

So, surging and snowballing from the fullness of Christ is grace upon grace.  Let the Holy Spirit carry you in the eternal crescendo that centres on Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection for you.  As you think of the Twelve days of Christmas remember the eternal reality hidden in the song; the grace upon grace God gives to you!

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true Lord gives to me:  The Apostles' Creed confession – Eleven disciples preaching – Ten Commandments guiding – Nine fruits of Spirit – Eight beatitude blessings – Seven holy gifts – Six-day creation – Five books of Law – Four Gospel records – Faith, hope, & love – The New & Old Word – and our Lord Jesus born a baby.

Amen.