Christmas Day

The Rev. Curt Norman
Sermon for Christmas Day 2009
John 1:1-14

“He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." (John 1:11-12)

Merry Christmas. Or, as the saying around my house goes: some assembly required!

Today, liturgically, is the First Day of Christmas… a season of the Church which lasts 12 days. But it seems like we’ve been celebrating Christmas since we took down our Halloween decorations.

There’s a radio station… 99.5… that has been playing holiday music since then. I will bet it resumes normal programming tomorrow.

I don’t know how many Zale’s and Jared’s TV commercials I’ve seen urging men to buy their wives jewelry. I resisted that temptation. I got Margaret an iPod instead. That’s sort of like jewelry, isn’t it?

I love the Nutcracker, but if I hear ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies’ one more time… I’m not sure what I’ll do.

And it’s not just in the culture that Christmas… or what some wrongly think to be Christmas… has been going on for quite some time. Christmas has been front and center in the Norman home, as well.

Our first presents from grandparents arrived weeks ago… and it’s amazing to me how many of those presents labeled for Karina and Cade got OPENED weeks ago!

Margaret and I heard excuses like: “It was an ACCIDENT!”

Or, “Elvis opened the present!”

Elvis is one of our two cats. He and Stripey, his brother cat, are guilty of many things… shattering Christmas Tree ornaments and decapitating a Nutcracker… but when it comes to opening Christmas presents for Karina and Cade, they are innocent.

My family and I have received many a Christmas gift this year. We are thankful for each Christmas gift we have received. We have not refused any Christmas gift. We have opened every gift… and we enjoy every gift.

Today is about the ultimate gift any one of us could ever receive. Today, we are offered God’s gift of LIFE… God in human flesh… God made man… the Christ-child… and when we receive this Christ-child into our lives, we receive the fullness of God… grace upon grace.

But sadly, while this gift is offered to each and every person in all times and all places, not everybody receives God’s gift to the world: He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

This indictment from John’s Gospel is not limited to the people of Jesus’ time. There are people in this day and age who do not receive the gift of Jesus into their lives.

Why do people not accept the gift of Jesus?

On some level, I think people do not accept God’s gift of Jesus because they do not know how to accept love. They do not accept their own acceptance. Some people do not believe they are loveable.

I think of a family I walked with in another place at a different time… a family with a young girl… a mother’s and father’s third child… a young girl with an older sister and an older brother… a young girl whose actions indicated she viewed herself as less than worthy of her parents’ love because she was not the ONLY or OLDEST daughter in the family… a young girl whose actions indicated she viewed herself as less than worthy of her parents’ love because she did not hold a unique status in her family, like that of her brother, the family’s only son.

This girl went to extremes to prove to herself that she was worthy of her parents’ love… thinking there was nothing unique about herself. In her effort to prove worthy of her parents’ love, this young girl acted out against her siblings… in unloving ways… and instead of building loving relationships within the family, she built up a wall around herself… she became unapproachable.. she became unlovable, the very thing she was struggling against.

I’ve seen this happen within parish families, as well… church pews full of people with each person’s attention directed toward the altar… people who desire to share Communion only with God and a select few of their own choosing… but not with all of God’s children.

From my experience, when people close themselves off from family… or when they close themselves off from God’s family… it’s because they do not receive the gift of the Incarnation: “… the Word became flesh and lived among us.”

God is with us.

God took on human flesh in the Christ-child to say: I love you. You are lovable.

In Jesus, God broke down the barrier humanity constructed… and offers us the gift of His love. In Christ, God made the 'unapproachable' approachable.

When we know that we are loved… when we realize we are lovable… we are receiving God’s gift of Jesus Christ.

In the words of St. John, we are given power to become children of God.

When we know we are loved… and lovable… we approach life much like a child approaches the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

How do you approach life?

When we realize from the Incarnation that we are loved… and lovable… we can love our siblings… and we can live.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

The Rev. Curt Norman
Sermon for December 20, 2009 / Advent IV
Micah 5:2-4, Luke 1:39-56

“He shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth… and he shall be the one of peace” (Micah 5:4-5).

Have you ever been to a party… or sat on an airplane… where you find yourself sitting next to a person who had nothing positive to say? Somebody who views the glass as half empty… and dirty? Somebody who wouldn’t laugh if you tried to explain to them:

There's a time for kidding around and a time to be serious. This isn’t one of them.


When I read the opening chapters of the Book of the Prophet Micah… it sounds as if Micah is nothing but a grouch. And who could blame him? Micah lived in the southern part of Judah in the eighth century before Christ… a time of corruption at all levels of society… a time when political and religious leaders alike were accepting bribes.

Who says the Bible is irrelevant in the 21st Century?

Micah… known as a prophet of doom… was warning his contemporaries that if they did not repent, if they did not turn from their sinful ways, God’s punishment would soon follow. God’s punishment was imminent, because the people of Micah’s time had turned their backs on their covenant with God.

Those people were seeking security NOT from God… they were hoping to achieve security through their own devices. They were substituting the human spirit for the Holy Spirit.

No wonder life for God’s chosen people during Micah’s time was so miserable. No wonder Micah pointed out the sins and offenses of God’s people. No wonder Micah called on God’s people to repent.

In fact, the mere mention of Micah’s name caused God’s people to take notice… the name Micah, roughly translated, means: Who is like God?

At our very best, can humans be like God? That is the primary temptation presented to humanity first in the Garden of Eden… the idea that through our own actions, through our own independence, we can be like God.

How misleading it is to think the created can take the place of the Creator.

When we fail to listen to God’s prophets… when we fail to understand God’s relationship to humanity… when we forget who we are in relation to God… we are no different from the people of Micah’s time.

We are no different from the people of Jesus’ time.

Last month, on Christ the King Sunday, we highlighted the failure of Pontius Pilate to acknowledge Jesus as God in human flesh. But we know that Pilate was not the only guilty party on that day. Just think of the people outside Pilate’s headquarters… the crowd beneath Pilate’s balcony.

In the Gospels, we read how Pontius Pilate… the governor of Judea… went before the unruly crowds to ask them which prisoner they wanted him to release, which was customary prior to their religious observance.

There were two options: Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus Barabbas.

Pilate asked the crowd whom they wanted… and the crowd shouted: We want Barabbas! We want Barabbas! We want Barabbas!

Now, we know about Jesus of Nazareth… so let’s remember who Jesus Barabbas was.

Jesus Barabbas was a “freedom fighter”. He was arrested while staging an insurrection; he was trying to take over the Roman government by force. He was in jail, charged with murder.

Jesus Barabbas was a powerful, political person… a “rebel with a cause”. His people were oppressed… and he sought their liberation through any means necessary.

We see the attraction of security through human action not only in the deeds of Jesus Barabbas… but in his name, as well. If we break down the name Bar-abbas, we know that Bar means “son of”… and we know that “abbas” comes from “abba”, meaning ‘father’… so we have Jesus ‘son of the father’. He’s a political messiah; he will be a political savior!!!!

So, the crowd before Pilate had two Jesuses (sp?) from which to choose: “Jesus ‘son of the father’ the POLITICAL REVOLUTIONARY… or Jesus, the Son of God, who transforms the heart… promotes peace, forgiveness, reconciliation, humility, kindness, grace, and mercy… do we choose the Jesus who endured suffering on our behalf?

Which Jesus do we choose?

In times of anxiety, in times of anticipation, the temptation is to look inward for security… the temptation is to find salvation with humanity itself. We do this because we are born into a state of sin, a condition in which we are separated from God. It is counterintuitive to seek security from God.

We are 21st Century Americans… well educated… well nourished… we are supposed to be strong… we’re supposed to be self-sufficient. Don’t let them see you sweat!

The people of Micah’s time sought security through their own devices… they thought they knew better than God how to get along in complicated, trying times. So, they turned their backs on God… and life was only getting worse.

Micah was outraged with the behavior of those around him… he was grief-stricken… he was heart-broken. Micah pointed to their disobedience of God… and God’s impending judgment. Micah was truly a prophet of doom.

And, yet, low and behold! What comes from the lips of Micah: HOPE!

God gives Micah a glimpse of the coming Messiah. God shows Micah how in Christ, He was going to set the world to rights (nice phrasing from NT Wright).

“He shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth… and he shall be the one of peace” (Micah 5:4-5).

When we trust that God has come into the world… and is coming into our lives… in the person of Jesus Christ, we will be secure.

Where do you seek security in your life?

On this Fourth Sunday in Advent… the day on which the Church looks to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven…

Where do you seek security?

If you seek security from your own accomplishments, hear the song of the Mary:

“He (the Christ) has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.”

If you seek security from those in Government or Capitalism, Mary sings:

“(The Christ) has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.”

Where do you seek security?

The season of Advent is drawing to a close. It has been a season of expectation… a season of anticipation… a season of waiting. We are waiting for Christ to come into our lives.

What do we want from the Christ-child? Do we truly want the security and peace that only Jesus can bring?

For us to accept the true security and peace offered only by Christ, we must be vulnerable in his presence. This is the point of Advent… to prepare our lives for the security of Christ… to make ourselves vulnerable before the Lord.

In a sense, all of our days in this earthly life constitute a season of Advent… a life-long season in which we wait for Christ to come.

As I see it, there are two ways to wait.

We can wait with anxious expectation… a waiting in which we do not trust God to follow through on His promises… a waiting in which we look elsewhere for security and peace.

In place of God, we might look to: a president, a governor, a mayor, legislation, a new bishop, a particular denomination, a new version of Microsoft Windows… persons, organizations and things that will ultimately let us down.

That’s one way to spend the Advent of our lives.

Or we can wait with holy expectation… taking to heart the words of the prophet Micah:

“He shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth… and he shall be the one of peace” (Micah 5:4-5).

Second Sunday of Advent

The Rev. Curt Norman
Sermon for Advent II / December 6, 2009
Luke 3:1-6

“He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…”

Red State. Blue state.

Conservative. Liberal.

Orthodox. Progressive.

Catholic. Protestant.

High Church. Low Church.

Pro Life. Pro Choice.

Gun control.

Marriage.

John and Kate Plus Eight.

Israel. Palestine.

Health Care. Economy. Iraq. Afghanistan. Iran. North Korea. Axis of Evil.

War. Indifference.

Global warming. Global climate change.

Al Gore Sarah Palin.

What goes through our minds… and what happens with our blood pressure… when we hear the names, titles and buzz words I just mentioned?

Life is riddled with people, events and issues that breed division. We choose sides. In our quest to have others agree with our own points of view, we encourage others not to sit on the fence. And to those who claim they see both sides of the story, we blister them with the philosophical statement that “… those who see two sides actually see nothing at all.”

It’s my way or the highway. Those who differ from me must be wrong… they must be evil… they are the ones who must change. Not me.

My view is GOOD… the opposing view is EVIL.

Some in this culture believe that the line between good and evil is geographical.

The line between good and evil is political.

The line between good and evil is philosophical.

The line between good and evil is theological.

The line between good and evil is economic.

The line between good and evil is ethnic.

Wouldn’t our lives here in America be better if we could just close our borders?

Wouldn’t our lives in the Church be better if we could just kick out those whose theological opinions differ from mine?

Wouldn’t our lives in Santa Fe be better if all those tourists just stayed at home? Especially those Texans!

(If you’ve visiting Holy Faith today from out of town, we welcome you. Please note the biting sarcasm in my voice… and please know, too, that my family and I just moved here from Texas. )

I hope you see the point I’m attempting to make… we are tempted to adopt an attitude that says:

Life would be so much better… if everybody else was just like… ME!

It’s an attitude that says I am not responsible for things that are wrong with the world; everybody else is to blame. Why can’t everybody else think like I think?


On some level, each of us is guilt of this idolatry.

I’ve been guilty of personal idolatry… I’m guilty of the mindset that everybody else is the problem; I’m not the problem. I’m most guilty of this sin when I’m driving… and people cut me off in traffic… or make a left turn onto Palace from Paseo de Peralta.

Knowledge of the cure for this personal idolatry… the notion that the world should revolve around me… comes from the mouth of John, son of Zechariah; John the Baptist… a man not afraid to speak his mind… a man not afraid of the consequences for telling the truth… a man not concerned with what others think of his outward appearance… a man who IS concerned with the interior life, the attitude of the heart… a man who, beneath the shouting, is concerned for our very souls.

St. Luke says this of John the Baptist:

“He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…”

John’s words cut to my heart. He proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John tells my heart to turn from evil… and turn toward God.

John the Baptist draws our attention to the location of the boundary between good and evil.

John says: the line between good and evil does not run along a geographical boundary.

The line between good and evil does not run along a political… or philosophical… or theological… or economic… or ethnic boundary.

The line between good and evil runs right through the human heart. It runs through my heart… the line between good and evil runs through your heart.

To be sure, we humans are endowed with God’s “original blessing” from Creation… but we are also tainted with the condition of Original Sin… maybe we should called it Inherited Sin.

What it means is this:

We human beings are capable of doing marvelous things with our lives. God has breathed His Spirit into our lives… and we have the capacity to act as God would have us act: we can heal people who are sick, we can clothe those in need, and we can feed those who are hungry. We can better people’s lives through encouragement… through education… through love… with fidelity… and trust.

But we need to realize, too, that we are capable of causing a lot of damage in this life. We can ignore those in need… we can use others to further our own lives; we can view others as means to an end… we can be two-faced… I’m from the South, so I’m fluent in passive aggression.

We can use our intelligence for destruction.

A few weeks ago in our Tuesday evening Bible Study, we talked about this very thing… the human capacity for Good and the potential to commit Evil. One example brought up was the Lab at Los Alamos. Good can come from the work of the people in Los Alamos… so can Evil. And this truth is known.

In the words J. Robert Oppenheimer, who through his work at the Lab in Los Alamos became the “Father of the Atomic Bomb”:

In some sort of crude sense, which no vulgarity, no humor, no overstatement can quite extinguish, the physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose.

In what ways have we known sin? What are those actions we have committed in the past that constitute a knowledge which we cannot lose?


The good news for us today is that when we acknowledge sin for what it is… when we are truly sorry for our actions that are not consistent with God’s will… God, through Christ, will forgive our sins… and He WILL LOSE knowledge of those sins for eternity.

When we fall on our knees and turn Evil over to Jesus… the Holy Spirit will bring us to our feet and fill us with the desire to do Good.

As we await the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… John, the son of Zechariah, speaks to us as individuals… he speaks to our hearts… he says: deal with your own heart… REPENT… turn away from the things that are NOT DIVINE… turn in God’s direction.

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Thanksgiving 2009

The Rev. Curt Norman
Sermon for Thanksgiving Day 2009
Deut. 8:1-3, 6-10, 17-20 / Matthew 6:25-33

Finally. It was a time to exhale. The busiest travel episode was long since over. No more looking back at the stress in the city they had left behind. It was simply a time to reflect… and a time to look ahead. And once they processed the past and pondered the future… they would know how deal with the present.

Of course, I’m talking about the Hebrews, God’s chosen people. They didn’t have to endure the crowds in JFK, DFW, LAX, O’Hare or Hartsfield. No, their busy travel episode involved walking through the parted waters of the Red Sea. They moved from the bondage of Egypt to a time of reflection in the desert.

It was from this desert posture that they were able to find perspective on what they had left behind, what God had rescued them from, through the leadership of Moses.

In the reading from Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Hebrews:
Remember the long way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Moses calls on the Hebrews, and us, to remember. Reflect on the past. Reflect on the hardships that God has allowed… not the hardships that God caused… but the hardships that God has allowed.

It is an interesting question to ponder: why does God allow us to experience hard times? But Moses provides an answer for us… and we are able to answer the question upon reflection, remembrance.

When the Hebrews examined their past and all they endured, they remembered how God gave them the strength to endure. It wasn’t their own strength that helped them through the tough times… reflection was not a moment in which the Hebrews could be proud of their own accomplishments. Rather, it was a time in which they learned to be thankful for God’s presence in their lives, God’s persistence in seeing them through the hard times.

So, today… Thanksgiving Day… we are called to remember.

Not only are we to remember… but we are to look toward the future, as well.

Moses speaks to the Hebrews about God’s future for them. He says:

For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the LORD your God for the good land that he has given you.

Certainly, the Hebrews heard these words with a great deal of excitement. But knowing the human condition as we do, I am willing to bet that many… if not all… of the Hebrews had a certain bit of anxiety about God’s future for them in the Promised Land.

We do tend to worry. I tend to worry. With a wife, two children, two cats, two house payments and other expenses, I sometimes get anxious about the future.

At times, although it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison… I fear of slipping into a depression… much like the man in Kenny Rogers’ song that goes:

You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille
With four hungry children and a crop in the field
I've had some bad times lived through some sad times
But this time your hurting won't heal
You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille.

The first time I heard the song, I thought Kenny Rogers was talking about Four HUNDRED children… but I digress.

We worry about the future. The Hebrews worried about their future… and they probably glossed over Moses’ statement that God was bringing them to a land in which they will “lack nothing”.

And if Moses’ words aren’t enough to ease our anxiety, consider the words of Jesus:

Do not worry about your life. Your heavenly Father knows what you need. He will take care of you.

Look to the future… and look to the future without anxiety… instead, look to the future with hope and thanksgiving, taking to heart the words of Jesus that God will take care of us.

So, today’s Scripture readings call on us to remember… and look to the future.

When we look to the past… and prepare for tomorrow… we know how to live today. We know how to deal with the present.

To the Hebrews, Moses’ word about the present is this: “… keep the commandments of the LORD your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him.”

Jesus’ advice for the current moment: “… strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”

Yes, today is a wonderful time to eat turkey and pie… to watch parades and football… and Survivor.

It’s a time to thank God for the Promised Land we call the United States of America.

But most importantly, today is the day on which we model all other days of our lives.

It is a day to put God at the center.

Today is the day to reflect on our past… to put our struggles and losses in perspective… then look to the future and offer up to God our hopes and fears… and finally give thanks to God for the love He shows us completely in the person of Christ Jesus.

When we offer our lives to the God who was, and is, and is to come… we can truly be thankful today.

Christ the King

The Rev. Curt Norman
Sermon for Christ the King Sunday 2009
John 18:33-37 (background info on Pilate from John Stott's studies)

Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" (John 18:33-34)

Have you ever had one of those days when you questioned your career choice? Have you ever had one of those days when you wondered why you ever chose the profession that you entered? What made you do it? What were you thinking?

In this morning’s Gospel lesson, TODAY is one of those days for Pontius Pilate. What is going through his mind? “WHY did I think I would enjoy being a public servant?”

Oh, sure. There are benefits in working for the government and ruling over a foreign land… a land flowing with milk and honey… a land with high mountains and deep valleys… a land cooled by the evening breezes of the Mediterranean Sea… a land rich in history… a land that unites Africa, Asia, and Europe… there are lots of perks in the service of Mother Rome.

But today those perks are far out of sight for our friend, Pontius Pilate. Today is an Excedrin-sized headache. His wife even told him (in Matthew’s gospel) not to go to work today. But he didn’t listen. And now he’s paying the price. Pass the Tums, please.

So much for a normal day of keeping the peace among the Jews… so much for all his administrative skills learned at business school in Rome. No. Pilate is well-aware that flaring his trademark “hot temper” won’t be useful… no time to draw on being inflexible, merciless, or obstinate.

No, today’s problem is far worse than the time Pilate inappropriately took money from the Jewish Temple to build an aqueduct… a move almost as popular as building an asphalt plant in Santa Fe.

Why didn’t Pilate stay home in bed and watch Meet the Roman Press?

No, today Pilate sits on his throne… bags beneath his eyes… tension in his chest… one hand scratching his head… his chin firmly planted in the palm of his other hand.

And who stands before the Roman Governor of Judea… but Jesus?

Jesus: handed over to the Roman authorities with a (false) charge of sedition… Jesus: an alleged threat to the Roman government caught “red handed” by the Jewish religious leaders.

How loyal to Rome these religious leaders were. Or were they? Jewish law says they could not kill Jesus themselves… so why not trump up false charges and turn him over to people who could kill him?

Pilate knows exactly what’s going on here. He knows Jesus is innocent. Three times Pilate declares he can find no ground for charging Jesus with a crime. And yet, Pilate is a coward. He caves in to political pressure… and sends Jesus to his death.

How might things have been different for Pilate… if he had listened… not only to his wife… but to the still, small voice inside of him… instead of listening to all the shouting that surrounded him?

In the time leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, Pilate looked into Jesus’ eyes and asked: Are you the king of the Jews?

Jesus asked Pilate: "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?"

This is another place in Scripture where WE are asked to consider Jesus’ identity. We recall Jesus’ question in Caesarea Philippi in which he asks the disciples: Who do you say that I am?

Peter replies correctly: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:6).

The question of “WHO IS JESUS” is not a question others can answer for us; it is not a question that can be put to a vote; it is a question each one of us has to answer individually.

Today is Christ the King Sunday… the day on which the Church proclaims that when all is said and done, Jesus is Lord over all.

Despite the Church’s proclamation, each individual must decide whether or not Jesus is Sovereign over his or her life… we must make that decision in earshot of voices that urge us to do otherwise.

Since moving to Santa Fe, I’ve noticed an incredible number of bumper stickers on vehicles. What is it about Santa Fe and bumper stickers? One parishioner, who shall remain nameless, commented to me that the number of bumper stickers on a person’s car is directly proportional to that person’s political views.

Around Santa Fe, I’ve seen bumper stickers like:
• My Karma Just Ran Over Your Dogma
• COEXIST
• The Day of NON-Judgment Is Coming
• God Blesses Everything: No Exceptions
• God is in control: RELAX

There is much I could say about each of those slogans (especially God Blesses Everything: No Exceptions… and how we can reconcile such a statement in light of all the injustice that is perpetrated in this world).

But for the sake of time, let me say this… while I have nothing against the PEOPLE who hold views expressed in the aforementioned bumper stickers (I sincerely harbor NO anger or hate)… each of these slogans proclaims subtly, if not overtly, that Jesus is NOT sovereign.

Each of these slogans proclaims that there’s nothing unique about the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus (the claim is that all religions are the same).

Each one of these slogans proclaims that we do not need to make an informed decision about who Jesus is… we can simply be passive about the Christ… and thus be passive about our roles in this life and not have to worry about consequences in the next life.

Today’s story from John’s gospel shows us we do not have the option of being passive in the presence of Jesus.

Unlike Pontius Pilate, we cannot come face-to-face with Jesus… then raise our finger to see which way the wind is blowing… to figure out what to do with Jesus.

We learn from Pontius Pilate’s encounter with Jesus that each one of us does need to make a decision about the Christ… each one of us does have to come to a conclusion about whether or not Jesus is Sovereign in the world and in our lives… and once we prayerfully arrive at the decision that Jesus is Sovereign, we must… unlike Pilate… no matter which way the cultural winds are blowing… amend our lives, and act in accordance with the fact that Christ is King.

Slaves for Christ

The Rev. Curt Norman
Thoughts for Matthew 24:42-47
November 17, 2009

"Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions."

When Margaret was pregnant with Karina, we took one of those “birthing classes”. I’m sorry to tell you this, but “birthing classes” are no fun for fathers. No matter how compassionate we’d like to be to our wives… no matter how loving we’d like to be toward our child that is yet-to-be born… there are plenty of places fathers would rather be than “birthing classes”.

What made matters worse… Margaret and I took this “birthing class” in southern California. I’ve leave it to you to build your own stereotype concerning the kind of instructor we had at a “birthing class” in southern California (stay tuned California folks, I make fun of myself in a moment).

So, there I was… a young father-to-be with my pregnant wife at a “birthing class” in southern California. I was there physically… but my mind was elsewhere.

At least, my mind was elsewhere UNTIL the instructor began to talk about DOULAS. Then I was honed in. The instructor said: “The world doula is from the Greek. Does anybody know what the word doula means?”

Well, my New Testament Greek from seminary kicked in… and I spoke up. I said loudly to the whole class: “The word DOULA means SLAVE!”

The instructor’s face turned pale… there was anger in her eyes… she was indignant. And she said to me: “No, we don’t talk like that around here. We don’t use the word ‘slave’. The word ‘doula’ means ‘servant’.”

I really don’t know when to keep my mouth shut. I said back to the teacher: “No, the Greek word for ‘servant’ is ‘diakanoi’… from which we get the word ‘deacon’. Doula means slave. Look it up!”

Well, by this time, Margaret was embarrassed… all the other expecting parents in the class were looking at me like I was some kind of weirdo found only in southern California.

Our politically correct culture does not like to talk about slaves. Our image of slave has been shaped by the racism of the southern United States (a racism that still exists)… and the image is shaped by the form of slavery that this nation endured… and from which, I believe, is still recovering.

But the slavery in the United States South is not the type of slavery we read about in Scripture.

Slaves in the Bible are closer to indentured servants… their masters looked upon them with value… and after an established period of time of working for a master, the slave could purchase/earn his or her freedom.

In tonight’s lesson from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus speaks of his eventual return to the earth using the example of master and slaves. Jesus, of course, is the master… we are his slaves.

We are Jesus’ slaves… we are indebted to Jesus… because he purchased our freedom with his life on the Cross… a freedom we cannot purchase on our own.

And, Jesus says, there is a proper way for us… as his slaves… to live in anticipation of his return.

"Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions."

A follower of Jesus who is faithful and wise… is looking out for others (how else shall we understand the phrase: the faithful and wise slave gives other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?).

The faithful and wise follower of Jesus does not live for himself or herself… the faithful and wise follower of Jesus gives of himself or herself.

When Jesus returns, what will he find you doing? Will he find you in the service of others… or will he find you in the service of self?

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Feast of All Saints

The Rev. Curt Norman
Sermon for All Saints’ 2009
Ecclesiasticus 44:1-10, 13-14; Psalm 149; Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17

On September 23, my sister sent me an email. It was an email that gave me pause. At one time, the contents of her email would have caused a sadness to well up inside me; what she said could have produced a good number of tears.

But on September 23, 2009, my sister’s email brought a smile to my face… there was a warmth in my heart… there was a hint of sadness… but it was very small… and it was surrounded and contained by joy and hope.

Here’s what my sister’s email of September 23, 2009, said:

Did you know that our grandfather would have turned 100 years old today?

Our paternal grandfather died in April of 1991. Like all families, we went through an extended period of grief and mourning. A significant amount of time has passed since his death. And my family, like most Christian families, can now be objective about his life, I think.

April 23, 1991… the day my grandfather died… while it was significant (and I do not want to minimize the hurt caused by the death of a loved one)… that day did not send the Norman family into a tailspin.

Death did not define who we are as a family.

Why is that?

Today is the Feast of All Saints. It is a time when followers of Jesus Christ remind ourselves that by the grace of God, we are still connected with those whom we love but see no longer (to paraphrase BCP).

Because of what Jesus accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection, death from this world is not the end; death is a transition into eternal life with God the Father.

But not everybody sees life and death this way.

There are those who see death as THE END. That’s it! Lights out! There’s nothing beyond the grave! And when a person adopts such an outlook, they view life in this world differently.

They might say: if there’s no God, if this life is all there is… then I should simply live it up now! Never mind ethics or morality… it’s all about me! I’d better “get” while the “getting” is good!

Such an attitude impacts relationships… mental health… physical health… all in a negative way. Persons who adopt this attitude… when you scratch beneath the surface… are lonely and dejected, pessimistic and hopeless.

On this Feast of All Saints, we hear the writers of the Apocryphal and New Testament lessons speak of people who had died… but their language is anything but pessimistic or hopeless.

No, their language is filled with JOY and HOPE!

Let us now SING the praises of famous men, our ancestors in their generations!

From Revelation, John tells us about all the multitudes AND:
“… all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, SINGING,
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.
When we trust that death from this life is not the end… when we trust that because of Jesus we will one day stand before the Throne of God and SING… we can live this life with joy and hope.

This is not to say life will not be without its struggles… it is to say that when we struggle, we need to remember the purpose of the Feast of All Saints. In Christ, we are still in communion with those whom we love but see no longer… and because of Christ, we will see them again.

I have a confession to make. I like “chick flicks.” Shortly after Margaret and I got married, she made me watch Steel Magnolias. I liked it. I probably even cried at the end.

But long before I ever met Margaret, I fell in love with a Sally Field movie called Places in the Heart. It’s the story of a young mother during the Great Depression who has to pick up the pieces of her life after her husband, a police officer, is accidentally killed by a man who is eventually killed by police.

At the end of the movie… following many struggles… after much endurance… the mother is in the local Baptist Church with her children. (I love the movie… I didn’t say it was perfect).

In the Baptist Church, at least in the movie… the people do not go up to the altar rail to receive communion. Instead, the ushers take the Lord’s Supper (Communion) to the people in their seats.

The camera follows the cup of grape juice as it moves from the usher’s hand… to the woman’s son, who drinks… then to the woman’s daughter, who drinks… then to the woman herself. She drinks.

Then, without looking to see who is sitting next to her, the woman then passes the Blood of Christ to her husband (who, through the magic of movie-making, is sitting next to her)… he drinks, and he passes the Blood of Christ to the man who killed him… and he drinks.

In Christ, we are still in Holy Communion with those whom we love but see no longer.

In Christ, we have joy and hope.

Did God Abandon Jesus on the Cross?

Some have called me at the office to ask for clarity on my sermon of October 18, 2009. Did I really say that God the Father abandoned Jesus on the Cross? Yes, I did.

Didn't you simply mean, Fr. Curt, that Jesus only "felt like" he was abandoned by God on the Cross? No, I didn't.

Where did I get this theology?

It's from John Stott's book The Cross of Christ... a book that clarifies, in my mind, what happened on the Cross.

Basically, when Jesus cried out from the Cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?, he meant it.

Stott states we should: "... take the words at their face value and . . . understand them as a cry of real dereliction. I (John Stott) agree with (R.W.) Dale who wrote: 'I decline to accept any explanation of these words which implies that they do not represent the actual truth of our Lord's position.' Jesus had no need to repent of uttering a false cry. Up to this moment, though forsaken by men, he could add, 'Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me' (Jn. 16:32). In the darkness, however, he was absolutely alone, being now also God-forsaken. As Calvin put it, 'If Christ had died only a bodily death, it would have been ineffectual. . . . Unless his soul shared in the punishment, he would have been the Redeemer of bodies alone.' In consequence, 'he paid a greater and more excellent price in suffering in his soul the terrible torments of a condemned and forsaken man'. So then an acutal and dreadful separation took place between the Father and the Son; it was due to our sins and their just reward; and Jesus expressed this horror of great darkness, this God-forsakenness, by quoting the only verse of Scripture which actually described it, and which he had perfectly fulfilled, namely, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' (page 81)