Vulnerable, Humble, Forgiving

Vulnerable, Humble, Forgiving 

Epistle: Colossians 1:11-20   

Gospel: Luke 1:68-79  

This is the final Sunday of the church year. Next Sunday is the beginning of Advent, and kicks off the year of Matthew. So today we hear some closing remarks from Luke.  

The lectionary gives us a pair of final words from Luke. The first reading does not have words coming from the mouth of Jesus. I would have expected a portion of the Sermon on the Plain, the one great speech of Jesus in Luke, while most of Luke is devoted to smaller, more specific settings. 

The other famous speech in Luke comes from his mother Mary, when she arrives to see Elizabeth. The hymn the Magnificat - “My soul magnifies the Lord, my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” are the words attributed to Mary as she enters the house of Elizabeth. 

The public ministry of Jesus followed closely on the heels of, and initially was modeled on, the public ministry of John the Baptist. It is Luke who tells us that John and Jesus are cousins. It is Luke, who has Mary run to Elizabeth to reflect on her pregnancy and what it might mean, only to find that Elizabeth is also pregnant. 

When Mary arrives, if she was hoping to consult with Zechariah the priest and husband of Elizabeth, she found he had been silenced early in the unexpected, late-life pregnancy of his wife. He was left to ponder in silence all that was going on. It is really hard for a clergy person to loose their voice. Though it changes the prayer time if prayer does not need to produce a sermon on schedule. His voice returned when family and friends took the miracle baby at 8-days old, to be circumcised. It is the speech of Zechariah that comprise these words from Luke today. 

Mr. Z praises God for raising up a savior, to deliver God’s people from their enemies and out of the hand of those who hate us. But he recognizes that his son John, is not the savior. “You, child, will be called the prophet of the most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.” 

Only two weeks ago we reflected on the temptation to be envious of sinners who are offered instant forgiveness of sins - while as good people we try to be good all of the time. We thought it might be unfair to us, if people like Zacchaeus were blessed instantly. Upon further review, as they say on televised football, we see in the wider scope of reality, we are all sinners and every day we depend on forgiveness for our salvation. 

The second reading from Luke is taken from the scene of the crucifixion. The stripped and beaten, Jesus is hanging from the cross, with a criminal on either side of him. And wouldn’t you know, Jesus promises one of the criminals that he too is saved on the spot. 

This crucifixion setting is a scene of extreme vulnerability and apparent defeat. It does not look at all like a victory parade after winning the World Series, or even winning the Presidential election. 

So what does this picture tell us about the God of Creation? The Temple of Jerusalem celebrated a holy God, who was worshipped by following countless laws and rites of purification. In the Temple, God was seen as powerful and moody, for lack of a better word. (It often appears that we choose an image for God that matches our own disposition.) 

In the letter to the Colossians we hear Christ defined as the very image of an invisible God. This vulnerable Christ, focused on forgiveness of sins, is a very distinct and different side of God Almighty. Jesus is the living proof that the powers of religion and politics are tempted to flatter themselves, and miss the truth about God and what pleases God. 

So on the last Sunday of the year we name and celebrate the wonder of salvation offered through forgiveness of sins. We claim allegiance to Jesus the Christ, who is the very image of God invested in the Creation, and we align ourselves with works of generosity and compassion, because that is the way we know Jesus behaved. 

Time and again we see Jesus pouring out compassion and forgiveness on the poor and the repentant. We begin to recognize the pattern. If we can stop reaching for positions of respectability, and instead keep our own weaknesses in mind, we can move in line to Jesus. If we would follow the ways of Christ, caring for the hurting and the lost, we will know what it is to be loved by God. 

The scene of the crucifixion looks to all of the world like a terrible defeat. Jesus was betrayed and abandoned. The love Jesus invested in his disciples, was insufficient for them, to meet the challenge of the organized worlds of religion and political authority turning against him. How does Jesus respond in his hour of agony? “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 

We have walked all year with Luke. We saw how Jesus was always eating with a different crowd, not judging them, but being with them and available to them. This congregation is good at putting a meal together, whether a Thanksgiving Dinner for the church family, such as we have today, or a quick fundraiser like the Spaghetti Dinner last Wednesday, or a funeral luncheon, planned and prepared over night.  

Today we celebrate Jesus as the King of Love. Today we recognize, every time we have been disappointed, is a measure of our vulnerability. Every time we have failed, gives us the opportunity to call upon the Lord. We have been called to be Vulnerable, Humble, and Forgiving, just like Jesus. I bless you in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Sovereign of love, and the ruler in glory, this day and forever, world without end. Amen.