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Jesus: Poet Parable-Teller

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Folks with a basic understanding of Jesus are familiar with the fact that Jesus loved to tell parables. He used the art of parable-telling to teach deep truths, truths that stories best get at. His parables incorporated not only narratives but also imagery, metaphor, simile, and emotion. These are each poetic devices. Are parables poems? Well, not exactly. But there is a subgenre of poetry, narrative poetry, that gets pretty close to the style and approach of Jesus’ parables. A narrative poem is one that focuses on a story but uses poetic devices to tell the story. That’s what Jesus does in many of his parables. In the least, we can call many of Jesus’ parables, poetic parables. Here’s maybe his most famous (from Luke 15:14-24). The son began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that far off country who sent him into his fields to feed swine. The son would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: And no man gave unto him. When the s...
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Jesus: the Prophet

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Today, we look at Jesus, the prophet. Remember last month when we looked at what a prophet is? A prophet is a messenger of God that preaches God’s truth to people, especially when it’s needed most. A prophet is God’s spokesperson to a hurting world. To begin our look, let’s turn all the way back to the beginning of the Bible. Deuteronomy 15. The context here is Moses is continuing to lay down the law of God. Most of the book of Deuteronomy is that, the process of God giving the law directly to Moses who then passes it on to the people of Israel. This process began back in Exodus. In Exodus 19, God summons the people to the foot of Mount Sinai, where thunder and lightning and trumpets sounds, indicating God’s presence. This cacophony scares the bejeebus out of the people. God then calls Moses up to the peak of the mountain where God gives the 10 Commandments. The 10 Commandments begin the process of God giving the law to the people through Moses, who functions as God’s spokesperso...
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God Speaks Through the Magi

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When I was 12, I did something cool. I played a trumpet solo for my church’s Christmas Eve service. Of all the Christmas carols, what did I choose? Well, I had already learned a carol in middle school band – We Three Kings of Orient Are. That’s the one I played. I was nervous as heck. But I got through it okay, and it sounded, well, it sounded okay. Knowing what I do now, I wonder if anyone, including my pastor, were glad I only played the tune and did not sing the words. Those three kings – many protestants, well, they protest! Those three kings of orient were not! It gets the story wrong, I can hear a Bible stickler say. They were not kings from the orient, but Magi. As for three, the biblical text does not say how many there were. We guess three because there were three gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. But two people, or four or five, can give three gifts, right? And the Magi visit Jesus as a two year-old. Did the author of the carol John Henry Hopkins, Jr. change the...
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A Poem in a Manger

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At just the right time, the poem was handed to me, A poem clothed in bands of soft cotton, a poem resounding between a cry and a coo upon his first sight of this world. From his mother’s arms, quietly given for me to hold, That poem came when I needed it most, a necessary word of comfort, a meaningful word to a day starved for meaning, a beautiful word to an ugly, angry age. A liberating word to the world, to me, latched to loneliness, hurt, grief. This fragile, resilient poem, I held him in my arms, read his face, his eyes, his soft sounds, marveling through tears at the holy moment. How quickly a heart revives. This child, this perfect poem, heaven swoops straight down down to these earthy eyes, this pining heart, these empty hands, this restless mind, grounding me in a love I kept forgetting, a love I kept forgetting never lets me go, resurrecting love’s truth, making it new again, hallowing this life. Awake, I give the poem Emmanuel back to Mary, return home, and like her ponder – ...
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God Speaks Through Shepherds

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I’d like to begin with a Psalm that all of you likely know. Maybe even know by heart. The 23 rd Psalm. Let’s recite it together in the old KJV, shall we? The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He may-kith me to lie down in green pastures: he leedeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leedeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Keeping that ageless Psalm of David in mind, let’s turn to John 1. Near the end of the chapter, we meet John the Baptist. He is all grown up. He is a baptizer, preaching repentance. And after someone repents, which ...
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God Speaks Through the Holy Family

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We’ve already met Elizabeth and Zechariah, the parents of John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin. Now we meet Mary through a visit from Gabriel. Mary’s a young woman betrothed to Joseph, meaning they are legally a unit, but do not yet live together. Both Mary and Joseph are descendants of David. But most would have deemed them nobody. First of all, they are from Nazareth. What kind of town is Nazareth? Well, a verse from John 1 gives us a hint. In the last part of John 1, Jesus is calling his disciples. He’s already brought Andrew and Peter on board. He then recruits Philip. Philip wants his friend Nathaniel to join, too. He tells Nathaniel about this Jesus from Nazareth. Verse 46: Nathaniel quips, what good comes out of Nazareth? In other words, Nazareth is a nothing town. Gabriel has come to Nazareth to tell Mary universe changing news. His first words to Mary (v. 28): “Favored one! The Lord is with you.” It’s nice to feel favored, isn’t it? Or to know the Lord is with you. Bu...
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God Speaks Through the Priesthood

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This may sound like a strange topic. What did the Jewish priesthood of the day have to do with Jesus’ birth? Why do they matter to us? Well, the priesthood matters to the story and to us in very interesting and meaningful ways. The Christmas story found in Luke begins with a priest. And not just any priest. This priest will be Jesus’ uncle. John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin. And John the Baptist’s dad was Zechariah. We meet Zechariah in the book of Luke, chapter 1. Verses 5-10 helps us understand the role of the priest a bit as well as Zechariah. 5  In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6  They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.  7  And yet they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were b...
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