Scripture: Luke 1:46b-55
Every life is precious to the Lord. This is one of the principal testimonies of The Society of Friends, throughout history. It is seen in our Testimony of Peace, where we believe that even those that oppose our nation are precious to God in some why. It is seen in our testimony of simplicity, because we strive to live our lives so that we can be free to bless those around us. It is seen in our testimony of equality; we see that all people are equal and should have the same opportunities as every other individual. I could go on and on about how important each and every life is. Today is a day to honor the uniqueness and potential of every life that we have an opportunity to encourage.
Today I want to introduce you to a woman by the name of Jessamyn. Jessamyn was a normal little girl who was born on a farm in Indiana. No one fully knew what type of woman she would become, but she was encouraged to use the gifts and passions God gave her. Her family moved from the farm in Indiana to California when she was six and they settled in a rural community call West Home by Yorba Linda. Many of you may recognize that name because it is the same community that brought our nation our 37th president. A Sunday school teacher encouraged her, this teacher she described as a fiery persuasive teacher, and was instrumental in her future. This teacher was her relative as well as the father of Richard Nixon, Frank Nixon. Jessamyn went to Whittier college to study English and while there she helped form a women’s group called the Palmer Society, this society was set up to inspire and encourage female authors and is still very active today on the campus at Whittier. Her studies took here from California to Europe where she became ill with tuberculosis; she was never expected to live. While she was sick she began to write. She wrote about her childhood memories growing up as a Quaker farm girl. One of her books, “The Friendly Persuasion” was later made into a movie. A small girl raised in a rural community, encourages countless female authors even after her death, and wrote about her life and faith. No one ever imagined that this one girl could be so influential, or that she would become one of the most influential voices of Friends for a generation. No one would have ever imagined that from that same community a future president would be reared either. Two lives that made a huge impact in the world during their lives. Both grew up as common children in a common meeting or church, just like each of us.
Every child is special not because of their heritage or economic status but because of the great potential and future they have before them. We all know that Jesus was special and unique, but as we consider this passage today I want us to not look into the future but look at the present state of mind of Mary. She had no idea what the future would hold for this son of hers, all she knew was that he was going to be special. That he was the Messiah the chosen one of God and that she had the unique place in his life to raise Him. But did she really know what that unique place would be?
Mary knew that her son would be special in some way, but just like everyone else in their culture, she did not know how her son would change the world. She knew that Israel was oppressed and that she herself was not seen as that important to the community. Yet God chose her to participate in something amazing. Did her parents’ know that their daughter would be chosen for such an important task? Did her grandparents know that their future grandchild would be the one from which all things would be made new? The short answer is no. As far as any of these people in history would know their children were just common children that would live and work in their community. Yet as history would show they were raising greatness.
When Joseph was taking the child with him to work each day did he know that he would be encouraging the future king of the universe? As they would work together did their conversations and laughter shape the way that Jesus would interact with those he would eventually teach?
Just as Frank taught the people in his Sunday school class he encouraged each to live their faith in everything they did. Mary and Joseph trained the child entrusted to them to be the man that he was to become. We do not know what the future will hold for anyone. We are called to train up our children in the way that they should go. We are called to train them, to encourage them to dream and to follow their dreams. We are called to teach them the basics of life and to let them stretch out their wings to fly. To train does not mean to control or manipulate. To train is to walk with them in life, teaching them how we live and make decisions, and giving them the opportunity to live their own lives.
Mary and Joseph were not equipped to train up a king from a worldly point of view. They knew nothing about the art of persuasion; Joseph was just the equivalent of a modern day handy man. Today he could have been an electrician, plumber, carpenter, or mason. He learned his skills from his father as his father learned from his father, Joseph in turn taught Jesus the skills of his craft. Jesus the plumber king, can you really picture this? I hope that brings us a greater understanding of Mary’s words, “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” Mary and Joseph were of no real status they were common people trying to make ends meet like each one of us here today. They lived in a community that struggled to survive just like ours. They were like us but through their lives they changed the world.
What was special about this family that caught God’s eye? They knew what was important. They knew what was important to God; they knew that it was not great acts of passion but the common everyday generosity that built the community. They knew the lifestyle that God wanted for his people and we know this through the words of this expectant mother. They knew that mercy was greater than pride, they knew that riches were empty when people in their community were hungry, they knew that in the end the only thing that matters is how you love and encourage those around you. Mary knew this, and she knew that the true king of Israel, the true kingdom of God would be based on those things.
Frank Nixon taught those in his class that there they had a responsibility to their community, that God was calling them to serve in their communities to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. This training that was started in a small California Friends Meeting encouraged a young lady to passionately live her life during a time of great social change in their community. She lived through the depression, the Second World War along with 2 other conflicts, she saw her own cousin rise and fall in power. She saw glimpses of heaven here on earth and those are the things she wrote about. She wrote about the struggle of a testimony of Peace in times of war, she wrote about strong women in a culture that still struggles to give equal status to them, she wrote of faith and the power of faith in our lives.
We never know just how the lives God brings into our community will affect the world around us, but we know that it can be great. God used a family of simple carpenters to bring the Light of God to all people. The light we all celebrate and anticipate in this advent season. He used a farming family in Indian and California to provide a voice of encouragement to a generation of women. And He used a Sunday school teacher to inspire an author and president. God is calling us to greatness, He is calling us to participate in bringing the Kingdom of God to the people of this community and it starts with each life we have right here.
He is not calling us to criticize or to control their lives, but to train them, to encourage them to live the life that He is already inspiring and calling them into. There is greatness all around us; there is potential that we have yet to imagine. We could have in this little meetinghouse a future president, a great artist, or a missionary that will show people here in Kansas City or around the world the awesome and great love of God. We could have in this very room the beginnings of a movement of people that would flood the world with passion for God that has yet been seen on earth. It can all become a reality if we rise up to the task of Loving God, Embracing the Holy Spirit, and Living the Love of Christ with others.
You see that is what made Mary blessed. That is what turned God’s attention to her to become the bearer of God incarnate. It is through that kind of life that God can be with us today and through the ages to come. A life of worship, prayer, and service is what God is calling us to and if we listen and encourage those around us to listen we will see the blessing God desires to give us. It all starts with us choosing to live that life today; to become a people of blessing and of encouragement to each person may happen to cross our path. Each person here is important to God. Each one is loved by God and called by name to join Him in His ministry in their own special way. Each and every one is called and known by the God who came to be born of Mary, to be raised by Joseph, to teach in the fields of Israel, and to die on a tree to set us free from all the bondage and sin we have gotten ourselves into. Every life is important and sacred to God, worthy of our love and encouragement.
I hope that the song Mary sung will become our anthem, that the words she spoke about the future of her son will become the lifestyle we chose to live among a people and culture that opposes it. I pray that we will become a people of blessing, a people that will choose to do good even if it does not make worldly sense, I pray that we will become a people that will love and inspire those around us to such a degree that the for generations to come people will look back on their time with us as being the turning point of their lives. I pray that that lifestyle of blessing and encouragement will start today as we dedicate and commit our lives to the training up of a precious life that God has given to a family that means so much to us all.
Presentation of the Child
DeWayne, Tash, and Jasmine Rose, please come forward for this time of dedication.
Dedication of the Parents
DeWayne & Tash, you come to present yourselves afresh in commitment to parenthood, before us & before God. In appreciation for Jasmine Rose you are presenting her to the Lord.
In dependence on God’s grace, will you endeavor, by example & teaching, to provide her with a home of faith & love:
That she may know throughout her childhood and growth into womanhood the warmth, hope & freedom of the Christian faith;
That she may welcome life’s beauty, learn from its pain, & share in its joys;
That her love for others may deepen with knowledge & insight of every kind;
That she may discover what is the breadth & length & height & depth of the love of God, & of Jesus Christ who has made God’s love known.
That her life may be open to the grace & purpose of God & to the call of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Response: WE WILL.
Blessing of the Parents
DeWayne & Tash, you have been given a gift in Jasmine Rose. With such precious gifts come great responsibility. We see the pressures and difficulties of the path ahead and want to pray a blessing over you as you seek to follow the Lord in raising Jasmine Rose.
(The following prayer may be used, or a spontaneous prayer offered for the parents)
God and Father of us all, we know that you created families. You designed us, both male and female, and have brought together DeWayne & Tash to form a new life.
We ask that you would give DeWayne the grace and wisdom to be a father to Jasmine Rose. Fatherhood is undervalued in our world, but so vital to the development of healthy children. We ask for strength and courage in the years to come, that he would lead his family in your ways. Keep his heart soft towards his wife and his children so that they might always know the love you have placed in him for them.
God you also know a Mother’s heart. You speak of yourself as a Mother seeking to nourish and protect her young. We know that you have made mothers to possess a fierce love for their children.
We ask that you would give Tash the grace and wisdom to be a mother to Jasmine Rose. Motherhood is misunderstood by many, but so important for growing confident children. We ask for perseverance and fortitude as she watches her child encounter a difficult world. Keep her heart close to your own and allow her to trust that you will guide and protect Jasmine Rose so that she can release her to follow the plans you have for her.
God, bring them together as a united force to bless their children and care for them. Give them the tools they need to navigate this new challenge of parenting a baby together. Surround them with your people to love and support them in times of difficulty and struggle. Impress upon their hearts your love for them and their family, and keep their hearts rejoicing in the blessing of being poured out for one another.
Amen.
God does not place us in the world alone but in a community to support and encourage us. We as DeWayne and Tash’s church family also have a role and responsibility to encourage them as they raise Jasmine to be the woman God wants her to be. Let us all stand together now and dedicate our lives to encouraging this beautiful girl.
Dedication of the Congregation
Pastor: “For God has formed Jasmine Rose in her mother’s womb, so we will praise God for she is fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvelous are His works.”
Congregation: “How precious also are Your thoughts toward Jasmine Rose, O God! How great is the sum of them!”
Pastor: God said, “Before I formed Jasmine Rose in the womb, I knew her.”
Congregation: “Before Jasmine Rose was born God sanctified her.”
Pastor: “For God so loved Jasmine Rose that He gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, for her. And this same Jesus said, ‘I go to prepare a place for Jasmine Rose, and if I go and prepare a place for Jasmine Rose I will come again and receive her to Myself: that where I am, there she may be also.’”
Congregation: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on Jasmine Rose, that she should be called the Daughter of God.”
Pastor: And Jesus said, “Let Jasmine Rose come to Me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Based on the following texts: Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5; John 3:16; John 14:1-3; 1 John 3:1)
Blessing of the Child
Gary Smalley and John Trent in their book, The Blessing, mention five basic parts to the typical Jewish blessing that fathers gave to their children.
1. Meaningful touch: Kissing, hugging or the laying on of hands were all a part of bestowing a blessing.
2. The spoken message: Basically a blessing is a statement of acceptance.
3. Attaching high value or honor on the person: In Hebrew the word bless literally means, “to bow the knee.” This word was used in showing reverence, even awe, to an important person. A blessing given to your children must have this same element.
4. Picturing a special future: Children need something to look forward to; something that will give them hope that good things will come to them in the future.
5. An active commitment: The last element of the blessing pictures the responsibility that goes with giving the blessing. For the patriarchs, not only their words, but God Himself stood behind the blessing they bestowed on their children.
So we lay hands on Jasmine Rose and we say today that you are loved, you are precious. Before you were born, God formed you in your mother’s womb. You are full of potential, with gifts and talents that we will delight in discovering as you grow. You are part of an earthly family, and you are part of our church family. When God calls your name, you will become a part of His forever family. We know that you will fulfill the good plans that God has for your life. We, your parents, your family, and your church family covenant together to surround your life with grace and truth as you grow and discover His great love for you.
Scripture Numbers 6:23-27
23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
As we now enter into this time of Open Worship a time of Holy Expectancy as we wait with and for God to speak to us. Let us remember that period of time where Mary and Joseph, and their community sat in wonder of what and how the son they were to raise and encourage would become the King of Heaven and Earth. Let us remember all those that God has placed in our lives to encourage today, and let us anticipate the future we have with each other if we are willing to live and answer the call that God has been writing in our hearts.
Scripture: Matthew 24:36-44
There are several things that tend to annoy me. Annoy may be a strong word to use but there are certain things that I just don’t understand the reason behind people’s thought. The number one thing that annoys me while I work outside of the church is the fear that people have when upper level managers come to visit. When I was working in car rental my city manager would be calling around to every location, if not visiting the location, to make sure everything was in order. She would keep a running feed to our stores letting us know where the managers where at all times to let us know when or if they were going to stop in our location. Much of it was a good thing; it is nice to know if someone is going to visit so the location manager would be in the office. But some of the tasks that were given to make sure the visit ran smoothly were annoying. This happens in many places of business, I would venture to say that it happens in every organization that has any hierarchy at all. When the upper managers visit there is a trickle down to the locations to make sure everything is in order.
What annoys me about the visits is not that a manager is visiting but the fear and chaos prompted by the visit. I remember helping a location prepare for a visit I had to run reports for several months previous because of one reason they did not do the work. I was sent to this location for one reason the city manager knew that I had the work done and our location was prepared for the visit at any moment. Our location had reports beyond the requirements gathers and could tell the upper management at any given moment which of our customers gave the most business, we could show them a graph to track the trends in our business, and every vehicle that we had available to rent was cleaned and ready to go at any moment. When the upper management visited our location we had discussed strategy in increasing sales in a constructive way, because we could look quickly and easily at what the trends where. At the other location, the one I had to help prepare, they could not do this as efficiently as a whole, because only one person knew the numbers and knew the trends, and there was nothing more than that person’s memory to prove the trends.
You may think that I am bragging but in all honesty the office I had to assist was the top rental location in the city and ours was one of the lowest, so when the economy slowed the location I worked at was closed and we were moved to different areas to work. What I highlight though is that we knew what was going on, we knew our business, and we were aware of what was on the horizon. Other locations did not have that knowledge because they were unprepared and many people lost their jobs because of it.
This fear of a visit is basically the theme behind the passage that was read today. A random visit at a time no one knows. This passage can strike fear into the hearts of many or it can be a great comfort to others. The difference is the level of preparation involved. The question is how do you react?
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Day and hour, these terms mean different things today than they meant to a culture so long ago. Our culture is much more precise than many cultures around the globe, and as we look back through history the precision of time was not nearly as important. When ancient cultures us the term we translate as day can mean many different things it can mean the literal time between sunrise and sunset, it can mean the reign of a king, or any other undetermined amount of time. Context is always important. In this case what we interpret as meaning day is not a 24-hour period of time, but an open ended, undetermined period or an era.
Hour, like day, has a loaded meaning. When someone says hour today we think a 60-minute period of time. In Jesus’ culture the word we translate as hour could mean moment. So no one knows the era or moment of the coming. I want to stress that again, no one knows. Not the managers, preachers, priest, or popes, no one knows the era or precise moment of anything dealing with God’s timetable except the Father.
This should mean something to us. Jesus speaks of a time but no one knows exactly when that time is. It is undetermined in our temporal perspective. It is important but what is more important is what is going on now. If you do not and cannot know of this time that Jesus speaks then that should not be the focus our attention.
There is another word that jumps out at me when I read through this passage, taken. “Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.” Taken, this word has several meanings but the word used in this portion of scripture could mean to take with, take charge of, to receive, or to accept. So let us think of this passage from that perspective, “one will be taken with, take charge of, receive, or accept, and one will not” One is given responsibility where one is not, one is chosen for a task and one is not. I would like us to contemplate on this passage using the idea of being given a task and having an undetermined amount of time to do that task.
I want us to consider this passage in that way for a reason. If this passage only looks forward to the second advent of Jesus then he is telling us that we do not and cannot know when that is going to be, but there is still a task that we need to be working on while that undetermined amount of time transpires. We have work to do, and we will not know when the boss will be paying us a visit.
Jesus illustrates his point by speaking of the days of Noah. No one knew when the flood would hit, for that matter no one knew what a flood really was. It was only when the Noah was sealed in the ark that reality began to set in. All along people just continued to do what they always did, totally unconcerned with the crazy man building a boat on dry land. They would walk by ask questions, laugh, and go on their way all the while Noah continued to work. He worked every day for years. We do not know exactly how many years it took Noah to build this great boat, all we know is that it was less than 120 years. Imagine going over one hundred years without seeing the final product of your labor, no one knows the time, yet there is a task and work to be done.
Let us say for 100 years Noah was building the ark, during that time things were still going on all around him. He still had to live his life, his family still needed to cared for, but he continued focused on the task not neglecting God or his family. Never knowing exactly when the day would come, only knowing that it would. He did not know if he was working hard enough or fast enough, all he knew was that he was given a task and he was going to complete it. Noah worked away and everyone around him was going about eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage while Noah continued to work. He knew that that time would come and he pressed on. Those around him knew that he was given a task for a reason, yet were unconcerned. One was taken and one was left.
Noah stayed focused for 100 years on the same task to build an ark, he did not move from that task. He knew it was what needed done, and because of that he did not change course. Jesus has given us a task as well. We do not know exactly how long we have to complete that task, but we must press on toward that goal. Our part in that task may be different than someone else’s, one is taken and one is left, but that should not distract us from the task we ourselves have been given. This reminds me of one of the queries in the Faith and Practice of our Yearly Meeting:
Do you earnestly seek to maintain a life in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you practice the daily reading of the Scriptures in your families, giving time for waiting upon the Lord? Are you watchful not to be unduly absorbed by temporal affairs? Are you careful to avoid all places and amusements inconsistent with a Christian character?
I was recently asked about what being unduly absorbed by temporal affairs meant. That is a difficult question to answer. We could look at the word temporal and consider this as being the dimension of time, relating to the material world, or the opposition of the spiritual realm. I think either definition could be used in answering the question, because at the heart of the query it speaks of our relationship with God. Are we getting distracted from God due to our schedule? Are we distracted because of our finances or lifestyle? Are we being distracted from our task?
I ask you to meditate on this passage with a focus on tasks to be completed over an undetermined amount of time instead of focusing on something easier like the second coming of Jesus, because often in our current culture we can be distracted from the tasks God has given us by focusing on the time. We want Jesus to make his second advent soon, because we are tired of working on our ark. But Jesus is telling us don’t get distracted, but to continue working. Continue to do what we have been called to do. If we do not continue, we will be left and the task God gave us will be given to someone else.
God is calling us to go make disciples in all the earth, saturating them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. To do this task we must stay focused on God, we also must be able to speak to the people we are called to minister to. To accomplish our task we must study our culture, while not becoming unduly absorbed or saturated by temporal affairs. We must gain knowledge and wisdom in both the spiritual and secular arena of life, but maintain a balance and stay focused on the true task we are designed to complete. We maintain that balance by making it our custom to worship, taking time to withdraw to pray, and to serve to those around us.
No one knows the day or hour. One is taken the other is left. These can be words striking fear into our hearts or they can be words of encouragement directing us to continue to stay focused. God has given each one of us an opportunity to use what he has given us to serve the people he is calling to Him, we each must step up and receive and accept that task. As we enter this time of open worship I want us to really consider if we are truly prepared for a visit from God? Are we focused on the task He has given us or are we being unduly absorbed by temporal affairs? Are we living a balanced life with God or are we caught off guard and unprepared? No one knows the day or hour, no one knows the era or moment, so let us be ready and be a people that will always be found loving God, embracing the Holy Spirit, and living the love of Christ with others.