Advent Blog Part 2: Standing By

If you missed part 1 of this series, please start here

By Pastor Emily Carroll

TW: Sexual violence

Matthew 1:20-21

But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you (genealogy reference) are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Luke 1:34-35

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.”

I visited Rome during a comparative religions class in my undergraduate studies. We walked through church after church and witnessed the decades of history and theology literally built on top of one another. One thing I noticed repeatedly was the veneration of Mary and her depiction in artwork as angelic almost: pure, white, beautiful skin, young, with a halo of light around her. It seemed like with each passing century, Mary became more removed from the rawness of childbirth in a stable, more removed from the messiness of humanity, more removed from us. As conversation of her virginity predominated, her humanity diminished.

But what if Mary’s humanity is actually paramount to understanding the good news of Jesus.

I’m going to go too far in my midrash here, but I can’t help but wonder, what if Mary and Joseph didn’t have sex prior to marriage. What if Mary became pregnant, not by divine conception, not by Joseph, but by someone else. Should the thought astound you, just for a minute consider the prevalence of sexual violence in our society today. One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.[1] One out of every six. That statistic should make you cry. And there is no reason to believe women weren’t taken advantage of in Biblical times either. Read Judges 19 for a story of a woman who lived over 3000 years ago that will break your heart still today.

So, what if Mary, a young woman who lived in Nazareth, didn’t have consensual sex prior to marriage, but instead was raped? What if she became pregnant, not by her own agency, but in a violent transgression of her humanity? What if Jesus’ conception wasn’t divine, but instead a product of horrifying sin?

What would it mean for Emmanuel, God-with-us, to be firmly planted within those who find themselves victims of such abuse? What would it mean for Love to Come Down and lift up those who find themselves not only physically hurt, but also socially shunned for the presumptions laid upon their growing bellies and un-wed bodies? What would it mean that “just when Joseph had resolved [to dismiss her quietly], an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She will bear a son, and you will adopt him and name him Jesus.” What would it mean if Mary’s plea to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” was her cry for help, to which the angel responded mercifully, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.”

 Maybe the scandal of Christmas is that even at our most broken, God’s love reigns. Maybe the miracle of love is that Joseph believed Mary and his faithfulness brought her some healing. Maybe the gift of Jesus is that God intimately knows the incapacitating hurt we carry, so much so that God came to a woman in her raw vulnerability and proclaimed in that moment that she would carry Emmanuel, God-with-us, to bring redemption for her and for all of creation.  

 Praise be to God who knows our brokenness and brings healing. Praise be to God whose compassion knows no boundaries. Amen.

[1] Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. (2021, December 7). Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics. https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence.

This Holy Mystery

By Betty Hertz

This is the title of the UMC’s interpretative document on Holy Communion. Recently God gave me the opportunity to look at this book and reflect on The Lord’s Supper. As usual, God opened my eyes and heart, and I experienced a deeper understanding of the sacrament.

In the Methodist Church of my youth, we celebrated communion quarterly. I often thought of the service as a remembrance of the Last Supper and Crucifixion. I know that I did experience a more profound sense of it at times but not often.

During this most recent study of the Eucharist, I have been asking myself, ”What does Holy Communion mean to me?” So, from the document, I dug deeper and  found the words “God meets us at the Table, and Christ is the Host.”  Wow! So, this Sunday, as I come forward to receive the elements, those words will be on my heart.

Many of our Holy Communion hymns express moving from remembrance to nourishment at the Table. Stanza 5 from “This Is a Day of New Beginnings” ( UMH p. 383) is an example:

In faith, we will gather round the Table

to taste and share what love can do.

This is a day of new beginnings;

our God is making all things new.

 “Come, Share the Lord”  (The Faith We Sing, p. 2269, Stanza 3) is another hymn that strengthens my Holy Meal experience:

 He Joins us here, he breaks the bread,

The Lord who pours the cup is risen from the dead;

The one we love the most is now our gracious host:

Come, take the bread;

Come, drink the wine;

Come, share the Lord.

This Sunday, may you experience God’s love as you proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Amen.

Betty Hertz is a longtime member of St John UMC, a Stephen Minister and a member of SPRC. When not doing volunteer work, she is playing with her three goofy dogs.

Advent Blog Part 1: The Scandal of Christmas

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.”

– Luke 1:46-49

By Pastor Emily Carroll

As we turn our hearts towards Christmas, Mary’s song echoes through my soul. So much of our rendition of the Christmas story features Mary: Her song of praise lifted to God, her willingness to go where God asks, her expectation of the growing baby, and …

Her virginity.

When so much of Mary’s story is a remarkable for her boldness and her faithfulness, why do we care so much about whether she had sex or not? (Augustinians hold your breath here).

There are some (deeply faithful) Christians who I know wouldn’t bat an eye about this … of course Mary conceived through the (uh-hmm) “usual means.” And there are some (deeply faithful) Christians who I know hold tightly to the virgin birth as evidence of Jesus’ reign as Son of God.

Whatever you think is the true scandal of Christmas (or if you’ve never really thought about it), I invite you to sit with me in the mystery through these next four weeks as we ponder (much like Mary) what Jesus’ birth might mean for us under less supernatural circumstances.

Part 1: Caught in the Act

Matthew 1:18-19

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

Luke 1:30

The angel said her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”

Let’s be honest, we love gossip. There are very few humans I know whose interest doesn’t pique when the phrase “did you hear…” arises. Our ears are prone to pick up on scandal, particularly a scandal having to do with sex. Perhaps because mention of it is often taboo, something that we all know happens, but no one wants to talk about, or perhaps because it belongs only in the private bedroom of a heterosexual married couple (please read my sarcasm there), that to hear of it in any other context is cause for concern (and comment, obviously). It is no wonder then that Mary’s story should captivate our attention: a pregnant teenager, an unwed mother, a growing belly proof of the transgression.

But let’s back up for a second and wonder if the miracle of Christmas isn’t found in divine conception but is instead found in Joseph’s accountability. It takes two to tango… after all. And though Mary bears the mark of the growing belly, in all probability, Joseph probably had something to do with it too. What if the miracle of grace is that Joseph, “being a righteous man [took responsibility for his actions and married Mary to provide for her and their son]? What if the miracle of love is that the angel of God said to Mary, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God [for reasons other than your virginity]? Even if Mary did have sex with Joseph prior to marriage and Mary did conceive and bear a son, then how is the blessing of the angel any different? Still, she is chosen to carry the Christ child, still, blessed is she among women, and blessed is the fruit of her womb.

This reading of the gospel (though probably heretical) is resonating more with me this year. Perhaps because I just survived the first year of my baby’s life, and the only reason I did was because of the people (particularly my husband) who stood beside me during that time. For weeks of struggle with breastfeeding, baby’s weight-gain, postpartum healing, and of course sleepless nights, Aidan supported us in every way that he could. His love manifest in our lives and allowed us to in turn bless others.

When Mary was found to be pregnant, Joseph could have washed his hands of her. Dismissed her. Left her and maintained his reputation. But he didn’t. Maybe the Christmas miracle isn’t in Mary’s virginity, but in Joseph’s resolve. Maybe the scandal of Christmas is that Joseph didn’t let society’s pressures dissuade him from his new calling as husband and as father. Maybe the gift of Christmas is the encouragement to stand up and do what is right even when it’s hard, even when you feel like running away.

Praise be to God who didn’t let Joseph off the hook. Praise be to God who calls us blessed even when society might not. Amen.

Hymns … the words speak

By Betty Hertz

Recently, I completed the course Meditation Through Hymns. Each day the instructor asked us to read the lyrics of the hymn and reflect on the meaning. Then we read the story about what inspired the author to create it. Next, the instructor read the verse four times.  Each time we listened more deeply, starting with our intelligent ears, then our hearts,  our souls, and finally, more profound listening for God. After this, we wrote a reflection. This process introduced me to a new way to focus on the words. Since hymns have often served as prayers for me, learning this technique provides a more powerful way to pray.

I have sung “Just As I Am” many times and have often experienced the feeling of “Really God, you want me?” However, through meditation, I experienced a deeper meaning. Several phrases turned to soul-searching questions.

One dark blot

 “Just as I am and waiting not, to rid my soul of one dark blot” caused me to ask,” what is a dark blot for me today, and what will I do to cleanse it from my soul?” I have a long way to go to achieve perfection,  so I know I have daily “dark blots.” My job is to recognize them and ask for God’s help in getting rid of them.

Many a doubt, within, without

 “Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict and many a doubt, fighting and fears within, without”  raises the question what fear is taking me away from trusting  God? To let go of those fears and doubts, I am reminded of  Isaiah (41:10) and God’s reassurance “Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you.”

Relief

“ Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, and relieve; because thy promise I believe.” What a great reminder! When I turn to God, I receive the gifts of pardon, cleansing, and relief, and with that comes the gift of hope.

Humility

The refrain for each verse is “O Lamb of God, I come, I come,” which humbles me before God and assures me He loves me “Just As I Am.”

Patient and Loving God,

Thank you for the messages we receive through the gift of hymns. When we sing the words with conviction, we feel your presence and guidance. May we always sing spiritually.
Amen.

Betty Hertz is a longtime member of St John UMC, a Stephen Minister and a member of SPRC. When not doing volunteer work, she is playing with her three goofy dogs.

Invitation Accepted

By Betty Hertz

A few weeks ago, I attended the city-wide BBQ put on by the Reconciliation Pastors. I used the mixer questions to meet people other than the white people I knew. What fun!! I sang “Amazing Grace” with one of my new friends. Then I sat at a table for lunch with a group from Lighthouse Church. I didn't even know they existed! As we talked, I learned we shared a common concern … caring for the underserved in our community … the homeless, and the hungry.

John Wesley's words came to mind, "Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?" Another God "wow" moment and a "Thank you, Jesus" moment. As I left, I saw Pastor Parker and told him I would accept the invitation he gave St. John and would be at Shiloh Baptist Church on Sunday.

I went. For the third time that day, I heard the hymn "Great is thy faithfulness" … message heard!! What a great experience at Shiloh. For 20 minutes, music and "praise God" and "Yes, Jesus" rang through the sanctuary. Then three baptisms happened. Above the sanctuary, a door opened, and a tub of water appeared. One at a time, three people confessed their love of God and were baptized by immersion. WOW! Then Pastor Parker started delivering the message by acknowledging he now knew how to preach under 20 minutes as he had given a sermon at St. John the previous Sunday! He talked about "be who God has called you to be." Sound familiar? I know I have heard Andy say those words more than once. Pastor Parker's message from Proverbs 3-5-6: Full throttle until you see the Lord, then brake and hear his word. Then use the green light to spread his word. His question: Are you sitting at the green light but not stepping out?

I plan to visit Shiloh about once a month to feel the congregation's energy, and who knows, maybe I will stand and shout AMEN during a St John sermon!

Loving God,

Thank you for opening my eyes and my ears to other Christians who share a common love of you and share a common love of neighbor. Help me to keep my heart open to ways that I may love and serve you.

Amen.

Betty Hertz is a longtime member of St John UMC, a Stephen Minister and a member of SPRC. When not doing volunteer work, she is playing with her three goofy dogs.