On my first Sunday in my first appointment, a young boy walked up to me and proclaimed, “My name is Joel, and I’m gonna be seven in seven days.” My response was, “Nice to meet you Joel whose gonna be seven in seven days.” I could tell that this little guy was loaded with energy and excitement. It certainly was a welcome greeting.
In my first years at this appointment, there were few children. So, in order to put on a children’s play during Christmas, we had to think creatively. In order to make it as simple as possible, we thought of a simple retelling of the nativity with the kids acting out the parts while the adults read from scripture.
As we were dividing parts, there were certain parts that were more popular than others. The first to go were the more glamorous parts like the Kings; and Mary and Joseph. The baby Jesus was always reserved for the newest born child in the congregation, so that was an easy part.
But you may remember that before any of those other characters even come into the play, there is this other character named John the Baptist. The Gospel of Matthew tells of him appearing in the wilderness proclaiming a message of repentance.
When it came to finding a child to play the roll of John the Baptist, we were not having much luck; seems that the roll was not as high profile as one might like. Immediately, I thought of Joel for the part. We had envisioned the part simply being one to go around the congregation and shout, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” That didn’t excite him.
So I quickly thought about what might get him to bite on the part. So I described this quirky character as being one who loved being outdoors. He wore a camel’s hair coat and lived off the land. He ate nothing but bugs and honey! I tried to make him as excited as possible. But that didn’t even get him to budge.
So I had to switch tactics because I really wanted Joel to fill the part. I said, “listen Joel, I’ll make you a deal. If you play the part of Johnny B, I’ll talk to your mother about not making you take a bath for an entire week before the play. You can be as dirty and stinky as you want to be – that’s exactly who John the Baptist was!” I could tell I was making headway as his eyes widened.
And with that he blurted out, “I’ll do it!”
It turns out that Joel’s reluctance at 7 years old doesn’t change much as we age. Being a prophet in today’s age is not only an unglamorous job, but it is difficult too. We become reluctant to take on the roll of a prophet for many reasons, but I think that chief among them is that we don’t want to be put in the position of delivering a message that is uncomfortable.
In recent years, there has been this ongoing conversation about whether you should say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Obviously, as Christians we should be standing up for and saying Merry Christmas as a witness to our faith and as proclamation of what we believe. But moreover, I believe that we should be proclaiming it as a prophetic stance that we believe that Christ will come to be “the Way.”
All of us are acting the prophet’s part as we shop, as we sing, and as we stand in line at the grocery store. You are preparing the way for Christ in a world that needs to hear that Peace, Joy, Hope and Love are possible even in the midst of the chaotic lives that we live. Say Merry Christmas to everyone! You are preparing the way. You are offering others not an uncomfortable word, but Grace.
I invite you to play that roll this Christmas Season. Let me know if I have to speak to your mother about personal hygiene.
This week in worship, the Choir will be presenting their Cantata entitled, “Together for Christmas: a worship experience for the community of faith” by Pepper Choplin. We are excited about the time together. Be a prophet this week and invite someone to worship with you. Extend them not only the invitation, but offer to meet them at the front door so they won’t be so uncomfortable if they are new. Say Merry Christmas to someone just out of no where and prepare the way of Christ.
Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you.
Greg
In my first years at this appointment, there were few children. So, in order to put on a children’s play during Christmas, we had to think creatively. In order to make it as simple as possible, we thought of a simple retelling of the nativity with the kids acting out the parts while the adults read from scripture.
As we were dividing parts, there were certain parts that were more popular than others. The first to go were the more glamorous parts like the Kings; and Mary and Joseph. The baby Jesus was always reserved for the newest born child in the congregation, so that was an easy part.
But you may remember that before any of those other characters even come into the play, there is this other character named John the Baptist. The Gospel of Matthew tells of him appearing in the wilderness proclaiming a message of repentance.
When it came to finding a child to play the roll of John the Baptist, we were not having much luck; seems that the roll was not as high profile as one might like. Immediately, I thought of Joel for the part. We had envisioned the part simply being one to go around the congregation and shout, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” That didn’t excite him.
So I quickly thought about what might get him to bite on the part. So I described this quirky character as being one who loved being outdoors. He wore a camel’s hair coat and lived off the land. He ate nothing but bugs and honey! I tried to make him as excited as possible. But that didn’t even get him to budge.
So I had to switch tactics because I really wanted Joel to fill the part. I said, “listen Joel, I’ll make you a deal. If you play the part of Johnny B, I’ll talk to your mother about not making you take a bath for an entire week before the play. You can be as dirty and stinky as you want to be – that’s exactly who John the Baptist was!” I could tell I was making headway as his eyes widened.
And with that he blurted out, “I’ll do it!”
It turns out that Joel’s reluctance at 7 years old doesn’t change much as we age. Being a prophet in today’s age is not only an unglamorous job, but it is difficult too. We become reluctant to take on the roll of a prophet for many reasons, but I think that chief among them is that we don’t want to be put in the position of delivering a message that is uncomfortable.
In recent years, there has been this ongoing conversation about whether you should say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Obviously, as Christians we should be standing up for and saying Merry Christmas as a witness to our faith and as proclamation of what we believe. But moreover, I believe that we should be proclaiming it as a prophetic stance that we believe that Christ will come to be “the Way.”
All of us are acting the prophet’s part as we shop, as we sing, and as we stand in line at the grocery store. You are preparing the way for Christ in a world that needs to hear that Peace, Joy, Hope and Love are possible even in the midst of the chaotic lives that we live. Say Merry Christmas to everyone! You are preparing the way. You are offering others not an uncomfortable word, but Grace.
I invite you to play that roll this Christmas Season. Let me know if I have to speak to your mother about personal hygiene.
This week in worship, the Choir will be presenting their Cantata entitled, “Together for Christmas: a worship experience for the community of faith” by Pepper Choplin. We are excited about the time together. Be a prophet this week and invite someone to worship with you. Extend them not only the invitation, but offer to meet them at the front door so they won’t be so uncomfortable if they are new. Say Merry Christmas to someone just out of no where and prepare the way of Christ.
Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you.
Greg
3 comments:
Good to have you back. I'm glad everything went in and came out alright!
Being a prophet has got to be easier than a proctologist! er, I mean Gastrointerologist.
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