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The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
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December 2006
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The 4th Sunday in Advent (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Have you ever heard the expression of something which is TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?! I am sure we all have! Most of us have learned the hard way that if something sounds too good to be true, IT PROBABLY IS! If we haven’t experienced it personally, we have certainly heard about persons who have been victimized by some financial investment scheme that sounded so good, but was actually a fraud. For example, this week we read about how Patrick Davidson – a Republican candidate for governor of Montana just two and a half years ago – pleaded guilty to federal securities fraud charges. As the Billings Gazette reported in yesterday’s paper, Davidson is charged by the Montana State Auditor’s office of scamming at least 10 investors of $6 million in what may turn out to be the state’s largest Ponzi scheme. The investors wanted to get rich quick – but it was too good to be true. And how many of us have ever been cheated or felt dissatisfied by products or services, which did not nearly perform at the level they were advertised?! I am sure that we all have at one time or another. We have learned the hard way that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is! But in today's first reading and gospel, we hear about things which are too good NOT to be true! For these lessons tell us about two strange and wonderful ways God has used to bring His salvation into our world and into our lives. They are ways which are so incredible that we would have never imagined them on our own. The first incredible thing about God's salvation is that He uses what is small and lowly instead of what is big and grand. The world tends to value size and grandeur. But God values smallness and humility. For example, the Jews were looking for a Messiah who would come to lead the people of Israel. Most of them surely thought that He would come from Jerusalem, which was by far their largest and most holy city. But as the prophet Micah proclaims in today's first reading; "You, O BETHLEHEM of Ephrathah, who are one of the LITTLE clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days." You can almost hear the tone of awe and wonder in the prophet's voice. For this is not at all what he or anyone else would have expected! Who would have thought that God would choose such a small and insignificant town to be the birthplace of His Messiah?! To put it in a modern day perspective, imagine if Jesus was to choose a city and a church to make his “headquarters” here on earth. Out of all the places in the world, what would our Lord choose? Would he choose Washington, D.C. and the National Cathedral there? Would he choose New York City and St. Patrick’s Cathedral? Would he choose the Crystal Cathedral in California? The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France? And I could go on and on with possibilities for large, leading cities and awe-inspiring churches. But I believe that Jesus would choose none of these. If I may be so bold to suggest it, I believe that Jesus would choose a church like THIS ONE – in a small community like Sidney, Montana – to make his earthly headquarters! A community and a church that may be looked down upon by many people in big cities and in “leading” churches. But still a community, and a church, that is very, very dear to our Lord's heart! Who would ever believe it?! It would boggle people's minds! But I am absolutely convinced that this is what Jesus would do! For he is not at all impressed with size and what the world considers to be grand. What most impresses him is a simple and sincere faith and love. The little town of Bethlehem was chosen over the great and glorious city of Jerusalem. And I am sure he would do the very same thing over again today. For Bethlehem (and for us!), this is fantastically GOOD NEWS! It is news which is too good NOT to be true! As if to emphasize the incredible point that God values smallness and humility over bigness and grandeur, He then chooses a lowly, insignificant maiden to be the mother of the Christ-child. Mary had no special credentials that would have brought her to anyone's attention. No human person would had ever given her the slightest consideration for that honor. But God in His favor had regard for her, and in doing so, He turned the world's values upside down. St. Paul writes in First Corinthians; "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." (I Corinthians 1:27-30) That is why He chose Bethlehem to be the birthplace of His Son - and that is why He chose Mary to be his mother. And God still works in this way even today. He is working here, in small and humble ways, to transform our lives and transform our world! May we always keep that in mind. Turning SHAMEFUL things into glory is the second incredible thing about God's salvation! Consider Mary and her condition in today's gospel. To be single and pregnant was a source of extreme SHAME in her society. It does not take much imagination to understand that life must have in many ways become a living HELL for Mary soon after the angel's announcement that she would bear a son. Joseph, her betrothed, was obviously very upset with her when she began to show signs of pregnancy - and he knew that he had never slept with her. And he surely found her story that that HOLY SPIRIT was the father more than a little bit hard to swallow! It is hard to believe that her parents understood - how many of us parents would believe our daughters if they came up with a story like that?!And it certainly is no fun to be the topic of everyone's gossip, as Mary obviously was! Our gospel says that "in those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country" to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth. Why did she do this? I believe that one major reason is that she simply wanted to get out of town away from Nazareth! Away from everyone there who had scorned her and gossiped about her and made her feel ashamed and unloved. Since the angel had mentioned that Elizabeth was also expecting a child, maybe Elizabeth might understand. And as our gospel tells us, Mary found that support, which she so desperately needed. For Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" Yes, the source of Mary's SHAME was God's salvation for the world. It was news so ridiculously sublime that it was too good NOT to be true! What does this mean for us here today? We still have many situations which are shameful for people even in our modern day society. Even in today's much more permissive climate (in which more than 40% of all children are born out of wedlock), it still is hard and often a source of shame for a single girl or woman to bear a child. But many others have dealt with and gone through their shame - and brought forth a beautiful child who became a source of great JOY for many people. Many of you know of persons who have had to deal with this situation of shame, but in the end found that it all still turned out to be a blessing. Another shameful situation which people often have to deal with today is that of divorce. It may be an all too common phenomenon in our society, but it is still a source of shame for many people. Most people facing divorce find it very hard to tell their family and friends that their marriage has failed. For instance, especially at this time of the year – those who have recently gone through a marital separation or divorce find it very hard to send Christmas cards to one’s extended acquaintances after that tragedy has happened. I had that experience personally after my first marriage had failed. I know of some people who have chosen simply not to send any cards at all - because of the sense of embarrassment and shame that they feel. People who have suffered through a divorce often drop out of a lot of activities, perhaps they may even stop going to church, because they feel ASHAMED of having to face people. The point here is not that divorce is good. It is the failure of a marriage and it hurts many, many people. But for people who endure their shame and still trust in God's mercy, God can take even a bad situation like that and still bring forth a great BLESSING! I can certainly attest to that in my own life regarding my marriage to Carol! Yes, God has taken even my shames and failures and still caused them to be for a good purpose! In all things (even the BAD and SHAMEFUL things) God works for GOOD with those who love Him. Mary found that out in today's gospel. In spite of her shame and having to endure gossip and disbelief even from people who were close to her, she still indeed was truly BLESSED among all women. Because of her trust in God and His mercy, SHE was chosen to be the mother of the Christ! What a wonderful God we have! A God who values smallness and humility. A God who uses even our shames and failures to accomplish great and glorious things! A God who has regard for us just as we are - and in SPITE of what we are! And a God who loves us ALWAYS! And that good news of God's unconditional love for us will reach out to us and transform us even in the small and shameful areas of our lives. This is certainly not the kind of God that the world would have dreamed up. But that is the kind of God we Christians proclaim, especially now at Christmas time. As we will be hearing in this evening’s Christmas Eve gospel: “For behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all the people!” Good news that is too good NOT to be true! That is what Mary found out in this morning’s gospel. That is what I have also found that out in my own life, and so have millions and millions and millions of others. So, I am sure, have many of you! The good news which is too good NOT to be true! May it fill and transform our hearts and lives this Christmas, and every day of the year! God bless you all. Merry Christmas! Amen! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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