Sermon forDecember 30th 2007 (St. David's, Englewood, FL)
Sermon for December 30th 2007
The Revd. J. Michel Povey at St. David’s, Englewood, FL
(Revised Common Lectionary)
Isaiah 63:7-9; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23
GOSPEL READING
Matthew 2:13-23
13Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
16When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18“A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
19When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20“Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”
“Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled”.
What a slap in the face. Six days after Christmas we read this dreadful passage from Matthew, with its chilling pivotal words. “Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled”.
Rachel was the daughter of Laban, for whom Jacob laboured fourteen years. Seven years in, and the trickster Jacob is tricked by his Uncle Laban. On Jacob’s wedding night he discovers that his bride is Laban’s weak eyed older daughter Leah, and not her sister for whom he longed.
His indentured servitude lasts for another seven years before he is able to claim this passion of his heart, Rachel, the younger sister.
Then Leah gives birth to child after child, whilst Rachel cannot conceive. Those who desire to conceive a child and cannot do so weep greatly. Finally Rachel gives birth to Joseph, and soon after to another son. But she dies in childbirth, and with her dying breath names her second son Benjamin “son of my tears”. Rachel dies with tears.
Rachel weeping. So many women weep for so many reasons. Oft times that weeping is almost silent, and in private. But Jeremiah knows how to weep. And as the leaders of the ten northern tribes of Israel are led into exile, he imagines that Rachel had risen from the dead to weep for her children yet again, refusing to be consoled. But there is a “kicker” here. The children for whom Rachel weeps in Jeremiah are the children of her sister Leah, those ten northern tribes. She weeps for children not her own.
And, figuratively speaking, Rachel rises again in the Matthew passage, that dreadful bit which we call “the massacre of the innocents”.
“Herod then with rage was filled,
“A Prince“, he said, “in Jewry”.
All the little boys he killed
At Beth’lem in his fury”.
Jesus is born into the real world. He is born into the world of Rachel weeping. He is born into the world of childless women such as his mother’s cousin Elizabeth. He is born into the world of Darfur, exiled children in hopeless camps. He himself is a refugee. He is born into the world in which children are massacred or murdered. That’s Jesus’ world, not the world of the domesticated Crèche.
And if Mary ever told Jesus the story of the slaughter of Bethlehem’s children, I hope that he wept for them, for I cannot conceive of a Jesus who refuses to weep with us. That old Christmas hymn has it dead wrong:
“The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes”.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Every baby cries! I change the words and sing
“The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
And little Lord Jesus, loud crying he makes”.
I believe in a Jesus who weeps with us.
I was on Hawaii on vacation some 20 years ago when I heard from England that my newest nephew , three month old Jack had died in his crib. I wept.
I wept again about 13 years ago. I had flown to London, and when I arrived at Heathrow Airport I was greeted with an urgent message. “Come to Bristol,, (my home City) right away. My friend and I raced down the M4 motorway, and I took myself to St. Michael’s Childrens’ Hospital where another nephew, Thomas was in neo-natal intensive care. I baptised him in that hospital unit, and said the prayers at his burial five days later. Baptism and burial with tears.
Rachel wept with me for Jack and for Tom. Please God, Jesus wept with me and many others for Jack and for Tom.
Last Sunday, and again on Christmas Eve, I was at the Church of the Advent in Lillian, Alabama, just over the state line from Pensacola, Florida. The Priest there is a godly woman, Martha. She preaches well from a sharp mind and a warm heart.
Some few years ago one of her two daughters was murdered by a boy friend. You never get over the death of a child. You cannot be consoled when a child is murdered.
And so I wonder “how in heaven’s name can Martha preach from the Gospel today?” Martha, her husband, and their other daughter weeping for a child, and unable to be consoled.
There are some griefs which cannot be consoled. That is also part of the Christmas story.
Rachel knows it all too well. I hope that Jesus also knows.
“Rachel weeping for her children. She refused to be consoled”
The Revd. J. Michel Povey at St. David’s, Englewood, FL
(Revised Common Lectionary)
Isaiah 63:7-9; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23
GOSPEL READING
Matthew 2:13-23
13Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
16When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18“A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
19When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20“Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”
“Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled”.
What a slap in the face. Six days after Christmas we read this dreadful passage from Matthew, with its chilling pivotal words. “Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled”.
Rachel was the daughter of Laban, for whom Jacob laboured fourteen years. Seven years in, and the trickster Jacob is tricked by his Uncle Laban. On Jacob’s wedding night he discovers that his bride is Laban’s weak eyed older daughter Leah, and not her sister for whom he longed.
His indentured servitude lasts for another seven years before he is able to claim this passion of his heart, Rachel, the younger sister.
Then Leah gives birth to child after child, whilst Rachel cannot conceive. Those who desire to conceive a child and cannot do so weep greatly. Finally Rachel gives birth to Joseph, and soon after to another son. But she dies in childbirth, and with her dying breath names her second son Benjamin “son of my tears”. Rachel dies with tears.
Rachel weeping. So many women weep for so many reasons. Oft times that weeping is almost silent, and in private. But Jeremiah knows how to weep. And as the leaders of the ten northern tribes of Israel are led into exile, he imagines that Rachel had risen from the dead to weep for her children yet again, refusing to be consoled. But there is a “kicker” here. The children for whom Rachel weeps in Jeremiah are the children of her sister Leah, those ten northern tribes. She weeps for children not her own.
And, figuratively speaking, Rachel rises again in the Matthew passage, that dreadful bit which we call “the massacre of the innocents”.
“Herod then with rage was filled,
“A Prince“, he said, “in Jewry”.
All the little boys he killed
At Beth’lem in his fury”.
Jesus is born into the real world. He is born into the world of Rachel weeping. He is born into the world of childless women such as his mother’s cousin Elizabeth. He is born into the world of Darfur, exiled children in hopeless camps. He himself is a refugee. He is born into the world in which children are massacred or murdered. That’s Jesus’ world, not the world of the domesticated Crèche.
And if Mary ever told Jesus the story of the slaughter of Bethlehem’s children, I hope that he wept for them, for I cannot conceive of a Jesus who refuses to weep with us. That old Christmas hymn has it dead wrong:
“The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes”.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Every baby cries! I change the words and sing
“The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
And little Lord Jesus, loud crying he makes”.
I believe in a Jesus who weeps with us.
I was on Hawaii on vacation some 20 years ago when I heard from England that my newest nephew , three month old Jack had died in his crib. I wept.
I wept again about 13 years ago. I had flown to London, and when I arrived at Heathrow Airport I was greeted with an urgent message. “Come to Bristol,, (my home City) right away. My friend and I raced down the M4 motorway, and I took myself to St. Michael’s Childrens’ Hospital where another nephew, Thomas was in neo-natal intensive care. I baptised him in that hospital unit, and said the prayers at his burial five days later. Baptism and burial with tears.
Rachel wept with me for Jack and for Tom. Please God, Jesus wept with me and many others for Jack and for Tom.
Last Sunday, and again on Christmas Eve, I was at the Church of the Advent in Lillian, Alabama, just over the state line from Pensacola, Florida. The Priest there is a godly woman, Martha. She preaches well from a sharp mind and a warm heart.
Some few years ago one of her two daughters was murdered by a boy friend. You never get over the death of a child. You cannot be consoled when a child is murdered.
And so I wonder “how in heaven’s name can Martha preach from the Gospel today?” Martha, her husband, and their other daughter weeping for a child, and unable to be consoled.
There are some griefs which cannot be consoled. That is also part of the Christmas story.
Rachel knows it all too well. I hope that Jesus also knows.
“Rachel weeping for her children. She refused to be consoled”
Comments
Post a Comment