The Most Scandalous Story Ever Told

Do you ever wonder why God has to be so awkward about how he approaches us?  In the Gospel of Matthew we hear, “When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, Mary was found to be with child.  Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man was unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, so he planned to dismiss her quietly.”  He didn’t want the embarrassment in his life, so he was going to try to get rid of the whole situation without drawing a lot of attention to himself. 

Now you know I can’t fault Joseph for thinking they way he did.  He had to be very unhappy with his wife-to-be.  I mean what person in the ancient Roman territory of Judea, would not be ticked off with a spouse who turned up pregnant.  Mary was pregnant even before the two had an opportunity to live together, let alone sleep. Who would not be angry at a situation like this, even now in this 21^st century?  Even today an adulterous spouse is grounds for divorce….  It’s just scandalous!  Not to mention when we think of an engaged couple, the male spouse to be finds out his future wife is pregnant; it is scandalous.  But let that same person find out his bride to be is pregnant by another person, even before the two have come together, he will be livid and want to get rid of this woman quickly.  Can you blame him; I mean who would want to father a child with a woman you aren’t sure you can trust?  

Why would God want to begin his earthly existence under these kinds of circumstances?  All knowing, all powerful, all seeing God comes into the world to take on flesh and blood and begins it all with a soap opera setting!  Well, He certainly got our attention!! 

Last week we heard another passage from Matthew, “Blessed is anyone who is not scandalized by me.”  Our translation says “Blessed is anyone who is not offended by me,” but the word is “skandalisqh” (SCAN DAL ES THEY).  The Gospel is filled with references to scandal and even the scandal of it all.  Our gospel reading today is prefaced by a genealogy of Jesus, tracing him back through Joseph to David and even to Abraham.  I could read it out for you now, but I’m afraid most of you would be asleep before I finished.  It outlines Jesus’ claims to a royal pedigree with a lot of begat such and such and fathered so and so, you know the type of lists I’m talking about.  Well since I have cut to the chase for you, one huge problem we see right off the bat is that Jesus isn’t actually Joseph’s son; he’s adopted!  He can’t really be a descendant because he isn’t really of the same bloodline, right?  He isn’t pure.  How can he be a descendant of David if he doesn’t have the bloodline? 

And let’s not overlook that there are women included in the list—tsk, tsk! Remember women weren’t of value in this day and age.  Women were more like property, we can’t trace a bloodline through women.  Why this is another item for us to look down our noses about.  In fact, if we look closer and can get past the problem with women in his claim, of the four women listed in the genealogy, all four of them had less than reputable existences:  Tamar acted as a prostitute with her father-in-law!  Rahab was a prostitute!  Ruth was a crafty and cunning widow who did whatever was necessary to survive, including some less than virtuous things.  And then last but not least there is Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite, who liked to bathe on her roof so that her neighbor King David couldn’t help but notice her, and watch her bathe, and well of course he had an affair with her, which caused her to become pregnant, and then of course David would have to have her husband killed in order to save embarrassment and ultimately take her as a wife rather hastily.  Sound enough like a soap opera?  Why would God, the Almighty claim these kinds of women?  Why would God do such crazy things? 

Well of course let’s get back to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Joseph thinks she’s been sharing her goods, so to speak.  Don’t think the women in Nazareth didn’t know about the situation if Joseph knew.  They were very aware of her, say down at the village watering well.  Uhuh!  You know there were many scandalous things said and whispered about Mary and her situation, as she approached and left the well.  I’m certain she heard the giggling and laughter and some of the cruel remarks, probably even after Joseph married her.  You know it’s true, women… and men like to gossip about scandalous things.  All seeing, all knowing, all powerful, Almighty God…why would you claim such a heritage and make such a scandalous entry into the world?  

How scandalous do you think it was for Joseph to marry a woman who is carrying a child that isn’t his?  How scandalous was it for Joseph to discuss a dream about an Angel in public?  People aren’t that much different today than they were then.  People would be saying things about his sanity.  “That Joseph, you know he’s a few cards short of a full deck.  He thinks an angel visited him and he thinks his wife’s illegitimate son is going to save the world!”  Why if I cam in here tomorrow evening and told you all an angel had visited me in my dreams, most of you would begin to think, “nut job!”  What does this say about God and his methodology? 

And Jesus, whoa, let’s not forget Jesus.  Jesus’ whole life will be scandalous.  His very birth compromises our notions of goodness.   Jesus is the descendant of prostitutes and liars, his lineage isn’t acceptable by human societal standards.  Jesus will be born in a feeding trough for animals.   When Peter rebukes Jesus for his first prediction of the Passion, Jesus says of Peter, “You are a scandal to me!” When Jesus instructs his followers not to cause the “little ones” to sin, he tells them not to “scandalize” the little ones. When Jesus speaks to his followers at the Last Supper, tells them that they will “fall away” on account of him that night, he says that they will “be scandalized” by him.  Jesus will say and do things his whole life that people will find scandalous.  He will die on a cross the death of a common thief or murderer, robbing him of dignity even in death and burial.  In death he is scandalous and humiliated for all to see….  And out of all these things and more that are scandalous about Jesus, there is this thing about him rising from the dead his disciples will begin to tell stories about.  It’s just Scandalous!  The whole thing, who would believe such a scandalous tale?  It doesn’t make sense in our world, how can a king be a pauper? 

This passage of the Gospel asks us to find in the advent of the Savior something that scandalizes even us, as it scandalized Joseph. Where in this narrative and in the Incarnation do we find the place that makes us say, “No, wait, I can go this far, but no further. If you ask me to do this, I cannot continue to walk with you.”  Where is the place in the story where we fall away?   Where is the place where we put Jesus quietly away, not wishing to shame him, but not wishing to associate with him, either? 

But wait… I forgot… I’ve got all of these things back here in my closet… skeletons lurking and waiting… things I don’t want anyone to know about.  I have things I did that I am ashamed of and things that would be too scandalous for me to be accepted.  I’ll bet everyone in this congregation has skeletons in their closet.  Even if you have lived your life like a saint, there are things that you are ashamed of and afraid to tell others openly.  

Maybe God knows more about me than I think he does.  Maybe God knows more about us all than we can ever fathom.  God knows how jaded my past actually is.  God wants me to rest at ease with my past and turn towards tomorrow with my head held high… in the knowledge that all things are forgiven, because only a God who enters into life with so much scandal can meet us in the depths of our earthly existence and raise us up.  Only a God willing to see us for who we are and love us in our times of darkness would live a life that might be a scandal to others. 

Isn’t it wonderful our God can take these circumstances of scandal and make a mockery of them?  The greatest story ever told is really the most scandalous story ever told.  Our God is so great we can’t even begin to understand the ways.  Our God comes into the world in a situation none of us would be proud of, and lives a life of a wanderer and the death of a criminal.  Isn’t that wonderful?  To accept him, we must be willing to accept these uncomfortable and scandalous things about Jesus, so that our own flaws and scandals will be undone. 

It seems that God can only come to us in the scandalous, because sometimes it’s all we know and understand.  We have a natural tendency to scandalize, to make victims, and scapegoats.  It is no less true in the Incarnation than in the Crucifixion. Paul said it this way, “God chooses what is weak to shame the strong. God chooses what is foolish to make foolish the wisdom of the wise.” If we are not scandalized by the Incarnation, we aren’t looking closely enough.  Everyone should be made aware, over and over again of how similar our lives are with Joseph—good, but still entangled in scandalizing others, and scandalizing ourselves at God’s self-revelation in Jesus.  Joseph is virtually silent in the Gospels, virtually irrelevant to the story, except that without him there is no initial acceptance of the beginning of the story. 

I’d like to leave you with this little irony and you can call it what you like; fluke coincidence, happenstance, Holy Spirit.  This morning I hadn’t really decided how to end this sermon and someone walked up to me and hands me a story on a piece of paper, it ended by reminding me of this: 

Jesus had no servants, yet they called him Master. 

Jesus had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. 

Jesus had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. 

He had no army, yet kings and rulers feared Him. 

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. 

He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. 

Isn’t that scandalous?  Yet… isn’t it wonderful?  Our God can take any circumstance and make it holy, including yours.  God can meet you where you are and let you know of places far worse than you can imagine.  Do not fear those who look down their noses at you or laugh behind your back.  Do not fear being scorned or even hated for being who you are.  Do not be ashamed of anything in your life, past or present.  Hold your head high in the knowledge and love of God, because your sins past are forgiven.  The past is the past, the slate is clean we need only to worry about tomorrow and today.  Allow these last few days in Advent to prepare you for the new beginning which is Christmas.  Love the Lord, listen faithfully and be aware that “God’s ways are not our ways.”  

Source:
http://www.epiphanycrestview.com/Sermons%20past/Advent%204.htm

Congress Needs to (un)Do Something!!

Senator Sherrod Brown’s Town Hall meeting in Columbus was a great learning experience in preparation for the ones to follow.  Now that we know how supporters of Obamacare have framed the issue, it is important to establish primacy with the debate. Supporters have focused on the rising cost of healthcare and insurance as well as the underinsured and uninsured. The blame has been placed on the free market and “greedy” insurance companies.

When we answer to the pragmatic issues like how we’re happy with our insurance or that parts of the bill are suspect, we simply lose the debate and miss an opportunity to educate.

In my humble opinion, the following areas would establish primacy in this important dialog:

1. There is no Constitutional authority for the proposed healthare legislation

“We are sympathetic to those that have lost their insurance and the obstacles that they go through in order to have insurance or pay for their coverage. But…this is unconstitutional” Alicia Healy, Candidate for Columbus City Council

People need to be reminded that we are a self governing nation and what that means. For the federal government to provide healthcare to citizens, it must first forcibly take the property of the prosperous. If we as individuals do not have a moral right to steal the property of our neighbor to pay for our healthcare, such a power cannot be rightfully delegated to our governing representatives. This is why such a power was not enumerated in the Constitution’s Article I, Section 8.

2. Unconstitutional intervention by the Federal Government has caused the healthcare crisis

“I experienced medicine before they had managed care [introduced during the Nixon years] and patients were always charged the least and nobody went without medical care. The churches and volunteer hospitals and other groups took care of the people, but now, everybody has to have this so-called insurance, which doesn’t do a whole lot more than boost prices and then cause shortages and then there’s a demand for what? For more government and that’s where we are today.” – Congressman Ron Paul

Managed care was introduced during the Nixon years and was a program designed to force people into medical care and provide PPO and HMOs and tax credits for certain groups and not any others. We have been enduring managed care over these last 35 to 40 years and what has developed from this has been corporate medicine.

The fact is that there are tens of thousands of regulations and mandates that health providers and insurance companies must follow. The costs of adhering to these regulations are staggering.

Helpful Resources:

Text of Ron Paul’s Speech
Ron Paul Library
Blame Congress for HMOs

OTHER AREAS TO COVER:

The Federal Reserve has contributed to rising healthcare costs due to skyrocketing inflation
Socialized Medicine in other countries has not been successful

“Come now, and let us reason together”

Christopher over at the OFA and Break the Matrix made an impressive case for why the Creation/Evolution debate is central to this freedom movement. And after learning about the Darwinization of our legal system, in my research for the analysis of the Constitution Party Preamble, I believe it! It is the BIG LIE — one that that doesn’t have to make sense because it has been told over and over and over. Even some Christians are accepting compromise of scripture to reconcile it with this false science. But it is an essential tool of the establishment with devastating consequences for liberty.

The Hope of the World

By Dan Smoot

As I see it, the beginning of the United States of America was the most dramatic and significant episode in a long pilgrimage – the pilgrimage of the Christian idea of law, liberty, and self-government. Christianity is the master principle of our organic documents of government – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

Neither Paul nor any of the other early Christians had any particular interest in social reform or political revolution. Their dedication was spiritual; yet, at the core of Christian faith is the most revolutionary idea ever conceived: that individual man is infinitely important. Individual man is imperfect, yet God so loved him that He sent His only begotten Son to save him from sin.

After that basic Christian idea had worked for centuries in the finite minds of men, it led to an obvious conclusion: Individual man, the object of such infinite grace and mercy, is the most important creature on earth. This is the origin of the basic American political ideal: that man gets all his rights and powers from God, the Creator; that government is weaker and less important than man, because government was created by man.

Testimony against Ohio Con-Con legislation

Ohio House Judiciary Committee
Opposition Testimony for House Joint Resolution No. 8
December 10, 2008

Chairman Blessing and members of the House Judiciary Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide opposing testimony on House Joint Resolution No. 8. My name is Teri Owens and I am from Delaware, Ohio.

This is my first testimony before a legislative committee, but I don’t want to waste precious time explaining who I am because my background, ethnicity, race, religion or vocation does not matter to this issue. I speak as a citizen of Ohio, who – no matter what special interest categories I might fit into – stands to be irreparably harmed by the ramifications of calling an Article V convention. The quickness and quietness with which this legislation emerged and is moving is especially troubling because of this.

Man is inclined toward “kingly” government

Sen. Barack Obama said the following on the Aug. 31 broadcast of 60 Minutes:

“If I can get health care for every American, if I can make sure that the economy is providing jobs that pay a decent wage, if I can solve this energy problem so that we are more secure, if I can make an education system work for every child, that’s going to be good for everybody.”

This all sounds nice, doesn’t it? It’s supposed to. But the problem is that the president of the United States is not tasked with these responsibilities.

Sir, may I quote general order 12…

“…on the approach of any vessel when communications have not been established…”

On Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Vulcan Lt. Saavik, began to remind Admiral Kirk of governing regulations in the situation they were facing. Captain Spock was quick to chastise her because it is obvious that the Admiral is “well aware of the regulation.”

However, the Admiral was ignoring the regulation, which was clearly designed to protect the starship should a situation arise wherein the security of the ship is in question. Kirk opted instead to engage in a guessing game with the crew as to why they could not establish communications with a vessel in their own fleet.

Promote the General Welfare?

One of the reasons for the creation of our Constitution and powers enumerated to Congress is “to promote the general welfare.” This phrase is used in the preamble as well as in Article I, Section 8. A 1936 Supreme Court case, U.S. v. Butler, took an expansive reading of that clause and declared that it confers a power separate and distinct from those later enumerated. This subsequently opened the federal treasury to unlimited giveaway programs.

Prior to this it was understood that “promote the general welfare,” did not mean the federal government would have the power to aid education, build roads, and subsidize business. Likewise, Article 1, Section 8 did not give Congress the right to use tax money for whatever social and economic programs Congress might think would be good for the “general welfare.”

The Source of Our Liberty

The source of our liberty and opportunity, which exceeds that of any nation in human history, comes from binding ourselves to fixed rules that are superior to any person. In Over the Top, Zig Ziglar writes:

The Illusion of Freedom, How to Restore the True Constitution and Reclaim Liberty Now, by Martyn Babitz

 

 

“The Sailor has freedom of the seas only when he has become a slave to the compass. Until he is obedient, he must stay within sight of the shore. Once he is obedient, he can go anywhere a sailing vessel will take him. When you take the train off of the tracks, it’s free, but it can’t go anywhere. Take a steering wheel out of the automobile and it’s under the direction and control of no one, but it can’t move. Man is very much the same way. Freedom – real freedom – comes only when discipline, undergirded by moral absolutes, becomes a way of life.”

Political Science Basics

“We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.” –Ben Franklin, Constitutional Convention

Much confusion abounds with regard to the political and economic spectrums. Today’s high school students are taught that our country was formed as a “democracy” and that communism is on the far left of the spectrum and fascism is on the far right. However these assertions lack a true measure.

In an accurate spectrum government power ranges from 100% on the far left to zero percent on the far right.