A Pilgrimage Through Upended Lives

December 20, 2020 4 Advent, Year B The Rev. Mark Pendleton Christ Church Exeter A Pilgrimage Through Upended Lives In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to 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. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 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. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26-38 Pilgrimage has been a theme I have suggested for this odd year and, we hope, once-in-a-century global shared experience. Pilgrimage because moving forward day by day into an unknown future is about all one can do. Pilgrimage, because pilgrims often walk along a narrow path for much of the journey. Loneliness, as we know, has been a crushing causality in these last nine months for so many. And lastly, because the inner journey we take - one can be a pilgrim even never venturing very far away -- is as important as the outward final destination. George MacLeod, the founder of the Iona Community in Scotland, whose liturgies we use and enjoy from time to time, wrote this: Truth is one Follow truth wherever you find it. Even if it takes you outside your preconceived ideas of God or life. Even if it takes you outside your own country into the most insignificant alien places like Bethlehem. Be courageous. But concentrate on your search. Truth is one. All roads lead to home. In our readings and collect this morning, we hear much about houses, mansions and home. We pray the treasured collect for this forth Sunday in Advent: Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself. I'm sure I've shared with you at some point in my years as rector that one of my fondest memories was when our daughter Lydia, age 3 at the time when we moved into our newly purchased house in Silver Spring, Maryland, said this as she ran around excited amidst all the moving boxes: "I love my new house. When are we going home?" It would take her a short while to know that her home would be where her parents were until she would be old enough to be make her own home. In the reading from 2 Samuel we listen to a conversation between God and King David through voice of the prophet Nathan. David is a timely visitor in Advent, as according to the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew and Luke - clearly people have been doing this research work for a long before Ancetry.com - there is a direct line between the shepherd turned king from Bethlehem to the Savior Jesus who would also be born in that out-of-the-way village 5 miles from Jerusalem. King David wanted a palace for himself and a home, or temple, for God -- a place for God to dwell - believing that it has high time for God's holy presence to stop being carried around, under a pitched in tent or in a stored in a tabernacle. But here's the twist in this story: God had other plans. The Lord responds: "Are you the one to build me a house to live in?" Essentially God is saying that I AM the one who does the building. And I will build a people and plant them. There is often human impulse to try to what King David does -- to box in or domesticate the Holy - even to claim where God is or where God is not. To claim who is in God's favor and who God is punishing. I think of the quote from St. Augustine: "If you understood God, it would not be God." We have learned since mid-March during the lock-downs and the many months of Zoom worship that the Church is more than our buildings - as special and sacred and beautiful as they often are. There has been increased pressure from some corners for churches to open up for Christmas services - to fill the pews with worshippers for this most special holy day. We will resist that pressure, believing that our faith - our true religion - is not confined to four walls, bricks and mortar, and can always be found in the faces and in the lives of those near and far. We call the church the Body of Christ because it is made up of human parts made of what Jesus was made: Flesh and blood. Lives filled with hopes and dreams, pain and failures, trust and betrayal. In 2 Samuel, we hear the beginning of the plan: the Lord will make you King David a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever. These are seeds that Christians believe took root that led many centuries later to Jesus becoming God's fullest expression in human flesh for who God is. In the Gospel reading for today, the plan of salvation gets further expanded. God is making God's home in us. God is saying: I don't need anyone to make a big fuss. I will pitch another tent within humanity itself and begin by announcing this crazy and holy news to a young, engaged, frightened young woman named Mary. Whatever Mary thought her life would become in rural Galilee, it would be upended when the angel appeared and changed the course of human history. If there was ever a saint for these unsettling times it would be Mary, the God-bearer and mother of Jesus. "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. 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. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David." These are the big stand-out lines of the head angel in Christmas pageants around the world. Mary is a guide and friend for pilgrims who are living through upended lives. When we, like Mary, receive news we were not expecting. When our plans are put on pause. When the suddenness of it all can make us afraid. When and if, at first, we think we could never live into the future or survive the shame of exposure or ruin. Mary says for all generations: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Mary is faithful and shows us how we can also follow. Like Mary, let the change we hope and long for in this world begin with us. In the words of the Iona prayer we have used at the end of a Eucharist: In deep gratitude for this moment, we give ourselves to you, most holy God. Take us out into the world to live as changed people. Ask much of us, expect much from us, enable much by us, encourage many through us. May we dedicate our lives to your glory. Mary makes a home in her womb and in her life for God's outrageous plan to make the whole creation new. George's MacLeod's words ring true on this forth Sunday of Advent and only days away from what will be a quieter, less crowded Christmas: Follow truth wherever you find it. Be courageous. All roads lead to home. 1