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All posts for the month December, 2001

Christmas Morning

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 25, 2001
Posted in: Homily.
December 25 200I
Isaiah 52:7 10 + Hebrews 1:1-6 + Luke 2:15-20  
A parade of human life passes before us in the story of Christ’s birth. An aging priest in the temple and his childless wife, a young couple engaged to be married, night workers in a field watching sheep, an old couple waiting in prayer for a promise to be kept, an anointed Jewish King who turns out to be a brutal killer, wise men from far away places travel a great distance, lost and not sure about what they seek, all are part of this story as much as the child himself The homeless, the rich, the poor, the powerful, the political, the wise, the innocent, young and old all parade before us affirming humanity in all its glory and its brokenness. The human is the bearer of the divine. That is the wonder of what we proclaim by our prayers, hymns, gifts, parties, dinners, and celebrations in this Season: the human is the bearer of the divine.  
The birth of that child would have made no difference, it would have been just another Hebrew baby born in Palestine were it not for that odd parade of people to whom it made a difference. Had he simply been there for only one of them, the story would have ended before it began. But in this birth and in this story, there is no favorite nor privilege, there is simply human kind in all its misery and grandeur, there to be transformed by the birth we celebrate, for this birth needs to be our own.  
It is not only then the birth of Christ that we celebrate today, but rather the birth of the human family, born again, lifted from its past of sin and death and raised now to it’s true dignity, to the divine image in which it is created. What was broken is healed. The God who walked in communion and intimacy with those loved and fashioned by divine hands is now held in human hands and beheld byhuman eyes. It is a thought so profound that we too easily turn over its meaning to theologians and scholars, yet what is so profound about the gift of a child? The simplicity of it all is what confounds the powerful and confuses the proud.  
A fifteenth century mystery play suggests that the Wise Men were not the only gift bearers who came. Prior to their arrival came the shepherds with three pointless, useless presents: a bowl of cherries, a pet bird, and a tennis ball. Humble gifts in contrast to Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh. In truth, God has no need of our gifts. All God really wants, I suspect is our delight in the gift of a little child given to us. Yet overwhelmed by the gift we have received and in which we rejoice today, we gather in this place surrounded by useless gifts of art and beauty, ritual and music, but these are gifts that liberate our joy And when our joy is liberated, so will our generosity and compassion be. These are gifts of God for which this world still waits.  
What we come to understand as we reflect on this birth is that the world is no longer waiting for God to act. In the gift of this child, we have all that we need and all we have waited for to heal what was broken long ago and drove us from the Divine presence. It is a gift everyone can understand, everyone; from shepherds to Wise Men, kings, priests, old and young, anyone who has experienced the pain of loneliness, distance from God, hunger for love, and longing for peace. It doesn’t take a degree in theology to get the point. It is simply a matter of eeing in theface of a baby the divine smile looking into our hearts with love and a passion to be with us.  
What the world awaits these days then, is for us to act not God. It waits for us to reach into the mystery of our second birth and share the gifts it brings: forgiveness which is the only way to peace; joy, generosity, and compassion. Whether you have come here to get something or to give something, I hope that you will leave here a little more free to be what God has made you to be on this Holy Day I hope that the music, the beauty, the flowers, the ritual and prayers of this day, the company of friends and family around you will awaken, a Joy in you that may liberate compassion and generosity to make you more and more like the Divine and Holy one who is so powerfully revealed to us this day  
None of us can escape the parade that passes us by in the story of this day, and in it’s passing, none of us ought to fail to fall in with them. For no one is left out, no one is forgotten, no one is without a place in this life and a share in its riches.All have something to give in praise and thanksgiving, and the world waits yet again for us to make it so.  

Advent 4

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 23, 2001
Posted in: Homily.
December 23, 2001
Isaiah 7 1 14 + Romans 1 1 17 + Matthew 1 18-24  
Matthew is concerned with the who and the how of Jesus. The central figure in his text is Joseph. The genealogy he uses just before today’s text begins shows that Jesus is Son of David, and the Matthew takes up the task of showing how he is also Son of God. The issue of legitimacy had risen early among the Jews as a contentious and troublesome matter, and Matthew takes it up creatively and boldly by making the point that the issue is not so much who was the father as it is the fact that God was involved and had a plan in the birth of this child. It is the same with the matter of the virginal conception, which was even and still is greatly disputed and discussed in scholarship. The point, Matthew suggests, is the prophecy that God will be among his people is fulfilled.  
Matthew stands at the middle of a developing understanding of who and how Jesus came to be the Messiah. At first, it was thought that Jesus became the Son of God at the Resurrection. Then comes Matthew who moves that moment back to the Conception of Jesus. Then comes John who speaks of the Word being with the Father from the very beginning  
Today’s text proclaims the who of Jesus revealed by the activity of the Spirit, through divine messengers, and through the prophets. Today’s text, with a gesture rich in meaning that escapes us who are not Jews, proclaims the howof Jesus with the story of Joseph, son of David, legally claiming Jesus as son and giving him is name.  
This becomes the story of Joseph. The moment he names Jesus, he settles the issue of who and how Jesus came to be. The moment he speaks the name of this child, he joins the two threads of Matthew’s understanding of Jesus as both Son of David and Son of God.  
Ultimately, this is a story that unfolds in the context of trust: trust between two lovers, and trust between those two lovers and God. Even though the circumstances raised some stressful concerns, these two young people our tradition has called, Mary and Joseph, trusted one another Mary was not only full of grace, she was full of trust: trust in Joseph as well as trust in God. In saying “Yes” to God, she trusted that she was not saying “No” to Joseph. At the same time, he had to trust that old ways were not always the best ways, that there can be something new under the sun, and that happy endings can come from sorry beginnings. He had to trust that doing the right thing even though it was not what he wanted was going to be the best thing  
But the greatest act of trust in this story is on the part of God who placed trust in  human beings even though prior evidence and a previous experience spoke to the contrary All the evidence spoke against trusting people, yet this story says that God believed that somehow people could do better than they had done before. In a sense, God either had to trust this human creation, or call the whole thing off And so Matthew tells this story of God’s trust in us as a way of raising the issue of our trust in God, of calling into question what can happen if we trust one another, of what can happen if we trust our scary dreams to imagine new possibilities, and what can happen if we trust God with our lives.  
Because Mary and Joseph trusted each other, and because together they trusted God, Jesus, Son of God, was born into our world. Matthew affirms God’s trust in us and he urges us all to a little more trust in each other and in God with the hope that something will be born again in us this Christmas time.  

Advent 3

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 16, 2001
Posted in: Homily.
December 16, 2001
Isaiah 35:1-6,10 + James 5:7 10 + Matthew 11:2-11  
His entire life was dedicated to one cause: announcing the coming of the Messiah, and for that, he ends up in jail. No one came to get him out, and as far was we can tell, no family member ever came to visit nor say word in his defense. The great “savior”, the “Messiah” who would come with such great power to fulfill everyone’s hopes and dreams is busy elsewhere. It’s no wonder he had doubts about the one he had baptized. It’s no wonder he was asking questions about what kind of a messiah this was. It’s no wonder that the church of Matthew’s age clung to this story and this image of the once great prophet sitting in Herod’s prison. Those people of Matthew’s age were dedicated too. Living as the Messiah had taught them got them expelled from the heart of their community’s life, the synagogue; betrayed and abandoned by family members; imprisoned, and killed. Hopes for a Messiah with political ambitions and power were gone on a Passover Friday Maybe a few expected him to return and overthrow the regimes of oppression, but even those few were tiring of the wait and had begun to look elsewhere.  
Matthew’s powerful reflection of disappointment and doubt is not hard to understand: not hard for those who have been dedicated and faithful, who have kept the commandments and shared their gifts yet still find themselves with broken hearts after divorce or broken dreams after another has left them or just been too busy to care. It is still the good who get cancer, are robbed, attacked, abandoned and betrayed by trusted friends or family The innocent suffer, and the guilty and the violent walk away again to plan their return and repeat their offenses. Matthew understands the feelings. Doubt and Disappointment are no  stranger to him and his church our church.  
“This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be!” is the cry of John sitting there alone. Generations waited for this Messiah, for “justice”, for peace; and what do they get? Talk about Mercy and Forgiveness! While they suffer and wait, the Messiah is standing around the town well talking to women, dining with tax collectors, and praising the neighboring unbelievers for their kindness! Privilege and Influence mean nothing “Is this what we’ve been waiting for?” he asks?  
And Jesus says: “Blest is the person who finds no stumbling block in me.” A new beatitude to add to the others we’ve been given. Blest are the poor, the persecuted,  the grieving, the hungry  the grieving, the hungry  and now: Blessed are the disappointed! It is a Gospel of  courage for those who do not turn away in the face of expectations unmet. It is a Gospel of hope for those whose lives do not unfold in the comfortable way they had wanted. It is a Gospel of reassurance that comes to those who have not stumbled or fallen asking for more than stoic resignation in the face of evil, doubt, and disappointment.  
While John is waiting in prison, the blind, the deaf, and lepers are not looking for someone else. “Yes” is their answer to the question, is this the one we have waited for?  
These are the days of Justice, and those who have already a share in that Justice would do well not to grow impatient while those who have none get some. The challenge of Jesus to John, to Matthew’s church, and you and me is still the same. Those who have must wait and long for something greater than more for themselves. John’s message again and again was: “Prepare.” We are not, if we take this Gospel seriously, to give up on the present in the face of uncertain times and threatening days. John wonders if his life is worthwhile, and no one can escape times of similar questions. In the midst of those times this Gospel rises up to remind us that like John, we may plant seeds of hope that will blossom at another time, and like John, it might be a time we will not live to see.  
All who work for Justice and for Peace are messengers like John, preparing for a future, living with faith and dying in hope. It is their calling, and it is the work of salvation and the mission of the church.  

Advent 2

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 9, 2001
Posted in: Homily.
December 9 2001
Isaiah 11: 1 10 + Romans 15:4-9 + Matthew 3:1 12  
He stands at the heart and the center of this season. He is called, John. It wouldn’t be and couldn’t be Advent without him. Yet I wonder sometimes if he has found any comfort or finally made himself at home at the heavenly banquet. The diet he consumed seems a little out of place, and the wardrobe he chose is not exactly the wedding garment we are urged to wear My image of him standing at the door shouting: “Wash your dirty hands before you eat” is difficult to reconcile with the one he came to proclaim.  
He knew exactly what he wanted and what he was about. He knew what was good for everyone else, and he said so. He confronted politicians like Herod and spiritual leaders like the Pharisees and Scribes. He was clear headed and sharp tongued. He had it all simplified down to one word: “repentance.”  
The simply life, slogans, and what appears to be clear headed, no nonsense thinking has great appeal. People who have all the answers still have great appeal. The lure of simplicity is a great temptation for all who would avoid the complexities of existence, and there are many who would boil down the cauldron of life to one magic formula. Thousands flocked to John because he told them what to do. We have reason to believe that they did it, they just wanted to told and be free of any responsibility for dealing with the complexities of their lives, which in those days probably didn’t amount to much compared to ours. But it is much the same. Thousands still flock to the easy answers and various popular cult­ like leaders and ideas that get publicity with simplicity, slogans, and snappy little books that will solve all your problems.  
But Advent gives way to Christmas, and someone else steps into the heart and center of that season. He is called: Immanuel. He stands in sharp contrast to the one who went before him. The two of them almost seem to be in conflict, and maybe that is why the Gospel writers have John dead as Jesus emerges. Not because of Herod, but because humankind cannot at the same time endure two personalities as strong as John and Jesus. If we look carefully at what we can know of him from Matthew and the others, John was going to win the favor of the crowd.  
The Baptist would have thought this a compromise. People who eat grasshoppers and wear animal skins are not given to subtle distinctions. The just want to level the road and straighten people out. But we don’t follow the Baptist. We follow the one who came after him: the one who took the long route to Jerusalem, the one who found people in trees, who stopped to chat at a well, who dropped in for dinner, who took his time when his friend was sick, and then got there too late.  
Jesus on the other hand was rejected by the crowds. He was refused. The people compared him to John and called him a drunk and a glutton. The Pharisees thought he was a law breaker The Zealots thought he was a traitor Many thought he was unclean. To those who wanted simple solutions he was an enigma, and many today still reject him when they dor{t get their questions answered, and want assurance that can’t be promised.  
To those who want “yes” or “no” in life, Jesus remains a stumbling block, and they either give up or settle for a sentimental piety that is shallow and childish. To those who are troubled by the paradox of life; who see the good suffer and the apparent victory of wrong doers, Jesus remains a reason for hope and for joy in the midst of troubled days and bad news. They live with constancy and courage through cloudy times when uncertainty presses against them They do not run from fear, nor do they expect to have all the answers to life’s unending questions. In this season of Advent, we are not really preparing for Christmas, we are preparing ourselves for Good Friday This child was born to lose himself in our sufferings in order to sustain our hope and bring us through to victory From his first cry in Bethlehem till his last cry on Calvary, he has given us the gift of his undying love. Let that be our Joy this day and sustain us in the day to come.  
Jesus was a disappointment to John. He sat in his prison cell thinking: ”This can’t be the one.” and he sent his disciples to check it out. The Baptist wanted to be assured that his simple repentance solution was true, but Jesus kept talking about love and service. The Baptist preached the justice of God, but Jesus kept talking about mercy The Baptist prepared one way for Jesus, but Jesus took different routes. It was such a problem that John had to ask, and he didn’t get a simple answer, he just got another riddle: “Look at the signs and figure it out for yourself ”  
The greatest of all prophets repeated God’s word with precision, but he understood nothing of what he spoke. It took Jesus to bring us that understanding. That Word was not simply to be spoken, but it was to be lived and given flesh.Jesus did not come to justify himself, but others. He came to show that Justice is not enough, and that mercy fills the cracks. Jesus knew the human paradox that sinners rise to be saved and that those who live by virtue can be lost. Jesus understood that good and evil are not black and white; but that most of life is gray  

Advent 1

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 2, 2001
Posted in: Homily.

December 2, 2001

Isaiah 2, 1-5 + Romans 13.11 13 + Matthew 24:37-44

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Remember this is not history we are reading here. It is theology In our visual and literal society where the handing on of tradition, truth, and memories has become a matter of video tapes and digital pictures, we have nearly lost the ability to root ourselves in story and reach beyond the images to the truth they represent. As this season and it’s rich stories and profound theology unfolds week after week, we must look past the familiar art works, statues, and scenes that tempt us to stop before we get to their meaning
Remember this is not history we are reading here. It is theology In our visual and literal society where the handing on of tradition, truth, and memories has become a matter of video tapes and digital pictures, we have nearly lost the ability to root ourselves in story and reach beyond the images to the truth they represent. As this season and it’s rich stories and profound theology unfolds week after week, we must look past the familiar art works, statues, and scenes that tempt us to stop before we get to their meaning
Before Matthew wrote this Gospel, the material had been in circulation for almost forty years, mostly by word of mouth. The community that kept this material in circulation was basically a prophetic community eagerly awaiting the return of the Son of Man The wait was long longer than they expected, and Matthew write to shake up and shake out those who had become complacent. He is anxious for them to understand that the future for which they wait has already invaded the present.


Before Matthew wrote this Gospel, the material had been in circulation for almost forty years, mostly by word of mouth. The community that kept this material in circulation was basically a prophetic community eagerly awaiting the return of the Son of Man The wait was long longer than they expected, and Matthew write to shake up and shake out those who had become complacent. He is anxious for them to understand that the future for which they wait has already invaded the present.
It is not simply sinful behavior that is being criticized. To stop at that is to miss the sense of Matthew’s warning and misunderstand the times in which he writes. It is the mundane that Matthew goes after, the everyday existence wrapped up in the shallow pursuit of things and values that do not last and are of no importance in light of the Kingdom Jesus has come to establish. The preparation expected and demanded for those to found ready and worth is not just a life without wrong­ doing; but a life rooted in selfless service and lived with the Wisdom of Faith. It is in service to the “little ones” that Wisdom made flesh, the Messiah is to be found.


To miss that revealed truth and settle for romantic scenes of a Bethlehem created by artists and poets is to risk being like those who ate and drank in ignorance on the day Noah entered the ark.
It is not simply sinful behavior that is being criticized. To stop at that is to miss the sense of Matthew’s warning and misunderstand the times in which he writes. It is the mundane that Matthew goes after, the everyday existence wrapped up in the shallow pursuit of things and values that do not last and are of no importance in light of the Kingdom Jesus has come to establish. The preparation expected and demanded for those to found ready and worth is not just a life without wrong­ doing; but a life rooted in selfless service and lived with the Wisdom of Faith. It is in service to the “little ones” that Wisdom made flesh, the Messiah is to be found.


To miss that revealed truth and settle for romantic scenes of a Bethlehem created by artists and poets is to risk being like those who ate and drank in ignorance on the day Noah entered the ark.
The words of the prophet which open this season; the first words proclaimed in this new year of grace put before us a vision of peace. We who live in the hope of that vision are no different from those in whom the Gospel of Matthew was conceived. We live with the risk that because it takes so long, we shall be distracted by things that do not matter and will never bring that peace. It comes for us just as it came for those who first lived with Matthew’s guidance. The Word, Wisdom Made Flesh, must be invited into every heart, mind, and will and life These words we proclaim demand attention, repentance, conversion and commitment.

The words of the prophet which open this season; the first words proclaimed in this new year of grace put before us a vision of peace. We who live in the hope of that vision are no different from those in whom the Gospel of Matthew was conceived. We live with the risk that because it takes so long, we shall be distracted by things that do not matter and will never bring that peace. It comes for us just as it came for those who first lived with Matthew’s guidance. The Word, Wisdom Made Flesh, must be invited into every heart, mind, and will and life These words we proclaim demand attention, repentance, conversion and commitment.

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The passions of the Prince of Peace must rule us, not the passions of human power and greed. Violence, neither personal nor political can become a way of life, or we are lost, for we are then chasing after nothing that will bring us home to the
The passions of the Prince of Peace must rule us, not the passions of human power and greed. Violence, neither personal nor political can become a way of life, or we are lost, for we are then chasing after nothing that will bring us home to the

Kingdom. The spirit of Matthew’s urgent warning suggests that no excuses are going to matter nor have any affect on the consequences of our behavior While we wait, we are responsible for the earth and the sharing of its resources; the care and well-being of this world’s hungry, thirsty and homeless poor; the making of peace rather than war; the establishment of God’s justice throughout the world; the upholding of the basic human rights of all people particularly those without a voice to demand those rights for themselves; and the following the lead of the
Lord who sought out the lost, the outcasts and the disadvantaged in order that they might know the tender mercies of God.
Kingdom. The spirit of Matthew’s urgent warning suggests that no excuses are going to matter nor have any affect on the consequences of our behavior While we wait, we are responsible for the earth and the sharing of its resources; the care and well-being of this world’s hungry, thirsty and homeless poor; the making of peace rather than war; the establishment of God’s justice throughout the world; the upholding of the basic human rights of all people particularly those without a voice to demand those rights for themselves; and the following the lead of the
Lord who sought out the lost, the outcasts and the disadvantaged in order that they might know the tender mercies of God.
Those are the issues by which we prepare for the Coming of Christ and the final establishment of his reign. To that end, when it does occur, there will be no need to look for excuses concerning what we have done, what we have been, and what we have said. We have had enough Advents to get it right. It looks like we may have one more, and the spirit of Matthew’s warning is that it might be the last.
Those are the issues by which we prepare for the Coming of Christ and the final establishment of his reign. To that end, when it does occur, there will be no need to look for excuses concerning what we have done, what we have been, and what we have said. We have had enough Advents to get it right. It looks like we may have one more, and the spirit of Matthew’s warning is that it might be the last.