Rev. Debbie Cato
Luke 1:57-66
Fairfield Community Church @ PCAL
December 17, 2023 – 3rd Sunday of Advent
God of the universe, make our hearts porous. Open our eyes, as if for the first time, so that we might see your world with awe and wonder once again. Help us greet this text with awe and gratitude, so that in doing so, we will not only find you in the hallways of our thoughts, but in the pathways of our hearts. With gratitude we pray: keep us open. Amen.
We Allow Ourselves to Be Amazed
When was
the last time you were amazed? Not
surprised – there is much about our world that should shock us; surprise
us. But when were you last amazed –
wrapped up in wonder, absorbed in an unexpected delight?[1]
On Thursday morning we had the most beautiful sunrise. I was actually up early on Thursday – something unusual for me, so I saw the sunrise. It was stunning. The sky was purple and pink. My daughter Jessica, sent me a picture of Clara, who is 5, and Caleb, who is 3, sitting in their camping chairs in the driveway watching the sunrise. She said that she went outside, ready to get the kids in the truck and get them off to daycare and school and there they were, sitting and watching the sun rise. She said they were in awe of the colors. Amazed with the sunrise. She said it caused her to slow down, pull up a chair, and watch it with them. She would have missed it if the kids awe had not caught her attention. Ask me after church and I’ll be happy to show you the picture!
If you want to understand what awe, and amazement, and delight are – watch a child. They are good at it! They always have time to be amazed. They freely accept and express awe and delight. Whether it’s a baby seeing Mom or Dad walk into a room or seeing Christmas tree lights for the first time or a child opening up presents or seeing a sky full of stars – the delight in their eyes and on their faces makes the rest of us smile, take notice, and fills us with awe.
After Elizabeth gives birth, her neighbors and family celebrate with her. When it comes time to name the child, Elizabeth calls him John. Everyone is shocked! He should be named Zechariah, after his father. That is the tradition. Where does the name John come from anyway? Elizabeth must be wrong! But Zechariah affirms the name given by the both the angel Elizabeth. He writes it down because he can’t speak. The child’s name is John. In that moment of affirming the promise made to God; the promise that the surprised name of the child is indeed John, Zechariah’s speech is restored. Everyone is filled with awe. They celebrate with delight. Surely the hand of the Lord will be on this child named John.
God had done a wonderous thing. Elizabeth in her old age had conceived a son; a son who would prepare the way for the Son of God. Zechariah, struck mute because of his disbelief could speak once they fulfilled the promise to God to name their son John. I can imagine the awe and wonder of Elizabeth and Zechariah gazing into the eyes of their newborn son. Counting his fingers and toes. Smelling his newborn scent. This child was their long-awaited family. A family they never thought they would have.
How often do you allow yourself to be amazed? Wonder is all around us—do we recognize it? As we learn how to rejoice in a weary world, can we live in a way that allows amazement and wonder to surprise us often?
The shepherds were awed when the angels unexpectedly greeted them in the dark of the night. They were amazed enough that they left their flocks of sheep to find the newborn baby. They were awed when they found the baby lying in the manager and they worshiped him.
The magi were amazed when they noticed a never-before seen star in the sky. So amazed, that they traveled more than 900 miles to find the Christ child. Though they were foreigners and not Jews, they knew who this baby was; the Son of God. Their awe caused them too to worship the Son of God.
The awe and amazement of the shepherds and the magi allowed these unlikely characters to be the first visitors to see the Messiah. They weren’t the powerful or religious leaders. They weren’t even followers of the faith. But it was the shepherds and the magi that God chose to travel and find his newborn son. It was these unlikely characters who got the first word; the first look at the baby Jesus.
Psalm 126, says:
When the Lord restored the
fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with
laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the
nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things
for us,
and we are filled with joy.
Those who expected to reap tears are granted a surprise: shouts of joy. Amazement is a balm for the weary.
After having serious health problems this year and being sick with no energy for 10 months, I wake up every day in awe of how good I feel and the energy I have. The weariness I felt for so long is gone. God has replaced it with joy. Can anyone relate?
But even when we are weary; even when we are in the depths of darkness, God puts things in our path that can bring us awe, things that can amaze us. The voice of a good friend on the other end of the phone. A beautiful sunrise or sunset. Unexpected fresh snow in the morning. A child’s laughter at a simple delight. The awe of a new day.
Mary Oliver, a wonderful poet, said this about awe: she says,
Instructions
for living a life.
Pay
attention.
Be
astonished.
Tell
about it.
I think sometimes us adults take life too seriously. We are busy. We move from one task to the next and we don’t take time to pay attention. To look. To see. To listen. To hear. God’s amazing creation surrounds us. God’s diverse humanity is everywhere. What is around us that is astonishing? That is unexpected? That is amazing? It’s there. We just have to notice. And then as Mary Oliver suggests, we should tell about it. Share it with one another. Did you see the beautiful sunrise this morning? Today my friend called me. I haven’t heard from her for a long time and it was so good to hear her voice. It was such a wonderful surprise.
There is much to be weary about. We don’t have to look for it. It seems to find us. Whether it’s something in our personal life or something in our community or the world, weariness surrounds us and it can suck us in. We need to look for the awe. We need to be open to be amazed. To find joy. It’s all around us too. It’s waiting to be noticed; to be found. To be taken in and held and digested and shared.
Like Elizabeth and Zechariah, God is blessing us all the time. If we take time to notice, we will be amazed with how He works in our lives. It will fill us with awe and wonder and joy. It will help ease the weariness.
Rev. Sara Speed from Sanctified Art wrote a poem about awe and joy. It’s called:
All the Way to Joy
Rev. Sara Speed
We could play hard and fast,
not let anything touch us at all,
keep composure,
have all the answers.
Or we could crack ourselves open
and let everything in.
We could feel everything,
every touch, every marvel.
We could stand gaping
at the beauty of the world,
mouths wide open (because
sometimes
a mouth wide open is the very
best gratitude).
We could laugh so loudly
that the whole restaurant looks,
and err on the side of goofy
whenever possible.
We could put our defenses down.
We could grow soft.
We could choose awe.
We could take her by the arm.
We could let her lead us all the
way to joy.
I like the end –
We could put our defenses down. We could grow soft. We could choose awe. We could take her by the arm. We could let her lead us all the way to joy.
Perhaps as adults it’s hard for us to feel awe because we have our defenses up. We think awe is for the children. Our role is to take life seriously. But, let’s challenge that. God created us to feel awe and wonder; to laugh and be filled with joy. He created an amazing world around us filled with wonders – things waiting to fill us with awe. Fill us with joy. He created people and put them in our lives to share our weariness and share our delights. To laugh and cry together. To be in relationship with.
Even though we know the nativity story by heart, will we be prepared to be amazed by the birth of Christ? Amazed that God uses ordinary people to achieve His plan? Will we allow ourselves to once again be amazed that God took on flesh and moved into the neighborhood?
Next week is a busy week. What will bring you awe? Will you be open to what God has waiting for you? If so, prepare to be amazed. Amen.
[1] Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity. From the Artist. The Third Week of Advent. Sanctified Art. How Does a Weary World Rejoice? We allow ourselves to be amazed.
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