Hope, peace, joy, love - and truth

Stir up your power, we pray - and with great might come among us. And he does, but that power is not evident at first. At first, he comes as a baby…

But the psalmist warns us, put not your trust in princes. 

2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
    for there is no help in them.
 3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
    and in that day their thoughts perish.
 4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
    whose hope is in the LORD their God; 
5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
    who keeps his promise for ever;
 6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
    and food to those who hunger.

(Psalm 146: 2-6, BCP)

The help Jesus gives is the help of Christ the King, a king unlike any other, in fact subversive of the dominant paradigm of monarchy. If he is king, we have missed the meaning of "king" -- Jesus does not come among us like Saul, a mighty warrior, or David, a comely and pious and witty man. 

Jesus does come among us, as healer, savior, and thus king beyond kings. Jesus comes among us and we behold what it really means to be king. 

Today we return once again to the image of the fore-runner, of John the Baptizer, who, having proclaimed that the one who was to come has come, sends for reassurance that Jesus really is that one. 

What did you go out into the desert to see? What did you see?

What did you see? What did you hear? Testify to that, tell John that, says the Lord. 

And the signs he cites say who he is. And who he will be. And what his kingdom, call it that, will be.

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.

What was old news, that the day of the Lord would arrive, is new again; he is coming indeed, and in his coming is splendor.

And so today in the midst of Advent, our 'little Lent' of blue, we have a Sunday of rose. We have a day of joy.

Various people have asked me, what do you celebrate this season? Joy. Hope, peace, joy, love. And truth. And, therefore, justice.

For he is coming, and there is judgment. The word of the Lord, embodied in a baby, is the terror of kings. And more than that: as an old song says,

This little Babe so few days old 
is come to rifle Satan's fold;
all hell doth at his presence quake 
though he himself for cold do shake;
for in this weak unarmèd wise 
the gates of hell he will surprise.

Robert Southwell (1561? - 1595)

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 

She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.

Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. Nothing is impossible for God.

Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

(Luke 1:26-35, 37-38. Common English Bible) 

“Hail Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.”

This Sunday we sing Mary’s response to the news:

Mary said,
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
    In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
    Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
        because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
    He shows mercy to everyone,
        from one generation to the next,
        who honors him as God.

(Luke 1:46-50, Common English Bible)

Blessed. And then we celebrate the night she gave birth. She does not complain about pain, not focus on the travails she could expect; her attention is on what the Lord is doing, for her and through her.

Into the world is coming the kingdom of God, that was and is and is to come. In her womb she carries the paradox of salvation.

How can this be? How can all this holiness, all this grace, all this power, be so fragile and frail in its arrival? The fate of the world, found in a small small thing. 

Soon the powers that be, from Herod Antipas, client-king of the occupying empire, to the quislings whose interest lies with holding the people down, will be searching and seeking to destroy the small hope of humanity.

But as we have been reminded this season, in psalm and lesson, the powers of the earth are nothing next to the power perfected in weakness, the power that was kept in a cradle, then spread across the earth.

Wait till you see how Herod reacts, when he hears the Messiah is born.

Wait till you see how Rome responds, when they hear the words, Jesus is Lord (and Caesar is not).

Wait until you hear the words, I follow Jesus, and so I must show compassion to the poor, clothe the naked and feed the hungry, speak for the voiceless and innocent, and do justice in my daily life.

Wait until you see that, you see the hand of God at work in the people around you, the world about you.

Then you will know he is come; for he is certainly near. 

Come, Lord Jesus. Maranatha: O come, Emmanuel. Come among us. 

And let what we wish to see and hear be what is seen and heard of us: the presence of redeeming grace.

Hope, peace, joy, love - and truth.

● Isaiah 35:1-10
● Canticle 15  
● James 5:7-10
● Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent 2025 (10:30 AM)
Episcopal Church of Saint Matthew, Tucson (https://stmatthewtucson.org/)
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWI48qhKGZc5dZVf5elsRPw

© John Leech 2025 

Tell out my soul

What did you go out into the desert to see? What did you see?

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Stir up your power, we pray - and with great might come among us. And, the psalmist warns us, put not your trust in princes. 

Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *

    for there is no help in them.

When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *

    and in that day their thoughts perish.

Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *

    whose hope is in the LORD their God; 

Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *

    who keeps his promise for ever;

Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *

    and food to those who hunger.

(Psalm 146: 2-6, BCP)

The help Jesus gives is the help of Christ the King, a king unlike any other, in fact subversive of the dominant paradigm of monarchy. If he is king, we have missed the meaning of "king" -- Jesus does not come among us like Saul, a mighty warrior, or David, a comely and pious and witty man. 

Jesus does come among us, as healer, savior, and thus king beyond kings. Jesus comes among us and we behold what it means to be king, what it means to be a man; in fact, what it means to be human. 

Remember when he wrote with his finger in the dust? "Neither do I condemn you," he said. Judgement, but judgment in the sense of establishing righteousness. And that meant for the woman accused and brought before him, and for all drawn to his throne, forgiveness of sins. Sin, yes, exists: but beyond it, grace.

“My grace is enough for you, [says the Lord] because power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Today we return once again to the image of the fore-runner, of John the Baptizer, who, having proclaimed that the one who was to come has come, sends for reassurance that Jesus really is that one. 

What did you see? What did you hear? Testify to that, tell John that, says the Lord. 

And the signs he cites say who he is. And who he will be. And what his kingdom, call it that, will be.

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.

We anticipate what has already arrived. We have outlived our obsolescence. What was old news, that the day of the Lord would arrive, is coming indeed, and in its coming is splendor.

And so today in the midst of Advent, our 'little Lent' of blue, we have a Sunday of rose. We have a day of joy.

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4)

Various people have asked me, what do you celebrate this season? Hope, peace, joy, love. And truth.

For he is coming, and there is judgment. The word of the Lord, embodied in a baby, is the terror of kings.

This little Babe so few days old 

is come to rifle Satan's fold;

all hell doth at his presence quake 

though he himself for cold do shake;

for in this weak unarmèd wise 

the gates of hell he will surprise.

Robert Southwell (1561? - 1595)

***

This past week I was blessed to attend a holiday concert that featured three versions of Ave Maria and three of Silent Night. Sounds like overkill? Nah. Not when this Sunday we sing Mary’s response to the holy messenger who greeted her “Ave Maria” - Hail Mary. “Hail Mary, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.”

Blessed. And then we celebrate the night she gave birth. She does not complain about pain, not focus on the travails she could expect; her attention is on what the Lord is doing, for her and through her.

Mary said,

“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!

    In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.

He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.

    Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored

        because the mighty one has done great things for me.

Holy is his name.

    He shows mercy to everyone,

        from one generation to the next,

        who honors him as God.

(Luke 1:46-50, Common English Bible)

Into the world is coming the kingdom of God, that was and is and is to come. In her womb she carries the paradox of salvation.

How can this be? How can all this holiness, all this grace, all this power, be so fragile and frail in its arrival? The fate of the world, found in a small small thing. 

***

In Bethlehem there is a place to think about all this, in a small room under the altar of the church of the Nativity. There is the place, you are told, where she laid the newborn child: the manger.

And soon the vulnerable child and new mother and her husband will be on the road, following the path of Jacob into exile in Egypt.

Soon the powers that be, from Herod Antipas, client-king of the occupying empire, to the quislings whose interest lies with holding the people down, will be searching and seeking to destroy the small hope of humanity.

But as we have been reminded this season, in psalm and lesson, the powers of the earth are nothing next to the power perfected in weakness, the power kept in a cradle, then spread across the earth.

***

Wait till you see how Herod reacts, when he hears the Messiah is born.

Wait till you see how Rome responds, when they hear the words, Jesus is Lord (and Caesar is not).

Wait until you hear the words, I follow Jesus, and so I must show compassion to the poor, clothe the naked and feed the hungry, speak for the voiceless and innocent, and do justice in my daily life.

Wait until you see that, you see the hand of God at work in the people around you, the world about you.

Then you will know he is come; for he is certainly near. 

Come, Lord Jesus. Maranatha: O come, Emmanuel. Come among us. 

And let what we wish to see and hear be what is seen and heard of us: the presence of redeeming grace.

Hope, peace, joy, love - and truth.

* * *

Hasten, O Father, the coming of thy kingdom; and grant that we thy servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold thy Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

Make a place for God in your hearts and in your lives, for he comes to you this day and always; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

(David Adam, Clouds of Glory. Prayers for the Church Year, Year A. SPCK, 2000, 11.)

• Isaiah 35:1-10
• James 5:7-10
• Matthew 11:2-11
• Canticle 15  The Song of Mary: Magnificat. Luke 1:46-55

https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Advent/AAdv3_RCL.html

Thanks to the Rev. Colby Roberts for his sermon last Sunday at St Timothy's, Yakima. 

https://www.facebook.com/StTimothysEpiscopalChurchYakima

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/community-q-a-new-rector-at-st-timothys-episcopal-church-brings-enthusiasm-spectacular-singing-voice/article_f4f3e7d6-e523-505d-a16b-02ca41fe2eb8.html

Patronato Christmas concert at Mission San Xavier, December 10, 2025, at 7:45 p.m. 

Annunciation 2012

Back on the feast of Epiphany we remembered the visit of the magi to the Holy Family, and the gifts they bring: Gold for the king, Frankincense for the priest, Myrrh for the sacrifice. There is, I submit, one more gift - for us to offer: Praise for the Living One.

Right in the middle of Lent we encounter a part of the Nativity story, nine months before Christmas Day. Raymond Brown, the Roman Catholic biblical scholar, taught that the gospels actually were written beginning with the passion narrative - proceeding through Holy Week, the Passion, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and then on around to the Birth narratives.

The birth narratives begin with the visit of the angel to Zechariah, announcing the coming birth of John. Then the focus shifts to a younger woman, cousin of Elizabeth. It is Mary. The angel comes to Mary – and hails her as full of grace: she is to bear a son, who is to be the Messiah.

Mary accepts the burden of birth and the destiny of motherhood to the Messiah, Conception to Assumption, somehow knowing that she must not count her child as hers to keep, but must let go of him, dedicate him to the Lord, as Samuel's mother Hannah dedicated him, knowing he will go from her.

Mary, mother of Jesus, takes this task on herself, knowingly, as God's servant, because she knew that he, her child to be, was sent to set the people free: that at last God's promise to redeem Israel would bear fruit in the fullness of time, and that that fulfillment was coming very soon, and was beginning to happen, quickening even now in her.

The Word would indeed ripen in her own womb. She would bear forth upon the world he who would himself bear the pain of the world.

Like Hannah's son Samuel, Jesus the Son of Mary is one consecrated, set apart for service to the Lord, as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord. Samuel is the prophet who brought justice to Israel, and yet he points beyond himself - to Saul, first, then to David, to David's son Solomon, and ultimately to Jesus.

In the birth story of Samuel, Hannah his mother rejoices that God has remembered the forgotten, and will bring relief to the poor. “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God,” she sings (1 Samuel 2:1-10).

In the birth story of Jesus, Mary his mother rejoices that God remembers the forgotten and brings relief to the poor. (Luke 1:46-55) And in our prayers, even daily, we join in her song, the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, Canticle 15 in the Book of Common Prayer: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...”

A blessed event, announced in the middle of Lent ...

Back on the feast of Epiphany we remembered the visit of the magi to the Holy Family, and the gifts they bring: Gold for the king, Frankincense for the priest, Myrrh for the sacrifice. There is, I submit, one more gift - for us to offer: Praise for the Living One.

Right in the middle of Lent we encounter a part of the Nativity story, nine months before Christmas Day. Raymond Brown, the Roman Catholic biblical scholar, taught that the gospels actually were written beginning with the passion narrative - proceeding through Holy Week, the Passion, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and then on around to the Birth narratives.

The birth narratives begin with the visit of the angel to Zechariah, announcing the coming birth of John. Then the focus shifts to a younger woman, cousin of Elizabeth. It is Mary. The angel comes to Mary – and hails her as full of grace: she is to bear a son, who is to be the Messiah.

Mary accepts the burden of birth and the destiny of motherhood to the Messiah, Conception to Assumption, somehow knowing that she must not count her child as hers to keep, but must let go of him, dedicate him to the Lord, as Samuel's mother Hannah dedicated him, knowing he will go from her.

Mary, mother of Jesus, takes this task on herself, knowingly, as God's servant, because she knew that he, her child to be, was sent to set the people free: that at last God's promise to redeem Israel would bear fruit in the fullness of time, and that that fulfillment was coming very soon, and was beginning to happen, quickening even now in her.

The Word would indeed ripen in her own womb. She would bear forth upon the world he who would himself bear the pain of the world.

Like Hannah's son Samuel, Jesus the Son of Mary is one consecrated, set apart for service to the Lord, as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord. Samuel is the prophet who brought justice to Israel, and yet he points beyond himself - to Saul, first, then to David, to David's son Solomon, and ultimately to Jesus.

In the birth story of Samuel, Hannah his mother rejoices that God has remembered the forgotten, and will bring relief to the poor. “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God,” she sings (1 Samuel 2:1-10).

In the birth story of Jesus, Mary his mother rejoices that God remembers the forgotten and brings relief to the poor. (Luke 1:46-55) And in our prayers, even daily, we join in her song, the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, Canticle 15 in the Book of Common Prayer: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...”

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Anunciation 2012 (March 25)

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