(stately music) (elegant music) (solemn music) (regal music) 

- I welcome you to this service of worship, the first Sunday after Christmas. On this day, we are faced with a tough text from the gospel. And as our custom, whenever we have a tough text to preach, we always invite in a guest preacher. And our guest preacher today is a lively interpreter of biblical faith, Dr. Walter Brueggemann from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. We welcome him back to our pulpit. He gave a wonderful series of lectures here at Duke last fall at the Divinity School Convocation, and we're glad to have Dr. Brueggemann here with us again today. Our lector is the Reverend Deborah Luther, a student at the Divinity School. She will be leading a group of Duke students this next week on a work team project to Johns Island, South Carolina, working on some of the hurricane damage there, and we welcome her as our lector today. And we have been led in worship already by the UNC Brass Ensemble. They are regulars here on the first Sunday of Christmas, and we're glad to have them with us. And now let us stand as we joyfully sing the hymn. ("Angels We Have Heard on High") ♪ Angels we have heard on high ♪ ♪ Sweetly singing o'er the plains ♪ ♪ And the mountains in reply ♪ ♪ Echoing their joyous strains ♪ ♪ Gloria ♪ ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ ♪ Gloria ♪ ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ ♪ Shepherds, why this jubilee ♪ ♪ Why your joyous strains prolong ♪ ♪ What the gladsome tidings be ♪ ♪ Which inspire your heav'nly song ♪ ♪ Gloria ♪ ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ ♪ Gloria ♪ ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ ♪ Come to Bethlehem and see ♪ ♪ Christ whose birth the angels sing ♪ ♪ Come adore on bended knee ♪ ♪ Christ the Lord, the newborn king ♪ ♪ Gloria ♪ ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ ♪ Gloria ♪ ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ ♪ See him in a manger laid ♪ ♪ Whom the choirs of angels praise ♪ ♪ Mary, Joseph, lend your aid ♪ ♪ While our hearts in love relays ♪ ♪ Gloria ♪ ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ ♪ Gloria ♪ ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ 

- Lord Jesus, by whose incarnation were united all things earthly with things heavenly, in this great season of joy, we rejoice at your presence among us, asking that during this time of worship, you would more closely unite our wills with your will so that we might come to praise you, not only with our lips in Christmas song, but with our lives in Christ-like service, Amen. You may be seated. 

- Would you join me in the prayer for illumination? Open our hearts and minds, oh God, by the power of your Holy Spirit so that as the Word is read and proclaimed, we might hear with joy what you say to us this day, Amen. The first lesson comes from the book of Isaiah, the 63rd chapter. I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel which God has granted them according to God's mercy, according to the abundance of God's steadfast love. For God said, "Surely they are my people, "children who will not deal falsely." And God became their Savior. In all their affliction, God was afflicted, and the angel of God's presence saved them. In love and in pity, God redeemed them, lifted them up, and carried them all the days of old. Thus ends the reading of the first lesson. 

- Let us stand for the Psalm. Let us read responsively Psalm 111, men reading the regular type and women reading the boldface type. Praise the Lord. 

Congregation: I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 

- Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who have pleasure in them. 

Congregation: Full of honor and majesty are the works of the Lord, whose righteousness endures forever. 

- Who has caused his wonderful works to be remembered, the Lord is gracious and merciful. 

Congregation: The Lord provides food for the faithful and is ever mindful of his covenant. 

William: The Lord has shown his people the power of his works by giving them the heritage of the nations. 

Congregation: The works of the Lord's hands are faithful and just. The precepts of the Lord are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 

- The Lord sent redemption to his people and has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and wondrous is God's name. 

Congregation: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding. The praise of the Lord endures forever. (solemn music) ♪ O Lord, make speed to save me ♪ ♪ O Lord, make haste to help me ♪ ♪ Glory be to the Father and the Son ♪ ♪ And to the Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ As it was in the beginning ♪ ♪ Is now and ever shall be ♪ 

- You may be seated. The second lesson comes from the epistle to Hebrews, beginning in the second chapter. For it was fitting that the one for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. "In the midst of the congregation, I will praise you." And again, "I will put my trust in God." And again, "Here am I and the children God has given me." Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, Jesus likewise partook of the same nature, in order to destroy through death the one who has power of death, that is, the devil, and to deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. For surely it is not with angels that Jesus is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham. Therefore Jesus had to be made like human beings in every respect in order to become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because Jesus also has suffered and been tempted, Jesus is able to help those who are tempted. Thus ends the reading of the second lesson. (stately music) 

- This gospel reading follows immediately after the visit of the wise men in Matthew two. It is rather like a cold bath after Christmas. Listen for the gospel. Now when they had departed, that is, the wise men, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother "and flee to Egypt and remain there till I tell you. "For Herod is about to search for the child "to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son." Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were under two years old, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. "A voice was heard in Ramah, "wailing and loud lamentations, "Rachel weeping for her children. "She refused to be consoled because they were no more." But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother "and go to the land of Egypt, "for those who sought the child's life are dead." And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archela'us reigned over Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there and being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene." Here ends the lesson. These words are true and they can be trusted. Grace to you and peace from the Messiah who has come and who will come, even Jesus. I am delighted to be with you on this off Sunday. I'm delighted that Dr. Willimon inviting me. It's been a long week since Christmas. It's a week filled with tension and exhaustion and lots of business. Oh, I don't mean your week. I mean the week that has passed for the characters in this Bethlehem story. Because they continue to be the same main characters in this second episode, and what I want you to notice is what a difference a week has made for them when you move from the story of the wise men to the next story of the flight into Egypt. It's worth noticing the change in their lives because it's the kind of change that has to happen in our lives the second week of Christmas. The cast of characters is well-known even though we coalesce the stories of Matthew and Luke. There are Mary and Joseph. They are silent and obedient and they are awed by what's happening. They don't ever say anything. There are the wise men. They've come in their bathrobes and now they've gone, warned in a dream. And there is Herod. He sounded like a good guy in the Christmas story. He said, "When you've found them, "bring me word that I may worship them." And if we had only that story, we would think he meant it. And there are the angels. They are the, first, the one announcer and then the sky is filled with a choir of singing voices, and the story overflows with wonder and amazement. And for a moment, the trains stop running and we stop running, and we suspend our critical judgment and we are bathed in a narrative of innocence at Christmas. It's wonderful. It is the innocence of God's holy intrusion. It is the innocent power of God's love. It is our desperate innocence of believing that the world really could start over again. We've been there. For children, and not just for children, Christmas ends too soon. And the wise men depart and the angels vanish and Herod goes back to the office. And we return to our ordinary weariness, and very little has changed. And we are back to our tired lives. But on the first Sunday of Christmas, my word to you is don't go back yet. Don't give up on Christmas, but linger with these characters and watch them one more time because in one week, a lot has changed. They also have departed innocence, and they've gone back to real life. Consider first Herod. He sounded like he was prepared to meet the new king, "that I also may worship," but what a difference a week makes to Herod. We don't know why he changed. Perhaps his intelligence told him more about this new king. Perhaps he had just thought awhile and figured it out. Or more likely, he didn't mean what he said in the first place. But in one quick week, Herod is transformed into a frantic, ruthless killer, all for reasons of state. And Herod sounds like Pharaoh back in the book of Exodus. He's gonna search out the baby and he's gonna kill him because he's in a furious rage. And Herod is like all kinds of powerful people who get upset. He's prepared to fight, to fire on the crowd, and to kill civilians for reasons of state. What a difference a week makes to Herod. Because brutality has come back into the narrative. And what this story knows is that mild people can be transformed into passionate rage when their interest is jeopardized and when their status quo is put at risk. So in this story, one week later, we see the full play of evil. It's very interesting that in the church's selection of this lectionary text, it leaves out all the hard verses. It just skips over the brutality. But the Bible does not skip over the brutality. The Bible knows that if you want to celebrate Christmas, you will have to do it in the face of socioeconomic, political, military brutality. And the reason we all think about that is that that brutality is not very far away from us because we also would like to do in innocence if it threatens our status quo. What a difference a week makes. Consider the baby. The baby Jesus is still passive. He doesn't act. He doesn't speak, but he is the driving force of the story. Everything happens because of the baby. You know how it is. At Christmas, the baby is honored and worshiped and saluted and adored and gold and frankincense and myrrh, and if you want to, you can add a few extra sheep and oxen to make it work. But a week later, everything has changed. The music in the Christmas story has become chilling. Because the power of Jesus has changed everything in the story, and two things stand out. First of all, this Jesus has become a threat to Herod and to all the greed and injustice and brutality. One week old and Jesus threatens the way the world is organized. And as Jesus grows into adulthood, Jesus keep threatening the way the world is organized with his power for goodness and his dreams of freedom and his passion for justice and his miracles of healing. And we are told as we read on in the Jesus story is that everywhere he went, the blind see him, the lame walk, and lepers are cleansed, and the dead are raised and the poor rejoice. That's pretty upsetting. And Herod senses it coming. But the other thing you notice about Jesus is that he's so vulnerable. He just a little baby that has barely entered the world, and as he gets older, he continues to be resourceless and weaponless and defenseless. And his vulnerability finally culminates in a cross, where we see what his power is all about, perfect strength in weakness, perfect authority in gentleness, perfect sovereignty in graciousness. And in his vulnerability, Jesus drives the Herods of the world crazy. So one week later, what we got is this crazy man of power and this vulnerable little baby that threatens him. That's the issue that's joined in this story, and it's still joined for us with Herod unleashing brutalized power and the baby. And I want to tell you something. Between Herod's power and the baby is where you will have to live your life. Because the world is arranged in such an unequal way, and you'll have to put your money down and bet your life. You can bet on Herod's brutality or you can bet on Jesus' vulnerability. Herod spoke very loudly. He said, "Kill them all!" He thought if he spoke loudly, it would work. He is the voice of power and greed and fear and control. He doesn't trust anybody. He doesn't believe in transformation. And he is endlessly engaged in destroying himself. Do you know about that? Herod embodies what we all know, and that is the resistance to the newness of God's gospel. Or you can bet on the little baby. But there's one other character that I haven't mentioned. In the birth story of Luke, you know, the angels sing, and in our romantic innocence, we don't mind some angels on Christmas Eve. They come and announce a new king and a new management. And then they leave, and our world feels like it doesn't have any angels in it. But what a difference a week makes? What the angels did in that week is they walked over from Luke to Matthew. They said let's get in this story. Did you wonder what happened to the angels after Christmas Eve? Well, in that dangerous week, the angels have been changed as much as Herod and as much as the baby because these sweet messengers with wings have become active political characters. And when we meet the angel again in this story, the angel is powerful and assertive. The angel comes twice in this story. The narrative says first, "Behold!" That means look out! An angel of the Lord appeared and said, "Get out of here with the baby "or the king's gonna kill him." And then the angel led the baby and the parents to the safety of Egypt, out of reach of Herod. The angel acts to protect the baby from the rage of the empire. And then the second thing the narrative says is when Herod died, behold, that means look out. An angel appeared in the dream and said, "You can go back now, it's safe." And the angel leads another exodus out of Egypt to freedom, just as the angel long ago had led Moses out of slavery. The angel is a force to protect the blessed baby from the crazed king. The angel is the one who lets the baby come back to the land of promise. The angel is the wild card in the deck of God's history that makes all the other characters sit up and take notice. What I want you to see is that the tension between the king and the baby is changed because in the middle of it is an angel. Let me try it this way, that the angel is our narrative way of talking about the overplus of God's power and God's resolve and God's love that is at work in our common life. How you gonna talk about it? It upsets all our equilibriums. It overrides all our power arrangements. It makes all things possible. So the people that put this narrative together didn't start fresh. They went back to the book of Isaiah, and they went back to the Psalms. And what they found there was the language of our community who talk about angels as bodyguards who save people by their presence. Psalm 91 has an angel that lets you walk above snakes and scorpions as a rearguard and a foreguard, utterly safe. It is the Bible's way of saying to us that God's protective power that we can't domesticate keeps love viable, keeps faithfulness safe, guards those who obey and keeps those who devote their life to the purpose of God. You know, don't you, that if in this story, there was only Herod and Jesus, Herod would have won. And the baby would have been killed and we wouldn't be here this morning. Jesus' name would have been forgotten. That's predictable. What changes everything is that the angel of the Lord appeared in the center of the narrative. The angel came and the story is changed. Have you noticed how this same overplus of God's power and God's love keeps life open to newness where none seemed possible? Have you noticed the overplus of God's power in Czechoslovakia and in Romania and in Poland? Did you imagine that the innocent protesters would overthrow brutality by the, oh no, not by themselves, but by the overplus of God's power that finally will not let brutality kill the babies? Have you noticed the strange break points in the struggle for justice and peace and freedom against all the odds, where humanness keeps turning up when we thought it not possible? Have you noticed in your life and in the life around you that there are openings for humanness and newness and healing and wholeness against all odds? You may think it's surface religious poetry when we sang Angels We Have Heard on High. We are the people who read the world differently, and this is our way of talking about it. And the news one week later is that the overplus of God's power and God's love has not been driven out of the story. It is present and it is active and it is decisive, and that is good news. You see, the event at Christmas was not just a little romantic pageant that you can forget about and go home unscathed. The event of Christmas is an assertion about God's power in the world against the power of evil. And it is because of God's resilient power in the world that the baby is safe and the promise is under way and we are available for healing. When Will invited me and I looked at these lectionary texts, I thought, oh no, all the lectionary texts are about angels. And it's wonderful to come to a university campus and talk about angels. Because in a university campus, we are so sure and we see so well and we explain so clearly. Indeed, the university is a place where we gather in celebration of our awesome control and our capacity to have our life the way we want it. That's what we're all about. And it sounds maudlin and romantic and fantastic to speak about angels. That's why we're here. You don't believe, do you, that there is only cruel Herod and vulnerable Jesus? You don't believe, do you, that there are only brutalizing forces and innocent love? The story says there's a third force. An angel of the Lord appeared and said. The third character who had such a long week is the strong power of God's purpose that is on the loose in ways that we cannot predict or control or administer. But notice that by the end of this narrative, Herod is gone, vanished from history, and the baby has come home. The angel departs, probably going back to choir practice in heaven. But that angel is not to be trifled with, tough and hard and determined. We call this story the slaughter of the innocents, and the innocent go on being slaughtered when the army shoots among the civilians in Romania and in Panama. And the innocents are slaughtered in university classrooms, in families, and everywhere we are. And the Bible does not blink. But there is this. That God's powerful purpose is at work, not always visible, not always triumphant, but at work in the midst of Herod's insanity. So if you're like me, it's been a long, long week for these people in this story. What we celebrate is a new beginning beyond the craziness and beyond the destructiveness, a new beginning that happens because of God's overplus of power and love that is vulnerable but resilient. Take notice toward the new year that the angel has not been driven out of the story, and indeed will not. And that's for rejoicing, Amen. ("Hark the Herald Angels Sing") ♪ Hark the herald angels sing ♪ ♪ Glory to the newborn king ♪ ♪ Peace on earth and mercy mild ♪ ♪ God and sinners reconciled ♪ ♪ Joyful, all ye nations rise ♪ ♪ Join the triumph of the skies ♪ ♪ With angelic hosts proclaim ♪ ♪ Christ is born in Bethlehem ♪ ♪ Hark the herald angels sing ♪ ♪ Glory to the newborn King ♪ ♪ Christ, by highest heav'n adored ♪ ♪ Christ, the everlasting Lord ♪ ♪ Late in time, behold him come ♪ ♪ Offspring of a virgin's womb ♪ ♪ Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see ♪ ♪ Hail the incarnate deity ♪ ♪ Pleased with us in flesh to dwell ♪ ♪ Jesus, our Emmanuel ♪ ♪ Hark the herald angels sing ♪ ♪ Glory to the newborn king ♪ ♪ Hail the heav'nly prince of peace ♪ ♪ Hail the sun of righteousness ♪ ♪ Light and life to all he brings ♪ ♪ Ris'n with healing in his wings ♪ ♪ Mild he lays his glory by ♪ ♪ Born that man no more may die ♪ ♪ Born to raise the sons of earth ♪ ♪ Born to give them second birth ♪ ♪ Hark the herald angels sing ♪ ♪ Glory to the newborn king ♪ 

- The Lord be with you. 

Congregation: And also with you. 

- Let us pray, be seated. Gracious God, because we could not get ourselves together and come to you, you came to us, reaching out to us, stooping to us as a baby, one of us, with us. Lord of all heaven and earth, when you entered the world at Bethlehem and took upon us, upon yourself, our flesh, you thereby exalted us, taking on our human need, our care, our fear and hurt as if your own. Encouraged by the mystery of your incarnation, we are bold to pray for all human need. Oh, child who knew what it was to be hounded by an unjust, cruel tyrant, we pray for all those who suffer from political and governmental oppression, rejoicing when people rise up, throw off the chains of governmental and economic tyranny as a triumph of your will for all. We rejoice at poor families like Joseph's, dream even yet and give Herod the slip. Oh, Emmanuel who knows what it is like to be in a poor family, to have no place to call your own, no protection from the cruelty of the elements by the designs of calloused people in high places, we pray this day for all poor families who are ill-fed or ill-clothed, ill-housed often as a result of our callousness. We still have so little room for the poor. Oh, dayspring from on high who began this life as a refugee with his parents, we pray for all refugees and displaced persons in Afghanistan, El Salvador, the West Bank and Gaza, Mozambique and Vietnam. Herod rages even yet. Oh, prince of peace whose advent provoked not peace but a massacre of the innocents, we pray for all children who suffer because of adult incompetence, adult ambition or cruelty. Rachel weeps even yet for her children. Oh, child of Nazareth, after the Christmas angels and the star, the wonder of Bethlehem singing, now we return to a more accustomed world, a gray January world, a world where there is pain and injustice and family problems, political shenanigans, occupying armies, and an uncertain future. And yet by your grace, we return to this world by a different way than that which we came, entering a new year with the songs of angels on our lips, facing our accustomed problems with unaccustomed joy, knowing that wherever we are, you are with us, Amen. As is the custom in this chapel, all of the Sunday offering goes to alleviate suffering at home and abroad. Therefore, as forgiven and reconciled people, we invite you to give generously. (solemn music) (stately music) ♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ ♪ Praise him all creatures here below ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Praise him above, ye heavenly host ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ 

- Eternal God, we give thanks that by the birth of Jesus, you gave yourself to the world. Grant, we pray, that being born in our hearts, he may save us from our sins and restore within us the intended image and likeness of our creator, to whom be everlasting praise and glory, world without end. And so we pray as our Savior has taught us, our Father, who art in heaven. 

All: Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen. 

- And now may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you and remain with you now and always, Amen. ("Good Christian Friends, Rejoice") ♪ Good Christian friends, rejoice ♪ ♪ With heart and soul and voice ♪ ♪ Give ye heed to what we say ♪ ♪ News, news, Jesus Christ is born today ♪ ♪ Ox and ass before him bow ♪ ♪ And he is in the manger now ♪ ♪ Christ is born today ♪ ♪ Christ is born today ♪ ♪ Good Christian friends, rejoice ♪ ♪ With heart and soul and voice ♪ ♪ Now ye hear of endless bliss ♪ ♪ News, news, Jesus Christ was born for this ♪ ♪ He hath opened heaven's door ♪ ♪ And ye are blest forevermore ♪ ♪ Christ was born for this ♪ ♪ Christ was born for this ♪ ♪ Good Christian friends, rejoice ♪ ♪ With heart and soul and voice ♪ ♪ Now ye need not fear the grave ♪ ♪ News, news, Jesus Christ was born to save ♪ ♪ Calls you one and calls you all ♪ ♪ To gain his everlasting hall ♪ ♪ Christ was born to save ♪ ♪ Christ was born to save ♪ (lively music) (people chatter)