Peeking into the Stable…Another Glimpse

Dr. Ken Bailey challenges the traditional Christmas narrative that proclaims that Jesus was born in a stable because “there was no room in the inn.” Dr. Bailey, a New Testament scholar who spent his career teaching in seminaries in the Israel, Egypt and Lebanon, argues that the word translated as “inn” in our English Bibles, kataluma, actually means “guest room” or “extra room.” Kataluma is the word used to describe the upper room where Jesus and the disciples ate his last supper (Luke 22:11). The word for inn is a different word, pandocheion, and we hear Luke use this wordwhen the Good Samaritan brings the beaten man to the innkeeper (Luke 10:34).

Dr. Bailey’s argument then extends toward a discussion of first-century architecture. The traditional peasant home was a one room affair, with the family’s animals, brought in each night for protection, housed at one end of the room and the family at the other end. Some families would have been able to build an extra room, a kataluma or guest room, for visiting family. In Dr. Bailey’s reading of Luke’s telling of Jesus’ birth, Jesus was born at the stable end of the family home because other family were staying in the kataluma, which, as Dr. Bailey points out, is to be expected given that Ceasar had ordered a census; Joseph and Mary were not the only family visiting at that time.

What are we to make of Dr. Bailey’s interpretation? Is he trying to stir the pot and upset folks? Anyone who has met Dr. Bailey will know the answer to these questions is an emphatic no. Rather, Dr. Bailey is a humble and devout scholar with a passion for reading the text carefully. As such, he affirms with the traditional interpretation that Jesus was born of humble beginnings; yes, born in a stable, just not rejected by a mean, old innkeeper. Instead, Jesus was born in the midst of a family’s love; Mary supported in labor by her mother-in-law and other kinswomen. Joseph counseled by his father and other kinsmen on the challenges that lay ahead. Dr. Bailey argues that this reading of Jesus’ birth does not diminish the love of God in sending his son, for Jesus was still born into flesh and blood, still lived under the maniacal eye of Herod and iron fist of Rome, still lived in the shadow of his own mortality and a looming cross. There would be enough heartache and difficulty in Jesus’ life; at his birth there was caring family and there was peace.

As I roam Arizona, western New Mexico and a sliver of Utah, I am reminded continually of the challenges facing our families, our churches and our communities. They are vast, stark and relentless. But this week I remind us all that before the cross came the cradle; before Jesus walked a lonesome valley he was nurtured by loving (and courageous) parents, surrounded at birth by both cattle and cousins. This week, as we ourselves travel to see family, please take a moment to give thanks. If family remains distant this Christmas, pray from afar that the bonds of communion may be renewed by the one proclaimed Prince of Peace.

Wishing you a Happy Fourth Sunday in Advent and a Merry Christmas,

Brad Munroe

Ordination Reflections

Today is the 27th anniversary of my ordination.

Twenty-seven years ago I knelt amidst the chancel of the Covenant Presbyterian Church sanctuary, feeling the crush of hands weigh me down as a prayer was said on my behalf, asking of God what God had already purposed beforehand, but reminding me that all actions taken in Christ’s name and on Christ’s behalf were merely the acts of a servant to one’s Master. Over the years I believe the combined weight of those hands is as a feather compared to the weight of responsibility to care for the lives represented by those hands. Those hands weigh me down still today even as they also, by an act of Providence and grace, lift me up, as they did twenty-seven years ago: in prayer.

One of the little ironies of my ordination service was that when I knelt amidst the chancel I did so on one knee, hobbled from the beginning, having lurched to the front of the sanctuary on crutches. I had broken my ankle playing basketball at a Young Life meeting the Monday before I was to be ordained. In many ways, I take those crutches as emblematic of the best of my ministry, for those times when my own woundedness has been most pronounced are the times when God has been most glorified; when I have decreased, Jesus has increased.

Another of the little ironies of my ordination service was that my wife, Laura, was present: she served punch at the reception. We were not yet dating, (not even flirting!), and yet she met my parents, my siblings, my entire, troubled, dysfunctional, and beloved family. Little did I imagine on that day the way God would bless me through her presence; little could I have imagined the ways God would work to bless me through her presence. Such are often the ways of God, I have experienced, who causes Sarah to laugh and Mary to rejoice and catches us by surprise over and over again: And a little child shall lead them...you shall call him Immanuel.

My ministry of Word and sacrament (for that is how I think of it!) is now expressed in a way not imaginable to my twenty-five year old self. I no more could have imagined being a “presbytery pastor” as I could have imagined a world in which the Iron Curtain had been torn asunder, or imagined a world in which “love your neighbor as you love yourself” would be cause for controversy within the Church and fearful demagoguery in our nation. Yet I could and did imagine that serving Jesus Christ would be the greatest, singular privilege of my life and a great and grand adventure, and, as such, reflects a bit of the Advent spirit: looking at the past helps me renew for the challenges of the present, even as it gives me good hope for what is to come.

A little child still leads us...and he is still Immanuel. What surprises does God have in store for us next?

Blessed to be a part of you,

Brad

Honoring the Prince of Peace: Announcing the Formation of a Presbytery Reconciliation Group

As we move into Advent, we rehearse the journey taken by others whose longing for God  led them to yearn for, to seek and to embrace a hope that comes only as a divine act of grace. As we move into Advent, we have revealed to us anew the Divine Presence who dwelled among us, the Incarnate of God, Restorer of Israel, Bringer of the Reign of God’s Shalom, the Prince of  Peace: Jesus.

What does it mean for you to yearn for, seek and embrace a hope that comes only through Jesus? While I will applaud each of us who are willing to reflect upon this question as an individual, family, congregation or society, I would like to share with you a response from within the presbytery that seeks to follow the path of Jesus as the Prince of Peace: the Presbytery Reconciliation Group.

In response to God’s call to a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), a Reconciliation Group (RG) is being formed. In an era of much unrest, this ministry is long overdue; it is my hope that it may serve as a reflection of the Prince of Peace, for whom we yearn this Advent season.

The purpose of the RG is to serve at the discretion of the COM as a resource for congregations experiencing conflict either within their own church system or within the Presbytery as well as to provide education in relational reconciliation to the Presbytery as a whole.

The formation of the RG will result in a group of highly trained, committed mediators who are equipped to reduce anxiety in high conflict situations leading to the long-term resolution of conflict. The training will begin with a week-long workshop titled “Mediation Skills Training Institute” led by the Lombard-Mennonite Peace Center on March 7-11, 2016 in Dallas, TX. In addition to the training, the RG will meet on a monthly basis to share experiences and knowledge in the mediation of conflicts as well as to support each other in their growth as mediators. The members of the RG will be expected to commit a minimum of five years to the group, to meet on a monthly basis and to maintain a position of neutrality within the groups they are assisting.

If you sense that you may be called to serve in this ministry, please contact Brad Munroe or Carolyn McBurney at the Presbytery office. There is a five question application to be filled out, which will then be reviewed by the Nominating committee in consultation with members of COM and the RG coordinating team.

Blessed to be a part of you,

Brad