We are about to celebrate a day of generosity. We will gather and open presents which are wrapped with paper and maybe a little anxiety? We think, “Will they like what I bought? Did I get the right size?” I know that I have reached the age when I am a difficult person to buy a present for. I don’t really need anything. I tell my children that their mother and I would be happy for a photograph with all of them together. “No, no,” they say, “that’s much too small.” Then again, what’s more important to a mother than her children?

         We often have to overcome our needs in giving the gift to offer what is truly desired by the one who receives. Part of the stress of the holidays is all the emotional strings we attach to our attempts at generosity. If we get it right, we strengthen those relationships that are important to us. If we try too hard to control the outcome of our offerings and gatherings, we may be disappointed.

         King David was very grateful for all that God had done for him. After a long life where God had stood by him in good times and hard times, David thinks that it is a shame that God is worshipped in a tent while he lives in the comfort of a palace. He decides to build God a temple – a fitting place to worship and glorify God.

         God tells the prophet Nathan to set aside this good intention. Does God need a roof? Or did God need anything better than a tent when God defeated the Egyptians or wandered with the people in the wilderness? The blessings that God has given David are not dependent on David’s good intentions. All along it has been God’s generosity that has helped King David and the people to succeed and flourish. David wants to build a temple, but God wants to build something else. God will build a house, but it will be the people of God. The house God will build is an undying dynasty of a holy people, who worship God more fittingly than any other people in any other place – no matter how magnificent their temple.

         We are surrounded by symbols that remind us of our blessings. We are apt to learn the wrong lesson. We are tempted to buy wonderful gifts and to try and produce a celebration that matches what God has given us. We want to show our gratitude, but God desires a different path. God wants us to acknowledge what has been given and live the life that is offered. It sounds simple, but it is much more difficult.

         God does not promise a place of ease without a journey of difficulty. God does not promise plenty until we have felt keenly the want of the poor. Mary gives us a wonderful hymn of praise that reminds us how God is generous and to whom God is generous. God has mercy on those who depend upon God, and God scatters the proud. The mighty are cast down and the lowly are lifted up. The hungry are filled and the rich are sent away empty. This is good news for those who suffer and for those who are powerless. It is bad news for the powerful and the satisfied.

         Perhaps this is good news for us. We’ve got our share of troubles. Things are not turning out the way we’d like. Maybe the news we need to remember that when things are at their worse, it is the time that God can act. If we can let go of the gift we would give, maybe we can have room for the gift God desires to give us.

         Mary is our model for this. The angel comes to her and says to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Then follows one of the great understatements in scripture, “But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” I’ll bet she did!) God didn’t ask her to give anything or do anything. The angel simply announces what God will do, and the implications of this unexpected generosity. Mary simply accepts what God offers. This is no easy thing – especially for Mary at that time and in that place. We are offered similar gifts from God, perhaps not as unique, but still on God’s terms and not our own.

         This may be our secret blessing this season. We want to be in a place where we can give and be generous. There’s nothing wrong with that. But maybe we don’t have to be disappointed when we find ourselves in a place of want and difficulty. Maybe God desires to give us something unexpected. Maybe we will find blessing in abandoning all our illusions of power and control. Maybe we can give up our dream for this beautiful temple and begin to embrace God’s desire to make us holy people.

         What we need is the courage of Mary: to accept God’s gifts on God’s terms, and let God bless us in the way that will give us life.

           Who asked John the Baptist to show up? He seems like an interruption, maybe even an embarrassment to the established religious people – much like you and I might feel when we see some wide-eyed street preacher yelling out for attention. The religious leaders come to John and ask him to explain himself. He doesn’t fit the usual models of ministry. He’s not even there for himself. He is pointing to another. He is pointing to an unexpected future.

         We’re passing through a busy period in our church calendar. There’s a lot to do and to prepare for. Christmas is near. We have to decorate the church and prepare for a concert and a pageant. We have family gatherings to attend and presents to buy and wrap. These extra activities come when we also try to preserve traditions that give our lives meaning. In my house we have the same angel tree top ornament we’ve had for years. It must be placed on the tree last of all, when everything else is decorated. We bake the same cookies. We sing the same carols. With all this energy going into the preservation of tradition, it’s difficult to dream about what might be new.

         Maybe we avoid thinking about the new because most of what has gone on so recently is so bad. Who wants to dwell on the economy or our lack of resources? Who wants to think about war, or global warming, or fractious political debate (the Iowa caucuses are just around the corner!)? More important to us, who has time or energy to imagine how we will go on with the big changes in our budget for next year?

         What John promises isn’t exactly comfort. We know the story of Christmas and we are prepared for the familiar retelling. John talks about change. The authorities challenge him because he advocates a radical departure from the familiar. “I’m not who you expected”, he says, “and the one you think you expect is much different than you imagine.” His words are warnings. “Repent now! While you still have a chance!” He calls the leaders the children of snakes. He doesn’t promise ease and victory. He promises a winnowing and that the messiah will baptize with fire.

         John the Baptist sounds more like the crazy preacher who was telling us the world would end a few months ago. This time of year we carry no sense of dread (except maybe about distant family we might have to put up with.) This is a season of hope and celebration for us. John the Baptist points to a very different hope. We are not waiting for the perfect tree or the best meal. We are not searching for the perfect gift. John is preparing us for our salvation. This is more than the completion of all our aspirations. God wants to give us more than a solution to our current problems. The promise given to us is new life. We are promised an end to sin and the transformation of our lives.

         This is an entirely different thing to prepare for. Most of what we unconsciously take on during these days is likely to keep us from being prepared for this very thing. Our nerves are frayed and we are tired and spent. In contrast, the prophet Isaiah imagines a new city of God. The future city is glorious because of the righteousness of the inhabitants. The blessing is that God will renew the people and not just the wealth or power of a nation.

         Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” There is nothing in there about rejoicing only when times are good. Paul doesn’t define them by their numbers or their budget or their prestige. God’s will for us is the depth of our faith and the transformation of our lives. He continues, “Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” Paul does not envision a model that will work for every church in every place. It is their responsibility and ours to discern God’s will for us in this place and at this time. We have to make daily decisions to hold fast to the good and abstain from what is evil. Finally, he blesses them. “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”

         Our calling is difficult but not impossible. God calls us to change us for the better. We are not hoping everything will work out. We don’t know this. The building, the budget, and all the ways that we have defined ourselves are not the end to which we are striving. God desires our transformation into saints. All the rest is a means to that end. So we should not be surprised that we are challenged to live differently. We should not be surprised that we may have to let go of many things that we hold dearly. We are not being punished: we are being changed. God is accomplishing the very thing we need.

         We are called to rejoice. It is no discipline to rejoice in good times. Our souls are transformed if we can rejoice when times are hard. It is easy to give thanks when we have plenty. It is different to find thanksgiving in times of stress. We are learning to trust our money less and our God more. We are learning to seek righteousness instead of popularity. We are seeking the will of God instead of what makes us happy. This is the path towards what we are promised. We are being sanctified entirely. Our spirits and souls and bodies are being kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls us is being faithful. God is working in us.

          When I was a child, I loved this time of year when we wait for Christmas. We always had an advent calendar set up in a sunny spot. Each day we opened a little door or window to show a picture that added to the anticipation. We had a large paper Christmas tree on the wall on which we would hang all the Christmas cards that came in the mail. We would page through the Sears catalog and circle the toys that we hoped Santa would bring us. I would dream about presents and good things to eat. My parents had a tradition of setting up the tree on Christmas Eve after we were asleep (a tradition that did not last long.) In the morning we would tear open the presents. The anticipation of what might be was always greater than what was. There was always something I had hoped for that I didn’t get, or the toy I got wasn’t as good as it looked in the catalog. I look back and reflect that the hope was more powerful than the outcome.

         Today we begin a season of hope. It sounds like a cliché to talk about hope. We are surrounded by advertisements that try to capture our imagination. The media tries to describe our hope for us. The perfect gift or the perfect meal, or the perfect family gathering will give us all the satisfaction we will need this season. Trouble is, we can’t afford what they are selling. The stress and exhaustion we feel is partly caused by our perpetual quest to acquire things that are out of our reach. We might even suspect that those things will only give us a passing contentment until the next thing comes along.

         Hope does not believe something that isn’t true. When we hope, it does not mean that we are wearing rose-colored glasses. Our hope is based in truth. Hope is also more than optimism. We are not just believing the best in all things or making the best of a bad situation. Hope is choosing the future for which we will prepare. We choose this future based on what we believe and on what we know.

         We are living in difficult times, when it might sound impractical to hope. It might sound more reasonable to prepare for bad times. It might be prudent to stock up our resources and weather the storms we see around us. Our God and our traditions all urge us to prepare for something else. We believe that there is more than what we hold in our hands and see with our eyes. We believe that there are more resources at hand than what we have saved in the bank.

         We are choosing the kind of future in which we believe. Do we hope for a future that is up to us alone? Do we believe that all that is possible is what we can make or fix or buy with our own skill and resources? Or do we believe in a future that depends on God? Do we believe that God can make us and mold us and fix us and forgive us?

         When we think about some future day of judgment, we are apt to have fear and regret. We know we will see the truth. We know that all our illusions and failings will be shown for what they are. We will be reminded of how foolish and cowardly we have been. We also know that God forgives us. We also know that God heals us and restores us. I urge you to return again to our lessons this morning. They may sound dire and dangerous at first. They are also reassuring; knowing that God will sweep away every bad thing that keeps us from being our best selves – and God will restore every good thing that draws us to the life we have been made for.

         We know the truth. God has already forgiven and loved us. God has already worked powerfully in our lives (remember how often Isaiah, the psalmist, and Paul reflect on how God has worked in the lives of those who trust in God.) We have been given insight by the Holy Spirit to guide us in our journey. We have seen glimpses of the Holy in our worship, and in the world God has given us. God has been our companion in times of sickness and discouragement in the past. God has given us everything we need to bring us to this place on this day. Since all of this is true, we have the confidence to live in hope. We can choose to prepare for the future God has promised us. We can trust that the God who has been with us in the past will continue to transform us to live through our present challenges.

         It is a relief to give up the illusion that working harder and better and faster will get us anything – except tired and frustrated. Instead, because of our hope, our work is to put ourselves in a place where God can work in us. We need to set aside our plan for the future and seek God’s plan. We need to set aside our fear of what may go wrong and pay more attention to the good that God would have us do. Our hope is not in the gathering of things we think will make us happy. Our hope is in the promises of God to forgive us, to guide us and to restore us.

         In our day we are beset by worries. We live in economic difficulties. Our world is changing and the programs of the past don’t reach the needs of people today. We are faced with higher costs and fewer resources. The short-term future does not look easy. Our hope is not based in passing standards of success. Our hope is based in our God. We are preparing for a future of eternal life, not a season of ease and contentment. We are looking forward to a time of complete restoration, not a leak-proof building or a restored organ. We will do our best with what we have and at the same time we will live as beloved children of God. We are hoping for the coming of our savior. We know that God will transform us and continue to bring us into the work of inviting the world to God.