Chris Yaw

There's a good argument that the biggest decisions we make don't come as a result of logically weighing out the facts, but by a gut feeling, an intuition, a deep sense of which path to take.

Modern Neuroscience suggests that "gut feelings" aren't just impulsive whims—they are often the result of sophisticated, high-speed data processing by the brain.

While we like to think of ourselves as logical beings who weigh pros and cons in a spreadsheet, the reality is that our brains evolved to make complex decisions long before we developed formal logic.

In Bible terms this has been called the Holy Spirit, or that part of us that allows us to know things that we have a hard time explaining.

This is what's at play in this Sunday's gospel when Jesus comes on the scene in the first chapter of John's account.

What's interesting is that Jesus gets identified by John the Baptist, Andrew, and Peter, well before he does anything, heals anybody, feeds anybody, or even preaches: Jesus is identified not for anything that he's done, but for who he is - there is something about him that resonates deep inside of the hearts of people who are looking for him.

And what is the human heart looking for more than anything else, but love?

And Jesus, who is the incarnate, human form of love, comes on to the scene to fulfill a universe of people whose hearts are yearning for love.

It's the biggest, continuous yearning of infants, children, and adults, that we have. Love.

And it is found here, not in possessions, or experiences, or in accomplishments, power, or popularity; ; it is found in God, in love who is ever present, ever patient, just waiting to be found.

So the upshot for you and me is to be on the lookout for love, listening to that inner voice of ours, with appreciation and gratitude for all that we have, and a keen eye to identify love when we see it, and commend all who are responsible for bringing it.

Lean into that beautiful spirit of yours, that spirit self: What is love asking you to do today? Your spirit can be trusted to identify and walk with love.

It's commonly believed that the last 3 years of Jesus's life was spent in a ministry that officially began when he was baptized by John in the River Jordan.

At this event, a voice from heaven was heard, presumably God's voice, to give God's first instructions to his son.

And what's interesting is that these first instructions were not to do anything, to heal, feed, preach, or protest.

God's very first instruction to Jesus was to be - to be loved, 'This is my son, my beloved ' declared the heavens.

You and I were not created primarily to DO anything - but to first to BE an object of God's love.

Think of your dog who hops up on the couch and curls up as your heart melts in adoration of your family friend, who need not fetch, perform, or otherwise exhibit perfect obedience to score your love. You just love that doggy for being a doggy.

So this is where we get it wrong: we buy into the worldly reasoning that we are primarily here to do, do, do - to talk, to act, to build, to make, and to serve, in order to fulfill God's mission, to do God's will - that's where we get our worth, value, and reason to be loved.

The problem is that we can believe that the more we do for God, the more we're loved by God - that the priest in the collar, the donor with his name on the hospital ward, the holy man who's renounced riches and now prays 5 times a day - is somehow closer to the God, favored by God, loved by God.

But the more we own our belovedness, our total, unconditional acceptance by God, the more secure, calm and focused we can then be on what we need to do.

We can go ahead and take risks, be flamboyantly generous, be courageously forgiving, unafraid to stand up for what's right and stand down to what's wrong.

Like Jesus, the more we own our security in God, that our beginning, middle, and end are marked with God's unequivocal, love and acceptance, the more we can take risks, enjoy life, and live for others, which is the ultimate fulfillment of the human experience.

Yes, go ahead and do, but first, be!

As you move through the holidays, are you approaching life as a rough road that needs to be fixed, or a colorful adventure that needs to be discovered?

Here's what I mean if I think that everything is broken, imagine the frustration and anger when there is no fix in sight - like that relationship that I really wanted to work, but went hopelessly South?

Do I beat myself up, watching the game tapes over and over and wishing I'd made different decisions?

Or do I look at that relationship for what it is, not giving up on ever improving it, but observing through the primary lens of acceptance?

What has that taught me? Do broken relationships have anything at all to offer? Do the broken things around me have anything to teach, inspire, or encourage me?

This works with sickness, job looks, most all of life's downers.

And this unpacks a whole new world where life doesn't happen to me, but for me, and God will form me through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

So as you head out into those scenes and scenarios that are unique to holidays, try out this lens: approach life with acceptance and curiosity and see what God has in store.

What's the image that comes to mind when I say the words 'Homeless person?'

Probably not great -

But to make sense of Jesus is to make sense of him as a homeless person.

He was born in a borrowed stable - homeless.

He fled violence to live as a refugee in Egypt - homeless.

He described his day to day life as the Son of Man 'having nowhere to lay his head' - homeless

And he died rejected, betrayed, and buried inside a borrowed tomb - homeless.

This is not to say Jesus was an addict, mentally unstable, or even without access to wealth and other resources that might come to mind when we think of contemporary homelessness.

It is to say that Jesus was not overly interested in those things - he did not find his home in wealth, security, or popularity, rather he found his grounding in his unshakable faith in the power of love.

God is love after all, and to put your faith in the possibility that recognizing, cultivating, and expressing love, as the ground of your being, will ultimately take care of you, seems to be a notion Jesus put a lot of stock in.

As Christmas Day approaches, and we look upon that little baby born in a manger, let us be mindful of Jesus's style of homelessness, that was not about preventing it by building palaces, reputations, or savings accounts, but about embracing it by an absolutely obsessing over love - recognizing it, cultivating it - marinating in it.

And let us see the wisdom in that: is your 2026 list of goals all about buying this and achieving that - instead of being that person or that person - being kind, being selfless, and being loving - which is where Jesus' goals were.

And let us see the wisdom in that, put acquisition in its place, and embrace and cultivate, instead, the ground of our being, and the center of our souls, which is to love.

If you have any doubt that what you're doing with your life is of little consequence - that you're just spinning your wheels, that no one's paying attention - then please consider John the Baptist.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that John was Jesus' cousin - and that they knew each other even before they were born - the story says John 'jumped in the womb' of his mother, Elizabeth, upon meeting the pregnant Mary.

Then, when Jesus comes of age - it's John who states, quite clearly, that he is the one to announce his appearance, saying in Matthew: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry"

Then it's John who's going to baptize Jesus in the River Jordan - and when Jesus comes up out of the water, John was right there to hear the voice from heaven, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"

Then the bottom falls out.

Fast forward a few years - John's now in prison for accusing King Herod of adultery. And discouragement, disillusionment, and doubt have crept in. So much so, that John no longer believes. He sends his disciples to Jesus to ask! And Jesus gives an indirect answer, and the next thing we know, Herod has John executed.

So John's epic life - as a relative of Jesus - as a prophet who announce his call - as the priest at Jesus' baptism - becomes forgotten at the end - as John takes his sadness and apprehension to the executioner's block.

But just because John didn't feel used by God - does not mean he wasn't.

When people name churches after famous disciples, what name, do you suspect, is used most often? Yeah, John.

His faithfulness, his perseverance, his humility, his devotion have earned him a place in Christian history like no other!

And guess what?

John died without ever knowing that.

Being faithful to God - to your values - to your convictions - to your conscience - to your heart - doesn't always come with an immediate reward!

Don't think that just because you don't feel used, you aren't.

You have no idea how many people have met you, talked with you, seen from afar, and have found their lives positively affected.

Writer Mark Nepo says "The wave is not the sea."

This means that whatever doubt and discouragement you're going through - put it into perspective - it's a wave, not the sea!

When John looks back at the long arc of his life there's little doubt that he did a lot of good for a lot of people - that God used him in mighty ways - and that's probably the same for you and me.

Don't mistake the wave for the sea.

25,000 Russians were killed in Ukraine last month, 369,000 children will die from preventable diseases this year in Sudan, now more than 50% of the children who live in Detroit are living under the poverty line!

Does this upset you? Or is there some other injustice that's got you wound up or ticked off?

Because it's stuffering like this, that we may be paying attention to or not, that fueled the fervor of this guy called John the Baptist, and lit a fire underneath all the people who lived near him to come out and wake up.

John had a way of awakening compassion that is such an integral part of you and me.

The fervor, and radical nature of his message shows us how important it is for us to live into who we really are, so that we can live our best lives - and so our violent, suffering, broken world can find relief.

Advent is about opening our eyes to the distractions and detours that keep us from being the caring and loving people we are -

So let's wake up to compassion, and wake up to your destiny of care, compassion, and love For ourselves and for others.

Did you hear those radical Episcopalians just called a queer, female priest to lead one of the world's largest cathedrals?

She's Winnie Vargese, at St. John the Divine in New York.

So why did they do it?

A) They're desperate - nobody's going to church anymore and they're trying to grab headlines.

B) They're just being politically correct - you know those progressive, liberal churches, they don't read the Bible anymore, just the polls.

Or C) Instead of Queer, let's try that other Q word: maybe she's Qualified.

I'll take C for $100 Alex - or Ken.

Have you seen Winnie's resume?

She's got major degrees from important places, she's served big churches in substantial capacities, and she can preach and teach better than practically anyone. Both Bishop Gibbs and Bishop Bonnie have brought her into our diocese in recent years to do this.

And I always like to consider the possibility floated by the Hebrew prophet Joel and quoted by St. Luke, that God may be doing a 'new thing' - that the Holy Spirit is behind all this. After all, isn't this what we look for in Advent - to keep awake for the unexpected?

Ya, she's queer, ya, she's Qualified, ya she's called.

When society stops judging people by who they sleep with, and starts judging people by their ability to do the job, we'll all be better off.

And we will also be better poised to see that our magnificent and mighty God who so loves this world, regularly sends us prophets, priests, and pastors to most importantly, walk in that love, so that you and I can better do our jobs of spreading it.

The only kings we Americans even remotely feel comfortable talking about may be Burger King, the Lion King, or perhaps the Kings of Leon -

So when it comes to this weekend's feast of Christ the King - it takes a little heavy lifting to get our minds around this idea that there is a supreme rulership of a land whose authority is worthy of our acceptance, indeed even our striving to live under it!

This becomes easier when we understand that this land, is love.

And this King, is love.

We're asked to reject the earthly kingdom of domination, with its systems of political oppression, economic exploitation, and chronic violence.

And to accept the notion of a heavenly Kingdom where everyone has enough and nobody has to be afraid.

We can see how that kingdom is both one that needs to come as well as one that, in fits and starts, is already here.

When Jesus asks us to pray "thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven,"

It's this idea that we can actually bring this Kingdom to Earth - as we love.

Love is our King, and we are it's Royal subjects, serving that Kingdom by walking in love.

One of the Bible's most consistent messages is to persevere, It's to carry-on, to keep on, even when things look bleak.

And For too many people, things have never looked more bleak; relentless suffering in the Middle East, assaults on funding for the poor and vulnerable in the U.S., persistent anxiety over the direction of democracy at home and abroad.

And amidst this all comes the hopeful message of the Jesus, one that we will hear echoed this weekend,

And that is to stay with it, remain calm, it will all be worth it in the end.

That famous theologian Woody Allen said that 80% of success is just showing up, as if showing up consistently is easy.

But God gives us strength to do just that, you have it inside of you because you have God inside of you, that touch of the Divine, that holy Spirit powered hopefulness to That reminds us that we can do it.

So throw all those other voices out. Stay with it. You've got this, you can do it!

Handling our critics with fairness is a fundamental Christian conviction.

When Jesus was in this situation, like one we'll hear about this Sunday, he didn't waver - he spoke harshly to the religious elites, he argued, debated, at one point he even turned over their tables in the temple.

But he did not ban his critics, he did not limit their ability to minister: he wisely debated and questioned them in civil discussion - letting the best idea win the day.

There are biblical principles at stake that tell us how to treat those who think differently.

Tightening the rules at the Pentagon, that leave only those with a strong bias, to inform the rest of us about the world's largest military - is not a biblical way to handle the critics.

Jesus stood for truth, even referring to himself as such, and the truth usually emerges from respectful, though sometimes difficult, conversations between people of different viewpoints.

Jesus showed us how to disagree, argue, and debate by taking on his critics, listening and responding,: let's do it that way

"Knowing yourself," wrote Socrates, "is the beginning of all wisdom."

This is because we don't see things as they are, but as we are, so to get the most authentic view of what's going on calls us to bring the truest lens we can to the party.

And we know who we are: We are God's beloved, infused with the divine spark of love, created to be loved, and to radiate that love out into the world.

But we get confused and think that we can't possibly be loved unless we earn love.

We confuse being with doing...

Which causes problems when we do bad things, because then we think we're bad people,

This will be on display on Sunday, when we get that well-known parable about two men, a religious person and a tax collector, who go to a temple and pray. This story is all about self-knowledge: are you defined by what you do, or who you are?

And the good news is that you are golden! You don't have to do anything to be loved by God, you don't have to achieve, obtain, fulfill, or complete to be adored and accepted.

We don't do good things to be loved, we do good things because we are loved!

Maybe that's worth a deep breath, a smile, and a spring in your step, and may that adoration find joyful expression in the day ahead.

Have we figured out that our proudest accomplishments don't happen overnight - but only after a long slog against long odds?

If you've ever lost significant weight, built a reputation, or made a million dollars? You know it takes a lot of time - a lot of effort!

Forget about the lottery winners and the weight-loss 'biggest losers' - life doesn't work that way!

Your big goal - of living out eternal life right here and now - it's work!

On Sunday Jesus tells us about a bothersome woman - who wouldn't let go until a lazy judge grants her justice - to remind us that that long slog against long odds - pays off!

So keep on, keeping on - with those regular habits and practices that realign us - away from the dark side and toward the light -

You are love embodied - and you can let that big, beautiful light inside of you shine like a diamond - even in a world that's going crazy - because you don't stop, don't give in, don't give up - you're not on that long slog against long odds all alone - we are in it together, for the long run - and we will not lose.

Chris Yaw

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