“Beginnings and Endings”

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon by Rev. Caela Simmons Wood

December 1, 2024

Our family went to see Wicked on Thanksgiving. Did anybody else see it yet? It’s so good, right? Now, it turns out that our kids have never actually seen the Wizard of Oz. So we were talking on the way to the theater about the main plot points of the movie, to see what they knew about the world of Oz. It turns out that they knew pretty much everything they needed to know, even without seeing the movie. Maybe if you live in Kansas, it’s just in your blood? 

I didn’t know until last week that the movie adaptation of the musical is actually two parts. So the movie that is out right now is just the first half of the musical. And although the end of part one certainly feels a bit like an ending, we left the theater wanting more. 

Except: part two of Wicked won’t be the end, either. Because in the Oz universe, canonical events and prequels and spin-offs abound. The singular story that Baum created in 1900 has inspired so many adaptations. And Wicked, itself, begins at the end. The show opens with the death of the Wicked Witch of the West and the rest of the show is a flashback and forward through the main characters’ lives. Endings and beginnings are all jumbled up, seamlessly flowing one into the other. 

And isn’t this the way of life? It can be difficult, at times, to tell if what we’re experiencing is an ending or a beginning. More often than not, it’s both. 

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Mary’s story is like this: an unmarried teenager receives an unexpected visit from an angel. Is this the culmination of her life up until this point? Or the beginning of a new story? 

Yes. 

Perhaps this is why the angel says “do not be afraid.” Endings and beginnings can both feel profoundly unsettling. We get the sense that the ground is shifting under our feet and we feel unsteady. And, so often, when we’re living through these cataclysmic shifts in our own lives or in the world at large, we’re just not sure where we are on the timeline. Is this the end? Or the beginning of something new? 

Yes. 

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Rabbi Marc Gellman has written a wonderful collection of modern midrash titled Does God Have Big Toe? Stories About Stories in the Bible. One of the stories in this collection is “The First New Year.” In this story, Adam is surprised by the setting of the sun in the Garden of Eden on that first day. The garden is suddenly dark, cold, and scary and the animals crowd around Adam for reassurance. Adam eventually falls asleep and is awakened by the warmth of the sun on his neck that next morning. He jumps up and rejoices with the animals. He assures them that the sun must be here to stay this time…..but eventually the sun begins to sink and they frantically try to build a barrier to keep the sun from setting. It doesn’t work, of course, and the animals and Adam are plunged once again into darkness and fear.

But this time God takes Adam aside and explains that everything is okay. This is just “time,” God says. The sun will do this over and over again and it will divide time into days and nights. There will also be weeks and months. Reassured, Adam starts keeping track of the passing of time – one day, two days, three days, a week, three weeks, a month, three months, and so on. All is well, until….

One day Adam notices he has marked off 11 months, 3 weeks, and 6 days. He becomes worried. “I’ve used up all the time!” he exclaims. “Tonight the sun will sink and it will never rise again because this is the end of time. I am going to have to wander around in the dark and it will be cold and I will trip over things. O, Lord, what will I do now?” Adam gathers together the animals and explains that he’s not sure if there will be a tomorrow. They huddle together for warmth and cry as they watch the sun set for the final time. 

But then….the sun begins to peek up over the edge of the garden. Just as it always has. Just as it always will. And Adam hears God counting, “Ten years is one decade….ten decades is one century….ten centuries is one millennium….ten millennia….” And Adam falls asleep to the sound of God’s voice and the birds chirping. 

Every time I read this story, I get a little misty-eyed. There is something so powerful about their innocence and confusion about endings and beginnings. It’s a theme that echoes down through the rest of the Bible, too:

It’s Noah and the animals shut up tight in the ark, wondering if the rain will ever end. It’s Queen Esther standing afraid and brave outside the King’s door, preparing to go in and plead her case. It’s the Psalmist singing that we are all like grass, here for only a short while before the world changes again. And it’s Jesus’s disciples huddled together on the night of Good Friday, weeping - for the world as they know it has ended. And it’s the women who went to the tomb on Easter morning, only to discover that the ground has shifted right under their feet. 

It’s death and it’s Resurection and it’s hopelessness and a sliver of hope. It’s broken and it’s being made whole. It’s the end and the beginning and it’s messy and it’s beautiful and it’s all wrapped up together. 

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Our Advent theme this year is “words for the beginning.” As we near the end of 2024, we remember that, in the church year, Advent marks the beginning of a new year. Every year, the liturgical calendar starts over with the first Sunday of Advent. As our world here in the Northern Hemisphere grows cold and dark, we remember that sunlight may grow scarce, but winter is just a stop on the cosmic timeline of creation. The days will lengthen again. God will keep counting off the decades and centuries and millennia. We exist in this one moment in time but there are countless spin offs, prequels, sequels, and alternative timelines yet to be written. 

As we step into a new year with intentionality, how can we find a way to welcome the beginnings and endings that are all around us? Next week we’ll be doing this in a very tangible way as we mark the transition to Common Table that’s coming up in January. It can feel difficult to say this out loud, but Second Helping is coming to an end. Yes, it will continue on in new ways through our connections to Common Table. There are many things to celebrate as Common Table begins its new life at the Lincoln Center. It will be easier and more welcoming for guests and volunteers. We will meet the needs of our community more effectively. And at the same time, Second Helping as we know it, will be ending. No more lunches piled up in the fridge during the week. No more store rooms in the basement. No more meals around our tables every Sunday night. It’s an ending. And there is grief there, even as we celebrate the new beginning taking place at the same time. 

And we are also celebrating another new beginning! Week before last, Deane and I cleared out half the closet in Blachly Hall to make space for the Center of Hope Ministry. They’ll be providing warm, overnight shelter in Pioneer-Blachly beginning tonight. And it turns out that some of our neighbors that we’ve welcomed on Sunday evenings at Second Helping will still find a warm welcome in this space through the Center of Hope Ministry.

Endings and beginnings.  If you listen you can almost hear God counting, “Ten years is one decade….ten decades is one century….ten centuries is one millennium….ten millennia….” 

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When you came in this morning, you should have received a piece of purple yarn. If you didn’t, please give a wave and we’ll make sure you get one. If you’re worshiping on Zoom, I hope you’ll be able to find your own piece of yarn or string. 

Take a look at the yarn. It has a beginning and an ending, yes? If you bring the beginning and ending together, you have a circle - one of the primary symbols of Advent. That’s why we have wreaths during this season. Beginnings and endings and sometimes it’s hard to tell which is which because they’re all tied up together. 

This yarn is for you to carry throughout Advent. You could tie it in a circle around your wrist or just stick the loop in your pocket or tie it onto a bag. But when you look at this piece of yarn, I hope you’ll remember this cycle of beginnings and endings. How can we honor the blessings and challenges found in all our endings and beginnings? May the Spirit guide us in this season and beyond as we remember wisdom found in the old stories, find gratitude in the present moment, and seek a future that honors God’s vision of justice and peace for all creation. 

May it be so.