Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper
Luke 1: 26-38

Well, the season is upon us. There is no denying that now! One week to go until Christmas Day.

Pastors I know always seem to lament this season. I often find myself counted among those who find this season so upsetting. We pastors might moralize that there isn’t enough Christ in Christmas any more, but I think the truth is that we just feel that we’ve lost control. Christmas has become an American consumerism festival – it seems to have more in common with secular holidays like Thanksgiving or even the Fourth of July. It’s a time for families to come together, eat too much food, and open gifts that most of us don’t need.

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Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

Let me tell you a few things about this letter to the church in Thessalonica. First of all, this is the oldest known Christian document. It is the oldest document in the entire New Testament. It captures the concerns and thoughts of the apostle Paul in an early stage. Since some of Paul’s most important ideas were developed over time, this letter is often not considered as theologically weighty as some of his later works. Nevertheless, the letter to the Thessalonians is important because it reveals to us vital information about the earliest Christian communities. (more…)

Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper
Mark 1: 1-8

This is the second Sunday of our new year together, and as such, you have some special material in your program today. First of all, I’d like to point out the Advent 2005 card, which we had last week. It points out a number of special things going on during Advent. You can keep that card in your house on your fridge to remind you of the church’s offerings during the week. Or, you can hand one to a friend who you might think would appreciate an invitation to a church event. Secondly, you have a piece of paper called “Advent Devotions.” These are for your own spiritual development during the week. Each week, the Advent Devotions will prepare you for that Sunday’s worship service. If you don’t have a daily spiritual practice, these devotions will only take five minutes – scripture, reflection, prayer and all – so I encourage you to either use them to start a spiritual practice of use them to supplement what you already do. (more…)

Last night, around 2 a.m., the state of North Carolina put Kenneth Lee Boyd to death.  In 1988, Boyd shot and killed his estranged wife and her father, in front of their son.  (NY Times article) It was a brutal crime, no doubt.

Boyd’s death is the 1,000th state execution in our country since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976.  On the one hand, there is nothing significant about this milestone.  As Boyd’s son, Kenneth Smith said, "He didn’t want to be 999, and he didn’t want to be 1001 if you know what I mean.  He wanted to live."

And yet, the fact that Boyd was number 1,000 has brought a new attention to the death penalty.  
 
I find it remarkable that time and time again Americans support capital punishment.  A Gallup poll earlier this year showed that 64% of Americans support the death penalty.  This is true despite the lack of evidence that capital punishment does anything to affect crime rates.  It is also true, despite the growing awareness of errors in our judicial system.  Approximately one in eight people on death row have been exonerated.  Another recent investigation is daring to ask the frightening question: was an innocent man executed?

All the passionate rhetoric and logical arguments have failed to sway the public opinion.  What I wonder is this: what is it about Americans that makes us so willing to kill in the name of justice?  Why do we have this easy relationship with violence?  What kind of society do we think we are making?  I don’t think capital punishment is really the issue here.  The issue is the character of the American people.  What kind of people are we?

Of course, as Christians, we have an answer to that question.  It is really hard for me to imagine Jesus, who  asked those without sin to cast the first stone, supporting the death penalty.  More than that, Jesus seemed to have an indomitable hope in the worth and value of every single person, even the gravest of sinners.  I realize that some people have committed such horrific acts that we as a society must act to contain them.  But I also realize that when we execute people in the name of justice, we cheapen our own humanity and sanction killing as a means to an end.