The passages are Isaiah 7 and Matthew 1: 18-25
The two passages we read today are some of the most amazing words we read in the Bible and not just because it means that Jesus Christ has come to be with us. They are amazing in many other ways as well. If today, someone told you that a virgin gave birth to a child, we would laugh and say, “It’s impossible”. If today, someone came up to you and said that an angel came to me and told me to do this” we would tell them they are hallucinating and need to take it easy for a few days.
This is not a world where miracles are welcomed. This is not a world where people believe in the mystical or intangible. If you poll most people in America today, they will tell you that they have a more spiritual belief rather than a firm religion. But I have come to believe that they do not mean spiritual as you or I would think of. No, I would define most Americans’ idea of spiritual as the ability to vaguely believe in God without letting that belief interrupt their daily lives and desires.
Jesus Christ blows that right out of the water. Jesus is all about interrupting human life. We often call Jesus the Great Peacemaker but he’s more of a trouble maker at times. Jesus came not to bring peace because in Matthew 10:34 Jesus distinctly says, “I do not come to bring peace, but a sword.” But let’s get back to Jesus being the Great Interrupter rather than the Great Peacemaker.
The whole idea of Immanuel, which means God with us, is that God comes into our world. It means that God broke into history to be here with us. When we think of God we have to acknowledge that every word we use to describe God is completely ineffectual. All these words and adjectives and verbs and nouns that we have to explain who God is and what God means and her characteristics are just pale imitational words for what God really is. We can’t grasp God. We can’t hold onto this concept of who God is for very long. It hurts the mind, the idea of God bends all rules and laws of nature and science. And so it hurts our very logical and scientific minds to try to figure out God.
And that is why we NEEDED Jesus Christ. Jesus is God, made flesh. Jesus is God, made understood. Jesus brings light where before there was darkness. He brings understanding of who God is and what God has done for us. Jesus being born, to a lowly carpenter and his virgin wife means that God interrupted human history to help us, to save us from ourselves and to show us who God is.
How amazing! How extraordinary! This is exciting stuff! The baby in the manger is the God who rules the universe. The baby in the manger is the one who takes away all our sins and that baby loves you so much that He will grow up and sacrifice Himself to save you. If that isn’t amazing, then I don’t know what is.
The older I get, the more convinced I am that God uses all of us to make Himself visible to the rest of the world. There is a reason that Jesus’ last words to the disciples before his ascension into Heaven are to go forth into the world and preach the Good News. God wants us to witness to what he is doing in this world. God wants us to help others to see His glory and majesty by sharing the great things he does for us with those around us.
The example I’m about to share with all of you about how God breaks into the world through ordinary people is more than a little controversial. But just as Jesus did not come to bring peace, I’m here to witness to God despite controversy. I’m here to show you where I see Jesus Christ working, and this is where I have seen Him. The news broke late last night that Don’t ask, Don’t tell has been repealed. That means that men and women in the armed forces who happen to be gay will now be able to freely serve without fear of being dismissed.
President Obama had these words to say about it, "It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed." I couldn’t sum it up more perfectly than he does there. (SAY AGAIN) That is God working through human beings. God rights injustice and he doesn’t always do it peacefully, but he does it powerfully. No matter how anyone feels about homosexuality, we need to recognize that there are many gays who have given their lives so that we can sit here today and peacefully worship. That is worth honoring them by letting them give their lives not under false pretenses but instead by accepting them as they are.
Jesus tells us to not judge, but instead we are to love one another. So whether we feel a person’s lifestyle is right or wrong, we are here to love them. After all, when Immanuel came all the Jews thought that he would be this Great King who would ride a white horse and round up all the Romans and cast them from Jerusalem. Instead, Jesus was poor and a carpenter, he rode a donkey and told the people to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. God does not always give us exactly what we want, but the Lord always gives us what we need.
We needed this law to pass so that injustice could be stamped out. We needed Jesus to come so that we could be saved, so that we could know that God is truly here with us. We needed to know that when we are dirty and tired and sweating, that God knows exactly how we feel because he has been there as well. Jesus got dirty. Jesus got tired and yes, Jesus would even sweat! He was walking in the desert after all and was also human so of course he would sweat.
As human beings we are not always capable of understanding the depths and wonders of our God. But as Christians we are given glimpses into God’s nature through Jesus Christ. We see and understand more about ourselves the more we understand Jesus. God has given us a great gift, the greatest of all gifts! He has given Himself, his Son so that we may know and understand and love.
That is where our peace lays. With God. With Jesus. The one who came not to bring peace, but a sword. The one who cuts out all injustice so that festering wounds may finally heal. The methods are not always pretty because as anyone with an infected cut can tell you, the way a doctor will lance an infection is often painful and gross, but it is always effective. Sometimes we must submit to God lancing our own wounds. It is painful, but change usually is painful even when it is absolutely necessary.
This Christmas I hope that you are able to find peace even if your life is in upheaval. I hope you are able to see where the Lord is working in your life. I pray that God shows you that although the paths you travel down are often long and filled with obstacles, that it is worth it because Jesus is with you each step you take. God has broken into this world, he has interrupted history and time so that he may take this journey with you. I hope that this Christmas as you celebrate with your family, you will also remember to celebrate with Jesus and find peace that God is with us.
Amen.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Week 3 of Advent - Joy of the Redeemed
The passages are Isaiah 35 and James 5
When I read in Isaiah 35 about the Highway called the Way of Holiness, it reminded me of a couple songs I’ve heard over the years about highways. One of my favorite bands, AC-DC, sang a song called Highway to Hell. The lyrics go like this:
Living easy, living free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Asking nothing, leave me be
Taking everything in my stride
Don’t need reason, don’t need rhyme
Aint nothing I'd rather do
Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too, yeah
I’m on the highway to hell.
The other song I always enjoyed is called Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane. Some of the lyrics to this one are:
There’s no load I can’t hold,
Road so rough, this I know,
I’ll be there when the lights come in,
Tell them we’re survivors.
When I was thinking about these two songs and their lyrics I realized that there is a reason Isaiah chose to speak to the people about highways. Highways are a wonderful invention made by humans to get from point A to point B more quickly and with fewer problems. Highways may go around bends or up slight hills but for the most part, we try to make them as straight and smooth as possible to make our travel faster and safer. The lives we lead may be considered a journey and on our journey we have many highways and roads to choose from.
For this reason, we can call ourselves pilgrims, and as we go about our daily lives, we choose different paths for different reasons. Sometimes we choose a path because our best friend or spouse is on that road. Sometimes we choose a path because we know at the end we will have something we desire or need. There are other times when we may choose a path not knowing where it will lead us, but we felt like that was where we supposed to be right now. Sometimes the paths we choose are good for us, things we needed to do to become stronger individuals. But sometimes the path leads us to hardship and pain.
It is when we get to the end of one highway and we are about to choose another that the two songs I mentioned become important. One speaks about life being a real party. Things are easy; the person is living free with nothing to impede him. The other person talks about how sometimes this highway is rough, but he has confidence that there is nothing he can’t do because he’s a survivor.
I have to admit, I’m rather drawn to this idea of life being one big party. Of everything coming easily, with little work or fuss. Wouldn’t it be nice to just wake up every morning without worries or cares? To no longer stress out about paying bills or figure out how to resolve the fight from the night before? To not care what happened yesterday or what is going to happen today? The person in the song doesn’t even care that he’s on a Highway straight to Hell. Matter of fact, he tells everyone to leave him be because he doesn’t care about that. He’s too busy having a good time now.
Don’t we all know someone who doesn’t really care about tomorrow or who they’ve hurt in their life? They live for today and they live for themselves. It can be easy to envy someone who is so free spirited. It can be easy to want to emulate their actions in the hope of making our own messy lives less complicated. However, there is something about this type of life that is not worth envying at all.
The only problem with life being a constant party is that someone always has to clean it up when it’s over. Someone has to take responsibility for what has happened or what is done during that time. If you lead a life without worries or cares, that just means someone else will be picking up the slack for you. Perhaps it is your parents or your siblings or your children. But someone always ends up paying the price. For Christians, it is Jesus Christ.
Verse four in Isaiah 35 says, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” The result of the Lord coming to be with us is then described in the rest of the chapter. It says, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs”.
What is being described here is a gift only God could give to a people of the desert. These people had known many hardships because at this point in Isaiah the Israelites were captured slaves and indentured servants to the Babylonians. They were poor and without the comforts of home. So to hear that the Lord would come to save them, it meant that their needs would be satisfied. They would have enough water to drink, they would have food to fill their bellies, and those that were in pain and suffering would be healed.
And to insure all of this happened, Isaiah 35 talks about a highway called the Way of Holiness where only the saved will be able to walk. This is a special highway reserved for those who know God. As Christians we know the only way to know God is to know Jesus Christ. We have invited Jesus into our hearts and his Spirit rests within us every day and because of that, we know God. We have been blessed with this great gift just as the Israelites had been blessed.
We are not alone on this journey. Jesus Christ journeys with us. He lights the way like a lamp to our feet. He is always guiding us and helping us around obstacles. Jesus is the Way of Holiness, that highway Isaiah speaks of. He is the one that smoothes out the rough patches where life has created potholes. He is the one that straightens our crooked ways so that we can get back to place we are supposed to be. With God. Our place is with God. Our whole being longs to be with Him.
Isn’t that what we proclaim during Advent? Isn’t this what we look forward to each and every year? For a little child to be born, a child who is so much more. The promise of a Savior who comes to be with His people. God in the flesh. Because as John 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling place among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”.
Let this advent be a time of joy for each of you as you wait for the coming of your Messiah. As you wait for the One who is full of grace and truth, the One who lights our way as we journey down life’s path. Let us give him glory and honor and praise, for God is with us.
Amen.
When I read in Isaiah 35 about the Highway called the Way of Holiness, it reminded me of a couple songs I’ve heard over the years about highways. One of my favorite bands, AC-DC, sang a song called Highway to Hell. The lyrics go like this:
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Asking nothing, leave me be
Taking everything in my stride
Don’t need reason, don’t need rhyme
Aint nothing I'd rather do
Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too, yeah
I’m on the highway to hell.
The other song I always enjoyed is called Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane. Some of the lyrics to this one are:
Road so rough, this I know,
I’ll be there when the lights come in,
Tell them we’re survivors.
When I was thinking about these two songs and their lyrics I realized that there is a reason Isaiah chose to speak to the people about highways. Highways are a wonderful invention made by humans to get from point A to point B more quickly and with fewer problems. Highways may go around bends or up slight hills but for the most part, we try to make them as straight and smooth as possible to make our travel faster and safer. The lives we lead may be considered a journey and on our journey we have many highways and roads to choose from.
For this reason, we can call ourselves pilgrims, and as we go about our daily lives, we choose different paths for different reasons. Sometimes we choose a path because our best friend or spouse is on that road. Sometimes we choose a path because we know at the end we will have something we desire or need. There are other times when we may choose a path not knowing where it will lead us, but we felt like that was where we supposed to be right now. Sometimes the paths we choose are good for us, things we needed to do to become stronger individuals. But sometimes the path leads us to hardship and pain.
It is when we get to the end of one highway and we are about to choose another that the two songs I mentioned become important. One speaks about life being a real party. Things are easy; the person is living free with nothing to impede him. The other person talks about how sometimes this highway is rough, but he has confidence that there is nothing he can’t do because he’s a survivor.
I have to admit, I’m rather drawn to this idea of life being one big party. Of everything coming easily, with little work or fuss. Wouldn’t it be nice to just wake up every morning without worries or cares? To no longer stress out about paying bills or figure out how to resolve the fight from the night before? To not care what happened yesterday or what is going to happen today? The person in the song doesn’t even care that he’s on a Highway straight to Hell. Matter of fact, he tells everyone to leave him be because he doesn’t care about that. He’s too busy having a good time now.
Don’t we all know someone who doesn’t really care about tomorrow or who they’ve hurt in their life? They live for today and they live for themselves. It can be easy to envy someone who is so free spirited. It can be easy to want to emulate their actions in the hope of making our own messy lives less complicated. However, there is something about this type of life that is not worth envying at all.
The only problem with life being a constant party is that someone always has to clean it up when it’s over. Someone has to take responsibility for what has happened or what is done during that time. If you lead a life without worries or cares, that just means someone else will be picking up the slack for you. Perhaps it is your parents or your siblings or your children. But someone always ends up paying the price. For Christians, it is Jesus Christ.
Verse four in Isaiah 35 says, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” The result of the Lord coming to be with us is then described in the rest of the chapter. It says, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs”.
What is being described here is a gift only God could give to a people of the desert. These people had known many hardships because at this point in Isaiah the Israelites were captured slaves and indentured servants to the Babylonians. They were poor and without the comforts of home. So to hear that the Lord would come to save them, it meant that their needs would be satisfied. They would have enough water to drink, they would have food to fill their bellies, and those that were in pain and suffering would be healed.
And to insure all of this happened, Isaiah 35 talks about a highway called the Way of Holiness where only the saved will be able to walk. This is a special highway reserved for those who know God. As Christians we know the only way to know God is to know Jesus Christ. We have invited Jesus into our hearts and his Spirit rests within us every day and because of that, we know God. We have been blessed with this great gift just as the Israelites had been blessed.
We are not alone on this journey. Jesus Christ journeys with us. He lights the way like a lamp to our feet. He is always guiding us and helping us around obstacles. Jesus is the Way of Holiness, that highway Isaiah speaks of. He is the one that smoothes out the rough patches where life has created potholes. He is the one that straightens our crooked ways so that we can get back to place we are supposed to be. With God. Our place is with God. Our whole being longs to be with Him.
Isn’t that what we proclaim during Advent? Isn’t this what we look forward to each and every year? For a little child to be born, a child who is so much more. The promise of a Savior who comes to be with His people. God in the flesh. Because as John 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling place among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”.
Let this advent be a time of joy for each of you as you wait for the coming of your Messiah. As you wait for the One who is full of grace and truth, the One who lights our way as we journey down life’s path. Let us give him glory and honor and praise, for God is with us.
Amen.
Week 2 of Advent - Loving Acceptance
Passages are Isaiah 11 and Romans 15.
I knew a woman a few year ago who had a teenage daughter that had behavioral issues. She was full of anger and bitterness and would refuse to speak to anyone. She had been this way since she was a little girl, but the older she got, the worse her behavior became. She began to act out, had awful fits of temper and would hit and bite and scream at whoever was near her. Her mother didn’t know what to do to help her. Finally, she sent her to visit for a few weeks with her aunt who was a counselor. Before she left, the teenage girl looked at her mom and said, “How could you give me away?”
I am telling you this because during the Advent season we are told to think of all the good things in life. To remember to be hopeful and expectant, to look at one another with love and compassion, to experience joy in the coming Savior and to feel peace on Christmas Eve. But for some people this season is about pain and loneliness and despair. This season reminds them of what has gone wrong in their life. It reminds this mother that for some reason, her child is deeply troubled, but she cannot help her.
The question the teenage girl asked her mom is one I often ask God about His Son, Jesus. How could God give Jesus to us? How could God bear to know the pain His Son would soon experience? Did Jesus ever want to ask, “How could you give me away?”
We live in darkness. Every day we are surrounded by pain whether it is our own or other people’s. We have created things to bring us happiness, but it only works on a superficial basis because the only happiness that lasts is happiness based upon God. There is a reason that pastors are always telling their congregations to be thankful for their blessings. We know that happiness comes only from God and that it begins with our own thankfulness for what we have been given. God gave us His Son. He gave us Jesus because we are deeply troubled and we needed a lighthouse, we needed a beacon to guide us safely home.
Jesus provides that light. Jesus comes as the promise of light at night. He was born at night. And that’s where his spirit meets ours. I can’t say what this will mean for me, much less for you. But Advent asks that we face any night within or around us, and come to see it as the birthplace of unexpected opportunity, a chance to find hope and love in a world filled with pain and hurt.
Let me tell you what happened to the teenage girl while she was with her aunt. She spent several weeks with her aunt. She didn’t talk at first so her aunt took her places and talked to her. Eventually, the teenager opened up bit by bit and began to speak of the darkness inside her. She felt all alone. She was scared of who she was and what she had done to her family. But just having a chance to speak about how she felt released some of that anger and bitterness. It was like for a brief moment the sun burst from the clouds and she could see the world around her, she could see her family was not her enemy.
Advent is a special time for us. We hope and wait, we watch and listen. But we are also supposed to talk. Talking releases those dark emotions so that the light can trickle in. Too often these days, Christians are afraid to speak out about their faith. Especially at Christmas time. Has anyone heard about the two billboards that have gone up about Christmas? One was put up by Atheists that says, “You KNOW it’s not real. This season believe in reason.” And the other billboard was put up by Catholics that says, “You KNOW it’s real. This season believe in Jesus”.
Is it any wonder our young people are confused? Is it any wonder so many people have chosen to not speak out about their Christian faith or have ignored their faith to the point where they have no faith at all? Christmas is no longer about anything but economics and rivalry. Who can put up the most lights on their house? Who will hold the best party? Will your Christmas bonus come in time for you to buy all those presents for your family?
The reality is that Christmas is not about any of those things. Christmas is about reminding all people and all nations that we have been given a gift without price. We have been given Jesus Christ, without any strings attached and there is nothing we have done or could do to have earned such a remarkable gift as our Savior. Because we are loved, a love so deep and bountiful that nothing we do could mar it, and because of that love we will know eternal life.
The teenage girl that asked, “How could you give me away” eventually got to come home to her mother. The first thing her mom did was hug her close, kissing her and not letting her go for several long minutes. Finally, the teenager pulled away and looked at her and said, “Could you ever love me again?”
This is the question we often end up asking God. “Lord, will you still love me even though I lied? Will you still care about me even though I cheated? Lord, how can you still love me when I’m so sinful?”
But just as that mother looked at her daughter and said, “I never stopped”, God looks at each of us and says the same. Because of Jesus Christ, we know that God will never stop loving us, God will always accept us and will never let us go. Sometimes it feels like God has left us. Sometimes it feels like the darkness in our lives will consume us until nothing is left. We forget that God is here with us, that God is listening to us and willing to help us. Like that teenage girl, we bottle everything up inside of us, not daring to speak until everything explodes and we are left with shattered dreams and broken hearts. Then we pray to God for help.
But Advent reminds us that we are not alone. Advent reminds us that Jesus Christ has redeemed us in God’s eyes and that when he looks at us he sees the love we have for Jesus and God loves that about His people. Advent is about Jesus Christ, the long awaited Savior who cements are relationship with God the Father so that in Christ we are forgiven. In and with Christ we are able to do good things and to be the people God wants us to be.
This Advent let us all remember that God is with us. That the Lord has never left us. Let us speak out about our faith. Let us not be afraid to love one another, lets not be afraid to believe in more than what we can see and touch. Let us raise our voices in song, in praise, and in prayer as we wait for the coming of our Savior. For God has given us a gift beyond compare, one that insures us everlasting life. I’ll leave you with these final words from Paul who wrote in Romans 15:14, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
I knew a woman a few year ago who had a teenage daughter that had behavioral issues. She was full of anger and bitterness and would refuse to speak to anyone. She had been this way since she was a little girl, but the older she got, the worse her behavior became. She began to act out, had awful fits of temper and would hit and bite and scream at whoever was near her. Her mother didn’t know what to do to help her. Finally, she sent her to visit for a few weeks with her aunt who was a counselor. Before she left, the teenage girl looked at her mom and said, “How could you give me away?”
I am telling you this because during the Advent season we are told to think of all the good things in life. To remember to be hopeful and expectant, to look at one another with love and compassion, to experience joy in the coming Savior and to feel peace on Christmas Eve. But for some people this season is about pain and loneliness and despair. This season reminds them of what has gone wrong in their life. It reminds this mother that for some reason, her child is deeply troubled, but she cannot help her.
The question the teenage girl asked her mom is one I often ask God about His Son, Jesus. How could God give Jesus to us? How could God bear to know the pain His Son would soon experience? Did Jesus ever want to ask, “How could you give me away?”
We live in darkness. Every day we are surrounded by pain whether it is our own or other people’s. We have created things to bring us happiness, but it only works on a superficial basis because the only happiness that lasts is happiness based upon God. There is a reason that pastors are always telling their congregations to be thankful for their blessings. We know that happiness comes only from God and that it begins with our own thankfulness for what we have been given. God gave us His Son. He gave us Jesus because we are deeply troubled and we needed a lighthouse, we needed a beacon to guide us safely home.
Jesus provides that light. Jesus comes as the promise of light at night. He was born at night. And that’s where his spirit meets ours. I can’t say what this will mean for me, much less for you. But Advent asks that we face any night within or around us, and come to see it as the birthplace of unexpected opportunity, a chance to find hope and love in a world filled with pain and hurt.
Let me tell you what happened to the teenage girl while she was with her aunt. She spent several weeks with her aunt. She didn’t talk at first so her aunt took her places and talked to her. Eventually, the teenager opened up bit by bit and began to speak of the darkness inside her. She felt all alone. She was scared of who she was and what she had done to her family. But just having a chance to speak about how she felt released some of that anger and bitterness. It was like for a brief moment the sun burst from the clouds and she could see the world around her, she could see her family was not her enemy.
Advent is a special time for us. We hope and wait, we watch and listen. But we are also supposed to talk. Talking releases those dark emotions so that the light can trickle in. Too often these days, Christians are afraid to speak out about their faith. Especially at Christmas time. Has anyone heard about the two billboards that have gone up about Christmas? One was put up by Atheists that says, “You KNOW it’s not real. This season believe in reason.” And the other billboard was put up by Catholics that says, “You KNOW it’s real. This season believe in Jesus”.
Is it any wonder our young people are confused? Is it any wonder so many people have chosen to not speak out about their Christian faith or have ignored their faith to the point where they have no faith at all? Christmas is no longer about anything but economics and rivalry. Who can put up the most lights on their house? Who will hold the best party? Will your Christmas bonus come in time for you to buy all those presents for your family?
The reality is that Christmas is not about any of those things. Christmas is about reminding all people and all nations that we have been given a gift without price. We have been given Jesus Christ, without any strings attached and there is nothing we have done or could do to have earned such a remarkable gift as our Savior. Because we are loved, a love so deep and bountiful that nothing we do could mar it, and because of that love we will know eternal life.
The teenage girl that asked, “How could you give me away” eventually got to come home to her mother. The first thing her mom did was hug her close, kissing her and not letting her go for several long minutes. Finally, the teenager pulled away and looked at her and said, “Could you ever love me again?”
This is the question we often end up asking God. “Lord, will you still love me even though I lied? Will you still care about me even though I cheated? Lord, how can you still love me when I’m so sinful?”
But just as that mother looked at her daughter and said, “I never stopped”, God looks at each of us and says the same. Because of Jesus Christ, we know that God will never stop loving us, God will always accept us and will never let us go. Sometimes it feels like God has left us. Sometimes it feels like the darkness in our lives will consume us until nothing is left. We forget that God is here with us, that God is listening to us and willing to help us. Like that teenage girl, we bottle everything up inside of us, not daring to speak until everything explodes and we are left with shattered dreams and broken hearts. Then we pray to God for help.
But Advent reminds us that we are not alone. Advent reminds us that Jesus Christ has redeemed us in God’s eyes and that when he looks at us he sees the love we have for Jesus and God loves that about His people. Advent is about Jesus Christ, the long awaited Savior who cements are relationship with God the Father so that in Christ we are forgiven. In and with Christ we are able to do good things and to be the people God wants us to be.
This Advent let us all remember that God is with us. That the Lord has never left us. Let us speak out about our faith. Let us not be afraid to love one another, lets not be afraid to believe in more than what we can see and touch. Let us raise our voices in song, in praise, and in prayer as we wait for the coming of our Savior. For God has given us a gift beyond compare, one that insures us everlasting life. I’ll leave you with these final words from Paul who wrote in Romans 15:14, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hope of Advent
The first week of Advent symbolizes the hope we have for a Savior. The hope we experience in the coming of the Christ child, a messiah who will bring goodness to the world and restore our relationship with God to what it was before Adam and Eve fell from grace.
Something I’ve always found interesting about hope is that it requires us to wait. We often hope for things. Perhaps this year you hope to get a raise. Perhaps you hope to lose some weight in the new year. Perhaps you hope to start a family. Or perhaps your hope is that this year you’ll finally go back to school like you’ve always wanted to.
But hope is about believing with confidence that what is hoped for will be received. As Christians, we look forward to the coming of Christ because we know we can believe in God’s promises. We know that the Lord loves us and that gives us confidence to believe that there could be something as miraculous as a baby born to a virgin who will save a world of people from their sinfulness. It’s an audacious claim, ridiculous in this day and age of logic and technology and people who will only believe in what they can see and touch.
But we know the truth is that the Lord did come to earth. God gave to us his only Son so that we might have eternal life. And so the hope we have during Advent is not just for Christ to come, but we hope IN Christ, WITH Christ for everything we need in our lives. We are children of God because of Jesus Christ. We may have confidence and trust in our eternal salvation because of Him. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to Jesus Christ. Amen.
Something I’ve always found interesting about hope is that it requires us to wait. We often hope for things. Perhaps this year you hope to get a raise. Perhaps you hope to lose some weight in the new year. Perhaps you hope to start a family. Or perhaps your hope is that this year you’ll finally go back to school like you’ve always wanted to.
But hope is about believing with confidence that what is hoped for will be received. As Christians, we look forward to the coming of Christ because we know we can believe in God’s promises. We know that the Lord loves us and that gives us confidence to believe that there could be something as miraculous as a baby born to a virgin who will save a world of people from their sinfulness. It’s an audacious claim, ridiculous in this day and age of logic and technology and people who will only believe in what they can see and touch.
But we know the truth is that the Lord did come to earth. God gave to us his only Son so that we might have eternal life. And so the hope we have during Advent is not just for Christ to come, but we hope IN Christ, WITH Christ for everything we need in our lives. We are children of God because of Jesus Christ. We may have confidence and trust in our eternal salvation because of Him. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to Jesus Christ. Amen.
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