Christmas 2011

On Christmas Eve, we celebrated with a candlelight service reminding us that a baby changed everything.

We celebrate the birthday of this baby Jesus.  From the outside, seems like of crazy to celebrate the birth of a baby that was born a couple thousand years ago in a stable.  We are celebrating the birth of a baby that was born to a woman who wasn’t even completely married when she got pregnant.  We celebrate the birth of a baby born to a carpenter?

Oh, but this wasn’t just a baby.  This baby changed everything.  This baby changed the way we see life.  This baby changed the way we see death.  This baby turned the tables and shook ideals and religion up.  This baby truly changed the world in which we live.  This baby changed everything.

This baby changed everything, including me.  This baby is the reason that I stand before you and tell you about a loving God and a redeeming hope.  This baby is the reason that I can stand before you with confidence that there is more than this life.  This baby is the reason that we can live this difficult, harsh life in this dark world with a joy unspeakable and a light shining bright.

If you don’t get it, maybe you haven’t allowed this baby to change you.  Oh yes, He came as a baby…but He grew to be a man…and died to be our Savior…and arose to be our Redeemer…and lives forevermore as our Hope.  This baby changes everything…won’t you allow Him to change you????

On Christmas Day, we gathered together to continue looking at this baby Jesus.  We looked at:

Matthew 1:18-25

Luke 2:15-21

John 1:1-14

He was given the name JESUS.  What a name.  Phil 2:5-11

Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 9:6-7 about the names of Jesus.  He is the Son of God.  What a NAME!

 Jesus is the culmination of JOY and LOVE and PEACE and HOPE!

All for us – all wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

While peace may not be found in this world, it can be found in Him.  Joy and hope and love are all ONLY TRULY found in Jesus.

We celebrate more than the birth of a baby, we celebrate the birth of a Savior – come to earth for you and for me.

How will you celebrate this miracle??

Birthing

This week’s theme of advent is BIRTHING
Luke 2:1-7

As we read in our scripture for this week, we see that Mary and Joseph have made their way to Bethlehem.  She has given birth to Jesus..She has given birth to a Savior, which is Christ the Lord…She has fulfilled prophesies from hundreds of years earlier…She holds in her arms the King!
Christmas is practically here.  This is the last week of hustle and bustle and the last week to get those gifts we have forgotten…or that we see the need to pick up.  And for those who wait until the last minute, maybe it is the opportunity to start on the Christmas shopping.  There are Christmas parties to attend, family gatherings to be a part of, cookies to make, gifts to wrap, and so much more.  We can get tired just thinking about it all…but, for just a few moments, you can’t do anything about your to do list.  Take a moment and reflect on the birth of Jesus.  We reflect on His birth because Jesus is the ultimate gift.  There are three things I want you to consider as we reflect upon this gift of Jesus:
1 – God gave the gift of His only Son
We know from John 3:16 that because God loved the whole world, He gave Jesus, His Son, to come to earth.  Jesus came as an infant.  He came in the most unexpected way…born to a virgin…as a baby to grow to be a man…a man like you and me

2 – Jesus gave us a new way of understanding love
As we have talked about many times, Jesus completely turned the world upside down in their thinking.  He showed what true love really does mean.  He showed us what it was like to love the Lord God first…He showed us what it meant to really love others…He commanded us to go and show that love to others.
Our understanding of love is forever changed because of Jesus!

3 – Jesus gave of himself for us – GRACE
We are given something undeserved and unearned.  We are given new life because of a life that was given up.  Jesus gave up His life so that we might have life.  You may not really grasp how important that is.  You may not consider the magnitude of this gift.  All we really can do is stand in awe with thankful and grateful hearts and then, “pay it forward”
We have been given the ultimate gift…we have been taught what it means to truly give – more than any gift that can be bought or fought over.  What can we do?  We can give…give love to a situation that doesn’t have any…share light with a dark world…spread joy where there is only frustration…spread peace in chaos.  We can bring God glory in ALL WE DO!!

Journeying

First, we looked at waiting, then acceptance…Accepting the call that God has for us, no matter what it is – big or small.  Now, we are looking at JOURNEYING
Our scripture is Luke 1:57-80

Zacharias has already been on quite a journey – he was brought the message about his son…he was made mute…his son has arrived and they will call him John.  Now that Zacharias can speak, he has great news, not just about his son, but about the coming Messiah.

He begins by telling about how God has provided salvation for His people, just as He has promised through the prophets.  He then tells about his son, who will be a prophet, the forerunner of the Messiah – the Messiah who will bring light and peace.  As we consider what is occurring for Zacharias – and for the world – I want you to think about two journeys that are going on here that are powerful and intertwined – that bring hope and joy

1 – The Journey of Repentance

Zacharias and Elizabeth – older in age, not able to have children, served the Lord faithfully and gave their life for Him – Now they are having a son – but not just any son…they are having John.  John was born and is called for a specific purpose – he is to be the forerunner of Jesus.  We think of him as John the Baptist because he was baptizing people (including Jesus).  Today, think of him as John, the baby to bring the people back to where they need to be with God.  John had a powerful message – one that we need to hear today, one that is not easy to hear, but vital – it is the call to REPENT…

John is calling the people (and us, for that matter) to repent of our wicked ways – turn from those things which are taking us down the wrong path – those things which are taking our attention away from the Savior.  Turn from the sins that are carrying us down a wrong path, Turn from our own desires and ways…

But, in order to turn, we have to acknowledge those sins – easy for us to sweep them under the rug, to let them go, to look at everyone else who is doing them OR worse…But that doesn’t excuse OUR sins.  We have to see our sins in order to turn from them – REPENT

What do we turn to when we repent – when we turn from our sins?

2 – The Journey of Redemption

Mary and Joseph – a young, engaged couple, just starting out in life, just beginning to serve the Lord – called to raise Jesus.  I can imagine they would be scared, intimidated, overwhelmed – but willing…they are having Jesus.  Jesus was born for a specific purpose – the redeemer of the world.  Jesus will show the people God in the flesh…He will show them what it means to love and serve God…and He will love them all the way to the cross.  Born to die…for you and for me.  His is a journey of REDEMPTION – redeeming sinful people who needed a Savior, desperately.  Where do we turn when we repent?  John clearly tells us in John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”

We turn to the only One who is able to take away sins – when we see our sin and it is ever before us, we confess that sin, turn from it and turn towards the Savior, the Redeemer, who can forgive an wash us clean of that sin…The Journey of Repentance…the Journey of Redemption

ACCEPTANCE

Last week, we talked about what we do while we wait.  It is difficult to wait.  Waiting requires patience.  Effective waiting requires trust.  Neither of these is easy.

This week, we are looking at ACCEPTANCE

As you can tell, we aren’t doing the traditional advent themes, but I want you to think about the message of Christmas this year possibly in a slightly different way.

Today’s scripture:  Luke 1:25-38

Mary is approached by the angel Gabriel just like Zachariah was regarding the son that he and Elizabeth would have (John).  We know the narrative – Mary is engaged to be married, but is not yet married.  The angel tells her that she is highly favored, the Lord is with her and that she is blessed.  I’m sure she was concerned about why an angel was approaching her and why she was favored.  But, the angel had a message for her.  She will be pregnant and have a son, named Jesus.  He tells her about Jesus – big things about Jesus. (verse32- 33) – she wants to know how this is since she hasn’t done anything to become pregnant.  The angel tells her how this will happen and even tells her about Elizabeth.  He comes with an important message that NOTHING is impossible with God!

What is Mary’s response?  Verse 38 (IMPORTANT)

Mary acknowledges that she is a servant of the Lord AND that she is accepting the call on her life.  Think about it – no easy task – her humiliation (she isn’t married), all the questions and stares, being the mother of Jesus and raising the One sent by God – ALL major things she will have to face (she even has to watch Him die).  She accepts what God has for her – she says in essence, here am I, send me!

What about you this Advent season?  Is there something that God has called you to do that you aren’t sure you can?  Has God given you an opportunity that you are not sure you are ready or capable of?  OR, has God called you to do something that seems to be minor, minute, not important (at least in your eyes) and you want something with more sparkle?  God calls each of us to do something – we either don’t accept it, don’t listen to His instructions and guidance, or we do it well…

What is He calling you to do at this time in your life?  Are we remembering that NOTHING is impossible with God when we say YES to His will and His way?

First Sunday in Advent

The first Sunday in advent: the theme is WAITING

I have learned a lot about waiting over the last few weeks.  It is difficult and quite exhausting – but is quite an eye opening experience

I want to talk about what we do while we are waiting.  We are asked to wait quite a lot in our lives…we wait for test results, we wait for people to get out of surgery, we wait for the big break, we wait for the promotion, we wait in line for that sale item…and we wait

What do we do while we wait?

Let’s first look at Luke 1:5-23

Zechariah had been waiting for his life to have a child…but it had not happened.  He wasn’t young anymore, but we find Zechariah doing something that is our first lesson:

1 – While we are waiting, we are called to do the ordinary

Zechariah was a priest.  He was righteous before God, doing the right thing.  He wasn’t sitting around mad or pouting.  He was doing what he was called to do. 

Zechariah was being obedient to what he was called to do.  He was called to be a priest and that is what he was doing and doing it right.

Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were obeying the Lord…there is comfort in doing the ordinary, being obedient…

God sent Jesus into the ordinary…God picked disciples doing the ordinary…God calls us in the ordinary…it is only by Him that we do the extraordinary

2 – While we are waiting, we are called to trust Him

Gabriel had given Zechariah news that was overwhelming.  He couldn’t believe it.  He didn’t understand it.  Think about it, he is older, he has been faithful and obedient…now he is being told he is going to have a son!
He was a good man, a faithful man – but this was so much that he wanted to know how Gabriel knew this was going to happen.  Gabriel explained that he had been sent to bring this good news.  He also made Zechariah unable to speak because he didn’t believe.

Think about it – he didn’t understand what was going on and in his human mind, he was trying to put it all together.  God doesn’t work like the human mind.  He calls us to simply trust Him.  When we do that, we have peace while we wait, we have joy while we wait…but we don’t necessarily have answers while we wait.

We are called to simply trust Him!

3 – While we are waiting, we are called to worship

The people are outside while Zechariah is doing his duty and they are praying.  They don’t know what is going on.  Zechariah finds out his news while in worship.  We, too are called to WORSHIP

Worship despite our circumstances…What will you do while u wait?