Sermons From My Heart

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God”. This is John’s version of the nativity story. It doesn’t begin with shepherds and angels and a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. John’s nativity story takes us back to the beginning of creation and time, and it echoes the creation story in Genesis. In John’s Gospel, the very God who created the heavens and the earth and who breathed life into Adam was the same God who became flesh and lived among us. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature because he is God himself. This fulfills the purpose of John’s Gospel; namely, to prove that Jesus and God are one and the same.

Prior to Christ’s birth, there had been 400 years of silence since God spoke through the prophet Malachi. During this period of silence, the people were straining to hear a word from God, so God sent the Word. But first, he readied the world for the gospel. Because of the influence of Alexander the Great, the spreading of the Greek language made communication much easier. Also, because of the roads and general peace of the Roman Empire, missionaries could travel everywhere with less difficulty. Finally, with all of the Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire, evangelists had many synagogues from which to preach the Good News throughout the known world.

The first Christians were Jewish, but the Gospel spread quickly to the Greeks, who knew nothing of the messiah or the fulfillment of prophecy. John had to translate these concepts into language that the Greeks could understand and appreciate. The Greek idea of “word” was “the mind of God”, or reasoning. In their minds, everything that exists was made by God. John is saying to the Greek world, “Jesus is the mind of God in human form”.

It is a concept that is so big our finite minds have difficulty understanding it. Jesus was in heaven with the Father and the Holy Spirit, but he came down to earth in the form of a human being. He walked among us and subjected himself to our human weaknesses even though he was God in human form. He walked on the earth for 33 years, but most people never even recognized him. They thought of him as being the carpenter’s son.

Whatever Jesus does, he does with grace. Whatever Jesus says, he says in truth. If we want to understand what God is like, all we have to do is look to Jesus. God came to us in Christ. When hostility and enmity exist, we can break the silence because of Christ and offer what God has offered us-a word of Grace. The true light came on the first Christmas-the light that shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it. This does not mean that darkness won’t attempt to overcome the light; however, its efforts will be unsuccessful because the light of God always prevails, even in the darkest hours of history.

Light equals life. The Light of Christ has come into our lives. Do we see it as a disturbance, or do we see it as the Light of life, like the shepherds did? This light brings peace, comfort, reconciliation and joy into our lives. The light came into the world where he could be seen and enlighten human understanding, but in spite of all that, the world failed to recognize him-did not understand him-rejected him-crucified him.

There is a story about two brothers, named Tom and John, whose father had died. He had willed the farm to the two of them to keep his sons together. It had not worked that way. John had married and lived in a small town with his family. Tom, who remained single, lived alone in the old farmhouse. “John is always preoccupied with his family,” Tom thought. “I do more than my share of the work.” He began to resent his brother. “Tom is always so grouchy,” thought John. “He is jealous of my wife and children.”

A wall of resentment built up between them. They would hardly speak to each other. They attended the same little church in town and sat on opposite sides of the nave during the Christmas Eve service. John was troubled because they had hardly acknowledged each other’s presence as they sat in church. On the way home John said to his wife, “Tom is alone and has no one to share Christmas. I know he won’t come here. Maybe we can take a warm dinner to him.” His wife prepared a delicious meal and John put it into a sleigh and started from the small town to the farmhouse in the country. Meanwhile, Tom, sitting alone, said to himself: “Life is too short for this. John is my only brother and he has it hard with his wife and family. I will load my wagon with wood for the fire and gifts for the children.” So he loaded his wagon and drove toward town.

Down in the valley between the farm and the town they met. They were silent for a moment and then they embraced with shouts of “Merry Christmas!!!!” Reconciliation took place at that moment, and the true light of Christmas was bright with a glow that could be seen for miles around.

In the Anglican Church, we do not have altar calls, spelled “A-L-T-A-R”, but Jesus always issues an altar call, spelled “A-L-T-E-R”. He calls on us to change our lives for a better fit. He calls on us to change habits that drag us down. He calls on us to read our Bibles and pray daily. He calls on us to help the less fortunate. By doing these things, we will shine the light of Christ and the light of this Christmas season on all of humanity throughout the year and draw others to him.

Bibliography

1. The Rev. Wm. McCord Thigpen, “Christmastide: A Reminder Where Our Hearts Belong”. Retrieved from www.day1.org
2. John Munro, “The Mystery and Mission of Christians”, Decision Magazine, Dec. 2010, pp. 30-33.
3. Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV
4. Exegesis for John 1:1-18. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.org.
5. Pastor Steve Molin, “Do You Like Beginnings?” Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.org
6. Pastor Steve Molin, “Alter Call” Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.org
7. Pastor Vince Gerhardy, “God Has a Word for You”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.org
8. Dr. Harold Sala, “The Incarnation”. Retrieved from www.guidelines.org
9. Jill Carattini, “To the World as We Know It”. Retrieved from www.rzim.org/Slice
10. Arthur J. Schoonveld, “Christmas Response”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
11. Notes from Peter Anthony’s Bible Study on the Book of John, 2010-2011
12. Pastor Jim Collins, “Success Scripture of the Week: Dec. 20, 2009”. Retrieved from www.beyondpositivethinking.org
13. Anne Graham Lotz, “The Revelation of God”. Retrieved from www.angelministries.org
14. Matthew Henry Concise Commentary. Part of Wordsearch Bible software package
15. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch Bible software package

Good morning boys and girls!

Did you have a good Christmas? Did you get lots of gifts?

Did any of you go on a trip over Christmas?  How did you get there? Did you have to get directions? How did you get them? Did you ask someone? Did you go online and get directions? Did your parents use a GPS system or a map?

A long time ago there were some people who went on a journey. Can anyone guess who they were? They were the Three Wise Men. Let me tell you the story.

The Wise Men didn’t have a map or the Internet or a GPS system. They had something even better to guide them. They had a star.

Bibliography

1. “Seeking the Saviour.” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com

John came into the family room where his parents were watching the news. He heard the end of a report about a man trying to collect a large inheritance. “If that man’s parents died, why can’t he get the money that was left?” John asked after Dad turned off the TV.

“He ran away from home when he was sixteen years old,” Dad explained. “That was thirty years ago, and he never contacted his family again. They searched and searched for him and found out he’d moved to another state. They wanted to have a relationship with him again and made repeated efforts throughout the years to contact him, including several visits to the city where he lived. But he wouldn’t even speak with them.”

“But he’s back now, so won’t he get at least some of the money?” asked John.

Dad shook his head. “Apparently not. His parents gave up trying to get a response from him and didn’t include him in their wills.”

“But now, after they’ve both died, he’s finally shown up and thinks he should have the inheritance?” asked John.

“Yes, but now it’s too late,” replied Dad. “He contested the will, but the courts upheld it. They said he’s not entitled to any of the money.”

“Wow!” said John. “I bet he’s sorry he didn’t make up with his parents when he had the chance.”

Dad nodded. “He learned a hard lesson–and a very common one. Do you realize that something similar happens every day?”

“It does?” asked John in surprise. “You mean there are lots of people who leave home and refuse to have a relationship with their parents?”

“That happens often enough,” said Dad, “but what I really meant is that God offers an inheritance to everyone who comes to Him through Jesus Christ. Because of our sin, we’re cut off from God, so He sent Jesus to pay the price of our sin so we could have a relationship with Him. But many people ignore His offer of reconciliation. When life ends, they’re going to want the inheritance–eternal life–given to those who are part of God’s family, but it’s going to be too late. That’s why it’s important to accept God’s offer to have a relationship with Jesus now, while we still can.”

The passage we heard from Ephesians expresses a new understanding that Paul has talked about in his other letters but never fully developed. The abolishment of the barrier between Jews and Gentiles is the key to understanding God’s plan for the universe. His plan was and is to unify the entire universe in Christ Jesus. That is God’s gift to us, and we should be grateful for what He has done for us.

The author of Ephesians refers to God’s gift of grace as a lavish inheritance. Something we didn’t earn, but which is gifted to us. How often do we settle for less when God is dying to give us grace? How often do we settle for the tired old habits of religion—legalism and dogmatism- instead of waiting in expectation for the lavish gift of forgiveness, the mystery of adoption by God? How do we correct our vision?

When the New Testament speaks of a mystery, it normally refers not to a secret but to a truth that has previously been unknown. The mystery of God’s will focuses on God’s great plan to centre all things in heaven and on earth in His Son, Jesus Christ. The dispensation of the fullness of the times refers to the time when God’s plan will be fully revealed at the Second Coming of Christ. Then everyone on earth will recognize that Jesus is Lord.

The fact that we are chosen by God gives us a purpose that we can hang on to in our slippery world. Our wide-open, permissive society is similar to the sinfulness of first century Rome. It doesn’t provide a purpose, but God does, and that purpose is to be holy and blameless in love. Second-best isn’t good enough for us as Christians. To be chosen for a purpose means that to be human and Christian is to be holy, and to make our lives an offering to God. Our destiny as Christians is in the hands of a God that loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so we can have eternal life with Him.

Those in Christ have every spiritual blessing needed for spirit, soul and body; for the past, present and future; for salvation and service; for time and eternity, both now and forever. The spiritual blessings believers have in Christ encompass every need and aspect in their lives. Paul specifies that these blessings are in the heavenly places so that readers will understand: this promise is not one of earthly blessings that will pass away but of spiritual blessings that will endure forever!

God hates uncleanliness. He hates to see anger boiling in the heart rather than the love that He placed there. God hates the lackadaisical heart that finds it hard to care about God, let alone anybody else. God hates gossip flowing freely off the tongue rather than encouragement or words of praise. God hates the self-indulgence that often replaces compassion and attention to the needs of the people around us. God hates the uncleanliness of the jealousy that chokes off our ability to have healthy relationships.

God hates uncleanliness because he hates anything that sells us short-short of what we can be, short of our destiny. God hates anything that harms us or prevents us from being the people He designed us to be. God hates anything that chokes off the life He desires for us.

God hates uncleanliness because God is holiness and we are not. God has higher hopes, holy hopes for us, and yet we fall short. And let’s be honest-cleanliness is next to impossible. But God is holiness, yes. At the same time, though, give thanks because God is also pure mercy.

God is love, and love does not wish to live alone. By definition, love requires relationship, so God chose for himself a people to be His own special possession. Love and sacrifice go together. We have been redeemed, justified and drawn near to Christ through His blood. This is the power of God because the love that initiated it is God’s love. Through God’s forgiveness we have redemption because of Christ’s sacrifice. As a result of this forgiveness we can respond to God in all wisdom and prudence. Through God’s forgiveness we are gathered into one body and we become God’s children. We become what we want and need. We become part of God’s family. We find unity in Christ.

When you were in school, were you ever among the last children to be chosen when teams were formed in Physical Education classes? Perhaps you felt the same way a little boy named Ronnie did. Ronnie squirmed back and forth unable to peel his eyes from the black asphalt below him. He hated this part of physical education class. He shifted his weight back and forth and listened; wishing and praying that he would hear his name called.

“Simon.” The boy next to him smiled and hustled over to his team. Ronnie sighed. There were only a few kids left and he knew he would be the last one picked. He was right, as he found himself standing alone, again. Ronnie, shoulders drooping, joined his team. Getting picked last stinks.

There are none picked last in the Kingdom of God. God does not choose us because we are the most athletic, the smartest, the strongest, or the most religious. We cannot do anything to earn the salvation God graciously and freely gives us. It has always been a part of God’s plan to adopt us into His family, so we cannot take the credit. There is no room for pride.

Our team captain is Jesus Christ. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are holy and blameless in God’s sight. We are set apart. Through Jesus we are a part of the body of Christ. We are on His team. We are not picked last, but first. In fact, Jesus picked us long before any of us existed! We are valued by Him because He had us in mind from the beginning of time. He took the time to create us. We belong to Him. He has a plan for us. Most important, He will never stop loving us.

The word “beloved” is a reference to Christ. The believer’s relationship with the sinless Christ is what makes him or her acceptable before God. When we believe in Christ, He works a miracle in us. We are purified and empowered by God. We obtain the riches of God’s grace in abundance. We have everything we need for life and godliness. We are to share these gifts with an unbelieving world. That is the point of the parable of the wicked, unforgiving servant. We didn’t deserve grace, but now that we have it, we have to give it as liberally and as graciously as we received it.

Six times in the Letter to the Ephesians Paul reminds readers of God’s riches: grace, the glory of His inheritance in the saints, His mercy, Christ and his glory. Because God is the source, this wealth can never be depleted and can never be lost.

The original form of the term “redemption” recalls the word “forum”, the place in ancient cities where slaves were bought and sold. Believers have been redeemed from the bondage of sin and freed by the shed blood of Christ. The believers’ inheritance consists of the promise of eternal life with God and all the spiritual blessings the heavenly Father supplies until then. Not only do God’s people receive an inheritance from God, they also make up His inheritance.

When something is sealed, it is marked with the owner’s name and secured as being in his or her possession. God marks believers as His very own by sending His Holy Spirit to live in them. The Holy Spirit Himself is the seal.

Whatever our situation may be, we are assured that God will work things out after the counsel of His own will. He will turn our sorrow into joy, and our groaning into glory. There will be times in our lives when our spiritual growth will be slow and times when it will be fast. God doesn’t always hurry in the development of our Christian life and He is not bound by time. Those of us who are deeply spiritual will be the ones who have made up their minds that they are going to stick with the Word of God, love other people and allow Him to live His life through them.

The Gentiles heard and responded to “the word of truth, the gospel of salvation”, which must include both the message of divine forgiveness and the vision of a transformed world. The Spirit is the advance instalment of the fulfilled vision. What will the vision be like? It will have the features we recognize in the Spirit. And what are they? Some might think of ecstasy and wonders. People who have listened to Paul will answer: love.

This elaborate and somewhat flowery acclamation is grounded in its underlying vision of divine love. People and things will be one when they acclaim love and compassion and acknowledge those alone as what rules. That vision of Christ is then a vision for the church and the whole world. It already shows itself where barriers and prejudice are broken down.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: NKJV (Nashville, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1639)
2. Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 31: Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982, pp. 144-153)
3. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
4. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Bob Christopher, “It is Finished!” Retrieved from www.basicgospel.net
6. Kenny Luck, “God’s Influence in Us.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
7. Bayless Conley, “It Will All Work Out.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “A Glorious Inheritance.” Retrieved from mydevotinal@leadingtheway.org
9. “Lost Inheritance.” Retrieved from info@keysforkids.org
10. Kelly McFadden, “Not Last, but First.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
11. “Received and Accepted.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
12. “Spiritual Growth.” Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com
13. Christine Caine, “Obeying Matilda.” Retrieved from Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com
14. “Global Positioning System.” Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System
15. William Loader, “First Thoughts on Year B Epistle Passages from the Lectionary: Pentecost 7.” Retrieved from www.staff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/BepPentecost7.html
16. “I Exam.” Retrieved from http://morrisokcumc.blogspot.com/2006/07/sermon-july-16-i-exam.html
17. The Rev. Dr. Allen Hunt, “God’s Promises for You: I Forgive You.” http://day1.org/1026-gods_promises_for_you_i_forgive_you.print

How do we know that Jesus is the only way to God?

That’s a question many people are asking these days. They say that Jesus was a good man, a religious figure or a revolutionary, but the only way to God? It’s not surprising that people have this idea, especially when you consider our modern society. There is a turning away from God, and that is represented by a decline in church attendance. We also have to consider the fact that there are passionate Muslims, Jews and Hindus who are fervent in their faith and beliefs.

The best way to answer the question is to see what Jesus said about Himself. In John 5:24, Jesus claimed powers that only God could claim. He raised the dead, healed on the Sabbath, judged sins and forgave sins. As a human, Jesus could do nothing separately from the Father. When Jesus acted, God acted. Both Jesus and God are almighty, all-seeing, all-knowing, infinite and perfect. In other words, Jesus and God are one. This means:

1. God wants us to honour Jesus. People who refuse to honour Him disobey the Father.
2. Jesus and God are equal. People who deny one also deny the other.
3. The same feeling that leads us to honour God will also lead us to honour Jesus.
4. The evidence of the existence of Jesus is the same as that of the Father. They have the same goodness, omnipresence, truth and power.
5. Those who do not offer proper homage to Jesus do not worship the true God. 
6. There is only one true God. People who claim that there are other gods worship false gods.
7. People who do not offer proper homage to Jesus are not true Christians.
8. One evidence of piety is when we are willing to render proper praise and homage to Jesus. This means loving Him, serving Him and obeying Him with all our hearts.

Jesus has the power to raise the dead if it is His will. That’s why He was able to raise Lazarus from the dead. That’s why He was able to raise the widow’s son from the dead. It is Jesus’ will whether sinners will live. He has the power to renew them. He can see our hearts and motives.

When lives are at stake, nothing is spared. That’s why firemen rush into burning buildings to rescue trapped people. Human lives are priceless. That’s how God sees us. He saw that we could not gain eternal life by ourselves, so He sent Jesus to provide it for us through His death on the cross and resurrection. God provided for us at a high cost-the death of His Son.

Many of you have children who imitated you when they were young. They did exactly what they saw you do. In the same way, Jesus did on earth what God did. He reached out to the lost, helped the needy and healed the sick. We are called to do the same. We are called to follow Jesus’ example and do what He did. As we continue growing to be more like Jesus, we will love like He loves, forgive like He forgives, care like He cares and live in ways that please Him.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New Kings James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1449)
2. Daniel Darling, “Just Who is Jesus, Anyway?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
3. Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Part of Wordsearch 12 Bible software package.
4. Dr. Harold Sala, “What is your Life Worth?” Retrieved from info@guidelines.org
5. Leslie Koh, “Just Like Dad.” Retrieved from donotreply@email.rbc.org

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He made a sign advertising the pups and posted it in his yard. Shortly after, a boy showed up in response to the sign. “Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.” “Well,” said the farmer, “these puppies cost a good deal of money.” The boy reached deep into his pocket, pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?” “Sure,” said the farmer.

The farmer whistled and called, “Here Dolly!” Dolly ran out of the doghouse, followed by four little pups. The little boy’s eyes danced with delight. As the dogs approached, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little pup appeared, but this one was considerably smaller. The little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up.

“I want that one,” the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.” The little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down and rolled up one leg of his pants, revealing a steel brace. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “Mister, I don’t run too well myself, and that puppy needs someone who understands.”

Once the hoopla and confusion of Christmas fades and the wonder of Christ’s birth fades, Christians consider the harder questions that arise from the Incarnation-questions such as “Why did God have to come to us in this way?” and “Was it necessary for Christ to suffer during His life and especially in His death?” The short answer is that Jesus came not only to show God’s love and presence with us, but He also came to bear our mortality so that He could die to save us from our sins. God is revealed in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. That’s the irony of the Incarnation-that God is revealed only in human vulnerability.

As a baby, Jesus was born to a teenage girl whose heart agonized at the oppression of her people.  He drank the milk of her breasts while her innermost being throbbed with a passion for liberty. As a lad, He walked streets that were occupied by foreign troops. Swaggering or standing spread-legged in haughty arrogance, with weapons slung over their shoulders, they reflected their ruthless authority in their cold looks. As a teenager, Jesus knew the frustration of having parents who did not understand His radical calling. As a young businessman, He understood the difficulty of meeting payroll and dealing with adamant customers who demanded unreasonable service. He periodically heard the belligerent knock of the tax collector on His door demanding exorbitant taxes for a foreign oppressor. As a leader of a new movement, He was pained by the slowness of His disciples to grasp the true meaning of God’s kingdom and His servant identity. He felt the rising tide of hostility from the religious establishment and recognized the tightening vise of political power that was determined to squeeze all the breath out of His new movement. He seethed at the corruption of an illegal trial. He knew the stinging pain of the lash and the thong, the exhaustion of carrying a heavy cross, the cruelty of the soldiers pounding nails through His hands and feet. As He hung on the cross for hours, His bones began to pull from their sockets; His mouth was parched with the loss of blood and relentless heat. He experienced the alienating weight of the world’s sin, the yawning chasm growing between Him and His Father. He quietly watched the shades of death pull over His eyes until finally He gasped His last breath and gave over His life to God in a final act of submission. Then His limp and lifeless form was laid in a borrowed tomb.

Yes, in the midst of all of this He was truly one of us. Never again can we cry out in the midst of discouragement, opposition, or pain, “But God, you who are secure in Your heavenly sanctuary with all Your massive resources, what do You know of our human struggles? What do you know about living down here in the stench of human decay? Amidst all your power and glory, you have no idea of the powerlessness and helplessness of our human experience!”

On the contrary, Jesus does know how powerless and helpless we are. Jesus was and is our great High Priest. The first high priestly qualification of being identified with us comes through sufferings. There was no escape for Jesus. He had to be our brother in full identification with our feelings and our pain. He had to take on human flesh not only to become the sacrifice for our sins, but also so that He could experience what it is like to be one of us. He did not judge our human weaknesses. He felt them in His own human flesh.

Jesus has been there. He was angry enough to chase the moneychangers from the temple. He was hungry enough to eat raw grain, upset enough to weep in public, fun loving enough to be called a drunkard, winsome enough to attract kids, weary enough to sleep in a storm-tossed boat, poor enough to sleep on dirt floors and borrow a coin for a sermon illustration, radical enough to get kicked out of town, responsible enough to care for His mother, tempted enough to know the smell of Satan, and fearful enough to sweat blood.

Why would heaven’s finest Son endure earth’s toughest pain? So we would know that He is able to help us when we are tempted. Most of us can remember a time when a good friend or a loved one empathized with us during a difficult situation. “I know how you feel. I’ve been there. I get what you’re going through, and it’s going to be okay.” These words give us comfort and solace. They make us feel less alone and they offer hope for recovery and healing. This passage from the Letter to the Hebrews remind us that Jesus is that friend. He faced temptation when He spent 40 days alone in the desert. He suffered sorrow, pain, grief, and even fear. Jesus gets it. Because He gets it, and because He knows what suffering feels like, He offers us real comfort, reassurance and hope.

Union with God-which was shattered by the sin of the first Adam-could not be restored without suffering. The sufferings of Jesus the Captain of salvation were fitting because they completed the work of bringing many people to glory.

Believers are declared holy at the moment of salvation, but God also progressively sanctifies them through the Holy Spirt as they grow in their faith. Although Christians participate in this process of sanctification by reading and obeying the Bible, ultimately they increase in holiness through the work of God.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus called His followers “disciples” or “friends” but never brethren. The cross changed all of that. When Jesus saw Mary on the day of His resurrection, he told her to go and tell the brethren. By using this term Jesus showed His willingness to identify with people in their humanity and suffering. He challenges believers to consider who they are: members of God’s family.

We inhabit flesh and blood, so we are subject to death. Death was not part of God’s original plan for humanity. God wanted to save us from death, so He destroyed the power of the devil, who used death to frighten us. God was like a fireman who runs into a burning building to save people who are trapped.

When someone has a more powerful weapon than their enemy, the enemy’s weapon becomes useless. Satan’s weapon was the power of death, and it was destroyed with God’s weapon of eternal life through Christ’s birth, death and resurrection. Jesus came to earth to die. By dying, He conquered death in His resurrection. He rendered Satan powerless against everyone who is saved. We don’t have to fear death because Jesus broke the power of death over our lives.

Theologian Charles Ryrie defined the word propitiation as “the turning away of wrath by an offering.” Christ’s sacrificial death in our place turned away God’s righteous anger toward our sin, satisfying His holy requirements. Propitiation has two parts:

1. It makes guilty sinners favourable before God by satisfying the wrath of the offended party.
2. It leads to reconciliation.

Both were accomplished through Christ’s death.

We have to build our faith and confidence in God’s ability to protect and deliver us before we are faced with a difficult situation. Then when we are in danger we can fight the good fight and win. Jesus walks beside us to give us strength, courage and hope.

Bibliography

• Evans, L.H. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 33: Hebrews (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985; pp. 70-80)
• Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
• MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
• Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 1691-1692)
• Vikki Burke, “Become Fearless.” Retrieved from dbm@dennisburkeministries.org
• David McCasland, “He Walked in Our Shoes.” Retrieved from donotreply@email.rbc.org
• Joni Eareckson Tada, “Rescued Through the Flames.” Retrieved from communications@joniandfriends.org
• Allister Begg, “Come to Your Tempted Savior.” Retrieved from newsletters@truthforlife.org
• Jim Liebelt, “Someone Who Understands.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
• Mary Luti, “A Sibling Empathy.” Retrieved from dailydevotional@ucc.org
• Micah Jackson, “Commentary on Hebrews 2:10-18.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary+id=3129
• The Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm, “Light Overcoming Darkness.” Retrieved from http://thewakingdreamer.blogspot.com/2013/12/light-overcoming-darkness.html

Poor baby Jesus! He’s only a small child, and already his life is in danger, as we heard in the passage from Matthew 2:13-23. This passage is an example of how the events in the New Testament Gospels are the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. For example, the fact that Joseph is called to lead Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt parallels Jeremiah 31:15, where the Ephraimites were led into exile after the fall of Judah and Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BC. Jesus was led out of Egypt to save his people, just like Moses led the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery. The warning God gave to Joseph in Matthew 2:20 is a parallel to Exodus 4:18-20. Joseph made a home for his family in Nazareth, which was the fulfillment of the prophecy from an unknown source, possibly Judges 13:5, Isaiah 11:1 or Isaiah 53:2.

This fits in with the purpose of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew’s Gospel was written for a Jewish audience. He wanted to prove to his audience that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah.  Matthew shows how Jesus initiated new people of faith in whom the salvation history of Israel becomes a new salvation history that is open to everyone.

God’s plan of salvation was opposed from the start. With the birth of Jesus, salvation emerges within us and within our problem-filled society. Salvation wrestles with our enemies. Jesus becomes Emmanuel-God with us-so he can lift us, especially when we battle the forces of evil. Matthew states in his Gospel that the Old Testament prophets foretold that Jesus and his followers would be hated, and they are still hated today. Jesus and the disciples often clashed with the establishment. Jesus and his disciples were persecuted. All of the early disciples except for John were put to death. It is appropriate that the term Nazarene is used to describe Jesus. The term Nazarene is a synonym for someone who is hated or despised, and people from that region of Israel were characterized in that manner. Herod’s murder of innocent children in Bethlehem led to the death of the hope people had for the future. God’s leading of the Holy Family into exile reminds us that the hope of God’s providence is the answer to the hopelessness of evil.

Joseph and Mary had to let go of a lot of things when their faith journey took them into Egypt. They left behind everything they knew, including their deepest comfort level. Sometimes we feel the same way when we have to make changes in our lives. After all, old habits are hard to break, but the only way we can grow and change as Christians is to do uncomfortable things especially when God asks us to do them. If we refuse to make changes, we turn our backs on God, the ultimate source of comfort.

Sometimes we only give in and turn our lives over to God when we are broken and without hope. Sometimes we only let God take the wheel of our lives when we are hopelessly lost. Sometimes it is only in our brokenness that God can mend us and make us whole. When God called the Holy Family to go to Egypt, he saved them from evil, and he can save us from our own place of exile today. Sometimes God puts us in a place of exile to protect us from someone or something, or to teach us something. That place of exile where we are does not have to be the place where we spend the rest of our lives.

Even when we are in a place of exile, we must demonstrate unwavering obedience to God just as Joseph did. Joseph could not see all of God’s plan except for the next step. We can’t always see the fullness of God’s plan any better than Joseph could, but like Joseph, we can be assured that our faithfulness will lead to great things even if we can’t see them. 

Bibliography

1. John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, 1^st Sunday after Christmas, Year A. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible Software package.
3. Augsberger, M.S. and Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr. :The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)
5. Exegesis for Matthew 2:13-23. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
6. Tom Holliday, “To Obey God, Let Go”. Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com

A birth is a great adventure. it doesn’t matter if it’s the Messiah’s birth, our birth, or the birth of one of our children. Birth is a great mystery, and God is the giver of that life. At Christmas time, we celebrate the mystery of the greatest birth of all-the birth of Jesus.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, deity invaded humanity, eternity invaded time, and royalty invaded poverty. From the time He was born, Jesus identified with the common people-people who lived lives of holiness, humanity and dependence. God chose the least of all cities-Bethlehem-to host the birth of His Son, and He chose the least of society-shepherds-as the first witnesses. Shepherds were considered ceremoniously unclean because they invariably had to engage in financial transactions with the Gentiles; therefore, they were not allowed to worship in the temple. Nor were they allowed to testify in court, because they were considered unreliable witnesses. When God chose to announce the birth of Jesus to shepherds with his contingent of angels, He made his point clear: Everyone is loved by God, everyone has access to God, and everyone is desired by God.

The Glory of the Lord appeared for the first time in centuries in, of all places, an open field populated by shepherds. Mary, Zacharias and the shepherds were all in the will of God, going about their daily duties, when the supernatural broke in. Although greatly afraid in the moment, these witnesses ultimately experienced deep joy.

The phrase “do not be afraid” was a standard admonition on the heels of an epiphany, which is a brief but direct encounter with God. It was also a message for that time in history, for the anxious and restless nation of Israel had been without a word from the Lord for 400 years. The people toiled under the heavy yoke of the Roman Empire, understanding that if they did not submit, they would be destroyed. Jesus was born at a time when a message of great joy was particularly needed.

God took on flesh in the midst of a forced government relocation. He was born in a town so crowded that a feeding trough was all that was open. No one attended His birth. Lowly shepherds were the first visitors. We can’t remake Christ’s birth in our own image. Sure, compared to some people at that time the Holy Family had sufficient housing and a well-made bed, but if we emphasize the fact that they were better off compared to a lot of people then and now, we lose the importance of Christ’s birth. He was born among the lowly, not among the high, mighty and powerful.

The Jewish people of the day longed for a Saviour, but they expected Him to free them from Roman rule. The angels’ message meant something far more important: Jesus had come to reconcile humanity to Himself. People want to be saved from many things such as bad marriages, debts and others’ sins, but He came to save individuals from their own sin.

Today, we need a Saviour who can restore us and get us back on track. That Saviour came on that first Christmas Eve, and He is willing and able to come to us today. The shepherds recognized Him and worshipped Him. Those who recognize and worship Him today have nothing to fear in either this world or the next.

The angels’ message contained three components: a song of praise, a song of peace, and a song of purpose. The message of the gospel is that humanity is no longer an enemy of the Almighty; God’s Son has torn down those barriers. This message of peace was entrusted to shepherds-a hated class of people who were outcasts from society. They weren’t allowed to testify in a court of law. God gave the message of Christ’s birth to amateur peacemakers. This message is still being heard today.

At the world’s first evangelical service, the shepherds were the congregation, the herald angels were the preachers, the announcement was the gospel in all its beauty, and the invitation was responded to by everyone who heard it. The shepherds carried out the angels’ instructions and then became preachers themselves when they returned, glorifying and praising God.

News this good must not be neglected and not held to ourselves alone. Everyone needs to hear because everyone needs that Saviour and in every case, when received by faith, Jesus delivers his wonderful salvation-forgiveness of sins. eternal life and a right, living relationship with God.

In more than a few past wars, the warring nations would call a cease-fire for Christmas Day. They would agree that on Christmas Day they wouldn’t shoot at each other, drop bombs, or try to destroy one another. Then, of course, the day after Christmas they would start killing each other again. Jesus’ birth brought peace-not the abolition of war, but a different kind of peace. It is the peace for everyone who receives God’s good pleasure. This peace will come when we give glory to God in the highest.

As strange as that custom has been, in a wonderful way it is a mute testimony to the purpose for which Christ came-to bring peace. That was the message the angels proclaimed. Because of Christmas, there will come a time when everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Jesus came to die to show the depth and breadth of God’s love for us.

Sin means missing the mark of God’s perfection. Because we have missed that mark, we have been separated from God. Jesus came to defeat death so that we, who are hopeless without Him, could experience love, forgiveness and freedom. Jesus came to reconcile us to God. That reconciliation brings God’s peace.

Jesus reconciles us to God. He counteracts the evil forces that divide society. We need to make peace with God, our neighbours and ourselves. God’s peace is a gift to those who are the objects of His pleasure. How blessed would we be if we took our troubles to Christ-who was born, lived, suffered, died and rose again so our lives might be changed. Even now, Jesus is speaking words of reconciliation between a lost humanity and God. The Christ child in the manger is an indication of the great lengths God will go to reconcile us to Him.

There is nothing we can do to receive God’s peace. He lived the perfect life we can’t live. He gave his life to free us from the curse of sin. When we humble ourselves, confess our sins and trust Jesus as our Saviour, God is pleased with us.

Jesus came to fix our broken world and mend our broken lives. Jesus also brought joy. Joy came because He gave the Holy Spirit to those who follow Him. That joy came because of the peace Jesus brought and the lives He mends.

How do we please God? It is only through Jesus Christ, only through the way of reconciliation He has made available to us. If we want to be reconciled to God and reconciled to others, then it must be through Christ.

Do you need some reasons for celebrating Jesus’ birth? Here are some ways that can help us move from survival to celebration:

1. We can celebrate because Jesus was born to save us.
2. Because of Jesus, we can celebrate that we don’t have to pay for the sickness of our sins.
3. Because of Jesus, we can celebrate that we have God’s presence in our lives and we have access to His power.
4. Because of Jesus, we can celebrate that we have a place waiting for us in heaven.
5. Because of Jesus, we can celebrate that while we’re living here we can keep growing to be more like Him.
6. Because of Jesus, we have peace-the peace that passes all understanding.

On earth, peace will come, because when the heart has only one aim to follow, it is delivered from dividing and distracting cares. It will come because the glory of God is so lofty an aim that it lifts the soul into the atmosphere of the heavenly and eternal world where peace reigns unbroken. It will come because we are not greatly troubled by the reverses and alternations of fortune that are incident to all work in this world, since the main object of spending eternity in heaven is always secure and beyond fear of failure.

It seems that in our secular world there is less and less room for Jesus. In fact, a growing number of people won’t even allow Jesus to stay with the animals. They want Him out of everything we can possible think of, including Christmas celebrations.

Is there room in your heart for the Lord Jesus? How often has Jesus tried to touch our lives through a circumstance or a tragedy, or even an incredible blessing? Do we say, “I’m sorry, there’s no room,” or, “Just sit over there in the corner and I’ll let you know when I’m ready for you.” Have we prepared room for Him in our hearts? Have we received Him and let Him be King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

God came to save us from a dark past, an empty present and a hopeless future. He brought hope in the dark places of His time, and He brings hope to the dark places of our lives today. Will we let His light shine in the darkest places of our lives? When we receive God’s special gift, our past is forgiven, we have a new purpose in life, and we have a home that is prepared for us in heaven.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p.1386-1387)
2. Larsen, B. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983; pp. 47-54)
3. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
4. Pastor Ken Klaus, “Stolen Valor.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
5. Jill Carattini, “Imagining Christmas.” Retrieved from slice@sliceofinfinity.org
6. Pastor Ken Klaus, “Peace Among Those With Whom He is Pleased.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
7. Pastor Ken Klaus, “A Living Nativity.” Retrieved form lh_min@lhm.org
8. Dr. David Jeremiah, “Celebrate His Love.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
9. Pastor Ken Klaus, “Not the Way I Would Have Done It.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
10. Pastor Dick Woodward, “Great Joy for All People.” Retrieved from Crossswalk@crosswalkmail.com
11. Sharon Jaynes, “What About Those Christmas Carols?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
12. Gwen Smith, “From Cradle to the Cross.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
13. Pastor Greg Laurie, “What Message Did the Angels Bring?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
14. Doug Fields, “Christmas: Survive or Celebrate?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
15. Dr. David Jeremiah, “A Humble Birth.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org
16. Dr. Ed Young, “Worship Like Angels.” Retrieved from ministry@winningwalk.org.
17. The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, “Christmas Eve (B): Flat Jesus.” Retrieved from comment-reply@wordpress.com
18. Dr. Ed Young, “Watching Sheep Sleep.” Retrieved from ministry@winningwalk.org
19. Dr. Jeff Schreve, “Has the Grinch Stolen Your Christmas?” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
20. Ralph Douglas West, “Hope for the Hopeless.” Retrieved from pas@ralphdouglaswestministries.org
21. Dr. Ed Young, “Don’t Leave This Gift Unwrapped.” Retrieved from ministry@winningwalk.org
22. Dr. Ed Young, “Make Room in Your Heart for Jesus.” Retrieved from ministry@winningwalk.org.
23. The Right Reverend Charlie Masters, “Advent 2018 Letter from Bishop Charlie.” Retrieved from admin@anglicannetwork.ca

Today we begin the transition from Advent to Christmas. We are led to the stable. Our hopes, dreams and longing for a Saviour are the same hopes, dreams and longings people had on that first Christmas 2,000 years ago. The birth of the Messiah pointed to the promise of the Kingdom.

To many people at that time, the promise of a coming Messiah was like a dream. They dreamed of a Messiah who would change their lives by driving out the Romans. Their dreams meant the end of their old world and their old way of life and the beginning of the kingdom. This change would not be dramatic. It would be brought about by God entering in the lives of two very ordinary people-Mary and Joseph-and an extraordinary circumstance. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He used two ordinary people to be the parents of the baby that would bring salvation to the world.

At that time, Jewish marriages took place in three stages. First, there was engagement. This was where the marriage was arranged between both sets of parents when the couple were still children. Second, there was the betrothal, which took place one year before marriage. At this stage, the girl could refuse the agreement, but if she accepted, the only way the agreement could be broken was by divorce. The couple was legally married but could not consummate the marriage until the third and final part of the marriage took place. That part was the wedding celebration, when the groom took the bride home to be his wife.

God interrupted the plans that Mary and Joseph had for their lives, and for a good reason. God’s plans for their lives had to take priority, just like his plans for our lives have to take priority. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. That was a scandalous situation in those days, and could lead to death by stoning, unlike today where this situation is commonplace. Mary’s pregnancy was disrespectable in the eyes of the people in their home village, but it was honourable in the eyes of God. Honour also fell on Joseph because he was made part of God’s plan for his people.

Human plans were overridden so that God could do good things for us. It shows that something good can come from a messy situation. We don’t always have the control over our lives that we thought we did. We need to ask God to deepen our faith so we can accept things when the absurdities of life happen. This reminds us that Jesus is “God with us.” Jesus revealed the entirety of God. Jesus became the sins of the people so he could save us from these sins. He showed the love he had to give us the precious gift of salvation. This would not be possible if Joseph and Mary did not follow God’s call and his plans for their lives.

Speaking of dreams, God often speaks to people in a variety of ways, including dreams. Take Joseph for example. He wanted to divorce Mary privately and quietly because she was pregnant out of wedlock, but God spoke to him in a dream and told him not to divorce Mary. Dreams were a special mode of revelation by which God gave instructions to his people.

Joseph tried to live according to his faith and its traditions, but Mary’s pregnancy created a conflict between Joseph’ head and his heart. Life is like that. Life isn’t black and white, and neither are law and grace. Often we find ourselves in situations where opposites create conflict and we have to find ways to make them work together. In this case, the solution led to the miracle of Jesus’ birth. This miracle led to the gift of salvation for all people, including the religiously unclean, the poor, women and the Gentiles.

God intervened in Joseph’s plans to quietly divorce Mary by encouraging him to make a decision out of love instead of following the rules. Love is supreme in God’s Kingdom. There are times when society’s rules will have to be overruled by love for our fellow man in order to make something happen that will save lives. In other words, salvation comes when we put love above rules.

Christ was the same when he was on earth. He came into conflict with traditions, beliefs and the way of doing things. His work as the Messiah conflicted with the type of Messiah the people expected. He often clashed with “the establishment”. Man tried to resolve this conflict by nailing Jesus to the cross in hopes that he would be silenced forever. Jesus used the cross to resolve the conflict by offering his people the gift of eternal life to those who believed in him.

Our response to God when he speaks to us constitutes our prayer. Prayer is not easy, but obeying God is not easy. We will face difficulties when we obey God. It is in these times that we must remain steadfast in faith and trust God to bring us through these difficulties. We can face any hardship when we trust God. This hope is an attitude to the future.

Joseph is an example of how Christ wants his people to act. Joseph could have made a public spectacle out of the situation, but he didn’t. He acted out of love and not out of anger. He obeyed God, and God rewarded his obedience with grace. God’s grace to Mary is the starting point of the story of salvation-a story that includes suffering. God’s grace extends to everyone, and that grace includes suffering for his sake. We must endure our own suffering and encourage the suffering of others. In this painful situation, Joseph’s only concern was for Mary. This is righteousness in action. Joseph also did not make a hasty decision. He took time to consider his options, and during that time he positioned himself to hear God’s word. God instructed Joseph through his dreams.

Joseph was a righteous man, but he was not self-righteous. He did not want to cause Mary any pain, so he decided to divorce her quietly. He showed Christ-like compassion in the face of what was a “sin” in the eyes of the people. He was as perfect as humanly possible, even as God is perfect. He was righteous and obeyed the word of God perfectly. God drafted Joseph into a difficult position. If we are faithful, would we be willing to be drafted by God?

Joseph’s righteousness was deeper and more profound than observing laws and customs. It grew out of God’s presence in his life, and it allowed him to hear the voice of the angel in his dreams and obey its commands. He could look directly at what confronted him, see it and all its implications and obey God without regard for his own reputation. He could accept the angel’s message that Mary’s unborn child was of the Holy Spirit.

Joseph was a common man who dared to obey God’s will for his life. Joseph put his own ego aside and put Mary and God first. He is an example for all of us-an example of humility based on a simple trust that all things work together through God’s grace for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purposes.

Christmas is not just a holiday. It is a holy day. It is the day God came to earth as a baby to reconcile us to him. Reconciliation would lead to an exciting life of faith. To live that exciting life of faith, we have to keep on trusting God. Joseph didn’t understand what God told him, but he trusted God. He knew things that Joseph didn’t know.

The Virgin Birth was God’s greatest affirmation of humanness. God showed that he could become human without becoming sinful. He had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he died on the cross for our sins, he would have already experienced all the pain and testing himself and would be able to help where help was needed.

Today we begin our preparation to meet Christ at Christmas. We might feel confused and troubled like Joseph was. We might feel unworthy to receive Christ because we lack the virtues that Joseph displayed-charity, faith and hope. We must strive to imitate Joseph’s qualities of humility, faith and obedience.  Our Advent might not have been the season of preparedness that we wanted it to be, but it is not too late for us. We can become full of purpose and believe the promises of God that Joseph believed.

God works with us where we are, but he can bring us to where we ought to be. He came into the life of Joseph and brought him to great sanctity. He works with people who are more flawed than Joseph was and does great things with them and through them.

Christmas is a chance to worship God, to bow down and pay homage to him for humbling himself and appearing in human form. God’s word is more certain, more secure and more immoveable than any event on earth. He is the answer to our needs. He sacrificed himself to save us. That is the mystery of the Virgin Birth and the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Advent invites us to let go of the expectations of society. Advent calls on us to forget about our own expectations and remember the love of Jesus and Joseph and the love of God. We are called on to let God’s peace gradually warm our souls and free us for new expectations and the birth of something within us and for us. We need to remember the essential message of Christmas-God is with us.

Bibliography

1. Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. XXV, No. 1 (St. Paul, MN: Luther Seminary, pp. 27-36)
2. Exegesis for Matthew 1:18-25. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
3. Ray Hollenbach, “Great Preaching Through the Christmas Season”. Retrieved from www.sermoncentral.com
4. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 4^th Sunday of Advent (A)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
5. Billy Graham, “Responding to God’s Call”. Retrieved from www.billygraham.org
6. Dr. Charles Stanley, “Holiday or Holy Day?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
7. Tom Holladay, “You Obey God by Trusting God”. Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
8. Greg Laurie, “Why We Celebrate Christmas”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
9. Greg Laurie, “The Essential Message of Christmas”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
10. Dr. Jack Graham, “When God Calls You into Hard Times”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
11. Timothy Gardner, O.P., “How inscrutable His Ways”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org
12. Euan Marley, O.P., “A Link in the Chain”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org
13. Augsberger, M.< 7 Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.: 1982)
14. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2010)
15. Austin Tucker, “The Virgin-Born Savior”, Preaching Magazine, Vol. 29, No. 2, pgs. 38-40 (Nashville, TN: Salem Publishing Inc.)
16. Elizabeth Morris Downie, “Joseph the Righteous”. Retrieved from www.thewitness.org
17. Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “The Faithfulness of Joseph”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
18. The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “When the Moment of Crisis Comes”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
19. Dr. Keith Wagner, “God Is With Us”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
20. Fr. John O’Connor, O.P., “Our God Comes to Meet Us”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org
21. The Rev. Maxwell Grant, “Expecting Christmas”. Retrieved from www.day1.org

Hello boys and girls!

Are you starting to get excited for Christmas? Are you getting excited over all of the Christmas decorations? At this time of year, we see lots of colourful ribbons, candles, stars, wreaths such as our Advent wreath, Christmas trees, Christmas lights and angels.

When you see angel decorations, what is the first thing you think of? Most of the time the first thing we think of is the angels announcing Jesus’ birth to shepherds in the field, but there is another, more important time that an angel appeared before Jesus was born. Can anyone tell me what that was? It was the time that the angel appeared to Mary and told her she was going to have a baby.

There was another time that an angel came before Jesus was born, and that story is part of our Bible lesson for today. That visit was to Joseph, and I’ll tell you about it now.

Joseph and Mary were going to be married when Joseph found out that Mary was going to have a baby. He thought long and hard about what he should do. He decided to break off the engagement, but an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel told Joseph to go ahead and marry Mary, because the child she was carrying was Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

Joseph obeyed the angel, and he obeyed God’s plan. He didn’t understand what was happening, but he didn’t have to understand what was going on. He did not have to worry about what other people would think. He trusted God and obeyed God.

Have you ever found yourselves in a situation where you didn’t know what to do? Did you ask yourselves “What do I do now?” If we stop and listen, God will tell us what to do. He might not speak to us through an angel. He could speak to us through our friends, family members or even total strangers. He will speak to us through His Word. We have to listen and obey like Joseph did.

Let us bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dear God, the story of Jesus’ birth fills us with joy and lessons. Help us to read your Word and listen as you give us the answers to our questions and problems. We ask this in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Bibliography

1. “An Angel Appears to Joseph”. Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com
2. Carolyn Larsen, The Bible Storybook, pgs. 234-236 (Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing; 2009)

Have you ever been in a situation where people did not live up to the hopes and expectations you had for them? If so, you can probably understand why John the Baptist was confused in the reading we heard from Matthew’s Gospel.

Why was he confused? There are two possible reasons. One is that his imprisonment could have affected his thinking. Prisons in John’s day were not like they are today. John was locked up in a dungeon in Herod’s palace. The dungeon was like a cave-dark and depressing.

A second, more likely reason is because Jesus was not the type of Messiah John preached about, not was he the type of Messiah the people were looking for. Both John and the people were looking for a military-type of ruler who would drive out the Romans and restore Israel to the glory days of King David.

Uncertain, scary times can shake us up and cause us to have doubts about our faith. John the Baptist is a good example. When we, like John, are moved by the Holy Spirit, we vow to follow God. When we receive blessings, we are sure that Jesus is our Saviour. When we face tragedies and disasters, we question our faith. We question why these things happen. We are so wrapped up in our suffering that sometimes we can’t see, hear or feel God’s presence.

John clearly shows us what happens to his and our narrow expectations. Christ came for him but He came in a way that John did not expect. We will find reconciliation and peace if we can see beyond our expectations and look for new places where Jesus is working. Jesus came to reverse things.

Jesus did not live up to the expectations of the people. He blessed the poor in spirit, the meek and peacemakers. He called on his people not to judge others. These teachings were contrary to the actions the people expected because of John’s fire and brimstone preaching.

Jesus did not answer John’s question directly. At that time, it was shameful and dishonourable to publicly claim for oneself a higher status than one was born with. In the eyes of the people, he was a carpenter’s son and not the Son of God. He did not openly declare that He was the Messiah. Instead, He proclaimed the kingdom of God.

The expectation that was met was the expectation that society would be changed. The prophecies of healing in the last days came true when Jesus came, and they are coming true as the date of His Second Coming approaches. That healing shows its face in Jesus’ compassion-the same compassion we are to show to a hurting world.

Jesus came to help those in need, those who don’t have anyone else to help them. He didn’t come to destroy the wicked. He came to restore them and give them a second change. In other words, he came for us. We are the ones who need help. We are the ones who need someone to help us. We are the wicked who need a second chance.

Jesus did preach repentance, but he offered mercy and healing. Jesus judges us through mercy. Judgment has come, and Jesus the judge has decided that those of us who have accepted him as our Saviour by faith will receive mercy. In return, we are to continue his ministry of healing and teaching.

Faith requires doubt in order to be faith. All of us have doubts about Jesus and our faith from time to time, especially if we are suffering or praying for something. Sometimes we wonder why God allows suffering or why God doesn’t answer our prayers. At times like these we must be like John. He had doubts, but he was open to hearing Jesus say that He is the Messiah. God doesn’t get mad at us when we have doubts. In fact, he is loving and gracious. He cares about our doubts and problems, but He cares more about us. All of our doubts will be gone and all of our questions will be answered when we get to heaven.

When we have doubts, we can do the following things:

1. Admit our doubts and ask for help like John did.
2. Act on our faith and not on our doubts.
3. Keep going back to what we know to be true.

Sometimes we have blinders on. These blinders hinder our vision of where God is. If we take these blinders off we can see where God is in our lives and trust him.

Jesus answered John’s doubts with a report of His dramatic work. Matthew mentions the giving of sight to the blind first in order to highlight Jesus’ unique ministry. The Old Testament does not record the blind being healed, nor does the New Testament record any of Jesus’ disciples performing such a miracle. It is the most frequent healing miracle that Jesus performed. Jesus also healed the lame, the lepers and the deaf, and he raised the dead. Each of these compassionate acts was proof that Jesus was the Messiah.

Jesus asks us to stretch our understanding of who the Messiah is-a different model than the magical problem-solver and giver of good things that we want to have. When we remain faithful in the face of prayers that are not answered or hopes that go unfulfilled. God does not promise a life without pain, but He does promise that He will walk with us and that we will come out whole in the end.

Jesus used a series of rhetorical questions to get the crowd to appraise John the Baptist. They were so interested in him because he was a humble prophet who spoke a piercing message. That message landed John the Baptist in jail. King Herod married his brother’s ex-wife, and John told him that was wrong. Herod did not like that message, so he had John the Baptist arrested.

Jesus insisted that John was more than a humble prophet because he served as His forerunner. John the Baptist was therefore greater than Isaiah, Daniel, Elijah or any of the other Old Testament prophets because only John had the privilege of personally introducing the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to the nation of Israel. He was also lesser than the least in the kingdom because he did not see the full work of Christ-his death, resurrection and ascension. We have experienced all of these because of our faith in what Christ did for us on the cross. We have experienced the actual atoning work of Christ. We are also greater than John because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

When Jesus said that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist, he was not belittling John but highlighting the extraordinary privilege of being in the kingdom. John prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah, but those in the kingdom experience its reality.

Advent is a time of expectation, a time of waiting for the coming of our Saviour. He comes among us in His Word and through the Holy Spirit. He stirs us up and gets us involved in His ministry among those who are neglected by our society. That is his expectation for us, and it is also the world’s expectation for us as Christians, so it should be our expectation as well. It is up to us to meet those expectations.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1299-1300)
2. Exegesis for Matthew 11:2-11. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
3. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
4. Augsberger, M. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982, p. 18)
5. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006)
6. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles, 2005)
7. Dr. Ray Pritchard, “If I Believe, why do I Doubt?” retrieved from www.keepbelieving.org
8. Kelly McFadden, “Tunnel Vision.” Retrieved form www.homeword.com
9. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 3^rd Sunday of Advent (A).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
10. The Very Rev. Samuel Candler, “Are You the One Who Is to Come?” Retrieved from www.day1.org
11. David Lose, “Disappointed with God at Christmastime.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
12. Arland J. Hultgren, “Commentary on Matthew 11:2-11.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org.
13. The Rev. Ada Wong Nagata, “Can You See and Hear God’s presence in Your Life?” Retrieved from www.episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw