Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Mary's Song

Sermon December 23     Mary’s Song
Old Testament  Micah 5:2-5
These verses in Micah speak hope to despair with a clarity and power that is nothing less than thrilling. Jerusalem is in extreme distress, it is under siege and the king has suffered humiliation. The people saw no hope. But Micah does see hope and expresses it in these verses.
He sees beyond the the current circumstance to what God is promising to do. Our God is a God of promises, and Micah is God’s messenger.  Despite the evidence of despair and defeat that is everywhere present, the messenger gives speech to the future God has guaranteed.
What about us today? If you read the daily headlines, listen to the evening news, or pay attention to the headlines on the internet things can seem to be depressing. News Commentators seem to paint the blackest picture possible because bad news sells.
Those smut magazines that line the aisle to the cashier are nothing but lies and trash and gossip but people buy them over and over. One of the editors of those trash papers commented that he printed that stuff because people bought it.
In our society when we see headlines like last week with the tragedy of the school shooting, all of the wars going on in the middle east, the gloom headlines of economist painting pictures of gloom and despair our internal spirit knows there is a day coming when God will Send Jesus back to take over this doomed planet.
That is the hope of the church. Christ the King coming in glory. As His messengers we are to declare the goodness of God and the glorious future that we all are longing for.
Responsive Reading- Luke 1:47-55  UMH 199
Like an aria in an opera or a duet in a musical, the Magnificat stops the action of the Gospel in order to celebrate the greatness and covenant faithfulness of God.  God is sovereign in the world and displays God’s greatness by displacing the proud and the powerful, sending the rich away empty handed. (v. 51-53).
God is great, but equally important – and harder to believe for many in our day – God is good.  God’s demonstration of power is not merely a show of force, but is intended to remind Israel that they belong to God and can count on their God to help them.  God’s power and greatness display God’s goodness.
As A.W.Tozer observed nearly fifty years ago, “The greatness of God rouses fear within us, but His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him.  To fear and not be afraid that is the paradox of faith.”
Mary’s fear in God is unafraid, and in her song we hear of both sides of God’s goodness in action, the grace and the mercy of God.  Mary bears witness to the grace, the unmerited favor – of God,  who has done great things for her and looks with favor upon the lowly and fills the hungry with good things.
God’s mercy (Heb. Hesed; GK. Eleos) is found in forgiveness and long suffering patience with the weakness and corruption of humanity.
Epistle- Hebrews 10:5-10
I want to back up to verse 4 of todays readings that says:
For it is not possible that the blood of goats should take away sins.
It is impossible for us to rid ourselves of sin.  If we could do that, we would not need Jesus.  If we could fix ourselves, we would not need a Savior.  The hope that the church holds out for the world on this Fourth Sunday of Advent is that God has done something for us that we cannot do for ourselves.  Jesus came on a mission to retrieve us. 
Gospel  Reading ( Please Stand if Able) Luke 1:39-45
The full passage (vv.39-55) which joins the birth narrative of Jesus to the one of John, prophetically proclaims the promise of a birth and is thus well suited to the last Sunday of Advent, the last, long breath before the birth of Christmas.
The lectionary reading begins (v.39) with Mary setting out to visit her “relative” Elizabeth in a Judaen hill town, around eighty miles distant from her home in Nazareth of Galillee (v. 26).  She enters the house of Zechariah and greets Elizabeth in one of the most famous “recognition scenes” of all time.
The spiritual commotion of fetal John – his own first prophecy – turns Elizabeth into a prophet:  she is “filled with the Holy Spirit” v41) and utters a prophetic blessing : Mary is “blessed…among women” even as the “fruit of [her]womb” is blessed” (v.42).
…a familial biblical motif: Elizabeth, like so many significant OT mothers, was barren (v7)- is added to the supreme blessing of becoming “the mother of my Lord” v. 43 the bearer of the “beloved son” of God (3:22).
When they meet, Elizabeth learns what Mary already knows.  Thus informed, Elizabeth makes the important connection between Mary’s blessing and Mary’s believing (v.45) what God spoke to her through the angel; an implicit contrast is with Zechariah’s doubtful response (1:18-20).
“Happy are you (v.45) , Elizabeth exclaims, although the reader shortly learns through Simeon’s song that Mary’s soul will necessarily taste also sorrow over her son (2:35).
As God is the ultimate source of fertility and birth, the womb is a profound symbol of potential for the new and surprising, the unexpected and joyous:  “the child in my womb leaped for joy” (v.44).   This motif  of joy culminates in the angelic announcement of Jesus birth (2:10-14).
It is hard to know what brings people to church on the Fourth Sunday of Advent.  Perhaps they are there every Sunday, or maybe today is somehow special?  Perhaps they were asked to light the Advent candles or sing in a pagent or bake cookies for coffee hour?
They may not be on open display, but doubts and hurts are close to the surface for many. People need to sit for a while with a people and a God – who will accept them as they are, not as they feel they are expected to be.
Experiencing true acceptance in worship, you may find yourself asking Elizabeth’s question:  “And why has this happened to me?” This very human sized story prepares us for the grand, history-changing birth that is yet to come. We are strengthened, prepared, and deepened for the Christmas celebration. The Miracle of Miracles.  EMMANUEL – GOD WITH US.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Helping the Poor and Needy

Bible Verses About Helping the Poor
Bible Verses About Helping the Poor from the King James Version (KJV) by Book Order
 
Exodus 23:11 - But the seventh [year] thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, [and] with thy oliveyard.

Leviticus 19:9-10 - And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. (Read More...)

Leviticus 19:15 - Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: [but] in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

Leviticus 25:35 - And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: [yea, though he be] a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.

Deuteronomy 14:28-29 - At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay [it] up within thy gates: (Read More...)

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 - If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: (Read More...)

Deuteronomy 15:7 - If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

Deuteronomy 15:11 - For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

Psalms 12:5 - For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set [him] in safety [from him that] puffeth at him.

Psalms 22:1-31 - (To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring? (Read More...)

Proverbs 14:21 - He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy [is] he.

Proverbs 14:31 - He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

Proverbs 19:17 - He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

Proverbs 22:9 - He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

Proverbs 26:27 - Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

Proverbs 28:27 - He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Proverbs 29:7 - The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: [but] the wicked regardeth not to know [it].

Isaiah 11:4 - But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Isaiah 25:4 - For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones [is] as a storm [against] the wall.

Isaiah 41:17 - [When] the poor and needy seek water, and [there is] none, [and] their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Isaiah 58:6-7 - [Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? (Read More...)

Isaiah 58:10 - And [if] thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness [be] as the noonday:

Jeremiah 5:28 - They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

Jeremiah 22:3 - Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

Ezekiel 16:49 - Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Ezekiel 22:29 - The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

Hosea 13:14 - I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Matthew 5:42 - Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Matthew 6:1-4 - Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. (Read More...)

Matthew 6:24 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 7:21-23 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Read More...)

Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 19:21 - Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me.

Matthew 19:28 - And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Matthew 22:37-39 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (Read More...)

Matthew 23:15 - Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Matthew 25:34-46 - Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Read More...)

Matthew 25:46 - And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Mark 12:30,31 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."


Luke 1:53 - He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Luke 3:11 - He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Luke 7:22 - Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

Luke 10:30-37 - And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. (Read More...)

Luke 12:33 - Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Luke 14:12-14 - Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor [thy] rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. (Read More...)

Luke 16:19-31 - There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: (Read More...)

Luke 21:1-4 - And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. (Read More...)

John 3:17 - For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 8:44 - Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Acts 4:32-35 - And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. (Read More...)

Acts 20:35 - I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Romans 13:1-7 - Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Read More...)

Galatians 2:10 - Only [they would] that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

1 Timothy 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Hebrews 13:3 - Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; [and] them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

James 1:27 - Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Sermon December 16, 2012        John Baptizes with Repentance Jesus with the Holy Spirit and Fire
Scriptures
Old Testament  Zephaniah 3:14-20
The popular notion of the “day of the Lord” (1:14) provides the context for Zephaniahs message just as it does for Amos.  Anticipating their own exaltation and their enemies’ humiliation on this day, God’s people developed a false sense of security that engendered ambivalence toward God (1:12). 
Today people have a false sense of security thinking all is well when we are on the verge of the Notable Day of the Lord to come. There is war all over the world, many are jobless, some are homeless, the economy looks bleak what will the year 2013 bring?
Addressing the pride that underlies this misconception, the prophet portrays this day of God’s visitation as one in which the people/’s conduct will circle back upon them.  Those who have trusted in themselves will have nowhere to turn but themselves, while those who have depended upon the Lord will find refuge in God.
The concluding hymn celebrates the mutual love, joy and fellowship between God and people as Jerusalem sings to the Lord, and the Lord sings over the people (3: 14-20).
Responsive Reading. Isaiah 12:2-6  UMH 847
Isaiah 12 , a prophetic song in six verses, burst with joy and promises God’s presence.  Its joyful message fits well the traditional theme of the Third Sunday of Advent.  Joy is commonly the theme for the Third  Sunday of Advent. 
Clearly there is joy in this beautiful passage that ends the first section of Isaiah, joy now known, as well as joy anticipated, for the ways in which God redeems and restores God’s people.
In the church world there is grace  and salvation is always in tension with the world of meritocracy and privilege.  The clash between these two worlds is reflected in this lesson from Isaiah.
Isaiah 12 looks forward to the day when God’s anger over the people’s turning away from the TORAH is turned into a word of comfort.
Thus Isaiah 12 not only anticipates a day when Jerusalem will be destroyed and the people taken into exile; it also anticipates homecoming.  Salvation as homecoming is noteworthy because it is a Gift.  In Isaiah’s view, the people may have done nothing to deserve the gift.
When Goid gave of Godself in Christ, we humans even exploited the gift of incarnation.
Even though we use the language of suffering for the crucifixion of Christ, The resurrection is a witness to the fact that for God, to give is to gain, because the Christ event empowers us to see the win-win world of the gift-giving God who frees us from the win-lose world based in meritocracy that never satisfies, or in privilege that is always abused.
Epistle- Philippians 4: 4-7
On this third Sunday of Advent the pink candle symbolizes joy. The lectionary offers one of the most encouraging passages  in all of Paul’s epistles….
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord always…..
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God.
During Advent attention is needed to the distinction between the material happiness that the commercial world promises and the abiding joy of Christian faith that cannot be bought at the mall but can sustain us, regardless of what ever may come forth.
Gospel  Reading ( Please Stand if Able) Luke 3:7-18
The passage opens with : O generaton of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
And the people asked.
What should we do?
John gave them specifics. Give away one of your coats. Share your meat. To the publicans he said: Exact no more than that which is appointed you.  To the Soldiers he said: Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely and be content with your wages.
They continued to question and wonder if He (John) were the Christ or not.
What should we do?
John said: I Baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming: I am not worthy to untie the throng of his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost  and with Fire.
Have you heard John preach? I have. I grew up under this type of preaching and at all revivals from evangelist. John’s message never included the good news of the grace of God.  John prepared the way but did not live to blend his ministry with that of Jesus. My first sermon on the radio was a message like John’s back in 1977. I have grown in grace through the years.
He never did get to hear Jesus say, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).  Jesus was baptized by John, but Jesus did not use the method and mood and emphasis that characterized John’s message.
Jesus calls hears to repentance and to lives that bear “good fruit,” but his message was dominated by love.
When John was imprisoned he like most humans began to question the situation. He sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus  “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
Jesus said: Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense in me.”                           
The teachings of Jesus opened up a whole new and enlightened understanding of the nature of God.  It is difficult for those of us who have inherited two thousand years of theological explanation of the Incarnation to realize what an incredibly joyful surprise it must have been to the first disciples of Jesus to hear him say, “He who has seen me has seen the father”.
In Christ Jesus, we have the wonderful insight that not only is Jesus like God, but God is like Jesus and always has been. It is clear that whatever John did or did not understand, he prepared the way for the one who gave us that insight.  John had a special role in God’s drama of bringing salvation to all humankind.
Prayer
Amighty God, who came to us long ago in the birth of Jesus Christ, be born in us anew today by the power of your Holy Spirit. We offer our lives as home to you and ask for grace and strength to live as your faithful, joyful children always. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Monday, December 10, 2012

The Quiet Time

(Shared from God Calling December 10)

There may be many times when I reveal nothing, command nothing, give no guidance. But your path is clear, and your task, to grow daily more and more into the knowledge of Me.  That this quiet time with Me will enable you to do.

I may ask you to sit silent before Me, and I may speak no word that you could write.  All the same that waiting with Me will bring comfort and Peace.  Only friends who understand and love each other can wait silent in each other's presence. 

And it may be that I shall prove our friendship by asking you to wait in silence while I rest with you, assured of your Love and understanding. So wait, so love, so joy.

Jesus
Sermon December 9, 2012  What is your role in God’s Dream
Old Testament  Malachi 3:1-4
Malachi has some good questions for our day.  His very use of questions as a means of prophetic revelation counters the unthinking certitude of much so-called religious conviction.  “Who can endure the day of his coming (3:2)  Who will be “pure and blameless in the day of Christ? ()Phil. 1:10)  Who will prepare the way by repentance and forgiveness? (Luke 3:1-6).
The text of Malachi 3:1-3 appears in one of the signature choral works of this season, George Frideric Handel’s Messiah.
On this second Sunday of Advent, music can sing the Word, proclaim the good news, and challenge both preacher and congregation.  After the first presentation of Messiah in London in 1741, Handel wrote to a friend: “I should be sorry if I only entertained them.  I wished to make them better.”
Handels Hope was to make them just and better.  Mal. 3:3 proclaims: “Present offerings to the Lord in righteousness”
Malachi opens the church to some good questions for today.
Responsive Reading – Canticle of Zechariah (From Luke 1:68-79)
The ministry of the church is a complex and combustible concoction of fear and joy.  If charted it would  spike from fear and anxiety to joy and gratitude with little resting in between. The characters in Luke’s Gospel can be described as vacillating between Joy and Fear.
Look at Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Luke tells us that Elizabeth is barren and getting on in years. The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah to announce that Elizabeth will bear a son named John, who will be the forerunner of the coming savior of Israel.
At this news Zechariah is terrified with disbelief, and so the angel renders him mute. Then Elizabeth conceives and bears a child.  When it comes time to naming the child, everybody questions Elizabeth’s naming him John.
Then, Zechariah confirms this name for his son, his mouth is freed, and he is able to speak but the people are terrified.
So Zechariah’s song is praising God for the coming Savior, he describes the ministry of those who will follow the savior, suggesting that we will “serve God without fear.”
In society there are times of terrorism, fundamentalism, and toxicity that infects all of society. Sounds like today since 9/11 doesn’t it.?
So back to Zechariah’s song of hope to “serve God without fear.”
Epistle- Philippians 1:3-11
Paul prays that the faithful will be blameless before God. In the 10th verse he is praying that they may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ.  Can we stand and proclaim that we are pure and blameless if Christ was to come today?
Another Question to look within to see where do we stand with Christ today.
The story of Blame goes back to the Garden of Eden….She gave it to me…..Eve said the serpent beguiled me. And on and on it has gone since then.
To be a good Christian is to be blameless.  The desire for blamelessness can produce falsehood rather than righteousness.  In writing to the Romans, Paul seems to have reached this conclusion.  To the Romans Paul admits  “ I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Rom. 7:19.
The issues of blame can loom large especially in a season of preparation such as Advent, As we prepare heart and mind, home and church for the in breaking of incarnation, as we ready ourselves for the good news of great joy that is Christmas, the pitfalls of the blame game are prominent.
It might help for us to read over and over again the prayer in v. 9-10  “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best.”
From the vantage point of love, assessing blame can teach us how to step up and do better next time, rather than leaving us mired in guilt or ensconced in defensiveness and denial.
The love we await in Advent is such love – a love that will overflow and leave us, if not fully blameless, at least closer to it than we otherwise would be.
Gospel  Reading ( Please Stand if Able) Luke 3:1-6
The Word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.  He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins….
The voice in the wilderness cries out for the way of God to be prepared with relentless urgency.
Prepare the way of the Lord.  If that is the central message of our passage, there is meaning in God’s choice of John, the wilderness-dweller, as messenger.  John was Gods dream come true. What is your role in God’s dream.
In Luke, the Word of God comes neither to the Emperor nor to the governors, and not even to the High Priest.  It comes to simple John, son of Zechariah, whom Luke introduces in the first chapter of his Good News. 
John the Baptist is to us a great prophet, who prepared the way for Jesus, but compared with the political and religious leaders of his day, he was just an ordinary guy – and yet, God chose John, and not the luminaries of his time, to be the messenger. Perhaps God has been calling you to be a messenger.
God sent the message to John, not in Rome, not in Jerusalem, but out in the Wilderness like Belt or Highwood.  Not the seat of political or religious power, but the wilderness, the out of the way place, the often scary and confusing place where God has spoken  to God’s people in the past and through which God had led God’s people to a new and promised life.
God’s choice of John and where God spoke to John are indications of what God expects from us. He may have called to you in the wheat fields. Out working the cows, or horses, or sheep. That is where God spoke and called great men and women of God throughout the scriptures.
Our repentance, our turning around, will likely involve us looking at the structures and the systems and the people of the world around us in new and different ways.
God has a dream for you.  Say that with me.  God has a dream for me. So what  is your role in God’s Dream?  There is a place that God has carved out just for you.
It may start simply by becoming a prayer warrior.  Leading a bible study. Establishing a men’s or women’s ministry. Ministering to the homeless, the down and out. Welcoming strangers. But God has a plan for your life.
 There is a purpose for your life.  There is a reason why you are where you are at today. There is a reason certain people have come into your life. God is trying to get your attention. Even by sending a southern boy in your midst that talks funny. After all he sent me to the other side of the earth for a reason only to bring me back to Montana just for you.
“Prepare the way this Advent,” the prophet John cries out.  John makes us uncomfortable.  Maybe this is the Advent preacher’s job as well – to make you uncomfortable enough truly to repent and prepare for the coming of Jesus.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Advent and December Liturgy


First Sunday of Advent

December 2nd Scriptures- Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; I Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21: 25-36.

How can we participate in the coming reign of Christ? That is the challenge of Advent. God promises a new order, the birth of a world in which justice and righteousness rule. The promise is irrevocable- the birth will come. Whether we are among those who will be reborn with that world depends upon our commitment and allegiance, in each moment of our lives, to the one true God rather than the false gods we so often honor. God shows us the way in life and words of
Jesus, and gives us companions- our sisters and brothers in Christ. But ultimately, each of us must actively prepare if we are to be part of what is being born at Christmas.

 

Second Sunday of Advent

December 9th Scriptures-Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

The message of God’s salvation is like a refiner’s fire, or fuller’s soap – cleansing us of our impurities. While the adventof the Messiah is marked with hopeful expectation, preparing for that arrival places demands upon our lives. Withwords that confront our complacency, John the Baptist warns us to repent and amend our lives. Christ is coming-bringing hope, eagerness, and anticipation, but also a little fear and trepidation.

 

Third Sunday of Advent

December 16th Scriptures- Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-8.

With the exception of the Gospel lesson, Philippians captures the mood of the day: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (v.4). God’s salvation is at hand. Isaiah and Zephaniah invite us to sing aloud and shout for joy. Through God, the warrior receives victory while the lame and outcast no longer live in shame. Three of today’s lections celebrate the joy of our salvation – but the Gospel lesson reminds us that salvation demands more than our joy. Beyond calling sinners to repent, John the Baptist warns of the wrath to come for those who hear the good news and reject it. Justice is the order of the day. Salvation entails judgment, and we need to be ready.

 

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 23rd Scriptures- Micah 5: 2-5; Luke 1: 46-55; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45

The long-awaited promised one comes. Micah prophesies this. Shepherd-Ruler will bring security and peace to God’s people. Mary sings the ancient song of fortune’s reversal when God enters our world with hope for the despairing and humility for the proud. Elizabeth’s child leaps in her womb, and Elizabeth proclaims with joy the blessing of Mary’s child.The long-awaited promised one comes.

 

The First Sunday after Christmas

December 30th Scriptures- I Samuel 12:18-20,26; Psalm 148; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52.

Spiritual growth into God’s ways was obvious in the lives of Samuel and Jesus. In this letter to the Colossians, we are all called to grow into God’s ways of compassion, kindness, humility, and patience. Clothed in love and wisdom, Samuel and Jesus served not only God but humanity as well. Clothed in love and wisdom, we are called to serve God and humanity, as we join the great praise of creation for the One who has created and clothed us with glory and grace.
Sermon December 2, 2012   Jesus is Coming Be Ready
How can we participate in the coming reign of Christ?  That is the challenge of Advent.  God promises a new order, the birth of a world in which justice and righteousness rule.  The promise is irrevocable – the birth will come.
Whether we  are among those who will be reborn with that world depends upon our commitment and allegiance, in each moment of our lives, to the one true God rather than the false gods we so often honor.
God shows us the way in the life and words of Jesus, and gives us companions – our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Old Testament  Jeremiah 33:14-16
Jeremiah presents God’s promise of hope for the future of Israel.  Not only will Jerusalem be restored, but there will be a restoration of leaders who are faithful and just. Unjust and ungodly leadership has always been the beginning point for the defeat of the nation.  Wicked and unfaithful leaders beget wickedness and unfaithfulness in the lives of those they rule.  Influence runs downhill.
Jeremiah does not offer prophecy as a kind of magic that spells out dates and times and specifics.  The Word of the Lord is not to be understood as human discernment, but as divine decision to make known God’s plan for the future.
These are not manipulative claims that enhance the public stature of the messenger.  It is God’s announcement that “the days are surely coming when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (V.14).
When it is understood that this is God’s promise, specific details are not needed. Help is on the way.  It sounds like messianic talk.  If God says so, you can count on it.
Psalm 25
One of the fundamental questions of life is this:  in whom or what can we trust?  It is a question about people, politics, the economy, and ultimately about life itself.  The question of trust is certainly relevant to the question of truth in advertising and political speech.
Can I trust the advertisements that I read in magazines or view on TV?  Can I trust our elected leaders to tell the truth about what is happening?
The question of trust is also about life itself: to what extent can I trust that I am secure in life, amid terrorists threats, tsunamis and earthquakes, and news of shootings at places thought to be peaceful, like college campuses or high schools? 
In light of these threats, science has become the trusted resource for sorting out how to secure our families and ourselves.  For many science has become a savior.
Long before Jesus Christ was called Savior, the Roman Emperors had adopted the title for themselves. In fact, Luke’s Gospel draws a contrast between Jesus as Savior and August Caesar as savior.
So it is rather striking to read Psalm 25 and note the utter confidence and trust that the psalmist places in God for his or her salvation:  “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  O My God, in you I trust…Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long” (v.1,5).
This psalm points us to the God in whom alone is our help and salvation.. The implication of the psalm is clear.  We are not God.  We are not saviors. Neither does our salvation rest in economics or politics.
The psalmist directs us to a practice that can be called “soul lifting”, that is, the practice of placing ourselves, our families, friends – and , indeed, the world – into the very hands of God.
Epistle- I Thessalonians 3:9-13
Paul was a role model for an itinerant pastor.  He wanted to be everywhere at the same time. He prays for God to open a way to get to the church that needs him most. The letters he wrote became the substitute for his presence. What could he have done with Internet? I recently started using the internet blog system to post my previous sermons. http://pastorcleve.blogspot.com
Paul stays busy praying for churches he has started but at which he cannot stay. Very much like Bro. Van. Where would we be if it had not been for someone like Bro. Van.
Paul was concerned for the welfare of each church. Just think of all of the New Testament we would not have had it not been for these letters that Paul wrote to the various churches that continue to uplift us and keep our eye focusing on the return of Christ.
Gospel  Reading Luke 21: 25-36
The concept of the coming of a messiah, an anointed one, permeates the message of the Hebrew prophets.  From the time of the fall of the kingdom of Israel, when the nation lost the stature experienced in the reign of David, the prophets spoke increasingly of the coming of a representative of God to restore Israel to its former glory and bring Israel home form exile.
The idea of a messiah seemed to grow in intensity in direct proportion to the depth of despair in the nation.  While the concept was not uniform in detail, it was somewhat institutional and universally religious.  The primary theme of apocalyptic literature was messianic in nature. The concept was not only religious but also political and cultural.
Think about our time now. There is political and cultural upheaval. Times seem uncertain. Many have talked about the coming of the Lord. The Time is near. Jesus is coming: Be Ready.
There has always been useless speculation about the Second Coming. Many books have been written.  There are those who have set dates and given unwarranted descriptions of what the end will be like.  AS dates and times expire, new calculations are made.  Whole groups (denominations or cults) have beguiled thousands of people with such vain specifics concerning matters about which it is not ours to know.
The apocalyptic passages some of which were spoken by Jesus speak of a day in the future when Jesus will return. These passages call us to be always alert and ready.  Clearly the end comes for all of us at some time.
That fact should lead us to value the significance of each new day.  There is an expiration date on our lives. The clock is ticking. The hours and days are passing by.  We do not know when and how it will come, but it will come. We were born to die.
Two thousand years have come and gone, and Jesus has not yet returned. But as Jesus said the signs will point to his soon reappearance. Just as we know summer is near or any other season by the signs we see.
In our most reflective moments, we know we are not here to stay, and we should make the most of the time we have. When the end comes, or when we reach the end of life’s journey, we will give an account of our stewardship of life.
While we may think we are indispensable, we should note that we are surrounded by cemeteries filled with indispensable people.   STAY ALERT! Be ready to leave on the journey, at the end of which there will be “a book” that is all about us.
A young girl looked in on her busy father one day and put a sign on his door that read:
Jesus is coming, Look Busy.
To that we can add- BE FAITHFUL.
God is our hope. He has provided a way of escape known as salvation.
We must recognize that we are sinners and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
If we repent or turn around- he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
He promises that if we call upon the name of Jesus we shall be saved.
He gives us a formula:  Ask, Believe, and Receive.
This morning as we share in Holy Communion we are reminded of what Christ has done for us to prepare the way for our salvation. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear God in these days of Advent, when our expectations begin to rise, we invoke your blessings on our time of worship.  You came once in time and history in the life of Jesus to set all humankind free for all time.  Come again, Lord Jesus, to set us free from all the entanglements and conflicts we brought with us today when we walked through the door of this place of worship.  Hear us as we confess our sins before you -   Forgive us, restore us, and set us free in the name of Jesus. Amen.