The Angels' Message to the Shepherds

 

After no messages from God or angels for well over 400 years, suddenly angels are showing up everywhere.  An angel spoke to Zechariah in the Temple, an angel spoke to Mary in Nazareth, and in a dream an angel spoke to Joseph.  Every time the angels speak, they bring the good news that the Messiah was coming.  God was going to fulfill His promise and send the Messiah into the world.  God was going to come and rescue His people.  God was going to show up and be with His people.  Emmanuel was on the way.  This was all good news.  In time, even Joseph saw this as good news.

Today’s message of the angel goes from good news to great joy and the message they share gives us three reasons why we can have Great Joy.  The first reason is that the promised Messiah is no longer coming in the future, the Messiah is now here.  Unto you is born THIS DAY.  Today is the day. The Messiah has arrived.  There is no more waiting, there is no more longing for God to step in and do something.  God has done it and the Messiah is here.  In fact, if they wanted to, people could go and see the child because He is lying in a manger in the city of Bethlehem.  

This was great joy 2000 years ago, but it is still great joy today because God is still with us.  The Messiah is still present with us.  We won’t find Jesus as a baby in a manger, but as the living Christ at the right hand of God in heaven.  But Jesus is also with us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  While we might feel far from God and have a longing to see and hear God in our lives, the truth is that God is right here and God is willing to meet us right now.  Jesus said that when he physically left this world that He was going to send His Spirit to lead us and guide us.  We were not going to be left as orphans, Jesus would still be with us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

So for us today, there is no more waiting.  While we are waiting for Christ to come again in glory, Christ is also right here and He is available to us right now.  If we have hearts and lives open to receive Him, the dear Christ still enters in.  There is no more waiting for Christ to come, Christ is here now.  This is great joy.  

The second way this angels’ message brought great joy was that they said that the Messiah had come for ALL PEOPLE.  All people means all people.  It means the rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, those who feel loved and those who feel forsaken, those who feel chosen and those who feel left out and cast out.  It’s no accident that the message that all people were going to be included in the promise and work of God was given to a group of shepherds.  These were men who most of the time felt like the Messiah would not have come for them.    

While Shepherds did important work, they were considered outcasts and unworthy because their jobs made them ceremonially unclean.  Working with sheep means getting your hands dirty and it wasn’t the dirt of the ground that was the problem.  It was the blood and bodily fluids of the sheep and other animals that the shepherds had to work with that made them unclean.  There were laws that said you had to purify yourself after you touched blood or dead animals before you could enter the Temple, worship God, or just be with other people, and the shepherds never had the time to go through a process of purification.  They were considered unclean and cast out and so they would have been the last ones to consider themselves welcome in the presence of the Messiah - and yet they were included.

The shepherds had no idea that they were the only ones who got the message that night.  In fact, they may have thought that other angels had gone to the kings, rulers, and religious leaders because those were the ones they would have assumed would have gotten that kind news.  So at first they were just excited to be included, but think about how they must have felt when they arrived at the stable and saw Mary, Joseph, and the messiah lying in a manger?  

Mary and Joseph would have told them that they were the only ones who came to see Jesus that night.  There were no rulers, no kings, and no priests or religious leaders.  Just them.  As they left Jesus, the Messiah lying in the manger, they would have been talking about how they might have been the ONLY ones who were given this message.  Now they were really rejoicing because it’s no longer that they had been included, they had been chosen.  Great Joy.

Have you ever had a moment when you realized that no longer have you just been included, but you have been chosen?  Most of us can probably remember the opposite of that. I remember being included in gym class (you had to participate) but being one of the last ones chosen.  For 12 years I could only imagine what it must have been like to be some of the first ones chosen.  To know that some captain saw you as the best and wanted you on their team - what a feeling that must have been.  And then it happened.  No, I wasn’t chosen first or even second in gym class. 

It was my senior year and our yearbooks had just come out.  I read through it, but not that closely and then someone said, Andy, do you see that you were nominated for something in the senior class awards?  You know, those things like most likely to succeed, most athletic, best smile.  Well, yes.  I was nominated for “most sophisticated”.  I didn’t win but it was just an honor to be nominated.  

OK, my class didn’t know me well because I was anything but sophisticated, but hey, I was nominated for something.  I was suddenly special.  People knew my name and thought of me in a positive way.  That’s what the shepherds must have experienced.  Someone actually knew them and they had been nominated and chosen to get the news.  They weren’t the last ones chosen, in fact, they were the first ones chosen.  That night, they may have been the only ones chosen.  This Messiah was for them.  Great Joy.  

The joy the shepherds experienced in being chosen was so great that they couldn’t contain it. They told everyone what they had seen and heard. They told everyone that the Messiah had come and that the Messiah was for all people.  Everyone was included and everyone was wanted.  That is still a message that needs to be shared today and we are the ones who need to share it.  There are still too many people who feel uninvited, unwanted, and unwelcome by God and by God’s people.  If we have been included, then we need to share the news that everyone is included and by coming to God we can experience great joy.    

Who can you invite to come and experience the joy of Jesus?  Who can you invite to Talleyrand on Friday or to worship on Christmas Eve?  Who can you send a card to and say that you are thinking of them and remembering them and that they are loved?  Reaching out to all people is one way we can spread Great Joy into all the world.  

The third way the angels’ message brings joy isn’t so much in what they said but in who the angels chose to share it with - the shepherds.  While the shepherds were seen as outcasts because of their job, their job was also one that connected them to the Messiah.  The Messiah was to come from the line of David, who was a shepherd.  The Messiah was going to save people and lead them into a better life, like Moses who led the people into the Promised Land, and who was a shepherd when God called him.  God Himself is even described as a shepherd in Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd.  So the Messiah didn’t just come for shepherds, He came to be THE SHEPHERD, the good shepherd, and that in itself brings great joy in 3 specific ways.  

#1.  Psalm 23 tells us that the good shepherd will guide us to places of provision, safety, and life.  

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

The Messiah came to lead us to places where we can have fullness and life.  Jesus will lead us to green pastures where we can eat our fill and be satisfied.  He will lead us to still waters where we can drink and be refreshed.  Green pastures and still waters are places of peace and security.  The Messiah didn’t come to just open a door to heaven, the Messiah came to make life here and now better.  

Whatever it is we may feel we lack or need, God can provide.  As the good shepherd, God still wants to meet our needs, bring us peace, and give us a sense of confidence and assurance that all will be well.  Jesus can meet all our needs and supply us with everything God wants for us but we have to be willing to follow and trust the good shepherd.  If we will, there can be great joy.  

#2 A good shepherd also knows His sheep and His sheep know Him.  Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”  John 10:14,  Not knowing a lot about shepherds, we may miss the great joy that comes in knowing this.  

A shepherd really had to know his sheep.  He had to walk among them and know their strengths and weaknesses in order to keep them safe.  He had to know which ones might wander out after food or linger in the water.  The shepherd had to spend time speaking to them so that they would know his voice and be willing to follow it.  A shepherd had to take the time to get to know his sheep and God knows us.  As our good shepherd, Jesus knows us.  He walks with us.  He knows what we have been through, the good and the bad, and is still by our side.  The Bible says God knows everything about us, even the number of hairs on your head, and still loves us.  

There is great joy in knowing that God knows us fully and still loves us.  God knows our times of doubt and discouragement when we struggle to believe.  God knows when we aren’t walking faithfully and struggling to do what we know is right.  God knows us fully and still loves us completely.  In fact the Bible says that there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love.  It is unconditional and complete, which means God is always there and God’s presence doesn’t bring shame or guilt, it brings freedom and joy.  Great Joy. 

#3 A good shepherd brings great joy because the shepherd is committed to his sheep and loves them so much that he is willing to lay down his life for them.  Jesus said,  

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd… and I lay down my life for the sheep.  John 10:11-15

God, as a good shepherd, sent Jesus to be the shepherd who would lay down His life for the sheep.  God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16.  That everlasting life is a gift given to us because Jesus laid down His life for us.  Jesus took on the penalty for our sin when He died on the cross.  He died our death and then He fought our enemy Satan.  We know Jesus defeated Satan and destroyed sin and death because on the third day Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus literally laid down His life for us so that we might not die but live.

All of death has been swallowed up in victory, the victory of Jesus Christ.  This is great joy because we couldn’t get this victory on our own.  We couldn’t defeat sin and death on our own.  On our own, we would be devoured by the evil one, but we aren’t on our own, we have a shepherd who not only fights for us but who has won the victory for us.  This is great joy!  We aren’t defenseless, we aren’t defeated, we aren’t dead in our sin - we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us and came to be our good shepherd.

The message of the angel was great joy to the shepherds.  All the waiting was over and the Messiah had come.  And the Messiah hadn’t just come to the in crowd, the wealthy and well connected, the rulers and religious leaders, He came for them and for all people.  They were not just remembered and included but they had actually been chosen.  Great joy.

The angels’ message to a group of shepherds was also great joy because it told the world that the Messiah was Himself to be a shepherd.  A good shepherd who would lead people into the abundance and fullness of life, a shepherd who would fully know His sheep and love them unconditionally, and a shepherd who would lay down His life to save them.  The Messiah coming as our good shepherd brings great joy/  

Jesus is right here and ready to meet us right now.  There is no waiting.  There is no going home to get cleaned up, no changes that need to be made before we can meet Him, Christ is here for us and for all people.  You might not feel worthy or wanted, but Jesus is ready to receive you.  You might feel you have fallen too far or failed too often for God to love you or save you, but Jesus came as the Messiah for all people, that includes us, all of us.  

And Jesus is here to be our good shepherd.  He will lead us into all the fullness of life.  He knows us so well that He knows what we need and is willing to help us, provide for us, and sustain us as you wait for God’s work to be completed.  God knows us fully and loves us completely and He has died for us.  Christ took on our sin and died our death so that we might be forgiven and know the joy of salvation.  All of this, all of this is great joy.  

Next Steps

The Angels’ Message of Great Joy!

This week, reread all the messages of the angels.  

Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:-14

● What common themes do you see?  

● What difference do you see?  

● How is this week's angels’ message different from the others?  

“THIS DAY”

The angels tell the shepherds that the Messiah is now here.

● How do you experience the living Christ today?

● What practices can help you experience Jesus every day in the new year

● Read John 14:15-31.  Jesus said he would not leave us orphans but through the Holy Spirit God would be with us.  How do you see the Holy Spirit at work in your life and in the world?  What questions do you have about the Holy Spirit?  Ask God for answers.  

“ALL PEOPLE”

Christ came for all people.

● When have you felt invited but not chosen?  

● When have you experienced the joy of being known and wanted?

● How can you help others feel welcome and wanted?

● Who can you share this great joy with this week?

“THE SHEPHERDS”

Jesus as a good shepherd tells us three things.

1. Jesus will lead us into all the fullness of life.  Psalm 23

2. Jesus knows us and loves us still. Matthew 6:25-34

3. Jesus lays down his life for us.  John 10:1-18

When and how did Jesus do these things?

How does Jesus do this for you today?  

The Angel's Message to Joseph

 

This month we are looking at the good news that was given by the angels throughout the Christmas story.  Zechariah heard the good news that God had heard the prayers of His people and was going to send the Messiah.  Zechariah also got the good news that he and his wife were finally going to have a child who would be the one to prepare the way for the Messiah.  Mary heard the good news that she had been favored by God and chosen to be the one who would give birth to the Messiah.  All this good news, however, was not good news for Joseph.  

Joseph was a righteous man who spent his entire life honoring God.  In all of his ways, Joseph sought to be obedient to the teaching of God’s law.  When Mary told him that she was pregnant, and he knew that he was not the father, what the law told Joseph to do was to dismiss her.  An engagement was legally binding, so for Mary to now show up pregnant meant that Joseph should divorce her, and if he wanted to protect his own righteous image, Joseph should do it in a very public way so everyone would know that he was not at fault.  But because Joseph loved Mary and didn’t want to shame her, he made up his mind to dismiss her quietly.  He would work through the mess she had handed him, and move on with his life.

We have to assume that Mary tried to explain to Joseph that she had been visited by an angel and that it was the power of God that brought about this child, but clearly Joseph wasn’t buying it.  Nothing like this had ever happened before, and things like this just didn’t happen in his life.  While we might want to be critical of Joseph for not being more supportive of Mary, we have to give him some credit for loving her enough to not publicly shame her.  

For Joseph, the decision was made.  He was going to move on, and God could have let that happen.  God could have let Joseph walk away and then bring someone else into Mary’s life and allow another man to be part of God’s plan of salvation.  Nothing is impossible for God. God could have said, fine Joseph, you don’t believe what I am doing?  Then just go your way and I’ll go my way.  But that is not what God said and that’s not what God did.

What God did was to send one more angel to give Joseph this message.   Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.  Matthew 1:20-21.

God loved Joseph enough to speak to him during a time of doubt and disappointment.  When Joseph’s world was crashing down around him, God told him to keep going because God was with Him.  I love this!  Maybe of all the angel’s messages during the Christmas story this is my favorite because I love that God didn’t dismiss Joseph but sent an angel to tell him that he was loved, and that God had a plan for his life, and that God was with him.  I love this message because it means that when we have doubts, when we are ready to walk away from God and dismiss Him from our lives, God doesn’t dismiss us.  God loves us enough to never dismiss us and walk away.  

I love this because there was a time in my life when I was ready to walk away from God.  I didn’t want to follow God’s will or consider God’s plan, and I didn’t want to give up the things that I wanted in life, so I dismissed God.  I told God to leave me alone.  But God didn’t.  While God gave me a glimpse of what life would be like without Him, and everything in my life went from bad to worse, God never left me.  God loved me enough to stay by my side as I wrestled and wandered.  

God loved me enough that when I then sat down on a concrete bench under Beaumont Tower on the campus of MSU, God said, Andy, with me there is life, without me there is death, and the choice is yours.  That was the message that came to me after I had dismissed God from my life a month earlier.  I told God I wasn’t interested in following Him and I would live life on my own.  But God loved me enough that He didn’t let go of me and He didn’t dismiss me.  God kept loving me and walking with me and God spoke about how I could experience all the fullness of life.  

One of the common themes we have seen in all of the angels’ messages is that God loves His people.  God loved Israel enough to listen to their prayers and fulfill the promise of giving them a Messiah.  God loved Zechariah enough to fulfill his longing for a son.  God loved Mary enough to choose her to be the mother of the Messiah and to do a miracle in her life, and God loved Joseph enough to not let him walk away in his doubt and disappointment.  God could have let him go, but God didn’t.  One more time God sent an angel to let someone know that they were loved and chosen by God and that God was with them.  

The angel reminded Joseph of what the prophet said long ago.  

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).  Matthew 1:23

It is in those moments when we are filled with doubt and disappointment, and in those moments when we ask ourselves if God is even there, that God longs to tell us that He is.  In dreams, through His word, in moments of silence, through the words of others, God speaks to us and the message He shares is the same one He gave to Joseph.  Don’t be afraid to keep going.  I am with you.  Don’t be afraid to keep planning and dreaming and living life.  I am with you.  Don’t be afraid of the dark or doubt or disappointments you are facing.  I am with you.

Covid brought disappointment into the Christmas season a few years ago but we found that even during that difficult time, God was with us.  This year, many people are facing the doubts and disappointments of life brought on by a difficult economy.  Investments have decreased.  Prices have increased, and the jobs we have now can be challenging but trying to find a new or right or better job can be even worse.  The plans we had for our future are not as clear today as they were yesterday and it’s easy to dismiss God or start walking on our own.  It is precisely in these moments that God wants to tell us that He is still with us.  

In Luke’s gospel, the angel appeared to Zechariah and Mary in ways they could see and talk to them, but here, the angel appears in a dream.  Angels speaking to people in dreams is not uncommon in Jewish tradition.  God spoke to Abraham, Jacob and Solomon in dreams, so when God spoke to Joseph, it put him in good company.  I wonder, however, if God had to speak to Joseph in a dream because when he was awake, Joseph was too busy trying to think through the problem and figure out how to solve it on his own.  Had Joseph given God time and space to speak?  Do we give God enough time and space to speak?  Are we ever still long enough to know that God is with us and that God has something to say to us?

I know this is a difficult season to be still and quiet.  Good and important activities are all around us.  Opportunities to serve and worship and share and give are all around us and we want to take part in it all.  And there is so much great music to listen to, scriptures to read, movies to watch (and not just on hallmark), and so our days and nights and weekends are filled.  Filled with noise.  Filled with activity and movement.  We fill our lives with so many good things that it can be hard for us to hear God speaking.  

Now let me be clear that the answer isn’t always to do less.  God can speak to us through our times of worship, service, sharing, and giving.  And the answer isn’t to turn off all music and movies.  The answer is to ask God to speak to us in ways we can hear Him in the midst of our busy-ness.  God can speak during times of worship.  Through the music and message of the Christmas Concert this afternoon, God can speak.  In fact, we might just hear an angel's message to us if we come with ears to hear.  We can hear God in all that we do if we ask God to speak and then work to listen.  

God loved Joseph enough to speak to him.  Through his doubts, his disillusionment, and all his thinking and planning about what he should do, God loved Joseph enough to find a time to speak.  And Joseph didn’t just listen to what God said, he followed it.  Joseph took Mary home to be his wife.  He gave the child she carried the name Jesus, and he helped raise the son of God.  

When Joseph made this decision, he chose to live not by the letter of God’s law but the spirit of God’s law.  Joseph didn’t dismiss or divorce Mary, which is what the letter of God’s law required, instead he lived by the spirit of God’s law, which was to love.  We know that love is the foundation and spirit in all of God’s law because of the two passages that the Jewish people revered and Jesus lifted up.  

Deuteronomy 6:5.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength

Leviticus 19:18. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Joseph’s decision to love God and love Mary shows us what it looks like to follow the spirit of God’s law, and it was an example that Jesus followed throughout His life.  One of the things that Jesus was criticized for over and over again was breaking the letter of God’s law.  Jesus worked on the Sabbath, He healed on the Sabbath.  Jesus touched people who were unclean and allowed unclean and sinful people to touch Him.  Jesus spoke to Gentiles and women, and allowed children into His presence so He could bless them.  Jesus taught people not to hate their enemy but to love them, and instead of seeking an eye for an eye, He said it was better to turn the other cheek.  

Jesus didn’t live by the letter of God’s law but taught us all to live by the spirit of God’s love that rests behind the law.  It’s not that we ignore the law, it’s that we look deeper than the law to see and hear God’s wisdom and discern God’s will.  This is what Jesus did. Where did Jesus learn to do this?  From His heavenly father.  Where did Jesus see this lived out?  In His earthly father, Joseph.  When the law said to dismiss Mary, Joseph took her into his home and heart and loved her.  

Joseph loved God enough to do what God asked him to do, and he loved Mary enough to take her into his home.  Joseph traveled with Mary to Bethlehem and cared for her and their newborn son in a stable.  Joseph protected Mary and their child when they were warned to get out of Israel.  Joseph protected Mary on a trip to Egypt and then a trip home to Nazareth years later.  Joseph loved Mary, not with words, but with actions.

In case you haven’t noticed, Joseph is the only character in our nativity scenes who doesn’t speak.  The angels speak.  Mary speaks and says Yes to God.  The shepherds speak when they say, let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that the angel told us.  The wisemen speak when they ask for directions on where to find the king of Israel.  And unless you believe the legend that the animals spoke on the first Christmas, we know they didn’t speak, but they did make noise.  But Joseph was silent.  There is not one recorded word of Joseph in the Bible and yet his example of love was powerful enough to shape the life of Jesus.  Joseph shows us that:

Love is not measured by what we say, but by what we do.  

This is not to say that our words of love are not important.  It is very important for us to say, I love you, to those we love.  Those words can be transformative.  This past week we celebrated the life of Jane Holderman and one of the most touching stories I heard about Jane was how her constant words of, I love you, shared with her grandson with autism, broke through to him.  Jane was one of the only people who could touch her grandson without him getting agitated.  Her constant words brought him comfort and in time her words allowed him to find his own words and say, I love you, in return.  Words are important, but those words have to be backed up with actions.  

1 John 3:16-18.  This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

God put His love into action when He sent Jesus into this world to be our Savior.  Jesus put His love into action when He saved us from sin by taking up the cross.  Joseph put his love into action when he chose not to dismiss Mary but chose to live by the spirit of love and take her home to be his wife.  

It’s not enough for us to say that we love God, or that we love others, we need to put that love into action.  I want to invite you over the next 2 weeks as we prepare to celebrate the gift of God’s love in Jesus, to find one way that you can put your love for God into action. Maybe it’s to be fully present in worship.  That means showing up and setting aside everything else that is going on so you can be still and know that God is with you.  Maybe it’s to read the Christmas story in Matthew and Luke, and then give God time to tell you what it’s all about.  Find one intentional way that you can love God as we get ready for Christmas.  

Then find one way you can put your love for someone else into action.  Serve others at the Christmas Dinner.  Love our brothers and sisters in Ukraine by giving to the Christmas Offering.  Take in a friend or neighbor who might be alone for the holidays.  Bake something to give away.  Reach out to help someone who is going through a difficult time.  Find one way to put your love into action before Christmas.  

God’s message to Joseph was, I love you.  I’m not going to dismiss you and walk away. I’m going to be with you and show you what love looks like.  Joseph learned what love was all about and then set an example of love that Jesus followed.  God still loves us and God invites us to love Him and others in ways that will not only change the lives of others, but change us as well.  

Next Steps

The Message of the Angel to Joseph

Read Matthew 1:18-25

Why did Joseph not dismiss Mary when the law told him to?  Why did God not dismiss Joseph?  

When have you wanted to dismiss God and walk away from His word, purpose, and plan?  What did you do?  

In the busyness of these next two weeks, ask God to speak to you.  Listen for God in His word, the music you will hear, the movies you will watch, and the schedule that you keep.  

Instead of living out the letter of law, Joseph lived out the spirit of the law and chose to love.  Consider these times when Jesus also lived by the spirit of the law:

● Mark 3:1-6

● Luke 13:10-17

● Luke 6:1-5

● Luke 18:16

● John 4:1-26

What is one intentional way you can love God during these next two weeks?

What is one intentional way you can love others during these next two weeks?  

Put your love into action.  “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”  1 John 3:18

The Angel's Message to Mary

 

Last week we began looking at the message of the angels that we find throughout the Christmas Story.  After not speaking directly to His people for 400 years, God sent an Angel to speak to Zechariah when he was serving as high priest in the Temple.  From the Holy of Holies, the place where Israel believed God dwelled on earth, God’s message was heard.  The angel said that Zechariah’s prayer had been heard.  As the High Priest in the temple, Zechariah’s prayer would have been on behalf of the people, and he would have been praying for mercy and for the coming of the Messiah.  The people had been longing for the Messiah and their prayer was that He would soon come to set them free.  God told Zechariah that the peoples’ prayer had been heard.  A Messiah was coming.  

But there was another prayer in Zechariah's heart that day, a prayer he may have stopped praying out loud because he was old and beyond any real hope that it would happen, but it was the prayer for a child, a son.  As a man, and a husband, Zechariah had long prayed for a child and that prayer had also been heard and was being answered because God said that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth would have a son who would prepare the way for the Messiah.  

After 400 years, God finally spoke.  God broke the silence, and as Pastor David shared last week, God not only heard the prayers of His people, but He was keeping His promise and sending the Messiah.  God spoke, but God wasn’t done speaking.  There were more messages to come and we just heard the second message, but God didn’t speak these words in the Temple or even in Jerusalem.  

This time, God spoke in an insignificant town about 60 miles north of Jerusalem, a town that no one really liked, the town of Nazareth.  And this time God didn’t speak to a man of respect and standing who had lived a righteous life, or a man who was a priest or acting as the High Priest of God’s people, or even a man.  This time God spoke to a woman that no one knew.  And God didn’t speak during a time of worship or any kind of holy moment, God spoke… well, we don’t know exactly when God spoke.  Luke doesn’t bother to tell us when because there was nothing special about it.  

Some believe that Mary was drawing water when the angel came, and there is still a well in Nazareth where water has been flowing for over 2000 years.  It could have been there that the angel visited Mary, or it could have been in her room at night, or as Mary walked along the road during the day.  We don’t know the moment because it was just an ordinary moment.  God spoke to an ordinary woman, in an ordinary town, at an ordinary moment.  While we might think that God would only speak to righteous leaders in important places during times of worship, this message of the angel makes clear that God also speaks to ordinary people, in ordinary places, and during ordinary moments in life.  

This is really good news for us because most of us probably think of ourselves as being pretty ordinary.  Not that we aren’t special in the eyes of God or created with value and dignity and with gifts to share with others, but let’s face it, in the eyes of the world, we are pretty ordinary.  We aren’t Billy Graham.  Our faith doesn’t shape the decisions of world leaders.  We aren’t well known political figures, musicians, actors, athletes, artists or social media influencers.  We are ordinary.  If we were to walk down the street of any city in America, no one would know us or notice us.    

Like Mary, we are ordinary, and yet the message of this angel tells us that God speaks to ordinary people, and when God speaks, God says the same thing to us that He said to Mary.  Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.  Luke 1:28

This is God’s message to us, today.  God is with us and we have found favor with God.  God is with you and me and you are loved by God.  God is with you, and you have been chosen by God.  We aren’t loved and chosen because we have done something special or righteous or holy, we are loved and chosen and favored because God chooses to love us.  We are favored.   

One of the things that makes our faith unique is that it is always God who loves and chooses His people.  God chose Abram, an ordinary man, to be the father of His people.  Abram hadn’t done anything extraordinary or special that made God choose him and if you read through Abram’s life, he made a ton of mistakes and at times didn’t trust God, but God still loved him.  God reached out and chose him in love.  God chose Moses, and while Moses had been raised in the household of Pharaoh and at one time been known as the Prince of Egypt, that wasn’t when God chose him.  God chose Moses to lead His people after he had run away from God and was an ordinary shepherd working in the fields of his father-in-law.  God chose David, the youngest son that no one paid any attention to, to be the king of Israel.  God chose Mary and Joseph, unknown and ordinary people, to be the parents of the Messiah, and when Jesus chose as His disciples, He didn’t choose outstanding scholars or religious leaders, He chose ordinary people.  

Like Mary, we are chosen and favored by God not because we have done extraordinary things, but because of God’s extraordinary love.    The Bible says, this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  1 John 4:10.   

It is always God who first reaches out in love.  In love God created the world.  In love God created us.  In love God chose to forgive us and save us from sin by sending Jesus into this world.  John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  God is love and it is God’s love that reaches out to us ordinary people in ordinary moments to tell us that we are loved, and chosen.  This is what God says to you today, you are highly favored.  The Lord is with you.  

40 years ago this October I had one of those ordinary moments when God spoke.  I was sitting alone on a concrete bench under Beaumont Tower on the campus of MSU.  I had been going through a difficult time in my life and wrestling with whether or not I really believed in God and what it meant for me to have faith in God and to follow Jesus.  As I sat there, I heard God speak.  There wasn’t an angel and there wasn’t an audible voice, but at the center of my very being, I heard God speak.  God said, Andy, with me there is life.  Without me there is death.  The choice is yours.  

 It was an ordinary moment.  I wasn’t expecting God to show up.  I wasn’t expecting God to speak.  I wasn’t expecting God to invite me into the fullness of life, but God did.  And God still speaks.  In ordinary moments, God still shows up and speaks.  Have you had one of those ordinary moments?  Have you had a moment when God showed up and spoke to you?  

If you have, what did God say?  Did you write it down and use that word to guide your life?  Is that message still leading you?  If God has spoken to you, if God has made His presence real to you in some way, I want to invite you to share that experience and that message in some way during this Advent season.  Tell your family or friends.  Share it with a small group, send it out in a Christmas card, write the message on a sugar cookie, I don’t know, but share it.  Let God speak through you.  

If you haven’t had this kind of a moment, or if like the people of Israel, you are longing to hear God speak, part of what this season of Advent is all about is asking God to come and be present with us.  The word Advent means come.  It’s during these 4 weeks that we remember and celebrate when Jesus came into this world as a baby born in Bethlehem.  We also place our hope, not a wishful thinking kind of hope, but real hope in the knowledge that Christ will come again in glory.  But Advent is also a time for us to ask God to come and be with us today, in the ordinary moments of our life.  

If you are feeling overwhelmed because there is too much going on and too much to do as the holidays approach, you need to ask God to come and speak.  In moments of anger or anguish, doubt or depression, frustration or failure, we need to ask God to come and speak.  In moments when we feel forgotten or forsaken, ordinary or outcast, we need to ask God to come and speak.  If we are feeling blessed and filled with love and joy and peace, we need to ask God to come and speak.  If we ask God to speak, He will. God longs to speak to us and God still speaks to ordinary people in ordinary times and places.  

This message of the angel, that God loves and chooses ordinary people, is a message the world needs to hear today.  Too many people feel unworthy of God’s love.  People may want to attend worship, but they feel they have fallen too far or made too many mistakes for God to want them here.  This Christmas angel story is desperately needed in our world today because it tells us that we are all loved and favored and chosen by God. Maybe we can be the messenger, the angel, that can share this good news.  One simple way to share is to invite people to worship.  Invite people to worship with you on Christmas Eve or invite people to join you for Christmas Carols and Cocoa in the park.  

When God spoke to Mary, He didn’t just tell her that she was loved, He also said that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Messiah. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  Luke 1:31.  

The name is what tells us that the child would be the Messiah because the name Jesus means God saves.  The child Mary was to bring into the world was going to bring salvation.  He was going to be the Savior, the long-awaited Messiah, and Mary’s first response was, how can this be.  Mary understood the importance of this job and she felt like she didn’t have what it would take to do it.  

I can’t do this, Gabriel.  I’m nobody.  I’m ordinary.  I’m not even married.  I’m not enough.  And this is how many of us feel when God speaks to us.  Whether God speaks words of love and forgiveness, or words that give our life a purpose or plan, the first thought many of us have is, how can this be?  I don’t have what it takes.  I’m not good enough to be loved.  I’m not smart enough or talented enough to serve God or make a difference for God in this world.  I’m not enough.  I’m too ordinary.  

If what you are thinking is that God couldn’t possibly choose you to do anything for Him, or that you don’t have enough of what it takes to serve God or answer His call, then hear what God said to Mary.  The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  Luke 1:35  

God is not asking us to be or do anything on our own, God is asking us to allow Him to work in us and through us.  Whatever God may be asking of you today, He will give you all that you need to do it.  A new job, a new relationship, a new mission or ministry, a new way to serve, a new way to share your faith, a new way to worship - you can do it because God will be doing it through you.  

I don’t need to tell you that this is a busy season.  There are gifts to buy, cards to send, cookies to bake, family gatherings to plan, prepare for and attend, and we have to do all of this while we are finishing up at school or completing projects at work.  We are busy and we begin to wonder if we have enough time, energy and money to get it all done.

And then we open the enews from the church or show up here on Sunday and hear about a dozen ways we are being invited to serve and give.  There’s Breakfast with Santa.  There’s helping setup and teardown at Talleyrand Park, and we can’t forget all the help needed for the Christmas dinner.  

We don’t have enough time to do what we already have planned, how can we do more!  And then there are opportunities to give an extra offering to help with the Christmas Dinner or the Christmas Offering to Raising Hope Ukraine.  We don’t have enough money to buy gifts so how can we give more.  

It’s overwhelming and you might feel like you don’t have enough to do any of this, but then God speaks and says, how about serving here?  How about giving there?  And our first response is, how can this be?  I don’t have what it takes.  I don’t have the time, the energy, the money, or the ability to do it.  God I can’t.  I’m not enough to do one more thing or to give in one more way.  It’s ok to say this. God hears us when we say this just as God heard Mary. 

God heard Mary’s concern, and God’s response to her is what God still says to us today.  The Holy Spirit will come on you.  The power of the Most High will overshadow you.  In other words, don’t worry, I have it covered.  In fact, I have you covered.  I will give you the time, the energy, the money, the ability, and the strength you need to do what I ask you to do.  The Holy Spirit will overshadow you.  The Holy Spirit will give you all you need.  I will do it, all you need to do is believe that I will do it.  Do you believe God can do it?  Will you take a step of faith and let God do it?  

Mary knew she was ordinary and that in herself she didn’t have what it would take to bring the Messiah into the world, but she believed God and took God at His word.  Mary said yes to God’s will and God’s plan without knowing how things would happen and that is what real faith looks like.  Faith is saying yes when we don’t have all the answers.  Faith is saying yes when we still don’t see how it can happen.  Faith is saying yes because while we know that we aren’t enough - we know that God is more than enough.   

Mary’s final answer to God is what faith looks like.  I am the Lord’s servant.  May your word to me be fulfilled.  Faith isn’t about trusting in ourselves and thinking that we have what it takes to do it all, it’s about trusting in God’s love and power enough to say, I am yours God, I will do whatever you want me to do.  

The message of the angel to Mary is still the message of God for us.  You are known by God.  You are loved by God.  You have been chosen by God, and God has something in store for you that seems impossible, but with God - all things are possible.  Like Mary, we can say yes to God and allow God to use us to bring the light of His love and grace and power into the darkness of our world we can say yes because God is with us and the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon us.  . 

Next Steps

The Message of the Angel to Mary

 

Read Luke 1:26-56

 How does this story of God speaking through the angel differ from the story of Zechariah in the Temple?  (Luke 1:5-25) 

What does this tell us about who God speaks to today?

 Why do we often feel God doesn’t speak to ordinary people?

Has God ever spoken to you?  What did God say?  How did God’s word impact your life?  Can you share that message this week? 

 

Advent is a time for us to ask God to come and speak to us.  

● Take time to be quiet and ask God to speak.  

● Ask God to open your ears and you heart so you can hear Him.  

● When you hear God speak, write down what God says.  Allow God’s word to give you direction and life.

 

How might God be asking you to step out in faith?  Where is God calling you to give, serve and share His good news through Faith Church this Christmas Season?

● Breakfast with Santa

● Christmas Carols & Cocoa

● The Christmas Dinner

● Inviting a friend to Christmas Eve Worship

● Giving to the Christmas Offering and Raising Hope Ukraine.

How else is God calling you to worship, serve and give in this season?  

 

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen.  What assurance do you need to say yes to God?  Ask God to speak those words to you today.  

 

4 Lies The World Tells Us About Money

Last week we started a series called Keep the Change and looked at 5 biblical principles about money.  From developing a budget to learning how to be generous, God has some clear things to say about how we manage the resources He gives us.  It’s funny that we will turn to the Bible to learn about so many things in life but then disregard what God has to say about money.  God has a lot to say about money and if we can apply God’s wisdom to our finances, our lives will improve.  God says if we will embrace and live out His principles on money, we will be blessed.  But none of this makes talking about money easy.  

Money is a topic that can bring up feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy.  I had to make a disclaimer last week that we aren’t talking about money this month because we need you to give more money to the church and I said that because people have this perception that the church is only interested in your money.  

Our desire at Faith Church is for all of us to grow deeper in 3 relationships, a relationship with God, the church, and the world.  That’s what we are interested in, but how we spend our money impacts all these relationships.  Obedience, generosity, service, and blessing are all rhythms that shape these 3 relationships and each of these rhythms include not only how we use our time and talent, but also our treasure.  So talking about money is important to growing in faith, but in our culture, talking about money is messy.  

One reason talking about money is messy is because while God has a lot to say about money, so does the world. What God says about money is truth, but much of what the world says about money is a lie.  Today we are going to look at 4 lies the world tells us about money.  The first and probably the biggest lie goes like this…

You’ll be happy when you buy _____________.  

And you can fill in the blank.  When I wake up on Christmas and see the new car in my driveway with the big red bow, I’ll be happy.  When I get that little box with diamonds in it, I’ll be happy.  I will be happy when I am able to get the latest iphone or tablet, when I am able to buy some new clothes, when I have the latest technology, or redo my entire house so it looks like something from HGTV.  I’ll be happy when I have new, more, or the right stuff.  

We worship stuff.  Stuff makes us happy.  We believe stuff will fulfill our lives, which is why we are always buying more and more and more.  If we believe that the right stuff will make us happy, then this will be our life…  

If we think stuff will make us happy and fulfill all our hopes and dreams, then this will be our life because we will always need more stuff and new stuff.  When we worship stuff, we will be running on a hamster wheel forever.  Now don’t get the wrong idea, there is nothing wrong with stuff.  There is nothing wrong with having stuff, buying new stuff, and even enjoying the nice stuff we have.  It is OK to have stuff, just don’t let your stuff have you.  Don’t let what you own - own you. 

One way to see if we own our stuff or if our stuff owns us is to look and see if we are going into debt to buy it.  Last week we talked about how debt makes us a slave.  Proverbs 22:7, the borrower is slave to the lender.  If we go into debt to buy newer stuff and nicer stuff, then that stuff now owns us.  We are living for it, more specifically we are living to pay it off.  Too often we are held back from doing what we might want to do, or what God might want us to do, because of our debt.  Our things can hold us back, they can hold us hostage.   Jesus said, No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.  Matthew 6:24

That word money is the word mammon which means earthly goods; property; riches.  Jesus isn’t just talking about our money here, He is also talking about our possessions, our property, all our stuff.  The more stuff we get, the more we are a slave to it because we have to store it, care for it, dust it, insure it, and figure out what to do with it all when we are gone.  It consumes us, and yet we tell ourselves life won’t be complete without it.  

We need to stop believing this lie and here are 3 ways we can combat it and get off that hamster wheel.  

1. Stop comparing.  When we compare our lives to the lives of those around us, we think that to be happy we have to have what they have.  If I can have a new camper like the ones I see at the campground each year, I’ll be happy.  If I can get my kids into the right sports like my neighbors, they will be happy.  If I can get my family to look “instagram perfect”, we will be happy.  

Comparing ourselves to others is always a losing game.  Pastor Craig Groeschel has said “when we compare ourselves to others, we either feel inferior or superior and neither one honors God.”  We need to stop comparing ourselves to others and start giving thanks.

2. Give thanks.  Give thanks for what you do have.  Give thanks for the blessings God has given you.  Give thanks for the opportunities you have, the family you have, the friends you have, the life you have.  Gratitude can change our perspective, increase our joy, and bring about the happiness that stuff can’t.  

3. Be humble.  It’s important to remember that humility isn’t thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less.  The world tells us that everything is about us.  Even our phones have a camera that points to us so that no matter where we are or what we are doing we can get a selfie and make it all about us.  Instead of looking at ourselves, we need to look up and out.  

Look up to God.  The first commandment is to have no other god before God.  Let’s not worship our stuff but God.  Let’s not look to things of this world to make us happy or feel content or fulfilled, let’s look to God.  Look up and then look out.  Look out to those who are in need and those who need love and care and attention and then let’s give it.  Be generous.  Be outrageously generous and then let God bless you with  a sense of peace and fulfillment that nothing else can bring.  Being humble means looking up and out.    

When we do look up, we see a God who created us in His image.  God is the biggest giver of all time.  God gave life to the world.  God gave love to the world and that love was most clearly seen in the gift of His son Jesus.  In Jesus, God gave us forgiveness, grace, and the gift of eternal life.  God’s entire being is to give and so if God is the embodiment of giving, then as children created in His image, we should also give.  When we look up to God we need to give thanks for all God gives, and when we look out we should give.  This way of life keeps us from thinking that we need more in order to be happy.  

The second lie that the world tells us is that you don’t need anyone else - you can do it on your own.  This lie is particularly true for us in the United States as we see self-reliance and independence as a virtue.  But we were not created to be self-reliant.  We weren’t created to do it all on our own.  We were created to be in a relationship with God and with others.  

One way this lie impacts our financial situation is when we say things like, it’s my money so I can do with it what I want.  Last week I shared that the #1 cause of divorce is money and if you see your income as your money, so you can spend it anyway you want to, it can create some problems.  When we start thinking that I worked hard for my money so I can spend it how I want to and buy what makes me happy, we have failed to remember that in marriage, two become one and we are to submit to one another in love.  

Being single also doesn’t mean we can use our money the way we want to either.  Trust me on this.  I often feel compelled to think about how God might want me to use my money to help others in my family, in the church, and in the community.  Am I willing to reach out to others and use my resources to help form the true community God wants, the kingdom of God.  

In the book of Acts it says that followers of Jesus shared all things in common so that there was no one in need.  Am I willing to see myself as part of a larger family?  And if I am, what responsibility do I have to that larger family?  The world says our money is our own and we can do with it what we want but God says that what we have is a gift from Him and we need to share what we have with others.  

The third lie the world tells us is that you are your mistake.  Let me ask, how many of you have ever made a mistake?  We all make mistakes.  We also all make mistakes when it comes to our money.  How many of you have ever spent money on something you thought would make life better only to find that it didn’t.  I once bought a nordic rider, if you don’t know what that is, it is an exercise machine that was supposed to make you fit and healthy.  It wasn’t cheap.  It was the most expensive clothes rack I ever bought.  We all make mistakes.

The problem when we make mistakes that involve money is that we have an actual scorecard that we can’t get away from.  That mistake cost me $400 or $4,000.  That mistake set me back financially for 6 months or 6 years.  The actual numbers can haunt us and go with us.  Or maybe our mistakes have led us to where we are financially, and our net worth isn’t what it should be.  The world says that our net worth equals our self-worth, but that is not true.  Our money does not define us.  Our financial mistakes don’t define us.  There is forgiveness, there is grace, and we can become a new creation in Christ Jesus.  

We are not our money mistakes.  We are not our fiscal failures.  We are a new creation in Christ Jesus and can find financial freedom when we learn to accept God’s grace, forgive ourselves, and move into a new life.  

And the last lie that the world tells us is YOLO.  If you don’t know what this means, don’t worry, you are not alone.  I saw this acronym for a long time before I asked someone what it means.  You Only Live Once.  The world tells us that we only live once and therefore it’s ok to spend all our money right here and now to do all we want to do, experience all we want to experience, buy all we want to buy and not worry about tomorrow.  While it is true that we only have one life to live in this world, God doesn’t tell us to spend all we have on ourselves during this life.  God says, A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.  Proverbs 13:22

In other words, don’t spend all you have on you - think about your children and their children.  Clearly there are financial implications with this teaching.  We need to ask ourselves how our money is being used for future generations, but this wisdom goes well beyond money management.  

What inheritance are you leaving for your children and their children when it comes to your faith, or your wisdom, or your love?  What kind of legacy are you leaving by how you live your life?  YOLO is all about you and today, a legacy is about others and tomorrow, and it is never too late to start leaving behind a faithful legacy.  Since we are not defined by our mistakes and it is never too late to become a new creation in Christ Jesus, we can choose today to leave behind a legacy of faith and service and love that will speak to generations to come.  

Friday was Veterans’ Day, and we all celebrate the legacy left by those who have been willing to serve.  Veterans didn’t live for themselves but for others and they didn’t just live for the moment but to help create a better future.  That’s living for our children and our children’s children.  

In every church I served, I heard the stories and was blessed by the legacy of those who had gone before us.  My first church in Altoona was built in the 1920’s with a basketball court in the basement.  The people 100 years ago had faith and vision and they left a legacy that continues to touch the lives of children a century later.  

Here at Faith Church, over 50 years ago a group of people said they were going to build here and they began a building project that included a sanctuary that could also be a fellowship hall and a wing of classrooms.  20 years later people said we need a separate and larger sanctuary for the church to grow so they built this space, and then 10 years later another group added on another wing of classrooms for children, youth, and families.  

They had faith, and vision and gave financially to bless their children’s children.  They left us a great legacy.  What legacy are we leaving for our children’s children?  I’m not talking about bigger or newer buildings; I’m talking about a vital faith that speaks to the next generation?  

I’m grateful that right here and right now we are investing ourselves in children and youth and families.  I’m thankful that we are committed to worship that reaches multiple generations and that we are investing in technology that allows us to connect with even more people.  I’m thankful that we have a vision for reaching people beyond these walls in our own community but also in the communities around us, and a vision to grow and build the kingdom of God wherever God leads us.  

What legacy are you leaving for your children and their children?  What legacy are we leaving for the next generation and the one to follow them?  No matter what we have done before, we can start today to leave a legacy of life, or love, and of faith.  Let us choose this day to turn away from the world’s lies and walk in the truth and grace of God.  

 

Next Steps

4 Lies the World Tells Us about Money

1. You will be happy when you buy____________.

● When have you listened to this lie?  What did you buy? Did it bring lasting happiness?

● How does this thinking lead us to the hamster wheel?

● Read what Jesus said about the pursuit of money - Matthew 6:24

● 3 ways to combat this lie: Stop Comparing, Give Thanks, Be Humble.  What one step can you take in each of these areas this week?  During this Thanksgiving and Christmas Season?  

● Join the new Advent Conspiracy small group.

2. You don’t need anyone; you can do it on  your own.

● How does this impact your understanding of “your” money?

● How is money handled in your marriage?

● Read Acts 2:42-47.  How can I give more to others? 

3. You are your mistake

● What financial mistake have you made?  How did it shape your identity?  How did you find forgiveness and freedom?  

● What financial mistake are you wrestling with today?  Ask God to forgive you and set you free.

4. YOLO (You Only Live Once)

● How has this shaped your financial decisions?

● Read Proverbs 13:22

● What legacy are you leaving for your children, their children, the church, and the community?

● Give thanks for the legacy left to you by all those who have gone and given before you.  

BETTER Is Patience

 This month we have been learning how to make life better by looking at specific passages from the Bible that contain the word “better” and tell us how to live that better life.  We have been encouraging people to memorize these verses so that we will know where this better life comes from and how to experience it.  So one more time, let’s look at these verses and say them together.  

The first week we learned that a better life comes when we live with the awareness that God is always with us.  Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.  Psalm 84:10

The second week we learned that a better life comes from letting go of the things that don’t matter so we can hold on to the things that do matter.  Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.  Ecclesiastes 4:6

The third week we learned that what will lead us into a better life is not our wisdom but the wisdom of God.  How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver.  Proverbs 16:16

And last week we learned that having a good name can open doors for us and lead us to a better life.  A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.  Proverbs 22:1.  

Today’s final verse highlights something that many of us lack and yet can help us lead a better life if we can learn it and that is patience.  Again from the book of Proverbs we hear:  Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.   Proverbs 16:32

Patience leads us to a better life and maybe the best example of this is found in the kitchen.  You know I had to include another example of the better life using food to make the series complete, but if you are any kind of a cook or baker, you know that patience makes things better.  

When I was in seminary I invited a bunch of friends over and decided to make several cheesecakes.  I had never made a cheesecake before but there was a big article in the local paper and they had some great recipes that looked pretty easy so I decided to give it a try.  They came out pretty good and they really were easy so since then I have made a lot of cheesecakes.  One of the things I have learned is that you cannot rush baking a cheesecake.  The cake has to cook for at least an hour at 300 degrees and you can’t rush it.  I have tried.  I have tried setting the oven higher because I was short on time and all that happened is that the top got brown, the cake cracked, and the inside didn't cook enough.  

Let’s face it, since the invention of the microwave oven, we have been trying to find ways to cook things faster because we don’t like to wait.  For popcorn, the microwave might be great, but not for a roast turkey, but people are impatient so in 2010 the first Instapot was sold.  I have not tried one but I hear they are pretty good.  I read this week that it only takes 50 minutes to cook a fully frozen turkey breast.  While it might taste good, it can’t be better because it takes more than 50 minutes to fill your house with the aroma of turkey.  You can cook things faster, but that doesn’t always make things better.  

Patience can make food better and it can make life better, but let’s face it, we aren’t very patient people.  We get irritated when a store doesn’t open up a new line fast enough or when have to wander through a huge store looking for an item and we can’t find a clerk anywhere to help us.  You know what it’s like to walk through Lowes and you are looking for an item and you have no idea where to even start and then you can’t find anyone wearing a red apron to help you.  That experience can be so bad that we then decide to just by what we need online but then get frustrated that even with Amazon Prime the shipping might take more than 2 days.  And let’s not even talk about how impatient we get while driving and the thoughts that go through our head as we are on the road.  

In these situations, and so many more, being impatient leads to frustration and anger.  Impatience makes us want to fight in order to be heard, fight to get our point across, or fight to make sure everyone knows our way is the right way and that is going to be THE way.  But God says the better way is to be patient.  Better a patient person than a warrior, a person who can control their temper than one who fights to take a city.  Patience is better.  

One of the classic stories about the dangers and consequences of being impatient comes from the Old Testament.  Saul was the first king of Israel and before he led his troops into battle against the Philistines, the prophet Samuel told him to wait for seven days and then he would return and offer a sacrifice to give them God’s wisdom and strength.  So Saul waited, but during those seven days more of the enemy gathered to fight them and the people of Israel began to scatter in fear.  In the end, Saul grew impatient and didn’t wait for Samuel.  He offered the sacrifice himself, which he wasn’t allowed to do.  Because of his impatience and disobedience, Saul lost his place as king.  Saul’s impatience cost him everything. 

Impatience can be costly and destructive. The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.  Proverbs 21:5

Impatience can cost us everything.  Better a patient person than a warrior and here are three ways that patience makes life better.

1. Patience can build, strengthen and restore relationships.  

I was able to see this principle at work this past week on our local mission site.  The patience that volunteers had with one another helped build new relationships and it strengthened existing relationships.  The patience people had with one another didn’t have to restore relationships because it kept relationships from breaking in the first place.  

The patience seen this week really was amazing.  It’s not easy to have six unique projects all going on at the same time, especially when each project makes an impact on what others are trying to do.  At times, work in one area would have to stop because something needed to be done in another area and everyone patiently worked together.  And Anna, the homeowner, showed amazing patience as we invaded her home and created quite a mess and constantly were asking her questions and finding more problems.  She was the picture of patience the entire week – even as she had to dust furniture again and again.  

Now here’s the thing, I’m sure that at times this week people got frustrated with those around them.  I’m sure there were moments of impatience in the work being done or the pace of work being done.  I’m sure there was some impatience when Roger and I went to run some errands and were gone for about 4 hours.  And no, we didn’t stop for a leisure lunch, we were the ones at the Lowes store looking for parts and not able to find what was needed nor anyone who could really help us.  

As we were standing there frustrated about the situation, I kept having to tell myself, patience is better.  Roger never seemed impatient and that helped me stay patient and everyone back at the work site was patient.  Patience ruled the day and the week and because of that patience, an amazing amount of work was done for Anna and her family and God was glorified in the work!  Patience led to a better life for all of us this past week.  

Here’s why patience makes relationships better, because patience is really just love put into action.  1 Corinthians 13, known as the love chapter, begins talking about love by saying, love is patient.  In many ways love has to begin with patience because everything then flows from patience.  When we are patient we don’t insist on our own way, we don’t keep a record of wrongs, and we persevere even when it would be easier to give in or give up.  Patience keeps going.  Patience is love in action so when we are patient with others all relationships are better.  With patience, life is better.  

2. Patience gives God time to work.  

When we are willing to be patient with all that is going on in our lives, both the good and the bad, it gives God the time and opportunity to work in ways that bring about God’s perfect plan.  One man who had to be patient for many years in order to see God’s hand at work was Joseph, the son of Jacob.  

Joseph had 11 brothers but he was his father’s favorite which is why he was given a beautiful robe.  Every time Joseph wore the robe it irritated his brothers and caused hard feelings.  Then Joseph told his brothers about the dreams he had where he would rise to prominence and power and they would all have to bow down to him.  You can imagine that this also didn’t help their relationship.  In time Joseph’s brothers decided to get rid of him and instead of killing him, they sold him as a slave to a group headed to Egypt. 

Once in Egypt, Joseph was sold again and he became a servant in the house of Potiphar, a captain of the guard in Pharaoh's household.  Over time, Joseph made a name for himself as a leader and rose to prominence but then he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison.  You might think that after being sold by his brothers, then sold again as a slave and then patiently working hard to better his life only be falsely accused and sent to prison that Joseph would be frustrated and angry.  You might think Joseph’s impatience with God and his situation would cloud all his feelings, but it didn’t.  From prison, Joseph was patient and made the best of his situation and rose once more as a leader.   

From prison, Joseph was summoned by Pharaoh to interpret some troubling dreams he had and from those dreams, Joseph predicted that 7 years of plenty were going to be followed by 7 years of drought and that Pharaoh and the people needed to be prepared.  Because of his wisdom, Pharaoh decided to put Joseph in charge of storing up food during the good years and distributing it in the difficult years.   It was during this time that Joseph’s brothers arrived to buy food for their family and they had no idea that Joseph was the one they were meeting.

If Joseph had met his brothers in the year after they sold him as a slave, the meeting may have gone very differently.  Joseph may have been bitter and resentful toward his brothers.  Joseph may not have been willing to forgive his brothers or help them in a time of need, but Joseph’s patience gave God time to work.  Joseph’s patience gave God time to work in his heart and in the hearts and lives of his brothers so that the brothers could ask for forgiveness and so Joseph could let go of his bitterness and forgive.    

If we are willing to be patient during good times and difficult times, we give God time to work in all our circumstances. The Bible says, Wait for the Lord.  Be strong and let your heart take courage and wait for the Lord.  Our patience gives God time to work things out in our hearts and lives. Even when it seems like nothing might be happening, God can be at work behind the scenes to bring about his purpose and plan.  

The summer I worked in Yellowstone NP I didn’t start out being very patient.  Everywhere I looked I saw jobs that looked better than the one I had so I asked for them.  When I finally got a job that looked better to me, I realized it was actually worse and then I had to get out of it.  If I had just been patient, I would have seen that God’s plan for me from the beginning was to be right where I was, working in the kitchen.  Too often our impatience tries to direct God’s plans or speed things up - but God’s timing and God’s plans are always better.  God works for the good in every situation and if we are patient we will see God’s goodness.  

3. God is patient with us.  

The last reason patience is better and we need to learn it is because God has been patient with us. Because of God’s patience, God didn’t give up on me when I was willing to give up on Him.  Because of God’s patience, when I didn’t wait for God, God was willing wait for me and then work things out for me.  Because of God’s patience, I know I am forgiven when I fail to be faithful again and again.  Every day I am reminded that without God’s patience, I would be nothing and that encourages me to learn patience.  

 Peter was one of the disciples that personally understood the patience of Jesus.  When Peter told Jesus that he should do things his way, Jesus rebuked him because he didn’t understand God’s plan.  Jesus rebuked Peter but He didn’t cancel him.  When Peter fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemane instead of staying awake and praying with Jesus, Jesus didn’t dismiss him and tell him to go home.  And when Peter denied that he knew Jesus, Jesus didn’t cut him off forever.  At every turn and with every failure, Jesus was patient.     

Peter personally knew that the patience of Jesus led to forgiveness and the salvation of God, which is why Peter wrote these words,

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9

Without the patience of Jesus, Peter would have been canceled and cast off, but with His patience there was forgiveness and salvation.  God’s patience leads us to moments of repentance, which leads to forgiveness and not just a better life but eternal life. That alone is a great incentive to learn patience in our lives.  

As you think about how God’s patience has worked in your life, as you think about the times God’s love has forgiven you, cleansed you, restored you, and blessed you, don’t just thank God but return to God and ask Him for the patience you need to live a better life.  

Patience is one of the fruits of God’s spirit that can grow in us as we live in the presence of God. So we go back to where we started a month ago - Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.  Better is one day knowing God’s grace and mercy than a lifetime of running and hiding in sin and shame.  God’s patience has brought us all to this place and this moment and God’s patience that is calling us to come to Him to experience life that is BETTER. 

 

Next Steps

Better is Patience

Memorize this week’s Better verse:  Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.   Proverbs 16:32

When and where do you find your patience tested the most?

Where are you finding yourself experiencing more patience?

There are consequences to our impatience.  Read 1 Samuel 13:1-14

When has impatience cost you something important?

Patience builds, strengthens and restores relationships.

● Read 1 Corinthians 13.  Love starts with patience.

● What relationships need your patience and love today?

● Ask God for the patience needed to work with and forgive people.

Patience gives God time to work.

● When have you seen patience allow God time to work?  

● What situation needs you to be patient today so God can bring about His perfect plan?

● Ask For the patience needed to wait on Him.

God is patient with us.  

● Think of 3 ways God’s patience has forgiven you or helped you.  

● Use these examples as motivation to be patient with others.  

● Thank God for His patience and ask Him for the patience to love others. 

Reread all 5 better passages and commit them to memory.  

BETTER is a Good Name

Two months and 2 days till Christmas, how many of you have your shopping done?  Anyone started yet?  Thanksgiving is one month and 1 day away, has anyone gotten your free Turkey yet?  OK, let’s get more serious, next week is Halloween, has anyone gotten their candy yet?  You don’t want to wait too long because if you do you might become known as the house that gives out circus peanuts or bit-o-honey.

When I was growing up, I lived in a small beach community that only had a handful of year-round residents so we didn’t get to go trick or treating at a lot of homes.  We would walk to the dozen or so people who lived there to get our little candy bar, but there was one house we couldn’t wait to go to.  It was the best house at the beach and it wasn’t because it was all spooky and scary looking, it was because they gave out full size candy bars!  They would invite us in and they had a plate with big full size candy bars and you got to choose which one you wanted.  One year I remember they even had twinkies!  I remember that because my mom never bought twinkies.  It was like Christmas going to that house.  

What kind of candy are you going to be known for this year?  Full size bars?  Fun sized bars but the good stuff?  Generic knock offs?  Or the worst yet… individual bags of candy corn.  What are you known for at Halloween?  

On a more serious note, what are you known for?  When people hear your name, what do they think of?  This month we are looking at Bible passages that show us how to experience a better life and each passage contains the word better.  The first week we learned that a better life is found when we live in the presence of God.  Better is one day in your courts, O God, than a thousand elsewhere.  

The second week we learned that one handful with tranquility is better than two handfuls with toil and a chasing after the wind.  Less of what doesn’t really matter in life is better because it makes room for what does matter.  And last week we learned that wisdom is better than gold.  

Today we are going to see that a better life is also experienced when we have a good name.  Our better verse is from Proverbs 22.  

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.  Proverbs 22:1.  

A good name is better than gold or silver. You can have all the wealth and power of the world but if you don’t have a good name, if you don’t have a good reputation, your life will be filled with strife and conflict and stress.  I’m sure we can all think of someone who is known for their wealth and power and yet doesn’t have a good name.  No matter what side of the political aisle you are on, I’m sure that right now you can think of the name of someone with wealth and power but without a good name.  They aren’t living a better life. At times it might look better from the outside but think of the stress and problems they face.  A good name is better.  

So what are you known for?  What do people think of when they hear your name? Are you known for being honest and true to your word?  Are you known for being a person filled with the fruit of God’s spirit, a person of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  If you are known for this spiritual fruit and if these things are truly part of your life, then you are experiencing a better life.  

Now let’s be clear that having a good name doesn’t mean that we are perfect.  There is no one who is perfect.  There is no one who doesn’t fail at some point in living up to their good name.  A good name doesn’t mean being perfect it does mean being willing to be perfected by the one who is perfect.  A good name means being willing to be perfected by Jesus.  It means striving to live as a follower of Jesus and always being willing to learn and grow and change when we need to.  A good name means being humble enough to admit our mistakes, confess our sin, ask for forgiveness, and then keep going in faith.  The apostle Paul said it this way, 

It’s not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

Part of having a good name is being willing to forget the past and push on to a better future.  But why is a good name better?  What are the benefits of a good name?  Let me share three:

1. A good name instills confidence.  Now you might think that I’m talking about instilling confidence in others, which a good name can do.  A good name in business can instill confidence in others and in turn get you more customers.  Maybe you are old enough to remember the lonely Maytag repairman.  He was lonely because Maytag had a reputation for selling appliances that were well built.  Their good name instilled confidence in others, but a good name can instill confidence in us and that can help us have a better life.  Proverbs 10:9.  Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. 

When we are living up to our good name, when we are walking with integrity, then we experience less anxiety.  We aren’t afraid of being caught or found out.  Have you ever replied to an email and been critical of someone or shared something about someone that wasn’t the most uplifting and kind.  As soon as you hit send did you have that moment of terror wondering if you hit reply or reply all?  Do you know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you say or do something out of frustration and then wonder who was around to hear it or watch your melt down?  When we aren’t living up to our good name and walking with integrity, there is fear of being caught and then having to face the consequences.  That’s not the better life.  

The better life comes when we walk with integrity and have confidence that we are who people think we are..  Now again, none of us are perfect.  At times we will say or do the wrong thing, but even in those moments we can live up to our good name.  Will we admit our mistakes?  Will we own up to what we have done and apologize.  A good name means working to make things right and then pushing ahead once again.  A good name can bring us confidence and peace because we know we are always doing our best and always asking for God’s help.  

2. A good name can speak for us.  A good name can help us experience a better life because it can go before us and open doors that can lead us to more opportunities and blessings.  The author of many of the proverbs we find in the Bible is King Solomon.  Solomon knew wisdom was better than gold so asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him.  Solomon was known for his wisdom. His reputation as a wise man spoke for him and spread all over the world.  

Because of his good name, the Queen of Sheba, which is in modern day Ethiopia, heard of his wisdom and came to Jerusalem to see for herself if he was truly a wise king. 2 Chronicles 9:5-6

The Queen said to King Solomon, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.  But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 

Solomon’s name and reputation spoke for him and it opened doors that no one else could open.  After seeing for herself how wise Solomon was, the Queen gave him huge amounts of gold and spices from her land.  His good name brought blessing to Solomon and God’s people.  It is often our good name that can provide us with opportunities that we would have no other way.  

Several years ago I got a phone call from a couple who wanted to move their cub scout pack to Faith Church.  Since they were moving from another UMC in the area, and that church was getting a new pastor, I encouraged them to stay and see how things went.  A few months later I got another phone call from this couple asking if they could move their cub scout pack to Faith Church.  They told me that the reason they wanted to move wasn’t because of problems at the other church as much as it was what Faith Church had to offer.  They told me that Faith Church is known for serving the community and they wanted their scouts to see that and have opportunities to serve with us.  I agreed and today we continue to be blessed by the presence of these cub scouts.  

One of the reasons people continue to visit us and join our congregation is because we have a reputation for serving our community.  We helped lay the foundation for the Faith Centre.  We continue to feed hundreds of people on Christmas Day.  We support missions here and around the world and this coming week we hope to bless a family in our own area who has come to inspire us.  A good name opens doors.  A good name speaks for us, it provides opportunities and blessings that might not come any other way.  A good name brings a better life.  

3. A good name can inspire others.  Perhaps the person with the most revered name in the church, beside Jesus, is the Apostle Paul.  The letters of Paul make up ⅓ of the New Testament and his name has inspired people all over all over the world.  Paul didn’t use his good name and solid reputation to gain wealth or power, he used his good name to inspire others to follow Jesus.  In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul said, Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.  1 Corinthians 11:1.  

I love that Paul didn’t use his good name to shine light on himself or to enrich himself, he used his good name as a follower of Jesus to inspire and invite others to follow Jesus.  When we use our good name to point the way to Jesus, we not only bless others but we are experiencing the better life God wants for us.   

Think of all the good names that have inspired people throughout history.  Just hearing some of these names can be inspiring. 

Rosa Parks.  Dr. Martin Luther King.  Billy Graham.  Anne Frank.  Mother Teresa. Nelson Mandela.  Winston Churchill.  Queen Elizabeth II.  Ed and Joanne Foster.  David DeGraff.  

Wait… who?  My guess is that you do not know the last few names I mentioned, but they are inspiring to me.  Ed and JoAnn Foster were my youth leaders who inspired me to get more involved in the life of the church and to be the leader they believed I could be.  They encouraged me, believed in me, and loved me in ways that helped me become who I am today.  And David DeGraff was the man I mentioned a few weeks ago who taught me how to pray by praying with me.  He is the one who didn’t tell me how to follow Jesus but showed me through his life.  While he didn’t actually say it, everything in Dave’s life screamed, follow me as I follow Jesus, and I did.  Because of Dave, I met Jesus.  His name inspires me.

What names inspired you.  Maybe it’s a grandparent who loved you unconditionally, or a Sunday School teacher who made you feel special.  Maybe it’s a coach who saw more in you then you ever saw in yourself.  Maybe it is a friend who is always there for you and still encourages you to be more than you think you can be.  If you take notes, write down the name of someone who inspires you and reflect on what makes that name so important.  

All of our names should be an inspiration to someone else.  Like Paul we should say, follow me as I follow Jesus.  Our good name should inspire people.  I know you may be saying to yourself that you are just too bad to have a good name.  In some sense we are all too bad, we are all sinners who fall short of God’s glory, but Jesus is too good.  Jesus is too good to let our past define us.  God forgives us. God cleanses us and God makes us into better people who can have a good name that can inspire others.  

King David has a good name.  He is known as a man after God’s own heart.  But he also had an affair, conspired to have the husband of the women he slept with killed, and then tried to hide the entire thing from others.  You might think his name would be too bad to be an inspiration, but his name does inspire and here’s why.  David was confronted with his failure and said this, Psalm 51:1-13

The name of King David is an inspiration to those who know it because he reminds us that we can never fall beyond God’s grace and mercy.  There is no sin that can separate us from the love of God and if we will repent, if we will turn to God and ask for mercy, God will give it.  So no matter what your name says about you today, tomorrow it can be an inspiration because God is that good.  

Next Sunday, Pastor David is going to lead a workshop called share.  One of the rhythms of life that helps us have a faithful relationship with the world is knowing how to share our faith story with others.  Just as each of us has a unique name that God can use to inspire others, each of us has a unique story that can be used to point people to Jesus.  No matter what our story might be, God wants us to share it so that others can come to know and follow Jesus.  We invite you to learn how to share you story and live into the goodness of your name.  

Our faith story can inspire others.  Our name can inspire others and if you are thinking that you need to do some work to get a good name, then let me share three ways to get a better name:

1. Surrender fully to God and live in his presence because Better is one day in your courts, O Lord, than a thousand elsewhere.  

2. Don’t pursue the things of this world but instead take hold of things that ultimately matter because Better is one hand with tranquility then 2 hands with toil and a chasing after the wind.  

3. Do all you can to get wisdom because Wisdom is better than gold and silver.  

Seeking to live a better life will lead us to a good name and a good name is better than gold or silver.  A good name inspires others, and a good name blesses others and brings us the better life.  

Next Steps

A Good Name Is Better

Memorize this week’s better verse:

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.  Proverbs 22:1.  

Why is having a good name so important?

• What are you known for?

• What do you want to be known for?

A Good Name Instills Confidence

• In what one area do you need to live with more integrity?  How can you walk the walk this week?

• If you have failed in an area, how can you seek to make things right?  

A Good Name Inspires Others

• What good name has inspired you and how?

• ____________________________________

• ____________________________________

• How would you like your name to inspire others?  

• What do you need to do differently to be that inspiration?

If you don’t feel like you have a good name - get one:

1. Live in the presence of God. Better is one day in your courts, O Lord, than a thousand elsewhere.

2. Let go of things that don't matter and hold on to what does.  Better is one hand with tranquility then 2 hands with toil and a chasing after the wind

3. Ask God for wisdom. Wisdom is better than gold and silver.