While there are so many things we don’t know about the Magi, or Wisemen, like their names, how many of them there were (we don’t know that were 3, only that there were 3 gifts), where they came from, where they ended up, and what time they showed up to give their gifts to Jesus, there are some important things that we do know about them. The first thing we know is that they had a larger than life vision that changed their lives. The Magi had a vision, literally they saw a new star in the sky and that star inspired them to act. The Magi believed that this new star meant that a new king had been born, so they set a goal of finding that new king. They had a larger than life vision that helped them set a big goal.
In his book Courageous Leadership, Bill Hybles says their church, Willowcreek Community Church, tries to set goals that are big enough to require God’s supernatural activity and goals that will keep the church on her knees. My hope is that in this New Year we will set goals that will require us to have faith that God is moving among us and I hope we will set goals that will drive us to pray each day seeking God’s strength. If the goals we set can be accomplished on our own, then we are thinking and dreaming too small. I want to invite us to think big. What’s the larger than life vision that will guides our lives? What’s the vision that God has put in our hearts that will require us to set some big goals?
Faith Church has a pretty big vision in front of us. Our mission statement says we are setting out to radically transform the world through passionate disciples of Jesus Christ. In other words, we want God to use our lives of faith to transform the world around us. That’s a larger than life mission and so we need to identify some goals that can help us accomplish this mission. What about a goal of 100% participation in small groups? After all if we are going to be the passionate disciples of Jesus Christ who have any hope of transforming the world then we need to be part of groups that will help us develop and strength our faith. So one goal might be to get everyone involved in a small group so we can become the kind of passionate disciples who can radically transform the world.
Whether we establish big goals in the church or in our own lives, the Magi give us some valuable tips on how to reach those goals. The first thing we need to do is draw from what we already know and from our own experiences. Notice that when the star appears in the sky the Magi draw from what they already know, they knew that a new star in the sky means a new king has been born, and because of the placement of the star in the sky they believe this new king is a king in Israel. They draw from what they know. Sometimes I wonder if in life and in faith we really need to learn more or if we just need to apply what we already know. There was a great book out a number of years ago called everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten, and the author Robert Fulghum said These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life . Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Now if we would just apply these things, maybe life for everyone would be better.
The same is true with our faith. We really may not need to learn a lot more, we may just need to apply what we already know. Think about what we already know. We know God wants us to forgive one another, not once or twice but as Jesus said, 70x70 times – or always. We know we are to love our neighbors not just with words but with actions. We know we are care for the needy, we know we need to worship and pray and give on a regular basis. Those are all things we know already, there is nothing new here, but will we draw from these things to help us achieve the goals that we set in life.
The Magi drew from their own learning and experience, but when they faced a problem, they were also willing to ask for help. When the Magi set off on their journey to find the new king they assume the king would be born in the capital of Israel which was Jerusalem, but when they arrive in Jerusalem they realize they are in the wrong place, so they ask the scholars and religious leaders of Israel where their king was to be born. They asked for help. If we are going to set goals that are larger than life and bigger than we are – then we are going to need to ask for help, help from God and help from one another, but this is often the area where we have the most trouble.
Too often what holds us back in life and in ministry is pride. Maybe we think we have all the answers, or maybe we just don’t want to look weak or foolish. Either way, if we don’t get good help and good advice, we will never reach our full potential and we will never see our goals realized. That really is one of the great lessons of our Christmas Dinner. There is no way we could serve 697 people if we as a church did not seek help from the community. We need the resources that others have to give. We need the creative ideas, the gift of time and money and food that others have to offer and we need to be willing to humbly and gratefully accept help when it is offered. It’s not always easy for a church to say, we can’t do it by ourselves, but if we are willing to open up and receive the help others, we will accomplish more than if we work alone.
Another lesson we learn from the Magi is that we will never achieve our goals if we are not willing to take some risks. It was a risk for the Magi to leave their homes in the East. Travel in those days was dangerous. They didn’t know where their journey would take them. They didn’t know how long it would take and they didn’t know how much it would cost. There were many things they didn’t know when they left home, but they took big risks because they wanted to find this new born king.
One of the reasons we may never see our goals and dreams realized is that we may be too afraid to take the risk. One of the major regrets of my life is that in High School I was too afraid to try out for a part in our school’s production of Godspell. I wanted to sing in that musical and I wanted one particular part because I wanted to sing one particular song, but I was too afraid to audition, so I settled for playing in the pit band. Anytime we step out and try something new, anytime we head out on a new path or start out on a new journey, it’s risky, because we may fail and the journey might be a disaster, but to do nothing means that we gain nothing. Not stepping out and moving forward means that in the larger picture, we are moving backwards. If the Magi had not left their homes, they may have been safe, but they never would have met Jesus. If the disciples had stayed home and remained fishermen they would have never seen the blind regain their sight, or the lame walk, or the deaf hear, or the dead rise. We can’t be afraid to take a risk; even if we fail, we may learn a valuable lesson in the process which will help us become a better person, or a stronger and healthier church.
So the Magi teach us that if we want to reach those big goals, then we need to draw from what we already know, we need to ask for help and seek the wisdom and guidance of others and then we have to be willing to take a risk and step out in new ways. The last thing the Magi teach is that worship is central to it all because our worship of God will give us the guidance and direction we need.
When the Magi find Jesus they worship him. They didn’t just bow down to him – they gave themselves to him, they gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and it is after they have worshipped Jesus and after they have given themselves to him that they are warned not to go back to Herod but to go home by another route. We assume this is the message of God because this new direction given to the Magi not only kept them safe, it kept Jesus safe as well. Herod wanted to kill this new born king, so the Magi returning home a different way gave Mary and Joseph the time they needed to escape with Jesus.
When we worship God on a regular basis and when we give ourselves to God in consistent ways, we are putting ourselves in a place where God can speak to us and give us the guidance and direction we need to accomplish all God has for us. I believe that God still wants to speak to us, but not only do we have to be quiet enough to listen, we have to have the right heart and attitude to be able to hear. The right heart is a heart that worships God and the right attitude is one of complete selflessness and humility. When we are in that place of worship, when we are willing to surrender and give ourselves to God’s dreams and visions and plans – God will guide us so that we accomplish them.
I know there will be several goals that we as a church will embrace this year as we seek to radically transform the world. It might be 100% participation in small groups, it may be to increase worship attendance, it might be reaching out to children in new ways. It might be figuring out how to serve 1,000 people Christmas Dinner next year, or figuring out how to serve an Easter Dinner to 100. Whatever the new year brings us, I hope that we will have the faith to dream big dreams and set goals that will require us to not only pray, but pray earnestly for the supernatural activity of God to move among us. As we work to achieve our own life’s goals or the goals we set in the church, let us commit ourselves to living out what we already know, let us draw from the wisdom and faith of others and let us not be afraid to take some risks and try some new things. I know the light of Christ still shines forth brightly, may we follow that light into God’s great purpose and plan for our lives and for the life of the church.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Christmas Heroes - Simeon and Anna
For us, Christmas is a celebration of faith, family and friends. It’s a time to remember what God has done for us and it’s a time to express our love and appreciation for one another, but when the holiday is over - the trees come down, lights get put away and life gets back to normal. For Mary and Joseph, Christmas wasn’t a holiday, it was the birth of their son and the one they believed was God’s son, so for them nothing would ever be normal again. Their lives changed forever that night in Bethlehem and they were faced with the challenges and details that faced all new parents. For example, for all Jewish parents, the birth of their first son meant that at least 3 ceremonies needed to take place. After 8 days a boy needed to be circumcised. This happened in Luke 2:21. Then after another month, there were 2 sacrifices that needed to be made, the first was the ritual of purification, and this was for the mother. For 40 days after giving birth to a boy a Jewish mother was considered unclean and so was not allowed to enter the Temple. After the allotted time, the parents would go to the Temple and offer a lamb as a burnt offering and a pigeon or dove as a sin offering. If the couple were poor, which Mary and Joseph were, they would offer a dove or a pigeon in place of the lamb. So Mary and Joseph have gone to the Temple for this ritual of purification, but they have also come for the redemption of the first born.
The first born sons in all of Israel were to be offered to God and then bought back. This ritual acknowledged that the child belonged to God. By coming to the temple to make their sacrifices and present Jesus to God, Mary and Joseph are doing their very best to faithfully fulfill God’s command. What is interesting to think about is that Mary and Joseph had been told by the angels that Jesus was the son of God. That message was confirmed by the shepherds who came to worship Jesus the night he was born. So Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was special and that they had been favored by God to be the heroes who would bring Jesus into the world, and yet they didn’t seek any special favor from God. They didn’t assume any special privilege and they didn’t use Jesus as an excuse to not follow through on their commitments. In humility and faithfulness they strive to fulfill their promises to God. Maybe this is why God chose them in the first place, because they had faith and integrity.
This coming week we are going to be thinking about making our own promises, New Year’s resolutions. Whether we sit down and write them out or not doesn’t really matter, in many ways the new year causes us to evaluate where we are and where we want to be and what we need to do to get there. And it’s a time to think about how we are fulfilling the promises we have already made. For those who are married, are you doing all you can to fulfill the promises you made in your wedding vows? Are you supporting your spouse and loving them in sickness and in health, for better and for worse? Does your love reflect the love of Christ who was willing to lay down his life for the church? If this is an area where you need to focus some attention in the new year, let me recommend the book the Love Dare. This is from the movie Fireproof and it gives you 40 ways to show your love to your spouse. The dares listed here won’t just improve a marriage, they can also help improve our attitude and actions toward everyone. Well worth considering.
Another commitment we need to reflect on in the new year is the one we make with our children? And this isn’t just for parents, it’s for all of us to consider. When we baptize children we are making the promise to order our lives in such a way that each child will be surrounded by steadfast love so that they can be confirmed and strengthened in the faith. Are we ordering our lives that way? Are we giving all we have and all we can to our children so they can grow up to know that the Jesus who was born in Bethlehem came to be their Savior and Lord? What more can we do to love our children and care for them and nurture them in the faith?
As followers of Jesus, we have also made the commitment to love the community and world around us. While this week we will get some much needed rest and some time to reflect on the amazing ministry of the Christmas dinner, we also need to be looking ahead and asking ourselves, what more can we do to love our community?
How is God calling us to reach out to the strangers and those in need and those who are living in spiritual darkness? What specifically can we do to invite people into a relationship with Jesus? When was the last time we invited someone to join us in worship? When was the last time we invited someone to join us in Sunday School? 53% of our community doesn’t attend worship and a full 2/3, 66% of young people, do not attend worship– how are we ordering our lives so that we can reach them and share with them that the reason we feed the hungry and care for those in need is because Jesus came to live with us and die for us. How can we share with them that it is because of Jesus that we experience a life that is filled each moment with the presence and power of God?
As Mary and Joseph enter into a new phase of their life, they follow thru on their commitment to God. They don’t look for an excuse not to be faithful, they give all they can to fulfill the promises and commitments of their faith. As we enter into a new year, will we follow thru on the promises we have made in our lives and the commitments we have made to God and to the church? As a church, there are 2 more people we need to consider as we look to the new year, you see Mary and Joseph aren’t the only 2 heroes we see in this story. As a church we need to learn from Simeon and Anna, because in many ways they represent the church today and their response to Jesus needs to be our response as we look into the future. As Mary and Joseph enter into the Temple they meet Simeon and Anna, both of whom have been faithful and committed to God all their lives. Look at how Simeon is described, righteous and devout – looking forward to the consolation (or the salvation) of Israel. It says the Holy Spirit rested on him and he was guided by the Spirit (25, 27). It says that Anna never left the Temple, but worshipped there day and night. She fasted and prayed and she also was guided by the Holy Spirit.
What we see here is a picture of what the faithful church should look like. If there is one verse in all of scripture that needs to describe the church today and if there is one verse that maybe we at Faith Church can use to guide is through the new year it is v. 25. Simeon was looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. Are we looking forward and does the Holy Spirit not just rest on us but does the spirit of God fill us and guide us and lead us in life and in ministry.
What does it mean for us to look forward? For Simeon it meant looking forward to the day the Messiah would come. Simeon had been told he would see that day, so everyday he went to the temple and literally looked for God. But what would God look like? How would God come? Because Simeon wasn’t exactly sure, he constantly was looking to see what God was doing and how God was moving. Simeon worshipped and listened and studied and prayed so that he would be ready and open to seeing God when God showed up. That needs to be our attitude and our vision. As a church we need to remain committed to worship, prayer, and study and then together we need to listen to the ways that God wants to move among us and through because what God might want to do may seem unusual or unexpected.
Go back to Simeon, I’m not sure he would have ever thought God would arrive on the arms of a poor couple visiting from out of town. Mary and Joseph are in Jerusalem, but they are from Nazareth so they wouldn’t have known any one in the temple. They were alone in Bethlehem (remember? No one took them in) so they didn’t have anyone to go with them, and they were poor because they aren’t there with a lamb but with 2 pigeons, that’s what the poor offered to God. This might not have been what Simeon expected the Son of God to look like, but because he had been worshipping, praying, listening and looking– he didn’t miss it.
Are we as a church willing to see God when he enters in new and unexpected ways? Are we willing to embrace new ideas in worship, new ideas in mission and ministry, new ways to order our life and new ways to look to the future to see what God is doing and what God wants to do? God did something new and unexpected in Jesus and I don’t think it was a one time deal, I believe God is always wanting to move in new and unexpected ways and the reason is that the world around us is always changing and so those who are blessed to be part of God’s life and God’s work are those who are willing to look forward? Let’s not miss what God is doing but let’s commit ourselves to looking forward with faith and trust in the new year? I want to invite every small group, every Sunday School class, every ministry team and every committee to consider what it means for us as Faith Church to look forward. What is it that God is doing among us and what does God want to do through us in the coming year.
Like the prophet Isaiah, Simeon and Anna were heroes because they were looking forward, but like Mary and Joseph they were also heroes because they allowed themselves to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit. Will we not just look forward, but will also allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and guide us in the coming year? Here’s how we can we know if the Holy Spirit is among us – are we filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control? In Galatians these are called the fruit of the spirit. These attitudes are the evidence that the Holy Spirit is part of our lives, not just our personal life but the life of the church as well. While I think we do a pretty good job at producing some of this fruit – I also know we can do better and we can do more. We can love more and we can have more joy as part of our lives. Through our thoughts, words and actions we can be more patient and kinder with one another, and when it comes to sharing Jesus with our community – we can be more faithful and more creative.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a daily process. Simeon and Anna went to the temple every day. Anna worshipped, fasted and prayed night and day. When we live a life of constant worship and prayer – the Holy Spirit will guide us to be where God wants us to be and the Holy Spirit will give us the strength and courage and the ability to do what God wants us to do. Looking forward to what God is doing and where God is leading won’t work if we are not first seeking God to be within us moment by moment and day by day.
Part of seeking God’s spirit to lead and guide us is confessing our sin and acknowledging all the ways that we keep God’s spirit from being part of our lives. So as we look forward to a new year and all God wants to do in us and through us, I’d like us join together in a prayer of confession asking God to first forgive us so that we can be free for a life of faith that looks for God to come to us, and to abide with us and to guide us in the new year.
Almighty God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, but what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your son, our savior Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways all through this New Year, for we ask these things in Jesus name. AMEN
The first born sons in all of Israel were to be offered to God and then bought back. This ritual acknowledged that the child belonged to God. By coming to the temple to make their sacrifices and present Jesus to God, Mary and Joseph are doing their very best to faithfully fulfill God’s command. What is interesting to think about is that Mary and Joseph had been told by the angels that Jesus was the son of God. That message was confirmed by the shepherds who came to worship Jesus the night he was born. So Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was special and that they had been favored by God to be the heroes who would bring Jesus into the world, and yet they didn’t seek any special favor from God. They didn’t assume any special privilege and they didn’t use Jesus as an excuse to not follow through on their commitments. In humility and faithfulness they strive to fulfill their promises to God. Maybe this is why God chose them in the first place, because they had faith and integrity.
This coming week we are going to be thinking about making our own promises, New Year’s resolutions. Whether we sit down and write them out or not doesn’t really matter, in many ways the new year causes us to evaluate where we are and where we want to be and what we need to do to get there. And it’s a time to think about how we are fulfilling the promises we have already made. For those who are married, are you doing all you can to fulfill the promises you made in your wedding vows? Are you supporting your spouse and loving them in sickness and in health, for better and for worse? Does your love reflect the love of Christ who was willing to lay down his life for the church? If this is an area where you need to focus some attention in the new year, let me recommend the book the Love Dare. This is from the movie Fireproof and it gives you 40 ways to show your love to your spouse. The dares listed here won’t just improve a marriage, they can also help improve our attitude and actions toward everyone. Well worth considering.
Another commitment we need to reflect on in the new year is the one we make with our children? And this isn’t just for parents, it’s for all of us to consider. When we baptize children we are making the promise to order our lives in such a way that each child will be surrounded by steadfast love so that they can be confirmed and strengthened in the faith. Are we ordering our lives that way? Are we giving all we have and all we can to our children so they can grow up to know that the Jesus who was born in Bethlehem came to be their Savior and Lord? What more can we do to love our children and care for them and nurture them in the faith?
As followers of Jesus, we have also made the commitment to love the community and world around us. While this week we will get some much needed rest and some time to reflect on the amazing ministry of the Christmas dinner, we also need to be looking ahead and asking ourselves, what more can we do to love our community?
How is God calling us to reach out to the strangers and those in need and those who are living in spiritual darkness? What specifically can we do to invite people into a relationship with Jesus? When was the last time we invited someone to join us in worship? When was the last time we invited someone to join us in Sunday School? 53% of our community doesn’t attend worship and a full 2/3, 66% of young people, do not attend worship– how are we ordering our lives so that we can reach them and share with them that the reason we feed the hungry and care for those in need is because Jesus came to live with us and die for us. How can we share with them that it is because of Jesus that we experience a life that is filled each moment with the presence and power of God?
As Mary and Joseph enter into a new phase of their life, they follow thru on their commitment to God. They don’t look for an excuse not to be faithful, they give all they can to fulfill the promises and commitments of their faith. As we enter into a new year, will we follow thru on the promises we have made in our lives and the commitments we have made to God and to the church? As a church, there are 2 more people we need to consider as we look to the new year, you see Mary and Joseph aren’t the only 2 heroes we see in this story. As a church we need to learn from Simeon and Anna, because in many ways they represent the church today and their response to Jesus needs to be our response as we look into the future. As Mary and Joseph enter into the Temple they meet Simeon and Anna, both of whom have been faithful and committed to God all their lives. Look at how Simeon is described, righteous and devout – looking forward to the consolation (or the salvation) of Israel. It says the Holy Spirit rested on him and he was guided by the Spirit (25, 27). It says that Anna never left the Temple, but worshipped there day and night. She fasted and prayed and she also was guided by the Holy Spirit.
What we see here is a picture of what the faithful church should look like. If there is one verse in all of scripture that needs to describe the church today and if there is one verse that maybe we at Faith Church can use to guide is through the new year it is v. 25. Simeon was looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. Are we looking forward and does the Holy Spirit not just rest on us but does the spirit of God fill us and guide us and lead us in life and in ministry.
What does it mean for us to look forward? For Simeon it meant looking forward to the day the Messiah would come. Simeon had been told he would see that day, so everyday he went to the temple and literally looked for God. But what would God look like? How would God come? Because Simeon wasn’t exactly sure, he constantly was looking to see what God was doing and how God was moving. Simeon worshipped and listened and studied and prayed so that he would be ready and open to seeing God when God showed up. That needs to be our attitude and our vision. As a church we need to remain committed to worship, prayer, and study and then together we need to listen to the ways that God wants to move among us and through because what God might want to do may seem unusual or unexpected.
Go back to Simeon, I’m not sure he would have ever thought God would arrive on the arms of a poor couple visiting from out of town. Mary and Joseph are in Jerusalem, but they are from Nazareth so they wouldn’t have known any one in the temple. They were alone in Bethlehem (remember? No one took them in) so they didn’t have anyone to go with them, and they were poor because they aren’t there with a lamb but with 2 pigeons, that’s what the poor offered to God. This might not have been what Simeon expected the Son of God to look like, but because he had been worshipping, praying, listening and looking– he didn’t miss it.
Are we as a church willing to see God when he enters in new and unexpected ways? Are we willing to embrace new ideas in worship, new ideas in mission and ministry, new ways to order our life and new ways to look to the future to see what God is doing and what God wants to do? God did something new and unexpected in Jesus and I don’t think it was a one time deal, I believe God is always wanting to move in new and unexpected ways and the reason is that the world around us is always changing and so those who are blessed to be part of God’s life and God’s work are those who are willing to look forward? Let’s not miss what God is doing but let’s commit ourselves to looking forward with faith and trust in the new year? I want to invite every small group, every Sunday School class, every ministry team and every committee to consider what it means for us as Faith Church to look forward. What is it that God is doing among us and what does God want to do through us in the coming year.
Like the prophet Isaiah, Simeon and Anna were heroes because they were looking forward, but like Mary and Joseph they were also heroes because they allowed themselves to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit. Will we not just look forward, but will also allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and guide us in the coming year? Here’s how we can we know if the Holy Spirit is among us – are we filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control? In Galatians these are called the fruit of the spirit. These attitudes are the evidence that the Holy Spirit is part of our lives, not just our personal life but the life of the church as well. While I think we do a pretty good job at producing some of this fruit – I also know we can do better and we can do more. We can love more and we can have more joy as part of our lives. Through our thoughts, words and actions we can be more patient and kinder with one another, and when it comes to sharing Jesus with our community – we can be more faithful and more creative.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a daily process. Simeon and Anna went to the temple every day. Anna worshipped, fasted and prayed night and day. When we live a life of constant worship and prayer – the Holy Spirit will guide us to be where God wants us to be and the Holy Spirit will give us the strength and courage and the ability to do what God wants us to do. Looking forward to what God is doing and where God is leading won’t work if we are not first seeking God to be within us moment by moment and day by day.
Part of seeking God’s spirit to lead and guide us is confessing our sin and acknowledging all the ways that we keep God’s spirit from being part of our lives. So as we look forward to a new year and all God wants to do in us and through us, I’d like us join together in a prayer of confession asking God to first forgive us so that we can be free for a life of faith that looks for God to come to us, and to abide with us and to guide us in the new year.
Almighty God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, but what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your son, our savior Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways all through this New Year, for we ask these things in Jesus name. AMEN
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Christmas Heroes - Jesus / Christmas Eve Worship
This is my favorite moment of the entire Christmas celebration, because in this moment there is nothing for us to do but to be still. I’m not sure what your day was like today, maybe you worked all day and rushed to get here, maybe you have been madly getting the house ready for company or cooking all day for family. Maybe you have been finishing up your Christmas shopping or wrapping all those Christmas gifts. Maybe you’ve been stressed out because you bought too much or think you bought too little. I know many of you have spent the last 2 days here at the church getting ready to serve and deliver hundreds of meals tomorrow at the Christmas dinner. It doesn’t matter what we have been doing or how busy we have been, and it doesn’t matter how much we still have to do tonight or tomorrow, in this moment there is nothing to do but to be still. So take a deep breath and enjoy this moment because it may not last. For many people tomorrow will bring a whirlwind of activity and the days to come will bring travel, family and friends, so enjoy this moment, this silent night, because in the stillness of this holy night – we can experience the grace and the love of God.
That’s what happened on the night that Jesus was born, the message of Christ’s birth was not announced in the overcrowded city of Bethlehem, it was proclaimed on the quiet hillsides of Judea. I’ve often wondered how a heavenly host of angels wasn’t noticed by more than just a few shepherds and I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone else was just too busy, no one else was quiet enough to hear the message and the song of the angels. I wonder sometimes if the heavenly hosts of angels are still proclaiming that Christ has come and we don’t hear that message or notice the glory of the heavenly host because we are too busy and we aren’t willing to be still and quiet.
We can’t let this night go buy without hearing what the angels said and taking it to heart, because their message can change our lives. Listen again, be still and hear the message of the angels, Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. What the angels are saying is that there is a hero who has come to save us and that hero is God himself who enters into our world as a tiny infant child, and God comes to save us, to forgive us and to bring us into an eternal relationship with Him. While some heroes may serve and save those around them out of a sense of duty or an obligation to do the right thing, God is motivated out of love.
In John 3:16 it says, for 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. In Romans 5:8 it says God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. But before that, God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ was born for us. You see God didn’t wait for the world to get its act together before he came, God didn’t wait for people to start living holy and righteous lives before he entered into the world, God came in the midst of the darkness and God still comes to us in the midst of our darkness. Whether it is the darkness of our doubt or fear or sin – God comes to us tonight. Maybe it’s just the darkness of having lived a long time away from God and from God’s will and God’s presence and God’s purpose for our lives. If that’s where we are, it doesn’t matter, God still comes to us. There’s a hero who has came to save us Can we hear that message of the angels, unto us is born this night, a Savior. God isn’t waiting for us to get it all together or to clean up our act, God is right here right now to love us and in his love he save us.
God comes to us in the person of Jesus to be our Savior. Jesus is the hero who comes to save us from our sin, and he didn’t do that by being laid onto the wooden slats of a manger the night he was born, Jesus saves us from sin when he is willing to stretch out his arms onto the wooden beams of a cross. We can never forget that the child who was born that night in Bethlehem grew up and was willing to take our sin onto his cross. We can’t look at the simple beauty of the manger without also seeing the simple beauty of the cross because it was on the cross that Jesus saved us by paying the penalty for our sin and it was three days later at an empty tomb when Jesus rose from the grave that offered us forgiveness and a new life, not just an eternal life in heaven, but a new life that can be lived right here and now. God wants us to live a life in this world that is filled with his presence and love and power and we do this when we reach out and allow God’s love and grace into our hearts and lives. We experience the fullness and abundance of God’s presence and love when we live in a relationship with God and it’s that relationship that Jesus came to establish and we know this is what God wants because when God entered into the world on that silent night in Bethlehem it was as a child.
Look at the last part of the angel’s message, and this will be a sign unto you, you shall find a babe wrapped in strips of clothes and lying in a manger. Of all the ways that God could have enter into this world as a savior, God chose to come as a baby. Think about that, the very first time God reached out and physically touched the world he created - God was reaching out of a manger with a tiny little hand. Have you ever had an infant hold on to your finger? Most of you probably have, either a child or grandchild, maybe a niece or nephew. You place your finger in the infants hand and what does it do, it slowly closes its fingers around yours. It’s a strong grip and in that moment we know that the child is totally dependent upon us. It needs us for life, love and protection. Everything they need in life they need from us. Everything God needed as an infant he needed from Mary and Joseph. He needed them for food and protection. God needed them for love and nurturing. He needed them to clean dirty diapers or swaddling clothes. It amazes me that the God of creation allowed himself to be that vulnerable, but God did it for a reason, God came as an infant because God wanted a relationship with us. God not only wanted to hold us – God wanted us to hold him. God not only wanted to talk with us, God wanted us to talk with him. God wants a relationship with us.
Tonight God wants us to hold him in our hearts and lives and God wants us to talk with him. God wants us to share with him our hopes and fears. God wants us to share with him our joys and our sorrows, our dreams and our disappointments. God wants us to reach out to him so that he can reach out and take hold of us. You see when a child grabs hold of your finger, they’re not just looking for strength and love – they are giving strength and love. Every time a child grabs hold or our fingers or holds tight to our hands, don’t we feel loved? As we allow God’s gentle yet strong fingers to wrap around our hearts and lives we know that we are loved and we know that it’s God’s touch that can heal us and God’s love that can change us. It’s a love that saves us. God came as a child because God wants to build a relationship with us, a relationship where the love that is offered can make us whole, but that relationship won’t be forced on us by God. God doesn’t grip us with an iron first or crush from the outside. God reaches out with an infant’s hand and allows his love to change us from the inside. God’s love can change us if we will allow God’s love to hold. God’s love can save us if we will open our hearts to God’s touch and our lives to God’s presence.
God came in the person of Jesus to be the hero who not only saves the world, but saves each and every one of us. And Jesus saves us by forgiving us of our sin and by reaching out in love to be a part of our lives. God still invites us to enter into a relationship with him, the message of the angels still rings out over all the earth, can we be still and silent enough to hear it? Will we open our hearts and lives and receive it? I invite you, as the angels did over 2000 years ago, to enter into a relationship with God through the savior Jesus Christ. The ultimate hero is Jesus and he has come to save us, so I invite you to reach out and take hold of the hand that extends to us from the manger. I invite you to allow the touch and the love of God that comes to us through Jesus to forgive you and bring you new life.
That’s what happened on the night that Jesus was born, the message of Christ’s birth was not announced in the overcrowded city of Bethlehem, it was proclaimed on the quiet hillsides of Judea. I’ve often wondered how a heavenly host of angels wasn’t noticed by more than just a few shepherds and I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone else was just too busy, no one else was quiet enough to hear the message and the song of the angels. I wonder sometimes if the heavenly hosts of angels are still proclaiming that Christ has come and we don’t hear that message or notice the glory of the heavenly host because we are too busy and we aren’t willing to be still and quiet.
We can’t let this night go buy without hearing what the angels said and taking it to heart, because their message can change our lives. Listen again, be still and hear the message of the angels, Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. What the angels are saying is that there is a hero who has come to save us and that hero is God himself who enters into our world as a tiny infant child, and God comes to save us, to forgive us and to bring us into an eternal relationship with Him. While some heroes may serve and save those around them out of a sense of duty or an obligation to do the right thing, God is motivated out of love.
In John 3:16 it says, for 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. In Romans 5:8 it says God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. But before that, God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ was born for us. You see God didn’t wait for the world to get its act together before he came, God didn’t wait for people to start living holy and righteous lives before he entered into the world, God came in the midst of the darkness and God still comes to us in the midst of our darkness. Whether it is the darkness of our doubt or fear or sin – God comes to us tonight. Maybe it’s just the darkness of having lived a long time away from God and from God’s will and God’s presence and God’s purpose for our lives. If that’s where we are, it doesn’t matter, God still comes to us. There’s a hero who has came to save us Can we hear that message of the angels, unto us is born this night, a Savior. God isn’t waiting for us to get it all together or to clean up our act, God is right here right now to love us and in his love he save us.
God comes to us in the person of Jesus to be our Savior. Jesus is the hero who comes to save us from our sin, and he didn’t do that by being laid onto the wooden slats of a manger the night he was born, Jesus saves us from sin when he is willing to stretch out his arms onto the wooden beams of a cross. We can never forget that the child who was born that night in Bethlehem grew up and was willing to take our sin onto his cross. We can’t look at the simple beauty of the manger without also seeing the simple beauty of the cross because it was on the cross that Jesus saved us by paying the penalty for our sin and it was three days later at an empty tomb when Jesus rose from the grave that offered us forgiveness and a new life, not just an eternal life in heaven, but a new life that can be lived right here and now. God wants us to live a life in this world that is filled with his presence and love and power and we do this when we reach out and allow God’s love and grace into our hearts and lives. We experience the fullness and abundance of God’s presence and love when we live in a relationship with God and it’s that relationship that Jesus came to establish and we know this is what God wants because when God entered into the world on that silent night in Bethlehem it was as a child.
Look at the last part of the angel’s message, and this will be a sign unto you, you shall find a babe wrapped in strips of clothes and lying in a manger. Of all the ways that God could have enter into this world as a savior, God chose to come as a baby. Think about that, the very first time God reached out and physically touched the world he created - God was reaching out of a manger with a tiny little hand. Have you ever had an infant hold on to your finger? Most of you probably have, either a child or grandchild, maybe a niece or nephew. You place your finger in the infants hand and what does it do, it slowly closes its fingers around yours. It’s a strong grip and in that moment we know that the child is totally dependent upon us. It needs us for life, love and protection. Everything they need in life they need from us. Everything God needed as an infant he needed from Mary and Joseph. He needed them for food and protection. God needed them for love and nurturing. He needed them to clean dirty diapers or swaddling clothes. It amazes me that the God of creation allowed himself to be that vulnerable, but God did it for a reason, God came as an infant because God wanted a relationship with us. God not only wanted to hold us – God wanted us to hold him. God not only wanted to talk with us, God wanted us to talk with him. God wants a relationship with us.
Tonight God wants us to hold him in our hearts and lives and God wants us to talk with him. God wants us to share with him our hopes and fears. God wants us to share with him our joys and our sorrows, our dreams and our disappointments. God wants us to reach out to him so that he can reach out and take hold of us. You see when a child grabs hold of your finger, they’re not just looking for strength and love – they are giving strength and love. Every time a child grabs hold or our fingers or holds tight to our hands, don’t we feel loved? As we allow God’s gentle yet strong fingers to wrap around our hearts and lives we know that we are loved and we know that it’s God’s touch that can heal us and God’s love that can change us. It’s a love that saves us. God came as a child because God wants to build a relationship with us, a relationship where the love that is offered can make us whole, but that relationship won’t be forced on us by God. God doesn’t grip us with an iron first or crush from the outside. God reaches out with an infant’s hand and allows his love to change us from the inside. God’s love can change us if we will allow God’s love to hold. God’s love can save us if we will open our hearts to God’s touch and our lives to God’s presence.
God came in the person of Jesus to be the hero who not only saves the world, but saves each and every one of us. And Jesus saves us by forgiving us of our sin and by reaching out in love to be a part of our lives. God still invites us to enter into a relationship with him, the message of the angels still rings out over all the earth, can we be still and silent enough to hear it? Will we open our hearts and lives and receive it? I invite you, as the angels did over 2000 years ago, to enter into a relationship with God through the savior Jesus Christ. The ultimate hero is Jesus and he has come to save us, so I invite you to reach out and take hold of the hand that extends to us from the manger. I invite you to allow the touch and the love of God that comes to us through Jesus to forgive you and bring you new life.
Christmas Heroes - Shepherds
Like all the people we’ve been looking at in the Christmas story, the shepherds of Bethlehem are heroes because they also were called to be part of God’s plan to bring salvation to the world. The job of the shepherds was to share the good news that the Savior had been born and that’s what they did. (Luke 2:17) After the shepherds find Jesus lying in a manger – they go through the streets of Bethlehem and tell people not only about a baby lying in a manger but how they found the baby because a heavenly lost of angels told them where to look, and then they shared with people what the angels said about the child, that he was the Savior, Christ the Lord.
To me the shepherds are heroes because while the angels told them that the savior had been born and they told the shepherds where to find the child, the angels never told the shepherds that they had to share this news with anyone. The angels give the shepherds a sign so they will know that they have found the Savior, but the angels never told the shepherds that once they found the baby that they had to share this good news with others, the shepherds did this all on their own. From the glory of the angels that appeared to them on the hillsides, to the humility of a child found lying in the hay of a feeding box, the experience of God that the shepherds had was so profound, so life changing, that they couldn’t keep it to themselves, they didn’t want to keep it to themselves, they wanted to share this experience with others. The shepherds wanted others to know the glory and the power and the love of God, so they shared the experiences of that holy night with others. We become heroes when we share our experience of God’s love and grace and power with others, and we need to do it not because we have to or because God calls us to, but simply because we want to. Have we had an experience of God’s love and grace so profound and so personal that it compels us to share it with others? That’s really what the shepherds experienced that night, the profound grace and love of God and their story tells us that God’s love has no limits.
You see, of all the heroes in this Christmas story, the Shepherds are by far the most unlikely. While the shepherds we see standing in our nativity scenes and in our Christmas pageants look innocent or even righteous, as a group, shepherds were not held in very high esteem. Shepherds were known for being crooks and liars. They could not be counted on to do or say the right thing and they had such a bad reputation that they were not allowed to give any testimony in a court of law because they could not be counted on to tell the truth. So it’s to a known group of liars and thieves that God chose to reveal his son on the night he was born.
Why would God do this? Why choose such an unlikely group to reveal this most important news? I mean, God could have sent the heavenly hosts of angels to kings, or priests, or even the holy and righteous men and women of Bethlehem. God could have sent his angels to people who at least others might trust and listen to, but God didn’t. God sent the angels to a bunch of men who had the reputation for not being able to tell the truth, and without even having to ask them to join his plan of salvation – they responded in faith and trust and so they said, hey, we’re in, we’re going to spread this good news of great joy. This bold move on the part of God to choose shepherds above all others shows us that the birth of Jesus and the love and salvation Christ offers are for everyone. There is no one outside of God’s reach, and there is no one outside of God’s love. God not only declares this at the birth of Jesus by choosing the shepherds, but Jesus reinforced this truth throughout his life and ministry.
Think of the kind of people Jesus called to follow him, they weren’t the best and brightest of the society and they weren’t the religious scholars and leaders of his day, they were fishermen and tax collectors. They were people passed over for others and even those who were hated and despised by their neighbors. Jesus constantly reached out to love and forgive men and women who made terrible choices in life. They were sinners, and yet not one of them was beyond the grace of God. And there is not one person today is who beyond the grace of God. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done or where we are in life. We may be facing the biggest failures we have ever faced, we may be struggling to make sense out of broken relationships, broken promises, broken dreams, and we may be wrestling with the stranglehold of sin that simply won’t let us go, but none of that can keep God’s love from us.
Look at what Paul says in Romans 8: 35-39.
There is nothing can separate us from the love of God. God loves us, and his greatest desire is for us to know that we are loved and forgiven, and that the gift of salvation is ours through Jesus. I hope that like the shepherds of Bethlehem that even if we have doubts about God’s love or God’s ability or desire to forgive us, I hope that we would at least be willing to go and check it out. That’s what the shepherds did. They went to see for themselves this thing that the angels talked about. They went to find for themselves this savior, and I hope that if we have any question about whether or not God loves us or forgives us that we will just check it out and see if it’s true. We can check out the claims of God by reading God’s word. We can read about the love of God lived out in the life of Jesus. See what God says – see what Jesus does. Pray and listen to the still small voice of God. Above all the noise and busyness of this season, take a moment to hear the voice of a savior say, I love you and I forgive you, and you are mine. The birth of Jesus proclaims that God loved the world, but the choice of Shepherds to be the heroes who first tell this story of God’s love, is a sign that God loves all people, even the most unlikely, the most distant, and the most sinful.
Heroes not only accept God’s love, they share this good news and they share God’s love with others. Are we willing to share the love of God? Are we willing to say by our words and actions that God’s grace has touched our hearts and lives? One of the most powerful ways we share this good news is in how we talk about the people around us. When we are critical of one another and when we put one another down or say things that are not encouraging and uplifting, then we are not sharing the love and grace of God. And what’s sad is that even in the church, this kind of talk takes place. Cutting people down is so much a part of our culture today that many times we may not even be aware that we are doing it and so it creeps into the life of the church. But when we look down on others, when we judge and are critical of their actions, their looks, or their lifestyle, we are not sharing the good news that all are loved and accepted by God and the truth is there is no place among the people of God for words and actions that don’t lift others up. In Ephesians 4:29 it says, do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
In a world where people think nothing of cutting others down – we become heroes who offer grace and salvation when we speak words of love and acceptance at all times and in all places. We can’t just say the right thing when we are here, we have to say the right thing everywhere because the world is listening. Look at the end of Ephesians 4:29, so that it may benefit those who listen. It’s not just those we are talking to who are listening to us, the world is listening. People are listening to how we in the church talk about one another and if we can’t say positive things about our brothers and sisters, then what hope is there that we can offer the world the grace and love of God. If we can’t truly accept one another right here, then how can we possibly share with others that they are loved and accepted by God. People are listening to us and they are evaluating our words. People are listening to see if our words are filled with grace, or judgment, and they are using what we say to determine if we are filled with grace or judgment.
The words of the shepherds were filled with grace and love and joy because they had been accepted by God. They knew God’s grace because they realized they had been chosen by God to see the Savior. They knew God’s love because they found the child lying in the manger just like the angels told them. The message of the shepherds wasn’t learned from a book, they didn’t read somewhere that God loved them, this was their story and so they shared out of their own personal experience of God’s love and grace. When we share our own personal story of God’s acceptance and forgiveness and love at work in our own lives and when we live that out in real ways in the world around us, we are the heroes who are part of God’s plan of salvation.
I believe the world today is in need of heroes. People don’t want to hear criticism, and they don’t want to hear some truth we learned in a book, people want to know how we have experienced God’s acceptance and forgiveness. They want to know that they are loved and they need to hear words of acceptance and grace and love from us. So as we get closer to the Celebration of Christ’s birth and as things maybe get a little more stressful and a little more hectic, let us first find those moments of silence to hear God’s words of love and grace and then may we share those words with others. When we are that kind of hero – we will help bring salvation to the world.
To me the shepherds are heroes because while the angels told them that the savior had been born and they told the shepherds where to find the child, the angels never told the shepherds that they had to share this news with anyone. The angels give the shepherds a sign so they will know that they have found the Savior, but the angels never told the shepherds that once they found the baby that they had to share this good news with others, the shepherds did this all on their own. From the glory of the angels that appeared to them on the hillsides, to the humility of a child found lying in the hay of a feeding box, the experience of God that the shepherds had was so profound, so life changing, that they couldn’t keep it to themselves, they didn’t want to keep it to themselves, they wanted to share this experience with others. The shepherds wanted others to know the glory and the power and the love of God, so they shared the experiences of that holy night with others. We become heroes when we share our experience of God’s love and grace and power with others, and we need to do it not because we have to or because God calls us to, but simply because we want to. Have we had an experience of God’s love and grace so profound and so personal that it compels us to share it with others? That’s really what the shepherds experienced that night, the profound grace and love of God and their story tells us that God’s love has no limits.
You see, of all the heroes in this Christmas story, the Shepherds are by far the most unlikely. While the shepherds we see standing in our nativity scenes and in our Christmas pageants look innocent or even righteous, as a group, shepherds were not held in very high esteem. Shepherds were known for being crooks and liars. They could not be counted on to do or say the right thing and they had such a bad reputation that they were not allowed to give any testimony in a court of law because they could not be counted on to tell the truth. So it’s to a known group of liars and thieves that God chose to reveal his son on the night he was born.
Why would God do this? Why choose such an unlikely group to reveal this most important news? I mean, God could have sent the heavenly hosts of angels to kings, or priests, or even the holy and righteous men and women of Bethlehem. God could have sent his angels to people who at least others might trust and listen to, but God didn’t. God sent the angels to a bunch of men who had the reputation for not being able to tell the truth, and without even having to ask them to join his plan of salvation – they responded in faith and trust and so they said, hey, we’re in, we’re going to spread this good news of great joy. This bold move on the part of God to choose shepherds above all others shows us that the birth of Jesus and the love and salvation Christ offers are for everyone. There is no one outside of God’s reach, and there is no one outside of God’s love. God not only declares this at the birth of Jesus by choosing the shepherds, but Jesus reinforced this truth throughout his life and ministry.
Think of the kind of people Jesus called to follow him, they weren’t the best and brightest of the society and they weren’t the religious scholars and leaders of his day, they were fishermen and tax collectors. They were people passed over for others and even those who were hated and despised by their neighbors. Jesus constantly reached out to love and forgive men and women who made terrible choices in life. They were sinners, and yet not one of them was beyond the grace of God. And there is not one person today is who beyond the grace of God. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done or where we are in life. We may be facing the biggest failures we have ever faced, we may be struggling to make sense out of broken relationships, broken promises, broken dreams, and we may be wrestling with the stranglehold of sin that simply won’t let us go, but none of that can keep God’s love from us.
Look at what Paul says in Romans 8: 35-39.
There is nothing can separate us from the love of God. God loves us, and his greatest desire is for us to know that we are loved and forgiven, and that the gift of salvation is ours through Jesus. I hope that like the shepherds of Bethlehem that even if we have doubts about God’s love or God’s ability or desire to forgive us, I hope that we would at least be willing to go and check it out. That’s what the shepherds did. They went to see for themselves this thing that the angels talked about. They went to find for themselves this savior, and I hope that if we have any question about whether or not God loves us or forgives us that we will just check it out and see if it’s true. We can check out the claims of God by reading God’s word. We can read about the love of God lived out in the life of Jesus. See what God says – see what Jesus does. Pray and listen to the still small voice of God. Above all the noise and busyness of this season, take a moment to hear the voice of a savior say, I love you and I forgive you, and you are mine. The birth of Jesus proclaims that God loved the world, but the choice of Shepherds to be the heroes who first tell this story of God’s love, is a sign that God loves all people, even the most unlikely, the most distant, and the most sinful.
Heroes not only accept God’s love, they share this good news and they share God’s love with others. Are we willing to share the love of God? Are we willing to say by our words and actions that God’s grace has touched our hearts and lives? One of the most powerful ways we share this good news is in how we talk about the people around us. When we are critical of one another and when we put one another down or say things that are not encouraging and uplifting, then we are not sharing the love and grace of God. And what’s sad is that even in the church, this kind of talk takes place. Cutting people down is so much a part of our culture today that many times we may not even be aware that we are doing it and so it creeps into the life of the church. But when we look down on others, when we judge and are critical of their actions, their looks, or their lifestyle, we are not sharing the good news that all are loved and accepted by God and the truth is there is no place among the people of God for words and actions that don’t lift others up. In Ephesians 4:29 it says, do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
In a world where people think nothing of cutting others down – we become heroes who offer grace and salvation when we speak words of love and acceptance at all times and in all places. We can’t just say the right thing when we are here, we have to say the right thing everywhere because the world is listening. Look at the end of Ephesians 4:29, so that it may benefit those who listen. It’s not just those we are talking to who are listening to us, the world is listening. People are listening to how we in the church talk about one another and if we can’t say positive things about our brothers and sisters, then what hope is there that we can offer the world the grace and love of God. If we can’t truly accept one another right here, then how can we possibly share with others that they are loved and accepted by God. People are listening to us and they are evaluating our words. People are listening to see if our words are filled with grace, or judgment, and they are using what we say to determine if we are filled with grace or judgment.
The words of the shepherds were filled with grace and love and joy because they had been accepted by God. They knew God’s grace because they realized they had been chosen by God to see the Savior. They knew God’s love because they found the child lying in the manger just like the angels told them. The message of the shepherds wasn’t learned from a book, they didn’t read somewhere that God loved them, this was their story and so they shared out of their own personal experience of God’s love and grace. When we share our own personal story of God’s acceptance and forgiveness and love at work in our own lives and when we live that out in real ways in the world around us, we are the heroes who are part of God’s plan of salvation.
I believe the world today is in need of heroes. People don’t want to hear criticism, and they don’t want to hear some truth we learned in a book, people want to know how we have experienced God’s acceptance and forgiveness. They want to know that they are loved and they need to hear words of acceptance and grace and love from us. So as we get closer to the Celebration of Christ’s birth and as things maybe get a little more stressful and a little more hectic, let us first find those moments of silence to hear God’s words of love and grace and then may we share those words with others. When we are that kind of hero – we will help bring salvation to the world.
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