A time for us to come to God

December 24, 2017 Christmas Eve Luke 2:1-20 Luke 2:1-20Common English Bible (CEB) Jesus’ birth 2 In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. 2 This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. 3 Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. 4 Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. 5 He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. Announcement to shepherds 8 Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. 9 The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. 11 Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, 14 “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” 15 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” 16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child.18 Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them.19 Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. 20 The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible This is holiest night of the year. It is a perfect night, for me it is a little bit too perfect. For those of you who were praying for a white Christmas, it looks like you have gotten your wish. That was not my prayer. But nevertheless, Christmas Eve is the night where the world comes to a standstill. It is the night when we get to put aside the problems of every day life. It is the night when we declare that enough is enough – we are ready for Christmas, it is the one night when we see the world as it should be – everyone loving one another, everyone at peace, everyone focused on the manger, the baby Jesus, and what his coming means for the world. We could be tempted to be like the mother, who wrote santa with her grown up Christmas list…. Christmas Eve means different things, depending on your age. For our children it is the most exciting evening of the year as you await the arrival of Santa. For parents it might mean something more. One unknown mother sent her own requests to Santa: Dear Santa, I’ve been a good mom all year. I’ve fed, cleaned, and cuddled my two children on demand, visited the doctor’s office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground and figured out how to attach nine patches onto my daughter’s girl scout sash with staples and a glue gun. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son’s red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I’ll find any more free time in the next 18 years. Here are my Christmas wishes: I’d like a pair of legs (in any color, except purple, which I already have) that don’t ache after a day of chasing kids . . . and arms that don’t flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to carry a screaming toddler out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I’d also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you’re hauling big ticket items this year I’d like a car with fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays big-people music; a television that doesn’t broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone. On the practical side, I could use a talking daughter doll that says, “Yes, Mommy” to boost my parental confidence, along with one potty-trained toddler, two kids who don’t fight, and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting, “Don’t eat in the living room” and “Take your hands off your brother,” because my voice seems to be just out of my children’s hearing range and can only be heard by the dog. And please don’t forget the Play-doh Travel Pack, the hottest stocking stuffer this year for mothers of preschoolers. It comes in three fluorescent colors and is guaranteed to crumble on any carpet, making the in-laws’ house seem just like mine. If it’s too late to find any of these products, I’d settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don’t mind I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It would clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family; or if my toddler didn’t look so cute sneaking downstairs in his pajamas to eat contraband ice cream at midnight. Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the chimney and come in and dry off by the fire so you don’t catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don’t eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet. Yours Always, Mom P.S. One more thing: You can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young . . . (1) Ah, that would be nice . . . to keep our children forever young, forever joyfully anticipating the arrival of Santa, forever believing that the world is a place completely filled with beauty, and love and joy and peace. But they must grow up and learn about life in the real world. The real world sees Christmas merely as a time to turn a profit on a year’s commerce. So, yes, in a sense we would like to keep them forever young. We too have that same prayer, about this night, about baby Jesus. We want to keep him in the manger forever, we want this night to last forever. When the truth is, Baby Jesus will have to grow up pretty fast. Jesus grows up. In order to keep the peace, the joy, the love the hope of this night going – Jesus will have to grow up to become a man to address some pretty tough issues going on in our world. And Just as Jesus grows. Our faith will have to grow also. Some of you came this evening sincerely searching for God. Others of you came for the singing of the carols, to be with your family in a safe and loving place. Or maybe you came simply to keep the warm glow of the Christmas season alive just a little longer. I pray that whatever your reason for being here, something might happen this night that will cause you to hear the voice of an angel saying, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And then suddenly I hope you will hear in the quietness a great company of the heavenly host . . . with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” And I hope you will leave this place a changed person. That is my prayer for you this night. The video that I showed had one important message for all of us. God came as a baby in a manger to be with is- and this evening is our chance for us to be with God. To not stay stuck in this night, but to let it grow and to let it flow. To pass this night on to others, to help them know that God’s love is big enough to handle any issue. The story of Mary, and Joseph, and baby jesus, and the shepherds, the animals, the angels is a timeless story. It is our proof that God is listening and hears our cries and answers our prayers. God came into the world as a baby to grow into a savior because God knew and God knows the problems of the world. Jesus is here to fulfill a promise to solve our problems. Mary heard that promise first, and in spite of all of the problems she was willing to be a mother, to take care of Jesus, because she believed that if God made a promise, then God will provide what we need. And whenever God provides – God has a purpose. – to being us through our problems to a place of peace. Jesus is the promise, the provision, and the purpose of our faith, and of who we are. Jesus gives the world hope, peace, love and joy. This night wont last forever, but as long as we have hope, peace, love and joy – the true purpose of this night will last forever. Amen

Be the Boss of Christmas

December 17, 2017 Isaiah 61:1-11 Be the Boss of Christmas Third Sunday of Advent Children’s Sermon Light the third candle of joy – what is joy. Best joy is a surprise when you are not expecting it, when look for it, don’t find it – sneaks up on you – see joy, give joy to someone else. Isaiah 61Common English Bible (CEB) Joyful proclamations 61 The LORD God’s spirit is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release for captives, and liberation for prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and a day of vindication for our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 to provide for Zion’s mourners, to give them a crown in place of ashes, oil of joy in place of mourning, a mantle of praise in place of discouragement. They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, planted by the LORD to glorify himself. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore formerly deserted places; they will renew ruined cities, places deserted in generations past. 5 Foreigners will stay and shepherd your sheep, and strangers will be your farmers and vinedressers. 6 You will be called The Priests of the LORD; Ministers of Our God, they will say about you. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and fatten[a] yourself on their riches. 7 Instead of shame, their[b] portion will be double; instead of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share. They will possess a double portion in their land; everlasting joy will be theirs. 8 I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and dishonesty.[c] I will faithfully give them their wage, and make with them an enduring covenant. 9 Their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants among the peoples. All who see them will recognize that they are a people blessed by the LORD. 10 I surely rejoice in the LORD; my heart is joyful because of my God, because he has clothed me with clothes of victory, wrapped me in a robe of righteousness like a bridegroom in a priestly crown, and like a bride adorned in jewelry. 11 As the earth puts out its growth, and as a garden grows its seeds, so the LORD God will grow righteousness and praise before all the nations. Footnotes: a. Isaiah 61:6 Heb uncertain b. Isaiah 61:7 Or your c. Isaiah 61:8 Heb manuscripts, LXX, Syr, Tg; MT robbery with an entirely burned offering Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible We all know that if you want to send a letter to Santa that you send it to the North Pole. I used to look forward to the post office keeping all of those letters and letting people come in and answer those letters and the post office would deliver the packages to children for free. Today the only post office that continues the program is the main post office in downtown Chicago. But suppose you had a serious problem and you needed to get a letter to God, where would you send it. The post office in Jerusalem reports that they get countless letters that have been addressed to God. They get so many letters, they don’t know what to do with them. One day, one of the post office employees opened one of these letters. It was a request for $250 in order to get a much needed operation. The employee shows the letter to his colleagues, and being that he was a good jew and went to synagogue every week, he told all of his colleagues – they were the people of God and God was depending on them to help the needy, so they had an obligation to help this person who asked God for help. His colleagues were luke warm on being religious, so they were luke warm in responding to the letter. He was only able to collect $198 from them. Thinking that was better than nothing, he sent it to the person in need with a letter signed God. The clerk was superexcited when he saw that the person sent a thank you note. The note said, thank you God for coming through when I needed you, but next time you send help, do not use the post office, they are a bunch of crooks. I know that you sent the full $250, but when I opened the envelope it only contained $198. The crooks at the post office stole the rest. It is important for us to realize – that we are indeed the people of God- called to serve those in need. This week I wanted us to stay with the prophecy in Isaiah. Someone gets up and announces that the spirit of the Lord is upon me to help those in need. Physical need as well as Spiritual needs. But the person can only meet those needs with the Lord’s help and the Lord’s favor. This prophecy of the one whom God sends helping others goes back to an earlier prophecy if Isaiah 42-51. This prophecy speaks of a leader chosen by God stepping up and saving the people, but sacrificing himself. This person is called the suffering servant. They call this person the messiah – the one sent by God. Isaiah 61 says that this person has been anointed by God and appointed by God to help those who are not able to help themselves. If you fast forward a few thousand years – if you read Luke 4 – Jesus stands in front of the synagogue and announces these exact words – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. This are the first words in his ministry – that he is the one they have been waiting for, he is the Lord’s anointed – the messiah. The time has come for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Today there are more than 2.2 billion people who consider themselves followers of this brave soul who stood up and fulfilled the prophecy, that is one third of all of the people on the planet. Today more than 1.6 billion people all over the world celebrate Christmas. Christmas is the most commonly celebrated holiday in the world. Many of the people who celebrate Christmas are not even Christian, but they love the holiday. I went to Thailand at the end of January, my tour guide told me to not be surprised when I still found Christmas decorations up in a primarily Buddhist country. Over 60% of all of our Christmas decorations come from one area in China. I am told that you will find Christmas decorations up all year in the Phillipines. Many people who have never seen a heavy set pale man with white hair and a beard – love Santa Claus. And they are very clear what Christmas means. But the story of Christmas does not start in a manger in Nazareth. It starts with a vision of a roman Emporer. In 300 - the emporer Constantine was not a really religious person, but his mother was a Christian. One day he is in battle and he prayed to Jesus to help him win. He promised that if he won, then he would make the whole roman empire Christian. He saw a vision that the greek letters chi and ro appeared on the sun- the first letters of Christ. He took that to mean that Christ was with him. He won the battle. In order to get the masses of people to become Christian, he took holidays that they already celebrated and made them Christian. Christmas was a secular holiday, before it become a church holiday. People celebrated the winter solstice with family time and feasting and gift giving. And all of the things we associate with Christmas. Mary named her baby Joshua – meaning God saves. The Romans named her baby Jesus. As a matter of fact, Mary’s name is Miriam. Her baby was probably born sometime between the spring and before the fall. We like to say that Jesus is the reason for the season. But in reality the winter solstice is the reason for the season. There are 24 different holidays from 7 different religions celebrated between November and January. The winter solstice is not a joke, it really affects our spirit. The church went along with the reclaiming of the holiday, because they felt it was a perfect chance for the gentiles to learn about the prophecy of Jesus the messiah. And apparently they were right. Cultures all over the world have embraced that story of a couple in Nazareth giving birth to a child in a lonely manger. Stories of that baby growing up and declaring that the spirit of the Lord was upon him have shown up in so many unexpected places. There are stories of missionaries telling tribes deep in South America about Jesus – and they exclaimed that they met that man – who came to their village to tell them that the spirit was upon him to help the needy. They had their own religious practices – but they had to follow that man. Historians have found evidence of a mysterious man traveling to the native Americans – telling them that the spirit of the Lord was upon him to help others. So when they hear the story of Jesus – they respond – they know this man. They are more than happy to follow his lead and continue his work. Leonard Sweet – a pastor says that in our lives there are actually 3 advents – the spirit of the Lord comes into the world 3 times. First at the first Christmas as a baby, second as a messiah that we recognize in our hearts, and one day he will return. So every year it is important for us to prepare for Jesus to come into our hearts in a new way, with a better understanding. Jesus comes into the world when we are able to follow his lead. We all know that there is holy Christmas within the church, and there is a secular Christmas in the world. A lot of us get mad when we see Xmas – saying that is the world trying to x Christ our of Christmas. Not realizing that in Greek, X is the first letter of Christ. It is the first letter of Constantine’s vision that the spirit of Christ would spread throughout the world. On facebook a priest talked about whether we should say merry Christmas or happy holidays. I appreciated the fact that he said that Jesus probably does not really care which one we say. Christmas is a perfect opportunity for us to introduce Christ to a whole new generation of people. It is our chance to tell the story of the prophecy fulfilled, of God coming into our lives as a little baby and spreading joy, it is a perfect road to lead them to God’s love in a way that they can understand. I think that it is nice for us to remember advent and preparing our spirits – but it is so much more important for us to get out in the world to be the boss of Christmas. That is why we sing Christmas carols – if someone who never heard of Christ can come to church and hear a familiar song – we have a chance to tell them about a man named Jesus, who was anointed and appointed to bring peace to the land. So I have a challenge for us this year – let us all be the boss of Christmas. If we believe in the story, let us not be afraid to tell the story. If we follow that strange man – let the spirit of the lord be upon us. I have flyers out there that are going to go in the recycling bin. Take one, invite someone to come to hear the story and to feel the spirit on Christmas eve. There was a lady who waited until Christmas eve to send out her Christmas cards. She was in such a hurry to get them out, she didn’t even read them. Until after she sent them. The card said – expect a gift from me soon. 49 of her friends were expecting a gift from her. That gift is the spirit of the Lord, the lord’s favor, and a man , a man named Jesus who came to save the world. Amen. Extra illustrations…. Extending Christ’s Love Some of you may be familiar with a story Fred Craddock once told about Dr. Oswald Golter. Dr. Golter was a missionary to China more than 60 years ago. After World War II he was asked to leave that country. So his missionary society wired him a ticket and Dr. Golter made his way to India to catch a ship home to America. While he was there he noticed that there were many Jews living in the area--in attics and sheds and barns. They were there because India was one of the few countries in the world that welcomed the Jews following the War. And Dr. Golter was excited to see them and went around and greeted them. It was Christmastime and he said to them “Merry Christmas to you!” And they said “We’re Jews.” “Well, I know,” said Dr. Golter, “but Merry Christmas anyway.” “I tell you,” they responded, “we’re Jews. We don’t mark Christmas.” “I know” he said, “but if you did, what would you want for Christmas?” “Well if we did,” they replied, “then we probably would want some fine German pastries.” So Dr. Golter found a shop that sold fine German pastries, cashed in his ticket home and bought up boxes and boxes of pastry. He took it back to the barns and attics and sheds and handed it out to the Jews saying, “Merry Christmas to you. Merry Christmas.” That story was told in the presence of Dr. Golter years later at a seminary where he was invited to speak. As he got up to the microphone a young seminarian stood up and said to Dr. Golter, “I can’t believe you did that. Those people aren’t Christians. They don’t even believe in Jesus Christ!” Dr. Golter nodded his head and said, “I know.” Then he added, “But I do. I do.” King Duncan, www.Sermons.com Did you catch that? Jesus left off the part about “the day of vengeance of our God . . .” Do you suppose that was an accident or could this be part of his mission to correct how humanity sees God? Could this have anything to do with the fact that Jesus taught us to call God “Daddy”? Unless you had a very warped father which does sometimes happen it’s very difficult to reconcile “Daddy” and “the vengeance of God.” Could it be that Christ’s coming was partially for the purpose of resetting our understanding of who God is? I heard about two children who were talking about the Bible. One of them was quite upset about some of the atrocities that are found in the Old Testament. The other of them, a little girl, thought for a moment and then said, “Those things must have happened before God became a Christian.” Well, in a sense, that’s true. How can you fear the vengeance of God who wraps Himself up in a babe in a manger? Our lesson for this third Sunday of Advent is from Isaiah, but our understanding of this passage is from Christ himself. We are living in the year of the Lord’s favor. We are living in the light of the star of Bethlehem. The message of Advent and Christmas is and will always be Good News for the poor, for the disadvantaged, for the marginalized, for the oppressed, for the captive in short for all humankind. A new thing came into the world with Jesus. Welcome, my friend, to the year of the Lord’s favor. And somehow, there comes a time when we know that the stories of the Bible are no more incredible than the stories of ourselves, or the stories of our fates, or the stories of our successes and failures. Either God is who he claims to be: the Creator of the Universe who won't let our world destroy itself; Father of the hopeless and the helpless and the harmless; Lover of the best that's in us, and even of our worst . . . Either God is that, as the Bible says, or we're left to other gods who are far less kind, and far more cruel. And here's the leap of faith. The angels shout the messages in the skies. But they leave it up to the shepherds to decide what to do with it. And so with us. Everyone celebrates Christmas. But not everyone celebrates it in the same way. And wherever we find ourselves connected to God in all of this, the Spirit has flown our hearts over the hurdle of unbelief, and false belief, and even misbelief, and we've found our way to Bethlehem. Harry Emerson Fosdick once said that a person's best memories, when life is closing, will be those memories of moments when we said yes to God. Maybe they'll never write a song about it, like they did when Armstrong stepped out on the surface of the moon. But my guess is that if those best memories come to you, the music in your own heart will sound an awful lot like Christmas carols. I read recently about a woman who had waited till the last minute to send Christmas cards. She rushed into a store and bought a package of 50 cards without really looking at them. Still in a big hurry she addressed 49 of the 50 and signed them without reading the message inside. On Christmas Day, when things had quieted down somewhat she chanced to run upon the leftover card and finally read the message she had sent to 49 of her friends. Much to her dismay, it read like this: "This card is just to say A little gift is on the way." Suddenly she realized that 49 of her friends were expecting a gift from her, a gift that would never come.

A Word from God

December 10, 2017 Isaiah 40:1-11 Second Sunday of Advent A Word from God Year B Children’sTime Preparation: Read (or re-read) all or part of Psalm 85 Lesson: Can anyone tell me what a “blessing” is? . . . A blessing is something good given to us, usually from God. What blessings do you have in your life? . . . parents, homes, church, food, shelter, friends, etc. In Psalms 85, we read about some other blessings. “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” That sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it--righteousness and peace kiss each other”? This is the Psalmist’s way of saying that if we love God, our lives will turn out right and we can be calm trusting God. The night that Jesus was born, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those God favors” (New Living Translation). They were telling us that God gives us peace if we love Him. How do you show your love to God? (obeying parents, reading the Bible, praying, being here in church this morning) Remember that God showed His love for us by giving us a blessing of peace. Dynamic Preaching, Children's Sermons, by King Duncan Isaiah 40:1-11Common English Bible (CEB) Comfort for God’s people 40 Comfort, comfort my people! says your God. 2 Speak compassionately to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her compulsory service has ended, that her penalty has been paid, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins! 3 A voice is crying out: “Clear the LORD’s way in the desert! Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God! 4 Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be flattened. Uneven ground will become level, and rough terrain a valley plain. 5 The LORD’s glory will appear, and all humanity will see it together; the LORD’s mouth has commanded it.” 6 A voice was saying: “Call out!” And another[a] said, “What should I call out?” All flesh is grass; all its loyalty is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass dries up and the flower withers when the LORD’s breath blows on it. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass dries up; the flower withers, but our God’s word will exist forever. 9 Go up on a high mountain, messenger Zion! Raise your voice and shout, messenger Jerusalem! Raise it; don’t be afraid; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 Here is the LORD God, coming with strength, with a triumphant arm, bringing his reward with him and his payment before him. 11 Like a shepherd, God will tend the flock; he will gather lambs in his arms and lift them onto his lap. He will gently guide the nursing ewes. Footnotes: a. Isaiah 40:6 MT; DSS (1QIsaa), LXX I Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible In the middle of my sermon prep, I looked on my blog to see what I written 4 different sermons on Isaiah 40. I have been a solo pastor preaching every Sunday, since 2007. And as I looked back, each time this verse came up, I have preached on it. Before that time I was an Associate, pastor, so I will have to look even further to see how many time I preached on it, those sermons are not online, so I didn’t have easy access to them. But obviously, this is a very important message to me. I think that it is a very important message for advent. Besides it being the words to a song in Handel’s Messiah – it is one of the most well known verses in the bible and one of the most well quoted of all verses in the world – Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye my people. This is the first chapter in what is known as Second Isaiah. Chapters 40-55. The entire book of Isaiah is 66 chapters. But those chapters cover a timespan of over 600 years of history. So experts tend to believe that Isaiah was written by as many as three different people who were addressing three different difficult times in the history of Israel. They are amazed, that even though there are three distinct styles of writing in the book, they all seem to have one complete message and theme, that is why it is just called Isaiah. The message of Isaiah is one of love and forgiveness in the midst of sin, and hope in the midst of a dark time. Things have been rough, but it will get better. God Godself will come has heard the cries of the people and will send help, and that help will come in the form of a shepherd King – strong enough to bring justice, yet kind enough to bring mercy to all of the world. This scripture is so rich in its message, I could spend forever telling you about it. But if you read our scripture for today – you will see that it have four distinct messages, with four distinct voices. Interestingly enough, the voice bible tells you who is speaking in each part of the bible. But in these verses it does not use names – each section starts out by saying a Voice cries out. The first voice is God speaking in a court scene in heaven telling the angels to send a message of comfort to hurting people. The second voice is that of an angel who responds and says to send a message to the people to prepare the way for God coming, the third voice is a prophet who reminds that people that God is faithful, and the last voice is another prophet encouraging the people of Jerusalem to not be afraid to spread the message of the coming of God to Earth. This is the prophecy that Mark is telling the world that has been fulfilled. The One that Isaiah speaks of has really come to earth. The One who is both gentle and kind, but strong and mighty. His comfort is like the little girl who came home from a neighbor’s house where her playmate had died. "Why did you go?" questioned her father. "To comfort her mother," replied the little girl. "What could you do to comfort her?" the father continued. His daughter answered, "I climbed into her lap and cried with her." Into the Bethlehem crib God climbs to cry with us, to live with us, to suffer with us, to laugh with us, to die with us. This is the comfort that says much, much more than simply, "I care about you." This is the comfort that moves into our life and takes over, overwhelming us with His love and mercy. Jesus is coming to the world – as a little baby to transform the world. And there is so much for us to do to get ready. We are in the midst of getting ready for Christmas. But Advent tells us that there is even more for us to get ready for. We have to get ready physically, but more importantly we have to get ready spiritually. We have all heard the familiar words of Isaiah 40 - make a level highway for God. Fill in the valleys, tear down the mountains and hills, make the crooked places straight and the rough places plain so that the Lord can get through. This would have rung a familiar cord with the original audience of second Isaiah. He was writing to the Isrealites who would have been taken to Babylon as prisoners, and who longed to go home to Isreael, but they knew there was nothing to go home to. They would have watched every year as the Gods of Babylon were paraded through the streets. This parade was just as popular as the Macy’s thanksgiving parade. Every year Marduk the God of Babylon was paraded through the streets. He would start in the countryside and them come down a special highway in the capital city. He was always first in the parade throughout the land, and them the Gods of those people who were conquered would follow behind. It was mandated that the roads that he traveled on had to be perfect in order for him to pass through. Roads had to be widened, paved, straightened in order for the God’s to come through. Every time I drive down 102 – I cant help but to think – this is so not the road that Isaiah was talking about. The road is not supposed to accommodate the river, the river is supposed to accommodate the road. A straight, wide smooth road. But I digress. I am sure that every year that the Isrealites stood on the side and watched this parade they felt left out. They would not dare make an image of God to parade down the streets. And yet what would it be like, if that parade was for our God and not theirs. And here, God says – prepare the roads because I am coming – not as stone, but as a living breathing person. God is coming to town! Advent is one big construction project for us. We have some mountains to tear down, mountains of hatred, and oppression and exclusion. We have some valleys to fill in – Valleys of poverty, and sickness to. We have some crooked people who need to be straightened out. And some rough situations that need to be smoothed out – there is a lot of work that needs to be done on this world, in this church, in our lives. One of the first lines of the prophecy says a voice is crying out – prepare a way for the Lord. One of the last lines in the prophecy is do not be afraid to speak. Whenever the divine comes in contact with the people – the first thing said is always do not be afraid. Whenever God speaks, God says – do not be afraid. Just do what I tell you – it will all be okay. God knows that life is hard, God knows that we are looking for answers, God knows that people are struggling. This is why God sent his son to us – to make things better. Like a shepherd God will tend his flock. He is coming with strength. Only God can overcome all circumstances to bring love to the world. What then will be the word that we speak at Advent? It will be a word of hope. Mother Teresa related an encounter she had with an old man in Calcutta: "Who is this Christ of Mother Teresa's?" "He's our Guru, old man, our Lord and our God." "What God is this?" "He's a God of love, old man. He loves all of us -- me and you too!" "How could he love me, Mem Sahib? He doesn't even know me." "Oh, yes, he does! Didn't he reach out across the city for you? Didn't he send his Sisters to the slums of Motijhil to bring you here? Doesn't he love you then, old man?" After a pause the old man said: "Could I love him, do you think?" This advent we have a lot of work to do, this is a huge construction project and we need all hands on deck in order to prepare the King’s highway – to get the message out – that the Lord is coming right here to bring comfort to the people. Let us pray…… Additional Sermon Illustrations….. "Of course you could -- it's easy to love him -- we'll love him together, old man, but sleep now. We'll talk again in the morning. Sleep now old man."2 s like a story that Philip Yancey tells about the composer Beethoven, a man not known for social grace. Because of his deafness, Beethoven found conversation difficult and humiliating. When he heard of the death of a friend's son, Beethoven hurried to the house, overcome with grief. He had no words of comfort to offer. But he saw a piano in the room. For the next half hour he played the piano, pouring out his emotions in the most eloquent way he could. When he finished playing, he left. The friend later remarked that no one else's visit had meant so much." (2) Let me ask you a question. Which means the most in our lives presents as in gifts or presence as in someone being there for us? When we are children, we think it is the gifts that make Christmas. As we become adults, we come to see that having someone there who loves us and whom we can love is far more important. God comes to us and comforts us. People without a country. Fathers and mothers trying to hold their frustrated families together by telling and re-telling the ancient stories of the good old days in far-off Jerusalem, now lying in ruins, the smoke of her ashes still twisting to the sky. People trying to eke out the best existence possible under the thumb of their Babylonian overlords. Those are the people to whom these glorious and triumphant words of Isaiah were first shouted. If you were ever a prisoner of war, or if you were ever someone waiting for a war to be over and a loved one to come home, or if you were in the front lines when the news came, "the war is over," then you can appreciate these words more than the rest of us. One day, a letter came to his desk addressed in shaky handwriting to God. He thought he should open it to see what it was about. He opened it and read these words: Dear God, I am a 93-year-old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check. Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me? Sincerely, Edna The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to his fellow workers. Each of them dug into their wallets and came up with a few dollars. By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which he put into an envelope and sent to the woman. The rest of the day, all of the workers felt a warm glow for the kind thing they had done. Christmas came and went. A few days later another letter came from the old lady addressed to God. All of the workers gathered around while the letter was opened. It read: “Dear God, How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift. By the way, there was $4 missing. I think it must have been those thieves at the Post Office. Sincerely, Edna.” (1) Well, the folks at the Post Office tried to help. Helping people is what life is all about, isn’t it? Which brings us to one of the most beautiful passages in the Scriptures. From Isaiah 40:1-11 we read these selected passages: Do you know who Rachel Naomi Remen is? She is Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. She is especially known for her work with cancer patients and is an outstanding writer. In her book, Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, she tells about an event that changed her life forever. She writes that in the beginning of December the year she turned thirteen, her father declared bankruptcy. It was a devastating thing to happen to their family just before Christmas. The result was that the family that year made homemade Christmas presents for one another instead of exchanging store-bought gifts. Rachel knit a colorful muffler for her Dad, and, using copper wire, she made a bracelet for her Mom. In spite of their financial situation, Remen says, the morning of Christmas was as lively as it had always been--the presents, though they were homemade, where just as festive as ever. Young Rachel ran her eyes over the gifts, and noticed that among them lay a small velvet box. Rachel knew that such a box was not likely to contain something homemade. She looked at it with suspicion. While she looked and wondered what could be inside, she heard her father say to her, “Open it . . . it’s your Christmas present.” Rachel unwrapped the present and found in the small box a pair of twenty four karat gold earrings. To say she was surprised is an understatement. For some 2 minutes, she ran her eyes from her present to her dad. “Come on . . . put them on . . . they’re yours,” said her father. She ran straight into the bathroom, closed the door, and put them on her ears. Cautiously she looked into the mirror. Then something sad happened. All Rachel could see was how absurd those expensive earrings looked on her homely face. With tears rushing down her cheeks, she headed straight to where she had left her father. “How could you do this?” she shrieked at her father. “Why are you making fun of me? Take them back. They look stupid. I’m too ugly to wear them. How could you waste all this money?” She flung the earrings to the floor and burst into tears. All this while, her dad said nothing. Then he came to her, cuddled her in his arms and whispered, “I know they don’t look right now. I bought them because someday they will suit you perfectly.” Rachel Naomi Remen writes, “I am truly grateful to have survived my adolescence. At some of its lowest moments, I would get out the box and look at the earrings. My father had spent a hundred dollars he did not have because he believed in the person I was becoming. It was something to hold on to.” (4) Young Rachel was comforted by those new earrings because they symbolized her father’s love for her. And, of course, that is the meaning of Christmas. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son . . .” And that is why we exchange gifts with one another. Christ came to us not because we deserve it, nor because he approves of everything we are or have done. He came because of his Father’s great love for us. Take a few moment this Christmas to listen again to the opening lines of Handel’s Messiah. Listen as the tenor sets the mood: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.” Then continue to listen as he sings, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Then listen as moves into a brief aria: “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain.” Then you will hear the entire choir break into that glorious refrain: “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” What good news to all those who have ever needed to be forgiven. I believe, friends, it’s good news for you and me. Eleanor Roosevelt kept a crushing schedule of appointments with good organizations, human and civil rights organizations and all sorts of charities. You remember that she got a reputation in her latter years for being a "do-gooder". She spent all of her time giving support to organizations that she felt were doing good for human kind. Even when she was old and physically frail, she kept doing it. There is a story about her coming to a meeting that was on her schedule. She was worn out, completely exhausted. Her friend begged her to forego the engagement and go home for rest. But stubborn Eleanor would not respond. A man greeted her and opened the door of her car. She said to him, "You'll have to help me out. My head is heavy." She was so frail, and had been so busy, that her energy was gone and she was dizzy; she couldn't walk on her own. She got out and stood by him and said, "You'll have to steady me as I walk." He took her arms and they walked toward the crowd. As she approached the crowd, a little black girl with her arms filled with flowers came up to Mrs. Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt took the flowers and said to her friend who had scolded her for over-work, "You see, I had to come, I was expected." If a human being like Eleanor Roosevelt is that faithful, how much more faithful is the Lord Jesus Christ. He will come, if you expect Him, and you will be aware of his coming if you prepare by being hopeful and joyful, and by living patiently. I remember some years ago taking one of my first walks in San Francisco with my then three-year-old twins. I looked at the map, and it didn't seem like such a big deal to go from one place to the other. After all, it looked flat on the map! But as my wife and I began the trek we quickly realized that this was going to be no easy stroll. Shouldering backpacks filled with three-year-old paraphernalia and dragging tired twins behind, we climbed high and hiked low. We were quickly exhausted. We stood on the corner, with children crying and the two of us questioning our sanity, wondering what we would do next when a taxicab pulled up right beside us. I leaned into the window as the driver stretched across the passenger seat. We met eye-to-eye, nose to nose. "Where are you going?" he said. We didn't have much money, and I stammered as much back to him. "I didn't ask you about money," he said. "You're my free fare of the day! Every day I give one free ride, and you folks look like you could use it." He couldn't have been more right. We climbed into the cab and the steep San Francisco hills melted away as we glided to our destination. "Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low ..." (Isaiah 40:4a). That day, those words somehow began to mean a little more. I learned that the steep hills we must climb and the low places we have to navigate can be made easier with the help of human hands. I don't know about you, but I would like to know exactly what's expected here. What does it mean to "prepare the way of the Lord?" All this talk about straight highways, lowered mountains, and raised up valleys. It's like we're supposed to be some major construction company for God. It may work for some, but my own self-image doesn't involve bulldozers and highway crews. I'm more the "let's sit down and talk over a cup of coffee" kind of guy.

Wake Up

December 3, 2017 Mark 3:27-34 First Sunday of Advent Children’s time will be to light the advent candle and to pass out the advent calendars. Mark 13:24-37Common English Bible (CEB) 24 “In those days, after the suffering of that time, the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. 25 The stars will fall from the sky, and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Human One[a] coming in the clouds with great power and splendor. 27 Then he will send the angels and gather together his chosen people from the four corners of the earth, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven. A lesson from the fig tree 28 “Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that he’s near, at the door. 30 I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away. 32 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 33 Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. 34 It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35 Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know when the head of the household will come, whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows in the early morning or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him show up when you weren’t expecting and find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to all: Stay alert!” Footnotes: a. Mark 13:26 Or Son of Man Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible So, here we are again – the Christmas season upon us. I really love the decorations, they are absolutely magnificent! For us in the mainline churches, it is the season of advent. Advent comes from the latin word – adventus which means to come. This morning we sung O come Emmanuel - Come lord Jesus. I love that song, it reminds us to invite Jesus to come into our world afresh. And for those of you who are wondering who stole baby Jesus out of the nativity, he is not there yet. – advent is about us waiting for Jesus to come- so he will be there on Christmas eve. Advent always starts out with preparing us for the second coming, not the first coming. Mark chapter 13 is called the little apocalypse, if you want to hear about the big apocalypse you have to read John. Mark says that Jesus will come out of the clouds. The catholic church wants to make sure that when Jesus comes out of the sky he knows exactly where to come. At the Vatican there is a huge courtyard, where the people come from all over the world to hear the pope speak. If you look up at the top of the courtyard, you will see twelve imposing figures won the ceiling surrounding the yard. From the ground, these figures look lifesize, six foot tall. In order to get the illusion that the figures are six foot tall, they are actually 36 feet tall in the air. The figures are of the twelve disciples, so that Jesus will recognize them and fly in the church. Jesus said upon my rock I will build my church. And in the basement of the church, right under the altar is Peter’s grave. I would assume once Jesus flies into the church, one of the priest would have to tell him to go into the basement in order to get Peter. And once he gets Peter, then its on, all of the Christians from all over the world will gather in the courtyard. I will have to show you the pictures sometime – but I thought those were pretty easy to find on the internet. But that is the catholic churches vision of the second coming of Jesus according to Mark. But I think that message of Advent is that Jesus comes to us in so many ways, so many times. And that being prepared for Jesus is a lifelong journey. Jesus Is Coming! One of my dearest friends applied for a position that required him to instruct and inspire younger people. His interviewer and evaluator asked him, "Tell me about your walk with Jesus." My friend replied, "You know, everywhere I go, no matter where or when, I find that Jesus has arrived there first. Wherever I go, Jesus is already there." The evaluator made no reply; he had no idea what to say, and my friend was never offered the job. Was his response too theologically subtle? Jesus is not the Lord whom we discover or define or claim. Jesus comes to us. We do not summon Him by any action of our own. Jesus is God's gift. While we were yet sinners, he was born, died, and raised again for us that we might inherit new life. Advent announces that Jesus is coming and not through any action of our own. We do not deserve it. Advent happens. Advent means that Jesus comes again and for all time, at Christmas, this Christmas. Edward S. Gleason, In the Time of This Mortal Life In Mark, Jesus goes on the say that this generation will not pass away until Jesus comes. Many take that to mean that the end of the world must be near. Or Jesus does not know what he is talking about, since 2017 years later, Jesus has not come. Or once again has he? I think that in every generation, there is a defining moment. is that moment in our lifetime that transforms history forever. When Jesus is telling the disciples to get ready, he is preparing them for his death and torture. He want to make sure that they will move forward in his absence. Jesus must have also known that the Jewish temple would be destroyed in 70 AD and a whole body of religion would be transformed. 3 times Jesus tells us to stay alert, to stay awake and to be prepared for a change. Readiness - Watchfulness A U.S. Army officer told of the contrast in his pupils during two different eras of teaching at the artillery training school at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Home of the Field Artillery). In 1958-60 the attitude was so lax that the instructors had a problem getting the men to stay awake to hear the lectures. During the 1965-67 classes, however, the men, hearing the same basic lectures, were alert and took copious notes. What made the difference in the class of 65? They knew that in less than six weeks they would be facing the enemy in Vietnam. Unknown What will be that transforming moment in our lives? In our times? What is it that Jesus is asking us to prepare for? What is going on in the world today that can only be straightened out by God’s presence? I can think of a lot of reasons that Jesus needs to come into the world today – flying in the clouds, picking up his sidekick Peter and fixing the world. In the Hands of God Raymond Fung, who some years ago served as secretary of evangelism for the World Council of Churches, asserts that “waiting is an attitude, an inclination to act. Our waiting communicates that life is not all it should be. We wait because there is something worth having. We wait because the resources we need to survive and to grow are not in our own hands, but in the hands of God.” Joel D. Kline, Alert with a Wild Hope Working and Waiting When we wait, we admit there are some things that are not under our control. Most of us like to believe that we are in control. We imagine that we are masters of our destinies. If we work hard enough, if we are sufficiently prepared, if we just concentrate, we can make life work. And we can. To a point. There are some things, however, that can't be hurried. Recuperation from surgery, the grief process, a young person learning responsibility. Shakespeare put it like this, "How poor are they that have no patience. What wound did ever heal but by degrees?" John R. Claypool has wisely said, "Let's face it, there are two kinds of reality in this world of ours. There are the things you have to work for, and there are the things you have to wait for." Claypool is right. But we don't want to wait. Collected Sermons, King Duncan But this is not a passive waiting, but an active preparation. Three times in this one passage, Jesus says stay alert. Stay alert, because you don’t know when I am coming or what changes I will bring. But if you are not prepared for change, you may not be ready when it comes. Come Lord Jesus come. Advent is a time of preparation for a great change. Advent is about what we do in the church, but the most important work of advent is in the heart of God’s people. Advent is a time for you to invite Jesus to come, come into your heart and your soul and straighten out all of the messes in your life and your heart. To be a better person, to be the person God intends you to be - to make a difference in the world. He Will See Us Win the Race There is a story told by Mary Hollingsworth about the noted director, Cecil B. DeMille. When they began working on the movie Ben Hur, DeMille talked to Charlton Heston, the star of the movie, about the all important chariot race at the end. He decided Heston should actually learn to drive the chariot himself, rather than just using a stunt double. Heston agreed to take chariot-driving lessons to make the movie as authentic as possible. Learning to drive a chariot with horses four abreast, however, was no small matter. After extensive work and days of practice, Heston returned to the movie set and reported to DeMille. Heston said, "I think I can drive the chariot all right, Cecil, but I'm not at all sure I can actually win the race." Smiling slightly, DeMille said, "Heston, you just stay in the race, and I'll make sure you win." Those are the words of God to everyone us: "You just stay in the race, you Stay Ready, and I'll make sure you win." Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. The world is waiting on us – the people of God to make a difference. We are waiting on Jesus to usher in a new day. Come Lord Jesus Come – let your spirit come to bring hope, love, joy and peace to our world this year, this time, this present day situation….. Amen. Additional Illustrations…… Living in Hope The Christian lives in the Hope. We look to tomorrow with confidence, even absurd confidence. As the White Queen told Alice, "Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." There is an exuberance in the Christian Life, an exaltation which passes logic. Why? Because we belong to Christ. Listen to Leo Tolstoy: I believe in God, who is for me spirit, love, the principle of all things. I believe that God is in me, as I am in Him. I believe that the true welfare of man consists in fulfilling the will of God. I believe that from the fulfillment of the will of God there can follow nothing but that which is good for me and for all men. I believe that the will of God is that every man should love his fellow men, and should act toward others as he desires that they should act toward him. I believe that the reason of life is for each of us simply to grow in love. I believe that this growth in love will contribute more than any other force to establish the Kingdom of God on earth To replace a social life in which division, falsehood and violence are all-powerful, with a new order in which humanity, truth and brotherhood will reign. Warren T. Smith, Journey in Faith The Full Advent: Whoa! No Way? Wow! - Mark 13:24-37 by Leonard Sweet This Sunday marks a new “season” in the church calendar. After a series of twenty-four Sundays defined simply as “After Pentecost,” the church community around the world is now called to focus on a new turn in our journey. Advent is a season of anticipation and preparation for the “coming” (adventus) of Jesus. But mostly during Advent we do strange and ridiculous things. We put up a tree in our living room. Not too long ago our ancestors even used to light the tree with burning candles, which burned many houses down. We decorate the whole house as though it was one huge present. We blow our electric bill through the roof with outdoor lighting. We start buying stuff and wrapping stuff and baking stuff and preparing stuff. All to what end? So that when Jesus finally arrives our Christmas celebration will be special and memorable. Advent is the church’s annual adventure in being astounded by something new, not in Macy’s but in a manger. And yet the first gospel reading for the Season of Advent is not “something new.” Instead it recalls a prediction from the old as recorded by the prophet Daniel. Daniel 7:13 evokes the vision of a “son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.” It describes this heavenly figure as one who will “gather his elect,” a message that suggests that those not “elected” are in fact “rejected.” It is a grand vision of a heavenly empowered divine “son of man” coming to earth to extend judgment. This “son of man” is a historic figure of heavenly origin, a divine being who becomes human and will change the course of human history. The final word in this week’s gospel text from Mark is to “keep watch,” to “watch out” for the signs that will reveal that the approach of this “son of man” is imminent… Did you hear about the teary kindergartner on the first day of school: “You aren’t homesick already, are you?” the teacher asked. “No, I’m here sick.” Humor: It’s A Good Thing to Pray, but You Must Also Watch One morning in the early 1890s, four workers were busy in a cornfield. One man with a scythe was cutting the corn and leaving it in long swathes. He was followed by a boy who was making bands of twisted cornstalks and laying them on the ground at intervals, side by side. The third worker had a small wooden rake with three six-inch teeth on it, and with this he was gathering bundles of the cut corn, and placing each bundle on one of the bands left by the boys. The fourth worker, following the others, was making each bundle into a sheaf by twisting the band tightly round it and tucking in the end. At half-past ten, they stopped for a lunch break. They sat down and opened their lunch packets which contained sandwiches of home-fed cold bacon. The boy looked at his food as it lay open on a cloth. He had been converted the night before at a chapel meeting, so he clasped his hands and closed his eyes to say grace. When he opened his eyes, his sandwiches had gone. The dog had taken them! The farmer had seen it all. Much amused, he said to the boy, "It is a good thing to pray--but you must also watch!" Mickey Anders, Keeping Watch Someday God Will Come In her book, Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen tells about her cook, a Kenyan named Kamante. She says that one night, after midnight, Kamante suddenly walked into her bedroom with a hurricane-lamp in his hand. He spoke to her very solemnly, “I think that you had better get up. I think that God is coming.” Isak Dinesen says that when she heard this, she did get up, and asked why he thought so. He gravely led her into the dining room which looked west, toward the hills. Through her windows she saw a strange phenomenon. There was a big grass-fire going on out in the hills. The grass was burning all the way from the hill-top to the plain. When seen from the house, she says, it made nearly a vertical line. It did indeed look as if some gigantic figure was moving and coming toward them. She stood for some time and looked at it, with Kamante watching by her side. Then she began to explain to him what was happening. But the explanation didn’t seem to make much impression on him. She says he clearly took his mission to have been fulfilled when he had called her to warn her. “Well yes,” he said, “it may be so. But I thought that you had better get up in case it was God coming.” Well, someday God will come. We don’t know when. But of even more relevance to each of us, there will come a time when God will come for us personally. Maybe you would like to know when that time will be. Most of us, I suspect, would rather not know. It would be too heavy a burden to bear. We would prefer to leave such things to God. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Stay Ready! Have you heard the story about man who lived in the Midwest, right smack in the middle of tornado alley? After several tornados came near his home, tearing up his neighbor's homes and barns, he decided to build a storm cellar. He decided to go first-class and build a well-stocked cellar that would give him refuge in any storm. He spent an enormous amount of money. But, as luck would have it, as soon as he spent the money for the shelter, tornados stopped coming in his direction. Oh, sometimes a warning would be posted on the news and he would go down into his cellar, but invariably it would be a false alarm. He began to wonder if he had spent his money for nothing. Finally, there came a major storm that roared through his property and flattened his barn. When he came out of the storm cellar, he looked at all the damage and then he looked up at the sky and said, "Now that's more like it!" That man was ready. And he stayed ready. He didn't know WHEN the storm was going to come, he just knew it was going to come. So, he was ready. We don't know WHEN Jesus is coming back, He didn't tell his disciples, He didn't even know the time Himself, that was in the Father's hands. He did his part in getting us ready. Now it's up to us to "STAY READY." Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Do Not Let Him Find You Sleeping Augustine, a man in the 5th century who became, Bishop of the church and a saint in history, originally lead a life of sin giving himself over to whatever pleasures presented themselves. His mother had earnestly prayed for him his entire life that he would give his life to the service of Christ, but Augustine persisted in his sins until one day he sat with a friend on a bench weeping over the state of his life. It was at this moment that he heard a boy or girl--he says he does not know which it was--singing a song. The sound was coming from a neighboring house. The child was chanting over and over: "Pick it up, read it; pick it up; read it." Here is what happened next in Augustine's own words: Immediately I ceased weeping and began most earnestly to think whether it was usual for children in some kind of game to sing such a song, but I could not remember ever having heard the like. So, damming the torrent of my tears, I got to my feet, for I could not but think that this was a divine command to open the Bible and read the first passage I should light upon. So I quickly returned to the bench where Alypius was sitting, for there I had put down the apostles book. I snatched it up, opened it, and in silence read the paragraph on which my eyes first fell: "Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof." I wanted to read no further, nor did I need to. For instantly, as the sentence ended, there was infused in my heart something like the light of full certainty and all the gloom of doubt vanished away." Had Christ come before that fateful day, Augustine would have been caught unprepared. He would have been found asleep. From that moment on, however, Augustine was prepared. He was on the alert! He had awakened from his sins. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com, Quote is from Augustine's Confessions. A Distinguished Guest There is a passage in the old Jewish book of Zohar, that goes like this: "Whenever the Jews on earth rejoice in their festivals, they give praise to the Lord. They put on fine clothes and pile their tables with good food. So the angel asks, 'Why do the Jews pamper themselves so much?' And God answers, 'They have a distinguished guest today. I am with them.' "Today is a very special day. We are preparing for a very special guest. It is the first Sunday of Advent. Our celebration begins with the word "Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." John A. Stroman, God's Downward Mobility Jehovah's Witnesses Error The Jehovah's Witnesses have changed their minds. After warning for decades that the world would end within this present generation, the leaders of the sect announced in December 1995 that they have softened their position. As a spokesman explained, "Jesus said that 'this generation will not pass away' until a number of signs have taken place (Mark 13:30). When we reflected on the scriptures, we decided that he was talking about his generation rather than ours." Ex-Witness James Fenton, professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, is pleased by the change in doctrine. The Witnesses probably won't be knocking on our doors, he notes. The reason for their urgency no longer exists. Since the Jehovah's Witnesses have officially declared that the world probably will not end tomorrow, they will have a harder time motivating their members to ring more doorbells and gather more followers. William G. Carter, No Box Seats in the Kingdom Ignoring Advent If you are comfortable in this world, then I encourage you to ignore Advent. Christmas is the holiday for you. Waiting and hoping are just not worthwhile, so jump to the fun stuff. Advent only makes sense if you want something else to hold on to. If you need to believe that as wonderful as the sun, the moon, and the stars may be, when they fall away it will be because a new, brighter, more perfect light has come and we no longer need those things. Advent is a special time when we anticipate our favorite stories about Jesus’ birth, but if we do it right, it’s also a time when we look at ourselves and our world and decide that we shouldn’t be comfortable. We shouldn’t be comfortable that people are starving a stone’s throw away and that their starvation will last long past the holiday season when people are feeling generous with canned goods. We shouldn’t be comfortable that we stand on the brink of World War III—that’s right, you heard it here first—and our own neighbors worship the flag of one aggressor and the oil of another. The alternative is to trust in the kind of king who gets born in a feeding trough, who teaches that people who trust in God should not be concerned about their status or well-being in this world, and who gets strung up on a cross for telling the truth to people who were completely comfortable with the world as they knew it. Matthew T. Phillips, A Voice in the Crowd Twas the Beginning of Advent Today I want to read to you a poem that is based on a rather famous poem about Christmas called ‘Twas the Beginning of Advent’. It is by a friend of mine - Todd Jenkins. It will tell you a little bit about this season we celebrate. 'Twas the beginning of Advent and all through the Church Our hope was all dying-- we'd given up on the search. It wasn't so much that Christ wasn't invited, But after 2,000 plus years we were no longer excited. Oh, we knew what was coming-- no doubt about that. And that was the trouble-- it was all "old hat." November brought the first of an unending series of pains With carefully orchestrated advertising campaigns. There were gadgets and dolls and all sorts of toys. Enough to seduce even the most devout girls and boys. Unfortunately, it seemed, no one was completely exempt From this seasonal virus that did all of us tempt. The priests and prophets and certainly the kings Were all so consumed with the desire for "things!" It was rare, if at all, that you'd hear of the reason For the origin of this whole holy-day season. A baby, it seems, once had been born In the mid-east somewhere on that first holy-day morn. But what does that mean for folks like us, Who've lost ourselves in the hoopla and fuss? Can we re-learn the art of wondering and waiting, Of hoping and praying, and anticipating? Can we let go of all the things and the stuff? Can we open our hands and our hearts long enough? Can we open our eyes and open our ears? Can we find him again after all of these years? Will this year be different from all the rest? Will we be able to offer him all of our best? So many questions, unanswered thus far, As wise men seeking the home of the star. Where do we begin-- how do we start To make for the child a place in our heart? Perhaps we begin by letting go Of our limits on hope, and of the stuff that we know. Let go of the shopping, of the chaos and fuss, Let go of the searching, let Christmas find us. We open our hearts, our hands and our eyes, To see the king coming in our own neighbours' cries. We look without seeking what we think we've earned, But rather we're looking for relationships spurned. With him he brings wholeness and newness of life For brother and sister, for husband and wife. The Christ-child comes not by our skill, But rather he comes by his own Father's will. We can't make him come with parties and bright trees, But only by getting down on our knees. He'll come if we wait amidst our affliction, Coming in spite of, not by our restriction. His coming will happen-- of this there's no doubt. The question is whether we'll be in or out. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Do you have the courage to peer through the lock? A basket on your porch, a child in your reach. A baby to love, to feed and to teach. He'll grow in wisdom as God's only Son. How far will we follow this radical one? He'll lead us to challenge the way that things are. He'll lead us to follow a single bright star. But that will come later if we're still around. The question for now: Is the child to be found? Can we block out commercials, the hype and the malls? Can we find solitude in our holy halls? Can we keep alert, keep hope, stay awake? Can we receive the child for ours and God's sake? From on high with the carolling host as he sees us, He yearns to read on our lips the prayer: Come Lord Jesus! As Advent begins all these questions make plea. The only true answer: We will see, we will see. Todd Jenkins, quoted by Richard J. Fairchild, "T'was The Beginning of Advent"

The Glory of Christ

November 26, 2017 Christ the King Sunday Matthew 25:31-46 The Glory of Christ Children’s Sermon….. Object: a report card or progress report from day care or kindergarten Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you go to school or day care? Do you have a good time there? When I was your age, I went to kindergarten. And there were certain things that the teacher expected me to do in kindergarten. For instance, the teachers wanted me to share my toys, and play well with the other children, and use good manners when I was in the classroom, and not yell too loudly or hit people. Those are some things the teacher wanted me to do. And every year, the teachers would send home a report card showing my mom and dad if I was doing everything right or not. Have you ever gotten a report card? If I was doing really well in a certain subject, like sharing, I would get an "œS" on my report card. That meant "œsatisfactory," that I was doing a good job. If I was doing a bad job, I might get a "œU" or a "œP." Those stand for "œunsatisfactory" and "œpoor," or very bad. I really wanted to get good grades, so I tried very hard to do all the things my teacher taught me to do. Wouldn't it be interesting if God gave us a report card? What if God graded us on the things that are important to Him, like taking care of poor people, giving food to hungry people, visiting sick people? Do we do any of those things? Would we get a good grade? God wants us to do good things for people who are hungry, or sick, or thirsty, or poor, or in prison. He wants us to take care of these people, to share what we have with them. If God were to grade us, that's what He'd grade us on. So what about you? Do you want to get a good grade on God's report card? I do. So let's pray and ask God how we can start helping the people around us who need help. Matthew 25:31-46Common English Bible (CEB) Judgment of the nations 31 “Now when the Human One[a] comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left. 34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. 35 I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. 36 I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ 45 Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.” Footnotes: a. Matthew 25:31 Or Son of Man Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible I have a list of 6 important ministries that a church can have, and I want you to think about which of these do we do well, and which ones can we do better. Which ones should we be doing. This is a rhetorical question and each person can come up with their own answers. Feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty a drink, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, looking after the sick, caring for the prisoner. Based on that criteria what grade would you give the church? What grade do you think God would give us? This is the last Sunday of the Christian year, but this is not the last of our discussion on the last days. Last week someone commented that they could not wait until this week’s scripture, because this is the scripture that I will talk about judgement. I am not sure of why judgement day is so special, but I think we all have the same concerns in the back of our head about judgement day. What does it mean to be held accountable for our actions, is there a really a heaven or a hell,and where will my eternal destiny be? Will I go to heaven or hell. And you know, church really has changed over the years. We don’t talk a lot about hell anymore. We don’t talk about the wages of sin being death. At funerals, the person could have been a gang leader, a very mean person and we will still say that he was a very good person who is resting with Jesus. We don’t tell the truth and say that they were an evil person who deserves to die, and who is the person who hell was created for. It is not comforting for any of us to come to terms with our actions and how we look in the eyes of God. Jesus himself says that the words of Matthew 25 are words of judgement. This is Jesus’ last lesson in Matthew. This is not the last chapter in matthew, but this is the last time Jesus will talk with his disciples. The very next day after giving this teaching, Jesus is captured by the Romans and the rest is history. He wanted to make sure that his disciples were prepared for the days to come. He may have been a little stressed out knowing what was to come and knowing that his disciples were not prepared. Perhaps that is why his language is a little strong. But jesus words in Matthew are all alittle strong. The first time I read this book in college, I was truly afraid to be a Christian. The consequences just seemed so extreme. But it is important to know, that Jesus did not intend for his words to be a thing of despair. Jesus said what he said to bring hope. Judgment is not a bad person, especially not for Christians. When Jesus is talking about separating the sheep and the goats, he is talking about separating the right from the left, not separating the right from the wrong. I think there is a little bit of sheep and goat in all of us. Jesus says that the sheep will go to the right and go to heaven and the goat will go to the left and be sent to hell. It is important for us to realize that the goats didn’t do anything wrong in their lives. They didn’t do anything right, but they didn’t do anything wrong. As a matter of fact, they didn’t do anything at all. As I read this scripture, it looks like jesus is talking specifally to believers. Believers who help their sisters and brothers. Those that they know and they have a relationship with. Jesus us separating believers who live their faith and believers who just think about their faith. Another thing that I want to point out is that the believers themselves don’t know if they are sheep or goats. Jesus says you fed me, and they first thing they ask was when did we feed you. When did I see you? Jesus says it was when you did it to the least of these. It is not the big things that we do that find favor with God it is the little things. It is not the things that we plan for, it is our natural reaction to the people that we encounter. Do you tend to their needs, or do you ignore them? Jesus says that when you help others, you help me. I am sure that if we knew it was Jesus that we passed on the street, or who just got arrested, we would be knocking each other over trying to help Jesus. But the sheep had no idea they were helping Jesus. We are being judged on how we treat anyone. At the end of my yoga class, we always put our hands together in prayer between your heart chakra and your head chakra, and bow and say Namaste. Namaste actually means – may the God in me honor the God in you. It is a Indian sign of respect. But my point is that we are all children of God. There is a little part of God in all people. And we have to honor that part of God that we see. So when we encounter one another – we encounter Jesus. We don’t need to try to recognize Jesus, just know that he is there, somewhere in everyone we come in contact with. Poverty: I Saw the Face of God A man named John Jackson, who is an advocate for the poor in Orlando, Florida, tells of an event that happened one day outside a food distribution center where he was working. Jackson describes the event: "The line was long that day, but moving quickly. And in that line, at the very end of the line, stood a young girl who appeared to be about 12 years old. She waited patiently as those at the front of that very long line received a little rice, some canned goods, maybe a couple of pieces of fruit. Slowly but surely, she was getting closer to the front of the line, closer to the food. From time to time she would glance across the street. She didn't notice the growing concern on the faces of the people who were distributing the food. There wasn't going to be enough. The food was rapidly running out. Their anxiety began to show, but still the girl didn't notice. Her attention seemed always to focus on three figures huddled together under a tree across the street. At last she stepped forward to get her food. But the only thing left was one lonely banana. The workers were almost ashamed to tell her that was all that was left. But she didn't seem to mind. In fact she seemed genuinely happy to get that solitary banana. Quietly she took the precious gift and ran across the street where three small children waited. Maybe they were her siblings, maybe not. Very deliberately the girl peeled the banana. Then she carefully divided the banana into three equal parts and placed the precious food in the eager hands of those three young ones. 'One for you, and one for you, and one for you!' Then, for her own meal, she licked the inside of that banana peel." Jackson concludes the story, "And I will always believe that I saw the face of God that day." The lesson for us is that we will be judged according to what we do for others. The good news is that judgment is not about what you did wrong it is about what you did right. Who we are as a church depends on how we meet the needs of those around us. And we help them, not to get them to come join our church, but because they are brothers and sisters in need. My final word on Jesus judgment, is that Christ came into the world so that we might have life and have it abundantly. Jesus has the ability to judge, but Jesus also gives the gift of grace to all of his children, there is no reason we cant do the same. On facebook I saw a saying about Lutherans, but it applies to Methodist, and Baptist and Pentecostal and nondenominational Christians and even the Catholics. also. We don’t serve in order to be saved, we serve in response to the gift of salvation. Let us pray… Other illustrations….. Perhaps you've heard the story about the old drunk who was paid to situp all night in a funeral home in a viewing room with an open coffin in case anyone came late to pay their respects. Unknown to the town drunk, he was being setup by some practical jokers. In the quietness of the early morning hours, the body in the coffin sat up and screamed. Very calmly the drunk got up, staggered over to the casket, and pushed the body back down saying, "If you're dead, lie down and act like it." Now the flipside of that punch line could easily be addressed to many of us Christians, "If you are alive, stand up and act like it!!" If our faith is alive, it will lead off from Meology to Theeology. If our love is real, it will motivate us to live sacrificially and give generously from our abundance for the sake of those who are hurting. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, once heard about a man in his community named Tom who was destitute and desperate. Wesley wrote him a comforting letter of Hope which read in part, "Dear Tom: I pray that life will soon be easier for you and your family, remember Psalm 37: 3 which says ˜Trust in the Lord . . . and verily you shall be fed.'" With this letter Wesley included a $ 10 bill a sizeable amount of money in those days. . . . Not long after that, Dr. Wesley received this gracious reply from the man: "Dear Dr. Wesley: I have often been struck by the beauty of the scripture passage you quoted. But I understand even better now how it is that the Lord feeds the hungry. Thank you for your much needed gift." It is not enough to pray and offer words of Heavenly Benediction for those in need we must act. We see exactly that in James 2: 1516 which says "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothing or daily food. What good is there in your saying to them ˜God bless you! Keep warm and eat well.' If you do not give them the necessities of life?" James' point is that there is nothing good in such an attitude. We must put our faith into action. We must respond to the physical needs of others not only with prayer but also with tangible help. If our faith is real it will motivate us beyond talk to sacrificial action. God feeds the hungry and helps the hopeless through us His body in the world today. When we pray for Him to help. He reminds us that He has provided us with the abundant resource and the means to feed the hungry. He says, "Yes, I will help through you!" Hope which read in part, "Dear Tom: I pray that life will soon be easier for you and your family, remember Psalm 37: 3 which says ˜Trust in the Lord . . . and verily you shall be fed.'" With this letter Wesley included a $ 10 bill a sizeable amount of money in those days. . . . Not long after that, Dr. Wesley received this gracious reply from the man: "Dear Dr. Wesley: I have often been struck by the beauty of the scripture passage you quoted. But I understand even better now how it is that the Lord feeds the hungry. Thank you for your much needed gift." It is not enough to pray and offer words of Heavenly Benediction for those in need we must act. We see exactly that in James 2: 1516 which says "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothing or daily food. What good is there in your saying to them ˜God bless you! Keep warm and eat well.' If you do not give them the necessities of life?" James' point is that there is nothing good in such an attitude. We must put our faith into action. We must respond to the physical needs of others not only with prayer but also with tangible help. If our faith is real it will motivate us beyond talk to sacrificial action. God feeds the hungry and helps the hopeless through us His body in the world today. When we pray for Him to help. He reminds us that He has provided us with the abundant resource and the means to feed the hungry. He says, "Yes, I will help through you!" Meeting God Once there was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it would be a long trip to where God lived, so he packed a suitcase full of Twinkies and cans of root beer (his two favorite foods) and set off on his journey. He had only gone a few blocks when he passed an older woman, sitting on a park bench and just staring at some pigeons. She looked sad and lonely, so the boy went over and sat down next to her. He opened his suitcase, took out a package of the Twinkies and offered it to her. She gratefully took it and smiled at him. Her smile was so warm and wonderful that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a can of his root beer. Once again, she took it and smiled at him. The boy was delighted. They sat there all afternoon, eating the Twinkies, drinking the root beers and watching the pigeons, without saying a word to each other. As it grew dark, the boy realized that he had better get started home and got up to leave. But before he had just a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the older woman and gave her a big hug. She gave him the biggest smile of all. When the boy got home, his mother noticed how happy he seemed. So she asked him what he had done all day. He told her: "I had lunch with God. And you know what? She has the most beautiful smile that I've ever seen." Meanwhile, the older woman had returned to her home. Her son also noticed how happy and contented she seemed so he asked her what she had done that had made her so happy. She said to him: "I sat in the park and ate Twinkies with God. You know, he's much younger than I expected." Billy D. Strayhorn, Blessed to be a Blessing In a world where "religious" people, claiming to speak for God, often appear to know so much, to have such clear and firm ideas about exactly what's right and exactly what's wrong, who's going to Heaven and who's going to Hell, isn't it refreshing to hear of those whose sole motivation for acts of loving kindness is compassion? And isn't it refreshing to meet those righteous sheep who are genuinely baffled by the words of Jesus that, in their loving acts of kindness, they were really serving Jesus himself? Johnny Dean, Sermons.com, staff I Kept an Open Door A Jewish story goes: I went up to Heaven in a dream and stood at the Gates of Paradise in order to observe the procedure of the Heavenly Tribunal. I watched as a learned Rabbi approached and wished to enter. “Day and night,” he said, “I studied the Holy Torah.” “Wait,” said the Angel. “We will investigate whether your study was for its own sake or whether it was a matter of profession and for the sake of honors. A Righteous Person [a Zaddik] next approached. “I fasted much,” he said, “I underwent many ritual cleansings; I studied the Zohar the mystical commentary on the Torah day and night.” “Wait,” said the Angel, “until we have completed our investigation to learn whether you motives were pure.” Then a tavern-keeper drew near. “I kept an open door and fed without charge every poor man who came into my inn,” he said. The Heavenly Portals were opened to him. Rabbi Aaron Leib of Primishlan, as quoted in Abraham Karp, The Jewish Way of Life and Thought, New York: KTAV Publishing Inc., 1981, p.177

Left Behind

November 19, 2017 Year A Left Behind 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Exegetical Aim: To remind the children of Christ’s second coming. Props: A wall clock Lesson: Does anyone know what time it is? Right now, do you know what time it is? (Responses) How can you tell what time it is? What do we look at to see what time it is? (response) Good, a clock, or a watch. Look what I’ve brought today. A clock. Maybe all of you do not know yet how to tell time. So I’ll quickly explain. Briefly describe the hands and the numbers on the face of the clock. What time do we usually get up from bed in the morning? (response) What time do we eat lunch? (response) A joke about the length of the sermon would be appropriate to evoke laughter from the congregation. Let’s see, what time do we eat supper? (response) Well, what time do we go to bed? (response) Now here’s the big question. Jesus told His disciples that one day He would come again and bring His kingdom to earth. The question is . . . what time will Jesus come again? (Let the children think for a moment and let them respond) Application: The Bible reminds us that Jesus will one day come again. But it also reminds us that no one knows what time He will come. So we shouldn’t spend a lot of time wondering about that, even though some people do. What the Apostle Paul wanted the people to know was that Christians should be ready for Jesus to come any time. Now when Jesus comes again, how do you suppose He will want to find us acting? Hatefully or lovingly? (response) Hurting others or helping others? (response) Speaking badly about someone or encouraging them? (response) That’s right. It doesn’t matter what time it is for us to act in a Christian way. And because we do not know what time Jesus will return, we always want to be ready when He does come. So the next time you see a clock, remember that we don’t know what time Jesus will come, but that there is always time to act like a Christian. Let us Pray: Gracious God, thank you for letting Jesus come back to us someday. Until He comes again, help us always to act like Christians should. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ChristianGlobe, , by Brett Blair 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11Common English Bible (CEB) The Lord’s coming 5 We don’t need to write to you about the timing and dates, brothers and sisters. 2 You know very well that the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, “There is peace and security,” at that time sudden destruction will attack them, like labor pains start with a pregnant woman, and they definitely won’t escape.4 But you aren’t in darkness, brothers and sisters, so the day won’t catch you by surprise like a thief. 5 All of you are children of light and children of the day. We don’t belong to night or darkness. 6 So then, let’s not sleep like the others, but let’s stay awake and stay sober. 7 People who sleep sleep at night, and people who get drunk get drunk at night.8 Since we belong to the day, let’s stay sober, wearing faithfulness and love as a piece of armor that protects our body[a] and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 God didn’t intend for us to suffer his wrath but rather to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 Jesus died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with him. 11 So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already. Footnotes: a. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 Or breastplate Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Author Doug Mendenhall shares a brief parable that should cause all of us to pause and reflect: Jesus called the other day to say he was passing through and [wondered if] he could spend a day or two with us. I said, "Sure. Love to see you. When will you hit town?" I mean, it's Jesus, you know, and it's not every day you get the chance to visit with him. It's not like it's your in-laws and you have to stop and decide whether the advantages outweigh your having to move to the sleeper sofa. That's when Jesus told me he was actually at a convenience store out by the interstate. I must have gotten that Bambi-in-headlights look, because my wife hissed, "What is it? What's wrong? Who is that?" So I covered the receiver and told her Jesus was going to arrive in eight minutes, and she ran out of the room and started giving guidance to the kids—in that effective way that Marine drill instructors give guidance to recruits. … My mind was already racing with what needed to be done in the next eight—no seven—minutes so Jesus wouldn't think we were reprobate loser slobs. I turned off the TV in the den, which was blaring some weird scary movie I'd been half watching. But I could still hear screams from our bedroom, so I turned off the reality show it was tuned to. Plus, I turned off the kids' set out on the sun porch, because I didn't want to have to explain Jon & Kate Plus Eight to Jesus, either, six minutes from now. My wife had already thinned out the magazines that had been accumulating on the coffee table. She put Christianity Today on top for a good first impression. Five minutes to go. I looked out the front window, but the yard actually looked great thanks to my long, hard work, so I let it go. What could I improve in four minutes anyway? I did notice the mail had come, so I ran out to grab it. Mostly it was Netflix envelopes and a bunch of catalogs tied into recent purchases, so I stuffed it back in the box. Jesus doesn't need to get the wrong idea—three minutes from now—about how much on-line shopping we do. I ran back in and picked up a bunch of shoes left by the door. Tried to stuff them in the front closet, but it was overflowing with heavy coats and work coats and snow coats and pretty coats and raincoats and extra coats. We live in the South; why'd we buy so many coats? I squeezed the shoes in with two minutes to go. I plumped up sofa pillows, my wife tossed dishes into the sink, I scolded the kids, and she shooed the dog. With one minute left I realized something important: Getting ready for a visit from Jesus is not an eight-minute job. Then the doorbell rang. Used with permission from author. Doug Mendenhall, "Getting Prepared for the Arrival of Jesus," www.reporternews.com (9-24-09); submitted by Kevin Miller, executive vice president, Christianity Today International If you knew for sure that Jesus was on his way to see you how would you prepare? What would you do? How long would it take to occur to you that it is too late to go to the store to pick up anything, too late to clean the house, too late to get all of your vices out of the house. Our lesson for today is when Jesus comes – don’t be surprised, don’t be afraid, and do not despair. Those who are facebook friends know that I make a point to decorate my kitchen table every month. You might not realize that there are two focal pieces that stay the same. There is a sign that says in everything give thanks, and there is a full table setting always on the table. The setting is not for me, the setting is for Jesus. If he ever needs a place to crash while he is on earth, he has a dedicated place at my table. It reminds me to be prepared for Jesus to come. To live my life prepared, and not expect to get ready on the spur of the moment. Being prepared for Jesus can take a lifetime. Today we look at the second half of Paul’s message to the Thessalonians about the apocalypse. There has always been a lot of talk about what will happen at the end of the world. And there are always kind prophets who have secret information about when and how it will happen. Paul reminds us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It will be like nothing you have ever experienced before. In Matthew 24 Jesus himself says that God is the only one who knows for sure when the Day will come. Jesus says that not even he consciously knows when it will happen. When you see the signs, you know that it is time to be prepared. Robby Robins was an Air Force pilot during the first Iraq war. After his 300th mission, he was surprised to be given permission to immediately pull his crew together and fly his plane home. They flew across the ocean to Massachusetts and then had a long drive to western Pennsylvania. They drove all night, and when his buddies dropped him off at his driveway just after sun-up, there was a big banner across the garage—"Welcome Home Dad!" How did they know? No one had called, and the crew themselves hadn't expected to leave so quickly. Robins relates, "When I walked into the house, the kids, about half dressed for school, screamed, 'Daddy!' Susan came running down the hall—she looked terrific—hair fixed, make-up on, and a crisp yellow dress. 'How did you know?' I asked. 'I didn't,' she answered through tears of joy. 'Once we knew the war was over, we knew you'd be home one of these days. We knew you'd try to surprise us, so we were ready every day.'" Lee Eclov, in the sermon "Heaven," PreachingToday.com I am not being cynical in preaching on the end of time. If I didn’t preach on Thessalonians, the scripture in Matthew 25 is also about being prepared for the second coming. As a matter of fact, that will be the theme of scripture for the next three weeks. Next Sunday is the last day of the lectionary calendar. And the first Sunday of advent is the first week of December. Advent always starts with the second coming and goes backward to the first coming. The whole point of advent is being prepared for the coming of Christ. So for the next two weeks we have to be prepared to be prepared. We have to remember, not to be surprised, not to be afraid, and not to despair, whatever life may bring. Have you noticed that as life goes on, there is more things that we fear about the future. As we listen to the news, it is easy for us to wonder if we will even have a future. And we stress out on how we will face the future. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. Paul is trying to convince us that we have to trust God, He says God didn’t intend for is to suffer wrath, but to possess salvation. Paul calls us children of the light. For Paul there are two kinds of people, whose who live in darkness and those who live in light. He says that we are the children of the light, we have to work while it is light, we have to live in the light, and we have to do the things that thrive in the day. During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives: On May 19th, 1780 the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought." Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we're to be lights as we watch and wait. Harry Heintz. That is why I feel that it is so important to be left behind. There was a series of books and movies that talked about being left behind. Those left behind are those who are forsaken by God, and have no hope. There are a lot of people out there who live in darkness because they truly believe that they are forsaken. It takes the faithful to spread the message that God loves everyone. That God will be with us no matter what, and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. In the 1500’s after the protestant reformation, a group of church members put together the Heidelberg catechism. 129 questions and answers that help us to understand what it means to have faith in Christ. The very first question ask – what is your only comfort in life and in death. The answer – Jesus is our only comfort in life and in death. If Jesus is our comfort, we have no reason to be surprised, no reason to be afraid and no reason to despair. Paul final message, which we will hear again in advent is to stay awake and to always be ready. Are You Ready? The matter of being ready is of such supreme importance that our Lord has not left us without kindly admonition, and as willingness to serve naturally leads to preparedness for service, how vitally important it is that we consider what He has to say on being ready. Ready to give the gospel (Rom. 1:15). Ready for every good work (Titus 3:1). Ready to distribute (I Tim. 6:18). Ready to give an answer (I Pet. 3:15). Ready to go where the Lord leads (Luke 22:33). Ready to feed the flock (I Pet. 5:2). Ready to die for the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13). Ready to be offered (II Tim. 4:6). Ready for His coming (Matt, 24: 44; 25:10). Ready also in receiving the Word and searching the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so (Acts 17: 11).—J. T. Bougher. Amen. Additional illustrations…… Kerry Gandy of Maumelle, Arkansas tells of the time when his wife and he decided it was time for them to get their bodies into shape. They knew there were all types of programs, clubs, books, etc. that promised to get them to their goal. There was one thing, however, that really looked like their cup of tea, that being aerobics. They decided they would start an aerobics exercise program using their VCR. As the alarm rang the next morning, Kerry Gandy anticipated the thought of starting a new program to help him attain a body like “RAMBO.” As soon as they got the kids off to school they plugged in their aerobic tape. As the lady started going through the different motions with Kerry and his wife, Janet, following her every move something hit Kerry like a ton of bricks. He realized that to achieve this goal of having a body like “RAMBO,” it was going to take some time, in fact it was going to take a lot of time. After about five minutes into the program, he was panting--he couldn’t catch his breath; he was perspiring profusely, his heart was throbbing in his throat and pounding in his ears. He thought he was about to die. At this time he turned to his wife and said emphatically, “This is hard stuff.” This had no more cleared his lips, when he heard the aerobic instructor say, “Now that we are warmed up . . . let’s begin our exercise.” This particular program had a split screen--one for the regular workout, and a smaller one for women who were pregnant--he says he followed the smaller screen. This led him to two thoughts: First of all he says, it is amazing what people are willing to put themselves through for a healthier life. Would that we would see the importance of doing the same with our spiritual life. Two, when we follow Christ, we need to understand that at times we may feel it’s time to throw up our hands and quit. That’s when we need to realize that we have just warmed up and it’s time to become a true soldier of the cross. People of the day. Biblically there are only two kinds of people--those who seek to be soldiers of Christ and those who give no thought each day to who they are and to whom they belong. To which camp do you belong? Hope is hearing the melody of the future. Faith is to dance to it. Rubem Alves, Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 4. A college professor had the mysterious habit of removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket as he walked into the lecture hall each morning. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket and leave the room. No one ever understood why he did this, until one day a student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor didn’t miss a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head. The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball… No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester! (from Cybersalt Digest) A college professor had the mysterious habit of removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket as he walked into the lecture hall each morning. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket and leave the room. No one ever understood why he did this, until one day a student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor didn’t miss a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head. The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball… No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester! (from Cybersalt Digest)