Let Jesus Lift us Up

June 1, 2014 Let Jesus Lift us Up Luke 24:44-53 Ascension Sunday Year A Apostle’s Creed This morning at want us to start at the end of the sermon. I keep forgetting to have us read the Apostle’s Creed. So to make sure that I get it in, I want us to read it first….. And I want us to think especially about the phrase – he ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of the father. That actually comes from Psalm 110 where God invites Jesus to sit at his right hand while he destroys enemies. This is a message to us that the devil is alive and well. There are some things that God still has to work out for us. We are still living in the mean time – before God finally directs all of the affairs of the world. The importance of Ascension This is an important day in Easter season. It is Ascension Sunday, the day we remember that Jesus did ascend into heaven. This is the last day that his original disciples saw him. If you watch any passion play – it always ends with Jesus ascending into heaven. For us, Easter is not over, Easter begins today in a new way. Talking about the ascension answers the question of why Jesus is not with us today. If life is eternal, and the resurrection bought Jesus back to life, why is he not still with us today? Can you imagine what the church would be like if Jesus was still around? If you look in the bible, when the organization outgrows it leader what did they do? Moses was an influential leader. But the bible says that when Moses got to old to function that he went out into the desert and was buried by God. If often wonder if Moses went by himself, or did someone conveniently take him and just leave him and come up with a clever story to tell the people about what happened to him. I think the ascension story of Jesus way of saying I am not going out like that. He knew when it was time to make his exit and let his disciples do the work, and he made sure he was not in the desert alone. He bought a group of disciples to witness exactly when God took him up to heaven. There are actually 2 stories of the Ascencion, and interestingly enough there are only 2. The only gospel writer to talk about the ascension is Luke. He gives 2 different versions in Acts and in Luke. Acts 1 happened 40 days after the resurrection. Jesus is on the beach and he ascends into heaven. In Luke 24, this happens on Easter night, where Jesus immediately leaves. Today I am going to talk about Luke 24. I think that this verse contains an important lesson for us as we go into the summer and we work at what we must do as a church in order to move forward. In order to grow – must outgrow leadership Attending the institute for congregational development gets old having to take off from work two days a month. But I did learn one important lesson concerning church growth. If the pastor can hold the church in one hand, the church will never grow. If you are always depending on the pastor to be at every meeting, to make every decision, to do the work of every committee, you guarantee that you will have a very small church. The pastor is only one person, and can only do so much. Which in the mission of an organization, that is not very much. If Jesus was still here on earth – there would be only one church, not millions around the world. And everytime we were trying to do something, we would ask Jesus. We would always need to know that Jesus thinks. We would need jesus to approve all of our projects, the building of god’s kingdom would be a very small movement. The whole point of the book of acts is how the church grew, how it grew so large, that no one man could control it. And it was not dependent on one man. That is the whole point of the Ascension story – in order to let the church grow and to allow the disciples to do their work – Jesus knew that he has to step out of the way. Jesus was preparing them all along to do the work of God without him. If Jesus was still here the church would have no power – we would give our power to Jesus. And we would be codependent on jesus. THE VACUUM SALESMAN A vacuum salesman down in rural Tennessee. He had a his vacuum cleaner and all of this tools and everything, and he went out there and he told a lady, "I’ve got the most exciting vacuum cleaner you have ever seen. It will clean your house from top to bottom...you only have to pay so much down." And the lady said, "It sounds real good." He said, "You see that big pile of dirt right there on the floor with all those fur balls and bugs and things." He said, "My vacuum cleaner will just pick up all those things up just like that and if they don’t, I’ll eat it." She said, "Well, you might as well get your knife and fork, because we do not have any electricity out here!" Power is the one thing nations, politicians and businessman covet. But the power that we need is not an earthly power. God has promised believers Spiritual power. Vance Havner once rightly said,"We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God." (From a sermon by Donnie De Loney, Pentecostal Power, 5/22/2012) The church with no power to spread the gospel would be eating a pile of dirt and trash – and accomplishing nothing. In order to be the church we need power, but power to do what? Text Illustration: The Spirit of Power that we receive is not like the human power that we recognize as strong. It’s a power unlike anything we can do on our own. A young man growing up in the wrong part of Houston became a bully. He would get in fights in school, in the neighborhood, and began mugging people to get spending money. He even beat up people just for the sake of doing it. He learned to box, and became pretty good at it. He began to make a lot of money and could have almost anything he wanted. One day, during his training session for an upcoming bout, he heard his mom talking to his sister on the telephone about his favorite nephew. The young boy had had a seizure and now lay in a coma in the hospital. Doctors said he would probably die, but that if he came out of the coma he wouldn’t be able to move his limbs, or speak, or do any of the human functions we consider part of living. He ran into the room where his mom was on the phone and shouted, “Momma, call the hospital and tell those doctors to give him the best of everything. Tell them I’ll take care of all the bills, to fly in the best doctors from wherever they have to. Tell them who I am, and that I’ll take care of everything — whatever it costs.” His mom spoke to the doctors, and then told him, “Son, you’re just going to have to pray.” He realized then how grave the situation was. When someone tells you the only thing you can do is pray, things are looking pretty bad. Then it hit him. All of his money, his fame, his influence, his friends — none of that could solve this problem. It was out of his hands, out of the doctor’s hands, out of everyone’s hands. For the first time, he was totally powerless. And for the first time, George Foreman dropped to his knees and prayed. He wasn’t sure God existed, but he knew that when all else failed, people prayed. He asked God, if he really existed, to help his nephew. Then he got back in bed. A few seconds later, he got back on his knees and offered to give up all his wealth if God would heal his nephew. Then he got back in bed again. A few seconds later he got back on his knees a third time and got angry at God for letting this happen to his nephew, a child who hadn’t experienced life yet. George told God to take his life instead. Let the boy live and take George’s life instead. The next morning George’s sister called from the hospital. His nephew had woken up and could move his eyes, but the doctors said he wouldn’t ever walk again. She called later that day, and the boy had begun moving his toes. The next day the boy was talking, and a week later he was on his way home, “walking, talking, and back to normal.” The doctors had no logical explanation. But George Foreman knew God had just given him a miracle. Three months later in March 1977, George Foreman died in his locker room after fighting Jimmy Young. He collapsed in a heap, and entered what he describes as “a deep, dark void, like a bottomless pit.” In his book, God in My Corner — A Spiritual Memoir, George wrote “I knew I was dead, and that this wasn’t heaven. I was terrified, knowing I had no way out. Sorrow beyond description engulfed my soul, more than anyone could ever imagine. If you multiplied every disturbing and frightening thought that you’ve ever had during your entire life, that wouldn’t come close to the panic I felt. … “ I screamed with every ounce of strength in me, ‘I don’t care if this is death. I still believe in God.’ “Instantly, what seemed to be like a giant hand reached down and snatched me out of the terrifying place. Immediately, I was back inside my body in the dressing room.” George accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and devoted himself to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He realized his human power, his money, his prestige, were worthless in the next life, and meant to be used as tools to lead others to Jesus during this one. He went on to win the Heavyweight Championship of the World twice. He was ordained as an evangelist in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and became pastor of a small church. He also became involved in prison and hospital ministries. You probably know him best for the George Foreman Grills that continue to sell around the world. And he recently baptized his own 23-year-old daughter who finally decided to dedicated her own life to Jesus. That’s God’s idea of power. We need the power to witness to Christ and what Christ can do for the world. Everything must change But I think that there is an even bigger lesson for us to learn in this story. In the book of acts, the disciples are there staring wide eyed when Jesus leaves. And it takes two angels to step in and to ask them why are they staring up at the sky looking for someone who is not there. The point of the story is not so much that jesus ascended up to heaven, the point is that he was here on earth to begin with. And when he came to earth everything changed. Everything changed. In life everything changes, evolves, transforms. In Asia there is a religion called Iching. It is a whole religion based on the concept of change. Everything in life changes, nothing stays the same. God is a god of change. It would make sense that Jesus is the master of change. The ascension was Jesus way of saying it is time for things to change. He was hear, and now it is time for him to leave. There are some changes in our lives that are for the better and some are not. And yet Jesus is teaching us how to deal with that change. In order to master change you have to have the power to respond, to act. If you are standing there looking for Jesus – life will change and you will not. Jesus tells his disciples to go out into the world and to be a witness to what they saw and heard from Christ. When Jesus says witness to what you have seen and heard – he is talking to you. Be a witness for Christ. Tell the world how you have had an encounter with Christ, and how it has changed your life. We were not there when Jesus ascended into heaven. But one of Luke’s main points, and Jesus says this. If you can read and understand scripture, you have all that you need. You know Jesus as well as anybody. You need scripture and the holy spirit. We reflect on the power of the holy spirit next week at Pentecost. But the lesson for us today – is that life is about to change. What is expected of us is about to change. In order for us to get through that change, we will need a power from above. Jesus Christ has given us that power – to grow, to change to transform. And to transform others. In Christ, you have to energy, courage, imagination and the resources – to make a difference. Amen. Children’s Sermon Clothed With Power by Brett Blair Passage: Luke 24:36-49 • Lectionary: Ascension of our Lord Item 2 of 9 | Back to Results Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate the need in our lives to have God's power at all times in our life. Prop: A heavy winter coat you can wear. Lesson: [If you can wear the coat over your robe put it on and act as though it's cold.] Burr, I'm glad I have this coat. (response) Its so cold I think its going to snow! (response) What?(response) What are you laughing about? (response) It's hot? (response) It is? (response) You mean I don't need this coat? (response) Take the coat off hold and hold it in your hands. Your right it's not really cold outside. What time of year do I need a coat like this? (winter) That's right. I don't need it in the summer because it's not the right time of year. We have winter clothes and we have summer clothes don't we? (response) There are some clothes that we wear all year round. Can you name some? (response) If the kids don't name "socks" then you name it (For the women who are not wearing socks use your shoes). Application: I guess I need to put away this coat until fall when it starts to get cold again.Showing the kids your socks Should I put away my socks too? (response) Well, the Holy Spirit is kind of like these socks. When it's summer and hot outside we don't put away our socks until next winter do we? (response) No, we need our socks all year round. And, we need the Holy Spirit all year round. Jesus told his disciples they were going to be "clothed with power from on high." They were going to be clothed with the power of Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is kind of like a heavy coat. When we need strength and power in our lives we can put it around us and God will give us comfort. But the Holy Spirit is also like my socks. We always need the Holy Spirit. We always need the power God gives us to live. Brett Blair, ChristianGlobe, 2000 Extra illustration 4264 Life’s Waiting Stages Life is composed of waiting periods. The child must wait until he is old enough to have a bicycle, the young man until he is old enough to drive a car, the medical student must wait for his diploma, the husband for his promotion, the young couple for savings to buy a new home. The art of waiting is not learned at once. —Howard Whitman

Arise and Shine, your Light has Come

January 5, 2014 Isaiah 60:1-6 Matthew 2:1-12 “Arise and Shine, your Light Has Come” Year A Epiphany Sunday Living to die Walker Percy, is an American novelist who has written several books about the state of affairs if the world today. In Walker Percy’s novel, The Second coming, the major character, Will Barrett is a man who has lost everything. He plans to commit suicide, until he meets a woman as depressed as he is, and he discovers that life is not so bad afterall. Instead of killing himself he finally realizes that the name of the real enemy of American society is death, “not the death of dying, but the living death. The name of this century is the Century of the Love of Death. Death in the century is not the death people die, it is the death people live How many people in the world are living in death, because they are stuck in a pattern, a belief, a lifestyle, a reality that does not really serve them. Man looking for money to get away I was reminded just yesterday how easy it is to live stuck in a pattern. As a man knocked on my door – looking for the pastor of the church next door – because he needed someone to help him think and to pray for him. So I let him in the church, and let him talk. He gave me this really sad story about how he used to be in the Latin Kings, and that he got out and moved away, but that he came back because he wanted to get back with his wife and daughter. He had a job, and was getting it together, oh and while he was in jail he had met a minister that had led him to Christ. Well today he got in a fight with his cousin, who told him that he could not get out of the gang, and that now he could not go home, or go to work, or go this his family because they were looking for him. If I could just put him in the car and drive him as far away – everything would be okay. He was mad a god for allowing all of this to happen to him. I got a little irritated and told him not to blame this on God, but that he got himself into this mess, and that God would not come out of the sky and rescue him, but that God would give him the strength to get out of it. I was not going to help him, but to trust that God would be with him. When I told him that I was not going to give him an answer of what to do next, I told me that he got himself into this mess, needed to figure out how to get out of it. he got up offended and said that I did not understand. And he just walked away. As he was leaving – I couldn’t help but to wonder what makes people stuck in dumb situations. But before you start thinking bad thoughts about that man and how he needs to get himself together and get a life. Let me tell you that I met this same man, who told me the same basic story (the details were different but the premise was the same). And that time I was so caught up into his story that I have him $50 in cash and drove him to a Mexican bus station. He promised me that as soon as he was safe who would send me the $50 back. I even preached a sermon about him, talking about how my faith in helping humanity was making a difference in the world. Needless to say I never heard from him, and was told that he makes his rounds to churches and tells the same story, of needing to get out of town, so he needs money to travel.expecting the same old results? It is not uncommon for us to remain trapped in our lives, our habits, our understandings, our own made up reality? My point for today is that is life without Christ, an illusion, and not a very happy one at that. I am not talking about the Christ that we hold in our heads, our beliefs, our sense of reality. But I am talking about the real Christ – the glorius savior, the unpredictable one who comes in our lives and shakes things up. The God who is so concerned about us that no matter how many times that we make the same mistake, no matter how many situations we cause, no matter what messes we seem to always create, God loves us enough to listen to our sad story, to change us from within, to bring us salvation. And it seems that the more he offers salvation, the more determined we are to stay stuck in our lives and blame God for what we do wrong…. Living without Christ Fred Craddock once told a parable about a man who moved into a cottage equipped with a stove and simple furnishings. As the sharp edge of winter cut across the landscape, the cottage grew cold as did its occupant. He went out back and pulled a few boards off the house to kindle the fire. The fire was warm, but the house seemed as cold as before. More boards came off for a larger fire to warm the now even colder house, which in return required an even larger fire, demanding more boards. In a few days the man cursed the weather, cursed the house, cursed the stove, and moved away. The futility that man felt is the futility of those who try to live the Christian life without Christ. He is the Word that was in the beginning with God and was God. And he is alive today. To those of us who are drowning he is someone we can hold on to. He is someone who can set our feet on dry ground again in this New Year. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com That is why the first words of Isaiah 60 are so important. It is a call to the world – Arise and Shine your light has come. It is time for us to awaken out of death and to enter into the life that God has in store for us. These are words of hope for the isrealites, who had lived in exile for years. And when they were able to come home all they saw was darkness and hopelessness. Everything was destroyed and nothing seemed to be working. And before we start to feel sorry for the Isrealites and their hopelessness. Let me reminds you that they were sent into exile because they had forgot about God, they stopped helping the poor, and living a faithful life. And God’s assurance that it would be okay – was not because they had earned relief, but because God wanted to show that he was God – he sent them into exile and he would deliver them because he was God all by himself. God doesn’t always agree with us, but he always cares enough to save us. in Isaiah 60:10 God says though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion. And it gets better, in verse 20 God says that you sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; and the Lord will be your everlasting light and your days of sorrow will end. That is what life with Christ is all about – seeing the glory of God for ourselves with our own eyes. God’s glory is enough to help us to see clearly. There are two words for “arise”. “Arise, shine” in verse 1 means “Stand up and let us see you in all your radiant glory”. The long night of suffering is over, a new day had dawned for her, a day when she can get up out of the dust where she has lain for so long, forsaken and dejected. The other word for “rise” is usually used of the sun, but here it is twice used of the rising of the glory of the Lord (vv. 1–2); that is to say, “the sun of righteousness...with healing in its wings” (Mal. 4:2). Finally the author brilliantly combines the two when he describes the revival of Jerusalem in verse 3 as the appearance in the blackness of the morning star, proclaiming to the nations that dawn is near Not only do we shine, but Christ shines too. And we are able to see God’s light, and not our darkness. Today is the 11th day of Christmas. Tomorrow is the 12th day of Christmas - it is epiphany – the manifestation of Christ. It took the wise men 12 days to reach the baby Jesus. Matthew’s point is that the light is not just for the Jews, but for everyone who can see it. The wisemen saw the star and knew they needed to follow it. I thought it was important for us to remember the point of epiphany for the first Sunday of January. I didn’t want to do the Wesley Covenant service – you can look it up if you need it. Before we make a commitment to serve Christ, we have to remember the reason for our commitment. Christ is the light not just of our lives, but of the world. When we see the light – we need to make an intentional response. The wise men gave gifts to the baby – gold for a king, myrhh for a priest , and frankensense to make things holy. We give gifts for Christmas, because the wisemen gave their gifts. I wanted us to focus gift giving this year and not goals. Remember when someone gave a gift away or they gave it back to us we call them an Indian giver. I went to an Indian ceremony once and complimented the host on her earrings, she took them off and said that since I liked them, that she had to give them to me. I am not worthy of anyone’s earrings, because I tend to lose them. But I still treasure those earrings, because they were a special gift, given just to show that she care. It is understood in Indian culture that whatever you have, you don’t hold onto it, you give it away. I don’t have those earrings on today, and wouldn’t give them to you if you asked. But the lesson is that we should be able to give as God gives to us – freely. Scripture says that after they gave gifts they kneeled before the baby in adoration. What does “adore” mean? In its Latin roots it means to reverence and honor. But it is a much stronger word than “honor,” or the Latin venerari. It actually is equivalent to the Greek proskunein, which means to “prostrate.” So to say “I adore Chipotle burritos” or “I adore my little brother” is to say something almost sacrilegious. For to “adore” something is to go as far as we can go in worship and praise. You can glorify God, and praise God, and bless God. But when you “adore” God, you go as far as you can go. You take the ultimate step… How do you glorify God in your life? what gifts do you bring to God? How does Christ manifest in your life each and every day? God's "Random" Provision Charles Cowman and his wife were missionaries to Asia. He became fatally ill and they returned to their homeland. For six years he battled his illness. Mrs. Cowman says, "... each time when the testings had reached their utmost limit, God would illumine some old and familiar text, or a helpful book or tract would providentially fall into our hands, which contained just the message needed at the moment. The help from God that an ill person would naturally seek is healing, whether it be through medicine, supernatural means, or a doctor with an epiphany. What one does not necessarily expect to find is the strength to carry on in the illness from random inspirational thoughts, one of which simply fluttered across their path as they walked on the beach." The treasures that carried them through were developed after Cowman’s death into the classic devotional book, Streams in the Desert, which has given inspiration to people all over the world for the last 50 years. My final story is about a lady in a store in search of hope.. Planting the Seeds There was a woman once who wanted peace in the world and peace in her heart, but she was very frustrated. The world seemed to be falling apart and her personal life wasn't that great either. One day she decided to go shopping, and she went to the mall and walked in to one of the stores. She was surprised to see Jesus behind the counter. She knew it was Jesus because he looked just like the paintings she'd seen in museums and in devotional books. Finally she got up her nerve and asked, "Excuse me, but are you Jesus?" "I am." "Do you work here?" "In a way; I own the store." "Oh, what do you sell here?" "Just about everything," Jesus replied. "Feel free to walk up and down the aisles, make a list, see what it is you want, and then come back and I'll see what I can do for you." Well, she did just that. She walked up and down the aisles, writing furiously. There was peace on earth, no more war, no hunger or poverty. There was peace in families, harmony, no dissension, no more drugs. There careful use of resources. By the time she got back to the counter, she had a long list. Jesus looked over the list, then smiled at her and said, "No problem." And then he bent down behind the counter and picked out all sorts of things, and finally stood up, and laid out the packets on the counter. "What are these?" the woman asked. "Seed packets," Jesus answered. "This is a catalog store." "You mean I don't get the finished product?" "No, this is a place of dreams. You come and see what it looks like, and I give you the seeds. You go home and plant the seeds. You water them and nurture them and help them to grow, and someday someone else reaps the benefits." "Oh," she said. "And she left the store without buying anything." John understood that he was planting the seeds. The message is we must wait. Are you willing to do the work and wait? Brett Blair, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com We cannot invent God, or create God, we cannot invent life, or create life. we can only discover what God has already done. We can only realize what has been true from the beginning of time, for ourselves, for others, for the world. That is why epiphany is so important – for us to finally see the light that has been there all along. Epiphany is about planting the seeds to heal our illness, to light our darkness to fulfill our hope. The story of the wise men is a familiar story – we know they bought gifts, we know that they kneeled in adoration. They were led by a star, they talked to a king. A king who promised that he too wanted to come and worship the new king. But scripture says that they were warned in a dream to go home another way. May you also, no leave the way you came – go home another way. The 7 most dangerous words for a church is we have never done it that way before. Don’t get stuck on your reality. Witness and see the glory of Christ. Arise you light has come. But make sure when you go home, don’t leave the way that you came. Be changed, glorify God do something different this year – Go home another way! Amen. In the book, “Let Us Break Bread Together” Fred Daniel Gealy writes, “The word Epiphany is a great Christian word. The grace of God has appeared is the testimony of every page in the New Testament. My eyes have seen God has not just shown himself in the past; nor is his coming simply some far-off divine event. That the one who manifested himself to the fathers is here. The coming one has come. The light shines. And in the presence of this revelation we see ourselves as we are in our true relations to the world, to one another, and to God. In showing himself to us, God shows us ourselves. Light is not to look at but to see by.” Let’s begin with a little survey. How many of you have you have taken down your Christmas tree and packed up all the festive decorations until next December? How many of you are still living with your Christmas bling-bling? I thought so. There are not too many of us who hold on and hold out until the passing of Epiphany to take down our Christmas décor. This year Epiphany, January 6, falls on Thursday, a nondescript day of the week. We are back at work. Kids are back at school. Post-Christmas and New Year’s sales are over. It’s too early to plan for “President’s Day” or Valentine’s Day. We find Epiphany, the day the Magi finally reached Mary and Joseph and offered their extravagant gifts to the baby Jesus, slightly off-putting. Maybe it is because we’ve jumped the gun and have already opened up . . . used up . . . eaten up . . . even broken up . . . all our presents by now. Maybe we have a sneaking sense that “we should have waited.” So we crate our crèches even before the wise men get a chance to show up for the celebration. But maybe there is something else about epiphany that makes us uncomfortable. When the Magi finally reached their destination, what was the first thing they did? They “knelt down and paid him homage” (Matthew 2:11). Specifically Christian worship begins here, and on the Sunday closest to Epiphany. These were rich, respected, wise men. They were on speaking terms with the king. As astrologers they were privy to the secrets of the stars, and the stars held the secrets to the universe. They were not even Jews. In this East meets West moment, the Eastern cults and traditions of the magi were far removed from the messianic traditions of the Hebrews. Yet when they came into the presence of this little star-born baby, what did they do? They threw themselves down on the ground without hesitation but with abject humility. Think of that crèche you put away. Wasn’t at least one of the wise men kneeling? Here was one to be offered praise and glory. Here was one whose greatness was to be honored. Here was one born to be “adored.” “Oh, come, let us adore him.” ___________________________ Finally, the Wise Men brought gifts. They did the thing that people in the East or in Africa or in India would do when visiting royalty. They brought gifts. Gold was the kind of gift that you brought to a king. Frankincense was the kind of gift that you would bring to a priest. Myrrh was given to someone who was about to die. On This Twelfth Day, or Three Kings Day, otherwise known as Epiphany, think of the gift that you will offer to God in the coming year. The gift of time? The gift of your talents? Your service in the community? Your witness and testimony? The gift of undying love and devotion? Their greatest gift comes to us in the form of a realization. The Wise Men were the first Gentiles to recognize that Jesus belongs to everyone. Good news is for everyone, not just a select few. Star of wonder Star of light Star with royal beauty bright Westward leading Still proceeding Guide us to thy perfect light. Amen. On Epiphany we celebrate the original gift-giving, the gifts of the magi, whose example is why we give gifts at Christmas. January 5, the eve of Epiphany, is actually the twelfth day of Christmas. Today, Christmas seems to be over in one day, and Christmas trees are out at the curb the next day. Festive lighting is extinguished on December 26. The Pilgrims who landed in this country discovered that Native Americans passed gifts on and this came to be called "Indian giving." Today many "regift" items they have received, but have no use for, when they need a present. We have inherited a European understanding of gifts, but Jesus, like Native Americans, wants gifts to keep on giving. Even today gold is the essence of hard currency. Frankincense was once used for the purification of holy things, but Jesus expands holiness to include even ordinary sinners such as us. Myrrh was used for sacred anointing...

The Day Everything Changed

February 10, 2013 Transfiguration Sunday 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-43 Year C “The Day Everything Changed” Waiting for a change I don’t know about you, but the one prayer that I have had for the last 7 years now has been a prayer for change. I have been praying for a deep change, something that I can feel in my spirit. I just want everything to be different. And I have learned to be specific, I am praying for a positive change, not all of the negativity in my life. I have had enough of that. I feel like the last seven years has been one thing after another, a lot of struggle, a lot of suffering. I have been waiting for the day when everything will be different. I just want to also make sure that I don’t get so busy in my life that I miss that moment. I don’t want to get overwhelmed that I don’t get a chance to see God at work in my life. 2 Corinthians speaks to life today as being under a veil. The world is overcome with so much. It not only affects the way we live life, but it affects our relationship with God. There are so many different things in life, that we miss God – we are overwhelmed with wishful thinking, fragmented thinking, disobedience, unteachable spirit amongst other things - it is like we live life with a mask on. Change is everywhere – we just don’t see it. We have our expectations, understandings, - like a young man, who was looking for a job, and got a call one day from the zoo…. Someone tells about a man who was looking for work without any luck for many weeks. So he decided to take a break and visit the zoo. While he was at the zoo, he asked the zookeeper if they had any openings. The zookeeper motioned the man over to a tree and whispered, "Our gorilla just died last night, and we’re expecting a group of children to come this afternoon. They will be very disappointed if they don’t get to see a gorilla. If you’re willing to get into a gorilla outfit and just swing around in the cage, I’ll pay you $10 an hour." The man thought about the children, and he thought about the money, and then he said, "yes." So he got into the gorilla suit and entered the gorilla cage. Just then, the children began to file by. The man decided he was going to give the children a show by swinging on a tire. He swung so high, that he landed into the next cage, the lion’s cage. Immediately the man in the gorilla suit began to scream and rattle the cage. The children also began to scream as the lion slowly approached the gorilla. When the man in the gorilla suit thought all was hopeless, the lion said, "Mister, you better shut up before we both lose our jobs." Only mankind dresses up as something other than what God intended. We never see a dog wanting to be a cat, or a cow wanting to be a horse. But mankind has struggled with confusion about who we are, what we ought to be doing and what we are capable of. living under a veil affects everything. Including the way we see life. Change is a part of every day. God is a God if change. God of surprises. God of turning negative into th positive, flowers blooming, sun shining. But we just don’t notice it – until we take off the veil of life. And decide to find God in each day. 2 corinthians verse 14 says but their minds were hardened, indeed to this very day. Key verse for today – verse 16 – but when one turns to the lord, the veil is removed. When we see life as God directed us, see ourselves as God sees us, and our future as God sees it – change happens every day. That change that we have been waiting for, happened today. Being stuck in our ways Concluding Illustration: Openness is essentially the willingness to grow, a distaste for ruts, eagerly standing on top-toe for a better view of what tomorrow brings. A man once bought a new radio, brought it home, placed it on the refrigerator, plugged it in, turned it to WSM in Nashville (home of the Grand Ole Opry), and then pulled all the knobs off! He had already tuned in all he ever wanted or expected to hear. Some marriages are "rutted" and rather dreary because either or both partners have yielded to the tyrrany of the inevitable, "what has been will still be." Stay open to newness. Stay open to change. I am a lot like that man. My television might as well be glued to channel 7 – watch all day wake up at 4:30 am with the news, and ends at 2am with windy city live going off. Know every show in between on channel 7. Hundreds of channel – only watch one. But I would say that is how we go to church. Expect the same thing all the time. Only want to hear – what we already know. We all say we want change – but when it comes not ready to accept it. Saying that some people change when they see the light – some people change when they feel the heat. The hope in that is that we all are able to see the light. That is why we have this season before lent – epiphany a chance to really see the light of Christ in your life. Today is the last Sunday of epiphany – last day is transfiguration Sunday. Sunday Jesus went through a change. But it is kind of hard to understand. We know the symbolism of Christmas, easter. But what does it mean when a man is said to glow in the dark? And why is this story so important, why is it told at the beginning of lent? First of all can’t explain it – but it happened in Jesus life. But second was intended to give the disciples present and each of us strength. Told before Jesus went to the cross – intended to give us strength to know that the dark days don’t last always. Better days ahead. Strength for the ultimate change – the resurrection. Realizing that change is not about getting better, improving our skills or our life. About being willing to be recreated, reprogrammed, redefined, most importantly resurrected. Truly getting a new life. Sermon is not about change – about finding a new life in Christ. Only in Christ do things truly change for the better. Every gospel has a story of the transfiguration. Goes up to the mountain and meets with the masters. Disciples are witnesses to all that happens, and they don’t have a clue about what it all means. Luke tells the story – but want to point out two very special lessons in Luke. First, prayer is important to Luke. Every action of Jesus begins in prayer. He has to talk to God to make sure he is doing the right thing. Blow dryer, radio, television can do some remarkable things. But if they are not plugged up – they don’t work. Same with us – if we are not in prayer with God – we are not very effective Christians. We are back to living life with the veil on. But Luke uses a different word for change than the other two. Mark and Matthew use metamorphisis – means a total change. Change so drastic don’t recognize yourself. In a totally different form. The word Luke uses is egento heteron – change, but a subtle change. Altered – something different, something the same. I would say that change is on the inside. Just enough to go on with life and to prepare for what is next. We know that if Christ can move on in life, so can we. As a matter of fact it is the Christ in us that makes things different. One famous preacher, Barbara Brown Taylor calls it dazzling the darkness. Says when Jesus lit up inside he learned what he was made of – who was inside of him and what was on the inside became obvious on the outside. Confidence to move on and trust God in the good and the bad. Does He Show Through? One Sunday on their way home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher’s sermon this morning confused me." The mother said, "Oh? Why is that?" The little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?" The mother replied, "Yes, that’s true honey." "And he also said that God lives in us? Is that true, Mommy?" Again the mother replied, "Yes." "Well," said the little girl, "if God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?" If the light of God showed through Jesus, should shine through us also. We should be alive to the process of transformation that we are going through – always going through – whether realize and understand or not. We bear the glory of God in our lives. Last story – 3 gold miners traveled to Montana to find gold. They found a stone – it was awful heavy – broke it open and discovered gold inside. Looked around and noticed gold everywhere. They started to dance and sing. But they soon got worried – what if someone else find out what they found. They made a pact that no one would say a word to anyone else. When they got back home – they noticed that people started to follow them. It was as if they knew the secret. So they asked each other, who broke the covenant not to tell. But the townspeople said – you did not have to say a thing – we could tell by the expression on your face – that you had found Gold. This is not a sermon about change – it is sermon about turning to the Lord – when one turns to the Lord –the veil is removed. If Christ is inside – it is obvious in your life. You cant hide it , mask it, or deny it. The glory of God is written all over your face for everyone to see. When the spirit of Christ is inside of us- we don’t have to wait for change – because our spirit is transformed! VII. Our base verse, 3:16 - “but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” A. Whenever a man turns to the Lord, the Spirit will give understanding B. Whenever a man turns to the Lord, that man will begin to see himself through the glory of the God. C. Whenever a man turns to the Lord, little by little; bit by bit, that man will be transformed into the image of God. D. Whenever a man turns to the Lord, then the Lord will be able to remove the veil to give understanding. E. But only when we trust fully in God to deal in every situation. Happy Transfiguration Day! Let this be the day that everything changes in your spirit! Let us pray…. Amen. 1.A young girl once consulted with her minister. “I cannot stick it out any longer. I am the only Christian in the factory where I work. I get nothing but taunts and sneers. It is more than I can stand. I am going to resign.” “Will you tell me,” asked the minister, “where lights are placed?” “What has that to do with it?” the young Christian asked him rather bluntly. “Never mind,” the minister replied. “Answer my question: ‘Where are lights placed?’ “ “I suppose in dark places,” she replied. “Yes, and that is why you have been put in that factory where there is such spiritual darkness and where there is no other Christian to shine for the Lord.” The young Christian realized for the first time the opportunity that was hers. She felt she could not fail God by allowing her light to go out. She went back to the factory with renewed determination to let her light shine in that dark corner. Before long, she was the means of leading nine other girls to the Light. One of the greatest tragedies for people would be to live in darkness when they could live in the light… Rose Crawford had been blind for 50 years. Then she had an operation in an Ontario hospital. She said, “I just can’t believe it,” as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes. She wept - when for the 1st time in her life she saw a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted her eyes and she could now see. The amazing thing about her story, however, was that 20 years of her blindness was unnecessary. She didn’t know that surgical techniques had been developed, and that an operation could have restored her vision at the age of 30. The Dr. said, “She just figured there was nothing that could be done for her condition. Much of her life could have been different.” The bible idea of TRANSFORMING is not simply change, nor is it just improvement. God is at work, re-creating who you are, re-programming how I think, re-defining what we value, why we do what we do. He is doing this so that we will be conformed to the image of His Son, the model and pattern. George Duncan once went to visit some friends in the English countryside. For years they had lived in an old-fashioned, rundown building. To Mr. Duncan’s surprise, he discovered that the house had been completely remodeled. The people had installed new lights, an electric stove, and many other pieces of modern equipment. But he was even more surprised to see the lady of the house still using a kerosene stove for cooking and oil lamps for lighting. After greeting him, she said, “George, don’t look so confused. We’ve had a great change here, but we just haven’t turned on the power yet.” I. In these verses, Paul is talking about allowing God to work in our lives; allowing God’s will to be done in all areas, A. Those areas of sin that we resist, B. Those areas of frustration in our personal or even our work relationships. C. Those things that we know need to change, but they seem beyond our ability to change. D. And in fact they are unchangeable in our power. E. We need God’s wisdom and intervention, but it seems not to come. Even the Darkness Can Dazzle To lead our exodus, Jesus had to die like we do: alone, with no particular glory. Otherwise he would have been an anomaly instead of a messiah, and it would have been hard for us to see what he had in common with the rest of us. As it was, he died very much like those who died on either side of him, one of them begging to be saved from what was coming, the other asking to be remembered when Jesus got where he was going. Jesus could not do anything for the one who wanted to be spared, but he did a great favor for the other. He told him that the darkness was a dazzling one, with paradise in it for both of them. I think it was something he learned on the mountain, when light burst through all his seams and showed him what he was made of. It was something he never forgot. If we have been allowed to intrude on that moment, it is because someone thought we might need a dose of glory too, to get us through the night. Some people are lucky enough to witness it for themselves, although like Peter, James and John, very few of them will talk about it later. What the rest of us have are stories like this one, and the chance to decide for ourselves whether we will believe what they tell us. It is a lot to believe: that God’s lit-up life includes death, that there is no way around it but only through, that even the darkness can dazzle. Barbara Brown Taylor, "Dazzling Darkness," article in the Christian Century, February 4-11, 1998, page 1-5 (Illustration) Years ago I read the story of a young man that wanted to work at a zoo. And he was immediately hired when he applied for employment. But there was a problem. The zoo’s gorilla had died and its replacement hadn’t arrived. Since bus loads of school children were scheduled for tours that week, the young man was asked to wear a gorilla costume and play the part. He figured he could last a week so he arrived the next morning, outfitted himself, and began roaming his territory next to the lions. The kids came and he entertained them by eating bananas, lurching along the hillside, and swinging on limbs. All of the sudden he looked to the back of the corral where a lion had passed through an unlocked gate. It was coming straight toward him. Without hesitation he panicked and began yelling for help as onlookers stood near. And his cries intensified when the lion prowled closer. Finally, the lion pinned him against the wall and with his hot breath panting in the man’s face the lion opened his mouth and said: “If you don’t hush we’ll both lose our jobs.”[2] Now I heard about a man. He was unemployed, and he had no place to live and no place to go, and he was just living on the streets. And he had nothing to eat, and he was so hungry. And he was walking down the street one day and he passed a zoo. And there was a sign outside in front of the zoo that said, „Help wanted for today." And so he went inside the zoo. And the man at the zoo talked to him, and he said, "Now listen." He said, "I need a guy just for today." He said, "We had our gorilla get sick and it had to go to the vet, and it is not available. And the Girl Scouts are coming in today to the zoo. And one of the attractions they really like is the gorilla. And so we don't have a gorilla, so we need to hire you and put you in a gorilla suit, and we want you to play the gorilla for the day for the Girl Scouts." And he said, "Well, how much does it pay?" He said, "At the end of the day I'll give you $50.00. But I'm not going to give you anything until after you work the day." And so the man was so hungry, and he said, "Okay." He said, "I guess I can hold out until the end of the day to get my $50.00 so I can get something to eat." So he puts on the gorilla suit. And he's there in the cage pretending to be a gorilla. And the Girl Scouts come by. And he does a few things. You know, the Girl Scouts are looking and saying, "Well, that gorilla doesn't do anything." So he, he kind of jumped around al little bit, you know, like gorillas do, and he makes a gorilla noise, ha-ha-ha. You know, he does that stuff. And the Girl Scouts, one of them broke a cookie in half and threw it in the cage. And he was starving to death. So he picked up that cookie and he ate it. And he realized that if I start doing some tricks, they start throwing some cookies. So he did some more tricks. And he jumped around, and he jumped on the cage. And they thought that was so good, and so they threw more cookies. And then, he got on the swing and he began to swing on that swing. And they loved that, and they were throwing boxes of Girl Scout cookies at him. And he was so excited. And he got on that swing and he swung as high as he could possibly go. And he swung over the lion's den. And when he did, the rope broke and he fell into the lion's den. And he saw that lion, and he began to scream and yell and run. And that lion cornered him and knocked him down. And that lion put his paw on his chest and said, "Shut up, you fool, or we'll both lose our jobs!" (laughter). Strange zoo (laughter). Some imposters at the zoo. They were men in animal's clothing. The Mormons and certain Eastern religions believe that mankind can evolve into gods. The naturalists believe that nothing evolved into something, which evolved into mankind, and when we die, we return to nothing. And there are those who are not concerned about God and are simply doing the best they can, making a living, even if it means being or doing what God never intended. They don’t know any better. Heres what Cambridge scholar N.T Wright has to say about the subject, "Why did christianity arise, and why did it take the shape it did? The early Christians themselves reply: We exist because of Jesus’ resurrection…. There is no evidence for a form of early Christianity in which the resurrection was not a central belief. Nor was this belief, as it were, bolted on to Christianity at the edge. It was the central driving force, informing the whole movement."

Jesus' Mission Statement

Jesus’ Mission Statement January 27, 2013 I Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Year C The Opening Moments of Jesus’ Ministry Every four years the new president of the United States gives his inaugural address. In it, he articulates his program or his plan of action for his term of office. See if you recognize the President who made the following remarks: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." - Abraham Lincoln, 1865. "This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933. "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." - John F Kennedy, 1960. Today's Scripture is Luke's version of the opening moments of Jesus' public ministry. We might call this his inaugural sermon. Mickey Anders, Jesus' Mission and Ours When the president tell what his intent is, what his mission is, and he tells us what he expects of us who are listening. Here are a few paragraphs of President Obama’s recent inauguration speech….. Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time. We are expected to live out the tenents of the constitution- that all men are free as it applies to the current age. When Jesus gets a chance to speak to his fellow Galileans – he says much the same thing. Galilains are known to be a strong people, people who can stand on their faith. They are from the north country – and have always been challenged by the presence of other faiths. Galilee means circle – it is a city that is circled all around by other nations, yet they have held onto their Isrealite heritage. So when a favorite son returns to them and reminds them of the verses of their heritage – they cheer him on. The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he had anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he had sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the lord’s favor. They are excited, because he is quoting from Isaiah 58 and 61. But what they don’t realize that he is doing so much more for them. There was a certain old recluse who lived deep in the mountains of Colorado. When he died, distant relatives came from the city to collect his valuables. Upon arriving, all they saw was an old shack with an outhouse beside it. Inside the shack, next to the rock fireplace, was an old cooking pot and his mining equipment. A cracked table with a three-legged chair stood guard by a tiny window, and a kerosene lamp served as the centerpiece for the table. In a dark corner of the little room was a dilapidated cot with a threadbare bedroll on it. They picked up some of the old relics and started to leave. As they were driving away, an old friend of the recluse, on his mule, flagged them down. “Do you mind if I help myself to what’s left in my friend’s cabin?” he asked. “Go right ahead,” they replied. After all, they thought, what inside that shack could be worth anything? The old friend entered the shack and walked directly over the table. He reached under it and lifted one of the floor boards. He then proceeded to take out all the gold his friend had discovered over the past 53 years – enough to have built a palace. The recluse died with only his friend knowing his true worth. As the friend looked out of the little window and watched the cloud of dust behind the relative’s car disappear, he said, “They should have got to know him better. Jesus words are gold for us – if we understand that they are more than just words. They are the gift of life for us. Harry Houdini, the famed escape artist issued a challenge wherever he went. He could be locked in any jail cell in the country, he claimed, and set himself free quickly and easily. Always he kep his promise, but one time something went wrong. Houdini entered the jail in his street clothes; the heavy, metal doors clanged shut behind him. He took from his belt a concealed piece of metal, strong and flexible. He set to work immediately, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For 30 minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. Finally, after laboring for 2 hours, Harry Houdini collapsed in frustration and failure against the door he could not unlock. But when he fell against the door, it swung open! It had never been locked at all! But in his mind it was locked and that was all it took to keep him from opening the door and walking out of the jail cell. Sometimes, our thoughts and understandings of life can be like a prison. They keep us stuck where we are. The chains that we imagine to be on our lives, is all in our head and out thinking. We don’t know that we are free. Sometimes the past can be like a prison, and the freedom of Christ is at our doorstep. In the story of Jesus ministry – he does everything that he says – he heals those who are blind, he heals those who have illnesses that have held them back, he preaches the good news, and he encourages us to give to the poor. But his most important healing still comes in our lives. As he frees us, heals us, and helps us to understand the gift of life as we listen to his word. There is one thing that President Obama said that stuck out to me a important, when he talked about change, and the need of us to adapt to change. He said….. But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people. In order to stay alive, anything that is alive has to adapt to its current circumstances. Jesus was trying to help his own people understand that concept when he told them that today this scripture has been fulfilled in your presence. They had been listening to these same words all of their lives, but to them they were just words. They were waiting for a messiah to to all of these things – but never expected it to really happen in their lifetime. Jesus wanted his people to know that it was time to stop waiting and to start living. To put belief into action. Love Is an Action Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. "I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me." Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan "Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you've convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you're getting a divorce. That will really hurt him." With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, "Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!" And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting "as if." For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn't return, Crane called. "Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?" "Divorce?" she exclaimed. "Never! I discovered I really do love him." Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds. J. Allan Petersen Scripture is fulfilled in what we do today. Finally we have to remember – that we too have a job to do in our lives. We are saved by the words of Jesus..but we have to save others also. In warfare, there is always an objective. In many wars, the objective is land. For example, in the Middle East, Israel and the Palestinians are fighting because they both want to have the same land. In Afghanistan we’re fighting because we want to destroy the power base of terrorism. Hitler fought because he wanted to create a “superior” race. The Southern states fought the Civil War because they wanted to be free from the oppression of the Northern States. The Gulf War was fought because the U.S. wanted to end the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, so they could have access to oil. I mention all of these wars, not because I want to say who was right or wrong, but to show that in every war, there is an objective. There is a reason we are fighting the war. And the same is true with spiritual warfare. If we are going to wage war on Satan’s kingdom, we have to know what our objective is. Our objective, our mission is to rescue people from Satan’s grip. To free them from his control. Just as Jesus said at the start of his ministry. We too have a purpose, and it is to fulfill the words of Jesus for the world today. The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he had anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he had sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the lord’s favor. The church proclaims the good news, ministers to the needs of all people, and sets the captives free. The same spirit that was in Jesus, is in us today. How is this scripture being fulfilled in your life today? How is the Holy Spirit alive and well in life of our church today? Let us pray……

New Clothes for Christmas

December 30, 2012 1st Sunday after Christmas Colossians 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52 Year C New Clothes for Christmas The two best things about christmas Our scriptures for today remind us of the two best things about Christmas – Christmas break and getting a chance to wear our new clothes for Christmas. As a child, everybody gets new clothes for Christmas. Colossians 3 reminds us that if we are followers of Christ, we too should get a new set of clothes- and that it is time to take off our old ones and put on the new ones. For many families, with school aged children, Christmas break is a time of traveling to see relatives. The holidays are a time when you get to see cousins that you only see once a year. It is a time when some of the rules are suspended, you get to stay up late and spend time having fun. And since you are with family, your parents are not watching you as closely as usual. The Jesus family vacation It was the same for Jesus family. Passover was the time for family vacation. If you were able, you travelled to Jerusalem to be at the temple for the holidays. Remember Joseph’s family was in Jerusalem, even though they settled in Galilee. So it was not strange for the family to take the 65 mile trip back to their hometown for the holidays. And back then, the only way to get there was to walk. They walked as a family – the women and children in front, the men in the back because they would walk faster. They would meet up at night to camp and to sleep. A twelve year old in transition It would not have been hard to lose a 12 year old boy in that situation. He was in transition. It was at twelve, that boys no longer spent time with their mothers, they were to travel with the men. It was at this age, that they were considered a child of the promise. And they were expected to start to learn what it meant to be a person of faith. Mary thought that he was a being a man for the first time, and was with the men. Joseph thought that he was still young enough to be with his mother and his younger cousins. Only to discover that he was taken his role as the son of god seriously, and was spending time in his father’s house, doing his heavenly father’s business. The story is careful to point out that his parents took their faith very seriously, and even though Jesus know that he has a purpose from heaven, he did not disrespect his parents. He was connected to both heaven and earth. Why don’t we hear about Jesus childhood? Last week – we just welcomed the newborn Jesus into the world, and the next week in his life, he is 12 years old. Next week, we will go back to the another story of Jesus childhood. But then the next week he is over 30 years old. There are stories of Jesus childhood What you may not know is that there are hundreds of stories out there about the childhood of Jesus. There is a story which says that even in the manger, Jesus is able to speak and proclaims that he is the son of God. When the family escape to Egypt there is a story that a man is turned into a donkey – and when Mary puts the baby jesus on the back of the the donkey he turns back into a man. There is a story of Jesus at 7, a young boy teases him and Jesus uses his superpowers to kill the boy, he is playing with some clay and fashions some birds and turns them into real birds, there is the story of Joseph having to constantly yell at the young half God. Half man for using his powers to punish anyone he doesn’t like. I think I have told you the story of two robbers robbing the holy family on their way to Egypt and Mary prophesising that they would die on the cross with Jesus. These stories all lack integrity Why haven’t we heard of these stories? Because they are not stories of the Jesus we know and love. Many of these stories circulated but they never passed the test to be included in the bible. There are many stories of Jesus life that we have never heard. They don’t have the integrity of this one story of Jesus childhood. Jesus was fully human and fully divine. Jesus fit comfortably into the life of his family, as any child should, and Jesus demonstrated love, honor and respect in everything that he did. Even as a child, he was someone we could look up to and follow his ways. A Jesus who kills little children and punishes people for being sinners is not the Jesus that we know. That is why we have never heard any of these other stories. We are expected to grow from following Jesus When we look at the life of Jesus, as we go through the Christian year, half of it is a journey through the life, times and resurrection of Jesus. And half of it is a chance for us to live the lessons that Jesus taught us. Scripture has one requirement of us- that as we watch Jesus grow into the messiah of the world, that we also grow. Not just grow up – but grow in Jesus. In Luke, Jesus says that he must be in his father’s house. Luke 52 says that Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. As you h Have gone through the journey of advent and Christmas – how have you grown as a person? How have you grown in your faith? How have you become stronger in Christ then you were before? All of us should be able to answer that question. Because if we have not grown, then we have missed the point of Christmas. We have all been given a present If you look at Colossians chapter 3 – you will see that Paul is telling us that each and everyone of us has a present from Christ under the tree. it is a new set of clothes. I want to take us a little farther back in Colossians. We read starting as verse 12. But let us take a look starting at verse 5. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b]7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. In Christ you are clothed in new clothes In the olden days when you were baptized, the bishop would call you into the water and tell you to take off your clothes, your were baptized (in a white slip I hope) and given a new white robe. Paul says that when we have Christ is our lives, it is time to take off your old self and put on a new self. He ways that you need to be clothed in the virtues of God. Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. If you read the old testament, you will see that all of these qualities have been attributed to God. And thus any story about the son of God would have these values also. Paul says that when we have Christ in our lives – that we are a new person, because we see life through the eyes of Christ and not someone else. When we have Christ in our lives we grow as a person, with each season, with each day. John D. Rockefeller is clothed in new life The very first person to reach the status of billionaire was a man who knew how to set goals and follow through. At the age of 23, he had become a millionaire, by the age of 50 a billionaire. Every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth. But three years later at the age of 53 he became ill. His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all the hair on his head. In complete agony, the world’s only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest milk and crackers. An associate wrote, "He could not sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him." His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year. That year passed agonizingly slow. As he approached death he awoke one morning with the vague remembrances of a dream. He could barely recall the dream but knew it had something to do with not being able to take any of his successes with him into the next world. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in in control of his own life. He was left with a choice. He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that he wanted to channel his assets to hospitals, research, and mission work. On that day John D. Rockefeller established his foundation. This new direction eventually led to the discovery of penicillin, cures for current strains of malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria. The list of discoveries resulting from his choice is enormous. But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller’s story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, his body’s chemistry was altered so significantly that he got better. It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived to be 98. We too need to put on new clothes Rockefeller was a devoted Christian – was a faithful member of Erie Baptist church for the rest of his life. It was when he realized that it was time for him to be a new man in Christ that he started to change. It was when he realized that being clothed in Christ, means not just putting on new clothes, it means living a new life. it means following Christ example and living Christ. There is something under the Christmas tree for all of us. The Christ that we were preparing for has come into our lives. It is time for us to know that not only did we get what we hoped for, we need to live what we hoped for. We are to live that change we were expecting. Let love be the umpire of your life Our present is a full wardrobe of love. We have the compassion, humility, kindness and patience, but love is the key to everything in Christ. The greek literally says – let love be the umpire for everything that you do. The test of living in love There is one test for your life to determine if you are living in Christ. When you are going on about the daily event in your life- can you do what you are doing and still call on the name of Jesus? The words that come out of your mouth – can you say them, and use the name of jesus in the same sentence? If not then you are still living in the old life. It is a new day… a new time….new clothes….it is time for new way of being. Let us pray……