Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8

“Open Your Ears And Hear God”

December 9, 2007 Advent 2

Part 2 of Advent Series “God has come – open your eyes to see Him, your ears to hear Him, your mouths to tell about Him, your heart to receive Him”

We are halfway through the Season of Advent!

The Sanctuary is beautifully decorated – the Chrismon tree is up and the Chrismons are in place – the garland and the wreaths are beautifully placed around the sanctuary and now two of the candles on the Advent Wreath has been lit.

Yes – we are halfway through the Season of Advent!

Halfway through aAdvent – and that can only mean one thing – Christmas is coming!

Christmas is coming!

Of course, all you have to do is look around you and you’ll know that Christmas is near. The beautiful Church decorations – the burning Advent candles — the parties we are having parties and making plans for — the fact that the Joy Gift program is next week — the fact that we are planning how to reach out to those in the community in need for Christmas – and all of the other activities that are taking place lets you know that Christmas is coming!

In the world outside the church you can also tell that Christmas is coming! Newspapers are stuffed with flyers from stores advertising special sales – stores are decorated for Christmas – the sound of Christmas music can be heard in the stores – stores are full of shoppers – and the lights downtown on the Christmas tree and around the mall are shining brightly . Television stations are showing Christmas specials – many that are heartwarming stories of love and laughter.

Yes – Christmas is coming!

When you add in everything else December brings – decorating, Christmas shopping, parties, family gatherings, etc., etc. etc., — well – there is very little doubt that Christmas is indeed coming!

Christmas is coming!

These words can make children’s eyes get big with anticipation and excitement – and adults eyes get big with fear over all they have to do and not much time to do it in!

Christmas is coming!

But – wait – it’s not Christmas yet.

Christmas is coming – but it is not here!

Christmas is still four weeks away – we are still in the Season of Advent!

Advent is a season we overlook so many times as we rush to Christmas.

Advent is not promoted by the world outside the church – the world that rushes to Christmas before Halloween is over – and so many times it is overlooked by churches also. But – even though it is overlooked many times – it is an important season for us.

Advent is a time for waiting for the coming of Christ – preparing our hearts and minds for Christ to come into our lives and change us.

Advent is important because it gives us an opportunity to realize that Christ is with us – that God has come into our lives and our world – has changed us – and can change our world.

Advent is important because it gives us an opportunity to see that God is active in our lives and in our world – an opportunity to hear God’s activity in our lives and in our world – an opportunity to proclaim the activity of God in our lives and in our world – and an opportunity to open our hearts and let God come again into our lives and change us.

Advent can be a time for:

Open eyes to see God

Open ears to hear God

Open mouths to tell about God

and Open hearts to accept God

We’re looking at these aspects of the Season of Advent as we go through this Season this month.

God has come!

Open your eyes to see God

Open your ears to hear God

Open mouths to tell about God

Open your hearts to accept God

Last week we looked at Mark 13:32-37 and discovered that we need to be vigilant – keeping our eyes open to see that God is at work in our world.

Today we are going to look at opening our ears to hear God’s Good News as we read Mark 1:1-8:

Listen to God’s word.

One way you can tell it’s Advent is in the music you hear here in Church. The Choir is singing special Christmas music, the Praise Choir is practicing some special music for the season to help lead us in worship at the Joy Gift program and in worship, the hymns we’re singing in worship proclaim the message of Christ’s coming, and the wonderful preludes, offertories, and postludes George is playing have a special feel about them.

Yea – Advent is a time for special music here in the Church.

But – of course – this is also a time for special music for the world outside the Church, too! “The songs of the season” are everywhere! You may already have found yourself walking through a supermarket or a department store humming a Christmas song, only to realize that the reason you were humming it is that it was being played as “background music” over the store’s PA system. The songs of the season are everywhere, in offices and elevators, shopping malls and beauty parlors, spilling out over the radio and in dozens of television specials … and even on commercials. But — have you noticed that it is possible for a radio station, for example, to go through a whole fifteen minutes of “holiday selections” that have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ?

Frosty the Snowman

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Silver Bells

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (actually the name of the song is “The Christmas Song”)

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Jingle Bells

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas (those who know me well know I’m partial to the version The Drifters recorded)

Have A Holly Jolly Christmas (Doris Reynolds has told me that’s one of Tripp’s favorites – and that you can play it 3 times between their house and Cain’s Barbecue restaurant)

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (I’m partial to Bruce Springsteen’s version on this one)

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Have Yourself Merry Little Christmas

Christmas In Dixie

I’ve named a dozen right there–popular, all of them, and frequently played–yet none of them really mention Jesus Christ, who is supposed to be what this holiday season is all about. You know – unless you listen to WMHK – as I do – and enjoy their contemporary versions of Christian Christmas music — you can go through the entire month of December without really hearing a lot on the radio or on TV about Christ. You can go through Christmas without hearing a lot about the good news that God has come into our world – has changed our lives – and continues to work in our world and in our lives – even here and now. I will give credit to one of my favorite Christmas Specials on TV — A Charlie Brown Christmas — the highlight of which is when Linus takes center stage and recites the Christmas story from Luke 2, to a hushed and attentive audience that listens and then takes the message to heart – but there are few others that specifically mention the reason for the holiday.

The reason for Christmas – indeed for all we do in the Church – is the fact that God has come into our world and lives through Jesus Christ – and our world and our lives can be changed. That’s good news – great news – the best news ever – but – I’m afraid that it isn’t heard very often – even in December. Even in December the news gets drowned out by all the hubbub we find ourselves in the midst of. God has come – and we need to open our ears and hear God.

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

Our scripture passage for today tells Mark’s account of the work and ministry and message of John the Baptist. It’s quite a compelling story about a man and a compelling message he proclaimed. John told the people that God was about to come into their world and into their lives – and that they needed to open their ears – hear God’s message – repent – and hear God.

This was quite a message for the Hebrew people – for the Hebrew people had prayed for centuries for God to come into their lives in a new way –and now that those still living in the land promised to their ancestors were under Roman domination some prayed for freedom more fervently — while others were leading open revolts for freedom. Into this volatile mix came this fanatic on the with his unkempt appearance and strong message.

GOD IS COMING!

REPENT!

BE BAPTISED!

PREPARE THE WAY!

It certainly struck a chord with the people. Many who heard him responded and were baptized. They heard John’s message that God was coming into their world – and they changed their lives so they could live in God’s ways.

These were desperate people — at the end of their rope — almost to the point of giving up. They may have wondered:

Why should God come and change their lives?

And fanatical John kept shouting:

GOD IS COMING!

REPENT!

BE BAPTISED!

PREPARE THE WAY!

And the people kept coming to him – - and kept listening — and kept repenting — and kept being baptized — and kept having their lives changed — and kept hoping for God to come and change their lives in a new, real way.

GOD IS COMING!

REPENT!

BE BAPTISED!

PREPARE THE WAY!

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

We might think we have a distinct advantage over the people who originally heard and responded to John.

We know what happened next.

We know Christ came.

We know that God entered the world.

We know that the world was changed forever.

We may feel this gives us an advantage — but — does it?

I wonder.

At least they let the coming of God make a difference to them.

At least they let the coming of God change their lives.

At least they made a response to the promises of God to come into their lives and change them. At least they let their lives be changed.

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

But — you know — God still comes.

John’s message is still the same.

GOD IS COMING!

REPENT!

BE BAPTISED!

PREPARE THE WAY!

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

The people who first heard John’s message felt lost and alone. To them — John’s message was good news – it was life changing news. The time of feeling lost was over. God was coming to make a difference.

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

You know – even though we know that God has come into our world – even though we know the good news – the great news – the best news ever – that in Jesus Christ God has come into our world and has changed it – and can come into our lives and can change us – there are still people today who feel lost and desperate –many who may be yearning for some message of hope.

In fact – maybe your world seems like shattered dreams.

Maybe your marriage — family — relationships — are not what you had hoped they would be.

Maybe your job doesn’t hold the potential you may want for your family or for yourself.

Or maybe your retirement years are not what you had planned on their being.

Maybe your health is a problem for you instead of an asset.

Or maybe a friend or loved one is sick –- or dying – or maybe has recently died and you are grieving the loss.

Or — maybe you just look at the poverty — drugs — disease — violence — and tragedy in the world around you and wonder if there is any reason – any reason at all — for holding out hope for anything better.

Or — then again — maybe just the celebration — the stress — the importance placed on the “perfect Christmas” that is impossible to achieve — is too much for you.

Well if any of these – or any combination of these — be the case – then I have good news for you today.

Listen up – because I am going to tell you something that can be the best news you have ever heard —

and not just those of you who are hurting in one way or another – but all of you – indeed all of us – need to hear this good news – the best news ever.

Are you listening?

Are you ready to hear it?

Here it is:

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

Sometimes “bad news” can persuade us that there will never be any “good news”.

When my nephew Robert was 3 he would ask my sister every morning in December – “Has Santa come yet”?

“No – Santa will come in a few days” would be my sister’s answer.

Robert must have become discouraged and may have believed that Santa would never come – for on Christmas morning my sister woke him with the words:

“Robert – Santa came!”

“No – Santa come in a few days” he responded.

We can’t let “bad news” of our lives and our world make us deaf to the good news that God has come!

To us – and to all who feel lost — lonely — desperate – this message that God has come into our world and into our lives to change our world and to change us is indeed good news!

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

Hear God’s message!

Rejoice in the good news!

God has come!

Our world does not have to be the same!

God has come!

Our lives do not have to be the same!

God has come!

We can respond as those who responded to John did – by repenting – letting God change us – and living in God’s ways!

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

Not only is it up to us to hear and respond to this good news – it’s also to us to us to tell this good news to others.

It’s up to us to reach out to others with God’s loving presence as we share God’s presence and God’s love with others.

It’s up to us to see the needs of those who are poor – who are sick – who are hurting – and to give them the message that God has come – and their lives and their world can be changed.

It’s up to us to tell them – in words and actions —

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

God has come.

That’s the good news.

That’s the greatest news in the world – the greatest news for the world!

Hear it!

Make sure others can hear it!

Hear God – and God’s good news – even through the pain and sickness and sorrow in the world – because even though the world is filled with these things:

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.

God has come.

That’s the good news.

That’s the greatest news in the world – the greatest news for the world!

Hear it!

Make sure that others can hear it!

Hear God – and God’s good news – through all the others sounds of the season that make no mention of Christ. Even though some may not want to acknowledge it—

God has come

Open your ears and hear God.

Open your ears and hear God.