God Has Come: Open Your Mouths And Tell The Good News
December 16, 2007
Part 3 of 2007 Advent series: God Has Come: Open your eyes and see God, Open your ears and hear God, open your mouths and tell about God, open your hearts and accept God.
We are ¾ of the way through the Season of Advent!
The Sanctuary is still 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 today the poinsettias are in place – and now three of the candles on the Advent Wreath have been lit.
Yes – we are ¾ of the way through the Season of Advent!
¾ of the way through Advent – 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 tonight — 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 a week and 2 days 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
2 weeks ago 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.
Last week we looked at Mark 1:1-8 and saw how we need to hear the good news that God has come into our world.
Today we’re going to look at Luke 1:26-56 – and learn how we can open our mouths and proclaim the great things God has done.
Listen to God’s word from Luke 1:26-56:
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
love this time of year!
I love to sing the carols, hymns, and other Christmas songs that we hear this time of year!
I love to go to parties and laugh and talk and joke with friends and family.
I love talking about what God has done for us through the birth of Christ.
I love preaching this time of year and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ!
This year I have loved the fact that the young people have been almost fighting for parts in the Joy Gift program and the Christmas Eve service – and speaking parts, no less!
And yes – I admit it – I love eating the delicious food that seems to show up so much this time of year!
You know – when I think about it – the things I love about this time of year – singing, laughing, talking, joking, preaching, eating – all have to do with my mouth!
You probably know by now that I am one of those people who can’t seem to keep my mouth shut – it’s open most of the time. I used to even sleep with my mouth open – but I think that now that I have my CPAP machine for my sleep apnea I may not open my mouth so much while asleep.
I think that Sally is thankful for those few hours of silence!
But yea – I admit it — I like to use my mouth — and keep it open most of the time!
So – you might not too surprised when I say:
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
In our scripture passage from Luke 1 we have a young girl named Mary who had some wonderful news to tell – and who opened her mouth and told what she knew about God!
To understand just how good the good news Mary opened her mouth and proclaimed was for her, we have to understand some things about Mary.
Maybe imagining that you are Mary will help some.
Imagine that you are Mary.
You are poor — you live in Nazareth in the Roman province of Palestine — the year is somewhere around what we now term as 30AD — you have had a very humble upbringing. You are not unusual or extraordinary in any way. You are a very typical, poor, young Hebrew girl.
You live a very average life. Like most girls your age, you are engaged to be married. You are engaged to Joseph — a man somewhat older than you. He is a carpenter, and you hope his business will continue to prosper. You would love to not have to constantly worry if you will have enough flour to bake bread for the next day!
In other words, you are a typical, poor, simple, ordinary Jewish girl — nothing extraordinary — and you feel that there isn’t much in store for you in life besides that of being a peasant in Nazareth.
In a society dominated by males — a society that honored people with age – a society that put a lot of emphasis on where you lived – you — Mary – a young girl from Nazareth – don’t see much hope for better days than the ones you are having now.
Or at least that’s what you think.
Then — the most surprising — unexpected thing happens.
One day an angel appears to you.
The angel tells you that the Messiah — the one you and your people had prayed for for centuries — was finally coming. The prayers of your people were going to be answered — and you were going to be the one to bring the Messiah into the world.
You are ecstatic with joy.
The Messiah is coming!
God is actually going to answer prayers!
But — you be the one to bring the Messiah into the world?
It made little sense.
It is just too unexpected!
Nobody expected the Messiah to be born of a poor — lowly — virgin!
It was indeed unexpected!
But — then you remember that God will come when — where — and to whom God chooses!
You remember that throughout your peoples history God has come in unexpected ways and through unexpected people. You praise God — and although you are confused and scared — you praise God for His surprising — unexpected — and wonderful ways.
God was going to break into the world through the coming of Jesus Christ.
That was good news!
But – the best news was that God was going to use an ordinary girl like Mary to bless all people!
That was good news!
In fact, that was the best news of all!
That was news that Mary just could not keep to herself – so she rushes off to see her cousin Elizabeth – who also was part of this mysterious blessing God was bringing into the world – and breaks into a beautiful song of praise to God for all the great things God was doing!
Mary knew that God was coming – and she
Opened her mouth told the good news!
She opened her mouth and told the good news!
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Mary indeed had great news to share – God was coming! God was breaking into the world in a new and marvelous way! God was coming to save God’s people – and was going to do it in a way that was completely unexpected! In a society dominated by males – that honored the elderly – that put emphasis on where people lived – God was going to bless the entire world through her – a young girl in Nazareth. God was going to change the world – God was going to enter the world! This was great news – and Mary could not help but tell it!
Mary knew that God was coming – and she
Opened her mouth told the good news!
She opened her mouth and told the good news!
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
God chose to “break all the rules” so to speak and chose to enter the world through a young, virgin girl from Nazareth. A nobody from nowhere – but God chose to make her somebody – God chose to make her the one to bring Him into the world.
Wow!
What great news that was!
God was coming into the world – and was choosing a nobody from nowhere make it happen!
Mary knew that God didn’t choose her to bring Him into the world because she was perfect – or sinless – or even more devoted than others. Mary sensed that God chose her to bring His salvation into the world purely and simply because He chose to do so.
The angel Gabriel called Mary “you who are highly favored” – and tells her “you have found favor with God”. The truth is that Mary was not chosen by God because she deserved God’s favor, but she received favor because God chose her. God chose to take someone who had done nothing to deserve His favor and chose her to be His instrument to save all people.
I believe that Mary sensed this – that Mary realized that God was choosing her – and was going to act in a new way to save all people through her –
Mary knew that God was coming – and she
Opened her mouth told the good news!
She opened her mouth and told the good news!
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
You know — Mary’s good news is still good news today!
The great news that God has come – has changed our world – can change our lives – and give us salvation is the best news that we can ever know – and the best news that we can ever tell! The great news that God takes people who do not deserve His love and loves them – that God takes people who do not deserve to be saved and saves them – that God takes people who have done nothing to deserve to have their lives changed and changes them –- that God sees our world – and – although we have done nothing to deserve anything different makes things different – that God can take us “nobodies from nowhere” – so to speak – and make us His beloved children – purely and simply because that is what God chooses to do – is the greatest news we will ever know – the greatest new we will ever hear – and the greatest news we will ever tell!
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
You know – they say that good new travels fast.
When we hear that someone has had a baby – we want to tell everyone!
When we hear that someone who was sick is now well – we want to tell everyone!
When we eat at a good restaurant we want to make sure everyone knows about it!
When we have good news to celebrate – we want to share it!
But – what about the best news of all – the great news – the life changing news – the world changing news – that God has come and our lives and our world can be changed?
You’d think we want to shout it from the rooftops!
You’d think we would be like Mary – rushing out into the world and proclaiming the greatness of God – literally singing the glories of what God has done!
Or at least that’s what you’d think – isn’t it?
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Too many times we pass up opportunity after opportunity to tell the good news that God has come into our lives – into our world – and that our lives and our world can never be the same again. At the precise moments that we need to be opening our mouths and telling the good news of what God has done we shut our mouths and don’t say a word. One of the best ways to get some of us to shut up is to ask us to share our testimony or to lead a group in prayer. The most talkative person can suddenly be at a loss for words when they have an opportunity to talk about what God has done in their lives.
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Maybe you’ve heard the story about the shoe company that sent a salesperson into the jungles of Africa. After a few days he radioed his boss that there was no way anyone could sell shoes to the natives. The company brought that salesperson home – and sent another. Within a few days he radioed his boss that he had sold over 200 pairs of shoes and needed more shoes sent to him as quickly as possible. The boss became curious as to why the first salesman failed miserably and the second did so well. It turned out that the first salesman went and saw that no one in the area wore shoes – and couldn’t see that he could convince them to do so. When the second salesman saw that no one wore shoes, he seized the opportunity and sold his product!
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Friends – too many times we are like the first salesman and not like the second! We know that others need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ – the good news that God has come into our world and changed our lives and our world – the news that God has come and nothing has to be the same again – the news that God saves us – not because of who we are but because of who God is – the good news – the great life changing news of Jesus Christ – but we just can’t bring ourselves to tell them! We see the fact that the world needs to hear the good news of Jesus Christ as a deterrent and not an opportunity.
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Friends – when it comes to talking about God – when it comes to telling the good news that God has come into our world and changed our lives and our world – when it comes to telling the news that God has come and lives can be changed – when it comes to telling the news that God loves us and saves us — we need to open our mouths and tell the good news!
Mary had good news – great news – to tell – and rushed to tell the world what she knew about God.
We have good news – great news to tell.
You have good news – great news – to tell.
Don’t keep it to yourself!
Go – tell it – at work – at school – at the store – at the mall – everywhere — wherever God puts you – tell the good news!
God has come!
Our lives can be changed!
Our world can be changed!
We can be different people!
We can live differently!
God loves us – not because of anything we’ve done to deserve it – but purely and simply because God has chosen to love us.
God saves us from our sins — not because of anything we’ve done to deserve it – but purely and simply because God has chosen to save us.
That’s the good news of Christmas!
That’s good news!
That’s the good news that we need to open our eyes to see and our ears to hear!
That’s the good news that we need to open our mouths to tell!
God has come!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Open your mouth and tell the good news!
Amen
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