Christmas Profits And Christmas Prophets
Advent 3
December 14, 2008
Read Scripture
We are now well into our celebration of Advent – and our preparations for Christmas.
In the Church we have many things going on to celebrate the coming of God – the coming of Christ – into our lives and into our world. Times of worship and fellowship are filling us with joy and anticipation – not to mention filling our calendars and with busy schedules – as well as our stomachs with good food!
In what some call “the real word” we have many different things to do – shopping, parties to attend, and many other things – and our jobs don’t slow down at this time of year either.
The Christmas season – for many — is about shopping – and the merchants are sure to tap into the shopping sprees. I guess the Holiday Shopping Season really begins the day after Thanksgiving with it’s early store hours and sales – they call it “Black Friday” because the merchants are hoping the sales will help then have a year that is “in the black” – making a profit – instead of “in the red” – not making a profit.
Maybe some of you shopped on “Black Friday” this year – when Sally and I came into town from Camden on “Black Friday” it looked as if there were a lot of folks out at Magnolia Mall and the surrounding stores! Sally used to get up early and take advantage of “Black Friday” – but she didn’t this year.
You know – for many the month of December is about making a profit.
Stores depend on their Holiday sales to make their year profitable.
The profits of Christmas sales is followed on Wall Street and debated on the news and talk radio. Advertisements fill our newspapers and our mailboxes.
I heard about one particular shopper who was so weary that when the “store greeter” wished them a “Happy Holiday” they snapped back –
“What’s so happy about it?”
Yea – even if the “store greeter” had said “Merry Christmas” the shopper may have shot back
“What’s so merry about it?”
Yea – for most of us Christmas is filled with busy schedules – and shopping, shopping, and more shopping.
And the merchants hope it is filled with profits, profits, and more profits.
But – back in the Church – we are not in the Season of Christmas yet – we are still in the Season of Advent.
Advent is a time for promise — for hope — for anticipation — for preparing for the coming of God — the coming of Christ — touching our lives with God’s mysterious love — and compelling us to have our lives changed by that love.
Advent is a time for seeing how God comes to us in mysterious — marvelous — exciting — and life-changing ways — not just with the baby in the manger so many years ago — but also here — and now.
We know that God has come to us in Christ — and made His love known to us in surprising ways – but sometimes we have to take the time to stop and remember what this season is really all about. Sometimes we miss the important fact that God continues to come to us in ways that are just as surprising as a baby in a manger. Sometimes we become so consumed in the world’s celebration of Christmas that we miss the continued work of God in the world – and we fail to join in that work — calling for different lives and a different world.
So – while the Christmas Season in the “real world” may be a time that the merchants hope is filled with profits, profits, and more profits – for us as Christians it needs to be a time filled with prophets, prophets, and more prophets.
Now – it may seem that I just said the same thing.
Let me explain.
For the merchants Christmas may be a time for profits –P R O F I T S.
For us as Christians it needs to be a time for prophets – P R O P H E T S.
For us as Christians it needs to be a time filled with prophets, prophets, and more prophets.
Prophets – that can help us have our vision renewed — and help us see God and God’s work in the world in a new way.
It is a time for prophets that can help us allow the coming of God into our world make a difference in our lives — so we too can be prophets — showing God’s work and will to others in all we say and do.
Christmas can be a time for profits – PROFITS – but it can also is a time for prophets – PROPHETS.
Prophets like Isaiah and John the Baptist – but also prophets like you and me.
Advent is a time for prophets.
Christmas is a time for prophets.
Many of us may contribute to the merchant’s profits – PROFITS – at the local stores and even online –
But do many of us contribute to the voices of the prophets – PROPHETS – who try to point us to God – and the true reason for what we do?
John was a prophet.
So was Isaiah.
Frederick Buechner — a Presbyterian minister and author — writes that prophets never have an easy time in life.
“There is no evidence to suggest” — Buechner sarcastically writes — “that anyone ever asked a prophet home for supper more than once. In fact, no prophet is on record as ever having applied for the job.”
John was a prophet — a man with a mission — and his mission was to tell people of the coming of Christ into the world — indeed the coming of God into the world — and to call people to repentance — to make their lives ready for Christ — who was already among them — but whom they did not see.
John knew his mission — and he carried it out well — but it didn’t make him popular. Many people didn’t want to hear John — or see Christ. They were too interested in protecting their own ideas and opinions of how things should be to see that God was among them — that something new was happening and life could no longer be “business as usual”.
They were too worried about their own profits to listen to this prophet.
Things could be different — very different — but many were missing the new life Christ offered all together. They had no interest in hearing John or seeing Christ because John’s message and Christ’s work would mean change for them — and they liked things the way they were. They didn’t want to let John’s message change their lives — and they definitely were not interested in seeing Christ.
They could not see the one who stood among them.
They refused to see.
But John was a prophet.
John saw — and understood — and proclaimed that God was at work in a new way in the world. God was at work in the world through Christ — who showed God’s will for justice — for love — for righteousness – for peace — ways that would change the way things were into the way God would have them to be.
This understanding — this proclamation — did not make John very popular — but he kept on understanding and proclaiming — for he was a prophet.
An Advent Prophet.
A Christmas Prophet.
A Prophet who was committed to showing God’s will at work in the world – working for God’s will in the world – and proclaiming that God has come into the world through Jesus Christ to change the world.
An Advent Prophet.
A Christmas Prophet.
In our Old Testament lesson we see that John is not the only one who understood how God was going to challenge the ways of the world and establish the ways of God. Isaiah proclaimed that he was anointed with the Holy Spirit — and had a mission in the world to work for salvation — peace — justice — and righteousness.
Like John — Isaiah was a Prophet.
But — people had no intention of listening to either Isaiah or John — or seeing God who was coming to the world through Christ to change the world — they wanted to live their lives as they saw fit — whether it was the way God saw fit for them or not.
Yes — John and Isaiah were prophets – - maybe not popular — but faithful — faithfully seeing God in the world — faithfully proclaiming the presense of God in the world to others.
Yes – - Christmas can be a time for profits – PROFITS – but it also should be be a time for is a time for prophets – PROPHETS.
So – here’s a question for you today:
as you help the merchants with their profits this season – are you also being a prophet for God and God’s work in the world?
Are we prophets — PROPHETS?
We celebrate Christmas — but does the fact that God has come into our world through Christ really make a difference in how we live our lives?
Does it make any real difference to us at all?
Do we let Christ truly change our lives?
Do we see how Christ can and does make a difference in the world — see and proclaim how the coming of Christ can change our lives and change the world?
Or — is Christmas simply a time for us to somehow just nod at the manger and the birth of Christ as we rush about our busy lives — too caught up in the things of the world to see and experience and proclaim the things of God?
Are we Christmas Prophets?
Friends — Christ has come.
God has come into our world.
Christ is among us.
The work of God is among us.
But — do we see Christ?
Here and now?
Does it make a difference to us that Christ has come into our world?
John and Isaiah were prophets. They saw and experienced and proclaimed that God was at work in their world and things could be completely changed for God’s glory. Yes — they were prophets — seeing and proclaiming the things of God.
What about us?
Are we Christmas Prophets – PROPHETS — seeing and experiencing and proclaiming to the world that things can be different because Christ has come — or are we like those who John and Isaiah addressed — those who wished John and Isaiah and prophets like them would just shut up so they could go about “business as usual” – making our own profits – PROFITS — or helping others make their?
Are we more like Isaiah and John — prophets — or more like their skeptical audiences?
We need to let the message of John — the message of Isaiah — sink in.
Christ is among us — and our lives — and our world — can be changed.
Let Christ change the way you live.
Understand your need for Christ — for salvation.
Understand your need for the new life that only Christ can bring.
That life that Isaiah spoke of – of healing – wholeness – peace.
Then — be a prophet.
Tell the world their need for Christ.
Tell others their need for the salvation Christ offers.
Tell others of that healing – wholeness – and peace Christ offers.
Be a Christmas Prophet.
Don’t just talk about people’s need for the life of salvation – healing – and wholeness Christ offers – but see yourself as being a Prophet — sent to – as Isaiah put it –
Bring liberty to the oppressed
Bind up the brokenhearted
Proclaim liberty to the captives
See the needs all around you – and do what you can to meet them with God’s amazing and life changing love. Reach out to people all around you with the good news of God’s love in your words and actions.
Be a Christmas Prophet.
Dare to go against the grain of those only interested in making profits or helping others make a profit – and declare that there is much more to this season that just profits — PROFITS.
There can be prophets – PROPHETS. People who point to God’s amazing and life changing love and lead others to it.
It may not be what the world wants to hear — in fact it probably won’t be. It may not make you very popular. You may confront the way people live — it may not make them comfortable — but — you will be seeing and proclaiming God — and the real message of Christmas – to the world.
You will be a prophet.
We must be prophets — calling for all to repent and believe in Christ — but also being about God’s work by reaching out to the poor — working for and calling for peace when others are working for and calling for conflict — giving to others instead of keeping so much for ourselves — feeding those who are hungry — warming those who are cold — proclaiming that Christ is among us — and the world will never be the same again.
Be a Christmas Prophet.
See to it that this Christmas season is not just filled with profits, profits, and more profits – PROFITS – but also Prophets – Prophets – and more Prophets – PROPHETS. Amen.
