John 1:1-14

John 1:1-18

December 31, 2006

Part 1 of “Who Are We?” series

Called To Glory

Tomorrow starts a new year.

A new year – a year filled with new possibilities – new potential – – new opportunities.

Some of you may plan to make New Years Resolutions – promises to yourself and possibly to others to improve some area of your life.

Maybe some of you will make a resolution to lose weight. That seems to be one of mine every year.

Maybe some of you will make a resolution to exercise more. That’s another one I make every year.

Maybe some of you will make a resolution to spend more time with your loved ones.

Maybe – just maybe – perhaps – some of you will make a resolution to spend more time with God or in serving others.

Maybe.

Perhaps.

Some of you may do really well with your resolutions.

Some of you may struggle.

And some of you may not make any resolutions at all.

One year I was with some friends on December 31 — when we met another friend. The one we met turned to one of the others I was with and said:

“Well – you’re probably misbehaving today so you can get it all out of your system – because I’m sure your New Years Resolution will be to behave next year.”

We all laughed.

And my friend just shook his head and said “no comment” – knowing better than to make such a resolution.

But – whether you will make New Years Resolutions or not – whether you will keep them or not – it can not be denied that beginning tomorrow it will be a new year – and it indeed can be – if we will let it be – a time for new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities.

But we have to let it be that for us.

We have to let ourselves take advantage of the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that may be before us in the new year – or the new year will not be any different than any other.

I want us to focus for the next month on a question that will help us see the possibilities that God is laying before us – and how we can take advantage of them and live lives that truly serve God and others. A lot of people like to focus on how they can be the very best people they can be – especially around New Years. I want us to focus on how we can be the very best people – the very best Christians – indeed the very best Church we can be – as we look at different aspects of the question:

Who are we?

Who are we?

In 1 Peter 2:9 we read:

you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light

We’re going to use this passage as a “springboard” so to speak to look at various aspects of who we are as God’s people – and how we can be the Christians – the people – the Church God has called us to be.

Today we’re going to look at the first 14 verses of the Gospel of John – one of the most beautiful passages in all scripture – as see how we are people who are Called to Glory.

We are people who are Called to Glory.

Read Scripture

When I was young I used to want to stay up until midnight on New Years Eve and “see the New Year in”. When I was about six – I don’t know why that became the magic number except for maybe Mom and Dad couldn’t take my begging any more — my parents decided they would let me stay up.

I was excited!

I was ready to stay up to “see the New Year in” – but around 10:30 my tiredness caught up with my excitement.

I decided I would lie down for awhile – but slept through the whole thing.

On the morning of January 1 awoke – disappointed that I had missed the New Year coming in – but raced outside to see how the new year looked.

I think I expected things to look different.

A New Year had come in.

Surely things would look different.

But – guess what.

Things did not look different.

Things looked the same.

Dissapointed again – I went back inside – and told my parents that I did not know what the big deal was – everything looked the same to me.

Is that how the new year will be for us – just the same?

Or – will we see and take advantage of the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that lie before us?

The new year can new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities – we can do things in a new way.

Or – it can be “business as usual” – same thing as always – just the same.

It’s up to us.

It’s up to us to make the new year – with the new opportunities that lay before us – what we will make of them.

I believe we can take advantage of the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities God is laying before us – and truly be changed as individuals and as a Church.

We are going to looking a lot at how we can do this in the coming weeks as we consider the question: “Who are we?”

Who are we as Christians?

Who are we as individual Christians?

Who are we as a Church?

Sure – we can answer these questions by giving our names – maybe some physical characteristics – maybe talking about who the members of this Church family are – but does that really answer the question – who are we?

Not really.

Who are we?

Why are we here?

Do we – as individuals — have a purpose in life – and if so – what is it?

Do we – as a Church – have a purpose – and if so – what is it?

Again – we can give all kinds of answers.

Each of us can say:

“Well I think our purpose as a Church is to …”

and each can fill in the blank with our opinions.

But – does that really answer the question of who we are as a Church – and what our purpose might be?

Is looking at our opinions of who we are as a Church – and what our purpose might be – the right way to start our search for our purpose as a Church?

Or is there another place from which to start this search?

Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life tells about getting lost in the mountains. He was on a back road and could not figure out how to get to where he wanted to go. Finally he saw a store and pulled in to ask directions.

“O – you can’t get there from here” was the response he got

“You have to start at the other side of the mountain.”

Warren goes on to say that if we are looking to find our meaning and purpose in life within ourselves – – we’ll never really find it.

We’ve started at the wrong place.

We have to start – not within ourselves – but with God.

Trying to decide who we are as a Church by looking at what we feel we should be doing as a Church is beginning at the wrong starring point.

We have to start – not with ourselves – or our opinions – but with God.

What does God think of us?

What does God call us to be – as individuals and as a Church?

The passage we’re going to be using as a springboard for looking at who we are as individual Christians and as a Church — 1 Peter 2:9 — gives us a good idea about this.

you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light

Peter writes.

A chosen race

A royal priesthood

A holy nation

God’s own people

That’s who we are.

A chosen race

A royal priesthood

A holy nation

God’s own people

Chosen

Royal

Holy

Chosen by God.

Royalty

Holy – the Greek word is haggios — different – set apart

That is who we are!

Regardless of what we might think – regardless of what our opinions might be – this is what God thinks – and what God’s opinion is.

And it is God’s opinion that counts here!

A chosen race

A royal priesthood

A holy nation

God’s own people

And – we have a purpose –

may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light

So – now we know.

We are the glorious people of God – called to show to the world the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

That is who we are – and what we are to be doing.

The glorious people of God –

called to show to the world the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

OK

Now we know.

We are glorious people – called to show to the world our glorious God.

How do we do this?

How do we live as glorious people – called to show the world our glorious God?

We’re going to be talking a lot about this in the coming month – but today – as we look at John 1:1-14 – we see one way – in fact the best way to begin living as glorious people — to show the world our glorious God.

In this beautiful beginning of his gospel, John points out that Christ was the light of God – and came into the world to bring God’s light to the world.

If we are going to be God’s glorious people – if we are going to show our glorious God to the world – we are going to have to respond to – and follow – the glorious light of God that has come into our world – Jesus Christ.

The light that Christ has shown our world has resulted in many people seeing and following God — but there are many who have seen the same truth – the same light — but have declined to follow it.

We are called to be the glorious people of God – called to show to the world the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To do this, we must to respond to – and follow – the glorious light of God that has come into our world in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It’s up to us to decide to do this – to respond to the glorious light of God that has come into our world in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – and be the glorious people of God – called to show to the world the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

You know — the sun shines on everybody. If you want to you can sit in the sun. If you prefer, you can sit in a cave. Your choice doesn’t stop the sun from shining. It just means you decline to derive benefit from its heat. It’s the same way with Christ. His light continues to shine, but not everybody responds to it.

Will you respond to the light of God – to Christ?

That’s one of the most important questions you’ll ever have to answer – and the first step towards being the glorious person God created you to be – called to show to the world the glory of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

John begins his gospel by writing:

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood^[a] it.

There is an interesting point here – and that is that every time you read in the Scriptures about light you will also find a corresponding statement about darkness. The light and the darkness are always set in obvious contrast to each other.

The Bible teaches that human beings were intended to live in obedience to and dependence upon God — or – as it were – in the light of God – and be His glorious people. Instead, many times we choose independence and disobedience over obedience dependence. We have been told over and over again that when we disobey God we are separated from God. And yet too many times we choose to trade life for deadness – the light of God for the darkness of sin. The result is that something has happened to our intelligence, something has happened to our moral sensitivity, something has happened to our spirituality. This result is having a phenomenal impact on our individual and collective lives. The result is that we are a shell of what we’re supposed to be – what we were created to be. We’re not the glorious people we were created to be.

If we are going to be God’s glorious people – if we are going to show our glorious God to the world – we are going to have to respond to – and follow – the glorious light of God that has come into our world – Jesus Christ.

The choice is ours.

God has created us to be glorious people – and to show His glory to the world. But to do this – we have to walk in His light – choose His ways – and live in His ways instead of the ways of darkness and sin.

The question is – are you ready to do this?

Are we ready to come out of the cave – as it were – and let the light of Christ shine upon us – so we can be the glorious people of God we were created to be – and show His glory to the world?

Really – the question is more specific that this – because the real question is are you ready to do this?

Are you ready to come out of the cave – as it were – and let the light of Christ shine upon you – so you can be the glorious person of God you were created to be – and show His glory to the world?

Until we can say – as individuals —

Yes — I am ready to let the light of Christ shine on me – so I can be the glorious person God created me to be – and show His glory to the world –

We will not be able to say that as a group.

Until we are ready as individuals walk in the light of Christ – and be the glorious people of God we were created to be – and show His glory to the world – we will not be able to do it as a Church.

So – again I ask the question – are we ready to let the light of Christ shine upon us – so we can be the glorious people of God we were created to be – and show His glory to the world?

Are you ready to let the light of Christ shine upon you – so you can be the glorious person of God you were created to be – and show His glory to the world?

Are we ready to be the people – the Christians – the Church God has called us to be – a Church that lets the light of Christ shine on us – so we can be the glorious people of God we were created to be — the glorious Church of God we are called to be – and show His glory to the world?

The first step towards being the glorious people God has called us to be is to live in the light of Christ.

Yea – we are getting ready to begin a new year.

A year filled with new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that God is laying before us.

It’s up to us decide what we are going to do with them.

It’s up to us to decide if we are going to let God bless us – and truly live out our calling to be

glorious people –

called to show to the world our glorious God

We’ll be talking more about the specifics of how we can do this in the weeks ahead – but today – I hope you will decide that this coming year will not be “business as usual” or “just the same” for you – or for us as a Church.

Commit to making it different.

To letting God change you.

To letting God change us.

Commit to living in the glorious light of Christ

So we can indeed take advantage of all the new possibilities – new potential – – and new opportunities that God is laying before us –

And become

glorious people –

called to show to the world our glorious God

Amen.

Luke 2:22-38

Luke 2:22-38

Good News or Bad News?

Part 4 of 2006 Hopewell Advent Series “God Gives Hope” based on Luke 1 and 2

December 24, 2006

Can you tell that Christmas is tomorrow?

The goose is getting about as fat as it can get. I hope I am as fat as I’ll get also – but I’m not making any promises!

The Sanctuary is indeed decorated beautifully – the wreaths – garland – bows – Chrismon tree – and poinsettias give a true feeling of celebration and joy to this already beautiful sanctuary. Four of the candles on the Advent Wreath have now been lit – and by the end of today all five will be!

Outside the Church we may be worn out by the pace we have kept this month. The decorating, Christmas shopping, parties, family gatherings, etc., etc. etc., can be tiring – even stressful at times.

Yes – Christmas is tomorrow.

But — with all the activities — there is still a sense of hope.

Children – and some adults – may be hoping for a certain gift from Santa.

Some may just be hoping that it will all end soon. If you’re in that bopat, hold on – it’s almost over!

But this is a season for hope.

A season for hope.

This Advent we’ve been looking at the first and second chapters of Luke – and seeing how God’s gift of Himself gives hope – and raising the question:

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready for the coming of Christ?

Are you ready for God’s hope coming into the world?

Hope.

3 weeks ago we saw that we have to be ready for the hope of God that can break into our lives at any time as we looked at how God gave hope Zechariah and Elizabeth in a way they never imagined possible.

2 weeks ago we saw how we need a spirit of humility to truly be ready for Christ’s coming into our lives.

Last week we added 4 things to our Christmas list – faith, obedience, a commitment to tell others about Christ, and a spirit of worship and humility.

Today we’re going to look at the end of Luke 2 – and meet 2 more characters of the Christmas story that don’t get enough attention – 2 elderly and very faithful folks named Simeon and Anna. As we see these two faithful servants of God who lived to see the salvation God had promised we will see how the coming of Christ – the event of Christmas – can be either good news or bad news.

Which is it for you?

The angels proclaimed good news for all people – but is it good news for you – or bad news – for us?

Listen to God’s word in Luke 2:22-38:

Charles Swindoll has written a rather telling poem about how many of us may feel the day after tomorrow – or at least how some people feel on the day after Christmas:

‘Twas the day after Christmas,
When all through the place
There were arguments and depression–
Even Mom had a long face.
The stockings hung empty,
And the house was a mess;
The new clothes didn’t fit,
And Dad was under stress.
The family was irritable,
And the children—no one could please;
Because the instructions for the swing set
Were written in Chinese!

The bells no longer jingled,
And no carolers came around;
The sink was stacked with dishes,
And the tree was turning brown.
The stores were full of people
Returning things that fizzled and failed,
And the shoppers were discouraged
Because everything they’d bought
Was now on a half-price sale!

‘Twas the day after Christmas—
The spirit of joy had disappeared;
The only hope on the horizon
Was twelve bowl games
On the first day of the New Year!

That sort of says it all, doesn’t it?

There is something about the day after Christmas that can be a little bit disappointing. Maybe some part of the holiday just didn’t meet our expectations. Maybe we just don’t want it to be over. Maybe the new year is frightening to us, especially if we spent more than we should have.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph felt that way.

We don’t always think a lot about what happened the days after that wondrous night in the stable. We know that they stayed in Bethlehem. We know that because the gospel writer, Luke, tells us that eight days after Jesus was born, they had him circumcised according to Jewish custom. But Luke tells us even more. He tells us about something that took place 40 days after Jesus was born. He tells us how Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple and were met by Simeon and Anna.

I wonder if even that was disappointing for them.

In the 14th century the Italian artist named Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted the scene Luke tells us about in our passage for today. Simeon and Anna are gathered at the altar. Mary and Joseph look on in amazed silence. The prophetess Anna has her eyes fixed on the child. Simeon, with a solemn look on his face, stares down at the baby in his arms. Yet the baby Jesus at the center of the picture surprises everyone. They all seem to gaze awestruck at him as Lorenzetti has him sucking his thumb!

The family may marvel, the aged Simeon and Anna may prophesy, but this little child—this thumb-sucking baby Jesus—is not exactly what was expected.

There are indeed some surprising things about this scene Luke tells us about.

Everything starts out normal enough. Mary and Joseph are doing what all Jewish parents knew they were supposed to do. Luke makes that very clear. Look at verse 22–24:

22When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”^[a]), 24and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons

Luke is wrapping together two ceremonies here, each prescribed in the Law of Moses.

The first involved the purification of the mother. After the birth of a son, a woman would be ritually unclean for 40 days, and there were certain rules and restrictions that went along with that. At the completion of that time, she should offer a lamb and a dove or pigeon to the Lord. If she was too poor to offer up a lamb, a second dove or pigeon could be offered. Mary’s offering was that of the poor.

The second ceremony involved the dedication of the firstborn son to God.

Mary and Joseph are doing things by the book. No less than five times in this story does Luke mention that everything was done according to the Law. Mary and Joseph are making sure that every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed.

But it wasn’t long before Joseph and Mary encounter a man who sees much more in their baby than someone who would keep Jewish law. They’re met by an old man named Simeon.

Look at verse 25–32:

25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss^[c] your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”

Luke takes pains to describe Simeon. He is an ideal Jew. He embodies everything God intended for his people. He is righteous and devout. He operated with integrity toward others and toward God. Not only that, Simeon is waiting for the consolation of Israel, which is another way of saying he is waiting for the Messiah. This Messiah would bring consolation—comfort to people who were anxious and oppressed.

Have you ever waited for an important letter that would bring some kind of important news? You knew it would come, but until you held it in your hand, you could not rest? You check your mailbox daily. We can imagine Simeon entering the temple each and every day, wondering if this would be the day—in a sense, waiting for the letter God had promised. And one day he senses the Spirit leading him into the temple, perhaps at a time he didn’t normally go there. And somehow, at that very moment, Mary and Joseph entered with their child, and somehow he knew—this was the One. He takes the child in his arms, he thanks God, and then he begins to pray. He says now he can die a contented man—the letter is come, so to speak– the comfort has arrived — his dreams are fulfilled.

At first glance, what he says about Jesus is nothing new. He talks about salvation. That note has been struck before. We know that his name means salvation. We heard Mary sing of “God my Savior” and Zechariah praise God for raising up a “horn of salvation” who would deliver them from all their enemies. Even the angel told the shepherds that a Savior had been born. So we’re not all that surprised when Simeon says, “my eyes have seen your salvation.”

But there is a new note here as well. He says this gift of salvation has been prepared for “all peoples.” And then he calls him a “light of revelation for the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.” Even though the angel Gabriel had told the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be for all the people,” they may have just assumed he meant the people of Israel. But here it is as clear as it can be. Israel’s glory is that the Messiah comes through them, but His coming is not just for them; it’s for Gentiles as well. In these days of equal opportunity, that may not mean a whole lot to us, but you can be sure it was a shock to Mary and Joseph.

Look at how Luke records their reaction in vs. 33:

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him

Even though they might not understand it all, they could understand enough to see that their son would be more than just a national hero. His impact would be worldwide.

Maybe they could imagine the headlines back home:

“Local Boy Makes Good.”

Or maybe they could see their son’s face on the cover of Time magazine under the banner: “Something Good Comes out of Nazareth.”

Then there are the photos. A young boy with such promise will need to be pictured with all the bigwigs—high priests, scribes, members of the Sanhedrin, even Caesar Augustus! And then, of course, there will be the official parties. Such a worldwide Savior deserves the red carpet treatment. Joseph and Mary must be beaming, like the proud parents of a Heisman Trophy winner, or a summa cum laude graduate of Stanford, or a Nobel Prize winner. Simeon’s news is indeed marvelous.

But then Simeon spoke again, and they must have wondered if they heard him right. Simeon goes on to say that this good news will actually be bad news for some.

Look at verses 34-35:

34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.

For the first time in Luke’s gospel, a dark thread is woven into the bright tapestry. I can just imagine Mary and Joseph’s faces falling upon hearing these words. Their first thought might have been: But wait a minute, we’re doing everything right. We’re doing everything by the book. How can this be? Where have we gone wrong?

Who wants to have a son described like this? He’ll cause “the falling and rising of many in Israel” No one will stay the same. Those who stand up and reject him will fall; those who humbly receive him will rise up. Jesus will split the nation in two. Some will see him as “a sign to be opposed,” or spoken against. Who wants to have a son described like that? He won’t be winning “Most Popular” at the middle school in Nazareth.

But why would he garner such opposition? Simeon said the thoughts from many hearts will be exposed. People don’t like to be exposed. People who prefer to stay in hiding resent exposure. Imagine having your innermost thoughts broadcast throughout this church for all to hear. No wonder they would oppose him.

But that’s not all. There will even be a cost to Mary. A sword will pierce her soul. Maybe that means that she will endure what every parent fears most—she’ll bury her son. Or maybe it means that Mary herself would have to make up her own mind about him, that her own heart would be exposed and divided.

Simeon’s words are mysterious words. But you don’t have to be Ph.D. in literature to figure out that there is something very ominous going on here. But we shouldn’t be surprised. When you turn on a light, it creates shadows. Thomas Kinkade is called the “painter of light,” but I’m told that shadows are curiously absent from his portraits. There are some who would like to paint Jesus as one who could not possibly cast a shadow, but that’s an impossibility. To be a savior assumes that people need saving. Some people embrace that; others resent it. Some people rise; others fall.

So – the coming of Christ – this little baby that Lorenzetti paints sucking his thumb – can be good news for some – in fact the best news ever for some – but can be bad news – the worst news of all – for others.

Which is it for you?

Is it good news or bad news?

But the story doesn’t end there. There are some people for whom the bad news is good news after all. Look at verses 36–38:

36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.^[d] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem

Anna is kind of like the female version of Simeon. Luke takes great pains to describe her also as an ideal Jew. Like Miriam and Deborah in the Old Testament, she is a prophetess. She is from the tribe of Asher. She’s 84-years-young, and most of that time she’s been a widow. When it says she never left the temple, it may mean that she lived in one of the rooms of the many buildings on the temple hill. Anna is the kind of woman who just never missed church. When the door is open, she’s there, serving the Lord with fasting and prayers.

We don’t know how much of what Simeon had to say she had been able to hear, but at any rate it seems rather strange that she would do what she does. She gives thanks to God and she starts spreading the news to those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. I mean, as a woman, you would think she’d be consoling Mary instead of giving thanks! The way Luke lays this story out, it sure appears that she does what she does in full view of Simeon’s words. I wonder why. Perhaps Anna has lived long enough to know that what is bad news for some is good news for others.

The coming of Christ – this little baby that Lorenzetti paints sucking his thumb – can be good news for some – in fact the best news ever for some – but can be bad news – the worst news of all – for others.

Which is it for you?

Is it good news or bad news?

What makes the difference?

Why is the coming of Jesus good news for some and bad news for others?

The answer lies in Simeon and Anna. We’ve seen how Luke takes real pains to paint a very vivid picture of these two. I believe we need to take note that both were looking and hoping for God to do something.

Verse 25 says Simeon was ” waiting for the consolation of Israel.” Verse 38 says Anna spoke of the child “to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem,” which no doubt she was doing also.

You see, Simeon and Anna saw the coming of Christ as good news rather than bad news because they were looking and longing and waiting for God to bring consolation and redemption.

In the coming of Christ, the Lord has consoled His people—that’s what Simeon was looking for; and the Lord has redeemed Jerusalem—that’s what Anna was looking for. Consolation speaks to those longings for healing and restoration from all of the past losses and miseries of life.

The coming of Christ – this little baby that Lorenzetti paints sucking his thumb – can be good news for some – in fact the best news ever for some – but can be bad news – the worst news of all – for others.

Which is it for you?

Is it good news or bad news?

Have you ever been comforted?

In the course of several years, the late Joe Baylie saw three of his children die. When one of them died, he said:

“I was sitting there, torn by grief. Someone called and talked of God’s dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly. He said things I knew were true. I was unmoved, except to wish he’d go away. He finally did. Another came and sat beside me. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask me leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour and more, listened when I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply, and left. I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.”

That’s comfort. It’s that kind of comfort Jesus would bring to the hurting.

Redemption speaks to our need to be delivered from powers that hold us in bondage. It could be the power of sin. It could be the power of death. It could be the power of Satan.

A pastor met a young boy in front of his church carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. The pastor asked, “Son, where did you get those birds? The boy said, “I trapped them out in the fields.” The pastor asked, “What are you going to do with them?” The boy said, “I’m going to play with them, and then I guess I’ll just feed them to an old cat we have at home.”

Then the pastor offered to buy them, and the boy tried to talk him out of it because they were good for nothing. The pastor said, “I’ll give you ten dollars for the cage and the birds.” The boy felt he was taking advantage of the pastor — but agreed. He walked off with his cash and the pastor walked to the back of the church and opened the cage and let the birds go. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to explain how Christ had redeemed those destined for destruction, not with a few dollars, but with his own life.

That’s what Anna was looking for. That’s what Jesus does.

So – t he coming of Christ – this little baby that Lorenzetti paints sucking his thumb – can be good news for some – in fact the best news ever for some – but can be bad news – the worst news of all – for others.

Which is it for you?

Is it good news or bad news?

The question you have to ask yourself is, are you looking for the comfort and redemption Christ brings?

If you are satisfied with life as it is, if you have no longing in your heart for consolation or redemption, if you have no desire to change from sin but are pretty content with it — this good news of Christ is ultimately bad news. He’ll be to you a stumbling block over which you will fall; He’ll ultimately be a sign you will oppose; He’ll expose your heart, and you won’t like what everyone will see! You will refuse to stay in His light.

Is Christ’ s coming good news or bad news for you?

Is it good news or bad news?

If God is working on your heart – if you are frustrated with a life that is not centered on Christ – if you have longings and desires that cannot find their fulfillment in cars or houses or careers or relationships or anything else this world has to offer – if nothing Santa can bring will be the greatest gift of all for you – then the coming of Christ can indeed be good news. If your heart has been exposed and – instead of wanting to keep what’s there you see there a need for comfort and redemption – a need top change — then the coming of Christ is indeed good news.

The coming of Christ – this little baby that Lorenzetti paints sucking his thumb – can be good news for some – in fact the best news ever for some – but can be bad news – the worst news of all – for others.

Which is it for you?

Is it good news or bad news?

When Sally and I moved to Wentworth, NC the manse at the Church did not have a lot of plants in the yard. This was not going to do for Sally – for she and I both love plants and flowers. We began slowly planting different plants – and in a few years the yard was filled with flowers, bushes, and trees. One thing she taught me in this process was that — to give plants the most chance to survive – you sometimes you have to be a little ruthless with them. She taught me that – when you take plants out of their plastic container — you have to inspect the soil ball. If the plant has been growing in its pot so long that the roots are circling the bottom, you might have to jab your finger into the bottom of the soil and pull down to untangle the roots. If the whole pot is filled with circling roots, you might have to be merciless – not worrying if you break some roots – because that’s better than allowing the roots to continue to circle when the plants are growing in the yard. The rougher the treatment; the more chance they have to survive.

The coming of Christ – this little baby that Lorenzetti paints sucking his thumb – can be good news for some – in fact the best news ever for some – but can be bad news – the worst news of all – for others.

Which is it for you?

Is it good news or bad news?

Maybe you feel like you have been roughed up a bit.

But maybe that is God’s mercy. Maybe through that you have come to long for comfort and redemption.

If this is true of you, then the coming of Christ is good news. The good news is that Christ has come and he will come again, and no one is able to bring you consolation and redemption like Jesus Christ.

Is it good news for you?

If you can trust Jesus for your salvation – your consolation – your redemption – it can be the very best news of all!

Trusting in Jesus for your salvation – your consolation – your redemption –can make the event of Christmas – the coming of Christ — the very best news of all – and can transform even the most disappointing of holidays into a celebration of the salvation – consolation – and redemption you have in Jesus Christ.

Not trusting in Jesus for your salvation – your consolation – your redemption –can make the event of Christmas – the coming of Christ — the worst news of all – and can overshadow even the most joyous holiday celebration you can imagine with a feeling lf emptiness and disappointment.

The coming of Christ can be good news for some – in fact the best news ever for some – but can be bad news – the worst news of all – for others.

Which is it for you?

Is it good news or bad news?

Amen.

Luke 1:57-2:21

Luke 1:57-2:21

“4 More Things For Your Christmas List”

Part 3 of 2006 Hopewell Advent Series “God Gives Hope” based on Luke 1 and 2

December 17, 2006

Well, it is indeed obvious by now that Christmas is coming.

The goose is getting much fatter – and so am I.

The Sanctuary is indeed decorated beautifully – the wreaths – garrland – bows – Chrismon tree – and now poinsettias give a true feeling of celebration and joy to this already beautiful sanctuary. Three of the candles on the Advent Wreath have now been lit. We’ve been having parties and are making plans for more parties — the Joy Gift program is tonight and the Christmas Eve Communion service next Sunday. A lot of other activities are taking place. The Choir and Praise Choir continue to practice special Christmas music. The pace has indeed picked up a bit. You need a calendar to keep up with everything we’re doing here at Hopewell this month!

Outside the Church the pace has picked up a bit, also. Many of us have decorating, Christmas shopping, parties, family gatherings, etc., etc. etc., that have to be done – hopefully before next Sunday!

Yes – Christmas is indeed fast approaching!

But — with all the activities — there is still a sense of hope.

Children – and some adults – may be hoping for a certain gift from Santa.

Some may just be hoping that it will all end soon.

But this is a season for hope.

A season for hope.

This Advent we’re looking at the first and second chapters of Luke – and seeing how God’s gift of Himself gives hope – and raising the question:

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready for the coming of Christ?

Are you ready for God’s hope coming into the world?

Hope.

2 weeks ago we saw that we have to be ready for the hope of God that can break into our lives at any time as we looked at how God gave hope Zechariah and Elizabeth in a way they never imagined possible. Last week we saw how we need a spirit of humility to truly be ready for Christ’s coming into our lives.

Today I’m going to add 4 things to your Christmas list – 4 things we all need to have to be ready for Christmas.

Now – you’re probably thinking –

“That’s just what I need! 4 more things on my list! “

Well – to truly be ready for Christmas – to truly be ready for the coming of God into our lives through Jesus Christ – we need to have 4 things:

We need to have faith

We need to have obedience

We need to have a commitment to telling others that Christ has come

And – we need to have a spirit of worship and awe for God and Christ.

The stories of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Christ are filled with these 4 things – faith – obedience – telling others – and worship.

Listen to both of these stories as we look at Luke 1:56-2:21:

READ SCRIPTURE

Most of us have heard the Christmas story so many times that we think we know what it’s all about, but the fact is, we might have passed over some important pieces. If we look a little harder, we might find a piece of the nativity scene that’s never put out.

You see, in Luke’s gospel, the Christmas story is not just about one birth. It’s about two births. Before we read about the birth of Jesus, we read about the birth of John. In fact, the surprising thing is that John’s birth gets more coverage than Jesus’ birth. John gets 24 verses in Luke 1, while Jesus only gets 21 verses in Luke 2. If we just take Jesus’ birth apart from John’s birth, we don’t really get the whole story. It’s like reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy without reading The Hobbit – the first book that is not really a part of the trilogy – but introduces us to the characters and sets the tone for the trilogy itself.

If we’re going to do Christmas right, we have to look at both of these births:

First – we have the birth of John in Luke 1:57-66

57When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

61They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him

Then – the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:1-20:

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[b] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

There is a saying in the real estate business: “Location is everything.” Realtors will tell you that the 3 most important things about selling property are:

Location, location, and location.

Notice the locations of the two births we have before us today.

The first one took place at home, while the other took place far away from home.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were from the hill country of Judea, and that’s where their son was born. That’s how it was supposed to happen in those days – babies were born in the family home. Maybe some of you were born in the family home – or your parents were.

My Dad was born in his family’s home. His legal name was Billy – my grandmother always said that she had one boy and named him John but everybody called him Jack – she had another and named him Robert but everybody called him Bob – so when Dad was born she named him Billy. But – there is a story about how my Dad got the mane Billy. The story is that my Uncle Jack was wanting a Billy Goat. When Dad was born, Jack was down the street playing. Someone went and told him “Jack – go home and see what’s there waiting for you!” He ran home – expecting to see his new goat – but was instead shown a newborn baby. This did not set well with Jack – and he blurted out: “But I wanted a Billy Goat!” – thus the name Billy. I doubt if the story is true, but it was fun to tell!

So – Zechariah and Elizabeth have their son born at the family home – as it was supposed to be.

But not so for Joseph and Mary.

Joseph and Mary lived up in the region of Galilee, in the little town of Nazareth. For the last six months of her pregnancy, Mary had been there, no doubt expecting that to be the place her son would be born. But Luke tells us that when Mary was great with child, Caesar Augustus sent out a decree calling for everyone to return to their hometown for a census. Joseph, being from the line of David, would need to return to Bethlehem. But Joseph wasn’t about to leave Mary alone in Nazareth, so the two of them packed up and headed south for Bethlehem.

It was a long journey, at least a three-day trip, and the timing couldn’t have been worse. Perhaps in the back of their mind was the ancient prophecy about Bethlehem, that it would be the birthplace of the coming Messiah. It might have all made sense at that point; seeing God’s hand in the decree, but it couldn’t have been easy. To make matters worse, Bethlehem was not “lying still” as the Christmas Carol would make us believe – but was filled to the gills with visitors who were there for the census. There was no room for them anywhere – except for in what was most likely a cave or a stable for farm animals.

I heard a story about a little boy who was to play the part of the innkeeper in the Christmas play. When it came time to tell Joseph that there was no room and they had to sleep in the stable, it just seemed so cruel that he couldn’t do it. So instead he said, “There’s no room, but do you want to come in for a drink?”

Well, Mary and Joseph didn’t have it quite so good. They went straight to the stable. Now — don’t be fooled by your adorable nativity scenes. This wasn’t a pretty sight. As they entered the cave, the smell might have been strong.

So –– as the realtors say — location, location, and location.

The locations of Johns’ and Jesus’ births could not have been more different.

But the location was not the only difference between the birth of Jesus and the birth of John.

One of the best things about bringing a new child into the world is getting to share it with your friends and family. In the case of John, all the friends and relatives were in attendance. This is what you want when a child is born. Everybody there — everybody is happy for you – even if an older brother or sister pouts because they wanted a Billy Goat!

That was not the way it was at the birth of Jesus. It wasn’t quite that way for Mary and Joseph. Jesus was born without any doting relatives around; without any fanfare at first. God’s Son – God Himself – came into the world without much celebration or fanfare at first. Imagine the Super Bowl played in an empty and silent stadium and you get the feeling – the greatest event of all creation taking place – it seemed – to no celebration at all.

Well, sort of.

There were the shepherds. The shepherds actually get more attention in the Christmas story than Mary or Joseph. You know the story. They were out there with their flocks at night. An angel — most likely our old friend Gabriel – stands before them surrounded by a bright light.

The shepherds are scared stiff — Gabriel is used to that by now. He tells them not to be afraid because he comes with some good news: the Savior of the world has just been born. Like Zechariah and Mary, the shepherds would get a sign. They would discover a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feed trough.

The cloths weren’t so unusual – the shepherds must have thought. But the feed trough was a different touch — especially for a king.

So — off the shepherds go to Bethlehem, and sure enough, they find the baby lying in the feed trough.

So Mary and Joseph get to share their joy – if only with a few smelly shepherds. The shepherds were just ordinary, uneducated folk. Mary and Joseph would not be writing home and bragging, “You won’t believe who showed up at the birth! Shepherds!”

That’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of joy in this event. We read that there was rejoicing among Elizabeth’s friends when John was born. But the shepherds brought joy of a different order.

It all started with the angel. He said, “I bring you good news of great joy.” It was customary in the Roman Empire for poets and orators to declare peace and joy at the birth of one who was to become the emperor. Now, in that same pattern, comes the good news of joy occasioned by the birth of a Savior. And where there is joy, singing is usually not too far behind.

At the end of chapter one, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, blurts out a poetic prophecy that is really more about Jesus than John. He praises God for bringing redemption and salvation to His people. He sings about God’s tender mercy, which will result in the forgiveness of sins. And he likens the coming of Jesus to the sunrise that will give light to those who sit in darkness and guide them in the way of peace.

But Zechariah’ song was no match for the choir of angels that joined Gabriel out there in the fields. There was a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

It was a short song, but the lyrics were significant. Glory should be given to God in the most exalted of ways, while on Earth this child brings peace for those with whom He is pleased.

One more thing that we see in both births: In Jewish culture, after a son was born, friends and relatives would gather at the home to celebrate for eight straight nights prior to the circumcision. At that time, the son would officially be named. In the birth of John, this created quite a stir among the relatives. The angel had told Zechariah that he was to name the boy John. But they don’t know that because Zechariah has been kind of quiet lately. The relatives assume they’ll name him after Zechariah. That’s what you did back then. But then Elizabeth pipes up and says, “He shall be called John.” So they go to Zechariah ask him what he wants to name his son. They know Zechariah will have the final word on this. He’ll straighten out Elizabeth. But Zechariah writes on a tablet, “His name is John.” Not, he’ll be called John — but his name is John. He’s saying: I don’t have the right to name him. God already did that.

It wasn’t quite so hard for Mary and Joseph. As Luke records it:

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

So we have not one birth, but two births. One took place at home, with doting friends and relatives in attendance; the other took place far away from home in a stable with no one there but animals and a few shepherds. Both of them were occasions of great joy and singing. Both of them took place in accord with Jewish law—naming and circumcising the boy on the eighth day.

Now – you might be thinking –

That’s all fine and good, but what does all this mean for me?

Well, I believe Luke lays these two births side by side to teach us something about what to do at Christmas. In the cast of characters of these two births, we see responses to the Christmas event — they’re meant to teach us something about our response to the coming of Christ into our world. They can teach us – I believe – 4 things we need for Christmas – 4 things to add to our Christmas list – and add to our lives as Christians.

First – we see faith.

Look at how the shepherds responded to the angels as Luke gives it in 2:15-20:

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The first thing the shepherds teach us to add to our Christmas list is faith. A couple of weeks ago, we saw how Zechariah failed to believe that God would do what the angel promised him. That’s why he’s silent until his son is born. Then we saw how Mary, in contrast to that, believed that what the angel said really would take place. But here with these shepherds we see another example of faith. After the angels leave, they look at each other and say:

What are we waiting for? Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.

They have faith.

There is no debate. There is no procrastination. They don’t decide to sleep on it. They don’t go to the local library for research. They just figure that it’s all true.

That’s faith. You can put that on your Christmas list.

Faith.

Scripture says that, without faith, it’s impossible to please God.

The angel says, ” on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests ”

Who is that? It’s those who respond to God’s gift through faith.

Paul writes in Romans: “For by grace you are saved, through faith…. “

Add faith to your Christmas list.

Faith means you say yes to all that God was doing through Christ.

You say:

Yes, He is the Savior of the world.

Yes, He came to die for my sins.

Yes, through Him I find forgiveness and new life.

Yes, I want to follow Christ as Lord.

Faith isn’t a spectator sport; it’s an active embracing of all that God has promised in Christ. God brings you to a point, and it’s not a time for debate; it’s not a time for sleeping on it; it’s not even a time to do more research; it’s a time act in faith upon what the Lord has said.

That’s why the second thing you should put on your list is obedience.

Obediance.

We see obedience in the naming and the circumcision of both John and Jesus. Zechariah names his first and only son John. It couldn’t have been easy. He faced some pretty serious family pressure: John? There’s no one in our family named John! What kind of name is that?

Zechariah is now obedient. He has learned that he doesn’t call the shots – and neither does his family; God does.

The second thing to add to your Christmas list is obedience.

Mary and Joseph had the same attitude of obedience.

We sometimes think of Christmas as a rather tame holiday. We think of sweet little baby Jesus asleep on a bed of hay—tiny little hands that could do no harm, a bright halo above his head. Everyone loves that because it’s so innocuous, so safe. But Christmas isn’t safe! That baby is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He has come to usher in a Kingdom that rivals the kingdom of self. That’s threatening. He bids those who would follow Him to take up our own cross daily and follow Him—to lay aside our own right to rule ourselves, to surrender to His rule.

The world loves to celebrate the birth of Christ, but they hate to obey him as the Lord of their lives. Everyone wants to keep Christ in the manger. But the manger is meaningless apart from the cross. As one writer put it many years ago:

“This little babe, so few days old, is come to rifle Satan’s fold; all hell doth at his presence quake, though he himself for cold does shake.”

Christmas is a time for faith.

Christmas is a time for obedience.

Add faith and obedience to your Christmas list.

But – there is something else you need to add.

One of the things Jesus told us to do is tell others about him. That’s the next thing to put on your to do list—tell others. We see that at John’s birth. It says that when Zechariah’ friends heard him praise God, they began to talk all about it throughout the hill country of Judea. It was hot, but holy, gossip that spread like wildfire.

But again, it’s in those shepherds that we see it best. Luke tells us that when they arrived in Bethlehem and saw the child lying in the feed trough, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child ”

Observe the progression: they heard the angels; they went to Bethlehem; they saw the child; and then they made known the statement. They showed faith – then obedience – then they told others.

You see, you cannot speak of what you have not seen and experienced in your own life. But when you embrace Christ—or should I say, He embraces you—something happens to you. You know it. Paul says, “The love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5). If you, like the shepherds, have experienced that, you have to tell others about it.

By the way – the shepherds were not trained preachers — but that didn’t matter. They had heard something. They had seen something. That something meant salvation for the whole world. If you saw a fire and heard a small child screaming in the window, you wouldn’t wait for the professionals to come – you’d run in there and get that child out.

I’m not one of those Christians who thinks we should get rid of the Christmas trees and eggnog and exchanging of gifts. I like all that stuff. I like Christmas shopping … a little bit. But, do you know what? If we do all that stuff, but don’t talk about Jesus — if we fail to speak of the real meaning of it all; if we neglect to tell someone that this child was born as Savior and Lord, that He was sent by God to die on the cross to purchase with royal blood our own deliverance from sin, death, and the devil; if we neglect to publish that abroad, we’ve failed to do Christmas right.

The angel said that this is good news of great joy which shall be for all the people.

All the people.

Did you hear that? Not just religious people, not just Western people, not just poor people or rich people or smart people or not-so-smart people—for all people.

So don’t let Christmas go by without telling some people about Jesus.

Christmas is a time for faith.

Christmas is a time for obedience.

Christmas is a time for telling others about Christ.

Add faith – obedience – and telling others to your Christmas list.

But there is a fourth thing to add to your list.

The fourth thing to put on your Christmas list is what I would call the work of holy wonder.

We see it in the people who heard the news about John’s birth. In verse 66, it says, “All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, ‘What then will this child turn out to be.'”

We see a similar reaction when people heard what the shepherds were saying—”all who heard it wondered”.

It’s a good thing to wonder. It’s a good start, but you don’t want to stop there.

You get the feeling that Mary took it even a step further. That’s why it says: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Amidst all the activity, try to just stop and treasure all these things. Try to ponder them in your heart. Try to engage in some holy wonder.

How do you do that?

Maybe that means you stop in the middle of your shopping and sit down and pull out your Bible and just read the Christmas story.

Maybe that means you gather your children around a nativity scene each night this week and unwrap a different piece and talk about the role it plays in the Christmas story.

Maybe that means you wake up really early one morning and find a place you can watch the sun rise and meditate on Zechariah’s words:

“The Sunrise on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace.”

Maybe that means you write the words of the angel on a 3×5 card and pull it out every time you eat:

“Behold I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people. … “

However you do it, it is important that you have and act on a sense of holy wonder – especially at Christmas. I was listening to WMHK, the Christian music station out of Columbia, SC the other day – and heard one of the announcers talking about the fact that we spend so much time on our feet at Christmas – going to parties – going caroling – going shopping – going lots of places on our feet – but we need to spend some time on our knees – filled with a send of hly wonder over God’s gift to us.

The work of holy wonder is the work of treasuring and pondering the fact that God invaded planet Earth on a perilous rescue mission. It’s rolling it around in your heart, like you would finely cut diamonds in your hand.

When you do that — when you really let it sink in – you’ll find yourself doing exactly what the shepherds did next.

Verse 20 said they went back, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.

You can put that on your Christmas list also. Go back! Just because you have seen the Christ doesn’t mean you stay in the manger. You go back to where you came from, but you go back glorifying and praising God. You don’t just wait until Sunday to do that. You go back and do that. You do that in the place He’s called you.

Christmas is a time for faith.

Christmas is a time for obedience.

Christmas is a time for telling others about Christ.

Christmas is a time for wonder and awe and worship.

Faith – obedience – telling others — and wonder.

4 more things for your Christmas list.

Amen.

Luke 1:26-56

Luke 1:26-56

December 10, 2006

Are You Ready To Be Humble?

Part 2 of Hopewell 2006 Advent series “God Gives Hope” based on Luke 1 and 2

Again, this week it is pretty safe to say that Christmas is indeed coming.

The goose is getting fatter – and so am I.

All you have to do is look around you and you’ll know that Christmas is near. The Sanctuary is decorated beautifully. Two of the candles on the Advent Wreath have now been lit. We’re having parties and making plans for more parties — the Joy Gift program is next week – a lot of other activities are taking place. The Choir and Praise Choir are practicing special Christmas music. The pace has indeed picked up a bit. You need a calendar to keep up with everything we’re doing here at Hopewell this month!

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!

But — with all the activities — there is a sense of hope.

Children – and some adults – may be hoping for a certain gift from Santa.

Some may just be hoping that it will all end soon.

But this is a season for hope.

A season for hope.

This Advent we’re looking at the first and second chapters of Luke – and seeing how God’s gift of Himself gives hope – and raising the question:

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready for the coming for Christ?

Are you ready for God’s hope coming into the world?

Hope.

Last Sunday we saw that we have to be ready for the hope of God that can break into our lives at any time as we looked at how God gave hope Zechariah and Elizabeth in a way they never imagined possible.

Today we’re going to see that – to be ready for the hope of God that is coming into the world – we have to be ready to be humble.

Are you ready to be humble?

Listen to how God came in an amazing way to a humble person as we look at Luke 1:26-56.

READ SCRIPTURE

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy the comics in the Sunday paper. One of my favorite is Peanuts – with Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, Linus, and the whole gang.

In one Peanuts comic strip, Lucy was saying that Christmas is a time for kindness and a time to do for others and forgive one another. Charlie Brown responds: “Why do that just at Christmas? Why can’t we have the Christmas spirit the rest of the year?” Lucy looks at Charlie Brown and says, “What are you, some kind of religious fanatic?”

Well, whether it makes us religious fanatics or not – humbly following God – even when it leads us to do things that are against our nature and seem “fanatical” –

like doing God’s will no matter what –

or accepting our place in God’s plan regardless of what that place might be

or depending on God and God alone for our salvation —

are all a part of the humility that it takes to be spiritually ready for Christmas – and for the Christian life.

Our passage from Luke 1:26-56 shows us the true spirit of Christmas – and the Christian life – the spirit of humility.

As we saw last week, the first 2 chapters of Luke focus on preparation. The way was prepared for the arrival of God’s Son, and we must be prepared. The angel Gabriel came to Zechariah in the temple and promised that his wife would bear a child who would prepare the way for the coming of Christ. Zechariah had a hard time believing that because he and his wife were well beyond the years of having children. He asked for a sign, and the angel gave him more than he bargained for—he was unable to speak until the promised was fulfilled.

If the first chapter of Luke were a play Zechariah would exit the stage at this point. He’ll be back, but now there is a scene change. The scene shifts from the great and holy temple in Jerusalem to an obscure village in a remote region not known for its piety. No longer is the old priest at center stage – but an unknown peasant. We no longer see an old man – but a young woman – perhaps a teenager. Center stage no longer belongs to Zechariah – but mow it belongs to Mary.

I believe that Mary, more than anyone else in the Christmas story, demonstrates to us what the true spirit of Christmas really is. The true spirit of Christmas is not the spirit of family bonding, or the spirit of giving, or even the spirit of rejoicing. All of those things are well and good, but Mary teaches us that the true spirit of Christmas is a spirit of humility.

Mary’s story starts with verse 26:

26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God.”

38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

There are some striking similarities between what happens to Zechariah and Mary. Both of them were visited by the angel Gabriel. Both were made what seemed like impossible promises involving a child. One of the children would be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. The other would be conceived by the Spirit. Both are given a sign.

But the similarities end there.

While Zechariah was an old priest working in Jerusalem — Mary was a young teenager from a podunk town called Nazareth, in the region of Galilee. She was betrothed to a young carpenter named Joseph. That means more than engagement does today. It was a binding contract; any breach of it was considered adultery. To get out of it, you had to initiate divorce proceedings. Betrothed couples had many of the responsibilities of marriage without the privileges.

We know what Zechariah was doing before the angel Gabriel came to him – he was burning the incense during the worship in the temple. We don’t know what Mary was doing immediately before being visited by Gabriel. Maybe she was in the midst of her morning chores, daydreaming about her future with Joseph. What kind of husband would he be? How would they decorate the house? When would their first child come along?

And then the unthinkable happened. The angel Gabriel appeared, front and center. If that weren’t strange enough, he made an even stranger greeting. He calls her “favored one” and said, “The Lord is with you.”

Well, Mary is probably baffled at this point!

Gabriel may have sensed her confusion and explained more: she would conceive and give birth to a child—the long awaited Messiah.

Like every devout Jewish kid, Mary had grown up hearing all about the coming Son of David. It might have even crossed her mind that Joseph was from the line of David.

But her — the mother of the Messiah?

And then it hit her: Wait a minute — how can I have a child? I’ve never been with a man!

When Mary asked Gabriel about this, I don’t think this was an expression of doubt – as with Zechariah — but more an expression of confusion.

And then Gabriel gave the shocker and I feel sure Mary may have thought:

Who did he say the father would be?

The Holy Spirit?

Just imagine the swirl of emotions. On the one hand, Mary was stunned by the honor of bearing God’s son – bringing the long awaited and prayed for Messiah into the world.

On the other hand, if she thought about it, she probably dreaded how this could play out. It would be presumed she and Joseph had not waited until they were married to begin their family. Then – as Joseph would deny any relations with Mary – it would be assumed that Mary had been with someone else – become pregnant by someone besides her betrothed – Joseph. As I said a few minutes ago, engagement meant much more in Jewish law than engagement means today. It was a binding contract; any breach of it was considered adultery. To get out of it, you had to initiate divorce proceedings. Betrothed couples had many of the responsibilities of marriage without the privileges. If it was thought Mary had become pregnant by someone besides Joseph it would be tantamount to assuming she had committed adultery! Jewish law said that a man or woman who committed adultery was to be stoned.

And how would Joseph react? Could he possibly believe her story? She could certainly lose Joseph. . She could be disgraced. She could be killed!

A part of Mary may have wanted to fall down in grateful praise; while another part may have wanted to protest at such an unfair intrusion into her life. But somehow, in that battlefield of her own heart, she chose to surrender:

“ I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

In simple faith, Mary said “yes”.

In simple faith, in an act of ultimate humility, Mary said “yes” to God.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready – really ready — spiritually ready – for God’s coming into your life?

Are you ready to have the simple faith – the humility – that Mary had – that allows God to work in your life – to come into your life in a new and amazing way?

Part of the true spirit of Christmas is humility.

Are you ready to be humble?

Mary said “yes” to God’s intrusion because she saw herself as a servant – literally a “bond slave” of the Lord.

She was humble before God.

Humility is one of those Christian “buzz words” we love to talk about, but when it comes right down to it, everything within us protests against it. Humility expresses itself in surrender. A servant – a “bond slave” — is one who has basically given up his or her right to call the shots. They realize they don’t own themselves. They are not autonomous. They belong to someone else.

Are you ready to have the simple faith – the humility – that Mary had – that allows God to work in your life – to come into your life in a new and amazing way?

Part of the true spirit of Christmas is humility.

Are you ready to be humble?

How different would your life be if you saw yourself as a bond slave of the Lord?

What would you stop worrying about? What would you stop wrestling with God over? What would you stop doing to secure your own place?

Maybe you’ve been mistreated by someone — a friend, a coworker, a family member.

Maybe you’ve been cheated and you’re angry about it. You’re not getting a fair shake.

What do you do?

How do you handle that?

Do you try to secure your own position, demand your own rights?

Humility means you start with surrendering your rights and plans and desires and questions to the Lord:

“I am the Lord’s servant” Mary humbly said.

Are you ready to be humble?

Corrie Ten Boom – who lived through the Holocaust of World War II and wrote the book The Hiding Place tells the story of how – one time after the war — she was speaking in a church and relating her experiences in Concentration Camps. As she spoke, she recognized a man in a gray overcoat. He was a guard in the concentration camp she and her sister were in during World War II. Memories of the concentration camp came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past the men. Now this former guard was in front of her with his hand thrust out:

“A fine message, fraulein.” he said.

“How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!”

It was the first time since her release that she had been face to face with one of her captors. She froze.

“You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk,” he said.

“I was a guard there. But since that time, I’ve become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I’d like to hear it from your lips as well.”

Again the hand came out—

“Will you forgive me?”

She says that stood there—and couldn’t do it.

Her sister had died in that place.

Hours seemed to pass as the man stood there with his hand held out, and Corrie wrestled with the most difficult thing she ever had to do.

She knew she didn’t really have a choice. Jesus commanded her to forgive. So she prayed: “Jesus, help me! I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.” And so, mechanically, she thrust her hand into his. As she did, she says, a current started in her shoulder, raced down her arm, and sprang into their joined hands. And then a healing warmth seemed to flood her whole being, bringing tears to her eyes.

“I forgive you, brother!” she cried. “With all my heart!”

For a long moment, they grasped each other’s hands—the former guard and former prisoner.

Corrie made the same choice Mary did. Those are hard choices to make, but could it be that, as with Mary, our greatest gifts come disguised as intrusions demanding our surrender?

Philip Yancey writes, “Every work of God comes with two edges—great joy and great pain.”

I’m not suggesting we won’t wrestle over this. There will be a battle within us. Self never gives up easy, and right when you think you’ve got it where you want it, it rises up somewhere else. Jesus called us to take up our cross daily. It’s the daily part that’s so hard. Every day, we have to make that choice. But, as with Mary, there is blessing on the other side of surrender.

So – are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have the simple faith – the humility – that Mary had – that allows God to work in your life – to come into your life in a new and amazing way?

Are you ready to be humble – even if it means surrendering your will to do God’s will?

“I am the Lord’s servant” Mary humbly said.

Are you ready to be humble?

This brings us to the second scene in our text for today.

The angel told Mary that she would be given a sign — her cousin Elizabeth was also experiencing a miracle: she was pregnant in her old age.

Mary might have thought: “Perhaps she’ll understand — ” So she packed her bags and headed south for the hill country of Judea where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived. It would have been about a four day trek to Elizabeth’s house. Mary would have had plenty of time to think about how she would present this to her older cousin. She may have even had a little speech prepared. But she didn’t need it.

Look what happens when she arrives as verses 39 – 45 relate it:

39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

I think this was one of those moments where you feel a massive load come off your back. This was confirmation for Mary: No, I’m not crazy. Yes, I did hear the angel right. God is in control.

Mary didn’t even have to say a word. Before she could speak, Elizabeth broke out in a Holy Spirit-inspired blessing on Mary and her child.

It’s in this blessing that we see another example of the spirit of Christmas.

Elizabeth’s humility is seen in the fact that she recognized Mary as the most blessed among women. She was humbled by the fact that Mary would come visit her; she didn’t feel deserving. She realized that – unlike Zechariah — Mary believed that the Lord would deliver on his word. Not only that, she recognized that the child in Mary’s womb is greater than the child in her own womb. She called Mary, “the mother of my Lord.” She admitted that when she saw her, the prenatal John did a joyful somersault within her. John was busy pointing to Jesus even from the womb.

So – are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have the simple faith – the humility – that Mary and Elizabeth had – that allows God to work in your life – to come into your life in a new and amazing way?

Are you ready to be humble?

Humility is expressed by following God’s ways – even when they are not your ways.

Humility is expressed by being able to say: “I am the Lord’s servant” — but humility is also expressed in knowing and accepting your place in God’s plan.

You have a place.

We all have a place.

But your place is different than someone else’s place.

When we finally get that and stop comparing ourselves with others, and when we start doing what we were called to do, the result is just what we see here — joy. Elizabeth rejoiced when she saw her role in God’s plan – even when she saw that it was secondary to Mary’s role.

You can’t have joy if you’re always chafing under the fact that God’s plan for you doesn’t seem as important as God’s plan for someone else.

In the 1998–99 NBA season, David Robinson, a frequent all-star and veteran center for the San Antonio Spurs, learned to share the limelight with the new dominant player of the league: his teammate, Tim Duncan. San Antonio won the NBA Championship in 1999, and Duncan – not Robinson — was the star and series MVP.

In Sports Illustrated, Robinson reflected on what this was like for him:

“I can’t overstate how important my faith has been to me as an athlete and as a person. It’s helped me deal with so many things, including matters of ego and pride. For instance, I can’t deny that it felt weird to see Tim standing on the podium with the finals MVP trophy. I was thinking, Man, never have I come to the end of a tournament and not been the one holding up that trophy. It was hard.

But I thought about the Bible story of David and Goliath. David helped King Saul win a battle, but the king wasn’t happy because he had killed thousands of men while David had killed tens of thousands. So King Saul couldn’t enjoy the victory because he was thinking about David’s getting more credit than he was.

I’m blessed that God has given me the ability to just enjoy the victory. So Tim killed the tens of thousands. That’s great. I’m for him.”

That’s the spirit of Christmas – humility — knowing and accepting your role in God’s plan.

The Trappist Monk Thomas Merton once said, “Give me humility, in which alone is rest, and deliver me from pride, which is the heaviest of burdens.”

So – are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have the simple faith – the humility – that Mary and Elizabeth had – that allows God to work in your life – to come into your life in a new and amazing way?

Are you ready to be humble?

Are you ready to say: “I am the Lord’s servant” – and do God’s will – even if it may not be your will – as Mary did?

Are you ready to accept your place in God’s plan – whatever that place might be – as Elizabeth did?

Now, as you might imagine, Elizabeth’s joy – her statement – prenatal John’s leap of joy – the message of Gabriel – may have been pretty overwhelming for Mary. It was overwhelming. So overwhelming that she broke out in song.

I don’t mean that literally. I don’t think this is like Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music” — just all of a sudden starting to sing in the middle of the movie — but Mary’s words do have a poetic style to them.

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”

Great – shall we say inspired – words!

These words speak to the joy Mary had of what God was doing in her life – and in the world. A reversal was taking place.

Do you see the reversal?

Mary says that God had regard for her “humble state.” She was a nobody from a nowhere town. But now, she says, God has acted in such a way that future generations would call her blessed. And not only was that reversal – that blessing – at work in her life – it was also going to affect others. The proud are brought down, but the hungry are filled and the humble are exalted.

Some have taken this as a political manifesto of liberation for the poor and oppressed of the Earth. But the liberation she is describing may not be so much a political or economic liberation as a spiritual one.

Mary will be called blessed not because she’ll get a new Mercedes, but because her Son would save her and others from sin. The liberation is not for the poor, period—but for the poor – the rich – the middle class – all people who will fear God, trust God, and look to God for salvation.

So – are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have the simple faith – the humility – that Mary and Elizabeth had – that allows God to work in your life – to come into your life in a new and amazing way?

Are you ready to be humble?

Are you ready to say: “I am the Lord’s servant” – and do God’s will – even if it may not be your will – as Mary did?

Are you ready to accept your place in God’s plan – whatever that place might be – as Elizabeth did?

Are you ready to fear God, trust God, and look to God for salvation?

The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of humility.

Like Mary, each one of us is born into a humble state –

whether we’re born rich, poor, or middle class economically –

spiritually we’re bent towards sin, separated from God. But God sent his Son so that our spiritual fortune might be reversed.

Saint Irenaues in the First Century said something that has been translated:

“The Son of God became a man in order that men might become the sons of God.”

There is a reversal in that.

The Bible has a word for that reversal: salvation.

Gabriel told Mary, “You shall name him Jesus.”

That name means salvation. Mary sang of “God, my Savior.”

What was Mary being saved from? Her sin, of course. When we begin to claim that salvation that God offers us joy and gratitude will come into our lives.

But salvation only comes to the poor in spirit. It only comes to the humble of heart.

So – are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have the simple faith – the humility – that Mary and Elizabeth had – that allows God to work in your life – to come into your life in a new and amazing way?

Are you ready to be humble?

Are you ready to say: “I am the Lord’s servant” – and do God’s will – even if it may not be your will – as Mary did?

Are you ready to accept your place in God’s plan – whatever that place might be – as Elizabeth did?

The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of humility.

The Masai tribe in West Africa has an unusual way of saying thank you. They bow, put their foreheads on the ground, and say, “My head is in the dirt.”

Why do they do that?

Because at its core, thanksgiving is an act of humility.

Now — humility isn’t all, “Woe is me.” It begins with “Woe is me” – but ends with “Look what God has done for me.”

Every one of us has a choice:

Will we humble ourselves before God and live gratefully, or will we continue to lick our wounds and wallow in self-pity?

The Christmas season can really bring that question to the fore, can’t it? It’s a hard time for many people. But no matter how hard it is, the message of Mary’s song is that God has done something to reverse your situation—He has sent his Son to be your Savior—to reverse your fortune. And if you let it, that will bring you real joy.

So – are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have the simple faith – the humility – that Mary and Elizabeth had – that allows God to work in your life – to come into your life in a new and amazing way?

Are you ready to say: “I am the Lord’s servant” – and do God’s will – even if it may not be your will – as Mary did?

Are you ready to accept your place in God’s plan – whatever that place might be – as Elizabeth did?

Are you ready to fear God, trust God, and look to God for salvation?

The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of humility. It’s a humility that is expressed in being willing to say:

“I am the Lord’s servant”

It’s a humility that’s expressed in being willing to accept your place in God’s plan.

It’s a humility that’s expressed in grateful worship for a salvation you did not merit.

So – are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to be humble? Ame

Luke 1:5-25

Luke 1:5-25

Advent 1

December 3, 2006

What Are You Hoping For?

Part 1 of 2006 Hopewell Advent Series – “God Gives Hope” based on Luke 1 and 2

Christmas is coming.

The goose is getting fat – and so am I. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that I am getting fatter.

All you have to do is look around you and you’ll know that Christmas is near. The Sanctuary is decorated beautifully for Advent. One of the candles on the Advent Wreath has already been lit. We’re making plans for parties, for the Joy Gift program and other activities, and having a special Wednesday night program in a few weeks. The Choir and Praise Choir are practicing special Christmas music. The pace has indeed picked up a bit. You need a calendar to keep up with everything we’re doing here at Hopewell this month!

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 coming!

But — with all the activities — there is also a sense of hope.

Children – and some adults – may be hoping for a certain gift from Santa.

Some may just be hoping that it will all end soon.

But this is a season for hope.

A season for hope.

This Advent we’re going to be looking at the first and second chapters of Luke – and seeing how God’s gift of Himself gives hope – and raising the question:

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready for the coming for Christ?

Are you ready for God’s hope coming into the world?

Hope.

Listen to God giving hope in Luke 1:5-25

READ SCRIPTURE

Most of us have heard of Billy Graham. Since the 1950s, Dr. Graham has conducted hundreds of evangelistic crusades throughout the world. Most of us have seen him preach on TV; we’ve seen how thousands walk the aisle in that moment of decision.

But what some of us may not realize the amount of preparation that goes in to bringing Billy Graham to a city. Only after extensive research is a crusade placed on the calendar, and that’s most often done years in advance. And then Graham representatives come to the city and begin to work in the community months in advance. They put in countless hours promoting the crusade. Thousands of counselors are trained. Hundreds of prayer meetings are held. All this takes place because they believe that, without preparation, the event itself will fail.

Well – it’s no different with Christmas.

In order for the event of Christmas to be successful, there has to be some preparation.

Some have written off Christmas. For some it brings up too many old issues that we would rather not have to deal with. Some are sick of the commercialization of it all. Some feel like every day ought to be a celebration of the birth of Christ — so why make such a big deal out of December 25?

I’m not ready to give up on Christmas. I’m not ready to give up on it because, as creatures bound in time and space, we need real time and real space markers in our lives that remind us of the great events that define our faith. But — I also believe that, if our Christmas is to be spiritually successful, we’re going to have to fight for it – and one way to do that is through preparation.

That’s why we celebrate this strange thing called Advent starting four weeks prior to Christmas. Advent is all about preparation. Sometimes we forget that, before God sent His Son into the world, He saw to it that the way was prepared. Jesus arrived on the scene only after 400 years of silence from God—silent preparation. He arrived only after numerous people were visited by an angel named Gabriel – that was part of the preparation. God even saw fit to prepare the way for His Son by sending a man named John to call people to repentance. All these things were part of the preparation that God made before Christ came. All this had to occur before God could bring His hope to the world in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.

So – are you prepared for Christmas?

I don’t mean do you have your tree up, or have you done your shopping. But are you really prepared? Are you prepared – spiritually — for the arrival of God’s Son?

You might wonder how you do that. How do you really prepare – spiritually — for Christmas?

Luke helps us. He helps us by telling the story of an old Jewish priest and his wife. We’re introduced to this couple in verse 5–7:

5In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Zechariah was a priest, and Elizabeth was a descendant of priests. That’s not all that unusual. The priesthood was divided up into 24 divisions in those days, which amounted to about 18,000 priests. Most of them worked small farms and were poor. But this was an unusual couple. They were righteous in God’s sight. They kept His commandments. This doesn’t mean they were without sin but it means they were examples of genuine faith.

They were examples of faith.

The fact that they were examples of faith is significant because of the other thing Luke tells us about them: they had no children. Elizabeth was barren, and the days of hoping for a child were long over. Thankfully, being childless does not carry the stigma or economic problem today it carried for Zechariah and Elizabeth – but in those days — to be barren was thought to be a sign of a spiritual defect in the wife. They didn’t have fertility specialists back then — they simply believed God closed a woman’s womb because he held some grudge against her. So a barren woman was a disgraced woman – a very unfair and even inappropriate stigma in most cases, but that’s what they were considered nonetheless. It wasn’t uncommon for a husband to divorce his wife because of her supposed flaw. In essence, Elizabeth was forced to walk through life with a sign hung around her neck that read “sinner” – even though that was certainly not the case! Think how she must have felt!

And though Zechariah didn’t have quite the same stigma to deal with, he still lived with the deep disappointment of having no child to carry on the family name—a tragedy for a man in those days. And in those days children were to care for their parents as they got older. But they had not children. Who would care for them?

Many of us have something in our lives like this – having to live with something that rightly or wrongly brings disgrace, like an empty womb brought to Elizabeth.

Maybe there’s something in your life that you feel ashamed of – and you feel everyone is blaming you for – like Elizabeth’s empty womb.

It could be something you’ve done in the past.

It could be an addiction you battle every day.

Maybe you’ve been divorced.

Maybe we’re going through a divorce or separation now.

Maybe you’re not going through a divorce or a separation — but things at home are n just not what we might want them to be – for whatever reason.

Maybe you’ve been fired from a job.

Any one of those things – or so many other things — can feel like a sign around your neck for all to see.

Maybe you feel like Elizabeth.

Or maybe you’re like Zechariah.

Maybe you feel you’ve been ambushed by some tragedy or disappointment that you never could have expected.

Maybe a loved one has died – and you wonder if you will ever be able to really enjoy life again. Just this week I heard about a young woman who died of cancer. She’s so much better off now — but think of her husband trying to pick up the pieces and raise his family.

Life does things like that to us.

It does things like that even to good people; people who are trying to follow the Lord – people like Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Maybe like you.

At least for Zechariah there was his work.

Luke tells us in verses 8–10 that while Zechariah was doing his priestly service in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to enter the Holy Place in the temple and burn incense, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While he was inside the temple, the people would be outside offering prayers, waiting for him to come out. He would cast incense on the altar, prostrate himself, and then leave.

But — on this day Zechariah didn’t come out for a long time.

Look at verses 11–13:

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

Our tendency is to read this like he had a visit from an old friend – but this was an angel — and it scared him to death! Nevertheless, this angel comes with some good news: Elizabeth would give birth to a son, whom they were to name John, and he would bring joy not only to them, but to many others as well.

But I’m struck by how the angel puts this in verse 13. He says,

” your prayer has been heard”

Maybe at his old ago Zechariah had forgotten about his prayer for a child — but God hadn’t — though it sure took him awhile to answer it.

Maybe the angel also had in mind another prayer.

As a righteous man, Zechariah would have prayed for the Messiah to come. In verse 15–17, the angel says that his son’s mission and purpose would be to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Have you ever been promised something that was beyond your wildest dreams; something so out-of-the-box that you can hardly believe it?

That’s what this was for Zechariah. Look at verse 18:

“Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

I love how he says, “I’m an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” That’s a tactful way of putting it. That’s a smart man! In essence, Zechariah is saying: “Because my wife and I are so old, I’m going to need some proof—a sign that this is really going to happen.”

Well, the angel didn’t like that. If an angel is scary, think about what a mad angel is like. The text says in verses 19-20:

19The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

Gabriel was a famous angel who would have been well-known to Zechariah. So not only did he have an angel — a famous angel — before him – but a mad, famous angel. Gabriel says – in essence:

“Don’t you know who you’re talking to? Don’t you know where I’ve been hanging out? What kind of sign did you want?”

And then he says: “If you want a sign, I’ll give you a sign. You’ll be unable to speak until my promise is made good.”

So Zechariah is left in the temple with nothing to say – or unable to say anything. Literally speechless.

Meanwhile, the people outside were wondering if he’s had a heart attack in there. When he finally does come out, he’s unable to speak, so he starts signing. Imagine him trying to describe what had just happened to him using sign language! Finally, when he is all done with his priestly duties, he goes on home.

The story picks up in verses 23–25:

23When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people

Think with me about these two.

First, there is Zechariah. Here is a man who is righteous. He’s old. He’s a priest. He knows God. He knows what it means to serve God. If there ever was a real saint, it’s this guy.

But, he still had some growing to do.

I mean, God sends the angel Gabriel to him. God makes a marvelous promise. But what does he do? He doubts God. He underestimates God. The angel says it flat out: “You did not believe my words.”

This is serious. Underestimating God is just as serious as rebelling against God. Look at the gospels—the thing that frustrated Jesus the most was a lack of faith. Zechariah is an example of a person who has known the Lord for a long time. He goes to church. He gives his tithes. He reads the Bible every day. He does all the right things in all the right places in all the right ways. But when God comes along and challenges him to a new level of faith, he’s not ready.

Zechariah was on “spiritual cruise control” so to speak — going down the highway of life – going about his religious duties—he could do it all with his eyes closed—but God chose to throw him into traffic—he had to switch the spiritual cruise control off — and he was not ready.

On the other hand, think about Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s response to this gift is set in contrast to that of her husband. He’s forced into silence; she chooses solitude. He can’t speak, but she can. When she speaks, she speaks about God’s grace and mercy to her — of how he had taken away her shame and disgrace among men. She had felt disgraced; she had felt shame. But she hadn’t lapsed into bitterness. She had continued to serve God. She seems much more prepared than Zechariah was to believe and receive God’s gift.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to receive the gift of God – God’s gift of hope – through Jesus Christ?

Zechariah and Elizabeth remind us that it really doesn’t matter how long you’ve known God, or how well you’ve obeyed God, or how faithfully you’ve served God — there is always room for growth. And God is committed to stretching and growing the faith of people like Zechariah and Elizabeth – and even people like you and me.

Zechariah wasn’t prepared for the coming of Christ because he didn’t believe that God could step into his life and answer long-forgotten prayers in out-of-the-box ways.

Like old Zechariah, many of us just do what we’re supposed to do, never really believing that God is at work in our life to bless us in ways that will blow our minds.

How about you?

Do you believe God is able to step into your life and bring joy and blessing where there has been disgrace and disappointment?

That’s what the coming of Christ really means for each one of us.

That’s what Christmas really means for each of us.

What Elizabeth says in verse 25 is true of each of us because God has sent His Son – God has looked with favor on us – God has come to take away our disgrace among men – God has come to bless us.

Do you believe that?

You may believe that God could do that for someone else, but not for you – but the truth is that God can look with favor upon you – and take away your disgrace.

Maybe at this point you’re thinking:

You don’t know what I’ve done.

You don’t know what I’ve gone through.

You don’t know how hopeless my situation is.

Maybe I don’t – but God does!

Some of us have become so cynical and jaded by life that we no longer believe that God is at work to bless us. But – friends – if we’re stuck in our unbelief, we’re not ready for God’s gift – not ready for Christmas – not ready for God coming into our world through Jesus Christ.

But God has some interesting ways of getting through to us.

James Dobson relates a story of an elderly woman named Stella Thornhope who was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior because of a slow-developing cancer. Now, several days before Christmas, she felt terribly alone, so much so that she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas. Late that afternoon, the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box.

He said, “Mrs. Thornhope?” She nodded.

He said, “Would you sign here?”

She invited him to step inside and closed the door to get away from the cold. She signed the paper and said, “What’s in the box?” The young man laughed and opened up the flap, and inside was a little puppy, a golden Labrador Retriever. The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, “This is for you, ma’am. He’s 6-weeks-old and completely housebroken.” The young puppy began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity.

“Who sent this?” Mrs. Thornhope asked.

The young man set the animal down, handed her an envelope, and said: “It’s all explained here in this envelope, Ma’am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift for you.” The young man then handed her a book, How to Care for Your Labrador Retriever.

In desperation, she again asked, “Who sent me this puppy?”

As the young man turned to leave, he said, “Your husband, Ma’am. Merry Christmas.”

She opened up the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting for the day when she would join him. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then.

She wiped away the tears, put the letter down, and then, remembering the puppy at her feet, she picked up that golden, furry ball and held it to her neck. Then she looked out the window at the lights that outlined the neighbor’s house, and she heard from the radio in the kitchen the strains of “Joy to the World, the Lord has Come.”

Suddenly, Stella felt the most amazing sensation of peace washing over her. Her heart felt a joy and wonder greater than the grief and loneliness. “Little fella,” she said to the dog, “it’s just you and me. But you know what? There’s a box down in the basement I’ll bet you’ll like. It’s got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and some lights that are going to impress you. And there’s a manger scene down there. Let’s go get it.”

Advent and Christmas are God’s ways of sending a signal of hope to remind us that life is stronger than death. Light is more powerful than darkness. God is more powerful than Satan. Good will overcome evil. Joy is stronger than disappointment. That’s the message of Christmas.

The question is, are you prepared for it?

Are you able to believe that God is acting for you in ways you never could have imagined to take away your disgrace – your disappointment your sorrow?

So – let me ask you –

What are you hoping for?

What disgrace – or disappointment — or sorrow do you need God to take away from you?

Whatever it is, keep hoping.

God is acting for you in ways you never can imagine to take away whatever disgrace or disappointment or sorrow you might feel – to give you whatever it is you might be hoping for.

Yea – the message of Advent and Christmas is that life is stronger than death — light is more powerful than darkness — God is more powerful than Satan. — good will overcome evil — joy is stronger than disappointment.

Whatever it is you’re hoping for, the message of Advent and Christmas is that God is with you.

Keep hoping.

Amen