RWJ/Pottersville UMC 12/30/12 Sermon - “The wisdom of children”

Sunday 12/30/12 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “The wisdom of children”                                                                                   

Scripture Lesson: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26       

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:41-52

          Good morning brothers and sisters! It is a great joy to be here with you on this the first Sunday after Christmas Day. We now begin to move away from the birth of Christ, to Christ being presented at the Jewish temple, and visiting the temple as a young man to speak with the priests of the Jewish temple.

          Next week I am going to be starting a series called the “Natures of Christ” series. In this series we will be looking at the different ways that Christ was experienced in this world that he entered into as a baby. Christ comes to us in many ways, from being the King of Kings, to being the Messiah, to being a teacher, and etc. While I will be starting this series next week, Arnold Stevens from the RW Johnsburg UMC will preach the next Sunday, on January 13^th.

          This Sunday however, we still celebrate this little baby called Jesus. A little baby that has come to change and re-orient all that we know to be true, and who came to give us hope of a better tomorrow. As is Jewish tradition and belief, on the eighth day after his birth, Jesus was presented to the Lord in front of the priests and high priest at the Jewish temple. His parents, Joseph and Mary offered an animal sacrifice to God, and then Jesus was circumcised, in the Jewish way. The bulletin picture from this morning portrays a painting of this presentation of the Lord at the Jewish temple.

          What has baffled many scholars and Christians over the centuries though is why exactly do we know so little of Christ’s life before he was baptized by John the Baptist. I mean when Jesus was baptized and was filled with the Holy Spirit he was 30-years old, which is only a year younger than I am. Jesus was no doubt young at this point of his baptism, and his ministry would then ensue for three years until his crucifixion at age 33. So we have the presentation of Jesus to the Lord at the temple, and then we have the scripture of John the Baptist, where he is speaks one coming that is greater than he, that is the Lord of all. Scripture does however give us one and only one other piece of Jesus’ early life.

In fact, the scripture reading from 1 Samuel from the Old Testament this morning speaks of Samuel teaching as a young Child in the Jewish temple, and the Gospel of Luke scripture from this morning speaks of Jesus teaching as 12-year old child in the Jewish temple. This account of Jesus as a boy, as I said, is the only other account we have other than his birth, his presentation and circumcision at the Jewish temple, and his baptism to his death and resurrection. The debate as to why this is far and wide, yet we simply just don’t know much about the life of Christ in his early years. As the scripture reading from 1 Samuel said this morning, “Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod. His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.” This scripture concludes by the young Samuel finishing his ministering, as it said, “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.”

          Let us now look at what the gospel of Luke reading from this morning said about young Jesus. The gospel of Luke reading from this morning says, “Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.” So Jesus’ parents Joseph and Mary, just like Samuel’s parents went to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Passover. The gospel of Luke reading goes on to say that, “When the festival ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.” I can imagine losing him would be distressing for Mary and Joseph. Has anyone here ever lost a child in the mall, at a theme park, or etc.? I have seen it happen many times, with panic stricken parents, who are desperately trying to find there lost child. The gospel of Luke reading from this morning went on to say, “Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” The gospel went on to say, “And all who heard him were amazed at his understandings and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” I wonder if Mary and Joseph were also very angry with Jesus, as I am sure many of you here can related this story of the “boy Jesus.” Jesus then replied to his parents Mary and Joseph as only the Messiah could. “He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Jesus then returned to Nazareth with his parents Joseph and Mary, was obedient to them. Then in a very similar way to the scripture from 1 Samuel, this gospel reading ended with, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor,” just like Samuel did.

          While it is neat to see yet another parallel to the Old Testament foretelling of Jesus, and the fulfillment of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament, why would pick this scripture for this morning? What’s the point? Here is why, I think that while Jesus did in fact feel the need to be as he said, “In my Father’s house,” I think he was teaching his parents Joseph and Mary, and all of us today, “the wisdom of children.” I think so often in our society that youngsters are overlooked, and that there thoughts are unheard. Now don’t get me wrong I am not advocating that youngsters have the status or authority of the elders, but I am simply saying that sometimes our youngsters really surprise us with what they know. With how God has gifted them and with how wise they sometimes can be. Considering these scriptures from this morning then, when is the last time that we took time to hear “the wisdom of children?” When is the last time one of your children or your grandchildren said something that was just profound, wise, and smart? How did you respond to this statement? Did you say, “Shut your mouth young man!?” Or did you say, “That was really great and insightful? Now go do the dishes.”

Maybe though, maybe though, just on occasion, us youngsters can say something profound and wise. Perhaps Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem with their son after that Passover festival, realizing “the wisdom of children.” Maybe they realized that even the youngest of folks have gifts and graces from Lord, and can have wisdom. May we all aspire to hear “the wisdom of children.”

          After an Advent season that included school shootings, hurricanes, calamities, and at the same time joy and peace, I would like to close with a funny story.  I believe that I originally got this story from Hilda. Here it is: A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible. Here is what he wrote: In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.  Then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars. 

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something. One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check. 

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast.  Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat. Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother. One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town. After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me. After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them. 

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.') During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution. 

So brothers and sisters, as we can see from this story, we must listen for “the wisdom of children.”  Sometimes children surprise us with what they say, as Jesus surprised his parents Joseph and Mary at 12-years old in that Jewish temple, so long ago. Amen, and bless our young people, for they are the future of building the kingdom of God here on earth.

RWJ/Pottersville UMC 12/24/12 Christmas Eve Sermon - “For unto us a savior is born”

Sunday 12/24/12 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “For unto us a savior is born”                                                                                   

Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 9:2-7

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:1-20

          Welcome one and all, to tonight’s Christmas Eve service. On this night, we wait with hope, with wonder, and with excitement, at the impending birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. On this night, many of us come to this place with joys, feelings of thankfulness, and yet some of us come here with pains and sorrows.

          Some of us desperately need Jesus Christ to come and deliver us, as we cry out for a savior to come amongst us, and to save us all. In this season of Advent, we all too often get caught up in the wrapping paper, the gifts, the cookies, the parties, and those really corny Christmas Party sweaters, that we can only get away with wearing during this time of the year.

          So here we all are on this Christmas Eve, as we have experienced several Christmas Eve’s in past. Some of us might want to keep the exact number we have experienced to ourselves, but we have all experienced many Christmas Eve’s. On this night, as many Christmas Eve’s we have a swirl of emotions. For the young one’s they wonder just what is under that Christmas tree, the parent’s hope that tomorrow morning the young one’s will let them sleep in just a little longer, the older one’s have plans to sugar up the young ones and then summarily hand them back to their parents smiling and winking, all the while.

          So here we all are on this Christmas Eve, all feeling different ways, all of us waiting, all of us hoping, and all of us prepared for the birth of Jesus Christ. With all us of here feeling different ways, and with all of us coming from many different perspectives, I would ask us to consider, if even for a brief moment, what Christmas is, and what Christmas isn’t. On this night and tomorrow, will we take a moment with our families to remember why this holiday was created? Why we even call it Christ-mas in the first place? We often get caught up in decorations, Christmas trees, Nativity scenes, gifts, and Christmas Cards.

          What I would pose to you all here tonight though, is if nothing else, when you peel back the layers of the onion of Christmas to that little inside core, Christmas is about a baby that would forever change the world. For unto us brothers and sisters, a savior is born. For unto us, hope is restored, love will overcome fear, joy will overcome sadness, bliss will overcome sorrow, and light is shining where there used to be only darkness. For on this night, we celebrate the light of world, who comes to us, to radically change and reorient all that we know to be true, and at same time to restore our belief in something better. On this Christmas Eve brother’s we celebrate that soon, for unto us a savior is born.

          We often can get caught up in the ornamentation of Christmas, making sure that everything is right, that even in this very church service that we say the right prayers and sing the right hymns. But I would say to you on this night, when we boil this holiday down to its core, all we have left is a baby in manger. For unto us as savior is born.

          In tonight’s Christmas Eve scripture reading from Isaiah, it said, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.” You see brothers and sisters darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. For those victims in the recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, amidst there sufferings came a ground swell of love and support. Churches were filled, vigils were held, and love flowed abundantly. For darkness cannot overcome in the presence of light. For on this night we prepare for the light of world, in whom all darkness will never again conquer the light. You see Jesus is coming not only to save us, but to teach us a new way of being. To teach us how to love each other more, to live differently, and to bring light into the darkness. The scripture reading for this evening from Isaiah goes on to say, “You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of the burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.” For unto us a savior is born. The deliver, the redeemer. On this Christmas Eve and tomorrow on Christmas Day, let us remember for unto us a savior is born.

          The scripture goes to say, “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His Authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom.” For unto us brothers and sister, a savior is born.

          In our gospel of Luke reading from this morning, it discussed the order from Emperor Augustus of all people being registered for a census. Joseph then takes Mary to Nazareth, the city of David, the place of his own birth, to register in the census. While there, Mary goes into labor, Joseph cannot find any room at the inn for Mary to give birth, and in the end, Joseph, Mary, and the soon to be baby Jesus end up in the manger that we base our Nativity Story around, even today. The gospel reading went on to say, an angel appeared to the shepherds and said, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This is will be a sign for you: you will a find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” For brothers and sisters on this night, we prepare, for soon, unto us a savior is born.

          The shepherds arrived at the manger, the wise men journey forth, and that star from the heavens shown bright, right where the manger of the Lord is. Gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were given. Tears were shed, and people rejoiced that hope has come forth in the form of a baby named Jesus.

          On this night, brothers and sisters while we have a mixture of emotions, while we come from a mixture of places in our own faith journeys, and while we come from a mixture of perspectives, we all equally await the birth of the savior. We all await the savior, we all await Jesus Christ.

I would like to close this Christmas Eve service with a story. This is a true story that was published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Woman’s Day Magazine. In case you were wondering just now, no I do not read Woman’s Day Magazine, as I found this story on the internet. This story is called a Christmas Story: For the Man Who Hated Christmas, by Nancy W. Gavin. Here is how it goes: It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years.

It all began because Nancy’s husband Mike hated Christmas. Oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it – overspending and the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma – the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was on the wrestling team at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids – all kids. He so enjoyed coaching little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes, and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed a small, white envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done, and that this was his gift from me.

Mike's smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year. And that same bright smile lit up succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition – one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The white envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children – ignoring their new toys – would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the small, white envelope never lost its allure.

The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree. And the next morning, I found it was magically joined by three more. Unbeknownst to the others, each of our three children had for the first time placed a white envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down that special envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us.

You see brothers and sisters, this night, this Chistmas Eve, is about hope. It is about finding Joy amidst the pains of life and sufferings of this world. This hope is found in a baby named Jesus. As we enter into Christmas Day tomorrow morning, let us all take time to remember where Christmas came from, and what Christmas is really all about. For unto us, brothers and sisters, a savior is born. May we all experience the love, the peace, and the joy, that Jesus Christ brings us all with his birth. May you and your families be richly blessed in this Christmas Season. For Jesus Christ so very much loves us all. Amen and praise God.

RWJ/Pottersville UMC 12/23/12 Sermon - “Born in rags in an animal stable”

Sunday 12/23/12 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “Born in rags in an animal stable”                                                                                   

Scripture Lesson: Micah 5:2-5a

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 1:46b-55

          Good morning brothers and sisters! It’s good to be here with you worshipping this morning, and I hope that you all have had a blessed week.

          This morning, on this Fourth Sunday of Advent we continue to move towards Christmas. Towards the coming of the Lord. Towards the coming of Jesus Christ, the child whom would change the world forever. The child who would restore within us a sense of hope, a sense peace, and a belief in a better tomorrow. In this advent season, amidst suffering, amidst tragedies, amidst hardship, we wait and we hope for the Messiah. For our hope is what sustains us, and our hope is found in a baby named Jesus Christ. On this morning we wait with wonderment, with joy, for some us with pain, yet we all know he is coming. Jesus Christ is coming! Coming to deliver us from sin and death, coming to deliver us from pain and suffering, and coming to deliver us from hardship and struggle. For in Jesus there is no death. For in Jesus we find life without end, joy everlasting, and peace beyond all understand, and yes brothers and sisters he is coming!

          As we look at our churches in this and in our surrounding communities at time of the year, we can easily see all sorts of Nativity scenes and decorations. Some churches have elaborate nativity scenes. Some of them have exquisite looking wise men, well-made shepherds and camels, and a well-made Joseph and Mary. Yet in the middle of all this is a little wooden manger. This manger is often not much to look at, as most are filled with hay, and at Christmas a little baby. I have wondered sometimes, what if people were to visit our communities from other countries this time of the year, and have never seen a Nativity scene? What if we were to explain to such foreign visitors that the savior of the entire world was “born in rags in an animal stable?” I would think that such persons whom have never seen a Nativity scene, would say, “So let me get this straight, you believe that the savior of all of world, was born in rags in an animal stable?” Imagine the likely confusion and shock on the faces of these people. They might think, “How can this be?” I mean imagine if you were unaware of the Nativity story, and you found out that the savior of the world was “born in rags in an animal stable?”

          If we were to write our own Nativity stories, I would imagine they would be different than the one we have come to know in the gospels. I would likely in my own vision of the nativity story put Jesus in a grand palace, and have him be born in the most extravagant of ways. Yet while the kings of earth were living and being born in these ways, and while Caesar and Herod were living and being born in these ways, Jesus comes to us in born in rags in an animal stable. The savior of the world, the one whom the prophets foretold, the one whom the weak and suffering cry out for even now, will be coming to us born in rags in animal stable. The real question though, is why would God come to us like this?

          In the scripture reading from Micah this morning, it says “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one off the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, for ancient days.” This one, Jesus, will come to us born in rags in an animal stable. The scripture goes on to say, “Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.” In this scripture verse, the prophet Micah is prophesying the birth of Jesus, and the “she who is in labor” he speaks of, is Mary. The prophet Micah continues on to say, “And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.” The one will stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord will come to us born in rags in an animal stable. Micah concludes in our scripture reading this morning by saying, “And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be one of peace.” In all of his glory, in all of his grace, he decides to come to us in the purest and simplest of ways. He comes to us humbly and lowly. Surely this King of King must be truly great, to come to us in this way. Jesus wanted to show us, that to truly be great, that we must be the least. To be truly be the greatest, we must humble ourselves before all people. To be the holiest, we must be a servant of all people. Instead of coming down to us like a conquering hero, Jesus not only comes to save us, but to teach us a new way of being. How to be the servant of all people, how to love all people, and to live for one another.

          In fact, the gospel of Luke reading from this morning says, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” You see Jesus came not to save the high and mighty, but to save the lowly, the broken, the weak, the unfortunate, and the forgotten. Jesus is the savior of the common man, and yet is the savior of all people. Jesus came to us born in rags in an animal stable. The gospel reading from this morning goes on to say, “he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly, he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” For he is coming to us brothers and sisters, born in rags in animal stable, and he comes to us in this way to us, to teach us that the savior of the world is determined to teach us how to truly love and teach each other. That he will save us and yet teach us how to be better. How to really serve one another, how to be holy, how to humble ourselves before all people, as he has done for us. For he comes to us born in rags in animal stable to show us that the one whom created the whole universe and everything in it loves us so much that would come to us in this way, and die for us, so that may live. This then, is why he came to us, born in rags in animal stable.

I would like to close this morning with a good Christmas story.  This story is called A Glass of Milk - The Milk of Human Kindness, and is a true story. Here is how the story goes: One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?" You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said..... "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years later that same young woman became critically ill.  The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.  Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.  Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.  After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, and then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words..... "Paid in full with one glass of milk" (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly. Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed:  "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands." 
          There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time.  If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place. - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?

          Brothers and sisters, the savior of the world comes to us born in rags in animal stable. He saves us humbly, lovingly, and as a lowly servant. As we move into Christmas let us remember that love came down at Christmas, and the world will ever more be changed. For he comes to us born in rags in an animal stable. Amen.

          

RWJ/Pottersville UMC 12/16/12 Sermon - “What will the Savior look like?”

Sunday 12/16/12 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “What will the Savior look like?”                                                                                   

Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 12:2-6

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 3:7-18

          Good morning brothers and sisters! It’s good to be here with you worshipping this morning, and I hope that you all have had a blessed week.

          This morning, on this Third Sunday of Advent we move yet a little closer to the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I don’t know about you, but I cannot believe that it is almost Christmas! That is it is almost the day that we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior. The day of the birth that was foretold by the prophets of old. The day of the birth of the one in whom it was written that would save us and restore hope to this world. The one would redeem us all, and save us from ourselves and our sins.

When considering the recent shopping mall shooting in Oregon, and the tragic shooting in Connecticut that occurred two days ago, we realize ever more our need for Jesus Christ. We realize that we need a savior. We need Jesus to come and save us all, as we are broken and cannot do this thing called life on our own. Further, maybe we should try to be just a little more holy and loving to each other, and be more of which Christ has called us to be. For the people of the Old Testament times were awaiting a Savior. In the era that Jesus was born, the people of Israel were living under the oppression of the rule of the Roman Empire. Bad things were happening to good people, and sometimes good people were thrown off their land, and sometimes people were even killed by the Romans for no reason. In recent days, I think all of us have been thinking, “When will Jesus come back to set this whole messy world right?” Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet, Jesus comes to us as a baby. The savior of the world, will enter into life on this earth, then cry that first cry, and be vulnerable. The Christ child will need to be feed, and nurtured by his mother and father. The savior of the world will subject himself to this sort of vulnerability. Jesus will then grow up and teach us all how to love. Teach us how having faith in him is our salvation, but in addition to this, teach us a better way of being and existing.

When I learned of the recent shootings that happened this week, I have to say that I was heartbroken to hear such awful news. I thought, “What if that shooter in Connecticut was in a loving church?” “What if that shooter knew the life changing power that is found in Jesus Christ?” “What if that shooter knew Jesus, and was changed by him?” Jesus, my brothers and sisters, did not come just to save us, but to teach us how to really love and to care for each other, and how to live this love out. He taught us a better way to build communities, to love all people, to come together as a family, and as a people. With all this said though, I do wonder sometimes, “What did Jesus look like?” I mean we await even today the second coming of the Savior of the world, but what does he look like? In fact, when Jesus was soon to be born, I wonder if the people who were gathering to see him discussed or thought, “What will the Savior look like?” Once the three wise men or the three magi, the shepherds, and all of the others who knew of the birth of Jesus headed to see him, do you think they thought “what will the savior look like?” Imagine the three wise men traveling many days and nights to see the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Kings. I wonder if the wise men as they were traveling ever said, “I wonder what he will look like when we see him?” As the song goes these were “Three men from Orient.” These three wise men were from the East. I have seen some nativity sets that show the wise men as being one wise man being Asian, one being African, and one being Middle Eastern. Perhaps the Asian wise man thought, “Surely he will be Chinese.” Yet the African wise man said, “No, no, surely he will be African.” Yet the Middle Eastern wise man might have said, “surely he will look Middle Eastern.”

          In my seminary learning, I have seen pictures of churches in Asia, which have pictures of an Asian Jesus. I have seen pictures of African churches of black worshippers who have pictures of a black Jesus. I have seen many European and American churches that have pictures, as we do, of a white Jesus. Some of our depictions of Jesus even show him as a more of an olive skinned Middle Eastern and Israeli looking person. Some might have even though that Jesus would even look a different way from all of these. Some might have and still do imagine him as tall, as short, as chubby, or as my dad says “stout,” and some might imagine him as being too skinny. I am sure all Christians at some point have looked at the stained glass in their church, or the pictures of Jesus in there church, and said, “I wonder what he really looked like?” Many of us are and haven been focused on what Jesus looked like.

          In the scripture reading from Isaiah this morning, it said, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.” When I hear scripture like this it emboldens my faith, but it does also make me visualize what Jesus really looked like. I mean after all, if I really want to know him, in my mind shouldn’t I then visualize him? The scripture goes on to say, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.” Jesus is coming, he will be born soon, and he will come again. The scripture goes on to say, “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Our savior is great and mighty, but what will he look like?

          In the gospel of Luke reading this morning, it discussed how God “is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” God came to earth in the name of Jesus to save us all. If we believe in his name and follow him, then we will not taste death. The gospel reading then went on discussing the message of Jesus, as told by John the Baptist. John said, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and the asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” John the Baptist in this case, was telling people how to live, and how Jesus would teach us these new ways of being. But what will the Savior look like? As the gospel reading went on this morning, the on lookers looked at John the Baptist, and wonder if he was the Messiah. John said as he was baptizing people, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John went on in this gospel reading to continue proclaiming the greatness, the power, and salvation of the Lord. Yet will all this, we might still wonder, “what will the Savior look like?”

What if I told you here this morning though, that maybe what Jesus looked like at birth and in adulthood doesn’t matter? For if God came to earth to save us, could God have not taken on any fleshy body? Given this, what he looks like might have value for some, but more than this, what has real value, is that Jesus came! Perhaps the wise men were shocked when they saw the baby Jesus, and realized that he wasn’t what they thought he would be. Perhaps they were shocked that he was in a poor manger. Maybe they thought though, “He is so much better than anything that we thought!”  Maybe they thought, “Does it really matter what he looks like?” We will never know in fact, what Jesus looks like until we see him in glory. Will we be let down when we enter glory by the appearance of Jesus? I think he will defy all of our wonders, our hopes, and our expectations.

          For in this season of Advent, we await the birth of our savior. We might not exactly know what he will look like, but he is our savior. God in his infinite wisdom and providence is coming to us, and we will all be satisfied by this life saving arrival. Yet for many of us, we might still wonder “what will the Savior look like?”

I would like close this morning a story. The author of this story is unknown, and is about a young boy named Mark. Here is how the story goes: Mark was an 11 year old orphan who lived with his aunt, a bitter middle aged woman greatly annoyed with the burden of caring for her dead sister's son. She never failed to remind young Mark, if it hadn't been for her generosity, he would be a vagrant, homeless waif. Still, with all the scolding and chilliness at home, he was a sweet and gentle child. I had not noticed Mark particularly until he began staying after class each day (at the risk of arousing his aunt's anger, I later found) to help me straighten up the classroom. We did this quietly and comfortably, not speaking much, but enjoying the solitude of that hour of the day. When we did talk, Mark spoke mostly of his mother. Though he was quite small when she died, he remembered a kind, gentle, loving woman, who always spent much time with him. As Christmas drew near however, Mark failed to stay after school each day. I looked forward to his coming, and when the days passed and he continued to scamper hurriedly from the room after class, I stopped him one afternoon and asked why he no longer helped me in the room. I told him how I had missed him, and his large gray eyes lit up eagerly as he replied, "Did you really miss me?" I explained how he had been my best helper. "I was making you a surprise," he whispered confidentially. "It's for Christmas." With that, he became embarrassed and dashed from the room. He didn't stay after school any more after that. Finally came the last school day before Christmas. Mark crept slowly into the classroom late that afternoon with his hands concealing something behind his back. "I have your present," he said timidly when I looked up. "I hope you like it." He held out his hands, and there lying in his small palms was a tiny wooden box. "Its beautiful, Mark. Is there something in it?" I asked opening the top to look inside. " "Oh you can't see what's in it," He replied, "and you can't touch it, or taste it or feel it, but mother always said it makes you feel good all the time, warm on cold nights, and safe when you're all alone." I gazed into the empty box. "What is it Mark," I asked gently, "that will make me feel so good?" "It's love," he whispered softly, "and mother always said it's best when you give it away." And he turned and quietly left the room. So now I keep a small box crudely made of scraps of wood on the piano in my living room and only smile as inquiring friends raise quizzical eyebrows when I explain to them that there is love in it. Yes, Christmas is for gaiety, mirth and song, for good and wondrous gifts. But mostly, Christmas is for love.

Brothers and sisters, in light of the events of this week, the shootings in Oregon and Connecticut, maybe we need to love each other just a little more this Christmas. Maybe we need to give a little more love to each other every day in fact. As this season of Advent continues, and we wonder, “what will the savior look like?” Let us remember that he came, and that he is coming again. Amen and hallelujah!

RWJ/Pottersville UMC 12/09/12 Sermon - “Will the savior ever come?”

Sunday 12/09/12 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “Will the savior ever come?”                                                                                   

Scripture Lesson: Malachi 3:1-4

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 3:1-6  

          Good morning brothers and sisters! It’s good to be here with you worshipping this morning, and I hope that you all have had a blessed week.

          This morning, on this second Sunday of Advent we move a little closer to the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. While Jesus Christ has already been born in a literal sense, in this season we prepare for that birth that occurred almost 2,000 years ago. This season often brings about in us all sorts of feelings. Yet amidst the craziness and business that can often be the Christmas season, we must challenge ourselves to focus on the birth of Jesus Christ. The birth of our Lord and savior. For “He is the reason for the season.” He is why we are here in worship this morning, and amidst all of the presents, the wrapping paper, and all of the food, we should really challenge ourselves as we continue through this Advent season to think about Jesus. I wonder if Jesus were to come back today, if he would happy with how we do Christmas, or if he would say, “Yeah, you guys kind of missed the boat on this one!” I wonder if he would think that we have lost him in our Christmas season shuffle. If he would think that Christmas has become about other things, that weren’t about him at all.

          For many of us, Christmas is a time where we are just a little more hopeful than other times of the year. Some of us though, are not feeling so great during this Christmas and other passed Christmas seasons. For some of us we are struggling to get into the “Christmas Spirit.” For some of us, we are saying “Will the savior ever come?” We are saying, “When is Jesus going to return to us?” “When is he coming back to set the evils of this world right?” “When is he coming to enforce His justice and to fulfill the building of His kingdom?” “When will the prophecy finally be fully fulfilled?” You see for some, Christmas is a time of excitement. For some it is a time of decorations, the wonderment of the birth of the Christ Child, the joy of giving, and the love of family.

          Yet for others, Christmas is time of loneliness, a time where they find themselves saying “Will the savior ever come?” For in this season and everyday for that matter, we must radically love each other. Many who are lonely in this season will get special visits or special meals, yet I sometimes wish that we had this radical love and hospitality all year long. While many wait in this time of year with great excitement, some say “Will the savior ever come?” In the scripture reading from the Old Testament book of Malachi this morning, the scripture said, “See I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.” As I said last week, in the time of the Old Testament people were waiting, and many of them waiting desperately for the coming of the Messiah. For many of these people living under the power and the occupation of the Roman Empire, they said when “Will the savior come?” The scripture from the book of Malachi this morning goes on to say, “The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears.”

          You know I have heard Christians so many times, say things such as “You know if Jesus came back right now, than that would be just good enough for me.” One of my family’s favorite family time movies is a movie called “Joe Dirt” with actor David Spade. In the movie the character that David Spade plays, says throughout the movie to various people that were being mean to him, “Is this where you want be when Jesus comes back.” This was to say, this character was saying that you are not being very nice to me right now, and imagine how you would look if Jesus actually did come back right now! How would explain yourself to the savior of humankind.

The scripture goes on to say that “For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.” I think of the three magi or wise men who presented the Christ Child with the offerings of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. The scripture goes on to say that this offering will be pleasing to the Lord.

          In the gospel of Luke reading from this morning, it said “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonotis, and Lysanias ruler of the Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” When we think about many of the names I just mentioned from the gospel reading this morning, many of us think of oppressive rulers that made the lives of the people of Jerusalem very difficult. Many of these people lived under the bondage of high taxes, abusive foreign government, and they desperately awaited a savior to rescue them from their suffering. They desperately awaited the Messiah. For many of them, they said “Will the savior ever come?” “Will the messiah ever come to set all these wrongs right?” It is interesting that in the present day, while we live a post-resurrection or a post death and resurrection of Jesus world, that many of us feel the say way. For the people of Jerusalem wanted to be saved, yet many of us feel like this in the present day, that we are waiting for the savior to return. This second coming according to scripture will come at any point, like a flash, and no one will know when this will be. For many of us in the present day then, we say like the Jews of the Old Testament times, “Will the savior ever come.” The gospel reading from this morning went on to talk about John the Baptist, who went out baptizing people, “preparing the way of the Lord.” Jesus’ mother Mary was pregnant with him while her much older cousin Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. John prepared the way for the Lord.

          I say to you this morning brothers and sisters, in this Christmas season, many people we know are suffering. Many are in pain saying, “Will the savior ever come?” Let us be amongst those who are lonely, who are suffering, and who need a loving touch. Let us in this Christmas season like John the Baptist, “prepare the way of the Lord.”

            This morning I would like to close with a story. The story called Celebrate the Light by Helen Grace Lescheid. Here is how it goes: The Second World War raged in Europe during Christmas Eve in 1944. Mother, with four small children, had fled our native Ukraine with the retreating German army. Father had been reported missing in action. Now we were refugees living in a two-room shack in Dieterwald, Poland. But again the fighting front was only about fifty kilometers away. Frequent air raids sent us scurrying for cover. Explosions rattled the windows. Army trucks brought in the wounded and the dead. Hay wagons filled with refugees rumbled west; bombers droned overhead and army tanks rolled east. Partisans (underground resistance) attacked innocent women and children at night. Nobody in his right mind went out into the dark winter night. And yet, it was Christmas Eve. Two women had prepared a Christmas party in a neighboring village and invited us. Mother, wanting to give us children joy, accepted. She instructed my sister and me to dress warmly against the winter's cold. "Tonight we're going to a party," she said. Being only eight-years old, I sensed no danger--only wondrous excitement. Hurriedly my sister, two years younger, and I dressed. If only Mother would hurry! A simple wick flickered in a saucer of oil--our only light. We could barely see her shadowy form as she bustled about getting my four-year-old brother, Fred, and almost two-year-old sister, Katie, ready. Finally Mother was putting on her heavy winter coat, kerchief, and warm felt boots. With one small breath, she blew out the oil lamp. It was pitch dark now. "Open the door, Lena," she called to me. We stepped onto the crisp snow covering the farmyard. A moon crescent hung above a large house across the yard where the estate owners lived--kind people who treated us refugees well. It, too, was shrouded in darkness. Mother lifted Katie and shuffled her to her back: she'd carry her piggyback for the five kilometers. "Hang tight onto my coat collar," she coaxed. Then, turning towards us girls, she said, "You take Fred's hands." My younger sister and I complied. We had often taken care of our little brother while mother had culled potatoes in the big barns or had done other chores for the landowners. At the road, we stopped. Although I knew it well from my treks to school, I could barely make out the houses on either side of the street. No street lights were allowed now. Windows heavily draped permitted no light to seep out of the houses. My mother hesitated for a brief moment. Then she said, "Come, we'll take the shortcut across the fields." The snow crunched as four pairs of feet punched holes in the white expanse of open fields. Stars spangled the vault of sky above us. A blood-red glow smeared the eastern sky. At times an explosion sent flames shooting into the sky. "Girls, recite your poems to me." Mother's voice sounded a bit shaky. Her arms aching, she put Katie down on the snowy ground. Our recitations of Christmas poems made white puffs in the cold night air. When we finished, Mother said, "Speak up loud and clear when your turn comes. No mumbling." She lifted Katie once more onto her back, and we began to walk again. On and on we walked. But we were far too excited to be tired. Finally we arrived at our friends' house. The door opened and we stepped inside. I felt I had stepped into heaven itself. Lights! A whole room-full of lights! Candlelight flickered from a small Christmas tree and bounced out of happy children's eyes. Heavily draped windows kept the light inside--for us to revel in. Red paper chains decked the tree; delicate paper cherubs smiled down upon us. We squeezed in amongst women and children sitting on the floor. Soon the room filled with singing: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht."(Silent Night, Holy Night) Some mothers sang alto, the rest of us, soprano. We sang with gusto and from memory, songs that lifted our hearts above the terrors of war and inspired new hope for the days ahead. I can't remember our long trek home that night, but I do remember the wonderful gifts I received; my right pocket bulged with the most beautiful ball I'd ever seen. A very colorful ball it was. Much later, I learned it had been made out of scrunched up rags wrapped in rainbow colored yarn probably gleaned from unraveling old sweaters. The other pocket held three cookies! Soon after that wonderful Christmas party, we were evacuated. Icy winds blew snow into our faces as we cowered on an uncovered hay wagon pulled by two scrawny horses. With the front so close behind, we traveled day and night. Once it was safe to stop, we slept in drafty barns. We ate hunks of frozen bread and drank the occasional cup of milk supplied by a Red Cross jeep.

But the warm memory of that Christmas celebration shone like a small candle in the darkness. Even years later, when my own life's circumstances seemed too bleak to celebrate Christmas, I remembered the truth of Christmas born in my heart that night: Jesus, the light of the world came to us at Christmas time and no amount of darkness can put out that light. Amen.

RWJ/Pottersville UMC 12/02/12 Sermon - “He is coming twice!”

Sunday 12/02/12 RWJ/Pottersville UMC

Sermon: “He is coming twice!”                                                                                    

Scripture Lesson: Jeremiah 33:14-16

                                             

Gospel Lesson: Luke 21:25-36   

          Good morning brothers and sisters! It’s good to be here with you worshipping this morning, and I hope that you all have had a blessed week.

          This morning, on this first Sunday of Advent we begin to prepare our hearts and our minds to reflect upon the coming birth of Jesus Christ. While we all know that Jesus was born almost 2,000 years ago, this time of the year reminds us that Jesus Christ came to earth to be amongst us. That He came to heal the sick, to love all people, to usher in the kingdom of God, and to die that we may all live forever. That we are called to live out the gospel that Jesus has given us, until he returns again one day in glory.  

          Given all of this, what I want to talk about this morning in part, are the folks who awaited the birth of Jesus before he was born. These folks I speak of are the Jewish prophets and Jewish people of old, who had long awaited the coming of the Messiah. The one foretold who come and save us “from this sinful generation.” The one who would deliver the captive, give sight to the blind, and offer us eternal salvation to all who believe in Him. When viewing the scripture reading from this morning, from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, it says “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” Just for reference, The Book of Jeremiah was likely written according to many experts between the years 630-580 B.C. Most of it is believed to have been written during the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. Given this, the Jewish people, while living under the harsh realities of being occupied by the Babylonian empire hoped and awaited the Messiah. It is also interesting to know that the book of Jeremiah was written almost a full six-hundred years before Jesus Christ was actually born.

Jeremiah went on in this scripture to say, “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” The prophet Jeremiah was saying then, the Messiah will come. He is coming Jeremiah said! He is coming to deliver us. He is coming to save us all. The decedent of the mighty King David will come to earth to die for us all. The prophet Jeremiah went on in the scripture reading to say, “In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteous.” I would imagine then that in the time of Jeremiah, that Jeremiah and many were proclaiming that the messiah will come.

          While Jeremiah proclaimed that He is coming, we today live after the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, in the gospel reading from Luke this morning is said, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the work, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Brothers and sisters, as we enter into this Advent season, I say unto you, the savior is coming! The messiah will be born to us soon. Yet the gospel reading this gospel reading goes on to say, “They will see the ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.” This is because, for us Jesus Christ is coming twice. So I say unto you God the Lord of Lords will be born unto us soon, and then the Lord will die for us, and the Lord will come again in glory. For Jesus Christ said in the gospel reading this morning that, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” He is coming twice!

          For the Jews of old hoped and prayed for the messiah, and for us in this Advent season we celebrate His birth, yet we await His return. Jesus then went on in the gospel to say, “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day will catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.” While we celebrate the savior’s coming birth, we can thank God that Jesus has already come. We are simply then preparing for the birthday party of Jesus. The day the world as we knew it was changed forever. The day that the living God was born, would walk amongst, change the world, and die for us all!

In living in a post-resurrection era, we as believers have already seen the Lord come, bore witness to His miracles and His power, His death, and His resurrection. Now as Christians, we await his return. For as Jesus said in the gospel of Luke reading this morning, “Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and stand before the Son of Man.” For He is coming twice!

          In my seminary studies, some of my pastor classmates and I have debated whether it would have been better to live before Jesus in anticipation of His birth, or whether it would be better to live after his resurrection and awaiting His return. The fact that I have such things debated with my pastor seminary fans probably displays what a bible nerd I am. To this I say, I resemble that! I also say that I cannot know for sure what it was like to leave pre-Jesus, but I tend to think that living post-earthly Jesus is the better of the two. I say this because in this Advent season, we celebrate the birth of Christ, but a birth that occurred long ago. He has already come. He has already delivered us, and all we must do is believe. For we will celebrate His birthday soon and await His glorious return. For He is coming twice!

I would like to close today with a Christmas story. This story is about a family that bought a nativity scene. Here it goes:  About a week before Christmas a family bought a new nativity scene. When they unpacked it they found 2 figures of the Baby Jesus. "Someone must have packed this wrong," the mother said, counting out the figures. "We have one Joseph, one Mary, three wise men, three shepherds, two lambs, a donkey, a cow, an angel and two babies. Oh, dear! I suppose some set down at the store is missing a Baby Jesus because we have 2." "You two run back down to the store and tell the manager that we have an extra Jesus. Tell him to put a sign on the remaining boxes saying that if a set is missing a Baby Jesus, call 7126. Put on your warm coats, it's freezing cold out there." The manager of the store copied down mother's message and the next time they were in the store they saw the cardboard sign that read, "If you're missing Baby Jesus, call 7126." All week long they waited for someone to call. Surely, they thought, someone was missing that important figurine. Each time the phone rang mother would say, "I'll bet that's about Jesus," but it never was.

Father tried to explain there are thousands of these scattered over the country and the figurine could be missing from a set in Florida or Texas or California. Those packing mistakes happen all the time. He suggested just put the extra Jesus back in the box and forget about it. "Put Baby Jesus back in the box! What a terrible thing to do," said the children. "Surely someone will call," mother said. "We'll just keep the two of them together in the manger until someone calls." When no call had come by 5:00 on Christmas Eve, mother insisted that father "just run down to the store" to see if there were any sets left. "You can see them right through the window, over on the counter," she said. "If they are all gone, I'll know someone is bound to call tonight." "Run down to the store?" father thundered. "It's 15 below zero out there!" "Oh, Daddy, we'll go with you," Tommy and Mary began to put on their coats. Father gave a long sigh and headed for the front closet. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered. Tommy and Mary ran ahead as father reluctantly walked out in the cold. Mary got to the store first and pressed her nose up to the store window. "They're all gone, Daddy," she shouted. "Every set must be sold."  "Hooray," Tommy said. "The mystery will now be solved tonight!" Father heard the news still a half block away and immediately turned on his heel and headed back home. When they got back into the house they noticed that mother was gone and so was the extra Baby Jesus figurine. "Someone must have called and she went out to deliver the figurine," my father reasoned, pulling off his boots. "You kids get ready for bed while I wrap mother's present." Then the phone rang. Father yelled "answer the phone and tell 'em we found a home for Jesus." But it was mother calling with instructions for us to come to 205 Chestnut Street immediately, and bring three blankets, a box of cookies and some milk. "Now what has she gotten us into?" my father groaned as we bundled up again. "205 Chestnut. Why that's across town. Wrap that milk up good in the blankets or it will turn to ice before we get there. Why can't we all just get on with Christmas? It's probably 20 below out there now. And the wind is picking up. Of all the crazy things to do on a night like this." When they got to the house at 205 Chestnut Street it was the darkest one on the block. Only one tiny light burned in the living room and, the moment we set foot on the porch steps, my mother opened the door and shouted, "They're here, Oh thank God you got here, Ray! You kids take those blankets into the living room and wrap up the little ones on the couch. I'll take the milk and cookies." "Would you mind telling me what is going on, Ethel?" my father asked. "We have just walked through below zero weather with the wind in our faces all the way." "Never mind all that now," my mother interrupted. "There isn't any heat in this house and this young mother is so upset she doesn't know what to do. Her husband walked out on her and those poor little children will have a very bleak Christmas, so don't you complain. I told her you could fix that oil furnace in a jiffy." My mother strode off to the kitchen to warm the milk while my brother and I wrapped up the five little children who were huddled together on the couch. The children's mother explained to my father that her husband had run off, taking bedding, clothing, and almost every piece of furniture, but she had been doing all right until the furnace broke down. "I been doin' washin' and ironin' for people and cleanin' the five and dime," she said. "I saw your number every day there, on those boxes on the counter. When the furnace went out, that number kept going' through my mind. 7162 7162. Said on the box that if a person was missin' Jesus, they should call you. That's how I knew you were good Christian people, willin' to help folks. I figured that maybe you would help me, too. So I stopped at the grocery store tonight and I called your misses. I'm not missin' Jesus, mister, because I sure love the Lord. But I am missin' heat. I have no money to fix that furnace." "Okay, Okay," said father. "You've come to the right place. Now let's see. You've got a little oil burner over there in the dining room. Shouldn't be too hard to fix. Probably just a clogged flue. I'll look it over, see what it needs." Mother came into the living room carrying a plate of cookies and warm milk. As she set the cups down on the coffee table, I noticed the figure of Baby Jesus lying in the center of the table. It was the only sign of Christmas in the house. The children stared wide-eyed with wonder at the plate of cookies my mother set before them. Father finally got the oil burner working but said, "You need more oil. I'll make a few calls tonight and get some oil. Yes sir, you came to the right place", father grinned. On the way home father did not complain about the cold weather and had barely set foot inside the door when he was on the phone. "Ed, hey, how are ya, Ed?" "Yes, Merry Christmas to you, too. Say Ed, we have kind of an unusual situation here. I know you've got that pick-up truck. Do you still have some oil in that barrel on your truck? You do?" By this time the rest of the family were pulling clothes out of their closets and toys off of their shelves. It was long after their bedtime when they were wrapping gifts. The pickup came. On it were chairs, three lamps, blankets and gifts. Even though it was 30 below, father let them ride along in the back of the truck. No one ever did call about the missing figure in the nativity set, but as I grow older I realize that it wasn't a packing mistake at all.

Jesus saves, that's what He does. He is never lost, for He always finds us. As move forward in this Advent season may we realize that Jesus is coming. That He is coming twice! Amen!