Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - 1st Sunday after Christmas - 12/29/13 Sermon - “Jesus becomes a Nazorean”

Sunday 12/29/13 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Jesus becomes a Nazorean”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 63:7-9             

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Hebrews 2:10-18

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 2:13-23

                             

          Welcome and good morning once again, on this the First Sunday after Christmas. Today is also the Fifth-Day of the Twelve-Days of Christmas. These Twelve-Days of Christmas, as many of us know the song all too well, ends next Sunday on January 5^th.

          During these Twelve-Days of Christmas, many of us travel to and fro to see family and friends. Some of us travel just for Christmas Day itself, while some of us just travel for New Year’s Eve itself. Further, some of us travel the whole time, and some of us travel a little before or a little after the Twelve-Days of Christmas.

          Perhaps for some of us, we go back the place of our birth. Perhaps when we drive back into that town or city of our birth, we remember various memories and parts of our childhoods. Or maybe we go instead to where a member of our family currently lives, or maybe we go somewhere that we have never been before. Given all of this, does it matter where we go during Christmas time? Speaking in even more broad terms, does it matter where we go or are during any other time of the year?

For example, is it better to go to New York City, to go to Dallas, Texas, or to go Atlanta, Georgia? In addition to this, we could get into a friendly debate over what the best city or place in America is. Also, if we are not from this area, do we consider our identities as being from our place of birth, or where we live now?

For me, I was born in the Northern Illinois town of Woodstock. When I tell people this, they usually think that I am somehow connected to the band the Grateful Dead, or that this whole town is full of hippies. I assure that Woodstock, Illinois, is not the same as Woodstock, New York.

Yet when I was in fourth grade, I moved with my mother to Orange County, New York. You see then, I was born in Woodstock, Illinois, but much of my childhood and my more formative years were spent in Monroe, New York, down in Orange County. Given all of this then, one could ask me, “Paul are you a New Yorker, or an Illinoian?” The funny part about this is hypothetical question, is that I had to look up what people from Illinois are called. So if you have ever wondered, someone from Illinois is an “Illinoian!”

So, I was born in one place, but raised a good percentage of my life in another place. Historically speaking, many people were named or are known based upon various things. For example, the famous British Sea Explorer and navigator Henry Hudson, is now connected with the Hudson River and the Hudson Bay that are named after him. While Henry Hudson was British, we have sort of adopted him into being from our neck of the woods, on this continent of North America. Yet Henry Hudson was not from Canada or what is now the United States. Even so, for most of us, we see his historical identity as being intertwined somehow with us here in America.

Another example is the Spanish explorer and conquistador Juan Ponce de León, who got the 'Ponce de León' part of name from a man he was descended called Ponce Vélaz.  Ponce Vélaz was a nobleman from the province of León, Spain, and as such this famous explorer and conquistador Juan Ponce de León, took part of his name from a famous Spanish nobleman that he was related to. So he took part of a noble name, and also took the place of birth of his noble ancestor’s name, as well.

William Shakespeare famously put in his classic play Romeo and Juliet, “What’s in name?” For example, if you were a Kennedy, a Rockefeller, a Carnegie, a Walton, a Bush, a Trump, and etc., would that name matter more to you or to others? Does it matter where you come from? Does it matter what you are named?

Well this day in age, someone’s name and where they are from means very little to some and yet means a lot to others. In the days of Jesus Christ however, your name and your place of birth meant a lot. So much so that when the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament reading from this morning said that, “he became their savior.” Yet according to the Old Testament prophecy the savior or the Messiah had born in Bethlehem. You see Jesus the Christ had to be born in Bethlehem, the City of David, in accordance with the Old Testament prophecies. It is very interesting that the Roman Emperor of Caesar just happened to have called a census or population count near the time of Mary giving birth to Jesus.

Even though this is all true though, many of know that one of the names for Jesus is Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus of Bethlehem. You see, I can identify with Jesus here, in that my place of birth or my Bethlehem was Woodstock Illinois, but most of my childhood was spent in my Nazareth or Monroe, New York. If I were using the old fashion Spanish naming system I would be Pablo or “Paul de Monroe,” which means Paul of Monroe. I was born in Woodstock, Illinois though, so shouldn’t I be “Paul de Woodstock?”

It is interesting to know that Jesus like me identified not with the place of his birth in Bethlehem, but to the place he were he was raised north of Bethlehem called Nazareth. Due to this every historical book I have every read, always calls Jesus, among the many other names he has, “Jesus of Nazareth?”

I remember in a seminary class a student asked one night, “Well professor, if Christ was born in Bethlehem, the City of David, in accordance with the scriptures, shouldn’t he be called ‘Jesus of Bethlehem?’ The professor said, “Scripture prophesized Bethlehem as his place of birth only, but was also called a “Nazorean.” You see the Messiah only had to be born in the City of David, but not raised in the City of David.

In the Apostle Paul’s letter or Epistle to the Hebrews from this morning, the Apostle Paul said speaking of Jesus, “Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sister in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest for the sins of the people.” Well looking at this scripture, we know that Jesus went amongst all manner of people. It didn’t matter if the person was a Kennedy or a Rockefeller, or if they were from Bethlehem. You see to Jesus, when it is all said and done, we are all his children, and our names, our places of birth, and the places that we call home all become level and equal at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus Christ came to earth and died not just for the Carnegies and the Trumps of this world, but he also came and died for you, and for all people. He came then not just for the people of Freeville and Cortland, but he came for all of humankind.

          Yet, in Jesus Christ being the savior and the Messiah, he realized that he had to fulfill all the prophecies of old and all the markers proving and demonstrating that he was and is in fact, the Messiah. So he is born in Bethlehem, the City of David, which is also where his father Joseph was born. So Jesus is visited by the three Magi or wisemen with their gifts of Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Yet shortly after, the three wisemen and Jesus’ father Joseph had a dream of an angel of the Lord telling them to leave Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The angel of the Lord told Joseph, “for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” The gospel according to Mathew reading goes on to say, “Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.”

          This reality caused yet another prophesy of the Old Testament to come true that says, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” The Christ-Child would then emerge from Egypt. King Herod though still decided to have all children two and under killed in and around Bethlehem. These children being killed was also part of the Old Testament prophecy that said, “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

          When King Herod died, and angel of the Lord told Joseph to leave Egypt and to take Mary and Jesus to the land of Israel, and ultimately Joseph took Mary and Jesus near Galilee, to Nazareth. The gospel reading then concluded by saying, “There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “he will be called a Nazorean.” So today then my brothers and sisters, Jesus the Christ becomes “Jesus of Nazareth.” The name Nazareth as many of us is in everything from the titles of colleges, to towns, and etc. Jesus while being born in Bethlehem he was and always will be historically known as “Jesus the Narorean,” or Jesus of Nazareth.

I want to close this sermon this morning with a poem called, The World Says, by Mark W. Fields. Here is how it goes:

“The World says I have no ambition, yet I hope, I dream. The World says I'm not intelligent, yet I believe I am. The World says I won't succeed, yet I know I will. The World says my thoughts aren't important, yet I know they are. The World says my voice won't be heard, yet I know someone will. The World says I can't live without money, yet I know I could. The World says I need many friends, yet I only need some. The World says my Savior is dead, yet I know he lives. The World says many things, yet I don't listen.”

So my brothers and sisters, “What’s in a name?” “What’s in a place of birth? What makes where you live now the best?” These might have been important for Jesus Christ to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, but whether he was Jesus of Bethlehem or Jesus of Nazareth, he is still Jesus the savior of the whole world. So no matter what your last name is, no matter where you were born, and no matter what town or city you identify with, you are first a foremost a child of God, even if you happen to be a “Nazorean.” Let us then have an attitude my brothers and sisters, that all people everywhere are all children of God, even if they didn’t come from the most affluent family, and even if they didn’t come from the most glamorous city or neighbor in the country. For we all that believe in Jesus Christ will inherit the kingdom of God. So no matter what are family name we have, no matter where we were born, and not matter where will live now, we will all see the best place in the whole universe, and that place is in heaven. For in heaven, maybe there won’t be any places of birth, maybe there won’t be any family names, and maybe there won’t be any best towns and cities. Maybe there will only be the kingdom, the city on the hill, paradise. Maybe Jesus will just point to all of us and say, they are all blessed, they are all valuable, and first and foremost they are all my children. Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Christmas Eve - 12/24/13 Sermon - “Born in rags in an animal stable”

Sunday 12/24/13 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s (Christmas Eve)

Sermon Title: “Born in rags in an Animal Stable”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 96

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Titus 2:11-14

Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:1-20

                             

Welcome once again my brothers and sisters. Welcome on this night of hope, on this night of love, on this night of majesty, on this night of excitement. Welcome on this night of anticipation, on this night of wonderment, on this night that we await the birth of the Christ-Child.

For the birth of Jesus Christ was foretold though the prophets of old, who declared that one day a decedent from the line of mighty King David would come and save all of humanity. The birth of the Christ-Child shows a new way of living, that didn’t exist before. The birth of the Christ-Child shows us a new way of loving our neighbors, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and carrying for all of God’s precious children. For the very birth of Jesus Christ is even a change in our very way of counting years. For we go from the years “B.C” to the years “A.D.,” as we are coming to the end of 2013 A.D.

In many studies that have been conducted both past and present, it has been determined that the most famous and the most popular person to ever walked the earth, was Jesus Christ. You see, rarely do I encounter a person that does not like or love Jesus. The coming of Jesus’ birth was so big, that King Herod in Jerusalem feared it. Soon after the birth of Christ, King Herod ordered his soldiers “to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the surrounding area who were two years old or younger.” For even the great King Herod feared this “King of Kings.” This Immanuel, this Priest of all Priests, this Shepherd of all Shepherds, this Truth above all Truth’s, the Prince of Peace, God in the flesh. 

This king that was so prophesized and so heralded for centuries, that even three Magi or wise men came to pay homage to this Messiah, to this Christ-Child. These three wise men ventured for weeks, even months, carrying those gifts we know oh so well, those gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. The Shepherds near the manger saw an angel of Lord, who told them the savior have been born. The Shepherds crowded in around the manger with joy, with tears, and with hope.

Even in our Old Testament Scripture reading for this evening from Psalm 96, it says, “Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.”  You see the Psalmist wrote these words centuries before Jesus Christ’s birth. I can imagine that the Psalmist though might have uttered the same words that we might utter tonight, “O Come, O Come Immanuel!” “Come Lord Jesus!” “Come Lord Jesus!”

In the Epistle or Letter of the Apostle Paul to Titus reading for this evening, we hear, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly.” This scripture then, only adds to majesty, the power, and greatness of this coming Christ-Child. The Child who will come, and will be the one who can do all the things, the one who is savior, teacher, healer, and the Son of God.

You see then, we have quite a picture of this Messiah, of Jesus the Christ, the most popular person who ever walked the earth. Given all of this, it would make perfect sense that the “King of Kings” and the “Lord of Lords” would enter this world with great power, wealth, and fanfare. I would make sense that Jesus would have been born in a great mansion, with elephants, hundreds of soldiers, gold and riches, ivory, marble, a huge in-ground pool, the best food, and the most power and might.

Yet, the most popular person in human history, the one foretold for centuries, God in the flesh, comes to us “Born in rags in animal stable.” In some accounts of Church tradition, some have said that when three Magi or wise men arrived at the manger that they were shocked. Perhaps for a second they thought as they looked at the animal stable, that was probably more of a stone structure in heavy rocks, with animals, and poor shepherds, “this is the Messiah?” “This is the Christ-Child.”

You see, in this season of Christmas, we await the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the most popular person in history, the savior of the world, who was born like a poor peasant.

Jesus chose this path to show us, that as the living God, while he had great power and might, that he was coming not just for the rich and the powerful, but that he was coming for the poor and the downtrodden. Jesus was born this way to send a message to the world, that he was the savior of the common people. He still is the savior of all people, but most people in this world are not people of great wealth and power. Due to this, Jesus Christ saw fit to come as one of the common folk. He saw fit to come down like an average person. Like a person who lives in a little place, has very little, and yet is at the same time the King of Kings.

          Jesus Christ, the living God would go on to endure all the pains and sufferings that this world has, so that he might show us he is among us, and that he loves all his children. This means whether you are the poorest of poor or anything else, Christ came for you. This incredible demonstration of love, of humility, of God’s grace, is one of the things that makes Christmas so powerful for us all. For Jesus meets us right where we are at.

          You see my brothers and sisters, very soon the Christ-Child will be among us, and everything we know will change. We will have a rebuilt relationship with God, we will have a whole new way of being and existing, whereby we can build the kingdom of Jesus Christ in the here and the now. We can love the poorest of the poor, we can feed the hungry, we can clothe the naked, we can care for the widow, and we can serve unfortunate, because the God of the Universe, the most popular person who ever walked this earth, came to earth, took on flesh, and taught us to do the same. “Come Lord Jesus!”

As we await the birth of Lord Jesus, I would like end this Christmas Eve message with a story. This story is 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 kilometres 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 unravelling 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 (John 1: 4,5).”

My brothers and sisters, on this night we prepare with wonder, with joy and with hope, as Jesus Christ, the light of the world, will soon be among us. For as it said in the reading from the gospel according to Luke from tonight, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,” as the King of Kings will very soon come to us, “born in rags in an animal stable.” “Come Lord Jesus!” Amen.”

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - 4th Sunday of Advent - 12/22/13 Sermon - “Jesus: Joseph's adopted Son”

Sunday 12/22/13 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Jesus: Joseph’s adopted Son”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 7:10-16             

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Romans 1:1-7

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 1:18-25

                            

          Welcome once again on this the fourth Sunday in this Advent Season. In this season in the Christian calendar, we are awaiting the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Even though Jesus was born in the literal sense almost 2,000 years ago, this season helps us to remember the gift of Jesus Christ. This season helps us to remember how magical, how powerful, and how grace filled that first Christmas must have been.

          That Jesus’ father Joseph was feverishly looking for a place for his wife Mary to give birth. He likely feverishly thought, “Where will my wife Mary give birth to the Messiah?” You see, the savior was and is coming. While we only symbolically celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ every Christmas now, that first year, Joseph was preparing for the birth of the savior.

          While there is so much to Christmas, and while there is so much to the birth of Christ, such as, who Christ was and is, and all of the things that Christ taught us, I want to focus in this morning on Jesus’ father Joseph. Or should I say, Saint Joseph, who adopted Jesus Christ as his own son.

          You see Jesus was Joseph’s adopted son. I say this because an angel of the Lord came to Mary and told her that she was to conceive a son and name him Jesus. She was told that this son would be conceived of Holy Spirit. Yet I can imagine that whole city of Nazareth where Mary and Joseph lived, rejected Mary once she was “showing,” as the term goes. Joseph was likely hurt, angry, and let down when he found out that Mary was pregnant. He then severed the engagement to Mary, until in a dream an angel of the Lord told him that Mary’s baby was of the Holy Spirit. The angel of the Lord told Joseph to not be afraid, and because of this, Joseph decided to stay engaged, and then married to Mary.

I can imagine what the city of Nazareth probably said about Joseph behind his back. They probably said things like, “Can you believe that Mary is having a baby with another man, and that Joseph is staying with her?” I can imagine as much as Mary was persecuted, that this wasn’t easy for Joseph either. You see Joseph was a hard working carpenter, or perhaps a stone mason, who likely had built a nice home for Mary, and would provide well for her. Further, Mary’s child, Jesus, was fully God and fully human. It was of her flesh and of God, not of Joseph’s.

          In this way, Joseph had no genetic connection this child Jesus, yet he listened to the angel of the Lord. Joseph decided that he would adopt this child. That he would fully make this child his son. You see in the way then that a person can graft a twig or a branch into a tree, Joseph decided to graft Jesus Christ fully into his family. Mary was genetically of the line of King David, the one in whom God promised to raise up an heir to be the Messiah. Joseph was also related to King David, and by grafting Jesus Christ into his family tree, he fully accepted Jesus Christ, and made him fully part of his lineage. Jesus was now connected to King David through his mother, and through his adopted father Joseph.

          Further, not all of us have had the luxury of having great earthly fathers. In my own parents being divorced and remarried, I have been blessed with a great father, a great step-father, a great mother, and a great-step mother. While all of these parents are great parents, I am only genetically related to two of them. In this sense I only share “blood” with half of my parents. Yet, I remember when I was leaving my last church appointment in September, and my step-father said to one of the whole churches, “Paul is a son, that any father would be proud to have.” You see to my step-father Mike, I am much more than just his “step-son,” he has grafted me into the tree of his family. He considers me in flesh and blood to be fully his son, like Joseph did to Jesus.

          While I have had and continue to have great parents, a good chunk of my child-hood was spent with a single working mother in Orange County, NY, while the entire rest of my family lived and still lives in Northern Illinois. Yet in being involved in the church, I found many Josephs there. These Josephs included family friends, pastors, and etc., who took me under their wings, who encouraged me, and who feed me the truth of God when I was desperately in need of it. You see I have had and continue to have many Josephs in my life.

          Men that have decided to love and encourage me, that have developed my character, my strength, and my faith. You see I am the product of then of the Christian Church. I am a pastor, because many Marys’ and Josephs’ raised me up.

          The question I have for you today then, is who were and are the Josephs in your lives? Can we imagine the sacrifice that Joseph must have made to protect Jesus Christ, to take care of Mary? Did he work many extra hours when it was needed? Was he strong when everyone else was week? Saint Joseph was truly a great man, a great father, and is vital in the story of Christmas.

          On this day then, let us remember that part of the majesty of Christmas is not only that God comes down from heaven, not only that we now have salvation offered freely to us through Jesus Christ, not only did Jesus Christ come to teach us a new way of living and being, but his father was not genetically his father. Saint Joseph chose Jesus, the way that Jesus chooses all of us. When the men of the world love children like Jesus did and do, they are being like Jesus, but they are also being like Joseph. When the men of this church take time to work with our children, teach them in Sunday school, take an interest in them, they are being like Jesus, but they are also being like Joseph.

          When looking at the scripture from the prophet Isaiah from this morning, it says, “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” Joseph like Mary was given a sign, that Mary’s baby Jesus was the Messiah.  Isaiah then went on to prophesize, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and share bare a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” This prophecy of course, is the prophecy of the Messiah, of Jesus Christ. These words were written by Isaiah almost 700-years before Mary was to bear the Christ-Child.

          In looking at the New Testament reading from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, or Romans, the Apostle Paul spoke of the gospel and how Jesus was descended from King David, and how he was declared the Son of God. The Apostle Paul says further in scripture from Romans, that we are all “called to belong to Jesus Christ.” Joseph chose to belong to Jesus Christ. He chose to adopt this child and call him his own. To protect him, to raise him, and likely to teach him the family business of carpentry, or perhaps it was stone masonry.

          When looking at the reading from the gospel of Mathew from this morning, the gospel began by saying, “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way.” It then says, “When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” Then speaking of Saint Joseph, the gospel says, “Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.”

          Then the gospel says, “But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” The gospel reading then continues on to say, “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet.”  The gospel reading for this morning then concludes by saying, “When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he name him Jesus.”

          You know though, sometimes, I wonder if when Jesus was a little child if other kids said things like, “Hey look there is Jesus, the one whom his mother Mary had with another man.” Perhaps Joseph then said, “Hey! That is my boy you’re talking about, and he is fully my son! In fact, he’s the Messiah!” For Joseph grafted Jesus into the family tree, just as Jesus grafts us all into the tree of life.

I would like to close with a story this morning called “Do You Love Me?” Here is how it goes: “One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Ah! ... the beauty of God's creation is beyond description. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work. As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me. He asked me, "Do you love me?" I answered, "Of course, God! You are my Lord and Savior!" Then He asked, "If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?" I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn't be able to do and thought about the things that I take for granted. I answered, "It would be tough Lord, but I would still love You."

Then the Lord said, "If you were blind, would you still love my creation?" How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation. So I answered, "It's hard to think of it, but I would still love you." The Lord then asked me, "If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?" How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to God's Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I answered, "It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word."

The Lord then asked, "If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?" How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me, God wants us to sing from our very hearts and souls. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks. So I answered, "Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name." And the Lord asked, "Do you really love Me?" With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, "Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!"

The man then summoned the courage to say to the Lord, Lord why do you keep forgiving me and why do you love me so much?" The Lord answered, "Because you are My creation. You are my child. I will never abandon you. When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you. When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I will encourage you. When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will carry you.”

My brothers and sisters let us all seek to be the people that God has called us to be in this Christmas Season. Let us seek spiritual renewal, seek to grow in love, in truth, in joy, and in faith, as the Christ-Child will soon be among us. And if a small boy says to us, “I want to be Jesus, but I also hope to be a dad like Jesus’ dad Joseph was,” then perhaps we should just smile at the small boy, and say Amen.

         

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Blue Christmas Service - 12/20/13 Sermon - “There is Hope in Jesus Christ”

Sunday 12/20/13 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “There is Hope in Jesus Christ”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 80:1-7

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Hebrews 10:32-39

Gospel Lesson: John 16:31-33

                            

          Welcome one and all, on this night. This night that is so close to the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yet for many of us, all we see right now in this Christmas Season is the darkness of the night. Many of us then for various reasons cannot see the light that is coming soon. We cannot see the light that is Jesus Christ. For while we celebrate this service tonight, tomorrow night is the winter solstice. Tomorrow night is literally the “Longest Night” of the year. For this reason, usually on this night or tomorrow night, we and many other Christian Churches have in recent years started worship services for the “Longest Night” of the year. Many of us call these services “Blue Christmas” services. We do this, because some of us might be feeling a little “blue” in this time of the year.

          In the midst of our sufferings, our weariness, our stresses, our challenges, and our trials and tribulations, do we not though, in the depths of our very souls cry out, “God is there any hope?” Do we not cry out and say, “oh God, for we are broken, we are naked, we are cold, and we desperately are in need of your saving grace?”

          While we all of us have come here tonight for many different reasons, I would assert that God has called us all here in this time, and in this place. I would assert to you all here tonight, that we have good reason to have hope. We have in fact, great reason to have hope. For “There is Hope in Jesus Christ.”

          Some might say though, I have heard this before, “that if I believe in Jesus Christ, then all my problems just go away, right?” If it were only that easy. We most certainly have salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ, and we have been freed through his death and his resurrection, but in this season we prepare for the very birth of Jesus Christ itself.

          We prepare for love, for hope, for joy, and for salvation itself to come down from heaven, to walk, to talk, to heal, and to teach us how to love each other. You see in this season, we prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ, the baby foretold for years. Many of us however, have been taught that on Christmas Day, that Jesus has been born, and all was just set right again. If it were only that easy.

          If we have this mentality, I would argue that we will likely be let down. For many of us are so bummed out after Christmas and New Year’s, because then we have to go back to that dreaded “W-word.” You know work. We are 5-10 pounds heavier, our credit-card bills have mounted, and we find ourselves craving coffee the way a vampire craves blood. Maybe we then say, “Well we can shoot for joy and hope again next Christmas.”

          Yet my brothers and sisters, the birth of Jesus Christ isn’t just God coming down to be wrapped in flesh, and to be born among us. The birth of Christ isn’t just the beginning of preparing for the death and resurrection of Jesus, while these of course lay the core of everything that we believe. Given this, this year then, let us seek to stretch our image of what Christmas is. For in this time of the year, we tend to implore the most radical of hospitality to others, we tend to love people much more, and we tend to give more generously.

          We do all of this not just because God has come down in the form of Jesus, but we do so also, because of what Lord Jesus has taught us and still teaches us. Jesus taught us and still teaches us to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, to take care of the widow, to regard the unfortunate, to love one’s neighbor, and to treat everyone as you would want to be treated.

          You see my brothers and sisters, in this Christmas Season, while we celebrate the birth of the Christ-Child, there is so much more to this season than just the birth of Christ. In Jesus coming to save not just us, he has come to save all people. This means all the people of Freeville, this county, this country, and this world. As a result of this, when we believe and we accept Jesus, we get a dose of compassion, of love, of hope.

          When this happens, we then have the power of God abiding in the very depths of our souls. So while some might say, “I have prayed and prayed, yet God has not healed me,” I think of a t-shirt that I saw a young woman wearying at one our United Methodist Church Annual Conferences a couple of years ago. Her shirt said, “Sometimes God performs miracles, but the rest of the time he sends me.”

          You see then my brothers and sisters, while many of us suffer, grieve, and feel torn in this Christmas Season, we of course first cry out to almighty God, but let us remember that God has empowered us all to love, to heal, and to care for one another.

From our scripture readings from tonight, we heard in the reading from Psalm 80:1-7 on the Old Testament tonight in verse seven “Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” Perhaps we can take some of our light of Christ, and shine that light on others?

We heard tonight in the New Testament reading from Hebrews 10:34-36, ^“For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting. Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Scripture tells us to have faith, and to have compassion and love for one another.

In the gospel of John 16:31-33 reading from tonight it says, “Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” 

          In this season of Christmas then, if someone is suffering, what if we visited them? What if we made them cookies? What if we took up the cross of Jesus Christ and said, “We will continually cry out to God for healing, but God here am I, send me.”

I would like to close tonight with a story called, “The Cave People.” This story was taken from Max Lucado's The Woodcutter's Wisdom and Other Favorite Stories. Here is how it goes: “Long ago, or maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe in a dark, cold cavern. The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew to do. The sounds in the cave were mournful, but the people didn't know it, for they had never known joy. The spirit in the cave was death, but the people didn't know it, for they had never known life.”

But then, one day, they heard a different voice. "I have heard your cries," it announced. "I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come to help."

The cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. hope sounded strange to their ears. "How can we know you have come to help?" "Trust me," he answered. "I have what you need."

“The cave people peered through the darkness at the figure of the stranger. He was stacking something, then stooping and stacking more.” “What are you doing?" one cried, nervous.” “The stranger didn't answer.” "What are you making?" one shouted even louder. “Still no response.” “Tell us!" demanded a third. The visitor stood and spoke in the direction of the voices. "I have what you need." With that he turned to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light filled the cavern.”

The cave people turned away in fear. "Put it out!" they cried. "It hurts to see it." "Light always hurts before it helps," he answered. "Step closer. The pain will soon pass." "Not I," declared a voice. "Nor I," agreed a second. "Only a fool would risk exposing his eyes to such light." The stranger stood next to the fire. "Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don't consult your fears. Take a step of faith" For a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The fire builder stood next to the fire. "It's warm here," he invited. "He's right," one from behind him announced. "It's warmer." The stranger turned a saw a figure slowly stepping toward the fire. "I can open my eyes now," she proclaimed. "I can see." "Come closer," invited the fire builder. She did. She stepped into the ring of light. "It's so warm!" she extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass. "Come, everyone! Feel the warmth," she invited. "Silence, woman!" cried one of the cave dwellers. "Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us. Leave us and take your light with you." She turned to the stranger. "Why won't they come?" "They choose the chill, for though it's cold, it's what they know. They'd rather be cold than change." "And live in the dark?" "Yes, and live in the dark," he said. The now-warm woman stood silent. Looking first at the dark, then at the man. "Will you leave the fire?" he asked. She paused, and then answered, "I cannot. I cannot bear the cold." Then she spoke again. "But nor can I bear the thought of my people in darkness." "You don't have to," he responded, reaching into the fire and removing a stick. "Carry this to your people. Tell them the light is here, and the light is warm. Tell them the light is for all who desire it." And so she took the small flame and stepped into the shadows.

My brothers and sisters, we are all carriers of the light of God. We all can comfort, can love, and can heal through the power of Jesus Christ. When our service concludes tonight then, I would invite you all to take one of these t-light candles, to symbolically take your light of Christ into the darkness of this world. So in this season of Christmas then, let us cry out to God for healing, but let us be amongst each other, and let us bring forth the light of Christ to each other. For as the young woman’s t-shirt said, “sometimes God performs miracles, but the rest of the time he sends me.” Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - 3rd Sunday of Advent - 12/15/13 Sermon - “What will the Messiah look like?”

Sunday 12/15/13 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “What will the Messiah look like?”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 35:1-10

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: James 5:7-10

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 11:2-11

                            

          Greetings and God bless on this snowy Third Sunday of the Advent Season. This is the time of the year where we wait in hope and wonder for a baby named Jesus. We wait with joy, with peace, and with love. For some though, they wait with pain, with weariness, and the hope of being delivered. For many people in this time of the year then, they are struggling, and they desperately need the savior to come. We all come together then in this time of the year, with a swirl of emotions, feelings, and perspectives, awaiting the Christ-Child to come down from heaven.

          I have often wondered sometimes though, if people thought a lot about the appearance of the coming Messiah. This is to say, did the prophets of the Old Testament wonder what the Messiah would like? Would he look like the high priest or Pharisee of the Synagogue? Would he look like Abraham? Perhaps he would look like Moses? No, no another might say, “he will certainly look Jacob or Isaac.” Still another might say, “no, he will look just like King David.”

          You see in these ways, I wonder how many people thought such things about the coming Messiah? Perhaps they thought that he would be as tall as Goliath in the Old Testament, perhaps as brave as King David. Would he have dark hair? Would he have blonde hair? Would he have green eyes? Would he have brown eyes? “I bet he could lift a camel off the ground with his strength,” a child might exclaim.

          In many of our churches, just like this one we have portraits of Jesus. We have portraits of the Messiah, Immanuel, the King of Kings, yet we don’t actually know what Jesus really looked like. Of course for most of us, we think Jesus looked like the portrait in this church. For me, when I pray, I have to admit that this Jesus is often the one I imagine. Perhaps he had a much darker complexion than this though. Maybe he was really short?

          I can imagine that these and many more questions and thoughts swirled through the heads of the people of the Old Testament. I can imagine that the three wise men as they were in route to see the Christ-Child were thinking, just what will this baby look like?

          If you have never thought about this before, then I commend you, because I know that I have thought about this. Perhaps it is a good thing though that we don’t know what Jesus really looked like. In fact, what if he had a sloped head, unsightly facial features, and had terrible psoriasis?

I remember back when I was attending Potsdam College, that I tutored a student for a year from South Korea. His family was a Christian family, and they were so excited to celebrate their first Christmas in the United States. As all the decorations were being put up in their house, I noticed one day that the family had a portrait of Jesus. Yet in this portrait, Jesus looked Korean. You see they had an Asian Jesus portrait. Well, I finally asked my student one day, “why does your family have a Korean Jesus?” My student said, “because this is how we best understand Jesus in Korea.”

          I also remember when I was in my first semester of my seminary studies. I remember as I was learning that Jesus was from the area fairly near to Jerusalem. I remember thinking “don’t people have a really dark complexion in the Middle East?” I then was talking to the admissions counselor of the seminary one night, and I said to him, “how come we have blonde haired blue-eyes Jesus portrait in some of our churches, if he was from the Jerusalem area?” He then smiled and looked at me and said, “You mean Jesus isn’t Norwegian?”

          I then realized why my South Korean student Calvin had a Korean Jesus portrait. I then thought, perhaps we have created a Jesus portrait that makes a little more sense to us? The reality though, is that we will probably never know what Jesus will really looked like, until will leave this earth to be with the Lord.

          Due to this, I think that in this Advent Season, we have so much more wonder, we have so much more hope, in that the savior of the world is coming, and we might often say or think, “what will the Messiah look like?”

          When looking at our scripture readings for this morning we find the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, speaking of this coming Messiah. Whatever he may look like. The prophet Isaiah tell us that when the Messiah arrives, that “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom’ like the crocus is shall blossom abundantly.” Isaiah then continues on saying, “They shall see the glory the Lord, the majesty of our God,” and I wonder when people read these words, did they say, “what will the Messiah look like?”

          I mean it is only human nature. In fact, anyone that has been on a blind date, probably said, “well what do they look like?” Luckily I had never been on blind date before I met my Melissa. Yet I had heard stories in college of people that did go on blind dates. I remember a young guy that lived in one of the dormitories that I lived in, agreed to go on a blind date. You see one of the girls from the school had a friend that he had never met. She told the young the man countless great things about this girl. He was quite excited when he left the dormitory, but when returned later that night, he said, “It was not what I expected.” What if Jesus isn’t what we expect? Would we be disappointed like the young man who had a bad blind date?

          Yet the prophet Isaiah concludes today’s scripture by saying when the Lord comes, the people shall “obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighting shall flee away.”

          When looking at the Epistle of James, or the letter of James, James tells us, “Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord.” James then says, “The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.” Then James says, “You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord in near.”

          You see as people of Jerusalem awaited the birth of the Christ-Child, we will likely never know just what that baby looked like. Yet even though I wonder sometimes just what that baby looked like, I also wonder sometimes just what will Jesus look like when he returns to us. What will he look like when we see his face, after leaving this earth? The reality is we don’t know. Perhaps this adds to the excitement and the majesty of this Advent Season. For we await the Messiah, and we don’t he know what he will look like?

          When looking at our Gospel reading this morning from Saint Mathew, John the Baptist is in prison. You remember the guy covered in camel hair that ate grasshoppers and honey, and baptized Jesus Christ? Well King Herod put him jail for “preparing the way of the Lord.” In this reading it says, “When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciplines and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

          You see John the Baptist was in prison and doubted Jesus briefly in his despair, but he did at least know what the Messiah looked like. Jesus said to these disciples, “Go and tell John what you hear and what you see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” Jesus then said, “And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.” I wonder when Jesus healed the blind, did they wonder before they could see, and what will the Messiah look like? When the blind opened there eyes, was he what they expected, or were they disappointed? Jesus then says quoting the prophet Malachi in the Old Testament, and says, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” Jesus then closes this gospel reading by saying, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom is greater than he.”

          Jesus is coming down from heaven soon my brothers and sisters. He will come to us as baby, a baby that we will probably never know the appearance of. He came to John the Baptist as man, and John the Baptist knew what he looked like, and we probably ever will. Well, we won’t until we leave this earth to be with Jesus.

In closing this service, I would like to tell a Christmas story. This story is called “The Gold Wrapping Paper.” Here is how it goes, “Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he punished his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had used up the family's only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.”

“As money was tight, he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve he saw that the child had used all of the expensive gold paper to decorate one shoebox she had put under the Christmas tree. He also was concerned about where she had gotten money to buy what was in the shoebox.” Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, "This is for you, Daddy!"

“As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, now regretting how he had punished her.”

“But when he opened the shoebox, he found it was empty and again his anger flared.”Don't you know, young lady," he said harshly, "when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside the package!"

“The little girl looked up at him with sad tears rolling from her eyes and whispered: "Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all full."

“The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his precious little girl. He begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.”

The story then says, “An accident took the life of the child only a short time later. It is told that the father kept this little gold box by his bed for all the years of his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems, he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love of this beautiful child who had put it there.” 
          You see in this Advent Season, we await a savior that is like the gold box that the little girl gave her father. We know Jesus is special, when know he will come down and be wrapped in love like the golden wrapping paper in the story, but our mystery is what did he look like? While the box of the manger was very much full, we might never know what the Lord looks like until we meet the Lord. Until then he sends us love, joy, peace, and yes maybe even some imaginary kisses. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - 2nd Sunday of Advent - 12/08/13 Sermon - “Preparing the way of the Lord”

Sunday 12/08/13 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Preparing the way of the Lord”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Romans 15:4-13

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 3:1-12

                            

          Greetings and God bless on this the Second Sunday of the Advent Season! This season in the Christian Calendar, were we are preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ. That birth that happened so many years ago, that ushered in a new era of human history. Yet before this birth, were the B.C. years, or the Before Christ years. In these years people awaited the Messiah, and had hope that he would come. As I will talk about next week, some might have even wondered what the Messiah would like when he would come. In this sense, in a world of pain, of suffering, and of chaos, when would the Messiah come to change and restore this world, countless people cried out?

          In this season, we all know that the savior has been born already so many years ago, but we will still await his birth symbolically, as we seek to recapture the hope, the joy, the peace, and the grace that came down from heaven so many years ago. That Jesus didn’t just come down to die for us, but that he also came down to be among us. You see, in this season of Advent, we prepare for love itself to come down from heaven, to take on flesh, and to guide us. I don’t know about you, but this is a birthday party worth celebrating, as Christmas, is a large birthday party for Jesus.

In this season then, we not only celebrate the coming of the savior, but we celebrate what the savior gave us, and continues to give us. That Jesus Christ walked among us. That Jesus Christ was born as a fragile infant, because he loved us so much. In this way, Jesus Christ will die for us when he is older, but he will be amongst us for 33-years before he goes to the cross, and then is raised from the dead three days later.

          In this season of Advent therefore, we prepare for a savior that the hymn, “Oh, come let us adore him” speaks of. Far beyond just dying for us then, the living God will suffer with us. He will walk with us, he will talk with us, he will hunger, he will thirst, and he will lead in the ways of justice and righteousness.

          In this way, we are awaiting the celebration, the birthday party, of our Lord and savior that occurs on December, 25^{th every year}. In this season of Advent then, let us take stock of our blessings, and prepare to celebrate the God who is coming.

          For many of us, this season in the Christian calendar is a happy time, a joyous time, a time of family, a time of renewal, and a time of rebirth. While for some of us though, this time of year is a hard, a lonely time, and a challenging time of the year. You know though, I find it interesting that every year on New Year’s Eve, that many of us make New Year’s resolutions. We are determined to change, to turn from bad things, and to turn to good things. In this way, the birth of the Jesus Christ, gives us the opportunity for renewing our faith, to change, and to make new spiritual resolutions. Beyond just ourselves, it also offers us new opportunities for God to use us, to lead others to Jesus Christ. You see in this Advent Season, let us seek to “prepare the way of the Lord.” Let us seek to tell people about the coming birth of the Lord, and why it is so important now and forever. Let us seek to explain to all people, who the Christ-Child truly was and who Christ still is today.

          When looking at the reading this morning from Psalm 72, it says, “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.” God the king of the universe, is about to send his one and only son to be among us. The Psalm continues, “May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.” The savior of world is coming to teach us to love each other, to feed the poor, and to clothe the naked. The Psalm continues even further, “May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.” We know that the child, Jesus Christ, who is coming to be among us soon, overcame all evil, overcame this earth, and overcame the grave itself.

          When looking at the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, or the letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul tells the church in Rome, that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we have hope.” Our hope my brothers and sisters is in Jesus Christ our Lord, who very soon is coming down to be born, to lay in a manger, and to teach us a new way of being. The Apostle Paul then encourages the church in Rome to live in harmony, and to “with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

          Then the Apostle Paul then says this, “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” The Apostle Paul concludes this scripture by saying “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the power of the Holy Spirit.” In this season of Advent as we prepare for the birth of Christ, may we be filled with hope, joy, and peace.

          In looking at the gospel reading from Mathew from this morning, we hear the story of John the Baptist. For John the Baptist was the one who “prepared the way of the Lord.” As we should continue to seek to do in this Advent Season, and in doing so we likewise are “preparing the way of the Lord.”

John the Baptist himself was a simple man, a man of and called by God. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness in Judea. Some might have thought him crazy. For he lived in the wilderness alone, he wore an outfit of camel hair, and ate nothing but locusts or grasshoppers and honey. This very eccentric man who lived in the wilderness, who ate grasshoppers and honey was called by God to call people to repentance. He was called to tell them to turn from evil and from darkness. He said that kingdom of God is near. He said that the Messiah is coming very soon. He then started baptizing people in Jordan River, to spiritually cleanse them of spiritual impurities. Even the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the Jordan River for John the Baptist to baptize them, but when they did, John the Baptist said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance.”

          John the Baptist goes on to say, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John the Baptist concludes this gospel reading by saying, “His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

          You see John the Baptist, like us should be challenged in this Advent Season to “prepare the way of the Lord.” Many of also know that one day that John the Baptist was in the river baptizing, that he saw Christ approaching. You see without ever meeting or seeing Jesus Christ, John the Baptist said in the gospel of John 1:29, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

          John the Baptist’s purpose, his calling on this earth, was to the “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Are we in this Advent Season just excited about the birth of Christ, or are we also telling others all that Christ is coming to do and continues to do for us? Are we ourselves, “preparing the way of the Lord?”

I would like to close this morning with a story called, Mr. Smith, by Betty Killebrew. Here is how it goes, “This morning a man came into the office where I work to transact some business with us. He was a slight fellow and had a little trouble pushing in our heavy front door; but other than that, he seemed pretty chipper.”

“Mr. Smith (his actual name) was cheerful and businesslike and extremely likeable. We chatted for a few minutes and he mentioned that people had been telling him to retire for a long time, but he thought the Lord would tell him when it was time. I learned that he is already retired from a factory position but buys and renovates little houses. The fact that he had already retired from a factory was not surprising because he looked to be around seventy years old—but when I asked his age, he told me he was 89.”

“This old gentleman mentioned to me that he had suffered from a heart attack followed by surgery and then by a stroke only last year—and on the day his heart became more painful than he could endure, he drove himself to the hospital. Apparently, at the hospital he mentioned that he had his car in the parking lot and would be going home when they were done with him. The nurses told him they wanted to talk it over with his doctor first.”

“By the time he went to surgery, his heart was in such bad shape that he remembers little of the next couple of weeks, but he says that his heart was so bad it wasn’t really even a heart anymore. He says that during his surgery every artery was either replaced or stinted and that his heart was repaired with numerous patches.”

“After the fact, his heart doctor told him that he had “died on the table” and that he and the other doctor in the operating room had tried everything to bring him back. When the heart surgeon gave up, he pulled the sheet over this old man’s head and went out to tell the nurses—but when he came back into the room, Mr. Smith had grasped the sheet in a fist and pulled it off of his face. The old man chuckled as he told me that the doctor told him he had said, “Don’t ever do that to me again,” but he says the doctor is a character and he thought that was just a tall tale.”

“However, the fact remains that the Lord spared this old fellow for some reason, which of course is known only to Him; but if he always cheers people up and gives them faith and hope as he did for me today, that may be the purpose the Lord had in mind. To me Mr. Smith was the blessing of the day.”

“When I told him he made my day brighter, he replied, “Everyone needs some “up” now and then.” He says he’s had a good life because there were always such good people around him throughout his lifetime. He particularly mentioned his mother and his wife, saying he couldn’t say which one was the best woman.”

“To someone like me who fully understands how important the people in your life are to your happiness, I was impressed when he articulated the sentiment. In fact, I’d like to say that all in all, I’m very grateful to God for sending Mr. Smith to the office today. He was carrying a dose of good cheer that I really needed.”

In the same way my brothers and sisters, let us in this Advent Season, let people know about the ultimate “Mr. Smith,” Jesus Christ. Let us “prepare the way of the Lord,” in this Advent Season. Amen.