Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - First Sunday after Christmas - 12/31/17 - Sermon - “Our Jewish Roots"

Sunday 12/31/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Our Jewish Roots”

Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Galatians 4:4-7

Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:22-40

          Once again, Merry Christmas, as we still are in the season of Christmas! This Sunday, also once again, is the First Sunday after Christmas. This twelve day season of Christmas will end this Friday January 5^th. So through this Friday, it is perfectly ok to still say Merry Christmas!

          Next Saturday, January 6^th, is the holiday of the Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Magi or the Wise Men to Jesus, with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This holiday also celebrates the incarnation or the divine nature of Jesus Christ, being both the fullness of God and the fullness of a human. Next Sunday, January 7^th, is the Baptism of the Lord Sunday, as this is the day that the church celebrates Jesus Christ getting baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

          So next Sunday then is a combination of sorts, as we have the Epiphany, or the visit of the Magi or Wise Men, and the Baptism of the Lord. Since I am off next Sunday, I will leave it to our guest preacher, Pastor John Aukema, to figure out how to preach in the same sermon, on the Wise Men coming to young Christ, and Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River at the age of 30.

          With all of this said, of the many events that occurred in 2017 that were especially troubling for me, one was the protests that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia. Do we remember these protests? They included protesting Confederate/Civil War Monuments, and someone was even killed. Specifically though, I want to talk about the White Supremacists and the Neo-Nazis that were protesting. I remember literally watching men and women wear Nazi uniforms protesting. These were the same uniforms that were worn by many to ravage Europe with war, to kill millions of Jews and other innocents, and that killed thousands of our country men and women in World War II.

          Among the many grossly offensive things that these White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis conveyed, including extreme racism and hatred, was Anti-Semitism. What is Anti-Semitism? Anti-Semitism is hatred or prejudice towards Jews. When interviewed however, many of these White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis proclaimed themselves to be Christians. While this is true, they also espoused racism, hatred, and Anti-Semitism. The title of my sermon this morning, is called “our Jewish roots”.

          To start with a question then, out of curiosity, has anyone here ever known someone who was Anti-Semitic, or anti-Jew? I have, and I still do. Most of the people in fact, that I know that were or are Anti-Semitic, or anti-Jew, also claim at the same time to be Christians. So these people love God, believe in Jesus, but are at the same time Anti-Semitic, or anti-Jew. I have heard such people tell me things such as, “Jesus wasn’t Jewish, and instead he was killed by the Jews”. There has been an effort throughout history to separate Christianity from Judaism. Some have argued that the Jewish religious leaders were to blame for Jesus’ death, and therefore it’s perfectly acceptable to be Anti-Semitic or anti-Jew.

          Every year in our lectionary scriptures we are generally given a gospel reading on the First Sunday after Christmas about Jesus going through some Jewish initiation and or religious rituals. You see Jesus Christ was a Jew. All of Jesus’s twelve disciples were Jews. Christianity, before it was called Christianity, was a movement within Judaism, called “The Way”. Not until the term “Christian” was coined in the city of Antioch, in the Book of Acts 11, did the word Christian even exist. “The Way” of God, “The Way” of the Messiah was at first an exclusively Jewish movement. This means in very early Christianity, it was a movement within Judaism that was open only to Jews.

          This all then changed in the Book of Acts, when the Apostle Paul was called by Jesus Christ to bring the truth of the gospel of the gentiles, or non-Jews. The Apostle Paul is sometimes called the Apostle to the gentiles.

Also in the Book of Acts, was a disagreement over who can believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul successfully convinced the Apostle Peter and others in the church in Jerusalem to accept gentiles, or non-Jews into the church. The Apostle Paul won this battle, and today the gospel and the Christian Church is world-wide, not just a movement within Judaism.

          When this occurred probably within 20-30 years of Christ’s death and resurrection, Christianity and Judaism began to grow distinctly separate and more different. Yet, while this is true, Christianity comes from Judaism. Jesus was a Jew, his parents Mary and Joseph were Jews, and as I said, all of Jesus’ disciples were Jews. In the bibles that most Protestant Christians use, we have 39-books of scripture written in the Old Testament. Our Old Testament as we call it, is the Hebrew or Jewish Bible. The first five books of the Bible is called the “Torah”. The Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, while written over centuries, existed long before Jesus Christ was ever born.

          The Jews even to this day, often read their scriptures on scrolls that roll out, instead of in a bound book. Within the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, we have characters like Abraham, Moses, Noah, King David, the Prophet Isaiah, and the Prophet Ezekiel. What do all these Books of Scripture have in common? All of these Books of Scripture were written by Jews. All of the figures that I just cited from the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible were also all Jews. So the authorship and the figures in the Old Testament connected to the God of Israel were all Jews.

          In addition to all of this, the prophetic claims of a coming Messiah or savior in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible were written by Jews. The scripture that we read on Christmas Eve from the Prophet Isaiah, about the coming of the Messiah, was written by a Jew. When Jesus went into the Jewish Synagogue and read from the Isaiah scroll about the coming of the Messiah, and then said today this has come true, Jesus was declaring that the Jewish prophecy of the coming savior or Messiah had come true in him. In fact, the actual scripture says in Luke 4:17-21, in which Jesus was asked to read from the Isaiah scroll, the following:

“and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”

(Lk. 4:17-21, NRSV).

          In this scripture, Jesus read from the Jewish Book or scroll of Isaiah, and then proclaimed himself as the Messiah, or the savior of Israel and the world. I tell you all of this, to say this, if you claim to be a Christian, and are at the same time, anti-Jew or Anti-Semitic, then you clearly have no solid understanding of the Bible or the Historic Christian faith. This is to say, if one is truly a Christian and believes the prophecies in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible, and if you believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah or the savior, then you simply cannot be anti-Jew or Anti-Semitic. I mean can a person be anti-Jew or Anti-Semitic? Sure they can, but if they are, they have a massive historical, theological, and biblical problem to contend with. Further, if we hate any group of people, or any persons in general, that is also unbiblical. We are not called to hate, but rather we are called to love.

          So you see, if Jesus was descended from the great King David, and if he was even born in King David’s home city of Bethlehem, then it was important that Jesus was a direct decedent of a Jewish king named David. In fact, the Old Testament Jewish prophets foretold that the Messiah, that Jesus Christ would be born in Bethlehem, again the decedent of a Jewish king.

          The connection and affinity therefore, between Christianity and Judaism is simply undeniable. Part of this affinity and connection extends to the current Israeli/Palestinian Crisis. This of course the crisis over the State of Israel and the fate Palestinian people. Should a Christian then support the Jewish country or state of Israel? Or should a Christian support the Palestinian people. I personally am a strong supporter of the country or State of Israel, but I also support the creation of a free and independent Palestine for the Palestinians. Ex-present Jimmy Carter, was also a stalwart for what has been called “a two-state solution”, as well. This is the belief that Jews and the Palestinians can both have their own sovereign and independent countries.

          Our scriptures this morning come to us from the Old Testament or Jewish Hebrew Bible Prophet Isaiah, and from Book of Galatians. The Apostle Paul, a former Jew and convert to Christianity. wrote his epistle or letter to the Galatians.

          In our gospel reading from the gospel of Luke for this morning, Jesus experiences Jewish rites and rituals.

          The gospel of Luke reading for this morning begins with:

“When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”

(Lk. 2:22-24, NRSV).

          So, Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ Jewish parents are taking baby Jesus to complete the rituals and customs laid out in the first five books of the bible called the “Torah”. In fact, the gospel reading says the “law of Moses,” as Mary and Joseph followed Jewish Law, as laid out in the Torah. Jesus is then presented at the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, before the Lord, as was required in Jewish Law. Mary and Joseph then made an animal sacrifice, that according Jewish Law had to be “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”.

          So baby Jesus, with his Jewish parents, go to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, to follow the Jewish Law for their son Jesus.

          After this in the scripture, a man named Simeon came into the temple, who was also Jew, and claimed that Jesus was the savior or the Messiah. The Prophet Anna, from the Jewish tribe of Asher, one the twelve tribes of Israel, then enters into this gospel reading. The Prophet Anna according to this morning’s gospel of Luke reading:

“never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem”

(Lk. 2:37b-38, NRSV).

          So Simeon and the Prophet Anna both see baby Jesus, and praise him as the Messiah, the savior, and the savior for all people, Simeon said. After this, Mary and Joseph took young Jesus back to Nazareth, and he grew up there. He likely worked with his father learning carpentry or masonry, and probably grew up learning and reading the Jewish scriptures that we call the Old Testament.

          The reality my friends, my brothers and sisters is this, Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism. Christianity today, has as many as 2.4-2.5 billion adherents worldwide, whereas Judaism has about 30-million worldwide. Judaism is significantly smaller that Christianity. Yet, we have this combined history and affinity.

Given this, what do “our Jewish roots” mean to you? Further, how do “our Jewish roots” effect your view of the Jews, Judaism, the country of Israel, the Palestinians, and etc. It is undeniable as I said, that Christianity and Judaism are closely linked. The question for all us to consider then, is we do with “our Jewish roots?” Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Christmas Eve - 12/24/17 - 4:00 PM/7:00 PM - Sermon - “What is Hope for you?" ("The Hope of Christmas" Series - Part 5 of 5)

Sunday 12/24/17 (4:00 PM/7:00 PM)

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “What is hope for you?”

(“The Hope of Christmas” Series – Part 5 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Titus 2:11-14

Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:1-20

          Friends, sisters and brothers in Christ, once again Merry Christmas to all! Well actually Christmas Eve, but at Midnight we can officially say Merry Christmas!

          This holiday of Christmas is one that millions and even billions of people have celebrated for nearly 2,000 years. This holiday is one massive, awesome, and epic birthday party. This holiday celebrates the birth of the one named Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the savior of the world.

          What started as a humble holiday celebrating our Lord and Savior, who was born poor and humble in a manger, has turned into a massive commercial enterprise. We rush, we buy, we send, we wrap, we prepare, we buy decorations, we decorate, oh and did I forget the tree?

          I don’t know about you, but I love the decorations, the tree, and the lights of the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Yet, I know so many that see the season of Advent, and as of midnight tonight Christmas, as one big marathon. They have told me, “You know Pastor Paul, Christmas was fun when I was a kid, but now it’s just a flat out sprint”. Some people have told me that need a Christmas just to get over the stress and exhaustion of the actual Christmas.

          In addition to this, we are closing in on the end of the 2017. While there have been many joy this year, such as the opening of a new ALDI, there have also been a lot of hardships. We have seen devastating hurricanes, wild fires, shootings, political corruption, and so on and so forth. Within all of this though, for nearly 2,000 years the people called Christians, or followers of Christ have drawn “Hope” from Christ, from this birth narrative, and from who he was and still is.

          Let’s be honest though for just a minute, how many of us right now are feeling tired out tonight? Anyone here feel like that they have been on a treadmill? Oh and by the way the way you still have gifts to wrap, things to do, and ahhhh! I would invite you in this time and in this place to just take a deep breath. Breath in and hold it for a few seconds, and then breathe out the “Hope” that is in Jesus Christ and his gospel.

          So we all are gathered here on this Christmas Eve, as many of us have done many times before. Some of us like to come to the Christmas Eve service, because it’s pretty, we light candles, and it’s Jesus birthday. Everyone loves a baby, right?

          We gather for different reasons, we are different ages, we have different wants and needs, our health might not be the same as the person sitting next to us, and our burdens might be varied. Yet, we are all gathered here on this Christmas Eve, 2017.

          Amidst all that the season of Advent and Christmas are, as well as all that has happened in 2017, I have a question for us all. The question is this, “What is “Hope” for you?” Meaning as you sit here tonight, what are you “Hoping” for? What in your life brings you a sense of “Hope”?

          Since I am a nerd, I am going to read to you the definition of “Hope” from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. According to this online dictionary, “Hope” can defined as:

1. “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true”.

2: “to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment”.

3: “to expect with confidence” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hope).

        “Hope” then, can be a desire, something that we anticipate, or something that we want to happen or to be true. “Hope” can be something that we expect to be obtained and or to be fulfilled. “Hope” can also be something that we can expect with confidence. 

        So again my friends, on this our Christmas Eve, 2017 “What is Hope for you”? Is your “Hope” contained in your bank account? Is your “Hope” your children and or grandchildren? Is your “Hope” that the world can be a better place? Is your “Hope” world peace? Is you “Hope” for reconciliation with a family member, friend, and or a spouse? Is your “Hope” something else?

        What I do know my friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ, especially in being very young and not knowing a lot, is without “Hope,” life is bleak. If we have no “Hope,” if we have no sense of expectation in anything, then life seems dreary and bland. Some people have asked me before, “Pastor Paul, what do you know about hope anyway?” To which I replied many times: “I know what hope is, I am a Chicago Cubs fan”!

        Where then can we find and draw “Hope” from? For me my main source of “Hope” is from God through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. You see, I believe in an eternal and an everlasting God that created the universe, the heavens, this earth, and all of us. I also believe that same God so loved us, that he sent his only son to be born and to be among us. Many of us know the story that Jesus died on a cross for our sins. Some of us see it as a sort bank transaction that occurred. We see that Jesus did something for us, we then either accept it or reject it. From there, maybe we move on with our lives.

        For nearly the last 2,000 years however, Christians from all over the world, in variety of languages, climates, cultures, men, women, and children, have gathered on Christmas Eve. We have gathered in part because it is our tradition, because mom told us that we have to, but many have and continue to gather with “Hope”. Many have and continue to gather to grow their sense of “Hope”.

        How can a baby, named Jesus or Immanuel, which is “God with us” inspire any “Hope” in us at all? Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, the Lord of life, was born of a teenage mother, who was poor. He was born in stable or perhaps a cave depending on what was actually available. He wasn’t exceptional in society, yet his life, his teachings, his love, his mercy, his justice, and his “Hope” continues to change this world every day through us.

        Jesus Christ is the one who is coming to us, God wrapped in flesh, who will change this world forever. He is the one who will teach us a new way of life, love, and light. He is the sovereign Lord over all of creation that has and will continue to change the world.

        The desire and the need for “Hope” I believe is great right now in our world. How can we draw “Hope” from Jesus Christ? How can we draw hope from who Jesus Christ was on the this earth, from the Christ that will return to earth one day in glory, and the Christ that we can call upon to come into our lives in us daily.

        The world that Jesus was born into, was in some ways a brutal and an unforgiving world. The people of Israel/Palestine were living under the occupation of the Roman Empire. They desired, they expected a Messiah, a Christ, to deliver them from the hardship and suffering of their lives.

        About 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ that we celebrate tonight, the prophet Isaiah wrote with “Hope” and expectation about the coming of the Messiah, of Jesus Christ. The prophet wrote:

“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” (Isa. 9:2, NRSV).

Light is coming says the Prophet Isaiah. He then goes on to say of this coming Messiah, this Christ that:

“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. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Isa. 9:6b-7, NRSV).

Do you feel a sense of “Hope” when you hear these words? I know that I do.

          Yet our world still has so much suffering, pain, and hardship. Are we to have “Hope” merely from the Prophet Isaiah’s words alone? No, we have a part to play in the story of “Hope”. We have to live “Hope”.

          Tonight in our reading from the Apostle Paul’s epistle or letter to Titus, he tells us:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Ti. 2:11-13, NRSV).

        In the reading for tonight from the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus, I am not hearing that were are to just have faith. I am also hearing about how are supposed to live.

        I have great “Hope” in the birth, life, death, resurrection, and return of Christ, but I also have “Hope” in what Christ has called me and you to do in the world each and every day. To know Jesus Christ then, to believe in him, his power, his grace, his authority, and his love, is to know “Hope” like never before. It’s the idea that in the end of everything, Jesus and his gospel win. Evil losses and love wins. How can we better love our neighbors, and what can we do each and every day to live “Hope”?

        Many of us know the gospel of Luke narrative on the birth of Christ for tonight. Many of know that the decree from Emperor Augustus went out to have a population count or census (Lk. 2:1, NRSV). Many of us know that Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, as Joseph was returning to his place of birth to be counted in the census (Lk. 2:4, NRSV). Many of us know that Joseph was a decedent of King David.

        I would guess that we all know that when Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem that there was no room at the inn or the hotel for Mary to give birth. All of us, I am sure, know looking at any manger scene that we have in our home or have seen, that Jesus was born in a manger, and was wrapped in swaddling clothes (Lk. 2:6-7, NRSV). Then the shepherds or tenders of the flocks of sheep in nearby fields were told of the birth of this Christ-child, the savior of the world (Lk. 2:8-12, NRSV). The gospel reading says:

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Lk. 2:13-14, NRSV).

The Shepherds then came and saw the Christ-child, and in Luke’s gospel, the Wise Men came with Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh (Lk. 2:15-20, NRSV).

          So many of us then know this story. We see it acted out in church Christmas Pageants, many of us have Nativity sets or scenes of our own in our own homes. This is the narrative, the story of a savior that has, is, and continues to come among us. A savior just like us, just like you, just like me, who understand us, experienced hardship like us, and loves us so much. This savior not only wants to be in relationship with us, but this savior also calls us to go out into the world every single day and live as he lived. He has called us to love as he loved, to serve as he served, and to be “Hope” to all the world in his name. When we do this, I believe we can find “Hope” like never before.

I pray that this night, tomorrow on Christmas Day, and every day for you after, is a day of “Hope”. I pray that you can find a congregation like this if you don’t have one that lives out that “Hope”, love, truth, grace, and mercy, each and every day. I pray that grow closer to Jesus Christ, his gospel, his love, his mercy, and yes his abundant “Hope”. May we share that “Hope” and love now and forever. Amen.

         

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Fourth Sunday of Advent - 12/24/17 - 9:00 AM - Sermon - “The power when Hope comes" ("The Hope of Christmas" Series - Part 4 of 5)

Sunday 12/24/17 (9:00 AM)

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “The power when Hopes comes”

(“The Hope of Christmas” Series – Part 4 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Romans 16:25-27

Gospel Lesson: Luke 1:26-38

          Welcome again, my friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ, on this our Christmas Eve morning. I have never led a worship service on Christmas Eve morning before, so this is an exciting experience for me!

          Over the last year of our lives, many of us have witnessed and or have seen on television or in the newspapers many disasters and tragedies. This year has seen some of the most severe hurricanes in many years. We have had wild fires that were and are continuing to be record breaking. We have had small and mass shootings. We have had political corruption, scandals, and so forth. This has been a year that I bet many of you wish was already over. We did have a new I-Phone come out though, and a new ALDI in Cortland open.

          As Christians though, we find ourselves in another Advent seasons, and as of mid-night, we will find ourselves in the twelve-day season of Christmas. Traditionally, the season of Advent was seen as a time of spiritual preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This was a season of joy, wonder, love, cheer, peace, and “Hope”. How can we find anew then the “Hope of Christmas” on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, which within hours of right now will become Christmas Eve? This question is what I have been endeavoring into in my sermon series this Advent, on “The Hope of Christmas”. Where do we find “Hope,” especially if we are feeling like there isn’t much hope?

          So far in this sermon series, I have discussed “The Hope of the promised Messiah,” “Preparing the way for Hope,” and last Sunday, “Expecting Hope”. This Sunday, I want to talk about “The Power when hope comes”.

 As Christians we have the promised birth of Christ, the promised power of Christ that can enter our hearts daily, and the promised return or “Second Coming” of Christ. We can draw “Hope” from this. From this we can be forgiven, we can receive salvation, and therefore can have eternal “Hope”. We also can go out into this world and share our “Hope” with others. This means teaching, healing loving, feeding, forgiving, clothing, transforming, and making the world into all that Jesus Christ called us to make it into.

          This morning as I said, my sermon is called “The power when Hope comes”. So I have a question for us all to start: How many of us have ever ordered something or have waited to receive a birthday and or Christmas gift? Not just any old thing or gift, but something that we really wanted and hoped for. We hoped it would come, we just knew it would come! Has anyone ever had an experience like this before?

          In 1983, one of my now favorite Christmas movies named “A Christmas Story” came out. In this movie, the young character “Ralphie” desperately wants for Christmas a “Red Rider BB Gun”. The character “Ralphie” day dreams about his hopeful new “Red Rider BB Gun”. He asks Santa for one, he writes an essay about it, and he leaves hints over and over for his parents. Yet, young “Ralphie” is constantly told about getting his “Red Ryder BB Gun,” “You’ll shoot your eye out kid” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Story)!

          For those of you that have seen this movie, young “Ralphie” does indeed get his “Red Rider BB Gun”. He then promptly goes into the back yard, shoots the gun, and the BB bounces off something and hits him near the eye. He almost quite literally “shot his eye out”!

          This time of the year, for many children at least, is a time of great hope. I remember the excitement of Christmas Eve, and waiting for Santa. We used to put milk and cookies out for Santa, and Carrots out for the reindeer. When I awoke the next morning, some of the cookies were eaten, the milk was gone, and some of the carrots were eaten. I was excited on every Christmas morning that what I had “Hoped” for so long finally came.

          What happens when that thing that we “Hope” for actually arrives? What do we do when we get our “Red Rider BB Gun,” or whatever else we have been pining for? Further, how we can take those feelings of hope and excitement that have now or have had in the past, and then transfer them to the birth of Christ and his gospel of “Hope”?

          Well number one, I believe that we need to truly believe that Jesus Christ, is the savior of the world who was born among us. Tonight and tomorrow we will celebrate not an actual birth, but the memory of one. Do we truly believe that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, born of a virgin, who entered into this world? Do we believe further, that this Jesus Christ loved, healed, forgave, and died for us? Do we believe even further, that he rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and will return again in glory? This is a great sense of “Hope” and joy. With this “Hope” we can be “recharged” and “renewed” to then go out into the world and live like we truly have “Hope”. We can feed the hungry, clothe the naked, love others, and transform the world. For without “Hope” what do we have?

          This morning in our gospel of Luke reading we know for certain that Hope is on the way. This morning we know “The power when Hope comes”. This morning we have a narrative of young Mary being told that she is carrying the Messiah, the Christ-child. Mary is a peasant girl, who may have only been 14-years old, yet she is going to be Mary, the mother of God. Let’s look again at this gospel reading that shows us, “The power when Hope comes”. This reading from the gospel of Luke begins with:

^“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

(Lk. 1:26-33, NRSV).

          First off, you will notice that this gospel reading begins with telling us the words, “In the sixth month”. Before this reading, in the previous verses of the gospel of Luke, we hear about Elizabeth giving birth to John the Baptist. It says in the gospel of Luke that Elizabeth stayed in seclusion after the birth of John the Baptist for 5-months. The angel Gabriel then appeared to young Mary 6-months after the birth of John the Baptist. So when in the year, as far as the season, was this angelic vision or annunciation seen and made to Mary?

          Well, what we know from scripture is this, the angel Gabriel appeared to Elizabeth’s husband Zacharias 15-months prior to Mary having her vision from the Angel Gabriel. From dates and facts from the Talmud and other sources, some scholars think that John the Baptist’s father Zacharias received his vision from the angel Gabriel in June. When you add these fifteen months up, and a likely nine-month pregnancy, most scholars would think that Christ was born in the late summer or the early fall. So while we admit to not having the exact date of Christ’s birth correct, it happened, and so we have “Hope”.

          As far as the rest of this gospel reading, does this visit from the Angel Gabriel give Mary “Hope”? Let’s find out. The gospel goes on to say:

“Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her”

(Lk. 1:34-38, NRSV).

          So Mary, while clearly frightened and overwhelmed, had faith, and the news seems to have given her “Hope”. On this morning we know that “Hope” is now coming and is here. What does that “Hope” do for us? How does the power of “Hope” change us? Does it change us?

          Lastly, what does the gospels not have in them that I would love to read? I would love to hear Mary telling her parents about this story of the Angel Gabriel visiting her. I wonder if they believed her right away. I can see her father looking very stressed and angry at his teenaged daughter and saying “you mean to tell me tell me that God did this?” I can only imagine her conversation about this with Joseph. I can only imagine how people in Nazareth began to treat her, as an unwed pregnant teenager? Yet the gospels say that Mary had great “Hope”. You see, Mary knew that “Hope” itself was in her belly, and this gave her abundant “Hope”.

          My brothers and sisters “Hope” is coming, “Hope” is here. Don’t let this world and all that it is drag you down. Live the “Hope” of Jesus Christ and his gospel, and be the Christmas miracle for others that you were called to be. Amen.

Freeville UMC - Blue Christmas/Longest Night Service - Thursday 12/21/17 Sermon - “Why we gather tonight"

Thursday 12/21/17 Blue Christmas/Longest Night Sermon - Freeville UMC

Sermon Title: “Why we gather tonight”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 80:1-7

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Hebrews 10:32-39

Gospel Lesson: John 16:31-33

          Friends, sisters and brothers in Christ, welcome once again on this our Blue Christmas or Longest Night service. For some of you, this might be your first ever Blue Christmas or Longest Night Service. Perhaps some of you have also been intrigued and curious as to why we have this specific service of worship, especially during the Advent and soon to be Christmas seasons. So why do we even have a Blue Christmas or Longest Night Service?

          Well according to www.umcdiscipleship.org, this service and other services like this, are done for these reasons:

“Blue? Yes, blue as in the blues. As in "I am feeling blue." Not everyone is up and cheery for the Christmas holidays. Dealing with the death of a loved one, facing life after divorce or separation, coping with the loss of a job, living with cancer or some other dis-ease that puts a question mark over the future, and a number of other human situations make parties and joviality painful for many people in our congregations and communities. There is a growing attentiveness to the needs of people who are blue at Christmas. Increasing numbers of churches are creating sacred space for people living through dark times. Such services are reflective, accepting where we really are, and holding out healing and hope. Some churches hold a service of worship on the longest night of the year, which falls on or about December 21st, the Winter Solstice. There is an interesting convergence for this day as it is also the traditional feast day for Saint Thomas the Apostle. This linkage invites making some connections between Thomas's struggle to believe the tale of Jesus' resurrection, the long nights just before Christmas, and the struggle with darkness and grief faced by those living with loss” (https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/blue-christmaslongest-night-worship-with-those-who-mourn).

          With all of this said though friends, this service is also a stopping point, a breather, a deep breath in a busy and a sometimes chaotic season. Do you have to be going through a terrible time in your life to come to this service? Of course not. Everyone is welcomed to this service, and I pray that this service has and continues to be a time where you can feel whatever it is you need to feel. Some of us have lit candles, and some of us have spoken why we were lighting a candle. Maybe we have had a loss, maybe we are struggling, or may we are feeling “blue”. Or maybe we just needed a little stopping off point in this busy season of Advent and soon to be Christmas.

          As my sermon title says, this is “Why we gather tonight”. We gather because I am broken, because you are broken, but the God of the universe remains unbroken. In our humanness we often call out to God, to Jesus, asking for healing, and wholeness. We come tonight, to pray these prayers and others, but we also come as the Church of Jesus Christ. As Christ’s Church, we laugh together, we cry together, we move together, we grieve together, and we live and grow our faith together. There are times in the life of the church therefore, that are most joyous and upbeat, but tonight is a more somber time. Tonight is a night to reconnect with God, and maybe with each other. May this night then, be a night where we reveal to God our true selves, our broken selves, our real selves. The only thing that can truly fill that void that is in our hearts and souls, is the love and grace of God found through Jesus Christ. Tonight, on this longest and this darkest night of the year, may we seek the light, life, and love of Christ. We come together, we gather in the darkness, in the cold. Together we mourn, pray, light candles, and put our hope in Jesus Christ. This hope is also not only individual, but we do this as the church.

          Even though we have many scriptures in both the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, some of these scriptures speak of our mourning, pain, and suffering.

          In our reading tonight from Psalm 80, for example, we hear this pain. The Psalmist writes in 80:7:

“Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved”

(Ps. 80:7, NRSV).

I think the reality is that we all need a little saving. We all are broken, and we all need the healing grace of God, through Jesus Christ. Also, the great thing about our Holy Scriptures is that we have all the moods of humanity contained within them. Within our scriptures we have great joy, surprise, fear, sorrow, and etc.

          In our reading from Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrews for tonight, we hear of suffering. Particularly we hear the Apostle Paul talking about those who have suffered for their Christian faith, and for living the love of Christ. The Apostle Paul writes:

“you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,  sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 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”

(Heb. 10:32b-36, NRSV).

          Friends, sisters and brothers in Christ, either we are suffering tonight, we have suffered, or we will likely suffer at some point in the future. Amidst all of this, this is “Why we gather tonight”. We gather to call upon the power of God, the love of Christ, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.

          In tonight’s gospel reading from the gospel of John, it says:

“Jesus answered them, “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!”

(Jn. 16:31-33, NRSV).

          In this gospel reading, Jesus was telling his disciples, the twelve people that he hand chose to follow him, that all but one would abandon him. These twelve men that said that they loved Jesus, the twelve who had sworn allegiance to Jesus and called him Lord, would disown him. They would abandon him, and on the cross he would be abandoned by all, except for the two Mary’s and John. He also had God the Father with him, as well.

          Perhaps tonight some of us feel alone. Maybe you are hurting, or maybe you are doing well? Maybe you came tonight out of curiosity, or maybe you came because you just wanted a stopping off point in this busy season. Perhaps you came tonight to take a breath, light a candle, pray, and to reflect.

          Whatever had brought us here tonight, “we gather tonight,” to pray, to seek God, to grow closer to Jesus Christ. We gather to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us, to remember, to reflect, and to be together in all of our joys and all of our hurts. Tonight, friends, sisters and brothers, we are together as the church. Tonight we are together in all of our glory, all of our misery, all of gifts, and all of our brokenness. We are here to love, to heal, to forgive, and to be together in Jesus’ name. This my friends, is “Why we gather tonight”. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Third Sunday of Advent - 12/17/17 Sermon - “Expecting Hope" ("The Hope of Christmas" Series - Part 3 of 5)

Sunday 12/17/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Expecting Hope”

(“The Hope of Christmas” Series – Part 3 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Gospel Lesson: John 1:6-8, 19-28

          Friends, sisters and brothers in Christ, welcome again on this the Third Sunday in this season of Holy Advent. This season of wonder, love, joy, peace, mercy, and hope.

          The past two Sundays, I have been preaching a sermon series called, “The Hope of Christmas”. My “Hope” through this sermon series, no pun intended, is for us all to discover anew, or even more, the “Hope” that is Christmas. In this season, and in the season of Christmas that is to come, how can we find hope in all that Jesus Christ is? How can we find hope in a baby in a manger, a savior that comes into our hearts daily, and a savior that will return one day in glory?

          As we look around our country and our world, we so often see great poverty, pain, and inequality. Some of us in the midst of this ask questions like, “where is God in all of this?” As we sit here this morning in the midst of this holy season, we have California wild fires, we have brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico that still might not have water. We have people dying in African countries of malnutrition and easily curable diseases. We have wars, we have greed, and etc., and etc.

          Someone could easily ask, “Pastor Paul, how are we to have hope in anything, in the midst of all that is going on in this world?” This is certainly a very real and a very hard question. As many of us will have fruitful and bountiful Christmas celebrations, some of our neighbors will have virtually nothing this Christmas. So where is the “Hope” this time of the year, and in general? Is there any hope to be had at all?

          In the first week of this sermon series, I preached on “The Hope of the promised Messiah”. In the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible, prophets like Isaiah and Zephaniah prophesized that the Christ would come. These prophesies were made hundreds and hundreds of years before that first Christmas and manger scene in Bethlehem. Despite their circumstances though, despite whether the people of Israel were living in captivity, or if they were free, these prophets had “Hope” in what the living God could do. Not only this, they had “Hope” in what the living God could accomplish through them. “Hope” my sisters and brothers, isn’t merely waiting for God to fix and intervene in everything. I do believe that God can intervene and can fix anything if God wills it. Yet, I feel that the power of God in us, the power of Jesus Christ, is a great part of our “Hope”. The believe that through Jesus Christ nothing is impossible.

          Last week, my sermon was called, “Preparing the way for Hope,” as John the Baptist was preparing the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist believed that Jesus would emerge as the Messiah, and that it would happen very soon. Our gospel lesson from the gospel of Mark began last week with a scripture from the prophet Isaiah. In this scripture, the prophet Isaiah was prophesying that someone would come and prepare the way of the Messiah, of Jesus Christ. Isaiah was predicting the person, ministry, and calling of John the Baptist. For this reason, I believe that the gospel of Mark intentional began with a scripture from Isaiah that says that John the Baptist would:

“Prepare the way of the Lord” (Mk. 1:3b, NRSV).

          Many of us are also preparing for Christmas in our homes, among our families, and hopefully within our hearts and our souls.

          My sermon title for this morning is called “Expecting Hope”. So if we believe that Messiah, Jesus Christ is coming, if we prepare for his coming, can we expect the “Hope” of God to come through? I think that we can. Is there terrible things going in this country and in the world? There are. Yet God is still moving, and is still moving in us. God, Jesus Christ, is the hope that is coming among us, but God can also use us to be “Hope” for people that desperately need “Hope”.

          When we see something awful, whether in person or on television, we can pray that God will intervene. Perhaps God will, but we can also through the power of the Holy Spirit do something to alleviate suffering, oppression, and hurt in the world. We can expect “Hope” in part, because God can use us to be “Hope”. As United Methodists, we live “Hope,” because this is what we do.

          I saw a powerful example of “Hope” last week that almost brought me to tears. It happened so suddenly. So there I was last Thursday, delivering a “Thinking of You” Christmas cheer basket to member of the Homer Avenue UMC, who lives on one of the nursing home floors at the Cortland Hospital. As I waiting to see this woman and give her, her “Thinking of You” Christmas cheer basket, I saw something that almost brought me to tears. No, it was not a flyer for ALDI, if you were wondering, as I love ALDI. Instead, there was a young woman who worked at the hospital who was sitting with a woman who appeared to have very advanced Alzheimer’s. This woman seemed unresponsive, and seemed to not be able to communicate, not able to move much of her body, and she would just stare off to the other side of the room. Well, this young woman who works at the hospital and was sitting with her, held her hand and sang her Christmas Carols. The young woman had a beautiful voice, and while the woman that she was holding the hand of seemed unresponsive, this young woman wanted to show her some love, some Christmas cheer.

          At first, I thought this young woman must have been her granddaughter, but then she came in and checked on the woman that I was there to visit, who I finally was able to give her, her “Thinking of You” Christmas cheer basket. I then realized at this point that this woman was an employee of the Cortland Hospital. I told her that she had a beautiful voice, and that if she was looking to join a church choir I could point her in the right direction.

          What this young woman did for this older and unwell woman was so sacrificial, so Christ-like, and so loving. In a season where I “Expect Hope,” I am seeing “Hope,” and trying to be “Hope” everywhere. How is this working for you?

In our United Methodist Church hymnal, we have a hymn called: “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”. This hymn, which is number 196 in your hymnal speaks of the “Hope” that we have that is coming in Jesus Christ. In this season we can claim this “Hope,” we can live this “Hope”. How are we doing with this?

This morning in our gospel of John reading, like our gospel of Mark reading from last week, we are given a reading on John the Baptist. It is interesting that we would have a reading on John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus Christ, two Sundays in a row. In this reading, we again have the prophet Isaiah quoted, regarding John preparing the way for Jesus Christ. It is spoken a little differently in this gospel though, as this reading begins by saying in John 1:6-8:

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light” (Jn. 1:6-8, NRSV).

          So again, we have the notion that John the Baptist is preparing the way for the Messiah, for Jesus Christ. Yet it also says that John the Baptist came:

“as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him” (Jn. 1:8, NRSV).

          So John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord, for Jesus Christ. Clearly though, he had hope, he “Expected Hope”. John the Baptist “Expected” that the “Hope” of Jesus Christ would come. This hope changed him, and it changed many people around him. Does this “Hope” change you? Does this “Hope” inspire you to move forward, to make a difference, to go out into the world and live this “Hope”? This is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in us.

          In this gospel of John reading, much like the gospel of Mark reading from last week, John the Baptist Baptized people, declared that the Messiah coming soon, and that this Messiah was far greater than he was. Yet since John the Baptist believed this so strongly, and with such passion, countless people around him did to.

          Friends, I am not Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus Christ has already been born, lived, was crucified, and was resurrected. The seasons of Advent and then Christmas are times to prepare for and expect Jesus to show up, even though he already did so long ago. We await the return of Christ, but until that day, or until we go to be with the Lord, let us have “Hope” in the one named Jesus Christ, and his gospel. Let us believe that Jesus is real, risen, and abundant. Let us in this season of Advent and always take this “Hope” into a world that knows Jesus not. Let us not only “Expect Hope,” let us live it every day. Let us do this, so that we can continue to transform the world into all that Jesus called us to transform it into, as we await the kingdom to come. If you see a need, if you see suffering or oppression, then help to stop or alleviate it in Jesus’ name. Let us now and always have “Hope,” and “Expect Hope”. Amen.