Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Third Sunday After the Epiphany - 01/26/14 Sermon - “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people”

Sunday 01/26/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 9:1-4             

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 4:12-23

                            

          Welcome and good morning once again! Welcome on this the Third Sunday after the Epiphany. The Epiphany, this holiday that we celebrate the three-wise men or magi seeing that bright star in the sky. That “Bethlehem Star,” that led them to the manger of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on that first Christmas so long ago. That place where they gave the Lord of life, Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. That place, were all people said, “Come let us adore Him.”

          This Sunday however, we remain in this season of “post-Epiphany,” until we reach Transfiguration Sunday, on Sunday March 2^nd. Transfiguration Sunday, celebrate that day that Jesus went up on the mountain and was changed and transfigured before some of his disciples, in what was a living miracle. Then only three days after this Transfiguration Sunday, we will begin the Lenten Season on Ash Wednesday. The season where we prepare our hearts, our minds, and our souls for the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

          Between this Sunday and the Transfiguration Sunday on Sunday March 2^nd, we will go through many of the gospel readings of Jesus’ ministry here on earth. We will hear of healings, miracles, and some of the many things that Jesus taught us and continues to teach us all each and every day.

On this Sunday specifically, I want to speak about the calling that Jesus Christ has placed on all of our lives. That all of us who believe in Him, can likely say that we have experienced God, that we have experienced Him. Many of us that believe in Him, can say that we don’t just believe in the God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but we can say that we have experienced our faith. That we have felt the presence of God move in us. Much like a tingling sensation, a warm sensation, or even a loving hug, we have felt the living God from within.

          Yes then, for many of us, we know the living God. For many of us, we don’t just believe this because it is the nice or a good thing to believe, we believe instead because He has shown himself to us. We have seen, we have heard, and we have felt the living God within us.

          For some of us, we can recall praying as a child, and feeling God’s overwhelming grace fill us and blanket us. For some of us, we were in church on a given Sunday, and as we were singing or praying, we felt the Holy Spirit move through us. Perhaps it moved us to tears, as we knew the truth and power of God’s presence in us, and in the whole universe. Maybe we had an experience in our life of great grief and mourning that brought us to throne of grace, where we found Jesus our Lord.

          You see my brothers and sisters, when God call us, when we are called to be followers of Jesus Christ, it isn’t like filling out a form at the DMV to register that car you just brought. Real conversion, is conversion of the heart, the mind, and the soul. It is something that we don’t just believe in, it is something that we know. When people say to me, “Paul, do you believe that there is God,” I say, “No, I know there is a God.”

          Real conversion then is so powerful, that you will do things like I did. You’re willing to shift the entire direction of your life, enter school for 4-years, and even drive about 180-miles each weekend, to serve God’s people. You see for me, as I did all of these things, not to obtain a “good job,” but rather because Jesus said to me, “Paul will you come and fish for people in my name.” I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit move in me so many times in my twenties, yet I fearfully denied my call, and fearfully found reasons to not fully follow Him. About three and half years ago though, I decided to fully and faithfully follow Jesus, and answer his call on my life. As part of this, my wife Melissa and I will soon be putting our house on the market in Moravia, as we are selling all, and following Him.

          So my brothers and sisters, if you have not already done so, Jesus calls to you right here and now and says, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” He says, “Follow me to holiness, follow me to truth, follow me to the great beyond, and follow me to eternal life.” Jesus says, “Will you serve me, will you rebuild this world in my image, and will you build my kingdom in the here and the now?” You see the blessings, the joy, and the grace that Jesus Christ offers us is so much more fulfilling than anything that this world can offer.

          When looking at the scripture reading from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah from this morning, the prophet Isaiah tells us that. “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.” This light, this calling, is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, who says, “Follow me, and I will teach you to fish for people.”

          The prophet Isaiah goes on to say, “You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest.” Our joy is found in Jesus Christ, the one who said, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”

          In the Apostle Paul’s first Epistle or Letter to the Church in Corinth or the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells the church, “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but be united in the same mind and the same purpose.”

          The Apostle Paul then says, “it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you my brothers and sisters.” Well luckily, church conflicts and quarrels only occurred 2,000 years ago, and luckily we never have those problems today. The Apostle is worried that the church in Corinth is following him, or Apollos, or Cephas, when it was Jesus Christ only that they should be following. The Apostle Paul then finished this first letter to the Corinthians by saying, “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” “Follow me and I will teach to you to fish for people.”

          So like the Apostle Paul told the church in the Corinth almost 2,000 years ago, “who do we serve, and who called us to follow?”

          In the gospel according Mathew reading from this morning, Jesus had just heard that John the Baptist had been arrested by King Herod, as Herod feared John the Baptist’s power. John the Baptist also did not always speak so highly of King Herod, and Herod would ultimately have John the Baptist beheaded.

          Mathew tells us in his gospel account, that when John was arrested, that Jesus “withdrew to Galilee,” and then made his new “home in Capernaum by the sea.” This move that was prophesized by the prophet Isaiah, many years before this. When Jesus was in the town of Capernaum, Mathew then tells us in the gospel narrative about Jesus that, “As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the see—for they were fishermen.”

          Then Jesus looked at them and said, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” You see Jesus called them by name, and the gospel says that, “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Then after this, “As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.” These two the gospel reading then said, “Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.”

          So we have four men, Simon-Peter, Andrew, James, and John, who have all immediately left everything and followed Jesus. The gospel of Mathew reading from this morning then concluded with, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.”

          Four fishermen, people like us, whom were called to follow Him. Interestingly enough I met four such men in Israel on the Sea of Galilee. The story of meeting these men, is the story I am going close this sermon with this morning. Here is how it goes:

          On one of the days on our pilgrimage trip to the Holy Land, we went to see the now city of Capernaum, which is located on the Sea of Galilee. We saw different holy site and other places their first in the morning. This day then included a mid-day boat ride. After leaving a MacDonald’s with a fellow pilgrim John, at the shores of the Sea of Galilee, we got aboard a boat that was crewed by four men. All four of these men were from Israel and were all raised Jewish. Before the boat left the shore, our dean from the United Theological Seminary read the gospel scripture that I just read about Jesus telling these four different men, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

          Suddenly we then began heading out into the Sea of Galilee, as we did so many people, such as myself were overcome with emotion. Many of us had tears flow down our cheeks as the gospel reading from this morning had come to life for us.

          After cruising on the boat for a little while, the boat stopped, and then the captain of this boat presented our group with a large fishing net, that he said would have likely almost looked identical to one used by Jesus’ disciples that were fishermen. Before casting this net into the water, the dean of our seminary once again read a gospel reading, but this time it was the reading about Jesus telling the disciples to cast their nets over the right side of the boat, and the catch ended up being so massive that they couldn’t hall all the fish in.

          The captain of the boat then cast the net to the left side of the boat, and then the right side of the boat. Sadly, he brought up no fish when casted the net, but Jesus hadn’t commanded to do so either.

          After doing this, the captain then began to speak to us all. He told us how he and his three shipmates met “Yashua” on the Sea of Galilee about 4-5 years ago. In Hebrew “Yashua” means Jesus. You see these men are still very Jewish in many of their beliefs, but like Simon-Peter, Andrew, James, and John, they are now followers of Jesus.

          The captain of this boat then proceeded to sing great Christian praise songs that where all partially in English and in Hebrew. Before doing this, the captain said that his boat, was the only Christian boat tour company on the entire Sea of Galilee. As the captain sang beautiful Christian praise songs that were half in English and half in Hebrew, we all had an emotional response to hearing this music on the Sea of Galilee.

          During this emotional response that I and everyone else was having, I came to the realization that 4-men, 4 fishermen and tour boat men, who were all born Jewish, were called to follow Jesus or “Yashua” and become “fishers of people.” As I looked at this large calloused handed ship captain that was signing beautifully, I thought, “This could have been Simon-Peter, Andrew, James, or John. For on the whole of the Sea of Galilee there were only 4-men, 4-fishermen that Jesus had called and said, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Today, it is interesting that there are still four Christian men, followers of “Yashua” who are on the Sea of Galilee called by Jesus to “fish for people.”

          As the magnitude of this hit me, and moved me to tears, as I realized that no matter how many years away from Jesus actually walking along the Sea of Galilee, that Jesus will always call forth new disciples. That Jesus will always say, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

          Towards the end of this boat ride, the 4-men said that one of the things that they do to raise money to pay their bills, was to sell CD’s of their music, and necklaces made out of smooth stones taken from the Sea of Galilee. I then turned to my friend and fellow pilgrimage Steven, and said, “Stephen are you going to buy anything.” He then said, “I don’t think so Paul, I think I am going to save my money to buy others things.” Then he said, “Are you going to buy anything Paul.” I said, “Of course I am.” Steven then said, “Why is that.” I said to brother Steven, “Jesus has called just 4-fishersmen to fish for people on this entire Sea of Galilee. In addition, they are signing about Jesus loudly, so that people can here it far it away. So don’t you think we should support the 4-fisherman whom the Lord has called.”

          As I bought a necklace from the four fisherman, I looked back as Steven, and saw tears were in his eyes. I then bought the necklace, and as I looked over again, he gave me a look and nod, and then a few second later, he got up and bought something to.

          So my brothers and sisters, if Jesus Christ the living Lord says to you, “Follow me and I make you fish for people,” I urge you take that call very seriously. I bring this message in the name of the one who still calls fishermen on the Sea to Galilee to come and follow and to fish for people, Jesus the living Christ. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Second Sunday After the Epiphany - 01/19/14 Sermon - “Come and See”

Sunday 01/19/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Come and See”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 49:1-7             

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Gospel Lesson: John 1:29-42

                             

          Welcome and good morning once again! It’s great to be back from my trip to the Holy Land, as I missed you all very much while I was away!

          This Sunday, is the Second Sunday after the Epiphany. This Epiphany of course, was the Epiphany of the three Wise Men or the three Magi seeing the Bethlehem Star or the Christmas Star in the sky, and then following this star to visit the baby Jesus.

It was interesting to me, that when the group of seminary students that I was part of was in the Holy Land, just happen to be there when many Eastern Orthodox Christians were there to celebrate Christmas. Specifically, the Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrated Christmas on Monday January 7^th. The reason for this is that most Eastern Orthodox Churches use a different calendar than the churches in the Western World, like us.

          Given this, I found it to be nice that for the Eastern Orthodox Churches, that they celebrate Christmas near the time we celebrate the three Wise Men or the three Magi were coming to see the baby Jesus.

          In fact, when our student group was in the hotel that we stayed in while we were in Bethlehem, there were many Russian folks staying at this same hotel that came to the Holy Land to celebrate the Eastern Orthodox Christmas. I found it sort of funny that in the meal area of the hotel that our group was designated as the “American Group” with signs on our tables, as the “Russian Group” was designated with similar signs on their tables, on the other side of the meal area. I remember saying to one of my professors as I looked across the room at the all of the Eastern Orthodox Russian Christians, “All we need is a concrete wall between us.”

          Needless to say, this comment was not greeted with open arms by my professor. Yet, these Russian folks, like us were excited about Christmas. Since there Christmas was January 7^th this year, our Christmas Day celebration had already ended. Their Christmas though, was upon us. This made me further realize just how big Christianity is. It also made me realize that the Cold War is thankfully over, as a bunch of us loud Americans were eating breakfast and dinner, starring face to face with a bunch of Russians. These Russians were people that were no longer Communists though and were likely people that believe in the statement, “In God we trust.”

          I also found on this trip, that in general, as Christians, as we read the Bible and as we read the gospels, we often imagine the places we read about as being grassy opened aired places. We might think of Bethlehem for example, as wide open pasture land. The reality is though, is that Bethlehem and most of all of the other Holy sites are now modern day places. People run and work at businesses in these places. Taxi cabs buzz by, there are colleges, there is industry, and amidst all of this hustle and bustle, there are Holy sites. In these places, is the convergence of the three “Abrahamic religions,” of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

          Since Israel is made up of about 80% Jewish folks, in some of the areas that we went the population was almost always Jewish. In some places the population was mostly Muslim. In some small places there was a Christian majority, but in general, we as Christians were strongly in the minority. In Jerusalem, as our student group of Christians would leave one of our historic churches or cathedrals, we would sometimes hear the hourly church bells ring, as the Muslim religious leaders would do their 5-times a day call to prayers. These prayers were done from large towers called minarets, and were done over loud speakers. As the church bells were ringing, and as the Muslim pastor or Imam was doing this loudly spoken call to prayer in Jerusalem, we could also see conservative Jews heading to the Jewish holy places, dressed in the traditional full black outfits and top hats, with their white prayer shawls or “tallit’s” on.

Yet, while much of Israel is holy to the Jews, to the Muslims, and to us Christians to, I found that perhaps the diversity of some of the parts of Israel might have been similar today, to when Jesus walked and talked there almost 2,000 years ago. That when we visited King Herod’s summer palace, that it was literally built on a mountain that had been made bigger by thousands of Herod’s workers moving tons and tons of dirt to make the mountain even bigger than it was. I even saw some of the structure that the Romans built there, and then I realized just what Jesus stood up to, and that he was no wimp. That Jesus knew what the stakes were, he knew what he was up against, and that he stood firm, in what must have been massive opposition. The Holy Land that Jesus began to minister to was much like it is today, with his followers being very much in the minority. There were Jews and others faiths as well, yet Jesus offered and still offers us the path of righteousness, the path of heaven.

When you’re in Israel then, you can quite literally feel like that you among a “Whitman’s Sampler” of religious options. Yet the uniqueness, the power, the truth, and the grace of the resurrected Christ are still alive and well in all of these places. In this way, I did still see the diversity and the tension that was very much evident in Jesus’ time, when he called people to repent, to follow him, and to “Come and See” the way to righteousness, the way to purity, the way to heaven. To “Come and See” who he was and who he still is. To “Come and See” why he is the “Prince of Peace,” and why he is the “Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

When looking at the Old Testament reading from the prophet Isaiah from this morning, it says, “Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The LORD called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.” You see when I reflected upon this scripture, I thought of all of the people that I encountered in the Holy Land from all over the world, that were from “far away.” Yet the Lord called us all before we were born. Isaiah goes on to say, “And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,’ Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” Isaiah then continued on in saying, “my God has become my strength.”

Therefore, God has chosen us all, and this is hard to see sometimes in the places we live, but when I saw people from all over the world converging on the Holy Land to walk and talk where Jesus did, I saw the massiveness of what the prophet Isaiah was saying here.

When looking at the Apostle Paul’s First Epistle or the Letter to the church in Corinth or the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul told the church in Corinth that we are “called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Every place includes the millions and millions of Christians all over the world, from all different denominations, from all different countries, and draws us to the reality that we are all called to be holy, to be righteous, and to be “saints.” The Apostle Paul goes on to say speaking of God that, “He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Lastly the Apostle Paul says one of those timeless statements to the church in Corinth, that “God is faithful.”

In our Gospel reading from this morning, from the Gospel according to John, it said speaking of John the Baptist, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John the Baptist then spoke of how he was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, and as such, that Jesus was coming soon after him. John the Baptist then spoke of how we he baptizes with water, but that the Lord would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist then testified that when he baptized Jesus that, he “saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.”

The gospel reading then went on to say that, “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look here is the Lamb of God!” At this point, “The two of John the Baptist’s disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” These two disciples wanted to know Jesus, and where he was staying. Jesus then said to these two disciples, “Come and see.”

After this, the gospel tells us about the two disciples, that “They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day.” One of these two disciples of John the Baptist was “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.” The gospel then says that Andrew found his brother “Simon Peter” and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” When Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, Jesus looked at Simon Peter and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Following the Lord then my brothers and sisters is like this sermon title says “Come and See.” “Come and See” who Jesus really was and still is today. We must “Come and See” who Jesus the risen savior really is.

I would like to close with a story from my trip to the Holy Land, as believe me I now have many such stories. This story occurred because of being able to see many of my Eastern Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters who were in the Holy Land for their January 7^th Christmas. In seeing many of our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters, from the various Eastern Orthodox Churches, I noticed that it is customary for women to cover their heads before entering the church, to show respect for God.

Of the many churches that we went into, one of the churches that we went into in Jerusalem was called the “Church of the Holy Sepulcher” or the “Church of the Resurrection.” As you enter into one of the side entrances of this church, there is place on this one side that is roped off. In the middle of this roped of place was a long smooth flat slab of rock. What I quickly learned, was that this slab of rock is believed to be the stone slab that Jesus body was laid on when he was put in the burial tomb after his crucifixion. This stone had a beautiful brownish color. This church also commemorates a possible place of Jesus’s burial, as there are two or three possible places of burial in Jerusalem, as well as the place that is believed to be where Jesus was crucified.

As our student group was entering the packed side entrance of this church, I saw several Americans, and I also saw several people from the various Eastern Orthodox Churches pushing eagerly to get into the church. It seemed that many of our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters knew ahead of time what the flat rock slab on the ground was, as most of us Americans did not. As many of these Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters were entering the church, I saw some of them immediately burst into tears. I even saw a woman who was about ten feet from the slab where it is believed that Jesus’ body was laid. This woman immediately fell on the ground where she stood and wept. She then proceeded to crawl to the burial slab of the Lord. She then kissed the slab and wept over the stone.

After this, she put her face on the slab and just laid there for a moment. Then she rubbed her prayer beads all over the slab. I then saw several other Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters do similar things such like this.

You see, many of these folks come from countries that are not that wealthy. While we all as Americans were excited and ecstatic to be in these places, I was amazed at how much faith that our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters had. It was then, that this morning’s gospel reading hit me extra hard. Specifically, that when Jesus the Lord told John the Baptist’s two disciples, that if you really want to know me, then “Come and See.”

This is because, for all of us, Jesus gives us our own opportunity to “Come and See.” These opportunities do not have to be necessarily sought by going half way around the world to the Holy Land though. Sometimes in fact, these opportunities are right down the street. Sometimes, Jesus is telling us, “If you really want to know me, will you be willing to follow me?” So with that said, I challenge us all this week to see where Jesus is calling us. To see where Jesus is saying to all of us “Come and See.” To see where the Lord of life is saying, “Come and See” where I am leading you. Amen.

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.