Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany - 02/04/18 - Sermon - “Proclaim the Gospel!"

Sunday 02/04/18 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Proclaim the Gospel!”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 147:1-11, 20c

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Gospel Lesson: Mark 1:29-39

          My brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome once again on this the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. Five Sundays after the Wise Men came to Jesus one way, and left transformed and remade in God’s love.

          Next Sunday, we will celebrate Transfiguration Sunday and Scout Sunday. Transfiguration Sunday, is the Sunday that we celebrate Jesus upon the mountain top changed and miraculously transfigured. Next Sunday, I would also encourage you to show your pride and support for scouting. It is my hope that next Sunday we will be able to honor and appreciate our scouts and our scout leaders.

          This Sunday though, I want to preach again from one of the Apostle Paul’s epistles or letters. This morning we are given a reading from 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, in which the Apostle Paul says,

“and woe to me if do not proclaim the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16b, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul, also called the Apostle to the Gentiles, was called by God, by Jesus Christ, to preach the gospel to the gentiles. Just like United Methodist Ministers, the Apostle Paul also did not stay in one city forever, but rather God called him to various places. The Apostle Paul went to places like Ephesus or the Ephesians, to Corinth or the Corinthians, to Galatia or the Galatians, to Thessalonica or the Thessalonians, and etc. The Apostle Paul was called by God to not just stay in one place forever, but to move to preach and live the gospel wherever God called him to do so.

          So if the Apostle Paul says to us this morning:

“and woe to me if do not proclaim the gospel!,” then just what is the Gospel?

(1 Cor. 9:16b, NRSV).

          I have heard people talking before that have said things like, “Well I think that is the truth, but I am not saying it’s the Gospel”. Has anyone here ever heard a statement like this? I think that in our culture most people have heard the word “Gospel,” but what is the “Gospel”? Further, why are we supposed to “Proclaim the Gospel” as Christians?

          According the www.dictionary.com, the Gospel can be defined as:

1. The teachings of Jesus and the apostles; the Christian revelation.

2. The story of Christ's life and teachings, especially as contained in the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

          With this being the definition of the Gospel, what significance do the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, and the Christian revelation have? Why are the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John important?

          The life, teachings, and the gospels of Jesus Christ first and foremost lead us to eternal life. Through Christ and him crucified and resurrected, we are offered grace, love, healing, and forgiveness. This offer cleanses our sins and restores us to a right relationship with the living God. Yet, the gospel of Jesus Christ is much more than this alone.

          In the gospel of Jesus Christ we are given a blue print of how to live, how to treat each other, how to care for our community, how to serve each other, and how seek justice in a world of grave injustice. The Gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t just a road map to salvation and eternal life, but it is set of instructions and teaching of how to live each and every day.

          I think that in our culture today some people bear the title “Christian,” yet for some their lives don’t seem to resemble Christ or his gospel. The Apostle Paul preached the gospel, preached salvation in Christ, but then built churches with God’s help to live that faith out. When we as Christians “Proclaim the Gospel” therefore, we are supposed to be doing much more than just preaching salvation. We are made new creations in Christ when we accept him and are filled with the Holy Spirit, but the gospels also call us to be servants. We are called to love, heal, and forgive in world that is broken and is suffering.

          To “Proclaim the Gospel” of Jesus Christ isn’t just to proclaim forgiveness and salvation in Christ therefore, which is the core, but it is also teaching, loving, and forming communities that look like Christ. I believe that in our culture we have some churches that are great at “Proclaiming the Gospel” around salvation and eternal life, but that fall terribly short when it comes to serving and loving their neighbors. Understand my brothers and sisters, that the future of the Christian Church is heavily grounded in our ability to live and proclaim the whole gospel of Jesus Christ, not only salvation and eternity.

          In this morning’s reading from the Apostle Paul’s First Epistle or letter to the Corinthians he is explaining he is a follower of Christ, a follower of the Gospel. This reading once again starts with the Apostle Paul writing:

“If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16-18, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is saying that has been called by Jesus Christ to proclaim, make known, and to teach many people how to serve and live lives that look like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I also like how the Apostle Paul says:

“I may make the gospel free of charge” (1 Cor. 9:18b, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is saying that salvation and eternity through Jesus Christ, and living for Christ is a free and an abundant gift.

          The Apostle Paul continues on saying:

^“For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings”. (1 Cor. 9:19-23, NRSV)

The Apostle Paul is saying here that he has and will continue to go to many places and cities, and that he is meeting the people where they are at. The Apostle Paul is doing this for the sake of Christ and his gospel. The Apostle Paul is meeting people where they are at, so that they will have salvation and eternity in Christ, but also so that they can then learn and live out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I remember one day one of my seminary professors telling us about the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of his life, and his teachings. This professor really enjoyed watching “Westerns” or movies of the Old West. These are movies with the two saloon doors that open and close both ways, and of our course fights and shoot outs at high noon. This professor had done extensive research on the Old West, and from his findings he concluded that what sometimes prevented some of these new settlements and towns from descending into total barbarism and total debauchery, was the preachers. Sometimes they were Methodist Circuit Riders, sometimes others. These pastors would sometimes remind the men who were about to have a shootout in the heat of that moment, that the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us a better way. This professor said that without the ministers, the preachers, and the priests, that “Wild West” as it was called, would have been several times worse than it actually was. These are the kind of reasons my brothers and sisters, that I believe that the Apostle Paul was so emphatic about preaching, teaching, and living the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is also why I, like the Apostle Paul, believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is our hope for a world of peace, love, mercy, and justice. This is why as Christians we are called to proclaim the full and robust gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We do this because we have been changed, and likewise the world will change in faith, function, and how it interacts and treats each other.

In looking briefly at our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, we have a narrative of one of the gospels of Jesus Christ. We have his life, teachings, and Lordship in motion is this gospel reading. Once again, the Gospel of Mark reading says:

“As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him”

(Mk. 1:29-34, NRSV).

          So in this gospel of Jesus Christ that the Apostle tells us to proclaim and live, we have Jesus Christ, our savior, healing, loving, curing, teaching, and saving. Imagine what the world would look like we saw a hurting and a broken world and sought to live out our faith in the way that Jesus lived. This is the fullness of proclaiming the gospel.

          The gospel of Mark reading for this morning once again concludes by speaking of Jesus:

“In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons” (Mk. 1:35-39, NRSV).

          Jesus Christ, our Lord, proclaimed the good news of his gospel, and he went to various places doing this. He loved, healed, forgave, and even laid his very life down for us, so that we might live like him and through him have everlasting life.

          Are we as individuals, and as a church living and proclaiming the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Imagine what our community and the world would look like if we all did? Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - 01/28/18 - Sermon - “God vs. god"

Sunday 01/28/18 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “God vs. god”

Old Testament Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Gospel Lesson: Mark 1:21-28

          My dear friends, my brothers and sisters, welcome once again on this the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. Four Sundays after the Wise Men or Magi came to Jesus one way, but left transformed and different. We will be in this season after the Epiphany until Sunday February 11^th, when we have our Transfiguration Sunday and Scout Sunday.

          With this said, I want to talk to you briefly this morning about school. Yes that’s right, I said school. Many of us can remember elementary school, middle school, and of course high school. Maybe some of us played sports, had our first crush, had your first boyfriend or girlfriend, and in my case might have been the vice president of the chess club.

          When we think back to high school, we remember the prom, football games, home coming, and etc. Many of us also remember some of our teachers, both good and bad. Further, some of us remember the subjects that we really liked or loved, as well as the subjects that we didn’t like at all.

          I always loved social studies, physical education or gym, science, lunch, shop class, art and artistic classes, and of course study hall. I also liked Home Economic to, and here is why, one semester of High School, when I was a junior or a senior, I noticed that the majority of girls that I knew signed up for Home Economics. So, I decided to sign up for Home Economics. What I didn’t do though, was tell any of my male friends about this decision. So the new semester started, and all my male friends were of course in Shop Class, and I was in Home Economics. I was picked on for a while for this, until one of my friends was walking by one of the Home Economics classrooms. As my friend was walking by he looked in the classroom and noticed about twenty-five girls and two boys, myself included.

          Well, at lunch that day, I went from being picked on to being called a “genius” and “so smart”. The next semester, virtually all of my male friends signed up for Home Economics, and I think it was one of the biggest groups of boys that they ever had in the class.

Some of my friends in High School seemed to be solid in every single subject. I was never good at a lot of the math classes that I took though, and I struggled in English. Don’t get me wrong, I could write a good essay or a paper, but the punctuation, or the “rules of writing”, well they still confuse me sometimes, even today. Despite watching various “School House Rocks” videos, I still make grammatical mistakes. Sometimes I still forget a comma, and things like that. Anyone else here sometimes have English grammar issues to?

          I remember a few years ago when I was preparing to interview to become a Provisional Elder in our United Methodist Church Conference, my mentor, Rev. Harold Wheat, agreed to read by big theology and practice of ministry paper. I think that this paper was about 35-40 pages, and to be honest the first draft was very rough. I mean very rough! So rough, that if I get approved for ordination this year, I am going to buy Pastor Harold a t-shirt that says “Grammar Police” on it. One day in fact, during the proof reading, he called me complaining that I had too many “dangling participles”. Then I asked him of course, “What the heck is a dangling participle”?

          We have rules for writing then. When we start a new sentence for example, what are we supposed to do to the first letter of the first word in each sentence? That’s right! Capitalize the letter.

          In this morning’s reading from the Apostle Paul’s first epistle or letter to the Corinthians, I could point to various categories of English writing and grammar. What I want to focus on though, is the Apostle Paul’s usage of the word God. In this scripture from 1 Corinthians for this morning, the Apostle Paul is talking about food sacrificed to Idols. This is to say, the food that was sacrificed, blessed, or directly connected to a god, force, or power, other than the God that the Apostle Paul believed in. If you asked a statue of the god Zeus to bless your food for example, the Apostle Paul would say that you were eating food sacrificed to idols.

          What is interesting in this reading to me though, is how the Apostle Paul uses the word God. Let’s look again at this reading, specifically 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 that says:

^“Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist”

(1 Cor. 8:5-6, NRSV).

          If you’re not looking already in your Bible, or a Church Bible, I would invite you to turn to 1 Corinthians 8. What I find interesting, is that when the Apostle Paul refers to gods that are not his God, he spells gods with a lower case g. Yet, when he refers to the Jewish or Christian God, he uses an upper case G.

          Remember English grammar and writing and Pastor Paul are not the best of friends. Well real quick, once again this scripture from 1 Corinthians for this morning is about eating food sacrificed to idols. The Apostle Paul tells us to only eat food sacrificed to our God, and to not to other gods. So who is our God once again, according to the Apostle Paul? The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 8:6 once again:

^“yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor. 8:6, NRSV).

The Apostle Paul in this passage is saying that if you are claiming that your God is thee God, the only God, or the highest of all Gods, than you use a capital “G” to write God. If you think that your god is among many other gods than you use a lower case “g”. When we write the word God, how we write it is therefore, significant. If we write someone a letter and at the end of that letter write with a lower case “g” “god bless you,” we are technically saying may a god not thee God bless you. When we write “God bless you” with an upper case “G” we are saying may the one true God of Israel that is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless you. Do you see the difference?

Many of us have probably written God with a capital G or a lower case g and have never thought about the significance of what we are writing. Yet, if you look in your Bibles at what the Apostle Paul wrote this morning in 1 Corinthians, it is clear that he is distinguishing his God from all other gods.

So are you an upper case “G” God person, or are you a lower case “g” god person. A friend of mine that is an orthodox rabbi who lives in Ohio will always write the word “G-d” to me like this, capital G, a dash, and then a lower case d. You see this rabbi capitalizes the G of God, but many Jews do not write the full name of God, as it is so holy that you cannot even write it in its entirety.

The Apostle Paul is then making the argument this morning that the only true God is God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is certainly a strong claim. What do you think?

On page 65-66 of our United Methodist Church Book of Discipline, we define God in our first Article of Religion on page 65-66. This is what it says:

“Article I—Of Faith in the Holy Trinity ‘There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost” (BOD, 65-66).

This definition not only capitalizes the word God, but makes a claim that there is one living and true God. What do you say, do you believe that there is only one true and living God? It is my hope that after today we consider what we are doing when we write the word God. For me, when I am talking about my faith, when I write about the God that I believe in, it is always with a capital G.

In effort to connect this to our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, in this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus is teaching in Synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath Day (Mk. 1:21-28, NRSV). The gospel says that Jesus taught in a way that astounded people, and that Jesus even cleansed and healed a man of an unclean spirit. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was the fullness of the grace and truth of God. The gospel lesson ends with Mark 1:28 saying:

“At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee” (Mk. 1:28, NRSV).

The power that Jesus possessed, the truth that he possessed, and authority that he possessed, to me, was clearly from the one true God.

So once again, when you talk about our God, our God that is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are you speaking of a god, or thee God? When you write the word God, whether the G is a capital or not is more significant according the Apostle Paul than most people realize. So is your God a big G or a little g. God bless us all, with a big G. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Third Sunday after the Epiphany - 01/21/18 - Sermon - “Follow Me"

Sunday 01/21/18 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Follow Me”

Old Testament Scripture: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Gospel Lesson: Mark 1:14-20

          Welcome again my friends, my sisters and brothers, on this the Third Sunday after the Epiphany. Three Sundays after we celebrated those Wise Men, those Magi visiting Jesus with Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. They came in one way, and after an encounter with the living God, with Jesus Christ, they went home changed.

          Sometimes in our own lives we meet people that end up changing our lives and maybe even changing the world forever. For some of us maybe it was the first time that you met your husband or wife. In that first meeting you just knew immediately that this was the person for you. They call it “love at first sight”. I think that this was true for me when I first saw Melissa, but she may have needed a little more convincing.

          Perhaps we met someone somewhere, hear someone speak, or have encountered a person that changed us, and perhaps the world. What is it like when someone suddenly comes into your path, into your space, and changes you forever?

          When I was at my first appointment in the Adirondack District of our United Methodist Conference, I had the pleasure of serving two small churches. At one church that I served, we had a very bubbly British woman named Valerie. She was quite funny, full of life, and just great to be around. It must have been my second or third Sunday when Valerie first came into the church. All joyfully she strode to the front of the sanctuary and promptly asked me, “Are you the new Vicar?” By my second to third week of being the pastor, I think I just mastered opening my Bible correctly. Further, I thought quickly, “what’s a Vicar?” So I said to this woman, Valerie, “That depends on what a Vicar is? Is it a swear word?” She then laughed hysterically and said, “No, it’s the pastor of a church”. Feeling relieved, I then responded to Valerie, and said, “Yes, I am the new Vicar”.

          In only serving these two small churches in the Adirondack District of our United Methodist Conference for a short time, I got to know many of the people in the churches that I served, including Valerie. Valerie told me about a night, and a person that changed her life forever. You see in the late 1960’s in the city of London, England there was a young American Evangelist named Rev. Billy Graham that came to speak to massive crowds about Jesus Christ. Valerie told me that night, that the Crusade for Christ she attended in London, changed her forever. She told me that on that night, God used Rev. Billy Graham to change her heart, her mind, to ask Jesus Christ for forgiveness, and on that night she became a new creation in Jesus Christ. On that night she a joy and peace that she had never known before.

          This was and is to me a powerful story. I don’t believe that things like this happen to us every day, but maybe, possibly in own our lives we will encounter one or more people that will profoundly change us, and maybe the world.

          This morning in the gospel of Mark, which likely the first of the four gospels ever written, we have in the very first chapter, Jesus calling his disciples. Jesus’ disciples sometimes called him “Rabbi,” which is Hebrew for “teacher” or “master”. These disciples and those who followed Christ were largely everyday people that were going about their daily lives. In living these lives though, these first disciples had an encounter with a person that would change them and the world forever. Like my friend Valerie was changed when she met Rev. Billy Graham, the disciples, and since then, billions and billions of people, have been changed by Jesus Christ.

          I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to have meet Jesus in the flesh. To look the living God in the eyes, and to see him. I would think that the power of love, hope, light, mercy, and life would be overwhelming in Jesus’ eyes. For those of us that bear the title Christian, we are making the claim that we have encountered this Jesus. None of us here today can say that we have encountered this Jesus in the flesh, but he has been revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. This Jesus for many of us, is the person of God that we have encountered that lived a life like we live. He laughed, he cried, he hungered, he thirsted, he loved, he healed, and he forgave. I wonder, what it must have been like to stand in the presence of living God, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Having met Christ, having received Him as my Lord and Savior, I understand so much more now why the mission statement of the United Methodist Church is, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world”. We are called to lead people to Christ, and a transformation in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Once people are transformed, we then equip them, prepare them, and send them out to transform the world. For nearly 2,000 years this is why the Christian Church has existed. We don’t exist just to have dinners, just to have birthday cakes, we exist for and through Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world. When the church looks like Jesus Christ, we grow and flourish, but when the church looks how we think it should look, the church suffers and declines.

          In this morning’s gospel of Mark reading, we have Jesus calling Simon or Peter, and his brother Andrew, as well as James and John to “Follow Him”. We have no evidence that these four men had ever met Jesus before this moment. In this reading from the gospel of Mark, Jesus also begins his public ministry. Jesus you see, what an itinerant Jewish Rabbi, or a Pastor. He called disciples to follow him, and he preached the Good News of God’s coming kingdom. So let’s pick back up this gospel of Mark lesson for this morning once again. This is what it says:

^“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk. 1:14-15, NRSV).

          So unfortunately, John the Baptist has been arrested, and he will soon die a martyrs death, as Jesus is teaching and preaching that the “kingdom of God has come near”. Since the beginning of time, since God first spoke to Abraham and all others after him, God was revealing Himself to us. God began teaching, instructing, and thus His kingdom on earth was breaking in. When Jesus comes to earth, the kingdom of God then comes more fully. The great reformer Martin Luther had a famous doctrine of there being “Two Kingdoms” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_kingdoms_doctrine). These “Kingdoms” are the secular “Kingdom of Earth,” and the “Christian Kingdom of Earth”. God’s Kingdom is breaking in through Jesus Christ, God’s kingdom is here, and the Church runs the spiritual entity that is God’s Kingdom. At the same time we have the secular government that rules, representing the “Kingdom of God,” and the “Kingdom of Earth”. In a similar way, we have the kingdom of God on earth, and the kingdom of God that is eternal in heaven. God’s kingdom has broken in through God speaking, through Jesus Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. The fullness of God’s kingdom however, is beyond this life, beyond this world. For Jesus said to the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate during trial to be crucified:

“My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (Jn. 18:36, NRSV).

          So God’s kingdom on earth is indeed here, as it has been revealed to us, through the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. The fullness of God’s kingdom however, is beyond this life, and this world. To see and to encounter Jesus Christ is to see the kingdom of God, to see the fullness of the grace and truth of God, and is to see the Father.

          So Jesus this morning, is going along the Sea of Galilee, preaching that the kingdom of God has come near. Jesus is preaching and teaching people to repent and believe the good news. More specifically to ask for the forgiveness of our sins, turn from them, and the live and believe in Jesus and his gospel.

          The gospel of Mark reading for this morning concludes with:

“As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him” (Mk. 1:16-20, NRSV).

So again, Jesus is walking along the Sea of Galilee and he is preaching and teaching that kingdom of God has come near, he is preaching and teaching for people to repent of their sins, and to believe in him and his gospel. As Jesus is going along, caring out his divine mission, he sees some fishermen. One fisherman is named Simon or later Peter, one is named Andrew, one is named James, and one is named John. Jesus watched as Simon and Andrew casted there fishing net into the Sea of Galilee with hope of catching some fish to sell. As this was occurring, Jesus sees them and says to them:

“Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Mk. 1:17-18, NRSV).

Shortly after this, Jesus sees James and John, the sons of Zebedee mending there fishing nets, to then no doubt cast their nets to fish again. Something about this man named Jesus, and him approaching was powerful. Something about the look in his eyes, his love, his presence, his divinity, caused all four of these men to stop, drop what they were doing and follow him. In fact, the gospel of Mark once again speaking of James and John leaving the boat to follow Jesus:

“and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him” (Mk. 1:20b, NRSV).

These men, simply got up, left everything and followed Jesus Christ. They did this for three years, until Jesus was crucified, died, buried, and resurrected. They then went on to be the first leaders and saints of the Christian Church. These were the first people that met and testified to the truth that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, God in the flesh. They testified that this Jesus Christ came to earth to love, heal, forgive, and to die for us. They believed this so strongly, that according to Christian Church tradition all but he disciple of John were martyred for the Christian faith.

Being a Christian, means that we have been transformed by the love, the power, and the grace of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit. This transformation, this love, this grace, and this power and sharing it with others has always been the bedrock of who have been as the Christian Church. Or as I heard it put once, “the gospel is one hungry man telling another hungry man where he can find bread”.

My brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ and his gospel are the hope of the world, and when we are transformed by Him, and when we live out his gospel, the church grows, and the community and the world is transformed. All this happens when we place Christ at the head of the church, when we seek him. When we do this, our agendas, our power seeking, and our ideas fade behind Christ and his agenda to transform us, and the world. All of this starts with warm outstretched hand from Jesus Christ asking us, saying to us, won’t you “Follow Me?” Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Human Relations Day/Second Sunday after the Epiphany - 01/14/18 - Sermon - “Psalm 103"

Sunday 01/14/18 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Psalm 103”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Gospel Lesson: John 1:43-51

          My friends, my sisters and brothers welcome again, and once again Happy New Year to you all! May this new year of 2018 be a year of opportunities, peace, love, mercy, hope, and justice. Welcome also on this Human Relations Day, and on this the Second Sunday after the Epiphany.

          There are giving envelopes available this morning, if anyone would like to give to our annual Human Relations Day special offering. On this day if you give to this special offering, “Your generous gift” will support “the Community Developers Program and community advocacy through the United Methodist Voluntary Services, related to the General Board of Global Ministries, and at-risk teens through the Youth Offender Rehabilitation program, General Board of Church and Society.” (www.umcgiving.org/giveHRD). So once again giving envelopes are available if you want to give to this special offering.

          With these things said, many of you have probably noticed that every Sunday in worship, we tend to read a scripture from the Old Testament, a scripture from the New Testament, and we read a reading from one of the four gospels. Every Sunday in fact, and for some special holidays, we are often given four lectionary scriptures. The idea behind the lectionary, is that over the course of three calendar years, the church will cover the majority of the entire Bible. By reading some from the Old Testament, some from the non-gospel books of the New Testament, and some from the gospels themselves every Sunday, we will all hear the entirety of the word of God every three years. At least this is the goal.

          You may have noticed therefore, that my sermon title is called “Psalm 103”. You may have also noticed that we do not have a reading for this morning from Psalm 103. To an extent this morning then, I am preaching off of the lectionary scriptures. Now before you get your torches and pitchforks out, let me explain. This sermon topic for this morning was a sermon that was cashed in for me to preach.

          While we have read three of the four lectionary scriptures this morning, like we generally do, this morning I am mostly going to preach on Psalm 103. At the end of this message, I will tie in the Gospel of John lesson for this morning, this message, as I said, will mostly be on Psalm 103.

          So onto Psalm 103! Just to remind us all, in our Bibles we have 150 Psalms, while some other Christian and Jewish traditions might have more Psalms. In fact, there could be as many as 1-18 more Psalms depending on the tradition. The Psalms are written to be largely poetic, and some of them have historically been sung like hymns. Some Psalms express great joy, some express great sorrow, some are more prayerful, and etc. The Book of Psalms is truly a Book of the Bible that expresses a broad range of human emotions, while experiencing the living God.

          The authorship of Psalm 103 is historically attributed to being written by King David, as the Psalm says “Of David” before it begins (Ps. 103, NRSV). The subtitle above Psalm 103 in our Bibles, says that the theme and the nature of this Psalm is that it is a Psalm of “Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness” (Ps. 103, NRSV). I was asked to preach on this Psalm, because of the significant message and the theological ideas that are contained within the Psalm.

          I also hope that we are regularly reading our Bibles, engaging and wrestling with the scripture, and a good challenge for us all is to try to read one of the Psalms each and every day. Some of them are rather short, and some are quite long.

What is unique about Psalm 103, isn’t that it is 22-verses of scripture. What is very unique, is that Psalmist, likely King David, is speaking the words to himself. This is to say, the Psalmist is speaking the words of this Psalm to himself, and not to others. We can certainly say the words of this Psalm to others, but this Psalm was written as almost “self-talk”. It was written as something that King David individually thanked the living God for. This Psalm and others, has also been the subject of hymns, prayers, and contemporary Christian Music.

In fact, one of our centering songs from the beginning of the service for this morning, called “Bless His Holy Name,” is taken from Psalm 103:1. Our “Hymn of Preparation” for this morning number 66 “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven,” if you look, was taken from Psalm 103. Our closing hymn for this morning, number 139 “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” is taken from Psalm 103:1-6 and Psalm 150. 

Why didn’t I pick all hymns that are based on Psalm 103 for this morning? Well because those were the only three that I found. Clearly though, Psalm 103 is significant. Contemporary Christian artist Matt Redman in fact has a very popular song on Psalm 103 called 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord), which our own choir has sung.

With all of this said, let me read to you the words of Psalm 103. This is what it says:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust. As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word. Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will. Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 103, NRSV).

          I don’t know about you, but when I hear these words, I hear a beautiful piece of writing that very poetically praises the God of heaven and earth. There is also no way this morning that I can unpack every single verse of this Psalm. What I do want to say though, is that in this Psalm, King David is remembering “all that God has done for him in the past (103:3)” (Africa Bible Commentary). If we believe that God loves us, has blessed us, has saved us, and wants to be eternally in relationship with us, should we praise and bless Him? In this Psalm, King David says yes.

          The Psalmist in Psalm 103 is thanking God for His faithfulness, and love. The Psalmist also “urges his soul and his whole being to praise the Lord” (Africa Bible Commentary).

 In a church that my parents used to attend in the Adirondacks, there was a banner on the wall with the acronym “F.R.O.G.”. This acronym had nothing to do with an actual frog that goes “ribbit, ribbit”, but each letter on the banner meant something. This acronym of “F.R.O.G” meant, “Fully Rely On God”. In Psalm 103, it would seem that King David is telling God directly, that he fully relies on Him. Do we this morning fully rely on God? Are we frogs?

          In Psalm 102 however, King David is crying out to God with his and his nations troubles (Africa Bible Commentary). Fully relying on God doesn’t mean that our faith journeys are always a bowl of cherries, but rather that in the end, God is faithful. In the end God wins, holiness wins, and righteousness wins. This is the message of Psalm 103. The idea that God is mighty to save, merciful, and loving. I would challenge us all this morning to realize the many blessings that God has and continues to give us. Psalm 103 once again ends as it begins, “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Ps. 103:1a, NRSV). May we realize this day that God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

          To attempt to briefly connect Psalm 103 to our gospel of John 1:43-51 lesson for this morning, we pick up with Jesus calling the Apostle Phillip to follow him and to be his disciple (Jn. 1:43-44, NRSV). Phillip then tells Nathaniel of Jesus, and Nathaniel famously says of Jesus being the Messiah raised in Nazareth, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth” (Jn. 1:45-46, NRSV). Jesus then of course is able to convince Nathaniel that he is indeed the Messiah, the son of the living God, and Nathaniel then praises him (Jn. 1:47-49, NRSV). The gospel reading ends with Jesus saying, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened up and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (Jn. 1:51, NRSV). Jesus says to Nathaniel and to us, as we continue to believe more the truth, the love, and the hope that he reveals to us, we will see great things, and our faith will increase. Jesus this morning then, is reassuring Nathaniel that he is the fullness of God. Jesus is saying that he is God in the flesh that he desires to be in relationship with us. For these reasons we can say as the Psalmist said in Psalm 103 many years before Jesus’ birth, “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Ps. 103:1a, NRSV). God loves us, and through Jesus Christ can redeem us all. All we need to do is repent and ask for it, and then we can say as Psalmist said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Ps. 103:1a, NRSV).

My friends, my sisters and brothers, I pray that this day, this week, and always, we may as the term goes, “count our blessings”. May we be truly grateful to God for all that we have, all that we have been given, and for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon us all. May we say “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Ps. 103:1a, NRSV). Amen.

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.