January 6, 2008 Readings

Ephesians 3:1-12 (The Message)

The Secret Plan of God

1-3This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you're familiar with the part I was given in God's plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief.

4-6As you read over what I have written to you, you'll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God's Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.

7-8This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

8-10And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

11-13All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!

Matthew 2:1-12 (The Message)

Scholars from the East

1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod's kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him."

3-4When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"

5-6They told him, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:

It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land,
no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel."

7-8Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, "Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I'll join you at once in your worship."

9-10Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!

11They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

12In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.

December 30, 2007 Reading

Isaiah 63:7-9
All the Things God Has Done That Need Praising

I'll make a list of God's gracious dealings,
all the things God has done that need praising,

All the generous bounties of God,
his great goodness to the family of Israel—

Compassion lavished,
love extravagant.

He said, "Without question these are my people,
children who would never betray me."

So he became their Savior.

In all their troubles,
he was troubled, too.

He didn't send someone else to help them.
He did it himself, in person.

Out of his own love and pity
he redeemed them.

He rescued them and carried them along
for a long, long time.

Matthew 2:13-23

13 After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him."

14-15 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod's death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: "I called my son out of Egypt."

16-18 Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he'd gotten from the scholars.) That's when Jeremiah's sermon was fulfilled:

A sound was heard in Ramah,
weeping and much lament.
Rachel weeping for her children,
Rachel refusing all solace,
Her children gone,
dead and buried.

19-20 Later, when Herod died, God's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: "Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead."

21-23 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

December 23, 2007 Message

Luke 2:1, 3-20; Matthew 1:16-25
“The Birth of Jesus”

This the season for Christmas cards…
A man sent his friend a cryptic Christmas card. It said: A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.
The recipient puzzled over it for weeks, finally gave up and wrote asking for an explanation. In July he received the explanation on a postcard: "No L."

It is the season for shopping…
A man goes to Cedar Rapids to do some Christmas shopping. His wife was watching the news on TV when she heard the announcer say, "be very careful and watch driving on 380 today, there is a motorist driving the wrong way"!
The wife immediately calls her husband on the cell phone to warn him, and he says: "Tell me about it! There are hundreds of them here going the wrong way".

And it is the season for helping others…
During the sermon, the preacher was telling the people about how the angel came to Mary to tell her about how she would help bring Jesus into the world. To help make his point, he asked what they thought the first thing Mary would have asked for after the angel left her.
Immediately a young mother, sitting about five rows back from the front, and with a little one, turned to her husband and said, "I'll bet she asked for a little help from Joseph!"

But most importantly, this is the season of “our dear Saviors birth.”
Luke 2 tells the story of the birth of Jesus. It is the story dads often read to their children and grandchildren at Christmas time. It begins by filling us in on why Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem. “About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there.”

Then the surprise comes - verse 5 says, “He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.” That’s not really important to a four year old. So Luke’s brevity is fine. But for those of us needing to know more, well we have to go to Matthew to find out more. In the parallel text found in Matthew, Chapter 1, we find that: “Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. Joseph was upset and angry but he was determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—(which means) 'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would fulfill Isaiah’s earlier prophecy (7:10-16) that foretells ‘a young woman will conceive and bear a son who will be called Emmanuel.’

Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").

So what does Joseph do? He wakes up and does exactly what God's angel has told him to do in the dream: He marries Mary. But he doesn’t consummate the marriage until she has the baby, who he names Jesus.

Imagine being Joseph… It must have been a difficult and anxious time to say the least – and for Mary as well. Mary confides in you before the marriage that she is expecting a child. You know you are not the father. You have no idea what to do. Oh, you could humiliate Mary in front of her family and their neighbors, announce the wedding is off and demand your dowry back. But that is not the kind of person you are. Instead, you help Mary go away to her cousin’s home to avoid the shame.

And after she has gone, the most amazing thing happens. In the middle of the night, when you are in a deep sleep, you have a dream in which an angel of God appears to you. This angel tells you that what had happened to Mary was all God’s doing, it was God’s plan. It’s okay. You are not to be afraid or angry or mad at Mary. Instead, the angel says, you are to take Mary as your wife, just like the both of you had planned all along. Things will be fine. Trust God. God would do something great.

Mary would have a son, and the angel tells you to name him, Jesus… or Yeshua —which means “God saves.” And just like Joshua of old, this Jesus would save his people from their sins. But then the angel added something else. His name would also be Immanuel — God with us. God with us!

This is a story of new life breaking lose in unexpected ways - and in unanticipated places. Luke 2:7 says, “She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the inn.” The baby Jesus… Yeshua (God saves)… Immanuel (God with us) was born to unlikely parents and in an unlikely place. What might be the parallels today? Through what unlikely people and in what unlikely places might God be at work during this season of hope.

This is also a story of God’s promise kept. Jesus’ birth is evidence of that. In his birth is found hope for all people, the same hope we can be a witness to today. Or can we? Are there people who are yet to hear the Christmas story and its message of hope for the first time… who are waiting for our telling?

Yesterday was an anxious day for me. As I was working on this message, I found myself anxious as to whether there would be a service this morning or not… with the snow and all. I’m sure it was nothing like how Joseph felt, but still the uncertainty of not knowing what the ‘morrow would bring’ made for an uneasy evening. Plans had been made, everything was going as planned… and then the storm blows in! Not necessarily so unexpected but still, what to do? Perhaps the same ‘anxiousness’ about Christmas overwhelms us, and what to do.

But, like Joseph, there is no reason for us to be anxious. For we too are assured that the child, whom we will celebrate in his birth this Christmas morning, is GOD WITH US, Emmanuel, and that this child, whom we celebrate in his birth, came to save us from our sins more than two thousand years ago.

We have no reason to be anxious this Christmas. If we don’t have our service, Jesus will come. If we don’t get the shopping done Jesus will still come. If we don’t get the decorating done, Jesus will still come. All we have to do is be patient, and wait, and prepare, and he will be here ... sooner than we might expect.

“Joseph, the son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Do not be anxious… or concerned… for Jesus Christ is coming.

December 23, 2007 Readings

Luke 2:1, 3-20 (The Message)

The Birth of Jesus
1 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire.
3-5 Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
An Event for Everyone
8-12 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."
13-14 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
15-18 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
19-20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

A PARALLEL STORY
Matthew 1: 18-25

The Birth of Jesus
18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").
24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.

December 2, 2007 Message

Isaiah 9:2, 6; Matthew 6:9-11
“Welcome Christmas, Bring Your Light”

("How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is read for Children's Parable)

Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot
But the Grinch, who lived just north of Who-ville, did not!
The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one knows quite the reason.

When this time of year comes - the countdown to Christmas and all - do you think of yourself as living in Whoville… or as living somewhere just north of there?

In our children’s story today, that’s where the grouchy ol’ fella lives who hates Christmas and everything about Christmas – the toys, the noise, the joy, the songs, the parties – everything! He could care less about Christmas and all the things that go on during the Christmas season.
So what does he do? Remember? He decides to stop Christmas from coming. He figures if he takes all the stuff the Whos down in Whoville are expecting for Christmas, he will ruin Christmas for all of them… and make the Whos just as unhappy as him.

"Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!" he was grinchishly humming.
"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two.
Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"
So he takes all their stuff. But instead of crying, what does he hear? Right, he hears all of them singing.
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming! It came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
"It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas ... means a little bit more!"

So, there it is – the Grinch’s lesson of Christmas – maybe, just maybe, Christmas means a bit more. Is that a lesson we might need to learn as well? Do we think Christmas has to have presents and Santa and trees and snow? All those things are nice! Do we think Christmas has to come from a store? There are some awfully good things that come from stores - that’s for sure! But Christmas is not one of them. Christmas means a little bit more, doesn’t it?

Dr. Seuss and his story of the Grinch remind us of something very, very important. They remind us the Christmas we are waiting for doesn't come from a store. The Christmas we expectantly wait for this, and every Advent season, comes from God.

Christmas is Christ. It is Isaiah’s prophesy fulfilled and the prayer Jesus taught his disciples answered.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For those who lived in a land of deep shadows— light! sunbursts of light! For a child has been born—for us! the gift of a son—for us!”,

“God revealed to set the world right; doing what’s best for us, providing for the nourishment, the forgiveness, and the safety we desperately need.

Christmas is the day we celebrate both of those things – God’s gift of a son FOR US, God’s self revealed TO US - in the birth of Jesus the Christ. And because of that – because of what Christmas really means - we can continue to sing!

Welcome Christmas,
fah who rah-moose
Welcome Christmas,
dah who dah-moose
Christmas day will always be
Just so long as we have we

Fah who for-aze
Dah who dor-aze
Welcome Christmas
Bring your light