I suppose you've noticed how messy our lives are. In fact, if you're like me, you've probably even complained about how life hasn't been fair to you.
Have you ever considered how Joseph must have felt when he found out Mary was pregnant? Then he had a dream and an angel spoke to him. Then there's the census Caesar required which meant a trip by foot with Mary about to deliver a baby. And then they can't find accommodations in Bethlehem. So it's the stable or nothing for Joseph and his new family. And then there's the shepherds and later the wise men from the East. And then, another dream and another angel and another trip that takes them even further away from their home and families. When they finally get the all clear message from another angel they find they still can't go home because Herod's son's in power and he's every bit as bad as his Dad. So, they're detoured to Nazareth. Besides all that happened to them there's all those babies who were ordered killed by Herod. Life sure is messy.
Have you also noticed how Joseph behaved through all this messiness? We don't read anywhere that he questioned God's messengers or say, “No, I'm not going there.” Not once do we hear that Joseph balked at God's instructions. It makes me wonder how we would have responded in the same situations.
Maybe the gospel writers were being easy on Joseph. Or maybe he was one of a kind and God knew that this was the perfect man to be the human father to his Son, Jesus. God probably knew that Joseph could deal with the messiness and the changes that were going to come into his life.
So, what do you think the Message God wants us to take from this gospel lesson? I think there's more here than the slaughter of the innocents. Jesus was saved but all those other little babies died. We know now that God was just waiting for a later time for Jesus to die, to be the sacrifice that would save the whole world. What other Message does God have for us here?
One thing I'm noticing is how God spoke to Joseph. He spoke to him in dreams through angels. The other thing is how Joseph reacted to these messages and the messengers.
I've kind of skimmed over these parts up 'til now. It makes me wonder how many times God may have spoken to me in a dream and I missed it. Or I listened, in my dream, but when I woke up the devil chased it out of my memory. But maybe God doesn't speak to you, or me, in dreams or with angels. Has he spoken to us and we haven't heard or listened or paid any attention? Or maybe we heard and we just rejected the Message. We didn't like what we heard and so we chose to disobey God. Hmmm.
God chose Joseph because he was just as God had created him. He was meant to be the father to Jesus. God knew how he'd respond to all the messiness that surrounded him. Not that Joseph couldn't have thrown a wrench into the works but he didn't and I believe that's all because it was part of God's intricate plan for the world. Now don't get me wrong. Joseph wasn't a puppet. He had to make many choices. But because of how God knit him together in his mother's womb he made the decisions that needed to be made that kept God's Son safe until his appointed time.
I wonder, though, if Joseph ever had any questions for God about some of these trips He sent him on. It sure was an awful lot of walking. And he probably didn't have all of his tools with him when he had to go off to Egypt. I mean it's not easy being the breadwinner for the family when the economy's in such turmoil. Do you think Joseph was ever worried? I think he had to be but, you see, he trusted God, and so did Mary. That had to help immensely.
So how do we respond when God asks us to do something that we think is way out there? I think we can learn from Joseph. Maybe Joseph can help us learn to trust our God more and be willing to take a risk just because it's God who's doing the asking. Maybe, after hearing this story again, we will be more attuned to God's voice as he speaks to us.
Friends, God speaks to us in many ways, even when things are messy and chaotic. I pray that you will now take some time every day to sit alone with God and listen as he speaks to you. I pray that you will listen to that voice that's in your mind as your go about your work. It just might be one of God's messengers with a special delivery for you. May God give you the courage and the strength to respond to his direction even if it sounds a little messy. Trust in God. He knows what he's doing because he is the Master Planner for the whole universe.
Thanks be to God for the wonderful grace-filled gift he gave the world. Amen.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
What Brings Us to Church?
I know I’ve asked this question before but I believe it’s something we need to unpack again. And, it’s also the question Jesus asked those who were with him when he was questioned by John’s disciples. He said, “What did you go out into the desert to see?” He didn’t ask them just one time, but three times he asked them, “Why did you go out?”
That’s a good question for us to reflect on today. Why do we come here? What do we expect when we come? Do we come expecting something different? Do we come here to see miracles, to feel the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, or to experience God’s power at work in his Word? What do we hope for when we come to this church?
If I were to take a survey of this entire congregation this morning I imagine we would hear many different reasons why we all come to church. Some might come because they love to sing the hymns or to hear them sung. Others may come because they enjoy being with other folks who are just like them. They’re comfortable and feel at home among this group of people. Others may come because they are able to sit and feel God’s presence as the whole liturgy is performed, prayers, songs, reading of the Scriptures, proclamation, and the charge and blessing. Others come hoping that God will somehow fix them so they can cope with all the world bombards them with.
Such a simple question, “Why do we go to church,” can actually turn out to be very difficult to answer. That’s because worship is different for each of us. God didn’t make us all alike so why would our reasons for coming to church to worship be any different?
Whenever I come across a question I’m having trouble coming up with an answer that makes the most sense I like to go to the Confessions to see what our ancestors had to say about it. The Confession of 1967 has this to say about worship, “The church gathers to praise God, to hear his word for mankind, to baptize and to join in the Lord’s Supper, to pray for and present the world to him in ownership, to enjoy fellowship, to receive instruction, strength, and comfort, to order and organize its own corporate life, to be tested, renewed, and reformed, and to speak and act in the world’s affairs as may be appropriate to the needs of the time.”
When you decided that you were coming to church this morning what were the reasons you came? As I said God created all of us to be different therefore we’ve each taken different paths to get here. That means that none of us have experienced the same things and even if we have, how they impact us and how we remember them will be different. So why wouldn’t our experiences or expectations be different?
Many of us come to church to worship God and when we do we come carrying a whole lot of baggage. Sometimes we want nothing else but to be able to take that burden from our shoulders and lay it at the foot of the cross hoping that Jesus will pick it up and carry it for us. Sometimes we come with our problems not sure if God hears our prayers but we don’t have anywhere else to go and so we come here praying that he will notice us and help us. Sometimes we come knowing that we need to change, need to repent, but we aren’t able to do it by ourselves and so we come praying that God will provide just what we need. We don’t know what that is but we come hoping.
So, have you answered my question in your mind why it is you came here this morning? I pray that whatever the reason God led you here this morning that your questions were answered through the power of the Holy Spirit and that you leave here strengthened and encouraged to be the storyteller God needs this week as you walk the path he’s put you on.
Thanks be to God for his grace-filled peace and joy. Amen.
That’s a good question for us to reflect on today. Why do we come here? What do we expect when we come? Do we come expecting something different? Do we come here to see miracles, to feel the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, or to experience God’s power at work in his Word? What do we hope for when we come to this church?
If I were to take a survey of this entire congregation this morning I imagine we would hear many different reasons why we all come to church. Some might come because they love to sing the hymns or to hear them sung. Others may come because they enjoy being with other folks who are just like them. They’re comfortable and feel at home among this group of people. Others may come because they are able to sit and feel God’s presence as the whole liturgy is performed, prayers, songs, reading of the Scriptures, proclamation, and the charge and blessing. Others come hoping that God will somehow fix them so they can cope with all the world bombards them with.
Such a simple question, “Why do we go to church,” can actually turn out to be very difficult to answer. That’s because worship is different for each of us. God didn’t make us all alike so why would our reasons for coming to church to worship be any different?
Whenever I come across a question I’m having trouble coming up with an answer that makes the most sense I like to go to the Confessions to see what our ancestors had to say about it. The Confession of 1967 has this to say about worship, “The church gathers to praise God, to hear his word for mankind, to baptize and to join in the Lord’s Supper, to pray for and present the world to him in ownership, to enjoy fellowship, to receive instruction, strength, and comfort, to order and organize its own corporate life, to be tested, renewed, and reformed, and to speak and act in the world’s affairs as may be appropriate to the needs of the time.”
When you decided that you were coming to church this morning what were the reasons you came? As I said God created all of us to be different therefore we’ve each taken different paths to get here. That means that none of us have experienced the same things and even if we have, how they impact us and how we remember them will be different. So why wouldn’t our experiences or expectations be different?
Many of us come to church to worship God and when we do we come carrying a whole lot of baggage. Sometimes we want nothing else but to be able to take that burden from our shoulders and lay it at the foot of the cross hoping that Jesus will pick it up and carry it for us. Sometimes we come with our problems not sure if God hears our prayers but we don’t have anywhere else to go and so we come here praying that he will notice us and help us. Sometimes we come knowing that we need to change, need to repent, but we aren’t able to do it by ourselves and so we come praying that God will provide just what we need. We don’t know what that is but we come hoping.
So, have you answered my question in your mind why it is you came here this morning? I pray that whatever the reason God led you here this morning that your questions were answered through the power of the Holy Spirit and that you leave here strengthened and encouraged to be the storyteller God needs this week as you walk the path he’s put you on.
Thanks be to God for his grace-filled peace and joy. Amen.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Are We Ready?
Today we begin the second week of Advent and I wonder if I’m ready. Are you ready? Really, are you ready?
You probably think I’m talking about Christmas and in a way I am but not in the way you’re thinking, presents, Christmas trees, lights, and so forth. That’s not where I’m going. Are you ready for the King of Peace?
Now that you know where I’m coming from some of you are saying, “Sure, I’m ready. Come, Lord Jesus, come.” And there’s the rest of us who say, “Uh, I’m not quite ready yet. There’re some things I need to change first.”
Everywhere I look I see people who are all stressed out. Some are worried about the weather. Others are worried because they can’t come up with that perfect gift for Mom or Dad or their best friend. Some are worried because they’ve been laid off from work and don’t know how they’re going to keep the heat and lights on for another month. Some are stressed because they’re hosting the Christmas dinner this year and they want it to be just right.
Is anybody stressed out because there are so many people trying to make it this winter without shelter? Is anyone worrying about those who are struggling with their addictions to the mind altering substances they can’t seem to live without? Is there anyone who thinks that all the money spent on our military operations is excessive? Is anyone worried about peace? Is anyone worried about the ax John’s talking about? Are we really ready for Jesus, the King of Peace?
Every word we heard read this morning was either about hope or about peace. Friends, I don’t think we’re living in very peaceful times. Our country is still sending young men and women to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq and there’s the threat of nuclear war from the North Koreans. There’s not much peace on the African continent or in Central America and some parts of South America either.
With so much uncertainty where is our hope? I’ve place my hope, my trust in Jesus the Christ, the King of Peace. There are some who wonder how anyone can place their hope in Jesus when he still hasn’t returned as he promised his disciples. My answer is he never said that he’d be right back. In fact he said that he didn’t know the time when he would return. No one does. And so we wait…and hope.
I still put my trust in God. Why, you ask, do you still have hope that Jesus is coming back. I trust that God will keep his promise because if everything in the Bible was all just a story I don’t believe it would have survived for over 2,000 years. I believe because of God’s words to us in the Word, Jesus.
I’m ready because I have placed my hope in what God has planned for all his children. Isaiah said it verse 10 from chapter 11, “the new king from the family of Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples.” The Prophet said the new King will stand for all peoples. That is good news for us because Isaiah was talking about the foreigners in the land. Even then God was getting things ready for us.
God is ready to receive us; are we ready to receive him? Since you’re here this morning I’m assuming that you’ve already taken the first step. God called you and you responded by coming here to worship and sing praises to Him.
My question for all of us was, “Are we ready?” Maybe we’ll never be completely ready but if we believe in Jesus and his Message of Good News that God’s kingdom is here right now then I think you and I are as ready as we’re ever going to be. When we put our hope and trust in the One who cares for us then we’re ready.
My hope is that I’ll live to see a world that’s totally at peace, a world living in harmony the way Jesus wanted. It begins with you and me. When we live lives filled with God’s love and peace living in harmony with our neighbors even when they’re nothing like us then we’ve taken the first step to bring peace into this world.
John was preparing the way for the Messiah with the Message that change was needed. The Message is no different for us today. If we are to be ready then we need to, “Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives.” And we can’t think that just because we call ourselves Christians we’re safe from the ax John talked about.
Advent always asks us to look again at our lives and reassess our spiritual health. Friends, take time this week reading the Word. Spend some time in quiet contemplation letting God speak his Message of hope and peace to you. Then you may be ready. It’s all up to God and his grace. Thanks be to God for his Message of hope and peace. Amen.
You probably think I’m talking about Christmas and in a way I am but not in the way you’re thinking, presents, Christmas trees, lights, and so forth. That’s not where I’m going. Are you ready for the King of Peace?
Now that you know where I’m coming from some of you are saying, “Sure, I’m ready. Come, Lord Jesus, come.” And there’s the rest of us who say, “Uh, I’m not quite ready yet. There’re some things I need to change first.”
Everywhere I look I see people who are all stressed out. Some are worried about the weather. Others are worried because they can’t come up with that perfect gift for Mom or Dad or their best friend. Some are worried because they’ve been laid off from work and don’t know how they’re going to keep the heat and lights on for another month. Some are stressed because they’re hosting the Christmas dinner this year and they want it to be just right.
Is anybody stressed out because there are so many people trying to make it this winter without shelter? Is anyone worrying about those who are struggling with their addictions to the mind altering substances they can’t seem to live without? Is there anyone who thinks that all the money spent on our military operations is excessive? Is anyone worried about peace? Is anyone worried about the ax John’s talking about? Are we really ready for Jesus, the King of Peace?
Every word we heard read this morning was either about hope or about peace. Friends, I don’t think we’re living in very peaceful times. Our country is still sending young men and women to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq and there’s the threat of nuclear war from the North Koreans. There’s not much peace on the African continent or in Central America and some parts of South America either.
With so much uncertainty where is our hope? I’ve place my hope, my trust in Jesus the Christ, the King of Peace. There are some who wonder how anyone can place their hope in Jesus when he still hasn’t returned as he promised his disciples. My answer is he never said that he’d be right back. In fact he said that he didn’t know the time when he would return. No one does. And so we wait…and hope.
I still put my trust in God. Why, you ask, do you still have hope that Jesus is coming back. I trust that God will keep his promise because if everything in the Bible was all just a story I don’t believe it would have survived for over 2,000 years. I believe because of God’s words to us in the Word, Jesus.
I’m ready because I have placed my hope in what God has planned for all his children. Isaiah said it verse 10 from chapter 11, “the new king from the family of Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples.” The Prophet said the new King will stand for all peoples. That is good news for us because Isaiah was talking about the foreigners in the land. Even then God was getting things ready for us.
God is ready to receive us; are we ready to receive him? Since you’re here this morning I’m assuming that you’ve already taken the first step. God called you and you responded by coming here to worship and sing praises to Him.
My question for all of us was, “Are we ready?” Maybe we’ll never be completely ready but if we believe in Jesus and his Message of Good News that God’s kingdom is here right now then I think you and I are as ready as we’re ever going to be. When we put our hope and trust in the One who cares for us then we’re ready.
My hope is that I’ll live to see a world that’s totally at peace, a world living in harmony the way Jesus wanted. It begins with you and me. When we live lives filled with God’s love and peace living in harmony with our neighbors even when they’re nothing like us then we’ve taken the first step to bring peace into this world.
John was preparing the way for the Messiah with the Message that change was needed. The Message is no different for us today. If we are to be ready then we need to, “Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives.” And we can’t think that just because we call ourselves Christians we’re safe from the ax John talked about.
Advent always asks us to look again at our lives and reassess our spiritual health. Friends, take time this week reading the Word. Spend some time in quiet contemplation letting God speak his Message of hope and peace to you. Then you may be ready. It’s all up to God and his grace. Thanks be to God for his Message of hope and peace. Amen.
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