December 15, 2013
Stetson Memorial United Methodist
Church
Sermon
3 of Advent Series
“An
“Advent”ure To the Stable”
1
Peter 1:8-9 GOD’S WORD Translation
Psalm
90:1-2, 14 GOD’S WORD Translation
1
Peter 1:3-7 GOD’S WORD Translation
“Kneeling
in Bethlehem” by Ann Weems
I love the Holidays! Love getting
together with family and spending time together. It seems that the holiday
season is the only time that we get to see some of our family members. We live
far away from many of our family members and it is so good to be with them . .
. to catch up on what’s been going on in our lives since we last met. Now I
want you to imagine with me for a moment . . . think of that family member that
you miss most of all . . . how will you feel when you finally get back together
with them? What a joyous occasion it is when we get to see our loved ones after
being away from them for a long time . . .
Perhaps, even, most of us have had the
pleasure of having such joy that it cannot be contained. Whether it is a new
job, good news that you have been waiting for, or even being joyful because of
someone else’s good news. I know that I have been in these types of situations
and the joy just wells up inside of me so much that it can’t help but spill out
on those around me. But I think I find my biggest joy in God. Just thinking
about who God is…about what God has done in my life and in the lives of those
around me…and what God has around the corner for me makes me want to explode…or implode, however you want to view it.
And through this Joy, our belief in God is solidified.
But what would it be like if we shared
that joy with even the strangers that are among us. . . what would that look
like. . . with those who could use some joy in their lives? What do you think
the world would be like if we shared that radical hospitality with them. . .
letting them into our own lives so that they too can have joy and hope. . .
inviting them into the living room of our lives? Can you imagine what that
world would look like?
Let us pray. . .
Loving, Gracious God, giver of all true Joy, we thank you for this day that we
can celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that you would be
with us as we think about the sheer joy of having a relationship with you. Set
afire the Spirit within us with the joy of this Advent season . . . a joy that
is uncontrollable. Speak to us in ways we never imagined. Amen!
We are at the half-way stage of our
Advent journey. We are at the week where the theme is “joy”! I don’t know about
you abut for me . . . the Christmas season brings a lot of joy to my soul.
There is so much to be joyous about. There are friends and family, there are
get together, there is so much joy that it is hard to contain sometimes for me.
Yes Advent is a really joyous time as we wait expectantly for the celebration
of the One who became flesh as well as expectantly waiting for His return.
But my question is this… Where is your joy found? Is it in the things around
you or the things above? In this world of sadness and pain, it is hard to find
that real, uncontrollable joy. When we look around us we see misery and pain
and we may ask ourselves, “Where is the joy . . . where is the love that should
encompass all of humankind’s life?” Isn’t there something better out there than
what we see around us? We see jobs being lost, wars breaking out, and people
with major health issues, divorce and brokenness. Where is the joy? Where is
the hope? Where can it be found? The scriptures that were read this morning are
all about joy. They are all about where true joy is found.
The scripture from 1 Peter 4:8-9 talks
about the love and joy that we have when we belong to Christ. Now I don’t know
about you, but when I ponder on what Christ did for me…what He did for
humanity…I feel the “joy of my salvation.” It is beyond my own thinking that
God would love me enough to want to have a relationship with me. I mean think
about it…the God who created everything…let me repeat that…the God that created e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g
love you and me so much that He made a way for redemption through a babe in a
manger…His only Son. It is mind boggling and humbles me right to
my very soul. You can’t even put it into words how grateful it should make
those who are being saved moment by moment of every day.
The Psalm from this morning…you know I love the Psalms, many talk about
that joy we get from God…they talk about God’s character and about His
deliverance for His people. We have joy because our great God is our refuge
and strength. Our great God is never changing from generation to generation. What joy we have because of our God’s
unfailing love and character. We know we have something…someone…in our lives
that is the same as they were yesterday…today and for and eternity. In a world
full of unknowing it is joyous to know we have a knowing that stands the test
of time.
And then we have the 1 Peter that is the
procurer to what was read in verses 8 and 9. It tells us that it is our faith
in Christ that brings us joy. It also gives us a glimpse of why we may have
troubles in our lives. You see…even if we
don’t agree with this statement as we are going through it…our troubles
that we go through help build our faith and character in Christ Jesus. We can
sing with joy because we are given a new birth…sort of a do over…that will
bring us joy and salvation. Now this new life we are given is an inheritance
that we receive in our new life with Christ. Our in heritance is kept for us in
heaven where nothing can destroy. We too can sing for joy as Mary did when she heard
the angels greeting about being favored among men. We too are offered that same
“favoritism” as children of God. We too can hear the song of the angels that
was sung on that night long ago as the shepherds did on the hill side. We can
hear and share that good news of the angel’s chorus.
Perhaps we, as humanity, need to hear
that greeting from long ago, that greeting from the angel to Mary. “Do not be
afraid for I come with good news, today unto a child is born who will save
humanity through His ministry, through His death and through His resurrection.”
Perhaps we need to remember the joy of our salvation in this Advent Season.
Maybe, just maybe, we, as humanity, can rekindle that hope, that love, that
joy, that poured down from heaven. Maybe, just maybe, we can rekindle that joy
of belonging to something bigger than ourselves. Maybe, just maybe, there will
come a day when there will truly be peace on earth. Perhaps if we just fan the
flames of our hearts we will be able to sing with the angles “glory to God in
the highest and peace to the people on earth.” Maybe, just maybe, if we would
just believe. Maybe, just maybe…
We, as Christians, must wait patiently
for the day to come when God will reign supreme but while we wait we have work
to do to help that day come along a little sooner. Part of our work is to share
that uncontrollable . . . that uncontainable joy that is within you, that is
within me, which we have within us. Is there someone that you know who could
use joy in their lives . . . is there someone who needs help that only you can
give (something that you could do just
for the sheer joy of it and therefore spreading that uncontainable joy along to
someone else)? My challenge for you this week is this. . . I challenge you
to sing joyously that song within you, help energize limp hand, open the eyes
of the blind to God’s love, and help the lame walk and the deaf to hear. Share
with someone about the saving grace of Christ which is the beginning of our song
. . . the reason for the season and that uncontainable joy within us.
Amen
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