Sheep in pasture

Sheep in pasture
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Sunday, December 15, 2013

An “Advent”ure of…Joy”

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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