It’s the third Sunday of Advent. Light a candle for joy! This week, worship service Sunday at 11 am and Food Pantry on Tuesday 5:30-7 pm. Here’s a recording and copy of this week’s message.
13 December 20 Sunday Message: “His Spirit Lights Advent’s Way”
Call to Worship: John 1: 1-9, 19-23
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him…
…19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
Call to Worship, Prayer Concerns, and Offering; Father in heaven, Lord today we come to you in thanks for all you have given us, and to humbly ask that you would visit your grace on all of those suffering this Advent Season. Lord we pray that you accept the gift of our very selves, as we learn to advance your Kingdom in this world.
Amen!
Message Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
Message: “His Spirit, Lights Advent’s Way”
As we journey further into the Advent season, I have to share with you how excited I am to get to talk with you about John 1, and Isaiah 61. Both are Gospels (Good News) for their respective Testaments (Old and New) that they are located in. Both are passages that I have thought about in the past and just when you need them, like all of God’s scripture, they are available for reflection, application, and today is no exception.
Both passages encapsulates, summarizes our faithwalk in our Lord. John explaining the relationship of Jesus Christ (The Word) to the Godhead (from the very beginning), and our relationship to Him, and Isaiah describing the Lord’s mission in saving mankind and providing light for the prisoners (you and me imprisoned in sin’s darkness).
And yet (and this shows you how thick headed I am at times), I didn’t until this Advent think of their application to the Birth of Christ. In the past I was so focused on the Lord’s mission of His saving humanity in a nuts and bolt, day-to-day kind of activity, I didn’t connect the creation and sustainment (sharing the Good News) to the Nativity. But now it makes all the sense in the world.
Today I am excited to talk with you about the Creator’s visit to humanity (you and me) Advent, to bring light into the darkness of mankind’s sin. You see, as we spend time this Christmas season decking the Halls at home, work, and our Sanctuary, as we bring light and brilliance to the everyday decor. In fact, we provide a poor imitation of what God is illuminating in our lives, our hearts, and our very souls. And as beautiful as our decorating is, it just pales in comparison to what God is doing in our lives, and in the world. In fact in the world through our lives!
Reminding me of todays “Call to Worship’ reading from the Gospel of John 1, where John speaks of the beginning of everything, the word, life and light in the world. The Life that resides within our Lord is the Light of Mankind. A light that darkness has not overcome because our light is fueled by the grace of God (the true light) giving us hope, and as Paul says in his letter to the Romans 5:5;
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
The Gospel of John chapter 1, goes on to testify that John the Baptist;
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him
This must be our goal and hope this Advent and beyond, that through us God will reclaim the people we meet in this life, for His own. This is where trusting in the Lord is so important, because God is placing people in our lives all the time. Some are loving, some are searching and lost. We are going to meet people in crisis, and people looking for solutions, and yes, we are going to meet a few who are toxic, incoherent, and in rebellion with God. God also gives us these people to learn & grow from.
It’s interesting to note, that John the Baptist didn’t so much die in the place of other people or for other people’s approval, as he lived to serve God. And there is a big difference. When I am living to serve the Lord, He is illuminating my path, and the light is just right, but when my path is lit by popularity, glitz and glamor of the moment, I stumble every time! I need to serve Him by serving others and being guided by His Spirit lighting my way!
Here’s my thought. Just like John, you are not responsible for fixing other people’s lives, funding their addictions or mistakes, or endangering yourself or your family. We just need to start with loving and caring for others by prayer, listening, sharing the Good News, then helping as we can that is appropriate for them, and then praying again with them as they search for answers. Realizing that sometimes what people want us to help them with, really is not helping them, but creating more of an addiction through co-dependence. Prayer can help us know the difference between help and hurt!
Remember, John said in verse 10;
10 He (the Lord) was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
Even though the world has been created by our Lord there will be those who do not recognize Him or you when you serve Him by helping the very people who many times don’t get it. And that has always been the case throughout the history of the world. Jesus in Matthew 26:11 tells us that: we will always have the poor with us…
But that must not dissuade us in wanting to help and care for other people. And when we pray for other people and show them how we pray, God is honored, praised, glorified, and magnified. This is the most powerful gift you have when it is coupled with the love in your heart, and it places you into God’s own purpose, and that is what Advent and the Nativity are all about. Because we are guided by His light and not the glitz of the moment.
This leads me to our “Message Reading” from Isaiah 61, which is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I think I like it so much is that this is the passage that the Lord quotes in His own Synagogue in Nazareth as outlined in Luke 4. Then is kicked out and threatened with stoning and being thrown off a cliff, and yet He was there to save those same people living in ignorance. That’s the length that your God will go to have a relationship with you. Isaiah hundreds of years before spoke of the Lord’s mission in Isaiah 61:1-3
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
This passage perfectly sums up why the Lord decided on an earthly mission two thousand years ago. Why the Nativity has taken place with the birth of Christ, and why we celebrate Advent (God among us) each year. By God walking among us, God has shown us His love for you and me, and all of humanity. Not based on what we have done to deserve this gift, but because God could see how much we needed Him desperately in our lives.
What is even more remarkable to me is that this passage of the Lord’s mission of outreach and salvation, applies to you and me if we are walking in the footsteps of our Savoir.
By the way, I found God’s Highway (our message from last week), it’s a road that houses a homeless tent encampment. Or anywhere the disadvantaged reside. Where people of good will share food for the body, with God’s Spirit of Faith, Hope, and Love. Following His footsteps leads us to such places where the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord resides. Anointing all who would care for others, in a ministry of compassion and mercy.
At this point I can almost hear the protest in some of your thoughts. The first objection is usually; “yea, that’s all well and good but I haven’t been anointed. I’m not sure that I even know what being anointed means.”
So, I have done what any real American does when they are baffled and too lazy to pull out a Webster’s Dictionary, I Google the word for a definition. And here is what I got;
Google Definition: Most often, the term “anointed one” is used in the Bible to refer to a person who has received a special calling from God.
And that’s where I stopped. I know there is the traditional thought with more ritual stuff, but I wasn’t interested in being smeared in oil, or having blood slung at me like in the good old days. And here’s the deal, you all have been set aside by God from the day you invited Him into your life. From that day we all decided to put others before ourselves, and to begin to live a real life of service instead of ever more consumption, and addiction.
From that day each and every one of you have had a ministry. A ministry of reconciliation with the Lord. In English that means all Christians have a calling to share the Good News with the people that God places in our lives.
Now I know that there will be some who will say, “aint that why we have you as a pastor?” No. In my world, the Pastor exists to work for and supports other people as they explore what their individual ministry actually is. To remind you that service to others does not require a job title or a ceremony, but a love for other people.
My job is to support you, and work for you as the lowest worker in the congregation. Regardless of whether you are a member of our church or not, sitting in a pew on a Sunday morning or watching on YouTube from any location on the planet, to include jail, prison, military basic training, a bar, rehab, or while riding a tractor on the farm and watching as you plow.
You see, in our Church, there must be a competition to the bottom of the social ladder, with our goal being to reach the depth of Jesus Christ who as creator of the Universe, maker of everything, washed dirty disciple feet to demonstrate what humility and humanity is all about. And that no one is above serving other people! And that’s: Nonnegotiable. But don’t take my word for it, read for yourself any one of the Gospels and you will see a creator serving the created.
That’s why we have Advent and why God’s Décor (His Spirit) lights Advent’s way. And if we continue reading from Isaiah 61:8-9, Isaiah instructs us:
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
We prove this blessing from God every time we reach out and serve other people, the people that God places in our lives in our Faithwalk in Him. And what is amazing is that when we begin to go down that road of caring for others, God starts to equip us with the tools and skills needed to serve Him even better. As Isaiah continues in verse 10:
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
Maybe that is what being an oak and a planting of the Lord for the display of His spender is all about! As we clean house in preparation for the arrival of our Lord, I guess maybe the greatest discovery we might find in cleaning up this mess of ours, is how doable it is when we clean house with the Lord. With God’s spirit lighting our way, as “God’s Spirit, Lights Advent’s Way” this year.
May this third week of Advent be a week of discovery as you build your beautiful lives in His Holy Spirit of hope, peace, and joy of His season of renewal.
Amen!
Benediction based on; Isaiah 61:1-3
61 May the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord be on you,
because the Lord has anointed you
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent you to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
May you be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor. Amen!