I'll Be Home for Christmas
01/03/10
Pastor Marji
Miller
Why am I not wishing you a happy new year? Because according to the church calendar, it’s still Christmas! Huh? It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas any more to me. I went back to work yesterday. The decorations down, dried out Christmas trees in the street, everything dark and dreary. But according to the Church Calendar, this is the second week of Christmas. Christmas Two!
Christians operate – or we are supposed to operate – with two calendars since we are citizens of two kingdoms. We operate by the secular calendar, and rightly so, because we are citizens of this world. So we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, New Year. We also operate, or we should, by the Church calendar because we are citizens of a Kingdom that is not of this world. So we celebrate Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. And Christmas – all 12 days of it.
And, there is a lot to celebrate. God hasn’t gone away. The God who came still comes. Emmanuel – God with us – is still with us. Christmas Two. So, we’re going to look at two parts of the Bible that are traditionally read for Christmas Two.
But, before we do, Jesus didn’t just appear out of nowhere, dropped out of the sky to people who weren’t expecting him. Like we’ve seen the The Story, God loved his human creations, even when they messed up very badly, and he initiated a restoration project.
God’s restoration project began 1800 years before Jesus’ birth with a promise to an old man and an old woman: Some interactive stuff: Who? Abraham was 99 years old, Sarah 10 years younger.
Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” ……. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:1-2, 7-8 TNIV
It all began with that promise: I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The land, the descendants, and the covenant. I will be your God. Everlastingly. The events leading up to the coming of Jesus were set in motion. Only 1800 years until Christmas!
Now, come forward. To a time and place where celebration was a scare commodity. Time: roughly 600 years before Jesus. Place: Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capitol, and pretty much all that was left, of the kingdom of Judah. And Judah was all that was left of the 12 tribes God had brought out of Egypt under……? Moses. The Bible’s stories celebrate the marvelous ways this God who had brought them out of Egypt – Yahweh – had led them into this land – their home – defeated their enemies and given them peace and security.
The stories also tell us how the people had responded to Yahweh’s grace and leadership. Not well. From the beginning they mixed the worship of Yahweh with the worship of other gods, and they didn’t care for each other. They mistreated the poor and vulnerable. The orphans, widows and aliens.
God had sent a whole series of prophets to try to get them back on track. Jeremiah, for example, had, for 40 years, warned about the consequences of continuing to ignore Yahweh. Jeremiah has recorded the response of the people to his warnings:
He will do nothing! (That would be Yahweh.) No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. Jeremiah 5:12 TNIV
Since that’s what they believed there was, of course, no change. And so now, after all these centuries, the unheeded warnings of the prophets were about to come true. Because now, on the world scene a superpower was expanding, and Judah – the pathetic remains of Yahweh’s intention – was no match for the power of …..Babylon.
So, by the 590’s BC. – only 600 years until Christmas! - things were looking bleak. You didn’t have to be politically astute to see Judah was going down. How could things have gotten this way?! The people of Judah, and the capital – Jerusalem – had expected Yahweh to do something! They had the promise. But their expectation wasn’t grounded in who Yahweh is – check those expectations!! - but a selfish, almost magical, belief that God would never let anything happen to the temple. They thought Yahweh was obligated to take care of them no matter what they did.
By the time they realized that they were wrong, it was too late. The nation would die, many of the people would die. The great temple of Yahweh would be destroyed. The last king – this feeble descendant of the great King David – would be forced to watch the execution of his sons, would have his eyes put out, and would finally, be taken to Babylon as a prisoner. Others would be taken as captives to Babylon as well. Exile! Scattered. Living in a land that wasn’t theirs. Against their wills. Forced to leave everything behind. Losing loved ones in the upheaval. Like so many other little nations swallowed up by the superpowers, it was just a matter of time until the people of Judah would be absorbed into the surrounding populations. Their identity as the people of God lost. THAT was EXILE. At Christmas, we sing about “the hopes and fears of all the years…..” well, the fears of all the years had certainly come.
Jeremiah records Yahweh saying:
“I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind. This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you, because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods. Jeremiah 13:24-25 TNIV
Scattering was something to fear, and it had happened. So, the hopes of all the years were gone.
Or, were they?
Jeremiah wasn’t what you’d call an upbeat kind of guy. Out of the 52 chapters that make up the book named for him, 48 are warnings and promises of disaster. But there are the other four chapters: Someone took every comforting thing he did say, and collected this hope into a few chapters – Jeremiah 30-33. Scholars call those chapters the Little Book of Consolation. And the theme of the Little Book of Consolation is in Jeremiah 30.
You will be my people, and I will be your God.” Jeremiah 30:22 NLT
And repeated in 31.
“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people. Jeremiah 31:1 NLT
The promise again! Follow along as I read from later in that chapter: This is the Old Testament lectionary reading for Christmas two.
Now this is what the Lord says: “Sing with joy for Israel. Shout for the greatest of nations! Shout out with praise and joy: ‘Save your people, O Lord, the remnant of Israel!’ For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women in labor. A great company will return! Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child. “Listen to this message from the Lord, you nations of the world; proclaim it in distant coastlands: The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock. For the Lord has redeemed Israel from those too strong for them. They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone. The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing. The priests will enjoy abundance, and my people will feast on my good gifts. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Jeremiah 31:7-14 NLT
Sing. Shout. “I am bringing you home,” God said. It was a startling reversal. Yahweh had said:
“This has happened (the defeat by Babylon) because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said. Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires…………
And the punishment…
I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.” Jeremiah 9:13-16 NLT
The punishment was scattering. But now….
Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. Jeremiah 31:9 NLT
They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts. Jeremiah 31:12 NLT
So these individuals who had been homeless, hopeless, thought they’d never have a home again – scattered over the face of the earth would become a people. Yahweh would gather the scattered women and men, girls and boys and recreate them as his family. Just like he had promised so long ago.
That is newness. That is only possible for the God of the Impossible. Yahweh specializes in the impossible. There was, of course no evidence, no reason to think it would be so. It didn’t make sense. All they had: God’s promise. Israel hung on because of belief in Promise Maker. Because of the promises, the people of Judah refused to believe the present circumstances were the last word. The promise knocks down barriers between possible and impossible. They were learning not to trust what the world calls impossible, because they were coming home! The Exile was over! Sing! Shout!
Jeremiah gives us a picture packed with images of salvation: grace, rest, love, faithfulness, rebuilding, music, singing, dancing, vineyards, joy, praise, protection, water, vindication, ransom, redemption, radiance. And gathering! Because in the Bible:
Home isn’t just about the place…. Home is family. We sometimes get so caught up in the individualism of our culture that we are tempted to think that the Return from Exile is for us individually. It is easy to get sentimental and personalize this into a warm fuzzy that makes us feel good. Nothing wrong with feeling good when we celebrate Christmas. And Easter. But unless we put that in the context of the creation of a community, we have misunderstood what Yahweh was about in this event. God was working to create a people. “I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” “Save, O Lord, your people!” “My people will feast!” The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock. This was about bringing together stranded, isolated individuals into a unity, a community, a family. I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child.
Israel and Ephraim are the same, by the way. And just look at this family that Yahweh was gathering! Remember, the firstborn held a place of special honor in that culture, and look who Yahweh names as the first born! Look at the imagery! A woman in labor. The blind. The lame. The vulnerable. First born is the woman helpless as she gives birth. First born is the disabled. First born is the baby in a manger. This is about God caring for those least able to care for themselves. God gives the place of honor in his family to the least. The last. The lost.
Home has enough room for every single deported citizen of Judah. They were all welcome into the family. God would lead them all to new beginnings. New life. But not as scattered individuals. Scattering had been the punishment. Now, Yahweh was gathering.
Emmanuel doesn’t mean “God with me.” Not God with me by myself. Not God with Shirley by herself. And then God with Rosie by herself. And then God with Garry by himself. No. God with us! Sing! Shout!
Of course, there’s more. God wasn’t through making a people. In our New Testament lectionary reading for Christmas Two, Paul wrote in Ephesians:
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. ………. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. (The promise again!)
He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Ephesians 1:4-8, 13-14 NLT
And because of that love and that choosing, now, another new thing. This is the Christmas story. Jesus – the child of the promise had come as a baby, lived his life, died (God purchasing our freedom with the blood of his Son) and been raised from the dead. Now, because of Jesus the non-Jews were included in God’s people. Only possible for the God of the Impossible. Jesus specializes in the impossible. There was no evidence, no reason to think it would be so. It didn’t make sense. All they had: God’s promise. The early Christians hung on because of belief in Promise Maker. Because of the promises, the people of Ephesus refused to believe the present circumstances were the last word. The promise knocks down barriers between possible and impossible. They were learning not to trust what the world calls impossible. Jesus had come. God with us. More of us.
So how do we celebrate the return from Exile? The coming of Jesus? We need to celebrate together as a community - and we have: Electric Christmas, caroling for Bunny, caroling at the jail, the choir’s Silent Night. We have celebrated at many levels and in many formats. This is the birth of Emmanuel! This is the time to celebrate God’s wonderful gift of grace! Bask in the love of God in all its radiance. His coming. Allow the joy and praise and love to overwhelm us. Sing with joy. Shout with praise! Relax in the security of God’s grace. BUT the relaxation is temporary. Because, as Paul wrote in Ephesians, “He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”
This family of God would be given a purpose and a mission that only a people can carry out.
Valley Grace, God is still doing new things and we have been chosen to be part of this. As a church family. We are God’s people and we have a mission. We are the community that is called into being by God, and we will spend the rest of the church year coming to terms with what it means to be the people of God, the Community of Faith that God has chosen to change in the world.
2009 has been a tough year. For lots of us. In spite of it all, we have kept our focus and direction. And I am so proud to be one of your pastors! I’m very excited about going forward with you. So, what are we doing?
First, as we go into 2010, as the people of God at Valley Grace, we will continue our emphasis on prayer. Israel never stopped praying, even in the darkest times. Jesus – Emmanuel – God with us – made prayer a priority in his life. The early church prayed “continually.”
Second, we will continue our emphasis on reaching out to people who don’t know this God of the Impossible, knowing we are empowered by his Holy Spirit to spread the news.
Third, we will continue looking for a better location, but remember, while we are limited by our facilities, God is NOT limited. If we are faithful he will use us for his purposes, and he won’t let inadequate bathrooms stand in his way.
Valley Grace, we have a mission, and we won’t get it done by being comfortable. We have God’s grace and love, we have the forgiveness and new life that Jesus brings, and the power of the Holy Spirit to take this story of joy to the world. As we have said repeatedly, it has cost God enormously to love us and be involved with us. Now it’s our turn to invest in this relationship. Today, as we begin 2010, let’s recommit ourselves to God, to his mission and purpose for us, and to each other.
The Covenant:
Today I am stepping across the line. I’m tired of waffling, and I’m finished with wavering. I’ve made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable. I’m going God’s way. There’s no turning back now!
I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes with God’s people on God’s planet for God’s glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.
Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and everlasting life, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.
Because I want to live for God’s purposes, I will value worship over wealth, "we" over "me," character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most, and I’ll give it all I’ve got. I’ll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.
I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me.
When times get tough, and I get tired, I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace. I’m Spirit-led, purpose-driven and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.
I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for everyday, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.
To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I’m ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway. Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I’ll hear you say, “Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!”
Modified from Rick Warren for the 25th anniversary of Saddleback Church.
___________
Big commitment: You and me, living up to everything we just read, that is only possible for the God of the Impossible. The God of the promise specializes in the impossible. There is no evidence, no reason to think it will be so. It doesn’t make sense. All we have: God’s promise. Valley Grace hangs on because of belief in Promise Maker. Because of the promises, we refuse to believe the present circumstances are the last word. The promise knocks down barriers between possible and impossible. We are learning not to trust what the world calls impossible. We are the people of God. We are home for Christmas.
Why am I not wishing you a happy new year? Because according to the church calendar, it’s still Christmas! Huh? It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas any more to me. I went back to work yesterday. The decorations down, dried out Christmas trees in the street, everything dark and dreary. But according to the Church Calendar, this is the second week of Christmas. Christmas Two!
Christians operate – or we are supposed to operate – with two calendars since we are citizens of two kingdoms. We operate by the secular calendar, and rightly so, because we are citizens of this world. So we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, New Year. We also operate, or we should, by the Church calendar because we are citizens of a Kingdom that is not of this world. So we celebrate Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. And Christmas – all 12 days of it.
And, there is a lot to celebrate. God hasn’t gone away. The God who came still comes. Emmanuel – God with us – is still with us. Christmas Two. So, we’re going to look at two parts of the Bible that are traditionally read for Christmas Two.
But, before we do, Jesus didn’t just appear out of nowhere, dropped out of the sky to people who weren’t expecting him. Like we’ve seen the The Story, God loved his human creations, even when they messed up very badly, and he initiated a restoration project.
God’s restoration project began 1800 years before Jesus’ birth with a promise to an old man and an old woman: Some interactive stuff: Who? Abraham was 99 years old, Sarah 10 years younger.
Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” ……. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:1-2, 7-8 TNIV
It all began with that promise: I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The land, the descendants, and the covenant. I will be your God. Everlastingly. The events leading up to the coming of Jesus were set in motion. Only 1800 years until Christmas!
Now, come forward. To a time and place where celebration was a scare commodity. Time: roughly 600 years before Jesus. Place: Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capitol, and pretty much all that was left, of the kingdom of Judah. And Judah was all that was left of the 12 tribes God had brought out of Egypt under……? Moses. The Bible’s stories celebrate the marvelous ways this God who had brought them out of Egypt – Yahweh – had led them into this land – their home – defeated their enemies and given them peace and security.
The stories also tell us how the people had responded to Yahweh’s grace and leadership. Not well. From the beginning they mixed the worship of Yahweh with the worship of other gods, and they didn’t care for each other. They mistreated the poor and vulnerable. The orphans, widows and aliens.
God had sent a whole series of prophets to try to get them back on track. Jeremiah, for example, had, for 40 years, warned about the consequences of continuing to ignore Yahweh. Jeremiah has recorded the response of the people to his warnings:
He will do nothing! (That would be Yahweh.) No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. Jeremiah 5:12 TNIV
Since that’s what they believed there was, of course, no change. And so now, after all these centuries, the unheeded warnings of the prophets were about to come true. Because now, on the world scene a superpower was expanding, and Judah – the pathetic remains of Yahweh’s intention – was no match for the power of …..Babylon.
So, by the 590’s BC. – only 600 years until Christmas! - things were looking bleak. You didn’t have to be politically astute to see Judah was going down. How could things have gotten this way?! The people of Judah, and the capital – Jerusalem – had expected Yahweh to do something! They had the promise. But their expectation wasn’t grounded in who Yahweh is – check those expectations!! - but a selfish, almost magical, belief that God would never let anything happen to the temple. They thought Yahweh was obligated to take care of them no matter what they did.
By the time they realized that they were wrong, it was too late. The nation would die, many of the people would die. The great temple of Yahweh would be destroyed. The last king – this feeble descendant of the great King David – would be forced to watch the execution of his sons, would have his eyes put out, and would finally, be taken to Babylon as a prisoner. Others would be taken as captives to Babylon as well. Exile! Scattered. Living in a land that wasn’t theirs. Against their wills. Forced to leave everything behind. Losing loved ones in the upheaval. Like so many other little nations swallowed up by the superpowers, it was just a matter of time until the people of Judah would be absorbed into the surrounding populations. Their identity as the people of God lost. THAT was EXILE. At Christmas, we sing about “the hopes and fears of all the years…..” well, the fears of all the years had certainly come.
Jeremiah records Yahweh saying:
“I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind. This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you, because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods. Jeremiah 13:24-25 TNIV
Scattering was something to fear, and it had happened. So, the hopes of all the years were gone.
Or, were they?
Jeremiah wasn’t what you’d call an upbeat kind of guy. Out of the 52 chapters that make up the book named for him, 48 are warnings and promises of disaster. But there are the other four chapters: Someone took every comforting thing he did say, and collected this hope into a few chapters – Jeremiah 30-33. Scholars call those chapters the Little Book of Consolation. And the theme of the Little Book of Consolation is in Jeremiah 30.
You will be my people, and I will be your God.” Jeremiah 30:22 NLT
And repeated in 31.
“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people. Jeremiah 31:1 NLT
The promise again! Follow along as I read from later in that chapter: This is the Old Testament lectionary reading for Christmas two.
Now this is what the Lord says: “Sing with joy for Israel. Shout for the greatest of nations! Shout out with praise and joy: ‘Save your people, O Lord, the remnant of Israel!’ For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women in labor. A great company will return! Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child. “Listen to this message from the Lord, you nations of the world; proclaim it in distant coastlands: The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock. For the Lord has redeemed Israel from those too strong for them. They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone. The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing. The priests will enjoy abundance, and my people will feast on my good gifts. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Jeremiah 31:7-14 NLT
Sing. Shout. “I am bringing you home,” God said. It was a startling reversal. Yahweh had said:
“This has happened (the defeat by Babylon) because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said. Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires…………
And the punishment…
I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.” Jeremiah 9:13-16 NLT
The punishment was scattering. But now….
Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. Jeremiah 31:9 NLT
They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts. Jeremiah 31:12 NLT
So these individuals who had been homeless, hopeless, thought they’d never have a home again – scattered over the face of the earth would become a people. Yahweh would gather the scattered women and men, girls and boys and recreate them as his family. Just like he had promised so long ago.
That is newness. That is only possible for the God of the Impossible. Yahweh specializes in the impossible. There was, of course no evidence, no reason to think it would be so. It didn’t make sense. All they had: God’s promise. Israel hung on because of belief in Promise Maker. Because of the promises, the people of Judah refused to believe the present circumstances were the last word. The promise knocks down barriers between possible and impossible. They were learning not to trust what the world calls impossible, because they were coming home! The Exile was over! Sing! Shout!
Jeremiah gives us a picture packed with images of salvation: grace, rest, love, faithfulness, rebuilding, music, singing, dancing, vineyards, joy, praise, protection, water, vindication, ransom, redemption, radiance. And gathering! Because in the Bible:
Home isn’t just about the place…. Home is family. We sometimes get so caught up in the individualism of our culture that we are tempted to think that the Return from Exile is for us individually. It is easy to get sentimental and personalize this into a warm fuzzy that makes us feel good. Nothing wrong with feeling good when we celebrate Christmas. And Easter. But unless we put that in the context of the creation of a community, we have misunderstood what Yahweh was about in this event. God was working to create a people. “I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” “Save, O Lord, your people!” “My people will feast!” The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock. This was about bringing together stranded, isolated individuals into a unity, a community, a family. I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child.
Israel and Ephraim are the same, by the way. And just look at this family that Yahweh was gathering! Remember, the firstborn held a place of special honor in that culture, and look who Yahweh names as the first born! Look at the imagery! A woman in labor. The blind. The lame. The vulnerable. First born is the woman helpless as she gives birth. First born is the disabled. First born is the baby in a manger. This is about God caring for those least able to care for themselves. God gives the place of honor in his family to the least. The last. The lost.
Home has enough room for every single deported citizen of Judah. They were all welcome into the family. God would lead them all to new beginnings. New life. But not as scattered individuals. Scattering had been the punishment. Now, Yahweh was gathering.
Emmanuel doesn’t mean “God with me.” Not God with me by myself. Not God with Shirley by herself. And then God with Rosie by herself. And then God with Garry by himself. No. God with us! Sing! Shout!
Of course, there’s more. God wasn’t through making a people. In our New Testament lectionary reading for Christmas Two, Paul wrote in Ephesians:
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. ………. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. (The promise again!)
He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Ephesians 1:4-8, 13-14 NLT
And because of that love and that choosing, now, another new thing. This is the Christmas story. Jesus – the child of the promise had come as a baby, lived his life, died (God purchasing our freedom with the blood of his Son) and been raised from the dead. Now, because of Jesus the non-Jews were included in God’s people. Only possible for the God of the Impossible. Jesus specializes in the impossible. There was no evidence, no reason to think it would be so. It didn’t make sense. All they had: God’s promise. The early Christians hung on because of belief in Promise Maker. Because of the promises, the people of Ephesus refused to believe the present circumstances were the last word. The promise knocks down barriers between possible and impossible. They were learning not to trust what the world calls impossible. Jesus had come. God with us. More of us.
So how do we celebrate the return from Exile? The coming of Jesus? We need to celebrate together as a community - and we have: Electric Christmas, caroling for Bunny, caroling at the jail, the choir’s Silent Night. We have celebrated at many levels and in many formats. This is the birth of Emmanuel! This is the time to celebrate God’s wonderful gift of grace! Bask in the love of God in all its radiance. His coming. Allow the joy and praise and love to overwhelm us. Sing with joy. Shout with praise! Relax in the security of God’s grace. BUT the relaxation is temporary. Because, as Paul wrote in Ephesians, “He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”
This family of God would be given a purpose and a mission that only a people can carry out.
Valley Grace, God is still doing new things and we have been chosen to be part of this. As a church family. We are God’s people and we have a mission. We are the community that is called into being by God, and we will spend the rest of the church year coming to terms with what it means to be the people of God, the Community of Faith that God has chosen to change in the world.
2009 has been a tough year. For lots of us. In spite of it all, we have kept our focus and direction. And I am so proud to be one of your pastors! I’m very excited about going forward with you. So, what are we doing?
First, as we go into 2010, as the people of God at Valley Grace, we will continue our emphasis on prayer. Israel never stopped praying, even in the darkest times. Jesus – Emmanuel – God with us – made prayer a priority in his life. The early church prayed “continually.”
Second, we will continue our emphasis on reaching out to people who don’t know this God of the Impossible, knowing we are empowered by his Holy Spirit to spread the news.
Third, we will continue looking for a better location, but remember, while we are limited by our facilities, God is NOT limited. If we are faithful he will use us for his purposes, and he won’t let inadequate bathrooms stand in his way.
Valley Grace, we have a mission, and we won’t get it done by being comfortable. We have God’s grace and love, we have the forgiveness and new life that Jesus brings, and the power of the Holy Spirit to take this story of joy to the world. As we have said repeatedly, it has cost God enormously to love us and be involved with us. Now it’s our turn to invest in this relationship. Today, as we begin 2010, let’s recommit ourselves to God, to his mission and purpose for us, and to each other.
The Covenant:
Today I am stepping across the line. I’m tired of waffling, and I’m finished with wavering. I’ve made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable. I’m going God’s way. There’s no turning back now!
I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes with God’s people on God’s planet for God’s glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.
Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and everlasting life, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.
Because I want to live for God’s purposes, I will value worship over wealth, "we" over "me," character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most, and I’ll give it all I’ve got. I’ll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.
I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me.
When times get tough, and I get tired, I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace. I’m Spirit-led, purpose-driven and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.
I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for everyday, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.
To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I’m ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway. Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I’ll hear you say, “Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!”
Modified from Rick Warren for the 25th anniversary of Saddleback Church.
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Big commitment: You and me, living up to everything we just read, that is only possible for the God of the Impossible. The God of the promise specializes in the impossible. There is no evidence, no reason to think it will be so. It doesn’t make sense. All we have: God’s promise. Valley Grace hangs on because of belief in Promise Maker. Because of the promises, we refuse to believe the present circumstances are the last word. The promise knocks down barriers between possible and impossible. We are learning not to trust what the world calls impossible. We are the people of God. We are home for Christmas.