Advent - What's in a Name?

 

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

(Matthew 1:18-25 NLT)

‘'What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. Of course, many of you will recognize that line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In this scene Juliet bemoans Romeo's last name of Montague…her family's sworn enemies.

What is in a name? Actually, everything. Often it is the first piece of information we have about a person. When I first saw Missy I wondered - “Who is this?!” I needed her name!

We hear someone’s name and, whether right or wrong, we form judgments about people very quickly. Don’t believe us, ask someone named Karen…Trump…or Biden.

Judgments on people - based on their names - can lead us in a positive or negative direction. And those first impressions can set the stage for future interactions.

Preceding our text today in the first chapter of Matthew we have a long list of names. A genealogy. Some of those names are hard to pronounce! But, each one meant something
and it was important to Matthew to give you their names. Why? Because they were all leading up to one Name. The “Name above all names.”

Jesus. His name caused immense, emotional reaction in the first century. It still does today.

Some say Jesus as a word of anger. Others use it in a moment of shock. Still others whisper it reverently when overcome with sadness.

Countless people take time each day to ask the Divine to intervene on their behalf. Those times are spoken in faith because they believe that the Name they are asking their requests in - well, he is listening and will respond.

Jesus. His name is derived from the Hebrew Yeshua - better known as Joshua. His name means “God saves.” Now that’s a Name.

As we enter the final few days of celebrating Christmas, traveling here, there and yonder…as we prepare for the new year and whatever it holds…let’s hold tight to that Name - Jesus.

May his name be a blessing on our lips. May it be a reminder of Who we belong to. May it guide us in all of our decisions. May it bring light during the often dark days. May the name of Jesus - bless you and bring peace to your heart.

Because we all have names it is important to remember: God knows you. He knows your name. We even read in Exodus, in speaking to Moses, God says: And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name,” (Exodus 33:17).

Yet, greater still, is not that God knows our earthly names, but rather we know his Name. Psalm 91:14 states: “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.”

Jesus.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. May the Name of Jesus bless, uphold and guide you through the rest of the days of your life.

Advent - A Season of Joy!

 

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. 

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.

For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder.

For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders.

And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! (Isaiah 9:1-7 NLT)

Joy. What an incredibly powerful three letter word. In a world filled with four letter words - that often show a lack of creativity and happiness - joy is a word we should all endeavor to place in our hearts and vocabulary.

What makes you joyful?

For Missy it would be (in no particular order):
    1.) Sea turtles
    2.) Rocks
    3.) Mexican food
    4.) Sand between her toes
    5.) Warm, sunny days

    6.) Playing the piano
    7.) Board and card games with family and friends
    8.) The University of Kentucky Wildcats Basketball and Football

For Steve it would be (in no particular order):
    1.) TCU Football
    2.) World Cup Futbol (soccer to us Westerners)
    3.) Playing games with family and friends
    4.) Listening to Missy play the piano
    5.) Reading
    6.) Peppermint melts in my coffee
    7.) Teaching, preaching and writing
    

“These are a few of our favorite things…”

Now, you may notice one glaring omission from each of those lists. Perhaps you even wondered out loud - why didn’t they put God on those lists? Where is Jesus? Where is the church? “I thought they were Christians!?” Shouldn’t God be first on the lists?!?!

Actually, God is in every single one of those things that brings us joy. And, He is first.

You see it don’t you? God is the reason for every single thing we enjoy. Every single thing you enjoy. God is the Author of joy and He is writing your story even now - and joy is on every page.

Yes, joy even when we are feeling desperation. Joy when we are sad. Joy when we are frustrated. Joy when we are disappointed. Joy when we are doubtful. Joy when we grieve. Joy when we bid farewell to one another. Joy when our team loses.

As Paul told the church at Philippi - “Be joyful in the LORD always! Again, I say, be joyful!” (Philippians 4:4)

As Peter wrote to those who follow Jesus: “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very joyful—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.” (I Peter 4:12&13)

Perhaps Theodore Baker understood as well as anyone when in the 16th century (we think) he penned these lines…

While by the sheep we watched at night, glad tidings brought an angel bright.

There shall be born, so He did say, in Bethlehem a Child today.

There shall the Child lie in a stall, this Child who shall redeem us all.

This gift of God we’ll cherish well, that ever joy our hearts shall fill.

How great our joy! (Great our joy!)

Joy, joy, joy! (Joy, joy, joy!)

Praise we the Lord in heav’n on high! (Praise we the Lord in heav’n on high!)

Indeed, how great our joy!

Advent - A Season of Peace

November 29, 2022

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 

You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. 

For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. 

The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders.

And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. 

The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! (Isaiah 9:1-7)

For many followers of Jesus, this time of the year is known as Advent. It is a time of expectation and excitement as we celebrate the “coming,” the “arrival,” of Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth…the Son of God. Each week we remember this time of the year by lighting a candle. Four candles in all. With the Christ candle the last one lit as we celebrate his birth.

The first advent candle, from last week, also known as “The Prophet’s Candle” is purple and represents hope. The second advent candle, this week's candle, known as “The Bethlehem Candle” is also purple and represents peace - the peace of Christ which “surpasses all understanding.”

Peace is a central theme of the holy scriptures, and it is the main focus of the second week of Advent. One of the many prophecies about Jesus calls him “the Prince of Peace” as we see in our verses above.

At his birth, when the angels appeared to the shepherds, they concluded their proclamation by saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased,” (Luke 2:14). And some time after that, when Simeon saw baby Jesus in the temple, he thanked God that he could now die in peace for he had seen the Messiah (Luke 2:29-33). Eventually, the “prince of peace” himself would share during his first public message that, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God,” (Matthew 5:9).

Peace. It’s what the world longs for but cannot give.

Most of you know that my (Steve) Dad recently passed away. He was a person of peace. He desired peace in his heart, his home, his family, his church, his nation. And whether he ever realized it or not, he passed that desire on to me.

The last time I was home and was saying goodbye to him, he gave me a pair of his Skecher’s Shoes. (Sidenote - I love Skecher’s because you don’t have to bend over and tie your shoes…)

The shoes fit me perfectly.

But, they are also really big shoes to fill.

And, mostly, I don’t feel worthy to wear them.

It sort of reminds me of how I “feel” about following in the footsteps of the Master. For the most part I feel unworthy to be called his servant, much less his friend. And I certainly do not feel worthy to "wear his shoes" which made those footsteps.

There was a tremendous book (made into a movie starring Anthony Quinn, Oskar Werner and Sir Laurence Olivier), written by Morris West called, “The Shoes of the Fisherman.” In it, West tells the story of Kiril Lakota, a former Gulag prisoner who is elected Pope and must rise above the Iron Curtain of the former USSR to lead the Catholic Church in dealing with the issues facing their world including an atomic war.

The title, "Shoes of the Fisherman" refers to the papal legacy dating all the way back to the fisherman Peter. In the book, Lakota feels unworthy to “wear” these shoes and stand in the long line of great men of faith, sacrifice and peace.

But walk, he must. Walk in peace.

As we must as well.

Let’s take time this week to recall that the Prince of Peace has come. Jesus is the Author of Peace. He brings a peace the world cannot understand, cannot afford, and absolutely cannot create.

Receive him. Receive his peace. Be at peace. Go forth in peace. Walk in peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers - they truly are God’s children. Are you?

Advent 2022 - A Season of Hope

November 22, 2022

The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do. The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—for all its strength, it cannot save you.

But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.

He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.

Psalm 33:13-22

Gary Thomas, wrote an article in Christianity Today many years ago. In it he described an apparently true story that involved a world famous atheist.

Former Vice President George Bush was sent to Russia as the diplomatic representative of the United States Government for the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. While there, it seems that Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow.

When it was near the end of the service, she stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope; a profound gesture in the midst of everyone there - she reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest.

There, in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, where God was nowhere to be found, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life. She hoped Jesus was truly the Son of God and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband. (Gary Thomas, in Christianity Today, October 3, 1994, p. 26.)

She hoped.

Hope - it’s defined this way by the American Heritage Dictionary: a.) To wish for a particular event that one considers possible; b.) to have confidence or trust; c.) to desire and consider possible.

The great G.K. Chesterson put it this way: “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all...As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.”

If there was ever a time of the year we desperately need hope, it is betweenThanksgiving and Christmas. With all of the colors, lights, food, festive gatherings, traditional movies to watch, and carols to sing - we find out that it is also the time of the year when depression, loneliness and sorrow strengthen their grip on humanity. It is a time of utter hopelessness for many. Maybe even you.

And, it is true, tears often accompany hopelessness.

One of our favorite contemplative authors Eugene Peterson says this: “History is lubricated by tears. Prayer may be most prayer when it is accompanied by tears. All these tears are gathered up and absorbed in the tears of Jesus.”

Or as the Psalmist writes: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (NLT - Psalms 56:8).

So, let the carols be raised. Let the lights twinkle. Let the kids get giddy. Let the coffee be stirred with a peppermint stick (the kind that melts in your mouth). Let the stockings be hung.

And, know this, it’s ok to cry. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed. It’s ok to miss your loved one. It’s ok to wish it was all done and over with and January 2, 2023 was tomorrow.

How do we know this?

Jesus wept.

And, that our friends should give us all hope. The One who will “wipe every tear from our eyes” himself wept. He knew loss. He knew pain. He knew abandonment. 

How comforting that is to those of us who struggle at times emotionally and mentally.

The Advent season is marked by “waiting; expectancy; hoping.” Jesus has indeed come. He is coming again. And the next time, he will not leave us to ourselves but will bring us with him and we will cry no more forever. That is a reason for hope.

And Advent is a not–so-gentle reminder that this is a season of hope. We wish you all a hope-filled holiday season.

Missy and Steve

"Is It Really the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?"

12-08-2021

    And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
    Suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people on whom His favor rests!”
    When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
    So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger. After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.   (Luke 2:8-20 New Living Translation)

Advent season is such a wonderful time of the year. For most of my (Steve) life I never really heard about Advent. There were no Advent candles, no Advent devotions, no Advent moments - that was for “high Church” folk and we were just good old down-home church people. I am certainly glad that God led me to Kentucky - Asbury Theological Seminary and “the prettiest little thing I had ever seen” (her name is Missy by the way…). And she led me to Camargo United Methodist Church - which has celebrated Advent for over two centuries. Thus, my introduction to Advent.

In a nutshell, Advent is simply the people of Jesus anticipating his appointed arrival to the earth. Strictly speaking, Jesus has already arrived, so we replay the nativity each year individually, as families and as a community of faith as a reminder of how amazing and supernatural Advent truly is.

It is a time of waiting. A time of anticipation. Just as when we were kids and couldn’t wait to unwrap our presents (or, like Missy, try and find them before they were wrapped so you could already know what you were getting) so it is that as adults we look back at the anticipation of Joseph and Mary as they, along with all of Israel, waited for the coming Messiah.

As a kid, we would hear the Christmas story and about how Mary was “expecting.” In the celebration of Advent we also hear people talk about living in “expectant waiting” and how all of this is seen as the “season of anticipation.

And what are we expecting? Anticipating? Hoping for?

The answer, of course, depends on who you ask. Our children and grandchildren are expecting something to tear into on Christmas Day. Some employees are expecting a day off. Retailers are expecting profits. Credit card companies are expecting interest. Us? We are expecting to gain a couple of pounds and play a lot of games.

Which brings me to a moment we had this week. Driving home from a doctor’s appointment we noticed an ambulance, police car and what looked like a social worker standing on the side of the road trying desperately to talk with a man who was obviously hurting mentally. He became quite demonstrative, yelled into the air - walking away from them and refused their help.

Cue the next day and there he was again. This time sitting down, yelling at cars as they drove by and drawing unrecognizable images on his large pad of paper. Aside from the obvious “What is going on with this person?” concern there is the nagging question of “What is this person expecting? What are they hoping for?”

The answer is, more than likely, something negative. For those who are homeless, unemployed, uninsured, struggling with a lack of food or clean water - Christmas is not something to have any positive expectations about. For people who have lost loved ones recently, who are experiencing relationship conflicts, who are looking at their empty bank account, who are amid a lengthy illness…their expectations are probably a whole lot different than most.

The question therefore is really this - is your hope, is your expectation positive or negative? Are you hoping or hopeless? Faithful or faithless? Joyful or joyless? Anticipating or apprehensive?

Everyone and everything is breathing with hope and anticipation. That’s what makes Advent so remarkable. Above all other times of the year - this is the time for positive hope and joyful anticipation.

We hope you are having a good day. We believe this holiday season will be filled with joy. We anticipate hearing good news from you when we next see you. We expect God to see you through.

Now, if we could just figure out how to clearly explain to elementary kids what Mary was “expecting.” Anybody have one of those old flannelgraph felt boards?

Missy and Steve

"I Think I Shall Never See a Poem as Lovely...as a Christmas Tree"

 

  11-30-2021  First Week in Advent 2021

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly. But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and embraced Mary as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus. - Matthew 1:18-25

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For over two thousand years, people across the globe have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both sacred and secular. And although no one truly knows the date, (and boy, are the arguments and debates loud and abrasive!) Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

Popular traditions for Christmas include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, caroling to those who are homebound, attending church candle-light services, sharing meals with family and friends, Hallmark taking over TV, ringing the Salvation Army Bell and, of course, waiting for jolly old Saint Nick to leave some Old Spice for Dad, Bath and Body Works for Mom, and Legos and IPads for the kids - and that’s just in North America!

Christmas traditions around the world are diverse, quirky and some are pretty awesome. Being one of the most celebrated holidays in the world, our modern Christmas is a product of hundreds of years of both secular and religious traditions from around the globe, many of them centered on the winter solstice, the Yule log and wool mittens. Across God’s creation people rejoice in the holidays by imbibing eggnog, Candy Cane cocktails, Glogg, and Bombardino.

Yet, in the midst of the diversity of Christmas celebrations, the one thing that keeps this holy day in the hearts and minds of creation is the thread of commonality. That is, there are things the world shares in common as it celebrates the birth of Christ. Why? So that, no matter how you say it - Sweden: ‘God Jul!’, Finland: ‘Hyvää Joulua!’, Norway: ‘Gledelig Jul!’, Germany: ‘Froehliche Weihnachten!’, Mexico: ‘Feliz Navidad!’, England: 'Happy Christmas!’, France: ‘Joyeux Noël!’, Italy: ‘Buon Natale!’, Ukraine: ‘Srozhdestvom Kristovym!’, Greece: ‘Kala Christouyenna!’ - it really means you want others to have a “Merry Christmas!”

So...what is one of the common Christmas traditions across the world?

Let’s look at Christmas trees! They may be tiny or large. Flocked or plain. Fake or real. Balsam Hill or Dollar Tree. It doesn’t matter - we just love trees.

Way before the birth of Christ Jesus, plants and trees that are evergreen had a special meaning for people who lived in very cold places and endured long, harsh winters. Just as many people today decorate their homes during the holiday season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, (mostly fake ones now! With fake snow!) people back then hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. Many cultures believed that evergreens would keep away witches, evil beings, ghosts, etc. “There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of the Christmases long, long ago…”

Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a feast called Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, their god of agriculture. To mark the occasion, they decorated with evergreen boughs. The Druids, part of Celtic history, decorated with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The Vikings thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition Christians now know. Back in the 16th century Christians brought evergreen trees into their homes and decorated them in preparation for celebrating the birth of Jesus. Most historians believe that Martin Luther was the first to officially add lighted candles to a tree. The story is told that while walking home one cold, winter evening, he was overwhelmed by the sight of the stars shining through the evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he placed a tree in the main room of their home and filled its branches with lighted candles. Froehliche Weihnachten!

It should not be lost on us that as we - those who believe in and follow Jesus of Nazareth as the one and only Son of God - put up our Christmas trees the green reminds us of eternal life. It also takes on a higher understanding when we think of Jesus - whose birth we are celebrating - as the “root of Jesse.” He was eventually “hung upon a tree.” And, in the end, those who have placed their faith in the “root of Jesse” who was “hung upon a tree” will “have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates." 

So, put up those Christmas trees! Or, if you already have (you know who you are!) take another glimpse of it. Trim it! Flock it! Look at its lights! And, all the while, give thanks to the One Who has made it possible - the One who first created the tree. Give thanks to His Son Who grafts us into the family tree of God. Give thanks to the One Who gave himself freely to be hung upon a tree for the forgiveness of our sins. Give thanks for the tree of life which will feed us for all eternity.

As Joyce Kilmer once wrote in her poem, “Trees”, "I think that I shall never see
a poem lovely as a tree."

Well, we guess we will “leaf” you to it. Merry Christmas! Happy holidays! Or, as they say in Russia: счастливого Рождества!

Missy and Steve