From the Pastor |
The story we have come to hear on this Christmas Eve is a very familiar one. It is over 2000 years old… and is told and retold every year… The angel Gabriel tells Mary that her life is going to be far different than she imagined… she is going to have a child… a very special child who “… will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” [Luke 1: 32-33]
Then the time comes for this child to be born and again… things don’t go as planned. 1st Mary and her betrothed, Joseph, are forced to journey from their home to Bethlehem… then when they arrive, there is no rooms available because the place is packed. They have to spend the night in a structure similar to a stable. The child is born and wrapped up and a cradle is made from the manger… a feeding trough for the animals. But as most mothers will tell you… once that baby is born… the circumstances surrounding the birth seem like no big deal. However… this child was CLEARLY a big deal because the birth announcement goes out… delivered to some shepherds in a field… shared by an angel who is then joined by “great company of the heavenly host”… some translations say a “multitude”… either way… it had to be a great number… a wondrous, awe inspiring sight… as they all began to praise God saying “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” It must have seemed like Heaven itself was so overcome with joy and anticipation at the wonder of the incarnation of God being born into the world that the angels cannot contain themselves… their joy spilling over into the earthly realm. But tonight I would like us to really look at the message those angels bring: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” We often simplify it in word and song to “Peace on earth… Goodwill to men!” Isaiah said the Messiah would be called the Prince of Peace… In a little while we will sing Silent Night where we tell the Christ child to “Sleep in Heavenly Peace.” What is this peace? Honestly, it seems that people know nothing about peace at all! In over 3,400 years of human history, there have only been between 200 - 300 years where peace seemed to reign. Look at our propensity for war… consider how many people die each year from violence across the globe. It almost seems like humankind loves conflict. Peace on earth seems like a pipe dream, doesn’t it? Well… things were not much different during the times when Jesus was born. Taxes were high, unemployment was high, morals were slipping lower, and Israel was being occupied and ruled by a military state. The Romans kept the peace through intimidation and threats… But was that really peace? Maybe, part of the problem is that we are looking for the wrong thing. In English, we define peace as the absence of conflict or war, but the Hebrew word Shalom means so much more. Shalom is referred to as the peace of the Lord. It is about wholeness, peace, harmony, tranquility, wellbeing, health, complete reconciliation. It is more about internal circumstances than the absence of external conflict. Scripture tells us that shalom, true shalom, will be a restoration of the peace… the wholeness, tranquility, harmony and wellbeing that existed in the beginning… it is what is promised for all of creation when Christ returns and God’s kingdom reigns on earth as it is in heaven... In the OT, a wonderful promise was given, and prophetic words of hope emerge telling of One who would come to bring God’s peace back into the world. The blessed gift of Christmas is that through Jesus… whose birth we celebrate this night… Peace has come… God has sent God’s unending Love into the world that we might learn and live God’s peace… Shalom. True peace, peace with God, and peace within ourselves. That’s what the angels proclaimed that night to shepherds in a field…telling them to go and find the child and you will find true peace. In a world filled of conflict, fear, anger and hatred... in a world full of selfishness, greed and sin… it is possible for us to find peace. We can experience true peace, inner peace, wellbeing, harmony and wholeness. Peace on earth cannot be found in this world… As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in his poem Christmas Bells: And in despair I bowed my head: "There is no peace on earth," I said, "For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men." The world does not offer peace on earth, but God does… through the child born in Bethlehem… we can find the peace on earth which passes understanding... if we but trust in the promises of Our Lord… we can find ourselves filled with peace of heart, soul and mind. Because we have the knowledge and the assurance that it is a God’s shalom, is real, it is present with us, and greater than anything the world has to offer. The peace of God is a gift; it is the result of letting God into your heart and your life… trusting in the Love, wisdom, and power of God to bring you the Peace, Hope, and Joy you so desperately need. So this Christmas, let not your heart be troubled. Let the peace of God flood your life. “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men."”
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Once again, we have gathered together to celebrate Christmas… to remember and honor the birth of a very special baby. We have come to listen to the well-known story once again.
It was during the difficult times in Israel’s history that the prophets foretold of the coming of the Messiah. They did not know when he would come, but they were told that there would be a prophet… a messenger who would prepare the way.
Isaiah told of one who would be a voice in the wilderness crying out for the people to “Prepare the way of the Lord.” [Isaiah 40:3] And today we heard Malachi’s prediction: “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me…” For centuries they waited… watching and hoping… longing for the day that the Lord said was surely coming. This morning, the Gospel of Luke tells us that the wait would soon be over. The messenger was born. Following the birth of his son, whom Elizabeth named “John”… Zechariah found his voice and offered a song of praise that included… “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins…” Zechariah was a priest… he knew the writings of the prophets and he recognized that his son would be the one to herald the good news that the Messiah was here. And that is what John grew up to do… He became known as John the Baptist… he preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…” He issued warnings and called the people to repent of their sins… he not only proclaimed the coming of the Lord, but he truly fulfilled Malachi’s word… “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” John spent a great deal of time in the wilderness by the Jordan River, preaching, teaching and baptizing… trying to bring a refining transformation of heart, mind and soul… He was the messenger who heralded the need for GREAT change and his message was clear… Repent! Get Ready! Prepare! For the Day HAS come! But the interesting thing? John was not the first messenger… the first person to share this great good news… that the Messiah had finally arrived. Right after Jesus was born, a group of lowly shepherds were told of this amazing event and went to Bethlehem to “see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” And then, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child…” [Luke 2: 15b, 17] When he was brought to the Temple for the first time as an infant, Simeon and the Prophet Anna both recognized him and not only openly declared it for all around to hear, but we are told that Anna “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Wise Men from the east came looking for the child and alerted Herod and the religious scholars to the possibility that the Messiah had come. Word was out… the message was being shared, but it was John who, about 30 years later, truly began to prepare the way. He was the voice crying out in the wilderness that the prophets spoke of so long ago… He prepared the way… prepared the people for Jesus to begin his ministry… It is truly amazing the way God works… I mean, John was a virtual no-body. A small town boy who grew up and lived in the wilderness, and yet… “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” God’s word bypassed the heads of state and the religious leaders… and instead was heard by a strange man named John … who had an odd sense of fashion, and strange dietary habits… who lived out in the wilderness. John’s work took place in the shadow of the powers of earthly authority… He called for the world to be transformed… spiritually… politically… socially… all in preparation for the coming of the Lord. It was a call to return to a world that is marked by peace, love and joy… of righteousness and holiness. This is the reason John is so important during Advent. John’s message lives on today. But just as he was not the first herald of the coming of the Lord… he was not the last. Throughout history, people have been called by God to “Prepare the way of the Lord…” to call for repentance and change… to tell of the great good news that the Messiah has come. It is a message that extends beyond the borders of Israel to ALL people… covering all of God’s creation with the hope of peace. We need this… this call to repentance and preparation. This reminder of why we celebrate the coming of Jesus. But we have to remember that as Disciples of Christ we are also called to be the messengers of the Good News of grace and mercy… of forgiveness and salvation through Christ Our Lord. It is our time… we are now the messengers who are called to prepare the way of the Lord. This world we live in is a world of division that at times really lacks a sense of moral vision. We cry out against corrupt systems, whether political, religious, or corporate… but we participate and perhaps benefit from those systems. We want change, but we would rather not have any pain or inconvenience. It seems to be a never-ending cycle. The sad truth is, things are not as they should be… but God has promised that something will be done to set things right. People have been calling for God act, but perhaps they need to ready themselves first. The refining fire of God’s messenger might prove uncomfortable, but it is needed. We need to be transformed… refined… made more and more like Christ every day. So, as we move closer and closer to Christmas, we are faced with the question: are we ready for what is to come? What is the vision that moves us toward Bethlehem? What are we hearing from God that speaks to our souls? Are we ready to receive this call of repentance so that we can prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord? John was the one who was sent to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Messiah… the Advent of God’s salvation… he was called to lead them into repentance for the forgiveness of their sins. Now it is our turn… It is time for us to GO and Tell the Good News… Christ came to offer salvation… Christ is here with us today… and Christ will come again… Through the Messiah, God is always working for restoration. But, receiving God’s Advent takes preparation, and the challenge is for us to not only embrace the work of preparation for ourselves – opening ourselves to God’s restoring, cleansing and disturbing work… but to embrace the call for us to become, in turn, messengers of God’s restorative justice and mercy to the world. |
Yeon Shin
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