December 25, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: John 1:1-14 “A REAL HUMAN INTEREST STORY”

 

CHRISTMAS DAY

December 25, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: John 1:1-14

 

“A REAL HUMAN INTEREST STORY”

1.     God had every reason not to care.

2.     He cared enough to come himself.

 

We all love ‘em. All across the world people can even be suckers for ‘em. A good old human interest story. We love the ones that tug at our hearts. The neglected child shuffled around in the foster care system until finally she finds the loving home. The street kid doing so much wrong, doing time and then finally getting out and becoming a useful contributing member of society. A family who has experienced the tragic loss of a child due to drug overdose using their pain to force legislation to try to prevent the hurt of others. People even love canine interest stories. There will in fact be more tears shed in our country with a well done expose of the abuses in a puppy mill than the factual publishing of the number of babies killed at abortion clinics. You see, whether you realize it or not many human interest stories are not really about the humans, they are about raising emotion, awareness and money for a cause. That’s why so many pop up around Christmas time. Here’s an excerpt from an article on how to write a human interest story.

 

“A good human interest story will spark anger, empathy, compassion, sympathy, motivation, laughter, fear and love. Not in equal measure, but if a journalist can tick all these boxes in some way, the story is bound to be a success and likely be shared and highly engaged with. The fundamental objective is to move someone with a story.”

 

I don’t mean to put down the good and proper use of human interest stories but the sad truth is that the best and most real human interest story is being largely ignored by many of our fellow Americans today. The story of the Christ, the only reason there is CHRISTmas. We have to admit that we can devalue Christ too and it might in fact be true that some of your younger ones are here because mom or dad said so and not because you want to. No matter. We’re here so let’s listen to a real human interest story.

 

John 1:1-14 (EHV) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. ⁵The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ⁶There was a man, sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as an eyewitness to testify about the light so that everyone would believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. ⁹The real light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, yet his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³They were born, not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband’s will, but born of God. ¹⁴The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

 

John’s account of the first Christmas is not anything like Luke’s that we are so happily familiar with, not like Matthew’s much shorter but still heart warming version. There’s no baby, no manger, no shepherds, no angel. But it’s full of grace and truth. John’s Christmas account is meat and potatoes. Heavy chewing, yet put there by God with purpose, so we can grow and mature in our faith. John abruptly and bluntly helps us see that the greatest human interest story should never have happened. Why not? Because God has no reason to care. Or to put it in a more accurate way, we and all other people have not given God a reason to care. It goes back to the beginning when God was there. As true God Jesus was there with God when all was created and put into place. He was there when the breath of life was breathed into Adam and the keys to Creation were handed over to Adam and Eve, a most beautiful and stunning world that was designed on purpose by God with one surprising purpose: to bring joy and happiness to people. Oh the love of God! And how did they respond? They chose to reject the love and words of God and listen to God’s enemy instead. They chose to doom paradise to becoming a pig sty of corruption and sin and everything vile and gross. God had no reason to care.

Now to move you to anger and empathy I could tell a human interest story of a father who worked overtime, gave up sleep and free time to get extra money to take his family on a special vacation only to have the kids ruin it by spending all their time on their phones wishing they were with their friends instead. I could tell a human interest story of a mother working hard to make that Christmas meal special for the whole family only to have it ruined because dad came home drunk. Instead I’ll tell a real one. “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, yet his own people did not accept him.” He is Jesus, the Word who was with God in the beginning. The Word who was God and through whom all things were made. He came to the world He created, the people that were His and they did not accept Him. King Herod tried to kill Him. So did the recognized religious people of His day. And many of the regular people who at first delighted in Jesus left Him in droves when He would not fulfill their immediate desire for free food. Has anything changed? Most of our politicians today do not seem to act, talk or legislate like they recognize Jesus and accept Him as their ruler. So many of the religious people of our day will not stand up for Jesus as the only Savior. So many who claim to know Jesus choose not to follow Him because He’s not doing things the way they would. Even we, who know better, understand our own struggles to treat Jesus as Lord of our lives. He is forgotten, marginalized, kept in a box until we feel we really need him. God has no reason to care. We’ve given Him no reason to care.

But remember this is a real human interest story. In spite of the unbelieving world’s blatant rejection, and in spite of the believing world’s often half hearted acceptance God still cares! That’s what the Christmas story teaches us. He cares so much for people that He comes Himself to be our Savior. He will not sacrifice the cattle on a thousand hills. He will not throw thousands upon thousands of Christian soldiers into battle to be cannon fodder in front of Him, He will not leave the job of saving up to the holy angels. He comes Himself.

“The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word became flesh. True God became true man. Why this impossibility that makes us marvel? It is the glory of God. When John says “we have seen his glory” we may think of how he saw the many miracles of Jesus and they were glorious! We may think of how he and Peter and James saw Jesus transfigured, just a tiny glimpse of His majesty as God, so great they did not want to leave. Or perhaps John is emphasizing more the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father as His arms were stretched out on wooden cross. Who stayed there even though He had been given no reason to care by Adam and Eve in the beginning, nor by Cain as he slew Abel, nor by the masses who had made the world so bad God had to destroy it in a flood, nor by the babbling idiots who tried to make a tower for their own glory, nor by the too long of lines of infidel kings of His people, nor by the Herods, Pharisees and Sadducees, not even by His own disciples who so quickly ran away to save their own skins in the Garden of Gethsemane, nor by Peter who denied rather than accept guilt by association with Jesus, nor by us who are too often too busy enjoying the blessings of living in a wealthy country that just don’t have the time and energy for Him. And still He came Himself. And still He stayed the course of the cross because it is to the glory of God to give Himself for His people.

See, this is a real human interest story. It is not designed to get your anger or your money but to show you grace and truth. God’s interest is in you. You are what mattered that first Christmas. You are what matters now. And when our Christmas is over He will not take you down like you are cheap decorations. He will not throw you away like the ripped and torn paper everyone throws away. He will keep you where He always keeps you. Close to His heart. “But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Now that is what you are! Merry Christmas! Amen.

December 17-19, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Isaiah 7:10-14 (EHV) “SAVOR THE SIGNS OF CHRISTMAS!”

 

ADVENT 4

December 17-19, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Isaiah 7:10-14 (EHV)

 

“SAVOR THE SIGNS OF CHRISTMAS!”

1.     For what they reveal about God.

2.     For what they reveal about you.

 

Isaiah 7:10-14 “The Lord spoke to Ahaz again. He said, ¹¹“Ask for a sign from the Lord your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.”

¹²But Ahaz responded, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.” ¹³So Isaiah said:

Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.”

 

          Signs! They are everywhere. Some are helpful sings. Restrooms this way. Good to know. Some signs are there to grab your attention and your money. Sale 50% off. “Think of how much money we’ll save,” says Chris. “The only way it’s saved is if we don’t spend it!” says I. Many signs, probably most signs that we see, are there to keep you and other people safe. STOP. School Zone. Blind child lives nearby. And then there are the signs that God gives. They are helpful, grab your attention and are designed to save everyone. I’m talking about the signs of Christmas.

          We run into one today that was given 700 years before the first Christmas, fulfilled at the first Christmas and still stands fulfilling its purpose today. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to to a son and name him Immanuel.” What’s mind boggling is when and to whom this sign was first given. “The Lord spoke to Ahaz again.” Ahaz the sixth king of Judah. At the time this word of God was written the nations of Israel and Aram, modern day Syria, had made an agreement to attack Judah together. Now God’s people led by their king were supposed to rely on God to help them fight and win battles but instead of doing that Ahaz had asked Assyria (modern day Iraq) to help him instead and this is why.   “In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. ² Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. ³ He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made his son pass through the fire, according to the shameful practices of the nations which the Lord had driven out before the people of Israel. ⁴ He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every leafy tree.” Bad king. Idol worshipper.

          And yet it is to him that God sends the prophet Isaiah with these words, “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.” Wait. Are you kidding me? Man gets to tell God what to do? Sure it is at God’s own invitation but this is all mixed up. This is backwards. God tells man what to do, not the other way around. And Ahaz. Idol worshipping Ahaz who had his son burned in the arms of the idol Molech. Ahaz gets to do this. How does he respond? “But Ahaz responded, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.” While that might sound pious and proper it’s just another example of the evil that men do. I’m going to make my sin look right. Remember, Ahaz had made other plans. No way he was going to rely on God. The Assyrians were better.

          That helps you understand Isaiah’s next words. “So Isaiah said:

Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.” Ahaz, it’s one thing for you to make me mad. Now you’ve made God mad as well. So here is the sign that will mean judgment for you and salvation to those who believe. Ahaz, your efforts will save no one. But a virgin will do the impossible and conceive. The son she bears will be Immanuel. God with us. That’s the background of the giving of one of the Christmas signs we know so well

          Now let’s savor it. Like a Werthers caramel or black jelly bean let’s savor the taste of this sign, for what it reveals about God. First He is merciful. Ahaz had led the people into idolatry. Ahaz was practicing idolatry. He deserved no help from God and yet there was God promising to fight for him anyway. Secondly God is patient. How long was God willing to put up with the guy? Far longer than you and I put up with people who are a pain to us. But there is a reason He’s that way. God loves people. He’s always working on the greater plan to have people with Him for eternity. He wants that so badly that He’s willing to do the impossible to make that happen. That’s the fourth thing we learn about God. He offered to let man tell him what to do. Ahaz could have asked for anything! Take me to the moon. Make it bounce in the sky like a ball. God would have done it. And when Ahaz refused God gave a more impossible sign. A virgin will conceive and give birth to a son. Impossible! This son will be God with us. God actually living with His people. Super impossible. God can’t stand sin. Sinner cannot be in the presence of the holy God. Immanuel. Impossible. Done by God for you and me. Savor this sign of Christmas for what it reveals about God. He’s merciful, patient, loves people and is willing to do the impossible to have people with Him forever.

          Savor the signs of Christmas for what it reveals about you. First let’s drink a healthy dose of honesty medicine. If you choose to read more about King Ahaz in the books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, you will not find it difficult to dislike him and disrespect him. As I mentioned, gross idolater and some of that idol worship involved murder, human sacrifice of children. It’s easy to despise a man who is given carte blanche to ask God for any sign and he refuses. It’s easy to look down on a man who refuses the help of God and chooses the help of man instead. And so we must learn to look down on, despise and disrespect ourselves, at least the sinful nature that lives in us. We are no strangers to having idols, things we put above God. Our earthly comforts mean a lot to us and I really wonder if any of us would really be content if we just had food and clothing as God says. And what must God think as he sees our desires for our children to be the best dancer, cheerer, singer, ball player, making all kinds of sacrifices for that to happen and every effort to get them to every practice, every game. And at the same time the One who searches us and knows us looks into our hearts and discovers we think so little about wanting our children to be the best Christian and have the toughest of times getting them to hear the one thing needful making such pitiful efforts to get them to weekly worship. That is idolatry and while is not as outwardly evil as burning our children in the arms of Molech may if left unrepented lead to their burning in Hell. And when it comes to relying on others instead of God, sadly there is a lot of bit of Laverne and Shirley in all of us. You know, “We’re going to do it our way, yes our way, make all our dreams come true…” Funny comedy. An offensive attitude before our Creator. We are no better than those we read of in Scripture. Considering all we have been given perhaps we are worse.

          And God loves us anyway! That’s what the signs of Christmas show us. Immanuel. God sent to be with us. God breaking the laws of nature He established, God doing the impossible. God giving us His best. God sacrificing His Son. For you. Do you see what that says about you? You are so valuable to God He is willing to be patient with you and merciful towards you. He cares about you so much that He not only promised the impossible, He did the impossible. Immanuel. God with us. You may be feeling a little down this time of year. You may feel forgotten by people you hoped would remember you. There may be some people in your life right now, kids at school, family members, co workers, spouse that are doing a great job of making sure you know you are not wanted, that they want you to go away. Your God does the opposite. He wants you with Him always. Immanuel proves it.

          Now it’s just one short week until Christmas. We’ve looked at just one of the signs that God gives us. You’ll see and hear about more. Savor them, brothers and sisters, savor them all. As they inform and grab your attention they will proclaim again the Good News. A Savior has been born for you! Amen.

December 7, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 1 Chronicles 22: 5, 14-16; 2 Chronicles 6:13-14 “ANTICIPATING CHRIST’S ADVENT IN WORD AND SACRAMENT

 

MIDWEEK ADVENT 2

December 7, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 1 Chronicles 22: 5, 14-16; 2 Chronicles 6:13-14

 

“ANTICIPATING CHRIST’S ADVENT IN WORD AND SACRAMENT

 

          Anticipation. It’s a looking forward to something. Something good. Sometimes it includes preparations. Thanksgiving dinner. You look forward to it. That morning cup of coffee that gets you going. You look forward to it as you roll out of bed. Speaking of bed…an afternoon nap on a cold dark day. Bedtime itself. These are things you anticipate, look forward to when your body and brain are tired.

          This year for our midweek Advent services we are anticipating Christ’s various advents or arrivals in our lives. Last week we were reminded to anticipate celebrating the birth of the right King, Jesus. Christmas is His birthday. He deserves our best attention. Today we anticipate the way Jesus comes to us more frequently in His word and sacrament. To help us do that we look at some Old Testament anticipation. It has always been important for God’s people to have a place to gather where God would come to them in a special way. King David recognized that and wanted to build a temple for God. God told him No. But David anticipated how God would come to His people. He was excited for it. This is what he said,

 

1 Chronicles 22:5 (EHV) “David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced. The house to be built for the Lord will make his name very great and give him glory in all the lands. Therefore, I will make preparations for it.” So David completed many of the preparations before his death.”

 

Then David handed things over to his son Solomon. When he did he told him,

 

1 Chronicles 22:14-16 (EHV) “Look! With great effort I have provided one hundred thousand talents of gold for the House of the Lord, a million talents of silver, and too much bronze and iron to be weighed. I have provided lumber and stones. You may add to what I have provided. ¹⁵ There are plenty of laborers available to you, namely, stonecutters, masons, and wood workers, and those capable in all kinds of crafts, ¹⁶ also workers with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, too many to count. Get up and do it. The Lord will be with you.”

 

And oh what a mass of gold, silver, bronze, iron, lumber and stones that was. The nearest estimate I found to build this temple in today’s dollars was 220 billion. 220 billion dollars. One building. It took seven years to build the Temple. And it wasn’t really all that big. Here is a picture of what it might have looked like. Then came the day of dedication. This is what happened.

 

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (EHV) “The trumpeters and the singers joined together as one to praise and give thanks to the Lord. As they raised their voices to praise the Lord, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments, they sang: Truly, he is good, because his mercy endures forever. Then the sanctuary of the House of the Lord was filled with a cloud. ¹⁴ The priests were not able to take their positions to minister because of the presence of the cloud, because the Glory of the Lord had filled the House of God.”

 

Can you just imagine what it was like being there? If you lived in Jerusalem you have been watching the Temple construction for the past 7 years until finally it was done. But never before have you seen it put to use for its purpose. A place where God advents. He comes to be with His people. The Glory of the Lord, the way God chose to appear to His Old Testament, people filled the Temple. This Glory of the Lord has been described as a bright shining cloud or a cloud on fire. You can’t miss it. It is dazzling. Wow! I can imagine the people coming faithfully Sabbath after Sabbath. They knew that when they went to Temple to worship God came to be with them.

          Sadly the history of God’s Old Testament people reveals that they gradually despised the way God chose to come to them. He did not appear in the cloud all the time. He wanted His people to live by faith and not by sight. Even if He had continued to come in that visible way it’s likely the same thing would have happened. God’s people take Him for granted. Over time the way God’s people despised the way He came to them led to neglect of worship, then to worshipping false gods instead of the only true one. This led to God turning over Old Testament Israel to her enemies and this temple was destroyed by around 580 BC by the Babylonians. A much lesser replacement Temple was rebuilt around 510 BC and it stood in Jerusalem until about 70 AD. But this time there was a new reason for the Temple to be gone. Jesus. Jesus had come. Now God would come to His people in Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.

          And today Jesus advents or comes to His people in word and Sacrament. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper He told His disciples, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you.” And then He gave the meal that was to be repeated where He would come to believers, “This is my body. This is my blood.” Jesus gave this promise about our worship. “Where two or three come together in my name there am I in the midst of them.” He advents. He comes to be with us.

          Do we anticipate that and by that I mean do we look forward to being in worship and partaking of the Lord’s Supper? When you are blessed with Christ in your life for a long time sinful attitudes can crop up just like they did with God’s Old Testament people. What is special, God coming to be with his people, becomes routine, maybe even looked at as an obligation as though God needs us. Check your attitude. Is public worship a have to for you, something else to check off on the “To do list?” Danger! Are the first and third weekends of each month starred, circled, highlighted on your calendar or planner? Jesus will come to us! Or do we drag our obligated bodies through the church doors, see the altar prepared for Communion and groan, “Ugh, going to be a longer service.” Is it possible that today God’s people are anticipating the sacramental food of a secular Christmas, eggnog and cookies, more than the bread and wine which bring to us the presence of Christ Himself? Is it possible that the parents God has entrusted with His little lambs are more eager to bring their children to sit on Santa’s lap than to bring them to sit at the feet of Jesus who said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to these?”

          And yet still Jesus comes to us. He has not removed Himself from our country or our daily lives. Instead He has made His word, the one thing needful, available in many ways. You know that morning coffee you anticipate to wake up your body and your brain? Why not drink it while you spend some time with a devotion or reading God’s word. Jesus will come to you and as coffee perks up your physical body Jesus will give energy to your spiritual one. Or that sleep and rest that you anticipate for your body? You need it to function the next day. So also the rest for your soul that your faith needs to function happens when Christ comes to you in the word and Sacrament of worship. Never has it been that God came to His people because He needed to. Always when Christ comes it’s because we need Him to.

          And we need Him to regularly. Even on our best behavior our valuing of God falls short of His glory. Even when we fight sin the hardest our righteousness is as filthy rags. Only Christ cleans us up. Only Jesus makes us right in God’s eyes. So He comes in word and Sacrament. He comes as 2 or 3 of us gather together. He comes, bringing forgiveness and faith. That’s something to look forward to. Amen.

 

November 26-28, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Philippians 4:4-7 EHV “THE LORD IS NEAR!”

 

ADVENT 1

November 26-28, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Philippians 4:4-7 EHV

 

“THE LORD IS NEAR!”

                                      A reason for…

1.     Joy

2.     Gentleness

3.     Peace

 

Philippians 4:4-7 EHV “ Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

There is a story told about a little girl who had never been exposed to the Bible, never heard any Bible stories at all. She was sick in a hospital. Like many hospitals it had started as a charitable arm of a Christian church so it was a tradition that at Christmas time the story of the birth of Jesus was read in the children's ward. The little girl was enchanted. When the reading was over she turned to a rather grim faced nurse standing next to her and asked "Have you ever heard that story before?" "Oh, yes, many times," answered the nurse. "Well,” said the girl, “you sure don't look like it!" Ouch!

          It’s Advent in the church year, almost December in the calendar year. As you approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus can you relate to either of those two? Would you put yourself in the category of the little girl who can't wait to hear that delightful story again, or do you find yourself feeling more like the grim faced nurse who has heard it many times before and with all the to dos on the list just can't seem to get excited about it? No matter which one or something in between you relate to, I have good news from God to help and encourage you. The Lord is near!

          That’s a reason for joy in our lives. Now there are many mini joys available this time of year. Retailers will rejoice if they get the extra sales they are hoping for. Children rejoice because they get know they will get some time off from school, maybe some presents. People in the work force rejoice at the prospect of a day or two off. There is the joy we experience in giving to others, the joy of receiving and the joy of seeing dearly missed friends and family. All of these things can bring people joy at Christmas time. But do you notice anything about those kinds of joys? They are conditional and temporary. What if the economy is not strong? What if money is tight for buying gifts? What if you don't get to be with family or if your family is having problems? And those vacations from school or work are over way to soon and its back to the grind. Then what happens to the joy?

It reminds me of a Chinese proverb I read about happiness. It goes like this. "If you wish to be happy for an hour, get drunk. If you wish to be happy for three days, get married. If you wish to be happy for a week, kill your pig and eat it. If you wish to be happy forever, learn to fish." Now we might not agree with those ways of pursuing happiness but the point is clear. If you want to stay happy pursue something that will give lasting happiness. I wonder if God had a little fun with the Chinese philosopher who came up with that proverb. The reason I say that is because the proverb's way to lasting happiness is learning to fish. And it just so happens that for centuries the fish has been a symbol for Jesus. The Lord is near. He most certainly is the way to lasting happiness.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Always? Yes! We can. The Lord is near! Just think of some of the joy stealers you have in life. Sudden or chronic sickness and pain. Financial hardship. Difficult people in your life. Loneliness due to death or disappointment. Guilt caused by sin. Those are real problems. We all have them. And yet we can still have joy because the Lord is near. First He is near to your heart. When Jesus ascended He promised, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” As we wait for the end of the world Jesus stays near. He only allows your sickness or pain when there is a good plan. He is near and knows what’s best for you. Money may be tight but you still have the daily bread His prayer teaches you to pray for. He will provide. If you think your putting up with difficult people in your life is hard just imagine how hard it is for Jesus. He has to put up with you! And His ongoing grace and love toward you and me allow us to smile and be joyful and fight fire with friendliness. You may feel alone but you are not. Jesus stays with you. And your sins are the very reason He came in the first place. He forgives you. And finally the Lord is near in another way. Today we are one day closer to the day He returns. None of this lasts. It’s only temporary. This too shall pass. Might as well enjoy it while we wait. The Lord is near. A reason for joy.

And a reason for gentleness. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” Well, we survived another national election. Once again it was marked by nastiness. Once again we are characterized as a polarized nation. Once again in the aftermath people call for a return to civility. No one seems to know how to get there. You do. The Lord is near. That’s a reason for gentleness on our part. There is really no English word that makes for a nice translation of what we are encouraged to show. In our language gentle basically means being kind, thoughtful and careful in your treatment of others. What’s missing is the aspect of “Do that even though you have the right and ability to destroy another.” This gentleness is the gentleness of a giant who has the power and strength to crush but picks up the little kitten as carefully as he can. Let that gentleness be known to all. You are going to have all kinds of extra opportunities where you will tempted to use your tongue or your influence to crush and destroy others coming up before Christmas. Deadlines bring stress. Stress brings rushing. Lines cause impatience. People butt in to grab the last item, cut you off to get to where they are going, rush by without noticing as they hurry to get everything done. Now you can let them have a piece of your mind. You can demand your rights and your ways or you can let your gentleness be evident to all. Because the Lord is near. He will take care of it. Will it really matter when Jesus comes? Does it really matter now? The Lord is near.

And that’s also a reason for peace. “Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You are probably quite familiar with verse 7. Many pastors, including me, have concluded their sermons with this blessing of peace. Perhaps we would be serving you better if we included verse 6 because they are linked. One leads to another. Ongoing prayer leads to ongoing peace. Worry is the opposite. Worry is that anxiety over not know what’s going to happen next. Worry is the fear that the worst will happen. Worry is the futile struggle to be in charge of what is out of your control. You can’t think your way out of it. You can’t logic your way out of it. It’s a spiritual condition. It needs a spiritual solution.

Prayer. Prayer connects us to the all powerful God. The Lord is near! Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you. You will honor me. Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you. How much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him. Recall the words of the Lord who is near urging us to pray more so we can worry less. Oh what peace we often forfeit. Oh what needles pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. The Lord is near, just waiting to hear from you. This invitation comes with a promise. “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In just a few short weeks we will again get to hear the story that shows us God’s great love for us. Advent urges us to make ready to celebrate. But its message is really one for all year long. Your Lord is near. Because of that you get to have joy, gentleness and peace all your long. Your Lord is near. You’ve heard it many times before. Let’s work on letting our faces show that. Amen.