Jesus is The Prince of Peace

Luke 2:1-20

In ancient tradition the day ends with the setting of the sun, and when it is fully set the next day has begun. So this is Christmas! Merry Christmas!

Many have traveled to be with family on this very holy day. Those of you who have traveled to be here with family in this place, welcome! I am so honored to worship God with you. I am honored that on this night we share the same path on this life changing journey called Christian discipleship. Aside from the nasty storm we had on Friday, the weather has been fairly agreeable for travel this season and I am glad you have made it safely here.

On Christmas eve 25 years ago I was in San Diego, which was, by the way the only Christmas I have ever spent outside of Michigan. I flew out with my sister and my grandmother and we had a connection to make in either Columbus or Cincinnati, I can't remember which now, but we came in through a terrible thunderstorm in a tiny aircraft. We were shaken like I had never been shaken before. I don't know if it was my heart cheering or if there was actually applause when the plane finally came to rest on the tarmac, but I know that it was a terrifying experience and we were all glad it was over. We made it safely to My Aunt and Uncle's in San tee which is a suburb of San Diego California. We had a nice holiday with them. We got to see all the great tourist attractions in the area. That year Michigan State University was in the Rose Bowl and we saw several of the marching band members when we visited Disney Land. We went up in the mountains, we went to Hollywood. It was a fun trip. It was a strange trip. I was allergic to something in my Aunts house and I woke every morning with my eyes matted shut. Also, while we were there it snowed. At the low elevation that we were at, it was a rare thing to see snow and it had been several years since it had last happened, and yet there it was cold and snow just like back in Michigan. Then there was the traffic. You think Chicago traffic is bad? You should experience the highway system between San Diego and Anaheim. There are few times I feared for my life as much as that. But with all the ups, downs, twists and turns of that experience. I absolutely treasure the memory of it.

All the difficulties we experienced on that trip were sort of normal. All the challenges were manageable. Now think of the difficulties Joe and Mary had on their Christmas trip. They had a nice place up north. They had a rough time the past few months with Mary's pregnancy. Joe knew that baby wasn't his and he suspected others knew it as well. They were told by the government that they had to go and get registered there was a census being taken. The thing is, they had to go back to their hometowns. That meant a week on the road, at least. They had no choice. It was the Law. So they headed out.

On any great life changing journey (which this was) not only do we face physical challenges but also spiritual and emotional ones as well. As a husband with a pregnant wife being forced to make a long difficult journey. The word resentment comes to mind.

We don't know the details of the journey except that when they got to the place they were heading there was no welcome for them. No family to house them. No friends to greet them. They couldn't even buy a place to stay. The Hotels were booked solid. The word stress comes to mind.

Stress around Christmas time? Unheard of. Right?

People that are stressed can be Grumpy, Angry, Irritated.

So the long journey was complete and now there was no place to stay. What could possibly happen next? Well that's when it was time for the baby to come. They needed a place. The only thing available was barn, probably just a cave for animals. It was all they had available. Mary was probably concentrating on the birth pangs while Joesph was thinking “This isn't the right place.” But the baby was coming, there was no stopping it. The baby that the Angel told her she would have 9 months before was here.

Mary lay her baby in a manger not because that was her desire but that is what was available.

Alone, no friends or family near. In a barn with a new baby. Completely vulnerable. The word fear comes to mind.

Meanwhile in a field some distance a way the heavens opened up and there is an army of God's angels singing praises to God over the birth that had just taken place. And one of those angels told to shepherd there to go and see the baby who is to be a savior. The baby who is the Messiah.

And so the young couple Joe and Mary in their resentment, stress and fear feeling very vulnerable with their new baby see a group of men approaching. Shepherds. Shepherds were not the most desirable characters in society. They stayed out with their sheep 24/7. What did these guys want?

These dirty, scary shepherds told Mary and Joe all they had experience and heard and just as quickly left them all the while praising God.

There they were, the Holy Family with their new born baby. Through all they experienced scripture says that Mary treasured up all that was said and pondered what it all might mean. The chaos, the frustration, the anger the fear surrounding the birth of Jesus now settles into peaceful contemplation.

In the birth event of Jesus Christ we see the heavenly and the earthly realms in accord. The army of angels praising God along with the lowliest of humanity. The baby Jesus surrounded by farm animals. There is no distinction of class. There are no laws given. There is only the perfect gift of love by a loving God. God gave himself to us that Christmas morning.

As you travel the path of this life. You will be met with resentment, stress and fear. This night, let the peace of God fill you as you ponder the wonder of the Eternal One born as a baby in Bethlehem and remains a connection between the Heavenly and the Earthly.

  

Confident Living in an Uncertain Life

Luke 1:26-45

We are called blessed when we accept the perplexing offer of God. Respond not react.

It is so good to see you all today! The Mayan Apocalypse didn't happen! I suppose you will all have to reinvest in your retirement plans and apologize to your relatives for finally telling them “how it is.” I had joked several times but it really wasn't a joke, that it didn't matter to me a bit if the world was to end on the 21^st of December because my heart was right with God. I am far from perfection. I have a long way to go to even get close to that, but I am confident of who I am and who's I am. I have made many mistakes, I have failed at many things. As many of you know, Diane and I owned a restaurant for several years before I went into the ministry. I have to say that that venture was doomed to failure from the very beginning. I am not a business man. I'm not good at it and I never really wanted to be. But those years were a necessary part of my journey.

And now, all these years later, I am here today in this place with you, in this place, worshiping a God that loves us. What could be better? The world didn't end. We still have to deal with the difficulties of this life. Don't get me wrong I welcome the chance to continue the road to perfection. I look forward to the next chapter of life. I can't wait to see what God has for me next because there is always something that is 'next'. But we have to ask the question, how do we face a future that is unsure? How do we live with confidence when we don't know when the end of our life will come?

Looking back over the events of your life, can you imagine how overwhelmed you would be if you knew before hand every challenge that you have faced and have come through? If you knew at the beginning, every loss, every sickness, every hurt it would be near impossible to face a life with all that in store. We can kind of guess what kind of pain we will suffer in the future but we can put that out of our minds because the future isn't really real. If we knew exactly what was going to happen, I believe it would be too much to bear.

About 10-15 years ago I had a realization about the impermanent nature of life. Back then my youngest two siblings were transitioning out of high school. I was living within an hours drive of my parents house and I would frequently go there and we would sit around the fire pit and talk and enjoy each others company. We did this several times during the summer months and it was great. I loved it. My kids loved it. Life was good. The realization came one night as I was driving away with my wife and two kids back to our home in Gowen. I was hit by a wave of sadness over the fact that these weekend get-togethers would not go on forever. I could see where my life was heading, I could see changes happening in my siblings lives. I knew that we were at a high point in our life. I could see that things were going to change and I didn't know what that change was going to look like. I started to mourn the loss even before it was gone. I voiced my feelings to my wife. I remember exactly were I was I was on the corner of Jordan Rd. and Vandecar Rd. I remember this because I always remember when God speaks to me. You see, often times he uses my wife's voice to speak to me. I don't remember her words but I remember the message. “There is nothing to fear. I have even more blessings in store for you.”

Photo by Steve Begnoche of the Ludington  Daily News. 

Yes God. Thank you God. The question remains: How do we face a future that is unsure? We read in God's word this morning the account of Mary's reaction to the Angel Gabriel. The angel, the messenger of God came to Mary and said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will never end.” Notice the angel doesn't mention anything about having to live as a refugee in Egypt. Notice the Angel doesn't mention that her son will be rejected, beaten and executed. The angel does day that he will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.

Mary wasn't afraid even though the angel said not to be. The only emotion was perplexed.

She pondered. She pondered the words of the angel. She went to stay with her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant. I presume that the time spent with her cousin Elizabeth was filled with much pondering. Pondering what god had done, what god is asking, what God is growing inside of her. Mary started with perplexity, responded with openness and grew in her acceptance and obedience by pondering. How do we face a future that is unsure? Well like Mary we accept the circumstance that is before us and we ponder God's will for us in this very moment. God's will isn't for us to suffer but it may be God's will that we learn to lean on him in our suffering. It's not God's will that family relationships get strained but it may be God's will that when they are strained we appreciate the value of the relationships we have and we redouble our efforts to cultivate them. God may be asking you to accept a challenge, to face something new, to make a change. God may not be telling you all the negative stuff that will happen, you may only be hearing about the positive things. When I realized that the closeness of my family around the fire pit was only for a season the sadness over what was going to be lost was all that occupied my mind. But when I look back, my life has been a beautiful journey with God that has been full of blessings that I could not possibly have anticipated. I was released from the prison/blessing of business ownership and brought into life proclaiming his word in this way.

When Mary went to stay with Elizabeth, her cousin knew right away that Mary was pregnant with a very special baby. Likewise when we move obediently into Gods will, when we turn and orient our lives toward God, it won't go unnoticed. If you are following God's direction it will be affirmed by Godly people. There will be people who will recognize it as such and it affirm it. So how we we live a confident life in a world that is unsure? We seek the will and word of God in every circumstance and ask, “How will God be birthed into this world through the things He has called us to do? How is God strengthening us and preparing us through the challenges we face?” And we stay in constant communion with our God and with each other through every difficulty.

So How is it with you today? Is your future unsure? Are you afraid? Perplexed? Don't be. God is there. God loves you. And we are all on the journey with you.  

Cry Out!

Luke 3:1-6

 Here we are in the second of four Sundays of Advent. This week I want to encourage you to cry out! Make your voice be heard! Lift your voice. don't be shy. Say what you gotta say! When we have something on our heart that is important, it should be said. The good, the bad, the ugly. Whatever it is that you feel compelled to say, cry it out!

Let me tell you about Nathan. Nathan was a man in his early thirties. He lived at home with his parents, worked at Little Caesars, volunteered in his community and was loved by many, many people. Nathan, in all the time I knew him had significant health problems. Since the time he was a baby his whole life was one medical crisis after another. They cried out! They prayed to God for healing. They cried out! They praised God for healing. When things were going well with is health, it got to the point that they would all prepare for the unknown next thing that would happen because experience had taught them that there would always be a next thing. It the four years that I knew him he almost died twice from inexplicable internal bleeding. In May of 2010, right around the time that we got the call that Eli had been born, I also got a call that Nathan was sick. I went with his family to a hospital in Lansing. Tests were ran, then a biopsy was done. Then the diagnosis came. Liver cancer.

In November of that year I helped carry Nathan's dad carry him into the family home so that he could spend his last days on this earth in a familiar place. He was gone by the weekend. .

I officiated his funeral and the place was packed. Nathan touched many lives. His parents were obviously devastated. But his mom told me that if the same thing had happened 10 years before, both she and her husband would not have been able to cope at all. It was in the past 10 years that their faith life really started to blossom. They weren't new Christians. They were Christians that at some point decided that their faith life was something worth deepening and developing. When I think about the things that get me down and frustrate me, I think of my friends and the strength that God gave them. And I find strength. I tell you the story of Nathan and his family because it is a time in this world when God acted. When they came to the end of their own strength, God held them up. When they grew tired, God helped them along. It happened in a year that Barack Obama was president, Rick Snyder was elected governor of the state of Michigan and I was the Pastor of the Greenbush United Methodist Church.

The eternal God was active at a particular time and a particular place. Yes, Nathans life ended earlier than most. But the miracle is that he has eternal life through Jesus Christ. Another miracle is that his parents and all who love him have the hope of reunion in the life to come. Still another miracle is that we can live in hope and confidence in this life because of what Jesus has done to assure us of the life to come. Its a miracle that his mother and father can think back on those days and smile knowing that God was there.

As it is written in Scripture:

So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Holy Scripture is a record of people crying out to God. It is a record of God's action in this world. It is the story of how God was active in history and I the lives of individuals. Our faith also tells that story. It tells the story of redemption, of regeneration, of forgiveness, of starting over, of being holy, of being pure. Its a story of grand ideas and of our eternal purpose that the stories of scripture tell. But it's more than that! In our Gospel lesson from the book of Luke it says that it was in a particular time and in a particular place. It was when Herod was ruler and it was when Pontius Pilate was governor, God did something. God was active through John who would later be called the baptist.

It was John. It was a particular man. It was Zachariah's boy! He went out to a particular place, to the region around the Jordan and he was telling people to turn from their way of living and turn toward God and to receive the forgiveness of God. All this was to fulfill what God had said through the prophet Isaiah. And then the writer of the Gospel quotes Isaiah.

He was saying, 'we were waiting for it. We were expecting it. We were taught it by our religious leaders. And now that I saw it, I am going to tell people about it; I'm going to write it down; I'm going to cry it out because I want you to know about it.

So yes. We are going to witness. We are going to tell people about what Jesus said in the Bible. We are going to tell people about what Jesus did in the Bible. But that won't mean a thing to most people unless they know that all that makes a difference in your life. Yes we cry out to Jesus. We cry out to Jesus with our hurts, our joys, our worries and our victories. Cry out to Jesus with all those things! But don't forget to cry out FOR Jesus. Don't forget to tell people about what Jesus has done for you. Don't forget to tell about what Jesus means to you; what the difference Jesus has made in your life.

 God is not closed off. God is not dormant. God is active! God is dynamic! God is the Eternal One! God created the heavens and the earth with action of a spoken word. God is still creating. The potter of this earthen clay is still molding and forming, kneading and working.

How is God acting in your life right now? How is God speaking to you today? The words from the prophet Isaiah come through the experience of John the baptist and are before us today. “every valley shall be filled.” What are the low parts of your life? Where does the undesirable stuff settle? How can those places be filled? “Every mountain and hill shall be made low.” What are the obstacles that stand in your way today? What holds you back from living the way God created you to live? How can those obstacles be leveled? “And the crooked shall be made straight.” What is diverting you? What is distracting you? How can you be more intentional about getting to where you need to be? “and the rough ways made smooth.” The rough road is often the only rout available. Cry out to Jesus. He will be with you.  

On Kinney Down

As we are preparing for Christmas at our house, Jaylen has rekindled his love for the Christmas tree.  Jay Loves, LOVES the Christmas tree.  Last year he spread out his arms and made motions like he was hugging the prickly bows of this centerpiece of our living room.  This year we often find him lying on the arm of the chair next to the tree singing to it, touching it, rearranging the ornaments on it.  Sometimes things get knocked off the tree as he tries to squeeze in behind it.  I don't worry about any of that.  It's not that he is being careless, he is enjoying a decoration and a symbol of our faith like I have never witnessed before.  God is blessing him through visual, tactile and olfactory senses in a way that I wouldn't have anticipated.  

In God's Presence

I was stopped in my proverbial tracks the other day by a post on Twitter.  It said, "You can't be in prayer at all times unless you are in prayer at particular times."

Hold on!  That is the great cop out; the universal excuse; the ultimate free pass.

Being spiritually disciplined is an important part of our growth as human beings into what God intends for us to be.  I have spent seasons of my life where I diligently engage in regular prayer, searching the Holy Scriptures, holy conferencing, collective worship and fasting (though this is the toughest one for me). But as is the nature of seasons, they pass.  My fervor for the spiritual disciplines begins to wane and pretty soon I am making excuses like "I am always in an attitude of prayer," and other nonsense excuses like that.  Since the only one we need to account to for our actions is God and God already knows the lies we are telling ourselves we might as well just stop the excuse making and get to focusing on our relationship to the God that loves us and wants the best for us.  

We need to establish for ourselves a Rule of Life. This is something that we can and will commit to on a regular basis, be it daily or weekly to nurture our relationship with our God.  Let's start with time spent with God in prayer, intentional, regular time devoted to being in God's presence.  I propose three times a day.  When you wake in the morning, just before you lie down at night are good times to start because there is little modification to your schedule necessary.  I have created a tool for my self.  It is a string of wooden discs divided in three sections by knots. I start with the Lord's Prayer then  I pray the "Jesus Prayer" for each disc as a way of occupying the part of my mind that likes to distract me from resting peacefully in God's presence.  At each of the knots I praise God a recitation of the "Glory Be." When I complete the circuit of discs I again pray the Lord's prayer all the while keeping my heart, mind and spirit open to God's Leading.

A prayer tool of my own making. 

I mentioned a schedule of three times per day.  I suggest that the third time of prayer be just before or after the mid-day meal and that it would be in a fellowship people praying alongside of you.  I will be praying everyday at the church between 11:30 am and 11:45 am.  Join me.

It's when we find a rhythm of regular prayer that it eventually will become possible to also pray at all times and always know the presence of The Shepherd.   

Endurance

The Nativity Scenes in our homes are more than holiday decorations.
They are reminders of the zeal of God for humanity.
We, in turn, respond with love for God and neighbor. 

Luke 21:25-37

We are called to endure. We are not called to suffer, though there is plenty of suffering in this world and is near impossible to avoid.

We are called to endure. Endurance, for a runner, its the ability to finish the race with strength. Endurance for the Christian is to finish this earthly life with spiritual strength, both take intentional training.

What gives you spiritual strength and endurance?

What do you do in your home to develop your spirit?

What do you do the rest of the time?

This is the first Sunday in Advent. This is the season we prepare our hearts, minds and spirits for the Christmas celebration on December 25^th. This is a time rich in tradition. We can largely expect things to go much the same as they always have because, as I have heard some of you say, “what did we do last year?” Or “How did we do this last year?” We begin this season of preparation walking the line between a historical remembrance of actual events and entering into the mystery of God where those events point to something for us know and experience.

As Christians we are not called to go with the flow. As Christians we are not called affirm the world as it is. We are not called to retreat from this world, we are not called to reject this world. Jesus came and He called us to proclaim the kingdom of God. We believe that God will redeem the brokenness of this world. We believe that God will use those who are faithful in the work of redemption. The redemption of the earth and of creation has been happening from the very beginning of time but it began in a special way in Bethlehem 2000 and some years ago. This is a historic event as well but more importantly this was spiritual event and a spiritual reality.

We remember and prepare for the event of the birth of Jesus, but we also prepare for the birth of Christ in our lives in a new or renewed way. But that's not all! As disciples of Jesus we read the words he said as recorded in the scriptures and one of the things that he made clear was that the he, the son of Man, was going to come back. There would be a second coming and we are to live in such a way that it will be a blessing and a benefit to us. This is a spiritual reality that Christians believe. But is it one that will be an eventual historic reality. You see this is a challenge for a lot of believing Christians. It's been 2000 years after all! Jesus followers of his day believed that the Jesus' second coming would be coming any day. Then as I have said before, there have been over the course of time many calculations and predictions of dates that have come and gone when these event were to take place. And still we remain!

It can cause one to doubt or to question whether these things will happen. But Jesus is clear. You will see signs.

There will be sings in the sun and moon and stars, (I'm not sure what that will be) and on earth nations will be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves (any nations in distress? Any anxiety over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves? Yes of course, but what's new?) “People will be fainting from fear and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloud with power and great glory.” Shaken heavens and seeing the Son of man coming in the indescribable Glory of God? That's new.

You see, we wont miss it. It will happen for everybody on the face of the earth. The question is, will we be aware or will we be distracted?

Will we lift our heads or will we hang them low?

Will that day come like a trap or will it be the welcome culmination of the faithfully lived life?

Jesus say when these thing begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near! The day of your rescue from the life of illusion and confusion you have created for yourself will arrive! That day will be obvious. What about preparing for that day?

When we come to the day of our redemption things will be different. The things that are of no value to God will go away. The things we do and say that do not glorify God...will go away. Our possessions that distract us will go away. The work we do that does not lead to the Kingdom of God will come to an end.

What if, on that day, you have grown accustomed, attached even fond of all your unprofitable attachments? Then suddenly they are taken away.

How many times in your life have you gone through the Advent and Christmas season and on December 26^th or so you say something like, “It just doesn't fell like we had Christmas,” Or “I cant believe its over already”? That's because sometimes we expect the season to just happen to us. We enter into all the distractions of the Holiday and ride them like a merry-go-'round and we end up going no where.

This is a dangerous and difficult world. The distractions that we choose to become addicted to, seemingly make this wold easier to tolerate. But in reality, they sap our strength. They disconnect us from the true source of peace and power. Our distractions move us further and further away from our devotion to Almighty God.

Jesus says “Be alert praying that you may ave the strength to escape all these things that will take place.”

Distractions of this world,drunkenness worries of this life are things that Jesus warns against not because they make God so angry but because they will distract us from the blessings and the promise of his presence and his coming.

The point of preparing for Christmas is preparing our hearts, minds and souls for an indwelling Jesus Christ in our lives. If we are truly prepared for Christ to enter our lives, we will live as though the kingdom has already come. We need to look inside and remove those things that we are attached to that are not glorifying to God.

If you have built a life full of distractions and suddenly those distractions are taken away it may well seem like your life has been taken away. It can be very uncomfortable and even painful. Just look at the pain and difficulty of the process of overcoming addiction to alcohol or other substances. But if we commit our lives, now, to loving God, when that day comes it will be a beautiful culmination of a faith fulled life.

Jesus is coming in a way that you cannot possibly expect. Be prepared. Be watchful.

So how is it with you today? We all have distractions that are not profitable to our spirits. As we enter into a time of communion with our God lets us begin with a time of confession, lifting to God those things we know that we need to let go. Lift to God, silently in your heart and mind, those things and ask God for forgiveness, and ask God for the freedom to love him more freely.