December is half way gone. I haven't posted any blogs in a while because my focus has been on weekly sermon writing. In the past, I would post my sermons, but since I started my Provisional Elder journey, I haven't done so. Mainly because of time constraints. Each week I read, research, and write a sermon and then preach it at one or two of the three appointed churches. Then, the process begins again. I just haven't squeezed in any time to post the sermons or write about any of the other things going on in life... such as the Advent Word/Photo Journey with AliveNow that I'm participating in (along with many others). That has been a refreshing way to walk and pray this Advent season.
These past two weeks I've felt that I would squeeze in some time to post a sermon or two.... and maybe some other things. We'll see.
The sermons written are not what comes out during the service. Things get re-ordered, added, omitted, and otherwise edited. However, what you will see here is the basic premise of what was shared.
One edit for example is that today, I added a story that was shared during our prayer time that fit well into listening to God's nudges and whisperings and following through.
May there be something in the words and message for you today.
Blessings on your journey,
Debra
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"Believe!"
December 20, 2015 (4th Sunday
of Advent)
Luke 1:39-45 (NRSV)
Flintstone UMC
Luke
1:39-45 (NRSV)
39 In those days Mary set out and went with
haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she
entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When
Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud
cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And
why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For
as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for
joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be
a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
THANKS BE TO GOD.
----------------------------------------------------
Today
is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Slowly
but surely we are making our way through the Advent season toward the
celebration of the birth of Christ. Our
Advent Wreath is getting brighter each week as we add to the light.
"The
gift of a believing community can make all the difference in the form our
challenging waiting seasons take." (Enuma Okoro, 67)
"A
community helps us discern how God calls us and speaks into our lives, keeping
us accountable to spiritual integrity and affirming or challenging our
discernment as necessary. It is
important to have people with whom we can prayerfully share our spiritual
journeys and who can help us name the new realities that God might be birthing
in our lives. A community can support us
as we name these new realities and learn to live into our expanding or changing
sense of identity as flourishing children of God." (83-84)
BELIEVE!
- God's promises
- God's blessings
- God's mysteries (including God's child)
God's
Promises--
One of God's greatest promises is "I am with you." Throughout the Old Testament, to the leaders and
the prophets and into the New Testament with Mary and Joseph, God promises:
"I am with you." God, the
great I AM, becomes God with us, Emmanuel.
Just
a few examples:
- Genesis 26:24-- God speaks to
Isaac: "And that very night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father
Abraham; do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you and make
your offspring numerous for my servant Abraham’s sake.”
- Genesis
28:15--God speaks to Jacob: 15 Know that I am with you and
will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I
will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
- Isaiah
41:10-- God assures Israel: "do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."
One
example of Jesus speaking this:
- Matthew 28:20--
Jesus speaks to the disciples after his resurrection on how they are to
live out their calling: 20 and teaching them to obey
everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always,
to the end of the age.”
God's
Blessings--
There are many ways to consider God's blessings. [The backstory to today's passage....
Elizabeth is with child... a miracle and blessing in itself. (Luke 1:5-20)] In
today's passage, God blessed Elizabeth, who in turn blessed Mary. Elizabeth wondered why she had been blessed. Mary came to visit Elizabeth and it was in
that visit that Elizabeth recognized a second blessing, that of Mary carrying
the Lord (verses 42-43). Elizabeth and Mary were able to walk a journey
together and encourage one another.
God's Mysteries-- God chooses to bring about mystery with
human help.
Have you thought about
that?
We may not be able to answer all
the questions surrounding mystery, but in the midst of the mystery, God chooses
to use humans.
He used Mary and Joseph
to bring one of the greatest mysteries into the world, the divine Christ child.
Romans 16:25-27--
25 Now to God
who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation
of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept
secret for long ages 26 but is now
disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the
Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the
obedience of faith— 27 to the
only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom
be the glory forever! Amen.
Colossians 1:27-- 27 To them God
chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of
this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 2:2-- 2 I want their hearts to
be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of
assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ
himself,
As
we look to see how God delivers his promises, blessings, and reveals his
mysteries (when they are revealed), it is most often in community. COMMUNITY! We are called to be in community. To live out this faith journey together, to
walk together, just as Elizabeth and Mary and many others. We can offer encouragement, support, prayer,
assistance as we live out our faith together.
In doing this, we help one another discern the invitations that God
offers us to join in where God is working.
Where
have you felt God inviting you to join in? How have you experienced God's whisperings in
your life to be a part of something bigger?
Just
this past week, one invitation to join in something that God is doing was the
YMCA Backpack Blessings. I want to thank
you for saying "yes" to this invitation. We had 7 Flintstone folks, 1 Simpson person
and one other person there to fill royal blue backpacks for 400 kids so that
they would have food for the Christmas break. It's quite an operation. It's a time of community coming together for
a greater need.
Sometimes
those nudges or whispers from God seem to take us a little longer to answer, do
they not? I am guilty of hesitating in
my "yes" to God at times. It's
not that I want to say "no" to God, but sometimes I'm questioning:
'Is this really you God?' or 'Do you really think I can do this God?' or just
plain: 'What?!?!?'
Even
in the hesitancy to say "yes" to God, can we consider that God's promise
"I am with you" is for you and me, that God's blessing of encouragement
in community awaits us, and that God's mysteries are waiting to be unfolded
through Christ in our lives?
As
you and I continue to ponder these things this last week of Advent, may we
like, Elizabeth, have reason to have that joy leap within us and may we be able
to passionately exclaim belief as did Elizabeth.
It
is moving into belief that draws us closer to the growing light of Christ. It is what we are called to do and be as disciples
of Christ, as Christ followers. In my
reading this week, I read this: "Being a disciple is moving from unbelief
to belief in every part of your life." (BiVo: A Modern Day Guide for
Bi-Vocational Saints, Hugh Halter, 33-34)
Think about that for just a moment. We are to move from unbelief to belief in
EVERY part of our life. That's a big
area. I don't know about you, but I know
God still has work to do in my life as a disciple. I still have room to grow as a disciple. It's an ongoing journey. It's about saying "yes" to God over
and over again, in trust and stepping out in faith and obedience. It's about recognizing that Emmanuel, God with
us, is in our midst and something inside us leaps for joy.
Listen
once again to Elizabeth's proclamation over Mary for Mary's belief, but hear these
words as if they were being spoken to you.....
Therefore there will be space where the pronouns "she" and
"her" are in the verse for you to insert your name. This morning, if you are ready to take the
step of bold belief, faith, and trust and obedience and follow God's leading,
hear these words: "And blessed is ______ who believed that there would be
a fulfillment of what was spoken to _______ by the Lord."
May
it be so.
Amen.
