A Christmas Present for You- Luke 2:1-20

Pray- Luke 2:1-20 "The Christmas Story- A Present for You"
Read
Luke 2:1-20
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Why are we here?
I mean, REALLY, why are we here today?
Why did we gather in this place and time? To do what?
What’s the point? What will we accomplish by being here today?
What are we doing?
We have all heard the story before- some of us know it by heart- and surely we could read the story at home or catch a TV preacher- but we came here to this place, this day, this hour, all of us folks came for something.
We have expectations of something happening
Expectations- that’s a good word
I wander what the shepherds were expecting when they punched in on the time clock that evening
Maybe they were expecting a wayward lamb or two- if it was a bad night maybe a predatory animal- would be nearby.
Mostly they were probably expecting their normal, everyday life to have one more average night- but that night was anything but average-
They were visited by God’s messengers- by angels- they knew this message was from the Lord.
What a peculiar message- a savior has been born, Christ the Lord- and you will find this baby savior in Bethlehem, lying in someone’s manger.
You don’t expect to hear news like that everyday.
The shepherds didn’t expect to meet the christ-child that day
They didn’t expect to meet him, let alone see him lying in a manger.
A manger? Really, a manger? Was Mary too exhausted to hold him the whole time- was Joseph too exhausted from travel and such- was he afraid of holding babies- No- I don’t buy things, from the text we don’t know- all we know, all we have are the words, "a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke chose to emphasize the manger. I am sure he could have said, "and Mary will hold him in her arms." But what is different about that, than almost every other mother- every mom holds their baby.
Why did Luke emphasize the Manger? Laying there in a feeding trough, was the babe of Mary
The savior of the world
A remarkable story for the shepherds to pass on to their friends and family
We still gather today to hear this history- changing story.
That’s what we are doing here today
God is in the business of changing people’s expectations
- Because of the baby savior in the manger- we know to not trust our expectations
- Things can turn out different than we expect
- People can change- even though we expect them not to change
God is in the business of feeding the world
- God laid there in a feeding trough.
- This same Jesus who called himself the bread of life, who said, (John 6:51)
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
- His mother and his earthly father, Joseph had no idea of what was in store for baby Jesus
- But Father God knew- Jesus would become food for the whole world. His body and his blood would sustain thousands of years of faithful followers
God is present with Us today
- I pray for all of you the excitement of re-discovering Jesus
- Illustration of Danny opening a present
- The Savior was born for YOU- for YOU

Luke 1:26-38, "Godly Parents"

Pray
Read
Luke 1:26-38-
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God."
38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
What can we learn from this story of Gabriel and Mary?
Unexpected News-
1. You are favored by God. The Lord is with you. This news troubled Mary.
2. You will be with child (even though you are a virgin)
3. This child you’re having is going to be Son of the most high, the savior
All of us get unexpected news in our lives. It is very unlikely any of us will receive the news that Mary received
But we do receive unexpected news- A lot of news we expect- you know when you get that wedding invitation that doesn’t surprise you at all- or the birth announcement- that is expected- that is news that you anticipate and expect.
Mary’s story and often our lives are full of unexpected news- bad- the death that came too early in life, the job that is suddenly eliminated, and good- the reuniting of friends, a miraculous healing
Our lives are full of unexpected news- good and bad. Mary’s life was interrupted- so to speak- by unexpected news.
Unforeseen plans- the arrival of unexpected news means there will be unforeseen plans. Plans change. Mary’s life plan changed at the moment she received this good unexpected news. She may have had plans to marry a fine man like Joseph and lead a peaceful life in a small town near relatives and friends.
Plans changed. God changed her plans. She says, "How will this be?"- how is this going to happen exactly, don’t you know I am a virgin?
Prov 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps"
We lay plans and it seems, at times, that God lays waste to our best laid plans. There is no way Mary could have seen this step in her life. She couldn’t have said as a child, "well I’ll find a nice guy- give birth to the messiah- in a stable and then we’ll settle down- after a short stay in Egypt."
In the same way there are steps we can’t see coming in our life. We make our plans but then the unexpected news comes and plans necessarily change.
Sure, we can deny reality and keep our old plan- but it won’t work.
We can be a great fastball hitter, but if life starts throwing us a curve ball we can either adjust to reality or strike out.
If unexpected news- good or bad- has thrown you off a course you thought you should travel- may you and I both humbly have the attitude of Mary, who simply said, "I am the Lord's servant." We are to serve in God’s story- God is not a mere player in our story.
We learn through this story about- Uncontrollable consequences- Mary said, ""May it be to me as you have said." She chose to cooperate with the plan God had for her.
Though the news was unexpected, though her life plan disrupted- she accepted that a new sequence of events was about to commence.
Mary however, in no way, could know what would come of this sequence of event- the Con-sequences.
Early on some were enjoyable consequences. Having shepherds and wise men, ooh and ahh over your infant- who doesn’t want that?
But then it becomes obvious that life is wildly out of their control. King Herod wants their baby dead. Mary and Joseph have to live with the reality that having the Messiah born- caused some of their friends to have children executed. Children that Jesus played with were murdered. Darkness couldn’t stand the light- power couldn’t live with the Truth. What a burden to bear- to raise the Son of God, who knew he would have such brutal enemies, lovers of death, greedy, envious and powerful. These leaders, like Herod, gave Mary and Joseph lessons to teach their child- that he should never rule like that- he would be a different kind of king. God entrusted Joseph and Mary to be Jesus’ parents. They were Godly parents. And let us not romanticize that because he was the Son of God he needed no parenting- if that was the case God would not have had him born into a family. I can imagine the grieving Mary, grieving for her friends and neighbors children, Mary whispering into the toddler Jesus’ ear, "You will not rule over others like that. You will love your enemy. You will embrace children. Your kingdom will be one where neighbor loves neighbor."
We must not be controlled by the uncontrollable consequences of life. We must learn from them. When the Herods come into our life, when we are suddenly forced to move to our Egypt- when our family is challenged because of a conviction we hold high- when our child’s life is cut brutally short= we must say I am living in God’s story for my life- no matter the consequences- I am God’s servant, may it be to me as you have planned.
Tina and I want to be godly parents- parents like Mary and Joseph. many of you out there are either in that boat- or hope to be- or have been
Godly parents- Godly people are simply folks who take the good and the bad news of life, the changed plans, the undesirable consequences- and through it all they remember who they really are, they say in confidence- that is they say with faith, "I am the Lord's servant,"
The Good News of this story:
Nothing is impossible with God- Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age, Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit- and we can live lives of grace and forgiveness even though sometimes we feel like being grumpy and nasty. God can bring life into areas that seem like there shouldn’t be life- But we have a living God- nothing is impossible for Him. He brings things to life, He resurrects, He heals.
God uses the unlikely- God cooperated with a virgin who gave birth- it was not your average situation. God cooperated with Elizabeth who bore a child in old age. God called shepherds to be the witnesses of his arrival as an infant. The christ-Child as a grown up, that is Jesus, hung out with prostitutes, liars, cheaters and such- and gave them what they needed to become people who led different lives- God uses the unlikely. If you have ever thought it unlikely that God specifically wants to use you- this means you are indeed qualified to be God’s servant. This means God can use me and you.
God has a story for us. God has a plan and a story for our lives. As individuals, as families as a church- God has stories written for our lives. Are we going to choose to live in God’s story? This Christmas are we going to embrace fully the story that God sent that baby not just to save the world- but specifically to save you and to save me. So that we can parents and people who whisper into our children’s ears, "you will be a person who loves God and loves your neighbor and your enemy." If only there were more of us whispering these stories of God’s future into little, young ears. If all of us Christians would take serious our calling to be spiritual parents to those who are living outside of the story God has written for their life. What could the world be like?There are so many out there in life who do not know the good news, the good plan God has for their life. They don’t know the consequences of living outside of a relationship with Christ.
Who will whisper the story of God’s love to them this Christmas? God is not done using people and the Holy Spirit to give birth to new life in this world. God is calling you and I to tell the story of his love
Who here is willing to be Godly parents? Not only to our own children, but to all of God’s children?

Am I Spiritually Lazy? 1 Thess. 5:16-24

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Read
NIV– 1 Thess 5:16-24
16 Be joyful always [Rejoice evermore]; 17 pray continually [pray unceasingly or uniterrupted]; 18 give thanks [euchariste] in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
(from New International Version)
Message Paraphrase:"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.
May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together- spirit- soul, and body- and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!"
This is a challenging section- a laundry list of what the Apostle Paul thought were good things to do. This section could be called: Paul’s list- of spiritual to do’s What a list!!
Be joyful, pray always, give thanks at all occasions, be good, avoid evil...
We have our Christmas season to do lists- what if we put just as much effort this year into Paul’s list- of spiritual to do’s? What if on top of the Christmas to do list- right before the line that says do Christmas cards, or buy Aunt Ruth a sweater= what if we wrote down "Live in God’s will- Jesus Christ style"
Sometimes we want our spiritual life to come to us gift wrapped without any work- but we need to put effort into our side of our relationship with Jesus.
Have you heard this Story: Two college students from the city rented a truck drove into idaho and went deep into the woods, searching for the perfect Christmas tree. After hours of subzero temperatures and a few close calls with hungry wolves, One college guy turned to the other and said, "I’m chopping down the next tree I see. I don’t care whether it’s decorated or not!"
I often say I want to be a faithful, hopeful, prayerful- spiritual person= but am I willing to go and work find it and realized that it is a process that is always happening and not something that one finds gift wrapped.
This means I need worship, prayer, Study in the Bible and acts of service to develop my spiritual life
WE were playing in the snow- Danny falling (on purpose) into the snow, rolling over and its gets on his face, which he tries to clean off with his hands- which are, of course, covered with snow.
Point- sometimes we don’t realize how deep we are buried in our stuff- our sin- our own problems-
It’s okay to admit our inability to heal ourselves spiritually- its not our job. Our job is to admit our problems and take them to the great physician. We are imperfect- we are sinners- the Apostle Paul called himself the chief of sinners
A widow forces herself to smile as she stares in the mirror by the door- she doesn’t want to smile- but she doesn’t know how to tell her friends of her despair
A husband snaps at his wife over a trivial matter- he can’t seem to keep his temper in check lately- he knows somethings wrong
A 17 year old boy keeps trying all the things everybody says are fun- the things his parents say Not to do- he’s not having fun- yet he doesn’t know how to talk to his parents about the real feelings he is having
Who does he talk to? Who can they all talk to? Who can we talk to?
we need to reach outside ourselves for relief- that is prayer. Prayer is a God-created means of communication- that allows us to reach outside of our daily human existence and connect to eternal, divine Spirit of God. To connect with our maker- the one who knows who we truly are and knows the potential of how low we can sink- but also how good we could become. Prayer is the God-given, Spirit enabled ability to communicate with God- thanks be to Jesus.
The centerpiece of this scriptural to do list for me is: v. 17"Pray continually." If we can commit to praying without ceasing, assuredly the joyfulness and thankfulness of v.16 and v. 18 will begin to follow. If we are people of prayer we will be more able to test and discern people’s words= we will be able to cling to the good and avoid the bad.
We aren’t supposed to pray only when we are down or in crisis or in need.
Praying Continually- has been an on and off again hobby for me- I used to try to come up with cute little ideas to try to help me to pray continually. It started when I read this very scripture and then I hear a youth leader say that he prayed whenever he walked through a doorway. The doorway was simply a visible reminder to pray. I figured that wasn’t good enough- so I thought I would try to pray every time I was moving - starting with every time my left foot hit the ground I would pray. The plan was once I got my left foot down, then I would start with my right foot. I never got that far.
I was doing prayer as if it was some kind of mechanical process- instead of the life-breathing, life-giving communication that it truly is.
I think I forget that God is all knowing. I know also that through Christ we are children- and even friends of God. Sometimes I don’t like the way I talk to my friend. I am always asking for things- or I fall asleep while my friend is trying to talk to me.
A book that really helped me is a little book by Brother Lawrence, "Practicing the Presence of God." Brother’s claim is quite simply to live as if God is present all the time. To see how God is working in other people- Brother Lawrence is known for praying amongst the pots and pans- as he was often the one to do the dishes at the monestary. One man I know who prays like this is Rev. Norm Gano- one year at camp when we were talking about how to get the kids to make faith decisions we looked to Norm- he simply said all I do is pray for each of them as they cross my path. And God would lead Norm into conversations with these youth 60 or so years younger than him. Norm and Lawrence understood that God is always present and we should look for Him and pray to Him through our interactions with others.
Another figure that helped me from church history- is sister Therese of Lisieux. She was like Lawrence in that she was not famous or anything, just a person trying to practice prayer. She did something that is called the way of the little things. She would do particular things to encourage herself to lead a prayerful life of service. One thing she did was to forsake her self, and she deliberately spent time with the most annoying and ignored people of her convent- she forced herself to see these people as they were created in the image of God and as people dearly loved by Jesus Christ.
Personal- Carmena, a friend of ours who seems to be constantly praying
I am still unlearning my old ways of "mechanical" prayer and learning that prayer is a way of life. A life of living in the presence of God, of living fully in appreciation of others and their value before God.
One method of prayer that I have begun using lately is an ancient practice of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is a simple prayer called the "Hesychasm" or Jesus Prayer. The words are simply: Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. REPEAT. Many orthodox Christians pray this prayer throughout their day- almost as a way of spiritual breathing. They pray in order to live spiritually, just as we breath in order to live physically.
The goal is to use this repeated prayer as a vessel for back and forth communication with God. But this too has its challenges for me. Just the other day I became conscious that I was praying this prayer- and almost saying the words without any consideration. Then I realized that each word has a depth of meaning- Lord- my God, my boss, my King, My commander- the Son of God- the one who was before all time, the very substance of God, the one who came as a baby Yeshua and died as the Messiah- the Christ- the one who rose from the dead- this is the one from whom I ask mercy- forgiveness, grace and compassion- for He allows me into His presence, into His salvation though I am a mere human, a broken down, imperfect, impatient, unloving, arrogant human- and I can live in His world only by His mercy. Wow. God talked to me through those ancient repetitious words.


We Want Authentic Joy in our life. Who doesn’t we should desire to be Real, authentic, honest-to goodness spiritual people. How easy it is to get off track from the life we were made to live in- the life which is the will of God in Christ Jesus.
It’s why we come to church. Te restart- and get on track. You are here at church- probably means you want an authentic spiritual life- a living- breathing relationship with God
Christmas shopping, though fun, can be difficult. Did you hear about the guy that bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas? A friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty 4-Wheel drive vehicles."
"She did," he replied. "But where am I gonna find a fake Jeep?"...
Don’t do fake.
Don’t be spiritually lazy this Christmas. It’s a lame excuse to say, "everybody’s doing it." Don’t be lazy. Develop your spiritual life this Christmas. Talk to Jesus. Be authentic this Christmas- be who you were created to be. Start wherever you are- you won’t start by being a master of prayer- nor should that ever be your goal. You should seek to have God master you.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.
Amen.

Mark 1:1-8 "John's Water and Jesus' Spirit"

Pray
Mark 1:1-8 John’s Water and Jesus’ Spirit
Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the gospel (Good News) about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet:
"I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way"- (Malachi 3:1)
3 "a voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.'" (Isa. 40:3)
4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
(from New International Version)

Learning from this Scripture:
This is likely the oldest Gospel- It starts similar to Genesis- "The beginning"- Mark knew that this writing he was recording was the story of a "new beginning"= of the same old story.
V.1: The beginning of the gospel (Good News) about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Quotes both Isaiah and Malachi-
It was the beginning of the Good News- but it was the continuation of the story of God reaching out to His creation
JBAP- quoted from the Hebrew scriptures- Promises of the Christ. common to give credit to the major prophet, even though two sources were quoted
Isaiah was the longest or largest prophetic Hebrew writing
Malachi was understood in JBAP’s time to be the last prophet
In using Isaiah AND quoting from Malachi-
2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet:
"I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way"- (Malachi 3:1)
3 "a voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.'" (Isa. 40:3)
The Gospel of Mark portrays John as the link between the Hebrew scriptures and the Christ
The story continues- JBAP is making a statement to a Jewish audience-- God is not done SPEAKING- God is still Speaking
v.4a begins: And so John came
John talked people into the water-
v.4-5: John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins Ceremonial Washings- common- Once for all washings- common way to bring a gentile into the Jewish faith
As one scholar put it, "John told them that they had to come to God the same way non-Jews did. The point of John’s baptism is that everyone has to come to God on the same terms."
V5: Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River Gentiles and Jews were entering the Jordan River and equally proclaiming their need for forgiveness. They were proclaiming that they wanted a fresh start in life.
John had simple tastes- he rejected the largesse and luxury of the world
v6: John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
John wasn’t the only one who ate locusts. One dead sea scroll contains instructions for the community at Qumran on how to eat locusts
Elijah dressed like John 2 Kings 1:8
John talked the talk and walked the walk. He connected his living to his talking
John’s Message: JBAP was saying two Radical themes:
1. Individuals can ask for forgiveness- it does not have to be a sacrifice- or a community ritual- it can be a changed heart and a decision to change the direction of your life
2. An amazing person will come and bring the very Holy Spirit of God into your lives- as Mark says the Son of God- this Son of God will bring the Holy Spirit of God into the lives of repentant people
JBAP was unafraid to preach these radical messages.
JBAP must have received a message from God to proclaim the coming of the messiah- and He knew the Messiah would bring the Spirit of God into people’s lives- this is HUGE of course. Because the Jews believed- and the scriptures taught that the Spirit of God dwelt in the Temple- in the holy of holies- where only a select few could go in- you had to be born into the right family- receive proper training- go through certain initiations - then and only then were allowed to be in the presence of God and make a sacrifice to God
STORY: While the soldiers stood at attention during a parade, a private waved to someone in the audience. "Jones, never do that again!" the drill instructor barked.
But a few minutes later, the soldier waved a second time. Back in the barracks after the parade, the DI stormed in and barked for Jones to come front and center. "Son, you knew I was going to see you," he screamed. "You knew it was wrong. Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Yes, sir!" replied Jones. "But you don't know my mother!"
JBAP- knew who his Boss was: he knew where real power was held
John was unafraid to preach a message that was radical to the world- because He feared God more than he feared popular opinion.
I’ll say this to you- and make sure you understand this:
I am a lot more afraid of Jesus than I am of you- I hope that’s true for all of us
I hope we fear and respect God more than the opinions of our friends
I pray that we fear and respect God more than the shifting sands of government

Challenge from this scripture:
Are we people led by a vision?-
Or are we people controlled by circumstances
Do we use our circumstances as Hints and encouragement to our calling/vision in life (individual and church)
Or do we get beat up by our circumstances- tossing vision aside
What if JBAP had said, "God is done speaking now. I certainly can’t be a prophet of God." or "I am poor. No one will listen to me. I have nothing to offer." Are we overcome or do we overcome
Do we get plowed over- or do we choose to plow through
JBAP obeyed God’s calling on his life- he was led by vision.
Are we as a church listening to God’s Voice?
What is God saying to us? What is His vision for us? What does He want us to do? How can we obey God’s calling for us- if we don’t first listen to Him?
I read an author the other day who said a person who has a calling in their life and is convinced of their calling- will be willing to storm hell armed only with a water pistol. Once an individual or a church is convinced of their calling- they understand that circumstances and events are in God’s control- and God can even use the difficult circumstances to benefit their mission. People convinced of their calling don’t pray for more faith- they just start with what they have. They don’t complain about their lack of resources- they start with what they have. JBAP didn’t have wealth or resources. He simply trusted God.
People convinced of God’s calling in their life- trust God against all odds.
John stormed the hells of this world with a water pistol- and he got his head chopped off because he spoke truth to the people who thought they held the power in this world
Whose story are we living in? Are we living in the wrong story?
John preached a baptism of repentance- for the forgiveness of sins
John baptizes with Water = But Jesus with the Holy Spirit
John is standing in the river of tradition- the same river as the ancient prophets
The river of faith stories- the heroes of these faith stories: Elijah, Isaiah, Malachi and others stood in this tradition with John
Sometimes we get consumed with the story of our own lives-
We get consumed with the details, delights and despair of daily life
We forget the larger story- we are part of a much larger story
JBAP- understood that he was just the guy announcing the HERO of the story- he himself did not deserve worship- the one following Him deserved being worshiped- JBAP did not feel worthy to even untie the sandels of the one that would follow him.
Advent is a time of calling-
JBAP is calling people to repentance- because the Lord is approaching
We have 2- two testaments- two sets of stories saying the same thing- There is a God who loves us and is going to pursue us until we all become His people
I said earlier This is likely the oldest Gospel- It starts similar to Genesis- "The beginning"- Lets read from Genesis 1.
Gen 1:1-2
1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
John is saying- soon we won’t be people who just wash in Water
Soon there is coming one who will bring the very Spirit of God- the very Spirit who hovered over the waters in Gen. 1:2- to wash over us.
The Spirit of God is calling you
The Spirit of God has written a story for your life that you can follow
The Spirit of God is calling.
Amen