4th Sunday of Advent. We light the Candle of Peace.
Advent theme: “Faith over Fear”.
Scriptures; Micah 5:2-5a, 1 Timothy 2:1-6, Philippians 4:4-7.
Sermon Scripture; Luke 1:46-55
Message Title; “Peace that Passes all Understanding”
Micah 5: 2-5a
(2) “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. “
(3) Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.
(4) He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. (5) And he will be their peace.
1 Timothy 2:1-6
(1) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– (2) for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (3) This is good, and pleases God our Savior, (4) who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (5) For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (6) who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time.
Philippians 4:4-7
(4) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (5) Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (6) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Luke 1:46-55
(46) And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
(47) and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
(48) for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
(49) for the Mighty One has done great things for me– holy is his name.
(50) His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
(51) He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
(52) He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
(53) He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
(54) He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful
(55) to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”
This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
I want to make my annual public service announcement to the men in our congregation. Guys, it’s time to do your Christmas shopping.
I hope all of you have this task already out of the way so that you can have peace of mind and be able to focus on what this Advent season is truly about. Having “Faith over Fear”, because it’s the only way you can know the, “Peace that Passes all Understanding”.
And just in case any of you are still putting it off, please heed my announcement. To those of you who were here last Sunday I say,”Do It! And be Happy about It!
If your like me guys, shopping is not one of my favorite pass times. There are time’s when I go shopping with Bonne, my wife, I feel like I’m standing guard over the shopping cart while she browse’s. Like a shepherd watching his flock at night. I know I’m not alone in this. The other day as I was shopping with Bonne in Sam’s Club I kept seeing guys, guarding shopping carts, waiting on, I assumed their wives, looking bored to tears. I’m most certain they weren’t tears of joy.
I recently read a story about a man who really got bored while shopping with his wife. So he always tried to make each shopping excursion with his wife memorable. You may want to make a mental note of this.
It was titled:
Just A Man Shopping With His Wife.
After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to the local department store. Unfortunately, like most men; I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women – she loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter, from the local store manager:
Dear Mrs. Harris:
Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion, in our store.
We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to, ban both of you from the store.
Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Harris, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras:
1. On July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
2. On July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women’s restroom.
3. On July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, ‘Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away’. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money. We don’t have a Code 3.
4. On August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway.
5. On August 14: Moved a, ‘CAUTION – WET FLOOR’ sign to a carpeted area.
6. On August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he’d invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged.
7. On August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, ‘Why can’t you people just leave me alone?’ EMTs were called.
8. On September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
9. On September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.
10. On October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while, loudly humming the, ‘Mission Impossible’ theme.
11. On October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled ‘PICK ME! PICK ME!’
12. On October 22: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed; ‘OH NO! IT’S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!’
And last, but not least:
13. On October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile; then yelled very loudly, ‘Hey! There’s no toilet paper in here.’ One of the clerks passed out.
I definitely don’t recommend you try any of these. Focus on the task at hand. Who knows one day you may hear those long awaited words, like the angels sang;” Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favored rests.” Your wife may say to you; “I’m done. Let’s go home.”
Sorry, I got distracted! Anyway, the big day is almost here. We have experienced another exhausting Advent season. So many things required our attention. And I implore you to add just one more thing to your list of things to do. Read all of Luke’s Gospel chapter 1 and 2, so that you will know that Christmas is all about the,”Peace that Passes all Understanding”.
Our lesson from Luke’s Gospel in chapter 1 takes place some months before the birth of Christ. In fact, Mary has only recently learned from the angel that she will bear a child, a child conceived of the Holy Spirit. Almost immediately, Mary decides to visit her older cousin Elizabeth. This meant she had to travel about 100 miles south to the hill country of Judah. This would be about a five day journey, an amazing trip for a young teenage pregnant girl. It’s a little unsettling to realize that Mary would have been only about 13 years old, when all this happened to her.
As I thought about Mary taking this trip to see Elizabeth, I had a question. Did she make the trip alone? We’re not told. But we do know that in her womb was the “Peace that Passes all Understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
Perhaps the awkwardness of her situation played a role in her decision to visit her cousin. After all, for having a child out of wedlock, she could be stoned for adultery. At the very least, she could be rejected by Joseph, her parents, her village. She could spend the rest of her days in poverty, struggling to keep herself and her child fed outside the safety of a marriage and community. We accept an out-of-wedlock pregnancy much more casually in our society, but this would have been a big deal in biblical times.
Elizabeth herself was married to a priest named Zechariah. Elizabeth was a descendant of the Hebrew people’s first high priest, Aaron. They were a deeply religious couple. Luke describes them as being righteous. Elizabeth was also pregnant for the first time. She would also face ridicule. The source of Elizabeth’s social torment, however, would be age. There would be those who would whisper to their friends, “Isn’t she too old to have a baby?” Elizabeth was far beyond normal childbearing years, yet she was six months pregnant. In fact Gabriel came to her long before he came to Mary to announce her son’s coming. Elizabeth’s son was not divinely conceived any more than you and I were, but his birth was still significant. He would be the forerunner of the Messiah. We know him as John the Baptist.
Elizabeth and Mary were quite a pair. One of them is too old to be a mother and the other is too young. But both are in the hands of God. Both of them in need of,”Peace that Passes all Understanding”.
In that culture and at that time and place, it normally would have been appropriate for Mary to pay homage to the elder Elizabeth, but this is not a normal situation. Elizabeth, through the Spirit, recognized that she was in the presence of the mother of the Messiah. Luke tells us that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. So she praised Mary and pronounced her blessed. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” (Luke 1:42)
That’s interesting, don’t you think? Elizabeth’s unborn son announced the coming of God’s son. Elizabeth asks with humility, “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:45)
At that moment by her “Faith over Fear”, Mary rejoices in the knowledge that she is carrying in her womb, the one who will,”be there peace”, foretold in Micah 5:5. She can’t help but, “Rejoice in the Lord”(Philippians 4:4). Give thanks and praise for the one, “who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time”(1 Timothy 2:6).
She sings, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me– holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”
What is it that we need to take away from Mary’s song, this 4th Sunday as we light the candle of Peace, as we finish our last minute shopping? Maybe we should take a lesson from an old, “Family Circus” I remember seeing sometime back.
Little Billy was spending his afternoon wandering through various stores where he’s seen signs that say, “Don’t forget Christmas Candy; don’t forget wrapping paper, don’t forget to visit Santa, don’t forget last minute gifts.”
Billy goes home and draws a picture of Mary, Joseph and Jesus and the star and writes on it simply, “Don’t forget.”
Don’t forget. Jesus came to bring Hope to the hopeless. Love to those who are broken. Joy to those hearts and minds in turmoil. So that we can have “Peace that Passes all Understanding”.
Our world today needs to be reminded that Jesus didn’t come to maintain the status quo. Jesus came to bring righteousness and justice. The message of God’s love for all people regardless of who they are or what they have. Jesus came so that all could hear the message of “Peace on earth, good will toward men.”
Don’t forget, the song Mary sang, as she awaited the birth of her son, God’s son. The song was about her son and his mission in the world. Jesus came to bring Hope to the hopeless. Love to those who are broken. Joy to those hearts and minds in turmoil. So that we can have “Peace that Passes all Understanding”.
Jesus came to be the greatest gift of all. God’s gift, for Jesus is the “Peace that Passes all Understanding”. Open that gift! Except Christ as your Savior! Only then will you know, the “Peace that Passes all Understanding”, and begin to have,“Faith over Fear”!
Doesn’t that make you want to sing! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know. Fills my every longing. Keeps me singing as I go.
In His Service,
Pastor Joe
Listen To Audio: Sermon 20211219
Listen To Audio: Service 12192021
Prayer of Confession: Saving God, we confess to you our sinfulness. Greed and selfishness often influence our decisions instead of LOVING you as we ought. Too often, we are indifferent to those for whom this season is not a time of Joy. You call us to a simple life, but we engage in extravagance, which directs our hearts away from you and those in need. Forgive us and renew us, gracious Savior. Amen
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pastor Joe will be available at the church on Thursday afternoon from 2 to 4. If you need to speak to him, contact Pastor Joe at570-267-4570 (cell) or Email: joe.s.travis@gmail.com
Loose change goes to Kenya/Rev. Malaho
Sunday School starts at 8:30am
Choir practice will be on Thursday at 1:00! Please come a join us in singing praises to Jesus!
Our mission for “Noel” continues through the end of the year.
Session Meeting Tuesday, December 21, at 9am
Christmas Eve Service will be at 7:00 P.M.
Newsletter Deadline – Tuesday December 28th, 2021.
Please sign up to host one of the social hours on the Sunday after Communion Service on the first Sunday of the month.
Listen to WPEL 96.5 for church cancellation if your internet is down during a storm this winter.
