JOY -- THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT


Image result for three candles burning in the dark
Nehemiah 8:9-10

            And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy Holy Face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth!
Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth!

"Silent Night, Holy Night"; Words:  Joseph Mohr; Lyrics: Franz Xaver Gruber; 1818.

Friday, December 21, is the first day of winter and the longest night of the year.  With the dawn of December 22, we look forward to the days getting longer, and even though there's still three months of winter, we know that spring is coming with warmer weathers and dreams of summer vacations.

After seventy years of the dark day's of Israel's exile in Babylon, they were allowed to return to the city of Jerusalem.  A new day was dawning as the Jews began their new life back in Israel.  Under the spiritual leadership of Nehemiah, God's people were about to celebrate the Festival of Booths for the first time in almost two generations.  Before it began, many heard the Word of God and have it explained to them for the first time.  Feeling convicted of their corporate sins, many began to weep.  Nehemiah said to them, "Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don’t have anything: This day is holy to God. Don’t feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10, The Message)

So, what is the joy of God, of the Lord?  I believe that what Nehemiah is talking about is redemption -- restoration, forgiveness and new starts.  The Jews' return to Israel is a sign of God's forgiveness.  God did not forget them and kept the promises God made to them through the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah.  The land God had promised them and their identity as the people of God had been restored.  This time was a dawn of new beginnings and rebuilding Jerusalem, the temple and their relationship with God.

The joy of the Lord, redemption, is our strength.  With the birth of Christ, came the dawn of our return to God from captivity to sin and death.  The self-giving, self-sharing of God as expressed in Christ assures us of the unconditional, inclusive nature of his love.  We find both hope and strength in knowing that even though we are imperfect we are loved and we are forgiven.  We are God's people and God is our God.  Through God's transformational and redemptive love, our lives are given worth, meaning and purpose.

"We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."  (Romans 8:28, NRSV)

The joy of the Lord is our strength in all aspects and circumstances of our lives.  Even when tragedy strikes, even when our world falls in on us, even when the night is dark and long and hopeless, God's redemptive power works for good and sustains us.

Our joy, our strength is in Emanuel -- God with us.  God loving us.  God keeping God's promises.  God's forgiveness and mercy.  God loving us enough to give up His son for the sake of our redemption and transformation.

In the dawn of God's redeeming grace is joy and our strength.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHRISTIANS AND COFFEE BEANS

Image
1 Peter 1:17-23 John 17:14-19 Potatoes, eggs or coffee beans? Which are Christians called to be? We're going to find out as we explore what it means to be “in the world but not of the world” in today's message, “Christians and Coffee Beans.” Put three pots of water on to boil. When the water begins to boil, put some potatoes in one, eggs in another pot, and coffee beans in the third point. Boil for 20 minutes The potatoes went into the pot hard. After boiling in the hot water, they are now soft, easily broken up and mashed. The eggs, with their fragile shells and soft centers, are also changed. They are now hard-boiled. The coffee beans are different. While they look the same as they did when they were put into the water, they have transformed the water. The water has taken on the smell, taste and color of the coffee Jesus was not of this world, yet he came into the world to redeem the world by his death and resurrection an
Read more

OATHS -- GONE WITH THE WIND?

Image
Leviticus 19:11-12 Matthew 5:33-37 Even if we've never seen the movie, Gone with the Wind, we're probably familiar with Scarlett O'Hara's oath. Framed by the sunset, Scarlet raises her fist in defiance and says, “As God is my witness, I will never be hungry again!” In today's passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus leads us into a new understanding of oaths and profanity. Did the character, Scarlett O’Hara in the movie, Gone with the Wind , take the Lord’s name in vain when she made her famous oath? “As God is my witness, as God is my witness, they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again. Leviticus 19:11-12 tells us not to take oaths, make promises that profane the Lord’s name, that is take the Lord’s name in vain. Scarlett’s oath is a profane
Read more

JUST BECAUSE I'M A LIBERAL ...

Image
  Brothers and Sisters, may I share something that's been on my mind for quite a while? Just because I'm a liberal doesn't mean I'm not a Christian, because I am.  Born again and spirit-filled, it is my true identity and shapes my life, my decisions and where I fall on the spectrum.  I am unafraid and unashamed to declare, "Jesus is Lord," and I pray my actions affirm my words. Just because I'm a liberal and a Christian, doesn't mean that I don't love and respect those who are different than I am, rather in religion or politics or because of country of origin or native language.  I do, because my faith informs how I see others -- created in the image of God, given divine worth by our Creator.  To judge a person for who and what they are and not accept them is to, in my book, to call God a liar. Just because I'm a Christian who happens to be a liberal, doesn't mean I don't love my country or care about the community where I live.  God
Read more