Sermon Christmas Day No room at the inn – plenty of room in God’s heart

 Sermon Christmas Day

No room at the inn – plenty of room in God’s heart

Christmas is an occasion that brings families together. And maybe you’ve been the host trying to fit everyone in to save the expense of a motel. I know we’ve had situations where we’ve had the fold out sofa bed along with mattresses on the floor to try and accommodate family and friends. That’s what it’s like when families gather, the house overflows with people, and we make room.

Unfortunately for Mary and Joseph they didn’t have family put them up even though they had travelled to the town of their family of origin to register for the upcoming census. Maybe it was because word had gotten around about Mary being pregnant before she was married and that there were questions of paternity. But for Mary and Joseph there is further dilemma as Luke’s gospel tells us that Mary, “gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn – or what we would call today a motel.

How sad that the saviour of the world is born in a stable with no bed but a manger, which sounds sweet when we sing “away in a manger” but it’s just another word for a feed box for the animals. Where was their family?  Bethlehem was Joseph’s ancestral home and most likely Mary’s.  If Joseph had to go to Bethlehem, so would have his brother and sisters, father and mother. Surely some were still alive.  Surely one of them could make room for Joseph and pregnant Mary. Anything would have been better than giving birth in a stable and having the new born baby sleeping in a feed box. They probably all had reason why they could not invite Mary, Joseph and Jesus into their homes.

As sad and as unusual as this sounds, sadly it still continues today, well for Jesus.There are still so many people – including people celebrating Christmas today that have no room for Jesus amid all the celebration. There are many who don’t realise that Christmas has the word Christ in it. Life is so hectic that there’s not much room for many extra things in our lives. Even faithful and loyal Christians can often feel quite guilty about their relationship with God because we don’t make room for him in our busy lives.

But have a look at what the Christmas message tells us. There was no room at the inn for Jesus but that didn’t stop God’s plan. Jesus was born, nonetheless. God took advantage of what was available rather than condemning what was not available. As John 3:17 tells us – God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. And nothing would stop God’s plan from eventuating – whether it be “no room at the inn” or later when Herod sends out a decree to kill all infant boys in the hope of including Jesus among the dead children.

Likewise we need to remember that Christmas is about God coming to us in Jesus. And when we don’t have time or make room for Jesus – God always has time and room for us. For those who don’t have room in their heart for Jesus we remember that Jesus always has room in his heart for them. For God loved the world so much that he sent his one and only son to us.

As we remember this past Advent season –

Christmas is a time of HOPE – And St Paul says that hope will never disappoint us.

Christmas is a time of PEACE – a peace that St Paul says goes beyond our understanding. As the world around us seems to be filled with war, crime, violence and other catastrophes, Jesus says - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Christmas is a time of JOY – that even when the weight of the world comes crashing down around us, St Paul says that we can still “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

And Christmas is a time of LOVE But as I mentioned earlier, it’s not a love that is dependent on our love but as St John says: This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son – which really sums up the true Christmas spirit.

Christmas is truly a special time of the year that brings so much hope in our very challenging world. But we also need to remember that for many Christmas evokes different emotions. Those who are financially strained to be able to buy gifts for their children. Those who are grieving the loss of a loved one this Christmas – perhaps their first Christmas alone. Those who experience Christmas alone every year – who rely on soup kitchens for their fellowship and Christmas meal. Jesus has them also in his heart as he began his very life in the same way – alone – rejected.

But God brought Shepherds from the field – wise men from the East – angels from heaven even when the world rejected him. And he made a very solemn promise to us all – including the lost and lonely – “he will be called – Emmanuel – God is with us. May God be with you this Christmas as we again celebrate the amazing gift of God’s love to us in a baby born in a manger and each of our hearts today.

 

Sermon Christmas Eve - The same story – the same God

 Sermon Christmas Eve

The same story – the same God

Has Covid, the lockdowns, curfews, restrictions, changed your life? Has it changed the way you socialize? The way you worship? The way you work? The way you shop? Sometimes changes make us very unsettled and even fearful. Just think of Mary on the day she found out she was pregnant and was to give birth to the Son of God. She was visited by an angel. She was told that she was blessed and favoured by God. She was told she had the privilege of bearing God’s son. Now, instead of excitement and bewilderment we are told she was startled and told to not be afraid.

Change can frighten and startle us – like the changes we had to make so quickly with lockdowns, restrictions and curfews. But they can also challenge us and present new opportunities. Many churches, including our own, now reach out beyond our 4 walls into the wider community through recording of services and live streaming. A lot of people stepped up as more volunteers were needed with the introduction of new procedures like cleaning, sanitizing, communion distribution, contact tracing and a whole range more and they continued to make themselves available once normal life resumed. So it’s more of the unknown that frightens us just as it no doubt frightened Mary who would go forward into motherhood where questions would be asked of the legitimacy of the baby as she wasn’t married – and her claims that she was carrying God’s son.

And that’s why it was so comforting to Joseph when he was told of God’s plan that the angel that visited him said that Jesus would also be known as “Emmanuel” – God is with us. So despite what would happen in the future – their escape into Egypt when Herod finds out he had been tricked by the 3 wise men – they knew that God, Emmanuel, is with them. This promise, will be affirmed by Jesus when he said at the Ascension and in our Baptism – I am with you always till the end of the age.

It is a very different world ahead of us – none of us know how things are going to shape up. But what we do know is that God has promised to be with us. Jesus’ birth is God’s affirmation of his love for us and his presence with us always. And Jesus himself comforts us about the uncertainties in life when he says in the Book of Revelation: “I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. Similar to what the book of Hebrews says about Jesus: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

So whatever uncertainty the future holds we have the certainty of God, through Jesus being the Omega – the end who is to come. And that’s why each year we tell the same Christmas story. It may change in the way we tell it but the story never changes. God loved the world so much that he sent his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. The Virgin birth – Jesus, Mary, Joseph. Born in a manger because there was no room at the inn.

The shepherds. The wise men following the star in the east. The Christmas Carols we sing are all the same, be it Away in a manger, O come all ye faithful or Silent Night. These are all messages of comfort, assurance and stability in a world that is ever changing while being governed by God who doesn’t change. It was the story told to our great grandparents – it is the story that will be told to our great grandchildren. It won’t change and neither will God’s promise to be with us always.

As the world around us changes we have a God who sent his son Jesus, called Emmanuel – God is with us. And so, like Mary, the message to us is - The Lord has blessed you and is with you – do not be afraid. So this Christmas, let us celebrate and not be afraid of whatever the coming year has before us because God is indeed with us through his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord – born in a manger – destined to rule for eternity.

Sermon 18th December 2022 – 4th Sunday of Advent Text: Matthew 1:18-25 – We are all needed by God

 Sermon 18^th December 2022 – 4^th Sunday of Advent

Text: Matthew 1:18-25 – We are all needed by God

 

I’m the sort of person who believes if you want a job done well you do it yourself.  I’ve never been that good at delegating. And I know a lot of people like that – that’s it’s easier and quicker to do something yourself than to explain and oversee someone else doing it. It’s probably something I should have worked on because it’s not how God works. God breaks into human history bringing his plans to work through ordinary people. And he doesn’t stand over us telling us what to do or, what we call, micromanaging. Sometimes we get it wrong but God doesn’t take over. He gently guides us back or rearranges things.

 

We see this pattern in the Bible. We have the patriarch Abraham whom God used to bless the world. Now, Abraham didn’t always get it right. Like having a child with Hagar, Ishmael, instead of trusting God’s promise. In fact God honoured Abraham’s wrong decision by promising to bless Ishmael and make him a mighty nation even though it was not part of God’s original plan.

 

In choosing Israel’s King – God chose, seemingly, the wrong person – Saul, who disobeyed God and was replaced by King David who during his Kingship committed adultery and murder. God chose the persecutor of Christians, Saul, who becomes the Apostle Paul to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.  God didn’t stop Saul’s earlier work but chose him despite his previous persecution.

 

God used women like Deborah and Esther to bring hope and freedom to his people. He also chose Mary Magdalene as a witness to the Resurrection and then sent her to the apostles with the Good News.  God chose a simple young woman, Mary, to bear the Saviour of the world. God used Mary and Joseph in a plan that would turn the world upside down. This is how God works. He uses ordinary people – he uses people that get it wrong – he even allows people to get it wrong without interfering or micromanaging. He guides and directs but at the end of the day we have free will.

 

But we also see in our Gospel reading that God doesn’t just leave us on our own to achieve his plan of salvation. No, he tells Joseph that the child that Mary will give birth to will be called by a very special name – Emmanuel – which means “God is with us”. At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus affirms that promise when he says – behold, I am with you always, till the end of the age. What we also find in our Gospel reading is that God sometimes interrupts and challenges our plans in order to bring them in line with his will.

 

Joseph is a person with hopes and dreams for his own life but finds himself with a predicament.  He is engaged to Mary but learns that she is pregnant.  Joseph plans to dismiss her quietly but God uses a dream to change Joseph’s mind. We can sometimes have our own plans that get interrupted by God. What we learn from Joseph is that despite having free will to make our own decisions that we also need to be in tune with God to listen to him. To pray about situations. To ensure we regularly read our Bible to refresh our understanding of his will.

 

I think of the Old Testament again where Israel had gone way of the track with their worship of false gods like Baal and Molech until King Josiah found a copy of the Covenant in the temple and read it and realised how far they had drifted away from God’s will. Joseph is often forgotten in the important role he takes in the nativity. 

Obviously God saw the important role that Joseph played. Otherwise why would he send an angel to him to change his mind regarding the plan he had. Without Joseph how would Mary have been supported?  Her family would have been bound by the law to reject her if Joseph had rejected her.  Mary’s baby would have been seen as illegitimate in their culture.   And importantly, Mary’s life, would have been in danger and without Jesus to intercede as he did for the woman caught in adultery in John’s Gospel.

What this tells us is the role each of us has to play in God’s plan for the world, even if we don’t see ourselves as important. Some might say that Joseph has no role to play – after all, as we confess in the creeds – Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary – but no mention of Joseph. Maybe you don’t see your name up in lights. Maybe you don’t see your name listed anywhere. But you are all vital to God’s plan of salvation for the world. God has a plan for you just as he had a plan for Joseph even though we don’t hear anything of him after the birth narrative.

 

Some might think, God doesn’t really need me. Look at me. But God needs each and everyone of us regardless of the small insignificant role we think we might play. Regardless of the accolades we don’t receive. How often when a car breaks down that it’s a small minor part in the engine that has caused the car to break down. We recently had our heater break down. The serviceman we called in took one look at it and said it was unrepairable and quoted us $6,000 to replace it. I wasn’t comfortable with that and got a 2nd opinion. He looked at it and said it needed a new thermistor – a $20 piece he reckoned that he had one sitting in his car. Each part is significant and has a role to place. If a $20 part breaks down it makes the entire unit broken even if the unit was worth $6,000.

 

Likewise, without YOU our church body suffers. And sometimes the smaller the part the more important function it has. Which is what Paul says when he explains the human body as an example of the body of Christ. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it.

 

So to all you Joseph’s out there – thank you. Be encouraged. We need you. I need you. But more importantly – God needs you.

 

 

Sermon 11th December 2022 – Third Sunday in Advent Text: Matthew 11:2-11 – Do we look for another?

 Sermon 11^th December 2022 – Third Sunday in Advent

Text: Matthew 11:2-11 – Do we look for another?

 

You can almost feel it – you can almost taste it – you can almost touch it. Christmas is in 2 weeks.

Whether the excitement is because you can’t wait to celebrate – or you’ve got some friends or family coming over that you haven’t seen in a while – or like me, you’ve got some time off. There is excitement. But what happens after Christmas is over? It’s back to normal – sort of. You step on the scales and realise how much you overindulged. You see the credit card statement and you realise how much it’s all cost and you wonder was it worth it. Did it meet your expectations? Did Jesus coming at Christmas meet the excitement? Do the benefits outweigh the costs.

 

That’s the question before John the Baptist today. Did Jesus’ coming match the excitement he had built up.

Did the cost of following Jesus outweigh the benefits? You know – the one coming after me that will baptize with fire. The one coming after me whose sandals I’m not worthy to tie. You know – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Who is so important and exciting that “I must decrease so he may increase”.

But now – John is languishing in prison and he starts to reflect on what it’s cost him. Not his credit card – not his waistline - but his freedom.

 

And so, from jail, John sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus - “Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another? Why would John ask that?  It’s because Jesus didn’t turn out to be all John expected him to be. John had become so bold believing Jesus would “have his back”. He called the Pharisees and Sadducees “you brood of vipers”. He seemed to insult Abraham – don’t think just because you’re Abraham’s children.

But he goes too far and criticizes Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. For that he finds himself in jail.

For John, Jesus was not following his expectations.  John said that the chaff would burn with unquenchable fire.  But Jesus didn’t seem to be pointing the finger of judgment against the evil doers.  This was a disappointment for John sitting in prison, awaiting his own judgment instead of his enemy’s.  Instead, Jesus is proclaiming forgiveness, healing the sick, bringing Good News to the poor.

 

Was this really what Jesus was supposed to be doing?  Couldn’t anyone do that? Are you the one who is to come? Or should I hope for someone else? Sometimes Jesus said and did things that weren’t what people hoped for.  Like riding into Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a chariot drawn by horses. Sometimes Jesus says and does things that aren’t what we hope for.  Maybe at times we are tempted to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” And, certainly, many have done just that- looked for someone or something else.

 

Each of us has expectations about the kind of Savior we want.  Some want a judgmental Messiah who points out where everyone else is going wrong.  To punish the evil doers and throw away the key – no chances. Some of us want Jesus to back our favorite cause, who will assure us that God is on our side on this issue. Or maybe we want a gentle shepherd who will not demand anything of us, but only assure us that he loves us.

Jesus will at times upset our expectations. But that’s when we have to trust the words of Jesus who said – “your will be done, not mine”.

 

John wondered if Jesus was really the one in whom he should hope.  Maybe Jesus wasn’t exactly what John was expecting: He brought fire – but it was the fire of the Holy Spirit. He sought out sinners – but forgave them. He confronted the unworthy– but he confronted them with grace – like Zacchaeus – like the woman caught in adultery – like the Samaritan leper – like the demon possessed man called Legion – even an undeserving dog, the Canaanite woman begging for crumbs from his table.  Grace upon grace.

 

John couldn’t see that grace for himself being locked away in his prison cell. And maybe, at times, it is hard for us to see God’s grace in our time of suffering. But it’s there. It’s always there. Paul struggled too with his thorn in the flesh – praying 3 times to have his suffering removed with the response from God: My grace is all you need – my grace is sufficient.

 

There will be times when we feel let down by God, like John the Baptist did. There will be times when we may feel like looking for another Saviour. But Jesus is the only one in whom we can put our hope. As Luke says in Acts 4:12 - there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved. As Jesus says in John 14 - I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus is the one who was promised by God. But it’s the mystery of God we don’t always understand.

 

Jesus himself struggled with this when he cried out from the cross - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He was repeating the very words of King David – God’s most loyal subject who cried out words that John the Baptist could also have cried out: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Words that maybe you have cried out at times expecting more from God. But we heed the words of James today – Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

 

Just as Christmas Day is near so too is the return of our Lord, as St Paul reminded us recently: Salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; So, friends, you don’t need to look for another. We need to trust and have patience. Patience in a God who does not want anyone to perish. Jesus is the one we have been waiting for – Jesus is the one we continue waiting for. And in the words of St Paul recently: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.