I Want to Tell You a Story

Sermon for Sunday December 2, 2007

1. Good Morning. Let’s pray. O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

2. Opening comments: Yes, it’s the first Sunday of Advent and while we may be accustomed to think of Advent as the time when we prepare for the coming of God, our readings are drawing our attention to our own journey to God so the focus of our reflections will be upon us – us getting ready for Immanuel – God With Us! The God who came to us – became one of us – Who as St. Paul tells us:

Phil. 2:6

Who, being in very nature God,

Didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

Phil. 2:8

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

As I prepared for this sermon I read and reread the reread the Scripture reading for today and finally the lights went off and I sensed the Lord saying, “Sit back for I want to tell you a story.

• It’s a story about you – a pilgrim people.
• I want to remind you about “Where you’re going,
• about the deep cry in your hearts that this going causes;
• about how you are going to get there and
• what it’s going to take for you to get there!

But in all of this story remember that I am the storyteller and It’s the story I have and am writing for you my beloved children.

3. So where are you going? Isaiah chapter 2 verses 1 through 5 tells us:

Is. 2:1

. . .

2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days

That the mountain of my house

Shall be established on the top of the mountains,

And shall be exalted above the hills;

And all nations shall flow to it.

3 Many people shall come and cry out,

“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

To the house of the God of Jacob;

He will teach us His ways,

And we shall walk in His paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

4 He shall judge between the nations,

And rebuke many people;

They shall beat their swords into plowshares,

And their spears into pruning hooks;

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

Neither shall they learn war anymore.

5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk

In the light of the LORD.

You are journeying towards my holy mountain and as you come I will teach you My ways and I will prepare the path you are to take and it will most assuredly lead to peace – to my eternal shalom. So come and let us walk in the light – God’s light on the pathway God has provided for us!

And the whispered cry of our deepest heat will be “Come let us go into the house of the Lord.” This is the heart’s cry of all of my people – Come, let us go into the house of the Lord.”

But, you ask, “O Lord, how are we to get there?”

“Ah,” you say, “Let me tell you . . .”

Rom. 13:8

  Owe no one anything except to love one another, . . . “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Rom. 13:11

  . . . Come awake out of sleep; for now your salvation is nearer than when you first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. 13 Walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on my beloved Son Jesus, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

You ask me “How are we to get to Your house” and I tell you that love is the way. No other way will bring you to me. No other way is possible. Love, my love, will steer you right into my arms.

In love I sent my Son to you – to become one of you. To die for you. I found you in love and so you must find me in the same way – in love.

• When you hate,
• when you ignore,
• when you disdain,
• when you bully,
• when you demean,
• when you abuse,
• when you fear,
• when you worry,
• when you make provision for the flesh you are walking away from me.

Don’t walk away – walk towards me – walk with me in love!

And finally I say to you – I will come as I did in the days of Noah – I will come unexpectedly. Many, indeed, most will be caught utterly by surprise. Most of you will be simply going about your daily lives –eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,

As in the days of Noah you won’t have any warning – I will suddenly be with you and then it will be too late:

40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

So don’t be caught unprepared. I give you fair warning now - 42 Watch therefore, for you don’t know what hour I am coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect!

And so we come to this First Sunday of Advent with our Lord imploring us – to be ready – to be vigilant – to be looking for His coming for His coming will be at a most unexpected time!

Now this last sentence gets very little attention I fear. God has told us a story and has ended the story with a warning – that he is coming but at a most unexpected time!

Let me ask you – how much time have you spent today in expectation of His coming?

Sarah - If He were to have come as you were changing your daughter’s diaper this morning – would you have been ready? Perhaps . . . I think “yes,” because your eyes were being focused by love! Love has a very unique focus!

You see, to ensure that our eyes are focused for Him we must have them focused by love!

Love is the Way the Truth and the Life – Ah! Jesus, is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Ah! It’s Jesus, and our communion with Him that keeps our loving focus!

This time now I want to tell you a story – This weekend I had the privilege of spending some time with our women on retreat. I saw a lot of love flowing between these wonderful women but one think struck me and that was something Sarah continually did. She did it while sitting and listening to our Conference speaker. She did it while sitting at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sarah, do you know what I’m talking about?

Yes, she continually caressed her pregnant belly. She caressed her child – yet still unborn!

What I sensed was going on here was an expression of her love. Were that child to begin to be born Sarah would not only be ready but ecstatic with expectation!

This baby is not going to surprise her! Trust me! It can’t come too early for her – Why? Because she’s excited – tantalizingly excited - about its Advent! She can’t wait, Eric can’t wait and quite frankly I’m having trouble waiting:

• Is it a boy or a girl!
• What’s his or her personality;
• What’s his or her name!
• What sort of person is this little one?
• What will he or she become?
• What joys, what delights, what fun little things is he or she going to say?

Anticipation grows with each and every stroke of her tummy. Her fingers reach for those little hands. She feels a movement – is it his head, her foot, her bottom, his knee? Can they feel her caress?

She delights in touching him or her through her skin but soon it will be hand to hand, lip to cheek! And she will look into the eyes of this yet unborn child!

Ah! Anticipation – delightful expectation!

This is what our Lord wants of us as we think about His Coming!

What will it be like when He comes? Will He find you and me ready for Him or will we have fallen into the forgetfulness of daily existence – going about eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage?

How do we get ready and remain ready? Ah that’s what becoming a great Christian is all about.

If you want to become a great Christian – and you can become one – then adopt the disciplines that will keep you ever vigilant – every ready for our Lord’s coming!

What spiritual disciplines have you ever tried and maintained over any period of time?

I just found out a few months ago that one of our children fasts a day every week and has done this for the last 3 years or more.

Discipline is absolutely necessary to maturity. You aren’t going to grow in your spiritual life without adopting spiritual disciplines. It’s just not going to happen and like any other discipline its best adopted and one with someone else. We need each other.

Spiritual disciplines often work best when done together in two’s and threes and mores! Ha! The fact is that we do better when someone else is standing in the wings rooting for us and occasionally asking us “how we’re doing?”

Today – not tomorrow – not as a New Year’s resolution. I’m convinced that God is calling us to get ready for His coming NOW – not tomorrow . . . Now!

Decide right now to adopt one or more the spiritual disciplines - daily Bible reading at a set time each and every day for the rest of your life!. Some of us would be deeply blessed to say the Rosary every day – to meditate on the joyful, the sorrowful, the glorious and the luminous mysteries of our Lord’s life. What about daily prayer at a set time. To “do the Daily Office using the Book of Common Prayer. How about reading Christian books – book about the saints, great missionaries? How about starting a regular time of fasting? What about the spiritual discipline of service to others – offering a day a month to serve at the Rescue Mission – the local hospice clinic, the local Ronald McDonald House. Terry and Patty Christiansen volunteer on Mondays at Church. Patty man’s the church telephone while Terry cleans up the Church. Have you ever wondered how this Church gets so clean ever Sunday? Terry Christiansen – what how! And what about tithing – now there’s a touch but powerful spiritual discipline. Ask anyone who has committed themselves to Tithing if they regret it. I have never met anyone who has but I have men many who thank God for this very very powerful spiritual discipline. This church is able to function primarily because a number of families tithe faithfully. They don’t give $10 a month or $50 a month. They give hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of dollars a month and have for years and years! That’s faithfulness!

Spiritual Disciplines get us and keep us ready for His coming. Spiritual Disciplines keep us alert – keep us attentive – keep us spiritual alive!

God wants to write the story of our lives into His story and He needs disciplined attentive followers ready at His slightest call to respond with our loving obedience.

Do something and do it over a long period of time. You will change and you will grow in spiritual stature – believe me – I know it – I have done it, I have seen it happen!

Let’s me now lead us in a prayer of commitment. Let’s pray . . .