Luke 2: History of Light

Pastor Scott Jonas

The History of Light

12/25/17

Grace and Christmas peace to you from God our Father and his son Jesus Christ.

In the beginning, God uttered four words. These four words could be the Title for the History of

the world. We could put these four words on the cover of the Bible and they would be an accurate

description of what happens from Genesis to Revelation. The four words are, “Let there be light.”

God breathed out “Let there be light” and those powerful words flowed from His mouth and

worked their magic throughout the course of civilization. Eve and Adam look up from behind a bush and hear “Let there be light.” Noah sees the dark clouds finally parting and hears, “Let there be light.”

            Abraham and Sarah look into the face of their newborn baby and hear, “Let there be light.” Joseph looks up from the bottom of a well and hears “Let there be light.” Moses stretches out his staff and all of Egypt goes dark and yet he hears, “Let there be light.” Joshua and Caleb hide in a closet, protected by Rahab and they hear, “Let there be light.” Gideon holds up a torch with three hundred other Israelite soldiers and they hear “Let there be light.” Ruth and Naomi, homeless and grieving hear ““Let there be light.” Jonah in the fetal position inside a big fish hears clearly “Let there be light.” Kids of Bethlehem on that first Christmas are tucked into bed and yet they hear, “Let there be light.”

            The Bible is the history of Light. After God said “let there be light,” God formed a garden that

was perfect for his children of the light, Adam and Eve. They were able to see the Father in all his glory.  In Him there is no darkness at all and yet His light did not blind them. They enjoyed the light of the father like a happy dog that sits by the window on a sunny day. The world was warm and bright. But darkness crept into the garden. The devil fled the light of heaven and stayed in the

shadows. He wanted humans to live in the darkness like he did. He was like a snake coming our of a

deep hole in order to strike unsuspected prey. He spoke to the humans, pretending to shed light on

their situation. He told them that if they listened to the prince of darkness rather than God then their

eyes would be opened up. Adam and Eve would be like God. Rather than reflect God’s light they were convinced they would be the source of light. It was a lie. Instead of being the source of light, Adam and Eve turned their back on their Father. They were now unable to be in the presence of the Lord of Lights.

              Light and darkness can not be in the same place at the same time. Light destroys darkness, everytime.  The Lord had to protect his children from himself. He had to cast them into the darkness in order to not destroy them with his own glory. Humanity found itself stumbling in the dark trying to figure out how to get back.

              But God did not give up on them. “Let there be light” was still working, it was just harder for  people to see. The world got darker and darker as people did worse and worse things to each other. At one point even God the Father cried over what his creation had become. It saddened him that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and it grieved him in his heart. But God had a plan to restore the light. He gave signs of the plan so that mankind would not despair. He sent a rainbow to remind people that he was still there. His light is beautiful, full of color and majesty.

                Sometimes his light was really difficult to see. The Devil attacked Job, stealing away God’s

blessings of family, friends, home, wealth and wellness. Job cried and sat in misery. In a way, he grieved over his life the way the Father grieved over what had become of the earth. Job shared his pain with God praying, “Let the day of my birth be erased, and the night I was conceived. Let that day be turned to darkness. Let it be lost even to God on high, and let no light shine on it. Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own. Let a black cloud overshadow it, and let the darkness terrify it. Let that night be blotted off the calendar.” Job questioned whether God knew what he was doing. So God replied, “I am the one who made the stars, and laid the foundations of the earth. I command the sun to shine and it does so. Have you seen the depths of the devil’s darkness? Do you control lightning? Job repented saying, “Now my eyes see you, therefore I hate the darkness inside me and turn to you.” 

             The Lord refused to let his creation go completely dark. One day a man named Moses stumbled across a bush full of light. It was unlike any light he had ever seen before. Moses was a faithful Jew for he knew that God’s light and Man’s darkness can not coexist. He fell to the ground petrified, covering his eyes. But this light seemed to penetrate all of him. He feared the light of God would be his end. But God protected Moses saying, “Moses, Moses, Do not come too close.” Still, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. The Lord convinced Moses that he was for him and not against him.

              The Lord freed Moses and the Israelites from slavery. He led the Jews out of Egypt and into the wilderness. But this wilderness was different than the one adam and eve were thrown into. The Light of the Lord went with Moses and his people. A pillar of fire displayed a powerful light that told them that God was with them. The pillar of fire was like a night light, reminding his people that God was stronger than all of the scary things in the night. Monsters like the Egyptians, wild animals, disease and bandits live in the darkness. All God’s people had to do was look to the light to remember their faithful Lord.

               Moses grew so close to God that he wanted to see God’s shining face. God told Moses that he

was not ready. For you see, only the Son and the Holy Spirit can withstand the full lightness of God.

Moses begged and begged like a kid asking to open presents. Finally God told Moses to hide in the

shelter of a cave. God would show a portion of his likeness in front of the cave. Moses was the first

person since Adam to see God.

                Years past, Moses died and was buried. Many people forgot all the Lord had done. But God

kept a remnant faithful. One of them was Isaiah. He warned Israel to consult God’s instruction in the

Bible. If anyone claims to speak for God but it contradicts scripture then there is no light in that so

called prophet. Isaiah was a prophet. He encouraged Israel saying, “The Lord of Light will restore the

tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,

that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. Those walking in darkness will see a great light.

The light will be God with us just like in the garden. No longer will the blind lead the blind. Arise, shine, for your light is coming, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” Some waited for the light like a

camper sleeping next to dying coals of a campfire waiting for the warm dawn.

The world went dark for four hundred years. There was no Glorious God brightly walking in the

Garden. There was no burning bush. There was no pillar of fire. There was no light of prophecy. Where is God? Has he forgotten us? We can’t survive any longer in this darkness. Sin has made this world

uninhabitable. It is turning us into something twisted. We need light to grow and live. Take away the

darkness. We can’t take it any longer.

                   The dark world was now ready. During the day no one notices a bright star. But when the earth is pitch black, a bright star gets every ones’ attention. The star shouted, “God hasn’t forgotten us! The light is here. The light is here!” Indeed the light was here. John wrote that “In Jesus was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can not overcome it.” Light always wins over darkness. People were drawn to this light. The Wisemen followed the star, believing that a King of the Jews must have been born. They followed the light or walked in the light until they met Jesus.

                      For the first time ever Darkness was scared. Darkness was used to being scary. Darkness had made children hide under the covers for years. But now light was pouring into the world, threatening the darknesses very existence. The powers of Darkness decided to do anything it could to eliminate Jesus the source of this light. King Herod tried snuffing out baby Jesus but ironically Jesus and his family escaped to Egypt. Centuries earlier Jesus’ forefathers escaped out of Egypt but now Jesus escaped into Egypt. It was almost like God was rewinding history, resetting the clock back towards the beginning when everything worked the way it should. John the Baptist was a rewinding to the prophets of the Old Testament like Elijah or Isaiah. God revealed Jesus’ true nature to him. So John testified to the light, baptizing Jesus in the Jordan river. Just then the clouds opened up, a beam of light poured down and the Father said, “This is my son, Listen to

him.” 

                   Men, women and children began to follow him, walking behind him like a miner to a lantern. People wondered if this was the Messiah and Jesus couldn’t have been any clearer when he said, “I am

the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

More and more people became disciples, but Jesus warned them of dark times ahead. Jesus said, “Light

has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be

exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what

they have done has been done in the sight of God. You are going to have the light just a little while

longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does

not know where they are going.”

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Jesus was right, men met in windowless rooms to conspire against Jesus. His opponents would

rather be Kings of the darkness rather than children of the light. While they were plotting Jesus took

Peter, James and John up on a Mountain. All of a sudden, out of nowhere there was Elijah and Moses.

The disciples fell to the ground afraid for their lives. They looked up, shielding their eyes. They didn’t

see a burning bush, or a pillar of fire. Instead Jesus, Elijah and Moses became radiant, and intensely

bright. It was nothing that had ever been seen on earth. Jesus assured the disciples, “This is how things

are getting restored.” It felt like darkness had no chance.

Soon after, the darkness orchestrated the arrest Jesus in a gloomy garden. Peter used a weapon

but a sword is worthless in restoring the light. The brightness of the mountaintop had faded. Jesus

suffered under Pontius Pilate and was crucified. Even mother nature did not want to see Jesus die.

When he said “It is finished” the sky turn to midnight though it was noon. The very fabric of this crazy

world seemed to be splitting. Devoted women took down Jesus and placed him in a tomb where no one

could hurt him anymore. The disciples holed up behind closed doors, avoiding the authorities.

But after three days the light reappeared stronger than ever. His resurrection was announced

by two Angels whose clothes were like lightning, white as snow. Jesus was alive. The light of men could

not be extinguished. His light would forever be with his people. Jesus passed the light onto his

followers.

One of those followers was Paul. He tells his story in the book of Acts. His relays the risen Jesus’

words to others. Jesus appeared to him as a beam of light and then Jesus said, “I am Jesus, whom you

are persecuting. Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant

and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and

from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light,

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and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among

those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

You and I are part of this story as well. The light that was in Paul from Jesus is in us too. This

Holiday season let people see the light with in you. When you see lights around the tree, on the roof

tops and elsewhere remember that we have been called out of darkness and into His wonderful light. In

fact the book of revelation says one day “There will be no more night. We will not need the light of a

lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give us light. And He will reign for ever and ever.”

When God says “Let there be light.” He means it.

Luke 1: I am Waiting

Pastor Scott Jonas

I am Waiting

12/24/17 Morning

This morning our text is Luke 1:26-38, The birth of Jesus foretold.  I have to warn you.  I’m going to talk a lot about being pregnant.  And what I know about being pregnant can fit in a thimble.  But I’m fascinated with the analogy between the Christian Life and birth.  There are so many similarities and the Bible uses this image often.  Just last week in John 3 Jesus used it.  “You must be born again.”

            So our story centers on Mary.  Six months ago, an Angel approached her relative Zechariah and announced that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to have a child.  Now the same Angel, Gabriel came to her.  She was engaged to Joseph.  She had known no man.  The angel appears and says, “Rejoice, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”  I love that Luke gives us insight into what Mary was thinking.  He must have interviewed her years later.  He tells us that she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

            Mary is a thinker.  She weighs things carefully.  She doesn’t just react.  She doesn’t blurt out.  She is contemplative.  What if an Angel approached you and said, “Rejoice, O favored one, the Lord is with you! “  What would your response be?

            Mary waits to give a response.  She tries to read the situation.  She probably asks internal questions.  What kind of greeting is this?  Is he commanding me to rejoice?  What if I don’t obey Angel?  That’s bad.  Maybe I should “rejoice” just in case.  “I’m here with an Angel and we never met.  And he wants me to sing him a song.  And um I love the Lord..  But you know that cause you’re an angel. So I’m here now rejoicing.  Heavenly Father, I love you . I love you.  I love you!

            She ponders all that and disregards.  She knows that she is hearing the words of God.  She wants to interpret them correctly.  So she listens and waits to speak.  Imagine her with a furrowed brow focusing on every word from the mouth of God’s messenger.

            And the Angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most high.  And the Lord will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

             Imagine trying to follow those words let alone absorb them.  I can see her repeating them, just so she can wrap her mind around them.  Favor with God.  Bear a son.  Jesus.  Son of the Most High. Reign forever.  She waits organizes it in her mind.  The Lord loves her.  He is going to give her a son, Jesus who will lead Israel to the end.

            Then very slowly she comes to a pivotal question, “How will this be, since I’m a virgin?”  Remember, in the Old Testament, when God miraculously grants a child it is because the woman is infertile, not because she is a virgin.  Sarah had a husband Abraham.  Rebekkah had Isaac.  Hannah had a husband.  Mary knew the stories.  When God told them they were going to have a baby, they went home and you know.  The mechanics were the same as any married couple.  The miracle was that God fixed a broken reproductive system.  But contemplative Mary figures out that she isn’t married and can’t follow through the way the other women called by the Lord.  Is the Angel telling her to Mary Joseph right away?  She waits for an answer.

            The Angel answers her saying, “ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[e] will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  And Mary waited.

            Pregnancy is nine months of waiting.  Everything a mother does is with the end in mind.  The birth.  She waits for the appointment with the doctor.  She waits for the test results.  She waits to tell the father just at the right time.  Mom and Dad wait to tell people she’s pregnant.  They wait to reveal the sex of the baby.  They wait to share the name.  Then they wait for the big day to arrive.  The big day changes everything.  Mary waits for the big day.

            Have you ever thought that you are like Mary?  When you were baptized the power of the Most high overshadowed you.  You had found favor with God.  The Spirit planted Jesus inside of you.  The Holy, Son of God dwells in your innermost being.  When you sing songs he hears you.  When you rejoice, Jesus rejoices.  When you read a story from the Bible, Jesus listens.  When you put something into your body which is unhealthy, he notices.  At the end of time, the big day will come.  Jesus will appear in the flesh.  That day will change everything.  Mary had the great honor of bearing Jesus and so do you.

            Mary did not stay still while she was waiting.  She visited Elizabeth, walking miles and miles to another village.  She supported her relative at a crucial time in her life.  She used her waiting time to bless others.  When they saw each other, their babies leapt.  They danced.  That’s good use of waiting time.  Mary also sang a hymn.  She pondered the words of the Angel.  She traveled to Bethlehem to finish some census business.  Mary was an active waiter.

            As you await the coming of our Lord, be an active waiter.  God has you here for a reason.  Rejoice in the Lord.  Dance with God’s people.  Laugh at yourself.  Sing songs to Jesus.  Not just here, but in your heart all the time.  Take care of your business.  Don’t just wait.

            You know who has more waiting and pondering to do than a pregnant mother?  The baby.  In some ways we are more like a waiting baby than a waiting mother.  Jesus said we must be born again.  We must be born of water and spirit.  You have been part of two out of tree great births.  One, you were born of your mother.  Born of Water.  Two, you were reborn in your baptism.  Born of Spirit.  You have one more to go.  When you die, you will be born into a new world.  Born of God.

            I think we can learn a lot from our first birth.  Imagine if you could clearly communicate to a baby in the womb.  Imagine trying to tell them what awaits them on this side of birth.  You could describe to the baby the world you see.  People have two arms and two legs.  She might be able to understand that.  Then you describe your family.  You describe your house.  You talk about your church and your weird pastor.  You talk about st. louis, the cardinals, your favorite book,  politics and everything else that is important to you.  But even though you can talk to this baby inside it’s mother’s womb.  The baby has no idea what you are talking about.

            The world you are describing is beyond it’s comprehension.  It’s not that the baby doesn’t have the brain power, it’s that the world the baby inhabits is completely different from yours.  The baby’s world is this big.  The one you are describing is infinitely bigger.  The baby’s world doesn’t have much color to it and yours has all the colors of the rainbow.  Baby’s can’t conceive of rainbows either.  The baby’s world has vague impressions that correspond to ours.  She knows her mother’s voice and stress levels and love.  She can hear feel her father’s touch.  She recognizes music and sounds.  Vague impressions.  That is all she gets while she waits to be born into the next world.

            While you wait to be born into the next world you are in a similar situation.  Just as you tried to tell the baby about this world, God has tried to tell you about the next one.  It is infinitely bigger.  It has things you cannot conceive.  Jesus’s kingdom is there but it’s not like any earthly kingdom.  The whole people of God are there.  Abraham and Sarah.  Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Mary and Joseph.  But they aren’t like they were in this world.  They’re perfected.  I know it’s impossible for you to understand because you’ve never seen something perfect.  Everything there is perfect.     Jesus is at the center of it all preparing it for you.  But like Mary, you are just going to have to wait.

Matthew 1: Four Christmas Signs

Pastor Scott Jonas

I saw the Sign

Christmas Eve

Matthew 1

                We’ve seen the signs of Christmas coming for months.  In October, stores started putting out Christmas decorations for sale.  In November, Christmas songs played on the radio.  Cities dressed up their street lights with garland.  In December, you saw ugly Christmas sweaters, including mine.  The signs of Christmas coming included Cards in the mail, e-cards with your family as dancing elves.  Store clerks started saying, “Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.”  The movie theatre played Elf and It’s a wonderful life.  Christmas themed messages on facebook appeared on your feed.  Extended family call to set up a visit.  It is impossible to miss the signs that Christmas is coming.

            What about the first Christmas?  What were the signs that Christmas was coming for Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the Wisemen?  They didn’t have visual cues like decorations.  Gone were audio cues like Christmas greetings.  We are used to a society built on Christmas.  That didn’t exist back in the year 8 AD.  So instead God sent specific signs to those who needed it.  He sent messengers who signaled the Savior’s birth.  These signs proved that God was with them.  The four signs gave them and us insight into God’s plan.

            To Joseph God sent a scandalous sign.  To Mary he delivered a miraculous sign.  To the Shepherds he gave a symbolic sign.  And to the Wise men God presented a universal sign.

            Sign #1 Joseph’s scandalous sign.  In Matthew chapter one, Joseph, Mary’s finacee, has a dream.  In the dream appeared the Angel of the Lord.  He said, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

            The sign for Joseph was Mary’s pregnancy.  The Angel tells him Mary is with Child through the Spirit.  Her condition is your sign.  This is not comforting.  This is scandalous.  Mary is the only one who knows with 100% certainty that she is a virgin.  She knows that she has not been with a man.  Joseph knows that he has not touched her but he has no idea if she has been with someone else.  Those in their Jewish community will probably assume that she has been raped by a roman soldier.  It is not her fault but she has been defiled.  The Angel tells him that God knows she is telling the truth.

            This sign assures Joseph that Mary is a good woman called by the Lord.  But if he marries her, they will feel the neighborhood’s scorn.  Others didn’t receive this dream.  They have to trust the words of Mary and Joseph.  They have spoken to God and their friends and family have a choice.  They can have faith that Mary and Joseph have been chosen by God to birth the chosen messiah or they can believe the worst.

            The scandalous sign of Mary’s pregnancy is like the scandalous sign of the cross.  The cross is not initially comforting.  It is as gentle an image as the electric chair.  The son of God being murdered by humanity is disturbing.  We must never lose sight of that.  You must never lose sight of that.  When you tell people about the cross, there should be a repulsion.  God came to earth and we humiliated him.  We tortured him like a sociopath tortures an innocent animal.  We treated him like he was the worst person on earth when all he wanted to do was love us.  That is a scandalous sign.

            Sign #2 Mary’s miraculous sign.  In Luke, God mixes it up a bit.  No dream for Mary.  Instead, she hosts the Angel Gabriel.  You can’t say in the flesh with an angel, but he was in person.  Gabriel, or Gabe as his Angel friends call him, tells Mary that She has found favor with God.  She will conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  He will be great, the son of the most high.  He will sit on David’s throne and reign forever.

            Now you would think that Mary’s sign would be the same as joseph’s.  After all, when you are a virgin and you become pregnant, it begets a supernatural explanation.  At least it does, 2,000 years before invitro.  Yet God gives her an additional sign, designed to meet her needs.  Gabe said, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you.  The child will be the holy Son of God. And check this out, your relative, Elizabeth, in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the 6^th month with her who was called barren.  For nothing is impossible with God.”

            It’s a miraculous sign.  Mary isn’t going to feel pregnant for a while, but she can travel to Elizabeth’s house and see this wonder.  An old lady who has never been able to have kids is showing.  God overcame barrenness in the Old Testament with Sarah and Hannah and he is continuing his work in Mary’s day.  Mary goes and visits Elizabeth and they celebrate their miraculous Lord.

            Do you look for miraculous signs from our Lord?  Is he not still working.  Can’t he still do the impossible?  If you don’t see God working in this world you are spiritually blind.   Our God heals when people say it can’t happen.  The Lord plants faith in hearts that are dead.  Jesus Christ brings his people together in amazing ways all the time.  If you don’t see it, then you need to ask God to open your eyes so you can witness signs and wonders.

            Sign #3 The Shepherd’s symbolic sign.  For some reason, God chose manual laborers to communicate his most scholarly sign.  It’s the equivalent of if he spoke to Truck drivers instead of seminary professors.  In Bethlehem, there were Shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

            It is true that there were shepherds in Bethlehem who were special.  In the Temple, morning and evening an umblemished lamb was offered as a sacrifice to God.  To see that the supply of perfect offereings was always available the Temple authorities had their own private sheep flocks; and we know that these flocks were pastured near Bethlehem.  It is most likely that these shepherds were in charge of flocks from which the Temple offerings were chosen.

            The Gospel of John doesn’t have a traditional account of Jesus birth.  But he does have John the Baptist yelling, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  The shepherds cared for the Temple lambs without blemish and now the Angels pointed them to the ultimate sacrifice.  The Angels don’t use the words “Find the Lamb of God” but it makes you wonder if they made the connection.  Maybe it wasn’t until 30 years later when they heard John’s words they understood the symbolism.  Jesus must be killed so that Israel can be saved. 

            Do you search the scriptures, trying to gain greater depth in your understanding of Jesus?  God calls you to deepen your relationship with his son through studying His word.  The more you study the more you learn.  The connections between Jesus and the Old Testament will blow your mind.  God is confident that the more you read the Bible the more your faith will grow.  That’s how it works.  There is a direct correlation between studying scripture and your spiritual development.  You don’t need an angel to spell things out for you.  The Spirit lives in you and will guide you.

            Sign #4 The Wise men’s universal sign.  Joseph had a scandalous dream.  Mary had a miraculous visit from an Angel.  The shepherds were given a symbolic wonder.  The Wise men didn’t have a person.  They had a star.  We call them wise men.  We call  them kings but they were really the astronomers of their day.  They knew all the heavenly bodies that the human eye could see.  The studied them.  They had no encounter with angels or dreams.  They didn’t have the scriptures.  Instead they read the sky, which is a sign available to everyone.

            Isn’t it telling that God sent a sign that the whole world could see.  By whole world I don’t just mean people.  I mean all of creation is under the canopy of stars.  The Sun and the moon, the oceans and the continents, every creature above and below could see the sign of the star.  But only a small amount noticed and fewer still followed it.

            Jesus was born not just for Israel, not just for believers, not just for people.  Jesus was born to save all of creation.  If you think he came to just save Lutherans, your God is way too small.  He is creating a new heaven and a new earth.  Every knee will bow.  The Heavenly bodies will all praise his name.  We have seen the signs.

            His signs are scandalous, miraculous, symbolic and universal.

   

Isaiah 40: O Come O Come Emmanuel

Pastor Scott Jonas

12/20/17

Isaiah 40

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Almost all Holidays look backwards.  They are rooted in the past.  They force you to look backwards and embrace something in history.  Your Birthday.  It seems to me we should be celebrating mom’s accomplishment on your birthday but nevertheless.  On your birthday you celebrate way back when you were born.  Your anniversary.  Throw a party and remember your wedding day and the marriage that followed.  Thanksgiving.  In November 1621, the Pilgrims and Native americans sat together and gave thanks.  Fourth of July we recall the Fourth of July 1776.  Easter is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection 2,000 years ago.  Christmas.  The same but His birth.  All in the past.

Advent is a weird holiday season.  We remember the past. Yes.  But we remember the past looking forward to the future.  We read stories of ancient hebrews who awaited the Savior’s birth. O Come O Come Emmanuel.  We read accounts of the prophets from yesteryear predicting the future which has been fulfilled 2 millenia ago.  Makes your head spin. 

Which is more comfortable for you?  Thinking about the past?  The present?  Or the future?  I suggest that the reason we love holidays is because we are most comfortable with the past.  The future is scary and unknown.  The present is a mixed bag.  The past can’t hurt us anymore.  We have more control over the past or at least our perception of the past.

It’s called nostalgia and all of us are susceptible to it.  Nostalgia= a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.  If that’s doesn’t describe our experience with the Christmas season then I don’t know what is.   Christmas reminds us of all the fond Christmas before.  Dean Martin Singing, “Baby it’s cold outside.  Hanging lights around the house.  Christmas ornaments passed down from your mom and dad.  The church alive with green and red.  Loved ones gathering around the fire.

            We don’t dwell on the stress our parents felt to prepare everything.  We forget when our uncle drank too much.   We gloss over the church service that went on for way too long.  We keep only the good stuff and delete the rest.

            Humans really have not evolved.  The Jews with Moses remembered Egypt fondly.  They deleted the slavery thing and focused only on a few things.  In Egypt they had full bellies.  In Egypt they weren’t lost in the wilderness.  In Egypt they had security.  You can almost hear them singing “Kababs roasting on an open fire.  Pharoah nipping at your heel.  Although it’s been said many times many ways “We miss Egypt, Don’t you”  Nostalgia.

            In Isaiah 40, the Prophet is doing an amazing bit of prophecy.  In the past, is Abraham to Moses to King David and Solomon.  The present is King Hezekiah who has made Judah a slave to the Babylonians.  So Isaiah speaks to Hebrews in the future.  God has told Isaiah that God’s people will be torn from their homeland a spread across Mesapotamia.  To Jews three hundred years ahead of him he says these words,

 A voice says, “Cry!”

    And I said,[c] “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass,

    and all its beauty[d] is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades

    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

    surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

    but the word of our God will stand forever.

            Isaiah knows that people are nostalgic.  We never live in the golden age.  The golden age is always in the past.  What was the best year to be a cardinal fan?  What year was the greatest year to be an American?  What year was the greatest year to be a Christian?  What year was the greatest year to be at Glendale?  The golden age is always in the past.  So Isaiah knows that  when he is talking to future generations they are going to look back to Isaiah’s time as a perfect time.  He’s waving his arms saying “No!”  “Don’t believe it!”

            “All flesh is grass.  All things fall apart.  Human bodies fall apart. Can I get an amen?  Families fall apart.  Nations fall apart.  Don’t look backwards and think, “They had it all together.”  Because we don’t.  We just have different problems that look more attractive through the lens of nostalgia.  In some respects nostalgia is a mirage.

            My family loves the movie White Christmas.  It is full of life, dancing, singing, and Christmas cheer.  Have you ever watched an old movie like that and thought, “Everyone who is in this movie is dead.”  Merry Christmas!

            Isaiah says, “Beauty goes away (Even beauties like Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, The grass withers, the flower fades, BUT the word of our God will stand forever.”  Forever is a future word.  Nostalgia is remembering fondly.  Memories too fade.  But The Word of our God is stronger than our memories.  God promised a savior to be born.  That promise is true for the time of Moses, the time of Isaiah, the time of the exiles, forus today and for those who come after us.

I don’t want you to get the impression that nostalgia is bad.  Maybe nostalgia is our way of conceiving a perfect future.  Our brains can’t comprehend a perfect future with God so we take the best parts of our past and over time perfect them.  Maybe life with God is a little like snuggling on the couch with your mom and dad.  Perhaps the joy you felt years ago telling Santa your wish list is a little like speaking to you’re your heavenly Father.  What if the anticipation of opening up your stocking is a little like waking up in heaven.

O Come O come Emmanuel.  O Come thou key of David Come.  And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high and close the path to Misery.  Rejoice, Rejoice Emmanuel, Shall come to the O Israel.

John 3: I am Born Again

Pastor Scott Jonas

I am Born Again

John 3

12/17/17

            As we approach Christmas we continue through John’s Gospel.  The light has entered the world and penetrated the darkness.  John calls all to Baptism men, women, jew and gentile for the kingdom of heaven is near.  The Baptist sees Jesus and announces “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  John doesn’t fully understand Jesus but he whole heartedly follows him.  Jesus and his followers crash a wedding in Cana.  Instead of a plus one, Jesus brought a whole crowd.  They ran out of wine.  But Jesus created all vegetation on the third day.  He has no problem creating wine out of water.  As Michael said last week, “Jesus is the Master of the Feast, no one in his kingdom will go without.”

            Today, we eavesdrop on a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus.  Before we get into their meeting, let’s look at Nicodemus’ biography.  What do we know about him this mystery man who whispers in the night?  We only learn about him from John’s Gospel.  The easiest way to label him is that he is an “expert.”  John says that Nicodemus was a man of the Pharisees and a ruler of the Jews.  Let me put that into perspective.  At the time of Jesus there were 6,000 pharisees who pledged their life to obey every detail of the Old Testament Law.  There were millions of Jews in Palestine but only 6,000 known as the brotherhood.

            He was an expert on the first five books of Moses.  Had them memorized.  Some Pharisees knew the Law so well, they could put a pin through a scroll and tell you what word it stopped on.  The Pharisees believed that Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy had everything a person needs to live a moral life.  One Pharisee said, “The Law is complete; it contains everything necessary for living a good life therefore in the law must be a regulation for every possible incident in every possible moment for every possible man.”  Nicodemus was an expert on life as a believing Jew.

            He was also an expert on Jewish politics.  When John says Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, that means that he was a member of the Sanhedrin.  They were a 70 member council that supervised the Jewish People.  They were the Jewish supreme court.  They had jurisdiction over not just Jews in Jerusalem but over all Jews wherever they may be.  Nicodemus had to be an expert on heresy and false prophets.

            So Nicodemus, this expert, came to Jesus at night.  Makes sense.  Maybe he was scared of being seen talking one on one with a potential false prophet.  The Pharisees grilled Jesus during the day.  That was supposed to be enough evidence for Nicodemus.  If he is caught talking to Jesus it could mean he loses his position on the Sanhedrin.  It could mean he violated his pledge as a Pharisee and he would be kicked out of the brotherhood.  It could also mean that his distinguished Jewish family would be disgraced.  So he finds Jesus at night.  But why does he look for Jesus with all of this to lose?

            There is another stumbling block between he and Jesus.  His expertise.  Experts have a hard time trusting anyone.  Those who know less than you can’t be trusted because your knowledge outweighs theirs.  And you don’t want to admit that another expert knows more than you because that undermines your credibility.  Experts do not like having their knowledge undermined.  So the default position for an expert is to pretend you know everything.  Sometimes experts pretend for so long that they forget the limits of their expertise.  It’s an unfortunate contrast.  One becomes an expert by asking a lot of questions of those who know more than you do but once you obtain their knowledge then you stop asking questions.  You stop growing. Experts claim to see things others can’t.  You just have to trust them on that.

            But experts who are honest with themselves realize that the more you know the more you know experts can be wrong.  I had this conversation with a friend of mine about Global warming.  He didn’t understand why I needed my questions answered about climate change.  His philosophy was to trust the experts, the climate scientists even though he didn’t understand the science behind it.  I told him that as a protestant I look skeptically at experts whether they be pope’s, scientists or pastors.  As a pastor, I’m by all definitions an expert on the Bible.  I’ve studied it more than 99% of the population.  But because of that I know there are experts who twist the Bible to say whatever their heart desires.  I am wary of other experts.  It is amazing at all that Nicodemus bravely overcomes his fears, overcomes his biases, and initiates a conversation with Jesus.

            He whispers to Jesus saying, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”  Nicodemus addresses Jesus as a fellow expert, giving him due honor as a Rabbi.  But remember, there are a lot of Rabbis and Rabbis have less credibility than a Pharisee on the Sanhedrin from a distinguished family.  But he adds that Jesus has a connection to God that goes beyond teaching, beyond scholastics.  Jesus has real power that produces signs like turning water into wine.

            Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

            Imagine all of the questions hitting Nicodemus at once.  Is he talking being born again literally or figuratively?  Is he talking about me?  Does he think I, an expert, can’t see the kingdom of God?  What does he think that I lack?  I know the Law forwards and backwards.  I was circumcised into the faith on the 8^th day.  My family goes back to David.  I grew up in the church.  My family helped build the synagogue.  What better credentials do I need.  What more do I have to know?

            Nicodemus gives a reply, “How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter his mother’s womb and be born?”  This doesn’t sound like an honest question.  It sounds like he is being sarcastic, knowing that physical rebirth is impossible.  Jesus  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[c] 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind[e] blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

 Stunned, now Nicodemus replies with an honest question, “How can these things be?

 “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?  That hit him right where it hurts.  Jesus questions his expertise.

 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you[f] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[g] 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Jesus is telling Nicodemus, “Through me you can be born again.”  You can be made new.  The old Nicodemus full of academic pride and political arrogance will be washed away.  All you have to do is believe that I am the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World.  You don’t have to understand it, you just have to trust me.  Little children trust me and they don’t know anything.  You have to set aside all of your credentials  and cling to my credentials.  I am who I am.

            I bet you have an expertise.  Maybe it’s in the field in which you work.  Or maybe you have an expertise in your family.  No one knows them like you do.  My guess is that you have an expertise in Lutheranism.  You have been to so many worship services.  You know the liturgy.  You know the doctrine. 

            Do you trust Jesus more than your expertise?  Today, we baptized Peyton Toney.  He is a baby and knows shockingly little about the world, let alone God.  But he trust his mom, Lauren and his father, Bryan.  Peyton doesn’t understand how Baptism works.  But neither do I.  I’m an expert.  I trust Jesus when he says, baptize in my name and you will be born again.  How does it work?  Water and the word.  But there are things happening that we can’t see.  Just trust.

When someone asks you if you are born again I hope you don’t say no I’m Lutheran.  Lutheran isn’t in the Bible but being born again is.  You are born again.  Try to understand it, but don’t let all of you expertise become a barrier.  You are born of Spirit.  You are part of the Kingdom of God.  You are not bound by the Flesh.  At your baptism Jesus blew you a kiss and said, “You are mine.”

Isaiah 40: Prepare the Royal Highway

Pastor Scott Jonas

Prepare the Royal Highway

12/13/17

                “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Our text for our Wednesday services is Isaiah 40.  Turn to the page in your bulletin or find it on your phone or Bible.  Last week, we heard the situation of King Hezekiah of Judah and the prophet Isaiah in the year 750 BC.  King Hezekiah initiated treaties with more powerful nations rather than trust in the Lord’s might.  First, he bent the knee to Assyria.  When that became too demeaning, he asked Babylon to be Judah’s Savior.  Babylon complied.  Now the people of God were at Babylon’s mercy.

                The prophet Isaiah sees these political moves and asks, “How is God going to restore his kingdom?”  Judah is the last nation that follows Yahweh.  Israel is gone.  It’s a mess.  There is a remnant of families who know the word of God, but they will soon be forced to live in the four corners of the Babylon empire.  The temple will be defiled.  Jerusalem will be in ruins.  Judah will have kings after Hezekiah but they will be impotent and faithless.

                Yet God tells Isaiah,

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

                What is going on here?

We think of Highways as a modern invention, but they had a primative version of it in the ancient World Before Christ.  Highways were frequently traveled roads between major cities.  They were essential for empire building.  They were useful in military campaigns, communication between government officials and trade.

                Good roads were rare.  Who remembers what America was like before the 50s when our nations’ Interstate highways were built?  You had to go on a lot of poorly paved, gravel and even dirt roads to go from a big city to a big city.  In the ancient world, ordinary roads were no better than tracks.  These tracks could be impeded by Rocky surfaces, abandoned broken down carts, mudslides, fallen trees, and overgrown foliage.  An Eastern proverb said , “There are three states of misery- sickness, fasting and travel.”  Before a traveler set out upon a journey he was advised to pay all debts, provide for dependents, give parting gifts, return all articles under trust, take money and good temper for the journey; then bid farewell to all.”  They were not surfaced at all because the soil of Palestine is hard and will bear the traffic of mules and donkeys and oxen and carts.  A journey along such a “road”, if you could call it that, was frustrating at best and impossible at worst.

                There were a few surfaced and artificially made roads.  Josephus, for instance, tells us that Solomon laid a causeway of black basalt stone, along the roads that lead to Jerusalem to make them easier for pilgrims and to “manifest the grandeur of his riches and government.”  All such surfaces were originally built by the king and for the king’s use.  They were called the Kings Highway.  They were kept in repair only as the king needed them for any journey he might make.  Before the king was due to arrive in any area, a message was sent out to the people to get the king’s roads in order.  How embarrassing for a king to be postponed by hazards on the roadway?  The King has power of Life and death, yet he can be stalled by one rotting ox carcass in his way.

                When royalty was coming you prepared the highway.  Remove the barriers to smooth travel:  Use man and animal power to clear mudslides and boulders, cut overgrown branches and grasses, push away dead trees.  Make sure wheels can get move easily.  The King cannot be kept waiting.

But the only Kings in Isaiah’s time, were the weakling Judah King and the merciless Babylonian Kings.  Why is God telling Isaiah to get the King’s road in order?

                Because The Lord is coming to town.

                It wouldn’t happen in Isiah’s lifetime but the Father was sending his son.  Jesus deserves the Royal Highway to be cleared.

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up,

    and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

    and the rough places a plain.

5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

    and all flesh shall see it together,

    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”            

We learn from the Gospel of John that John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus.

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight[h] the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Now John the Baptist was an earthy guy, but he didn’t have a pick and shovel.  He didn’t work with the physical Highways between cities.  The Romans took care of that.  Instead, John the Baptist prepared hearts, starting with his own.  There are three ways John prepared the royal highway to our hearts.

                First Highway preparation, John allowed God to work on his heart through repentance.  Repentance is recognizing that your heart is clogged with sin.  Worldly philosophies lay across the road to your heart.  Pride slowly oozes across it.  Selfishness grows like wild branches in the way.  John repented and asked God to clean away all the sin that gets in the way.  John the Baptist knew the scriptures, knew the law, knew his own capacity for evil and asked God to make him clean.

                Isaiah did this as well.  He asked God to purify his lips because he came from a culture of unclean lips.

                The second Highway preparation is that the Baptist called others to repentance.  He wanted to clear the road for the returning exiles.  That is why he called Jews to Baptism.  In order for them to return to God, they needed to by Baptized as if they were a Gentile.  Non-Jews got baptized into the family of God.  Before John the Baptist, it was unheard of for a son of Abraham to go through the rite of Baptism.  Circumcision was enough to label them as belonging to Yahweh.  But John was sent by God to show the Jews that God is with them in a new way.  They need to be the first to repent.  The Lord and Savior of the World is on his way.  The Royal Highway needs to be cleared first by the Jew and then by the Gentile.   The Sadducces and Pharisees need to repent, but so does Herod, the centurions and Pilate.  John calls all to repentance.  He learned this from Isaiah who called Kings and common man to turn to God.  Isaiah called out the nation of Judah as well as the nations of Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. 

                The Third Highway Preparation is that John pointed beyond himself to Jesus.  “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

                Some people call the book of Isaiah the fifth Gospel because it points so strongly to the coming Messiah.

It’s a miracle that the royal road of Salvation went through Judah to Babylon to Rome to Glendale, USA.  God had a plan and it is working.  Jesus came at a time when Rome was at it’s peak in many ways.  One of the ways was that Rome built an incredible Highway infrastructure.  They actually were often stone-paved and metaled, cambered for drainage, and were flanked by footpaths, bridleways and drainage ditches.  The Gospels say that Jesus came at the Fullness of Time.  It was the perfect time.  Part of that is that the Roman Royal Highways were perfect for the early church to travel throughout the known world with the Good News of Jesus.  The disciples traveled on these cleared, clean roads that eventually got to you.

                Prepare the Royal highway for Christ this Advent Season.  Allow God to prepare your heart through repentance and the word.  Allow God to remove the barriers of pride, judgementalism, and selfishness.  Call others to repentance.  Not because you are better, you’re not, but because you want others to see the coming King.  How do you prepare the Royal Highway?  Point to Jesus.

John 2: I am Ready

Michael Hansen
Narrative Sermon
I am Ready
12/4/17

Focus: Jesus intervenes in our lives even when we don’t expect Him.
Function: So that we come to experience salvation as a present reality. Are you ready?

           There’s a young man, well, at least now he’s a man, in a place called Cana. He’s in the process of celebrating the marriage to his new bride. It’s been going well so far. The arrangements have been made, debts have been paid, promises have been fulfilled, contracts signed, a betrothal has taken place and so has the public ceremony. This is the biggest moment of his and his new brides lives. Now all that there is left to do is celebrate. It’s time for the feast; let’s have a reception. I’m talking buffet, open bar, live entertainment, speeches, a master of ceremonies, and guests upon guests upon guests. We’ll invite family, friends, associates, and townspeople! Get down here and celebrate with us! After all, this is a once in a lifetime event and the Groom is taking care of all of it. Looks like we have everything in place for the celebration, the feast! Please don’t misunderstand; this is going to be big! Not just a few hours on a weekend night, not just a whole day and night, but seven days! To put this into perspective this is the kind of party that would require not one, but SEVEN trips to Costco for us, so you know it’s serious.
            The young man was thinking “The feast started of so well, everybody is celebrating, dancing, singing, and rejoicing. The people are eating and drinking and everything is perfect, so many of them showed up I think I even saw Joseph’s wife Mary come from Nazareth! But we’re a few days in now and I’m starting to realize that people are a lot thirstier at weddings than they usually are. We’re running out of wine. Maybe the bar should have been just a bit less open.” I mean, can you imagine going to a dry wedding that lasts for four days? That’s what I thought.
            Now imagine having to host one. Yeah, you might get some “polite” comments and people might talk a little about it before they forget, but your culture is different. Your culture isn’t based on honor and shame. His is though. He must have thought “And the very first thing I do as an adult, as a host, as a man in my community, is not serve my guests wine at a feast. This is not good. People aren’t just going to forget this. How does this make me look? I’m off to a bad start for sure but it doesn’t just end with me. People will question my father and how he raised me, then the rest of my family. I don’t know what to do. We have no wine. There is no place to get wine. We have no time to make wine.
              I guess this is it. I’ll just live with my shame and hope that somehow, somehow I can redeem myself in the future. Maybe I can make up for it in time. Perhaps If I host another feast people will forget about this one? Let’s be honest, I don’t have the time or money to do this again, I am too busy to make up for this by sucking up to everyone. Like I said: this is it. People are noticing the lack of wine and are starting to sober up. I can hear them talking, bringing it up to the master of the feast, thinking he just needs to go tell the servants to refill it, but soon they’re going to find out that I, the groom, am at fault for not providing enough. Even Mary is talking murmuring to her son, Jesus about this. Wait, why is he ordering my servants around? Why are they getting so much water? Maybe he’s trying to water down the little wine we have left? That won’t work; it’ll be mostly water. We just fully ran out of wine.”
                Next thing you know, the young man experienced something he wasn’t ready for; something hard to believe, even after seeing it with his own eyes. The young man thinks, “The water jars, they’re filled with wine. This was enough wine to last a lot longer than a week. Not watered down wine, not the cheap stuff either. I just got word from the master of the feast that it’s outstanding. It’s the best wine of the entire feast. Are you serious? Mary’s son? Jesus, the guys from Nazareth? It just seems out of nowhere, you know. I always thought I knew Him, but He surprised me today, big time. All I know is that my preparation was not enough and by the time I realized it, it was too late. I was set for embarrassment and judgment, but thanks to Jesus I get none of that. There’s nothing lacking, there is nothing to be sorry for anymore. There is no guilt, there is no shame, and there is no scandal. I don’t have to make anything up and I don’t have to do it all over again. Instead there is joy, there is deliverance, and there is a feast!
                Today, Jesus is the true host of the feast.” I think when many people read this scripture they wonder why Jesus first recorded sign is making party wine for teenagers. Don’t get me wrong, this sign is incredible, it’s not something any of us could do or explain by our own reason. It’s a miracle. But the fact that Jesus changed water into wine is not the entirety of the story. There’s more to it. I can’t help but to think that as a first sign, it surprised people. I don’t think people were expecting anything like this, or anyone like Jesus. Why would they?
                 But what baffles me about all of the gospels is that nobody is ready for Jesus, no matter how many warnings or predictions or prophecies they have been given about him and from Him. Were people ready and expecting the savior to be born the Son of God of a virgin? I don’t think so. Was the groom ready and expecting this sign that would save the feast? No. Were the disciples ready and expecting Jesus to walk on water? No way. Were they ready for His death even after all the times he explicitly told them about it? Somehow, no. Were they ready and expecting his resurrection from the dead? No, try again. Did they expect His death and resurrection to cover the sin of mankind so that we could be blameless before God and enter His kingdom? What do you think? But eventually, even the disciples got it. They listened to the words of Jesus and after he ascended they were ready and expecting Him as He worked through them and people heard the Gospel and were saved by grace through faith. They were expecting the Spirit he had promised them as a helper. They were ready and expecting Him to return to usher in His Kingdom once and for all and they actually started to live like it.
                    Having read the scripture, knowing the story of the gospel, are we ready? Are we expecting Jesus? Yeah, sure. But if you’re anything like me you’re expecting him to come back in like a billion years. But in the meantime, most of us don’t expect much from God. All of that salvation and joy and hope, that’s for heaven. we’re expecting that when God calls us home. Until then we wait. And as we wait, life is hard, it can put us down, we run into trouble, we find that we can’t do it on our own. Eventually the wine runs out. We’re overcome by shame and guilt and defeat. It would be nice if God would do something, but I don’t expect anything now, Let’s be honest, this is it. What’s there to be ready for, I’m not dying anytime soon. Jesus performs the sign of turning water into wine. It is a sign that Jesus is the master of the feast. He is the host. He will provide in His kingdom and those who sit at the table will never lack. They will never hunger or thirst or have anything they need be out of reach. Jesus is the true groom. And on the last day he will celebrate His unity with His bride, the Church. What a sign, what a promise, what a hope we have for that last day when He returns to usher it all in.
                     But let’s not forget that He’s not just communicating about Himself and His kingdom in the end times, He’s also helping this poor kid with his wedding feast in the meantime. Jesus is actually doing something and intervening in the lives of the people, even as he has the big picture in mind. Turns out God can multitask. Jesus is not some far away and distant God who is silent and idle until He returns. I know He seems that way sometimes. Can you think of all of the times that you ran out of wine? When you just weren’t enough? Remember the times something was missing and it exposed you and crushed you and put you to shame and just defeated you? I do. What’s your most recent one? Did your marriage run out of steam? Are you scraping the bottom of the barrel with those parenting skills of yours? Did any of you buy a house at market value in 2007?
                       Obviously, in those times something isn’t going right, but we don’t expect God to help us. Yet he always does, whether we see it or not. You shouldn’t just be expecting him in a billion years. Expect him now. Be ready for him now because He is at work whether you’re ready or not; whether you recognize it or not; whether you expect Him or not.
                      One of my best friends has struggled with his mental health for years now. He’s an incredibly faithful Christian. He goes to the doctor for it, he takes his medication, the goes to therapy, he talks to his friends and shares in his suffering. He knows the right answers to his questions toward God, but there are times when he doesn’t feel it. You know what I mean? He knows God is there because he told us, but is he really? Because it doesn’t feel like it. And in those times it feels like God is absent. Like he doesn’t care. There’s nothing to expect, there’s nothing to be ready for. All of that joy and salvation is for later, right. So why not just move later up to now? He told me last week that there were only a few times in his life where he thought about taking drastic action, but he didn’t because he sought help in time, when he had nothing left to give, when he reached his limits, when he ran completely out of wine and thought “this is it”. But when he received the help he asked for, He realized that God had been far from absent. While his suffering didn’t go away, he realized after the fact that God was with him and closer than he knew. God worked through us, his friends, his family, his caretakers, and through so many more.
                         Salvation wasn’t just for later; it was a present reality for my friend. He had always known that Christ secured eternal life for us in the end. But it is in the times that he suffers the most, when he is completely empty and expects nothing, when the wine has run out, that God unexpectedly breaks into his life and works in amazing ways to make salvation and deliverance and joy and rejoicing a present reality. To make him realize that eternal life as a reconciled and whole and loved child of God doesn’t start when we die. It is something that we already live in. So my prayer is for you to take that emptiness, that shame, that guilt, that struggle, that defeat, that sin and don’t just save it for later. Don’t just accept that “this is it” until some other far away time. I want you to take them and put them at the foot of the cross and I want you to be ready. I want you to expect Jesus. I want you to see that he is working for you and in you and through you right now and for the rest of eternity because salvation is yours NOW through the death and resurrection of Christ. Amen

Isaiah 40: Comfort, Comfort My People

Pastor Scott Jonas

Comfort, Comfort my People

12/6/17

Advent, the beginning of the church year, has a timeless quality to it.  It sees the past, present and future.  We remember those like Hezekiah and Isaiah, Old Testament people who waited for the restoration of Israel.  We remember those like Mary and Simeon, New Testament people who waited for the restoration of Israel.  We remember Jesus’ words to us, modern day people who wait for Jesus to return and fully restore his people.  God’s people have always waited.  But there will come a day in which we will never wait again.

In our next three Wednesday night Advent services we are going to remember the Prophet Isaiah’s words in chapter 40 of his book.  By looking back before Jesus we better understand what God was doing through the birth of his Son.  God says to Isaiah, “Comfort, Comfort my people.”  Why did God’s people need comfort and how did Christmas bring that comfort?

Isaiah was a prophet for around the year 750 B.C.  He preached to four Kings of Judah, including Hezekiah.  This was Judah’s situation.  God’s people had long ago clung to Kings for protection rather than the Lord.  Kings were powerful, handsome and wealthy.  God was invisible.  The people chose the seen over the unseen.  So the people followed the King but who did the king follow?  Some followed the Lord of their forefathers.  Others followed other kings, those who led nations more dominant than Judah.  Instead of following their covenant agreement with the Lord, they made surrender treaties with the biggest country on the block.  They were like pre WW2 poland asking Germany for protection.  Meanwhile God knows this is a bad arrangement.

King Hezekiah was a slave to Assyria.  They were the most vicious conquerors in the ancient world.  When you surrendered to them they would place leaders heads on stakes inside the city gates as a warning against future uprisings.  As long as you paid them a large percentage of your economy, then there was peace.  It was a peace under the threat of violence.  But no one else could attack you as long as you surrendered to them.  Even the King of Judah was a slave but he was a safe slave.

Hezekiah prays to the Lord but he trusts political alliances more.  He secretly invites representatives from the King of Babylon.  He shows them his storehouses full gold, spices, and armor.  He convinces the King of Babylon’s men to make friends with Judah.  God sees the road this leads towards: a war between the two superpowers Assyria and Babylon.  Judah would be in the middle.  They would not survive.

Isaiah sees the consequences of Hezekiah’s actions.  Without God, his people are doomed.  Ever feel that way?  That the world has made so many bad decisions, that we aren’t going to survive.  Nations don’t care about God.  Leaders don’t care about the people.  The people are lost.  We need words from God.  We need a word of comfort.  We need a word of peace.  We need a word of tenderness.  We need our creator to tell us that everything is going to be O.K.

God steps in.  Isaiah approaches Hezekiah, King of God’s People, and says, “Hear the Word of the Lord, Behold the days are coming when all that is in Judah’s house, and all that your forefathers stored up, shall be carried away to the distant land of Babylon.  Nothing shall be left says the Lord. “  That didn’t sound very comforting.  Everything you own will be carried away to Babylon?  That doesn’t sound very peaceful.  There will be nothing left.  That doesn’t sound very tender. 

But King Hezekiah has a weird reaction to the Words of the Lord.  He says to the Prophet Isaiah, “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good.”  For he thought, “At least there will be peace and security while I’m alive.  My sons can deal with this mess.”  Sound like a modern day politician?

The Lord responds through Isaiah saying, “Comfort, comfort my people.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and scream to her that her warfare has ended.  Her sin is pardoned.”

Imagine you are King Hezekiah and the Prophet Isaiah.  You hear these words , “Comfort, comfort my people.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and scream to her that her warfare has ended.  Her sin is pardoned.”  They don’t make any sense.  Hezekiah might be comforted that he will die before all this happens but how are his people and their descendants supposed to be comforted by this news.  God is going to take all of the wealth of Judah and send it to Babylon.  I don’t imagine Isaiah cared about Judah’s wealth but how does this restore God’s people.  It is just more pain, more poverty, more of the bad guys winning.  You ever watch the news and feel more pain, more poverty, more of the bad guys winning.

Isaiah must be even more confused because not only is God promising comfort, he is promising double comfort.  God repeats himself when he wants us to pay attention.  He told Moses, “I am who I am.”  He says to Jeremiah, “Oh earth, earth hear the Word of the Lord.”  Jesus said to the crowd, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, why do you kill the prophets?”  In the Gospel of John, Jesus says “Truly, Truly I say to you.”  When God repeats himself it means pay attention, God is doing something extraordinary.

“Comfort, comfort my people” the Lord says.  Where is the comfort in Babylon humiliating God’s people and the king going along with it?  More than that.  God says that through all this her sin will be pardoned.  That means that all of this is part of God’s restoration plan.  Not only will they be comforted by the Lord but their sins will be forgiven through this plan.  Isaiah’s head is going to explode.  He repeats the words of the Lord, but he has no way to understand them.

We look back to look forward.  We remember what happened to our spiritual forefathers so we don’t make the same mistakes.  Hezekiah couldn’t see the big picture so he just kind of gave up.  Isaiah couldn’t make sense of God’s plan but he trusted anyway.

We can read the Bible and make sense out of it.  Judah exchanged surrendering to Assyria to surrendering with Babylon.   Generations later the Babylonians raided Judah stealing all of their spices, gold and weapons.  They also looted another resource, intellectual capital.  Babylon stole all of the great minds of Judah, creating a brain drain.  They were spread out all over the Babylonian empire.  Hundreds of years passed.  Jerusalem was in ruins.  The Temple was desecrated.  But God’s plan for restoration was in motion.

Eventually God convinced the kign of Babylon to allow some of his Jewish people to return and rebuild Jerusalem.  Under Nehemiah they rebuilt the wall, the Temple and the city.  Then they waited.  They waited for God to send the Messiah who would fully restore Israel.  They listened for God’s voice.  He had been faithful in bringing them back to their homeland.  Now they waited for his next words.  Words of comfort, words of tenderness, words that the warfare has ended.  Words that make sense out of their painful experiences.

The Lord did not speak through a megaphone.  He did not speak through a scroll.  He didn’t speak through a whisper.  He spoke through a Baby’s scream.  He sent a word of comfort through the Word.  The Word who was with God and the Word  was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  He was with God’s people from the beginning.  Jesus was the comfort plan in the garden, the comfort plan under the Kings, the comfort plan when the Jews were exiled in Babylon.  He was the comfort plan on the cross.  He is the comfort plan for you today.  Jesus, the resurrection and the Life, can restore all things.   As we sang in the song, “ Comfort, Comfort Ye my people” , For the glory of the Lord Now o’er earth is shed abroad, And all flesh shall see the token, that His word is never broken.”

After Jesus is born, his parents bring him to the temple.  There is a man named Simeon and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

    according to your word;

30 for my eyes have seen your salvation

31     that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

    and for glory to your people Israel.”

            Hezekiah gave up seeing the consolation of the Lord, everything to him seemed to be turning to ruins.  Simeon was promised the consolation of the Lord so he trusted  even when he didn’t understand God’s plan.  Through God’s word you have seen and heard even more of God’s plan than the greatest prophets of the Bible.  Don’t give up on God.  He has a plan to bring comfort to you and the church.  That plan is codenamed  Jesus.