Sermon – Luke 2:1-20 – Glory to God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Luke 2:1-20 – Glory to God

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2012

Tonight is a holy night. But it is no holier than any other night of the year. All nights are given to us by God for our enjoyment. So all nights are holy. But this is a special night because on this night we celebrate the glory of God coming into the world as baby born of a virgin. Let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Luke 2:1-20 ^NIV Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to his own town to register. ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Three times in this passage Luke mentions God's glory. Glory is a form of brightness or brilliance which is revealed in the presence of God. It is related to splendor, grandeur, power, praise and honer. It is a characteristic of God and something we see in heavenly beings. And on this night the Glory of God came to Earth.

When the angels appeared to the shepherds they glowed. It was as if they were illuminated by a strong light. The light was the Glory of God which had come to earth in the birth of Jesus. This light broke into the dark night above a field where sheep were grazing. The shepherd who were tending those sheep did know know what was happening. So they were afraid. This was a normal reaction. We all live dark lives in a dark world. And any glimmer of light from God would be terrifying. But with his Glory, God also sent messengers who told the shepherds that there is nothing to fear. The Glory of God, the light that breaks into our dark world, is not something to fear. Rather it is something to rejoice. God had not come to destroy the world. He came to save it.

The angels who came to the shepherds that night carried an import message from God. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) This proclamation of the angels is the source of God's Glory. Whenever this proclamation is made God's Glory descends upon the Earth and the light of God overcomes the darkness we live in. That is why this proclamation is a source of hope for so many people. It is the source of God's light in their lives.

After hearing the proclamation of the shepherds heard and saw all the company of heaven glorifying and praising God. At that moment they became part of the great congregation of the faithful who have experienced the Glory of God for themselves. This was a life changing moment for them. From that time on nothing would be the same. This is also true for us. When we come into contact with God's Glory our lives change too. We experience the light of God and never again wish to revisit the darkness of our lives. We are changed. We become children of God.

The shepherd's went immediately to find the source of the light they had experienced. And they found it in a stone manger they used for feeding their sheep in the winter. A baby was lying there, in rags, cared for by his mother and father. What an extraordinary event! The source of the Glory of God was a new born baby.

The Glory of God which came to Earth on that first Christmas could not be contained in that manage. It had to spread to enlighten the whole world. Angels from God had begun the process by proclaiming the good news to those shepherds. And the shepherd continued the process by proclaiming God's message to every they knew. They told all their friends, ^“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” And this message brought the Glory of God into the lives of people in and around Bethlehem. The shepherds became the messengers of God proclaiming the gospel and bringing light into the darken lives of the people they met.

This is the event we celebrate tonight. The coming of the Glory of God into the world. The light of God illuminates this church as I your shepherd proclaim to you the gospel message. ^“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” With this God's light will fill all of you dispelling the darkness and bringing you into God's Glory.

But who will be the shepherds tomorrow morning. Who will proclaim to your families and friends you will meet that, ^“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Who will be the messengers that bring the Glory of God into the darkened live of the people you meet. Well, this is only one person who can do that. There is only one person who knows all of your family and all of your friends and has experience that Glory of God tonight in the proclamation that a savior has come. That one person is you. You are the only one who can bring the Glory of God to the people who live in your world. So be like the angels and shepherds. Tell people the good news that God's glory has come to Earth. Tell them to fear not and rejoice for the light of the world has come. And bring them to the source of that light, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sermon – Zephaniah 3:14-20 – Punishment Removed

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Zephaniah 3:14-20 – Punishment Removed

Advent 4

December 23, 2012

This Advent we have been approaching the birth of Christ by building our expectations of what the coming savior will do. Two weeks ago Jeremiah told us that in sprite of the difficulties we are experiencing this Christmas we can be filled with hope because a savior is on the way. Last week Malachi told us that this savior will come with a refining fire that will purge our sins away. Today we will hear from the prophet Zephaniah who assures us that this savior will not only purge our sin, he will also forgive what we have done. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

The Book of Zephaniah begins in this way.

Zephaniah 1:1 ^NIV Zephaniah 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

I have been wondering all week why we are told about Zephaniah's father, grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather. 

This is most unusual with the prophets. And whenever I see something unusual in the Bible I begin to think that we might be reading something significant. I can't think of any reason why we would be told that Zephaniah's great great grandfather with Hezekiah unless this referred to the great Hezekiah, the King of Judah. If so Zephaniah is related to royalty. We also learn that Zephaniah was the son of Cushi. This means that his father was from Ethiopia. So it appears that Zephaniah comes from a prominent multiracial family. This is most unusual, but given his background it should not be surprising to hear that Zephaniah's primary concern is with the nation of Judah and the surrounding nations. And so we find in the Book Zephaniah a warning to the nations of the world about the day of the Lord.

We have been talking about the coming day of the Lord this Advent. This is a day a judgment when people will be punished for their sins. Zephaniah says that nations are also accountable for their actions. Judah and all the nations on earth will one day come before the Lord for judgment. We already know that when this day come we will have a savior who will purge our sin away, but what about the nations? What will happen to them? Listen to Zephaniah.

Zephaniah 1:2-3 ² "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. ³ "I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.

The day of the Lord will not be pretty. So why will the nations of the earth suffer so much? What have they done to bring this calamity upon them? Well, according to the prophet the problem is idolatry. The nations of the world do not want to worship the creator God. They much prefer lesser gods they can control. So they tell their people not worship the God who is King of the Universe and worship instead the minor gods of the weather or fertility or something else. That way the kings of the earth see themselves as all powerful and not subject of the true God in heaven.

We can see this today. If we proclaim that we worship the God who has all authority in heaven and on earth the governments who think they have this authority will try to stop us. Even here in America the government hides behind a slogan, “separation of the church and state” to create a secular nation free from the inconvenient demands of a creator God. Right now our government is pushing to limit charitable deductions as a way of balancing the budget. Limiting the tax deduction we receive for giving to the church and other nonprofits could have disastrous effects on Christian ministries all over the country. The proclamation of Zephaniah is needed as much today as it was in the seventh century before Christ. The nations of the world must act in accordance with God's will or be judged on the day of the Lord. So what are we to do to prevent this from happening. Zephaniah has a message for us.

Zephaniah 2:3 ³ Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.

But the probability that the nations of the world will humble themselves and follow God's commands is pretty low. And the predicted doom is almost assured. Zephaniah tells us what will happen.

Zephaniah 3:8 ⁸ Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them-- all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

So is there no hope for the nations of the Earth? Or will the savior come with a refining fire to purge the idolatry from the nations and humble them in obedience to God? I think by now we know what God will do. Let's hear from Zephaniah.

Zephaniah 3:9-13 ⁹ "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. ¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. ¹¹ On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. ¹² But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD. ¹³ The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."

And so a savior will come for all nations of the earth with a refiner's fire to purge away the arrogant and leave behind the humble who will obey God. This is our hope for a glorious future in what we call the Kingdom of God. When this happens we will rejoice. Here is how the prophet describes it.

Zephaniah 3:14-20 ¹⁴ Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! ¹⁵ The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. ¹⁶ On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. ¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." ¹⁸ "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. ¹⁹ At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. ²⁰ At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD.

Scripture promises a glorious future because a savior is coming who will purge our sin and forgive us for what we have done. We rejoice because under God's protection. We know that God loves us, rejoices over us. God even sings our praises. And every nation on earth will one day bow down before God singing his praises.

And this is why we are so joyful at Christmas. We know that a savior is coming who will forgive us and purge our sin away. We will again reflect the image of God. And all nations on Earth will join their voices with the choir of angels singing praises to God our king. This is the glorious future that awaits us all made by our creator God who loves us.

Holy Father in Heaven, we sing blessings and praises on your name. We experience your forgiveness and love. In you we delight. We ask for your spirit upon the children of Pitts Creek church as they sing your praise this evening. And we ask that you be with us a Beaver Dam as we rejoice in song in response to you love revealed in scripture. We thank you and praise you O Lord. Amen.

Sermon – Jeremiah 31:15 – A Voice in Ramah

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Jeremiah 31:15 – A Voice in Ramah

Advent 3

December 16, 2012

Last Friday it seemed that I was all ready for the weekend. The sermon from Zephaniah was complete. The bulletins were printed. I had everything ready for the White Gifts services. Just a few things remained and I could spend Saturday with the children of the church singing Christmas carols in Hartly Hall. But then I heard the news. 28 people including 20 children were murdered in a Connecticut elementary school. And I knew that as your pastor I had to try to make some sense out of this. Zephaniah can wait until next week. Let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Jeremiah 31:15 15 This is what the LORD says: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more."

Evil is a reality in our world. A young man brings a weapon into a school and starts shooting. This is just the most recent example of evil. We don't know where evil comes from. God created everything good. But evil is with us regardless of its source and we have to deal with it.

We do know that evil has a name. Scripture calls it Satan the accuser or the Devil. The Devil and his angels were banished from heaven only to wreck havoc on the world below. The Devil does his dirty work by tempting people to sin. He can use just about anything to tempt us. Maybe he will use some confusion about a tree in a garden. Maybe he will convince a disillusioned disciple to betray the messiah. Maybe he will put a gun where a disturbed young man will find it to shoot his mother and then kill innocent children at school. Satan is real good about finding something that will make us real bad.

Evil is a choice that people make. Satan can only tempt us. We either resist or succumb to this temptation. We either choose the way of the Devil or the way of God. Inanimate objects cannot be evil because they cannot make choices. A gun is not evil because a gun cannot choose to be evil. A gun is good because it is part of God's creation. And it can be used for good, provide food and protection, or for evil. The gun that was used to kill those children was not evil, but the person who fired it was.

There are many reactions that we have to evil. We can cower in fear. We can run away. We can try to confront it. There are good Christians arguing today that the government should ban guns. There are good Christian that say the government should allow prayer in schools. These things may help. But I know that the government has no power to stop evil. In fact there is no power on earth that can prevent evil from happening.

The parents of the children who were killed are weeping today. It will be very hard for those families to celebrate Christmas this year. My guess is that many of them had already put up the tree and wrapped the presents. My hope is that on this Christmas these families will find the child who was placed in a manger by his mother and is the savior of the world.

Jesus himself narrowly escape evil as a child. The king, Herod the Great, had heard from some wise men that a new king had been born in Bethlehem. So Herod ordered the killing of all the children age two and under to prevent one from usurping his throne. But God protected Jesus by having his parents take him to Egypt where they could live in safety until Herod was gone. We learn from this that God does not prevent evil from occurring, he let the children of Bethlehem die, but he did send a savior into the world to begin the process of destroying evil.

So how do we explain evil to parents of dead children? I read this from a chaplain at a hospital for children.

“Here are five things not to say to grieving family and friends:

1. Never ever say to a grieving family: "God just needed another angel."

Portraying God as someone who arbitrarily kills kids to fill celestial openings is neither faithful to God, nor helpful to grieving parents.

2. Never ever say to a grieving family: "Thank goodness you have other children," or, "You're young. You can have more kids."

Children are not interchangeable or replaceable. The loss of a child will always be a loss, no matter how many other children a parent has or will have.

3. Never ever say to a grieving family: He/she was just on loan to you from God.

The message is that God is so capricious that God will break parents' hearts at will just because God can. It also communicates to parents and loved ones that they are not really entitled to their grief.

4. Never ever say to a grieving family: God doesn't give you more than you can handle.

Actually, some people do get a lot more than any one person should ever have to handle. And it doesn't come from God. Don't trivialize someone's grief with a "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" mentality.

5. Never ever say to a grieving family: We may not understand it, but this was God's will.

Unless you are God, don't use this line.

And here are five things to say:

1. I don't believe God wanted this or willed it.

A grieving friend or family member is likely hearing that this is God's will from a number of other people. Affirm the idea that it may very well not be.

2. It's okay to be angry, and I'm a safe person for you express that anger to if you need it.

Anger is an essential part of the grieving process, but many don't know where to talk about it because they are often silenced by others when they express their feelings. (For instance, they may be told they have no right to be angry at God.) By saying you are a safe person to share all feelings, including anger, with, you help the grieving person know where they can turn.

3. It's not okay.

It seems so obvious, but sometimes this doesn't get said. Sometimes the pieces don't fit. Sometimes nothing works out right. And sometimes there is no way to fix it. Naming it can be helpful for some because it lets them know you won't sugarcoat their grief.

4. I don't know why this happened.

When trauma happens, the shock and emotion comes first. But not long after comes our human need to try to explain "why?" The reality is that often we cannot. The grieving person will likely have heard a lot of theories about why a trauma occurred. Sometimes it's best not to add to the chorus, but to just acknowledge what you do not know.

5. I can't imagine what you are going through, but I am here to support you in whatever way feels best.

Even if you have faced a similar loss, remember that each loss is different. Saying "I know how you're feeling" is often untrue. Instead, ask how the grieving person is feeling. And then ask what you can do to help. Then, do it and respect the boundaries around what they don't want help with at this point. You will be putting some control back into the hands of the grieving person, who often feels like they have lost so much of it.

Adapted from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-emily-c-heath/dealing-with-grief-five-t_b_2303910.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

In the scripture I read to you earlier from Jeremiah the Judean army had suffered a major loss in battle. Many of the young men who had valiantly marched out to protect their land never came back. There mothers are weeping. God wants them to hear some good news so he sent the prophet to proclaim a message.

Jeremiah 31:16-17 ¹⁶ This is what the LORD says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the LORD. "They will return from the land of the enemy. ¹⁷ So there is hope for your future," declares the LORD. "Your children will return to their own land.

The source of our hope in face of evil is not that God will prevent evil from occurring. Our hope is that God will defeat evil by defeating death itself. God does this by resurrecting the faithful from the dead to new life in Jesus Christ. And so the comforting thought is one day the grieving parents and the children they lost will be reunited in a glorious resurrection defeating evil once and for all. The promise of scripture is that evil will be defeated by the coming of a new creation with a new covenant between God and his people. God has promised to purge evil from our hearts and replace it with his own Spirit. We will be forgiven for all the evil we have done in our lives. And we will be restored in right relationship with God and with each other. Jeremiah puts it this way.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 ³¹ "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. ³³ "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ³⁴ No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

So what can we do when we hear about such evil in the world? We can pray that the Devil will be purged from earth just as he has been purged from heaven. We can pray that God's kingdom, and a world free from evil will come sooner than later. We can pray that the families of the children lost will find peace and joy in God's love this Christmas. And we can pray that evil will not touch the ones we love. So let's pray.

Father in heaven we pray for the families who experienced loss in the shootings last Friday. Send your spirit to comfort them. Send your spirit to protect us and our children. Remind us of the joy we will experience when you gather us all together in the glorious resurrection. We await the coming of a savior who will banish evil. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Sermon – Malachi 3:1-20 - Refiner's Fire

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Malachi 3:1-20 - Refiner's Fire

Advent 2

December 9, 2012

Last week we saw that Christmas brings us hope. We usually fear the future and often fall into despair when we realize that what we fear the most can't be change. When this happens we need someone to save us. And at Christmas we remember God's promise to send Jesus Christ as that savior. Today we will look closely at what will happens when that savior arrives, and you may or may not like what the savior does. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

The prophet Malachi lived four to five hundred years before Jesus. Jerusalem was a province of Persia and had limited freedom provided that taxes were paid. The city and temple had been rebuilt after having been destroyed by the Babylonians. Worship had returned to the temple with the celebration of feasts and animal sacrifices. And people had begun gathering in local communities to study the word of God in what was called synagogues. Everything seemed to be going on smoothly with one big exception. The glory of God was not present in the temple.

When Solomon built the first temple it was the place where God could reside on earth. God's glory was seen in the Holy of Holies. But when the Babylonians destroyed the temple God ascended to heaven. And so far his glory remain absent. This was the problem Malachi was looking into. Why was God's glory missing?

As Malachi thought about this and looked into what was going on he began to see the problem. The people were engaging in worship, prayer and Bible study, but they were not living the way God had commanded them to live. Here is how God described the situation speaking through the mouth of the prophet.

Malachi 3:5 ⁵ "So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty.

So the people of Judah were hypocrites. They engaged in the form of worship, they pretended to believe, but though their works they demonstrated their unfaithfulness. People were into witchcraft and spells. They cheated on their spouses. They lied in court. They didn't pay fair wages. They didn't care for the poorest in their communities. They denied justice to the immigrants. All of this is bad enough, but it goes even further.

Malachi 3:8-11 ⁸ "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. ¹¹ I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.

The people of Judah were not bringing their tithe, 10% of their income, to the temple. This was robbing God! No wonder God hadn't returned. Why would he to such an unfaithful people? This should be a warning to us. Christmas is not automatic. The savior we hope for only comes to the faithful. And if our faithlessness is apparent in the way we live our lives why would we expect a savior to come to us? And if a savior did come and we were living sinful lives like that what would he do? He would judge us. So if you are hoping for a savior to come this Christmas be careful what you wish for because you might just get it.

Malachi realized that one day God would enter into the temple and his glory would return. This would be the day of the Lord. On that day all the sinners of Judah would stand before the Lord, trembling, because of their failure to obey God's law.

But then Malachi realized something very important about God. God is like a silversmith. Let me explain. Normally silver is found in nature filled with impurities. Silver in this state is not particularly shiny and would not make a good mirror. But if you refine the silver by heating it over a fire it will bubble and hiss as the impurity, oxygen, escapes leaving behind pure silver. If you then add carbon, charcoal, to the molten silver the oxygen cannot return, and you are left with a shiny metal that can be polished into a mirror that reflects your image.

So too with us. We were created to reflect the image of God. We were pure and polished and reflected God's glory perfectly until sin entered the world. Sin is a impurity that distorts God's image in us. We can't get rid of sin any more than silver can get rid of oxygen by itself. Like silver we need a refiner who will purge the impurity of sin from us so that we again reflect God's image perfectly. Malachi said that this refiner is God, and God will purge the impurity of sin from us. Malachi described it in this way.

Malachi 3:1-4 ^NIV Malachi 3:1 "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. ² But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴ and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.

So according to Malachi God will begin refining us with fire, purging the impurity of sin from us when he enter the temple. When will this happen? When will God return to the temple? Hundreds of years after Malachi, God did return to his temple. The witness was named Simeon. Here is what happened.

Luke 2:22-32 ²² When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons." ²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ²⁹ "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. ³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all people, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

So the glory of God returned to the temple when Jesus was brought there by his parents in obedience to God law. And at that moment our refinement began. God has already started the process for sin to be purged away from us. Jesus is the one who came to remove sin from our lives. And this is really good news because we don't have to remove sin ourselves. It wouldn't do any good for me to wave my finger at you and tell you not to sin. You would simply ignore me and keep doing what you are doing. But if the glory of God is present here in this church your transformation has already begun. You are already experiencing a distaste of sin. You are already less likely to be unfaithful to your spouse. You are already caring for the poor and foreigners. You are already giving to the church. These are all signs that the glory of God is on you, the Spirit of God is in you, refining you, and purging your sin away.

This transformation in you is called sanctification and is the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is a lifelong process that refines you so that you reflect the glory of God as you were created to do. Sanctification can be nurtured by the church in worship, prayer and Bible study. So I urge you to come to worship every Sunday, study the Bible in a small group every week and pray every day. Do this and you will become more and more like Christ.

Holy Spirit I ask that you enter into my church and hearts of these people and transform them into the image and likeness of Christ. Purge from them the sin that has stained them since birth. Empower our worship, prayers and Bible studies to promote spiritual growth. And provide us evidence of that growth in the increased faithfulness of couples, an expanding concern for the poor and immigrants, and tithing to the church. This we pray in the name of the one who brought God's glory into the temple, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sermon – Jeremiah 33:14-16 - Promises Fulfilled

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Jeremiah 33:14-16 - Promises Fulfilled

Advent 1

December 2, 2012

Thanksgiving is over and it is time to get ready for Christmas. The church calls this time Advent. In Advent we joyfully wait for the coming our our savior. Or at least we are suppose to be joyful. But some of us are living in a world of trouble, and being joyful at this time is a hard thing, if not an impossible thing, to do. There are many people who just can't bring themselves to be joyful right now. And for them all the lights and decorations and presents are nuisances. The problem is that most people are afraid of the future. And when you are afraid of what the future might hold this fear can turn into despair. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I met a young person who was afraid of what his future might hold. This young man has a bright future ahead of him. He has straight As in school and a perfect score on the test needed to enter graduate school. Next year he will be working on a PhD in physics at one of the top schools in the country. And I am convinced that one day he will do something that will benefit the world. But he is apprehensive about his future. He doesn't know yet where he will go for his education. He is unsure about what he will study. And he has no idea what he will do with his life. So he is apprehensive about his future.

I met another person over Thanksgiving who in a different way fears the future. Up until 2009 this person had a successful business remodeling homes for the very rich in Washington DC. He made good money to support his family which includes three teenagers. But then the housing bubble burst and he couldn't find work. Unemployment compensation helped a little but not enough. Today he is doing odd jobs for a fraction of what he used to make. The strain on his family was too much. He and his wife are getting a divorce. Their home will be foreclosed on in a few weeks. He doesn't know where he will live or what he will do. He is very apprehensive about the future.

I met a woman over Thanksgiving who also was also apprehensive about the future. She had come from Korea with her husband and children to study English and hopefully stay here working as a nurse. But it is now much harder for immigrants to get nursing jobs than it used to be. Her husband is working at a place that promised to help him become a permanent resident of the United States. This would help a lot. But now they are not so sure that this will work. They may have to go back to Korea. But their children are doing well in American schools and she would like to keep them here. So she worries every day about what will happen to her family.

All of us worry about the future. We worry about whether or not we will remain healthy as we grow old. We worry about our finances and job prospects for our children. Some of us are even worrying that the Mayan Calendar will come to an end in a couple of weeks. We have plenty of things to worry about.

There are two ways that we can deal with our fear of the future. We can be filled with hope that things will turn out better than we fear. Or we can be filled with despair that what we fear will happen no matter what. Are we filled with hope or despair? If you believe in karma or fate you are doomed to despair because there is nothing that can stop what you fear from happening. You need a savior who will fill you with hope and prevent what you fear the most from.

In the time of Jeremiah the Hebrew people had fallen into despair. Their nation had fallen to the Babylonians. Their farms and cities had been destroyed. They had watched as family and friends had been killed. Many of them had been carried off to exile. Their only hope was that Egypt would come to save them by defeating the Babylonians. But it was now clear that Egypt was not coming. There was no hope, no savior, only despair.

It is hard not to face our own future with despair. We see the large debt the government is running up. We see people unemployed and companies downsizing. We see congregations getting older and smaller. We see our loved ones suffering and sick. We see no hope, and all we are left with is despair.

God spoke to the Hebrew people through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah with these words.

Jeremiah 33:14-16 ¹⁴ "'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. ¹⁵ "'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. ¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.'

God's purpose with this was to fill his people with hope that a savior was on the way. This savior would be a descendant of King David to whom God had promised an everlasting dynasty. God wanted his people to hope in the coming of a messiah who would rule in justice and righteousness.

As we look to the future are we filled with hope or despair? Do we hope that things will be better, or do we despair that they will not? The answer to this question depends on whether or not we believe that a savior in on the way. For some of you your savior is a parent or a child or a brother or sister or an aunt or uncle would will save you if the worst happens. But if your hope is in other people you will be disappointed. Others cannot be you savior because they are too busy trying to save themselves, For others, you will try to save yourselves with money or hard work or land or even prayer, worship and Bible Study. But if you try to save yourself you will fail because works and things have no power to save you from an uncertain future where you may lose your stuff and your abilities. We need a savior because we cannot save ourselves. From where will this savior come?

The Hebrews waited hundreds of years for their savior. King Cyrus of Persia allowed then to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild their city and temple. Judas Maccabeus overthrew the Greeks and made Judah an independent kingdom. But neither of these were saviors. Neither of these were descendants of David. Neither of these were the fulfillment of God's promise to David. The fulfillment of God's promise came two thousand years ago in a place where animals were fed in Bethlehem, David's hometown. God began the fulfillment of the promise he made to David with the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. Today we live with the hope of a glorious future with his promise to return to rule the earth in justice and righteousness. When this occurs God promises will be fulfilled.

This past week I was with a young couple at the hospital in Salisbury. A young man with a pregnant wife had just been laid off from Walmart the day before. He was very apprehensive about his future. He was very discouraged about having to go on unemployment again. He was bordering on despair. But a couple of hours later he called me with good news and great joy in his heart because his daughter Gigi had just been born. The birth of a child fills us with hope and promise. And so the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem fill us with hope that a new, glorious future awaits us.

The promise of scripture is that our savior, Jesus Christ, is coming. In Jesus, God's promise to David has been fulfilled. Jesus is coming and your future is bright. He will come again and we will be resurrected from our graves to live in a new creation. Therefore there is nothing for us to fear. There is no reason for despair, because we are all filled will hope that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. And this is why Christians are so joyful at Christmas. Even though our lives are filled with troubles we rejoice because our savior is coming.

I know that many if not all of you have fears of what the future will bring. I urge you this Advent to not despair. Be filled with hope because your savior is coming. You future is bright. So fear not and rejoice at the birth of your savior, Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus we wait you coming this Advent season. We live in a world filled with problems we can't solve ourselves. We are headed to a life of despair. We need a savior who will fill us with hope of a blesses future. Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Sermon – John 18:33-37 – Jesus Our King

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – John 18: 33-37 – Jesus Our King

Reign of Christ Sunday

November 25, 2012

Today is the Sunday we celebrate the Reign of Christ. This is the end of the Ordinary Time which has lasted since Pentecost Sunday, and today marks a transition to Advent and the beginning of a new church year. Worship today is centered on the risen Jesus Christ who rules over all of creation. As King, Jesus is due loyalty and honor from everyone on earth. And Christ stands with anyone who claims that Jesus is Lord. But people often misunderstand what it means to call Christ the king. These misunderstandings are a result of our expectations that a king is either a political or military ruler. In the case of Jesus we see that the word “king” means something different from how we normally use that word.

Sometimes two people can see the same thing, the same event, but understand it in two radically different ways. This happened just this week at Pitts Creek Church. At about 6:15 Tuesday morning I was praying in the lounge. The lights of the church were on and the door was open just as it has been for two and a half years to welcome the community to prayer. There is even a large banner out front telling people that they are welcome to come pray with us every morning at 6. Last Tuesday I heard and saw that some people had entered the sanctuary. This is what I hope for every day, that people would come into the church at dawn for prayers. But I found that the people in the sanctuary had a very different idea about what was going on. They were Pocomoke police who responded to a call that someone had left the church open and the lights on. The police entered the sanctuary not for prayer, as I had hoped, but to find out what the problem was. They saw the evidence and thought something was wrong. I saw the evidence and thought people were coming for prayer. This happens all the time in court trials, and juries have the job of sifting through the evidence and finding out what really happened.

Today we will be looking at Jesus' trial before the Roman Governor, Pilate. And we will see that different people will see the same evidence and reach different conclusions. We are the jury and we will sift through the evidence and the competing clams, but first lets pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

John 18:33-37 ³³ Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" ³⁴ "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?" ³⁵ "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?" ³⁶ Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." ³⁷ "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

The issue at hand was whether or not Jesus is the “King of the Jews”. And Pilate was interrogating Jesus to find out. For Pilate the word “king” had a political meaning. A king would have control over a particular people living in a particular region. For Pilate, a king could be problematic because loyalty to a king could challenge the people's required loyalty to the Roman Emperor. Pilate's job was to make sure that there were no challenges to the Emperor's authority in the Provence of Judah. And so someone claiming to be the King of the Jews was potentially a threat, someone who could cause trouble. And trouble was the last thing Pilate needed. So he questioned Jesus to determine if Jesus was a threat to Rome.

Jesus needed to know if Pilate was using the word “king” in its political sense or in some other way. So he asked Pilate if his questions were motivated by his own needs or the needs of some other group. Pilate assured him that he was not asking these questions from the perspective of the Jewish leaders. And Jesus assured Pilate that he had nothing to fear politically because his kingdom was not of this world. Jesus is a king, but not in a political way.

Outside in the courtyard was a group of people demanding Jesus' crucifixion. They had a completely different understanding of what in meant to be the King of the Jews. The crowd understood the word “king” in an military sense. When they heard “King of the Jews” they thought of David. David had been the King of the Jews a thousand years before. He had united the twelve tribes and defeated their hated enemy, the Philistines. This ushered in a period of peace and prosperity which lasted hundreds of years. The crowd expected that one day a descendant of David would return and lead them to overthrow the Roman tyrants. And when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey it appeared to them that the son of David, the messiah, had finally come. But Jesus was not the great military ruler that they expected. He did not come with an army ready for battle with the Romans. Rather he let himself be arrested. The people thought that Jesus was a fraud, a false messiah. So they demand that he be crucified.

Jesus was neither the political king that Pilate feared nor the liberating king the people expected. Jesus was the King of the Jews, but in a different sense.

The ancient Hebrews had a king. His name was Yahweh. We know him as God. God freed them from slavery in Egypt. God led them through the wilderness as a pillar of smoke during the day and a pillar of fire at night. God led them as they settled in the Promised Land. And when the Hebrews needed help to defend against invaders God sent judges to form them into temporary armies for protection. God was their King. But to deal with the threat of an invasion of the Philistines and their superior iron weapons and shields the people demanded an earthly king. God allowed this provided that the people remembered that the king must always act in accordance with God's will because, in reality, God remained the King of the Jews.

This should have been the understanding of the Jewish leaders during Jesus' trial. They should have known God was their king. But they had forgotten this. They understood the word “king” only in it's political sense. And so as the crowd demanded Jesus crucifixion the high priests declared: John 19:15 "We have no king but Caesar.”

There's the trial and you are the jury. You job is to sift through what you have heard and determine the truth about whether or not Jesus is the King of the Jews and what this might mean. It seems pretty clear that Jesus is not a political king who has come to rule a particular territory for a limited time span. Jesus is no real threat to Pilate. And Jesus is not a military leader like David who will lead the people in a revolution to overthrow the Roman occupation. In what way is Jesus the King of the Jews? Of course God is the King of the Jews. If the King of the Jew is God and if Jesus is the King of the Jews then Jesus must be God. This is the conclusion that Pilate, the Jewish leaders and the crowd are all running from. The evidence it there. The truth is obvious. Jesus is truly the King of the Jews because Jesus is God.

As Christians we don't to Jesus as “King of the Jews”. Rather we use the equivalent term “Jesus is Lord,” On this Christ the King Sunday we affirm the fact the Jesus is our Lord, not in a political or military sense, but in the sense that since he is God he has authority over all of creation. The kings and presidents of this world must bow down to Jesus and do what he wants done. Businesses and schools must bow down to Jesus and follow his commands. Churches must bow down to Jesus and follow wherever he leads. And all of us must bow down to Jesus as our Lord.

According to our earlier reading from Revelation, our Lord Jesus has made us into a kingdom and equipped each of us Christians to serve a priests in that kingdom. As priests you are able to speak directly to God in worship, Bible study and prayer. Though this you come to know what the will of God is for our church and community and nation. And you are empowered by our Lord Jesus Christ to go out into the community and make God's will a reality. So bring food to distribute to hungry families this Christmas. Contribute to the relief effort for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Invite people to come to church this Christmas. Worship, pray and study your Bible to hear what God is telling you to do. And then do it because God is your king.

Lord Jesus Christ we have assembled today as your priests ready to hear what you have to say. We pledge to do whatever you want us to do. We will follow you into our community bringing your love and hope to people who desperately need it. We ask that you empower us so that your will be done on earth as it is heaven. We praise you as our heavenly God and king. Amen.