Sermon – 1 Corinthians 12:1-11- Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – 1 Corinthians 12:1-11- Gifts of the Holy Spirit

January 17, 2016

This morning we begin a look at the Book of 1 Corinthians. This letter was written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth. This church was experiencing problems. They were divided. And their division had less to do with what they believed, the content of their faith, than with what they did, the practice of their faith. They were divided by what they did in church. Paul was concerned with this division and so he sent this letter to help them deal with their differences. His hope was that this would reunite the church. The church today suffers from these same divisions. And so these words from Paul are especially helpful for us. 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)

Listen to the good news from the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth.

1 Corinthians12: 1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.

Paul wants for us to understand the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but first he needs to talk about the spiritual practices of non-Christians in the first century. The culture of the Roman empire in the first century was pagan. People were encouraged to worship all the gods of Rome hoping that none of the gods would become angry at them. Many temples were built and inside were statues of gods made from wood, metal or stone. These were painted in bright colors or maybe covered in gold. They were beautiful and inspired worship. But, of course, they couldn't talk. These were false gods and had no ability to communicate with their followers. But they did have priests and prophets. These priests and prophets would have words of knowledge, or words of wisdom from their god. Often these priests and prophets would speak in tongues and someone else would interpret for the people to understand what their god was saying. All of this was just a made up show, or, possibly, controlled by an evil spirit. The church was very clear that all these were false gods, and Christians should stay away from the pagan temples, priests and prophets.

But as pagans become Christian they asked, “Doesn't the Christian God speak through prophets in words of wisdom and words of knowledge? Certainly the Bible talks about prophets speaking a word from God. Doesn't the Christian God speak through tongues and the interpretation of tongues? How does the Christian God speak to his people?

Some people in the church at Corinth were comfortable with words of knowledge and words of wisdom. They saw a place in church for the speaking and interpreting of tongues. Others in the church weren't so sure. They were skeptical of these pagan practices. This led to a division in the church over spiritual gifts. And so Paul needed to write this letter to bridge the division and bring the church back together.

We have the same division in the church today. People who accept words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and speaking and interpreting of tongues worship in one building on Sunday mornings. People who are skeptical of these gifts worship in another building down the street. Paul would be appalled at this. Paul would want us to come together because all gifts of the Holy Spirit are necessary for building up the church. But Paul would also want us to understand what these gifts mean within the context of the church. So let's go back to 1 Corinthians and hear what Paul has to say.

3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

When someone is using spiritual gifts you must discern if these gifts are from the Holy Spirit or from something else. The test is simple. If a person can say with his lips, “Jesus is Lord” then that person is a Christian and the spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit. This means that a person filled with the Holy Spirit places Jesus above all the other pagan gods of the Roman empire. For us this means that we put God above everything in our lives. If we do this then our words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and speaking and interpreting tongues is from the Holy Spirit. But if we are motivated by any other things, money, power, beauty, whatever, then our gifts are not from the Holy Spirit. So I urge you to worship only our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the gifts of this God will be yours in abundance. Let's return to Paul's letter to Corinth.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

For a church to thrive it has to have people with different gifts. We need people to serve the needy in the church and in the community. We need people to work in the church to take care of the building, finances, teaching, evangelism and worship. And thankfully the Holy Spirit provides us with all these things in abundance. Today at our congregational meeting we will celebrate the gifts God has provided us in elders, who nurture our spiritual growth, deacons who provide for our physical needs, and trustees who care for our building and finances. The leadership of this church is proof that we are filled with the Holy Spirit and have been given spiritual gifts in abundance.

But some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit divide us. So let's listen to Paul as he talks about some of these.

8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

These are some of the gifts the Holy Spirit provides for the building up of the church. Let's begin with the gift of words of wisdom. This gift is the ability to communicate the great truths of our faith in preaching and teaching. This truth was hidden for ages but is now revealed in Jesus Christ. Paul talks about this gift in the second chapter of 1 Corinthians.

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen,    what no ear has heard,and what no human mind has conceived”—    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

And so as you read scripture, attend Bible studies and worship you are learning the wisdom of God. This is the gift of words of wisdom from the Holy Spirit. The church needs women and men with the gift of words of wisdom as preachers and teachers, and thankfully we do. As I prepare a sermon I depend on the Holy Spirit to tell me what I need to tell you. Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to me as I read scripture. Sometimes he speaks in my mind as I read what others have written. Sometime I wake up in the middle of the night with what I need to say to you. As soon as I hear words of wisdom from the Holy Spirit I write it down directly into a computer. Later I edit it and prepare it for presentation. Through this process the Holy Spirit speaks through me to this congregation. This is the gift from the Holy Spirit of words of wisdom.

Let's turn now to the gift of words of knowledge. This gift is what we use when we give our testimony to others. Whenever we talk about what God has done in our lives we are using the gift of words of knowledge from the Holy Spirit. Paul explains it this way from the first chapter of 1 Corinthians.

4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

And so Paul ties the gift of words of knowledge to testimony about what Christ is doing with the church. You will hear and read about what God is doing in this church in the annual report and at the annual meeting. This is testimony of what God has been doing among us this past year. Also if you attend any of our Bible studies you will hear testimony from others in the church during our discussions. You will hear stories of what God is doing in the lives of people you know. Our ability to speak and receive this testimony of Jesus working in our lives is evidence that we have received the gift of knowledge from the Holy Spirit.

God provides all of these gifts to us for the building up of the church. Churches need people who serve others. They need people who do the work of the church. Churches need people who will proclaim and teach God's wisdom, and will give testimonies of what God is doing among us. Thankfully First Presbyterian Church has the gifts of words of wisdom and words of knowledge, and they are being used for the building up of the church.

There are other gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some of these, especially the gifts of healing and of speaking in tongues, divides the church today. We will talk about these gifts next week.

We are all filled with the Holy Spirit because we can proclaim with our mouths the words, “Jesus is Lord.” That means that we can preach and teach the truth about Jesus Christ with the gift of wisdom. And we can share our testimony of what Jesus is doing in our lives with the gift of knowledge. The Holy Spirit gives us these gifts for the building up of the church. Let's pray.

Holy Spirit, we thank you for bestowing on us these spiritual gifts. We thank you for the gifts of service and work and all the people of the church who do what needs to be done at the church and to serve the needs of one another. We thank you for the gift of words of wisdom and our preachers and teachers who share the wisdom of God with us. And we thank you for the gift of words of knowledge and the testimonies of God at work in our church. We ask for your continuing blessings of gifts upon us. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Sermon – Ephesians 3:1-12 A Mystery

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Ephesians 3:1-12 A Mystery

January 10, 2016

This is the first Sunday in the season of Epiphany. An epiphany is a moment when you suddenly understand something which has been hidden from your view. As Christians we celebrate the coming of Christ who revealed God's plan for us; a plan which had been there all along, but had been hidden from our understanding.

We love to discover things which have been hidden. We love to open an old book and find a letter our grandmother had received decades ago. We love to discover our grandfathers World War 1 uniform in the attic. We love to find our First Grade Report Card among our mother's things when we clean out her house. Suddenly you see something which had been hidden, you have an epiphany.

Epiphany is what makes mysteries so popular. A mystery is a story where the truth is hidden until a great detective uncovers that one fact which solves the case. My favorite mystery writer is Agatha Christie. Her novels usually feature wealthy people in an exotic locations. One of them is murdered. That's when Hercule Poirot arrives. He eliminates the suspects one by one and solves the case with a piece of evidence which had been there all along, but everyone had ignored. This piece of evidence becomes the key for solving the mystery. When we suddenly realize the solution that had been hidden we have an epiphany.

According to the Apostle Paul there is a mystery in the Bible. And when the solution is discovered we too will have an epiphany. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

O Christ, light made manifest as the true light of God, gladden our hearts on the joyful morning of your glory; call us by our name on the great Day of your coming; and give us grace to offer, with all the hosts of heaven, unending praise to God in whom all things find their ending, now and ever. Amen (Book of Common Worship p. 193)

We revisit today Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus. Paul had established this church and later sent his protege Timothy there as its pastor. Now, later in Paul's career, he is writing this letter to provide the church with a solid foundation for the future. Paul is in prison, and is unsure how much longer he will live. As he looks back over his ministry he realizes that he, like Hercule Poirot, had discovered a solution to an ancient mystery. The churches he had started had been born in the sudden awareness of this solution. They had an epiphany. Let's hear what Paul had to say. Listen to the good news from the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Ephesus.

Ephesian3:1-12 1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.

In this passage the Apostle Paul talks about a mystery. A secret has been hidden for thousands of years. There have been many clues. But not until Jesus Christ did we have a solution to the mystery. Let's take a look at some of the clues and see what we have.

Thousands of years ago God selected a couple, Abraham and Sarah to begin a family which would become a great nation and the people of God. God said this at the time. From Genesis 12 we read:

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation,    and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

So God has promised Sarah and Abraham that he would bless them richly by giving them many descendants. In return Sarah and Abraham are to bless others. With this covenant God's people were established and God blessed them richly. They were to bless others just as they had been blessed. But what could God have meant when he said, “and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”?

God fulfilled his promise to bless his people by giving them kings. These kings were to rule in justice and righteousnes by caring for the poor in their nations. The greatest of all kings was David who wrote:

Psalm 2:6-8 “I have installed my king    on , my holy mountain.” 7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son;    today I have become your father. 8 Ask me,    and I will make the nations your inheritance,    the ends of the earth your possession.

Certainly God made David a mighty king with a powerful kingdom. But what could have God meant when he said, “I will make the nations your inheritance.”?

And when God's people where in exile in Babylon God sent a prophet with words of comfort. This is what Isaiah said:

Isaiah 42:5 -6 This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it 6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;    I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you     to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles.

So their God sent a prophet to hold their hands. But what could God have meant when he called them “a light for the Gentiles”?

Let's put all of this together and try to figure out the mystery. God told Abraham and Sarah that through their family all the the families on earth will be blessed. God told David that the nations would be his inheritance. And God told the exiles in Babylon that they would be a light to the gentiles. So, what could all of this mean? It's a mystery which dumbfounded the people for thousands of years. But then Jesus came and the mystery was solved.

Let's listen as the great detective, Paul of Tarsus, solves this mystery.

Ephesian 3

 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery,which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 

The great mystery that Jesus came to solve was that God was not just the God of the Jews. Rather our God, who created everything in heaven and on earth, is the God of everything and everyone. God's people of the first century thought that God had come only for the Jews. But had an epiphany. Suddenly, they realized that their scripture had always said that God is a God who blesses both Jew and Gentile, non-Jew.

This epiphany led to two things. First was Paul's ministry where he offered faith in Israel's God to the Gentiles for the first time. This resulted in the explosive growth of the church as Gentiles came to the creator God through his son Jesus Christ. It also resulted in Paul arrest because the religious leaders of the day were frightened by this epiphany of inclusiveness.

And second thing this epiphany did was to establish the church where both Jew and Gentiles could worship together. Gentiles and Jews began worship on Sunday mornings in house churches celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christs. These gatherings grew and began renting and building places of worship. Churches were established, grew, and started new churches.

The religious leaders of the first century could not tolerate this. They had Paul put in prison. But as his churches of Jews and Gentiles grew it became obvious that he was right. God does want everyone, from every race and every nation to worship him. And that is the mission of the church today.

First Presbyterian Church has a membership the is basically white, but things are changing. Last year you made a Nigerian a member of your church and you called an interim pastor with a Korean wife. At our 1:00 pm service several Koreans have been attending and last week they were joined by several people from Cameroon and Sierra Leone. We have hundreds of international students coming here for breakfast in the summer. They also attend Christian movies, and ESL classes here in the church. This is our epiphany. Suddenly we have discovered what God wants us to do. We are becoming what God has wanted from us all along. We are becoming a multi-ethnic church in fulfillment of God's desire.

If this seems to be a sudden change, it is. Suddenly God has revealed to us what has been hidden, but has always been true. The mission of the church is to be a blessing for all families on earth. Christ is the king over all nations on earth. And all Christians are to be a light to all ethnic groups, welcoming everyone into our community. Let's pray.

Father in heaven, we thank you for revealing a mystery which had been hidden for so long. We had thought that you were a God for us alone. But now we have discovered that you are a God of everyone. Help us to be an inclusive church welcoming everyone to worship with us. This we pray in the name of your Son who revealed that this mission had been your plan all along. Amen.

Sermon – Ephesians 1:1-14 The Word of God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Ephesians 1:1-14 The Word of God

January 3, 2016

This is the second Sunday in the season of Christmas. The twelve days Christmas will end this Tuesday. On Wednesday we begin the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means a sudden awareness of something. For Christians we became suddenly aware of the presence of God with us as Jesus Christ. and so the season of Epiphany is a time for celebrating the revelation our savior, the Light of the World. We will begin our worship during Epiphany next Sunday. But today, it's still Christmas. And so we return to our Christmas gifts. We will get to these, but first let's pray.

“Almighty God, you have filled us with the light of the Word who became flesh and lived among us. Let the light of faith shine in all that we do; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.” (Book of Common Worship p. 189)

Let's listen to the good news from the Apostle Paul to the church at Ephesus.

Ephesians 1:3-14

1 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d]made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Paul has listed for the Ephesians the most important gifts we receive from God at Christmas. These are election, predestination, redemption and forgiveness. Let's look at each of these wonderful gifts.

Election means that we have been chosen. God chose us, before our births for a very special task. We have been chosen to live holy and blameless lives. As Christians this is our purpose in life. God chose us to live in a certain way. And that way is to be free from sin. You have been given the ability by God to do this. And so now live your lives in a way that is pleasing to your God be holy and blameless. This is the meaning of the gift of election.

The second gift is predestination. This gift means that God decided, before you were born, to adopt you. You are now a child of God. This was sealed upon you in your baptism. As an adopted child of God you are now enabled to sing his praises. And why do we praise God? We praise him because he graciously gave us Jesus Christ. So we have been elected to lead holy and blameless lives and predestined to be adopted as the children of God to praise his holy name. But there are even more gifts.

The third gift is redemption. Redemption is paying the price to release someone from slavery. Since the fall of Adam and Eve we have been slaves to the devil and compelled to sin. But the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross paid that price. Through Jesus we have been redeemed and are no longer slaves to the devil. We are no longer compelled to sin. We are free to live holy and blameless lives as the adopted children of God. But there is still one more gift.

The fourth gift from God is forgiveness. Forgiveness means that everything you have done and 

everything you have left undone, all that displeases God, is now forgiven. God holds none of it against you. You are free from guilt. And this is truly a gift. There is nothing you have done or could do to cause God to forgive you. God forgives you solely because of his grace. God graciously forgives you and has released you from slavery to sin so that you may now live holy and blameless lives as his adopted children continually offering up praises to your heavenly father.

These gifts, election, predestination, redemption and forgiveness form the basis of our faith and our new lives in Jesus Christ. This is truly good news, but how do we know it to be true? How do we know that God has elected us for holy lives, predestined us to be his children, redeemed us from Satan's power, and forgiven our sins?

We know all this to be true because God reveals to us his will with wisdom and understanding. And that is why we worship. We come to church each week to offer up our praises and prayers to God and to listen for God's response to our praises and prayers in the reading and preaching of God's holy word. God speaks to us in the reading of scripture and in the pastor's preaching. The protestant reformers were very clear about what happen during worship. The reformer, Heinrich Bullinger writing the the 2^nd Helvetic Confession said,

“Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still true and good.” (5.005 Book of Confessions, Constitution of the PCUSA)

And so in worship we hear God's word for us in the reading of scripture and preaching of the pastor. I believe that I was called by God to proclaim his holy word. This call of God's was confirmed by my church and the National Capital Presbytery. And eight years ago I was ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament. Since then I have tried to live a life centered on daily meditation on scripture and prayer. This has enabled me to expound upon scripture each Sunday in a way that allows God to speak to the congregation. I assure you that my writing ability is not good enough to entertain you each Sunday. But I am confident that God is using me to say something to you each week. And what God has to say to you is vitally important. That's why we come to church. We have to hear from our creator each week.

Every Sunday I stand here and speak the words I truly think God wants you to hear. I pray for this to be the case. My words leave my mouth as sound waves. They are amplified by the sound system and they enter your ears. When the word of God enters your ears what happens? If you believe them to be true, truly the word of God, then all the promises of God, elected to lead holy and blameless lives, predestined to praise God as his adopted children, redeemed from the power of evil, and forgiven by God's grace, all of these gifts are sealed upon you by the Holy Spirit. As you listen to the preaching of God's word by a pastor called by God for this ministry the Holy Spirit comes upon you and the blessings of God are sealed upon you forever. That's why we come to worship.

Although God is present whenever people assemble to praise him, worship is far more than coming 

together in a way that is pleasing to God. Worship is far more that listening to music and throwing your hands in the air and speaking in tongues. Worship is far more than reading prayers and lighting candles. Worship is about talking to God in our prayers and receiving instructions from our creator in the reading and preaching of his word. Because true worship seals upon us all the promises of God as the Holy Spirit enters our lives.

If God desires to speak to you each Sunday how could you miss worship? Would you really rather spend Sunday morning in a coffee shop or on a golf course or sleeping in when your God wants to have a word with you? If Judge Mumford wanted you in his courtroom Monday morning you would go, wouldn't you? You wouldn’t tell the judge that coming today is not convenient. Well God wants to speak to you, and listen to your prayers every Sunday. Shouldn't you be here to hear what he has to say? I think so. I can't imagine not worshiping on Sunday mornings.

So get the word out that God desires to speak to his people every Sunday at 11am and 1pm right here at First Presbyterian Church. God will be right here to listen to prayers and proclaim his will for your lives. All those chosen to lead holy and blameless lives, predestined to praise God as his children, redeemed from slavery to evil, and forgiven by God's grace should be in worship every Sunday. Let's pray.

“Eternal God, a thousand years in your sight are like a watch in the night. As you have led us in days past, so guide us now and always, that our hearts may learn to choose your will, and new resolves be strengthened; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Book of Common Worship, p.190)

Sermon – Colossians 3:12-17 – Christmas Gifts

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Colossians 3:12-17 – Christmas Gifts

December 27, 2015                                              

            Christmas Day has come and gone and we are now in the season of the church calendar called Christmas.  Christmas lasts for a period of twelve days beginning on December 25.  Today is the third day of Christmas.  The twelve days of Christmas is the traditional time when Christians exchange gifts with each other, just as the wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus.  Here in America we usually exchange our gifts on the first day of Christmas.  People in other countries often use all twelve day to give gifts.  And according to the old song, by today you should have received from your true love, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.   There are still some unwrapped gifts under the tree.  We will open these, but first let's pray.

            All glory to you, great God, for the gift of your Son, whom you sent to save us. With singing angels, let us praise your name, and tell the earth his story, that all may believe, rejoice, and bow down, acknowledging your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.  (Book of Common Worship p.187)

            Listen to the good news from the Apostle Paul to the church at Colossi.  

Colossians 3:12-17

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

            As we look under the tree this on third day of Christmas we find a present for each one of us.  It's from God and has your name on.  Let's open it up a see what's inside.  There we find a Christmas gift from our God.  And what is this gift?  God has given us the gift of election.  We have been chosen, before we were even born, to be in the great drama God is unfolding called the history of the world.  We have been chosen for forgiveness and eternal life.  Because of this gift we experience great joy every Christmas. 

            God also has two other gifts for us.  The first is the gift of holiness.  God has made us holy.  We are set aside for God's purposes.  We are part of God's holy plan for the world.  We are marching in the great procession which leads from Adam and Eve to the return of Jesus.  And the second gift we receive is that we are loved by God.  Imagine that!  Not only has God chosen us with a particular purpose in mind, but we will fulfill our role as God's beloved.  God loves us so much that he sent his own son to die for us.  We have been saved.  We have been redeemed.  We have been forgiven, all because God is in love with us.

            What amazing gifts each of us has received God's election, God's holiness and God's love.  But there is another gift under the tree.  This gift is for the church, all of us together.  So let's open it up and see what God has given to all of us.  Inside is a paper chain like what you used to make as kids to put on the tree.  This chain has five links and each link stands for a Christmas gift God has given the church.  They are, “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”.

            The first gift we receive is compassion.  With this gift the church now cares for one another.  Whatever troubles one of us, troubles all of us.  One's concern is everyone's concern.  We have compassion for each other.  We experience their need.  When someone needs prayer or help of any kind we, the church, also experiences that need.  And whenever the church compassionately experiences the needs of any one of us we respond with kindness. 

            Kindness is our second gift.  Kindness means that we do whatever we have to do, whatever we can do, to satisfy the needs of our members.   If one of us needs prayer we pray.  If one of us needs financial help we give.  If one of us is hungry, we feed.  If one of us lacks housing, we find someplace for them to live.  Compassion with kindness leads to a caring church.  When we experience compassionately the needs in our church and respond with kindness we must do so with humility. 

            Humility is the third gift we receive from God.  Always remember that any of us could experience need.  Maybe you have enough money in the bank that your utilities won't be shut off.  But all the money in the world can't prevent a broken leg or a hyperactive thyroid or a stroke or a cancer on the lung.  All of us will, one day, need help.  And that is why the church is here.  When you are in need the church is here with compassionate kindness.  So when you see someone less fortunate than yourself, swallow your pride and humbly care for you fellow Christian.  Humble, compassionate kindness is God's gift to us through the church this Christmas.  But there is more.  When someone in the church experiences a need we respond with gentleness. 

            Gentleness is the fourth gift the church gets from God.  Usually, our first reaction is to tell a person in need where they have gone wrong and what they must do.  But this often comes across harshly.  Instead of pointing out where someone has gone off the tracks a humble, compassionate, and kind church responds with a gentle touch and shoulder to cry on.  Our primary task is not to fix problems or provide advice.  Our role is to pray for one another.  We should never be judgmental.  Praying for someone's needs is what a gentle, compassionate, humble and kind church does. 

            And believe it or not there is still another gift that God gives to the church, and this is patience.  Whenever we gently, compassionately, humbly, and kindly help a member in need we must remember that God sometimes takes time to answer prayer.  Prayers for healing or prayers for financial assistance or prayers of comfort and strength will be answered, but it can take a while.  And so a gentle, compassionate, humble and kind church is also a patient church.  Sometimes all we do is sit at a bedside and wait.  Sometimes it seems we have been praying for the same thing for months and years.  Sometimes the grief and anger just won't go away.  The gift we receive from God at Christmas is the gift of patience.  We compassionately experience one another's needs and we respond with kindness, gentleness, humbleness, and patience.  We receive all of this in a gift from God called the church.

            At Christmas we experience God's gift of peace, love, joy and forgiveness through the church.  What should be our response to these wonderful gifts?  The Apostle Paul says that we should express our thanks to God, but how exactly do we do this.  According to the apostle the way to express our thanks to God is for members of the church to teach scripture.  That's why a church needs teachers for children, youth and adults.  You could express your thanks to God by volunteering to teach.  We have children attending both of our worship services and they would love to learn of your God who gives kindness, compassion, patience, gentleness and humility to the church at Christmas.  If you would like to teach others in this church please let me know.  Teaching is a perfect way of thanking God for your gifts.  But there is more. 

            Another way to thank God is by singing.  That's why we sing in worship.  We sing praises to God in gratitude for all the gifts we have received.  If you would like to sing with this choir come Wednesday evening for practice.  If you can play a musical instrument please let me know.  We are putting together a band for our 1pm worship.  We can use you.  If God has given you musical ability use it in the church as a way of thanking God.  But there is still another way you can thank God for his Christmas gifts.

            According to the Apostle Paul the best way of thanking God for your Christmas gifts is to do everything in the name of Jesus.  So when you are out in the world be compassionate.  And when people ask you why you are concerned about them tell them that you follow Jesus.  Always be kind, and when people asks why you are doing things for them, tell them that it's what Jesus wants you to do.  Don't contemptuously tell people what they have done wrong, rather humbly pray with them, and when they ask you why you pray, tell them that Jesus prays for us.  Always be patient and gentle with people, and when they express surprise, tell them about our patient and gentle Jesus. 

            What a great Christmas! We have received so much from God.  We have been chosen for forgiveness and eternal life.  We belong to a compassionate, kind, gentle, humble, and patient church.  And we express our thanks by worship, teaching and singing.  Our gift to the world is our compassion, kindness, gentleness, humbleness and patience.  And as we do this we give credit to our compassionate, kind, gentle, humble and patient God named Jesus who was our Christmas gift this Christmas.  Let's pray.

            Almighty God, you gave your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and be born of the Virgin Mary. Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Book of Common Worship p. 187)