Sermon – Isaiah 43: 1-7 – Loved By God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Isaiah 43: 1-7 – Loved By God

Baptism of the Lord

January 13, 2013

Today is the Sunday when we remember the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John. This marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry. John's baptism was about repentance for the forgiveness of sin. But Jesus was sinless, the perfect Son of God, and therefore had no need to repent of his sins. Something else was going on there. We will see what God was trying to tell us, 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)

This is our seventh week together looking at some of the Old Testament prophets. Jeremiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, Micah, and Isaiah have all told us then whenever we have fallen into despair we rest in the assurance and hope that God will send a redeemer. Time and again the people of God saw their families killed, their homes and farms destroyed, their cities and temple reduced to rubble. They must have asked: Why did these bad things happen? Why does God allow bad things to happen to us?

This question is always on the lips of people who have experienced great loss. A loved one dies and we ask: Why? The doctor diagnoses our fatigue and says our liver is failing, and we ask: Why? We loose the job that has supported our family for decades and we ask: Why? Why, God, do you let bad things happen to your people?

The prophets are quite clear about this. It's not God's fault. God does not want bad things to happen to you, but they do. Sin has so warped God's creation that bad things happen all the time. And God's response when bad thing occurred is not to prevent them, but to send a redeemer to rescue us. Preventing all bad things from occurring is not part of God's character. But being with us, protecting us and redeeming us is. God does not stop the fiery furnace or the flood. But God is with us in the fire and flood and will rescue us. God did not prevent the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah and the exile of his people to Babylon. But he was with his people in exile and sent King Cyrus of Persia to redeem them. God is our insurance policy who does not prevent the car accident, but will get you a rental while your car is being fixed.

We should pause for a moment and consider the astonishing fact that the creator of world is so concerned about each one of us that he is with us and redeems us from all evil. Isn't it amazing the our creator God chooses to be with us when we experience the grief of losing a loved one? Isn't it remarkable that God wants to comfort us when we are sitting in the doctor's office getting the bad news? Isn't it incredible that God wants to strengthen us when we are dealing with something that overwhelms us? Why would the creator of the universe be concerned about you or me? The answer to this comes from the Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 43:1-7 ^NIV Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. ³ For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. ⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. ⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. ⁶ I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-- ⁷ everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

The creator God who is so concerned about us that he will send a redeemer to drag us out of the pit does so because he loves us. Scripture teaches us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8 and 16). And if this is true then our creator God needed someone to love because love is always in relationship with another. So if God is love, then God needed someone to love. And so God created you and me to love. We were created so that God would have people to love. His Son who redeems us and his Spirit who strengthens and comforts us are all expressions of that love.

God' love is absolute. His promise is to do whatever it takes, pay any price, to redeem us from evil. God demonstrated his great love for us by sending son, Jesus, into the world. Jesus is the redeemer who paid with his life for our sins. And if God loves us so much that would send his only Son for us, what is our response? If God loves us, what should we do? The answer from scripture is that we should love one another. We should love God. And if we, the church, love one another then the world will see God in us because God is love. God demonstrated this love in giving up his own life on the cross. God was willing to sacrifice his own Son to redeem us from slavery to sin. And so our love for God must be total, without reservation. We are to love God with all of our hearts, soul and mind, and love our neighbors as ourselves.

We see all of this in Jesus' baptism. You heard these words from Luke. “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." (Luke 3:21-22) We know from this that God and Jesus are bound together in love. And the chord that binds the Father and Son together in love is the Dove, the Holy Spirit. This is why baptism is so important. When we pass through the baptismal waters heaven opens and God's says “you are the one I love”.

Listen to what scripture says about God's love for us and our love for God:

Exodus 34:6 God (is) slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 7:9 He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Deuteronomy 7:12 God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.

Deuteronomy 30:16 I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands.

Psalm 42:8 ⁸ By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me

Psalm 48:9 ⁹ Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.

Psalm 136:26 ²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

Luke 10:27 Love your neighbor as yourself.

Romans 5:5 God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:8 God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:28 In all things God works for the good of those who love him,

Romans 8:39 - 9:1 (Nothing) in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 13:11 God of love and peace will be with you.

Ephesians 2:4-5 Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ.

Ephesians 5:2 Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

All of this is a great mystery. God, the creator of the universe loves us and wants us to love him and to love one another. All this happens because we believe in a God who is love and created us as objects to love. He loves us so much that he gave his only son to pay for our sins. And when we pass though the baptismal water he calls us his beloved.

Thank you dear Lord, for loving us. Your character is love. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are bound together by love. You created us as people so that you would have something to love. And so we love you in return. Help us to love you and love one another just as you have commanded us. Amen.

Sermon - Isaiah 60:1-6 - Be Radiant

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - Isaiah 60:1-6 - Be Radiant

Epiphany

January 6, 2013

Time never stops. Just as 2012 became 2013 last week so too does the church calendar keep moving. We have completed our celebration of our savior's birth. Today we celebrate Epiphany, the appearance of God on Earth. Traditionally the church has associated this day with the visit of the Magi, and the coming of Gentiles, non-ethnic Jews to belief in Jesus. In Jesus Christ, God has offered his son not just for the children of Abraham but to everyone on earth. And this is really good news. 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)

Towards the end of the sixth century before Christ the people of God were returning to Jerusalem after 40 years of exile in Babylon. The Babylonian empire had been crushed and Persia was the new power in town. King Cyrus of Persia told the Hebrews that they could return to Jerusalem to rebuild their city and their temple. Some of them preferred to stay in Babylon where they had built homes, farms and businesses. But many returned to their homeland to begin the rebuilding.

When they arrived in Jerusalem they found people living there. The city had been reduced to rubble by the Babylonians, and people were trying to eek out whatever life they could on top of a pile of rocks. The Babylonians had left behind in Jerusalem anyone they didn't want. So the poor, the sick, the aged, and the disabled were left to fend for themselves for forty years. The Jews coming home from exile also found aliens in their land. These people had come there as refugees from the wars of the sixth century. Some had brought their own pagan religions. Some aliens had begun worshiping God.

Many of the returning Jews wanted nothing to do with these people. They were poor, disabled and many were not even descendants of Abraham. Some had even been castrated to serve in the Imperial Government. So they were excluded from the religious and social life of the community. The returning Jews would live in gated communities and worship God by themselves. They thought that if they maintained their Sabbaths and fasted that God would bless them. But God was not happy with this and he sent a prophet to tell them what to do. And we have the writings of this prophet in the Book of Isaiah, chapters 56-66. Let's begin.

Isaiah 56:1-7 ^NIV Isaiah 56:1 This is what the LORD says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. ² Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." ³ Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people." And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." ⁴ For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- ⁵ to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. ⁶ And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-- ⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.

So God demanded radical inclusiveness. They must not exclude believers from other countries simply because they are not descendants of Abraham. They must not exclude believers who had served the imperial government simply because their bodies had been mutilated. All who believe in God, including the alien and the eunuch, must be admitted into the assembly if they believe in God and obey his commands. The temple that was to be built in Jerusalem would be known as a “House of Prayer for all Nations.”

The returning exiles thought they could hide behind their worship and fasting and still be able to cheat people in business and to not care for the poor. They would worship in the synagogues in Friday evenings and fast when they were told to, but when the sun rose of Sunday morning they could take away someone's home or farm on some technicality and ignore a hungry beggar on the streets. The prophet put it this way.

Isaiah 58:3-7 ³ 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. ⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. ⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? ⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

So inclusiveness was not the only thing God wanted. God wanted all people to receive justice and for the poor and needy, and the widows and orphans to receive what they needed. God demanded justice and righteousness for all people. But the returning exiles ignored what God wanted and fell into sin.

Isaiah 59:2-9 ² But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. ³ For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. ⁴ No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. ⁵ They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. ⁶ Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. ⁷ Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways. ⁸ The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace. ⁹ So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. 

We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

So what's the solution to all this? Will we live darkness forever? We will unless a redeemer comes.

Isaiah 59:20-21 ²⁰ "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD. ²¹ "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.

The Glory of God will come and when we see it our sins will be forgiven and we will be free to welcome the outsider in our congregation, to act justly in all our dealings and to care for the poor. And so the prophet commands us.

^NIV Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. ² See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. ³ Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. ⁴ "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. ⁵ Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. ⁶ Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

Five hundred years later the Glory of God had come to house in Bethlehem. Magi from a far off country saw God's Glory light the heavens. They came to Jesus bearing gold and incense and praising God. Today the Glory of God is here with us on this Epiphany Sunday. And we are not ethnic Jews, descendants of Abraham. We are aliens who have benefited from the radical inclusiveness of the church. We are called to be a people of justice, treating others as we would want to be treated. We are called to be a people who cares for the poor in our community and around the world. And like the wise men who visited Jesus we bring our gifts to advance God's mission on Earth.

Let us pray. Father in heaven let your light shine on us this day. Help us to be the people we were created to be not just in worship but every day of our lives. Forgive our sin and lead us to new life. Help us to do your will on earth as in heaven. Amen.

Sermon - Micah 5: 2-5 – Live Secure

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - Micah 5: 2-5 – Live Secure

Christmas 1

December 30, 2012

We are now in the season of Christmas. We are putting away presents, sending thank you notes, and taking down the tree. But for many of the Christians in the world the festivities are just starting. In the Christian calendar Christmas starts on December 25^th and lasts for twelve days culminating with the giving of gifts on the eve of the Feast of Epiphany on January 6. And if a popular song from the 18^th Century is any guide today, the sixth day of Christmas is the time when your true love will give to you six geese a-laying and so on. This is a glorious and joyful time. And we need to thank God for all the blessings we have received. But not everyone is having a joyful time. Not everyone is feeling blessed right now. There are real problems in the world. So we need a savior as much as ever. And since we have already heard from Jeremiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, and Isaiah we rejoice because we know a savior is coming. Let us 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)

Sometime in the last decade of the first century before Christ a group of astronomers arrived in Jerusalem. They had seen something in the heavens that indicated that a new king of the Jews had been born. They assumed that this would be a political king so they went to the king's palace for a meeting with King Herod. They knew when the messiah would be born from the stars. But they didn't know where this would take place. King Herod wanted to know where this was happening so he directed his own scholars to search the ancient records to see if this location could be determined.

The most learned men of Judah began searching the ancient scrolls. Nowhere in Jeremiah, Malachi, Zephaniah or even Isaiah was the information they sought to be found. So they went to an old scroll of one of the prophets from 800 years before, the scroll of the prophet Micah. And what they read there must have terrified them.

As they read the scroll they must have realized the Judah in the 8^th century before Christ was experiencing a disaster. The coalition which had allowed the kingdoms of Syria, Israel and Judah to prosper had fallen apart. And the Assyrians were taking full advantage of the situation. Damascus fell to the Assyrian army as did Samaria. And Jerusalem was next. The Assyrian army destroyed farms and fortified cities in the Judean country side. The only reason Jerusalem was spared destruction was that King Ahaz of Judah payed a large tribute to the King of Assyria.

The effect of all this was a disaster. With the farms destroyed there was no harvest that year. There was no food for the people to eat at the very moment that a large number of refugees were pouring in from the north. People were hungry. Starvation was right around the corner. In this desperate condition what could they do? They needed God to do something. They needed a savior.

It was at this time that God sent a message to a prophet in a most unlikely place. His name was Micah and he lived in a rural farming village in the southwest corner of the country. He brought this message from God to Jerusalem. But when he arrived in the capitol he was shocked by what he saw. Government officials were taking bribes. Priest demanded money for performing sacrifices. Even prophets would say whatever you wanted to hear for a price. Micah saw that people were foreclosing on mortgages on family farms throwing people out of their ancestral homes. Greed was their god. No one in Jerusalem was caring for the poor and the needy. No one in Jerusalem was caring for the widow, the orphan or the homeless. And so Micah realized that God could not use Jerusalem to save his people from starvation. A new leader, a savior, was needed to feed the people of Judah like a shepherd feeds his flock. But where would this savior come from?

Jerusalem was the political capitol of the nation, but Bethlehem was its bread basket. Bethlehem literally means “House of Bread”. The area around Bethlehem was a rich agricultural region that could feed the nation. So a farmer, a shepherd like David, from Bethlehem was needed to feed the hungry people of Judah. God put it this way speaking through the mouth of the prophet Micah.

² "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." ³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. ⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. ⁵ And he will be their peace.

The first century scholars in Jerusalem read all of this in the ancient scroll. They realized that the messiah, the Christ, the anointed one the magi were looking for had come to Bethlehem. God had sent a new king not to Jerusalem where David reigned, but to Bethlehem where David was a shepherd. The messiah would not be a political and military ruler. Rather he would be a shepherd who would feed his people.

This was not good new to King Herod. He conspired to destroy the messiah by killing all the boys in Bethlehem two years and younger. But God had something else in mind. He sent the magi to Bethlehem with gifts for Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. These gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh where just what the family needed to flee Judah into Egypt as refuges fleeing the wrath of Herod. God had provided this young family with the money they needed to buy food and survive in a foreign country.

And so the prophecy of Micah has been fulfilled. Our savior has come to Bethlehem. This savior is not a military and political ruler like David the King. Instead he is like David the Shepherd tending his flock, making sure they are fed. And this is good news for us because we have a savior who cares for us. He is our good shepherd. The Psalmist put it this way.

Psalm 23:1-6 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

But the promise of God as spoken through the prophet Micah is that our savior is not just for us. Rather he has come to save the whole world. He has come to restore the covenant with Abraham that

“all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3) And so to completely fulfill the prophecy of Micah, Christ established his church as a blessing for the world. So we are now the shepherds for a hungry world. We are to care for the poor and needy. We are to care for the widow and orphans. We are to feed the hungry of the world. But this job is too big for us. How can we do it? The only hope the world has is that God will be their shepherd working through us to bless them.

So like the wise men who visited Jesus we need to bring gifts out of the abundance that God has given us and join together with churches around the world to bless the people who need a savior. We live securely here in American. Let us use our resources to help others live as securely as we do. And when the people of the world live securely there will be peace on earth because people who have been blessed do not have to use force to get what they need. So be an instrument of peace and help others to live in security. Let us pray.

^{Lord Jesus, we come to you this day just as the magi did when you were a young child. We bring our gifts to you just as they did. Use our gifts to help others live securely. And though us bring the blessings peace upon the world. This is our Christmas prayer. Amen.}

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.