Tag: Future

Sermon: Out of Darkness

No, we cannot fix our nation’s ills right now. But we can hope. We can nurture that hope, we can help it grow and spread. For this reason Jesus was born.
And, hope is what we need now in this time of darkness, confusion, hate, and fear. For if there is hope, hate and fear fall away. If there is hope, confusion and darkness are not nearly so scary.

Please join me in prayer…

Lord God, may your peace and Holy Spirit fill this place. Open your scriptures to us, and may I clearly communicate that which you intend us to receive. May your Word take root and flourish within each and every one of us. Through it may we be strengthened and transformed by your unconditional, living, and limitless love for all of your Creation.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

I’ll begin with a quote I heard in Seminary. But, I’ve been unable to find the source or exact wording. So, I’m quoting from memory … plagiarizing and paraphrasing, all at the same time! What a Jewish scholar said (more or less) was, “Christianity did what Judaism never has. It envisioned God in an infant. This is an amazing thing.”

For me, his words are helpful in this era of darkness and uncertainty. Especially now, at the start of Advent. Itself a season of darkness in which we prepare ourselves for the days when hope is reborn, the hope that Jeremiah spoke of.

Infants can do nothing for themselves. For a newborn, that first breath (or any bodily function or sensation) is often a traumatic event. It’s all new, all unknown, it’s scary. They need help, they need comforting, they need nurturing. They need us.

So, why did God begin Jesus’ ministry in a position of absolute vulnerability? Jesus had no choice but to rely entirely upon others, upon us, for everything. Why did the Savior begin his earthly ministry as a helpless, fragile, infant?

Well, since I’m the one preaching this morning, I’ll tell you. … At least I’ll tell you what I think! But first, let’s step back a bit and consider the context of this birth to come.

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Sermon: It is Hard to Say Goodbye

Saying Goodbye is essential to our walk with Christ. It is essential in our relationships with each other. And, is essential in our own growth as living, loving, spirit-filled human beings.

We all say goodbye in many ways and in many different settings: the death of a loved one; the loss of a job or a retirement; College Graduation; the birth of our first child; the end of a relationship. All of these mark the end of one chapter in our lives and the start of another.

Saying “Goodbye” recognizes that something we value, something that is essential to who we are right now, is ending.

Most of us have had to say “Goodbye” to loved ones who died. And someday, those we love will say Goodbye to us when we die. With death, all that we are slips beyond human grasp. All that is left of us here in this world are the memories of those who knew us – good memories and bad; memories that those who love us will carry with them as they move forward into their own future.

Death means saying goodbye to those we love.

The loss of a job or a retirement is another way of saying goodbye: it marks the end of a way of life or a career. We must say goodbye to the friendships and the community and sense of self that are all wrapped up with that position. We are no longer a teacher, or a manager, or a police officer, or a writer – or a preacher. Part of our identity dies, and will never come back again in exactly the same way.

Leaving a career means saying goodbye to a big part of how we see ourselves, and what defines our place in this world.

College Graduation is another way of saying goodbye. …Yes! School is done! But what now? Get a job?? Be responsible?? Rent an apartment and get a car??? OMG, I have to “adult” now??!!  …Nah, I’ll just move back in with my parents!

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