Bilbo and the Riddle, January 19, 2014

Bilbo and the Riddle

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Colossians 4:2-6

Grace Presbyterian Church

January 19, 2014

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

The Hobbit Riddle  On December 11th, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” appeared in the theaters. It was part two of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 book, “The Hobbit.” In part one, Bilbo and Gollum have a contest of riddles which, as all you know, was a popular game among Hobbits. Gollum asked Bilbo to solve this one. “This thing all things devours: birds, beasts, trees, flowers; gnaws iron, bites steel, grinds hard stones to meal. Slays king, ruins town, and beats high mountain down.”  What is it?  The answer is Time.

In this first month of the new year, it seemed timely to me to share some thoughts about time. After all, the New Year celebrations are long gone. The lighted ball in Times Square has fallen. Auld lang syne has been sung many times. The firecrackers have been set off. Tin pans have been beaten. Roast pork and sauerkraut have been eaten. And we have stopped saying, “Happy New Year” to everyone we have met.

And now we have entered 2014. Probably nothing reminds us of the passing of time as much as saying “Happy New Year,” or “Happy Birthday.” In each case, something changes, either the year or our age.

Time is Relative  As we all know, time is quite elastic. It lengthens itself when we are standing in a long line at the grocery, or it shortens itself when we are on vacation. As Albert Einstein put it: “When a young man sits on a hot stove, a minute seems like an hour. When a beautiful young lady sits on that same young man’s lap, an hour seems like a minute.” And someone said that time was Nature’s way of making sure everything didn’t happen at the same time.

When we were young, new years and birthdays were welcome for it means we were growing up and were able to do things we could not do before. As the years went by, we  rejoiced when we were able to stay up later, when we became a teenager, had our first date, or obtained our first driver’s license. Time was our ally. We had time for everything in the world.

Time is Precious  However, as many of you know, as we grew older the years seem to fly by faster than ever before. Several times a week someone will comment on how quickly time seems to fly. Do any of you remember what happened on January 6, 2013? That was the Sunday of my first sermon in this pulpit. A full year has sped by. And of course, I know you all remember my sermon on Haystacks and Stars, right?

Not only does time seem to move more and more quickly, time also becomes more and more precious. One day it dawns on us that we have lived more years on earth than we have left to live.

Living in time In light of how quickly time passes, and how precious time is, the question I ask this morning is “How are you going to use the time you have left here on earth?” In our morning scripture, Paul encourages us to use the time we have on earth in two ways.

First, he says that we should devote time to prayer with thanksgiving and pray that we can find opportunities to tell others about Christ. He makes no mention of spending our time watching television or surfing the web. He fails to mention going to movies or New Year’s Eve parties. What he does say is that in the midst of whatever we are doing each day, we should find a quiet place and pray. And those times of prayer should be filled with expressions of thanksgiving for God’s blessings. In addition, we should pray that God would present us opportunities to tell others about Christ.

Second, Paul says that we should “Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6) Gracious speech means courteous speech.

Speech seasoned with salt means to speak with spiritual understanding. Making the most of the time means to redeem each moment in a way that glorifies God. It means using each moment in a way that enriches our lives and the lives of those around us.

One person made this observation: “There are fathers waiting until other obligations are less demanding to become acquainted with their sons. There are mothers who sincerely plan to be more attentive to their daughters. There are husbands and wives who intend to be more understanding. But time in itself does not draw people closer. When in the world are we going to begin to live as if we understood that this is life? This is our time, our day, and it is passing. What are we waiting for?” [Richard L. Evans]  

Barbara Bush said, “At the end of  your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.”

And Nelson Mandela once said, “We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”

In Ecclesiastes we heard that “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.”

That’s the way life is, isn’t it? We were born and one day we shall die. In between these two times are moments of laughter and joy and dancing interspersed with moments of mourning, crying and tears. And we never know for sure which is just around the corner.

This morning I offer an additional thought - that of seeing all of creation with a new sensitivity and awareness. It’s almost experiencing life as we did as children. Perhaps what I’m suggesting can best be explained by the following story:

It is the story of a high school teacher whose husband died very suddenly of a heart attack. A few weeks following the funeral, she said the following to her students.

“Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps, this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day. I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the 'stuff' of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at anytime it can all be taken away. For as we get older, is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.

“Take Time to be Holy”

William Longstaff wrote the words to to this hymn. He was neither a pastor nor a songwriter.  He was an English businessman and a Christian layman who took his faith seriously.

Hearing a sermon on the text, "Be ye holy, for I am holy," Longstaff was inspired to write a poem, "Take Time to Be Holy."  Some years later, George C. Stebbins put the poem to music. Since it is always easy to sing a hymn without really hearing what the words are saying, I’d like you all to open your hymnals to page 441. We will read aloud in unison the first stanza. The second by only the women. The third will be just the men. And the fourth in unison again. As  we do this, try to apply the words to your life and to the way you will spend your time on earth.

UNISON  Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

WOMEN  Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

MEN Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;

And run not before Him, whatever betide.

In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,

And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

UNISON Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,

Each thought and each motive beneath His control.

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,

Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

 Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Amen.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NRSV

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

Colossians 4:2-6 NRSV

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.

Conduct yourselves wisely towards outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.

Henry Van Dyke

It has been said that “Waste of wealth is sometimes retrieved, waste of health, seldom; but waste of time, never.”     

Or, as the old country song proclaims, “Old pappy time is a’ picking my pocket.”

Today it is possible to measure time in microseconds (a millionth of a second), nanoseconds (a billionth of a second), picosecond (a trillionth of a second), or even femtoseconds (a thousandth of a picosecond).  A femtosecond is so short that there are more femtoseconds in one second than there are seconds in the past 31 million years. Few of us here this morning worry about anything less accurate than a minute. If we ask three people for the time, we likely will receive three different answers.

Bible If we turn to our Bible, we find that it starts out, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) This truly is the beginning of time as we know it, for it was then that the earth and sun were created. And our concept of time depends solely upon the revolution of the earth around the sun. However, God does not keep time n the same way we do because he existed long before he created the sun and the earth. It is believed that for God, all of time is in the present. The psalmist said of God, “A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4)

John writes that in the life to come, “Night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light..” (Revelation 22:5)   In essence, time stands still in heaven.

What exactly is time ?  One person wryly noted that “Time is nature’s way of keeping everything from happening all at once.”

Keeping track of time has always been important  In Europe 500 years ago, preachers set an hour glass on the pulpit when they were ready to preach. It took about thirty minutes for the sand to flow to the bottom. I suppose that if the preacher wasn’t finished, he could simply turn the hour glass over again.

The most precise time is measured in a laboratory in Boulder, Colorado where the National Institute of Standards and Technology operates an atomic clock. It is accurate to within one second in 300,000 years.

Turn Around   Many of you remember the song, Turn Around. “Where are you going my little one, little one, Where are you going my baby my own? Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four, Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door. Where are you going, my little one, little one? Dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone? Turn around and you're tiny, turn around and you're grown, Turn around and you're a young wife, with babes of your own.”

Luke and New Year’s Eve  You know what I did ten years ago on New Year’s Eve? I spent six hours with my eight year old grandson, Luke. We played games, watched Andy Griffith videos, ate chocolate chip cookies, which I had made, and at midnight, we ran outside and banged pots and pans together. Not only were we having a great time, Luke was storing that night with his Papa in the memories of his soul. Not only will he remember that night, but he will tell his children about it many years from now.

Now, ten  years later, Luke is 18. Do you know what I did with him on New Year’s Eve? Nothing. I didn’t even see him. He went out with his girl friend on a date. I was not invited to go along and rightfully so. Our time together ten years ago could never be repeated. In other words, in life we must seize the moment or its gone forever. Carpe Diem. Don’t delay spending quality time with your loved ones today, for the opportunity won’t come around again.  

The Divine Touch, January 12, 2014

The Divine Touch

Numbers 27:15-23, Acts 6:1-6

Grace Presbyterian Church

January 12, 2014

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

The man whispered, "God, speak to me

And a meadowlark sang. But, the man did not hear

So the man yelled "God, speak to me!"

And, the thunder rolled across the sky.

But, the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said,

"God let me see you"

And a star shined brightly.

But, the man did not notice.

And, the man shouted,

"God show me a miracle!"

And, a life was born.

But, the man did not know.

So, the man cried out in despair,

"Touch me God,

and let me know you are here!"

Whereupon, God reached down

and touched the man.

But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on. [Anon]

I believe, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God touches us in some way every day of our lives.  And far too often, God’s divine touch goes unnoticed. We brush the butterfly away and go on, But the fact is that God wants to touch us and the fact also is that we want to be touched - not only by God but by others. Why?

The Power of Touch Because touch is one of the most powerful means of communication that we have. With handshakes, hugs and kisses, we outwardly show how we feel inwardly.  And in the process, we impart friendship and love.

Imagine how we would feel if we were never touched by anyone for the rest of our lives. Something in our souls would shrivel and dry up. Yes, touch that is safe, affirming and nurturing is vital to our emotional health. It can reduce anxiety and stress, promote peace of mind, enhance our ability to think creatively, promote a feeling of being cared for and nurtured.

One aspect of touching upon which I wish to focus this morning is the laying on of hands. No, I don’t mean the kind of laying on of hands when we misbehaved as children and were taken behind the wood shed. Rather I mean the biblical concept of laying on of hands since in a few minutes we will ordaining Janice Alcutt as a ruling elder. A very meaningful part of the service will take place when Janice kneels and the elders of the session lay their hands upon her head while she is being ordained. Through this action, God touches Janice as well.

 In order to help us understand better what this means, let us look for a few minutes at the practice of laying on of hands as we find it in the Bible.

Offerings One reason for laying on of hands was when the priests of the Temple laid their hands on the sacrificial offerings before they were placed upon the altar. When they did this, it meant the consecration, or setting apart, of the sacrifice to its sacred purpose.

Impart a Blessing  Another reason for laying on of hands was to impart a blessing. In Genesis we read of that time when Jacob blessed Manasseh and Ephraim, his two grandchildren, and the children of his son, Joseph. He first kissed them. Then he embraced them. Finally, he laid his hands upon their heads and blessed them. (Genesis 48:13-16)

Later, in the New Testament, Jesus did the same thing.  For instance, in Mark it is written: And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."  And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.” (Mark 10:13-16)

We do something very similar in baptism. When a baby is brought to be baptized, I hold the baby in my arms, dip my hand in water, and lay my hand on the baby’s head to impart God’s blessing and to signify that the child is a visible part of the church.

Healing  Hands also were laid on people to heal them. Several times in the gospels we read about Jesus laying his hands on the sick to make them well (Mark 5:23, 6:5, 16:18, Luke 4:40, 13:13). In these instances, the basic thought was the transference of both spiritual wholeness and physical health. On another occasion, we read of the time when Ananias laid his hands upon Paul so that Paul could regain his sight. (Acts 9:12)

Convey Power of Holy Spirit   Still another function which employed the laying on of hands was when one wanted to convey the power of the Holy Spirit to another. An example of this occurs in the Book of Acts when Peter and John went to the Samaritans and laid their hands upon them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-24)

Ordination and Transfer of Authority  Finally, laying on of hands was used in the rite of ordination such as we are doing this morning. In our Old Testament reading, we hear of that time when Moses was going to die. Moses had led his people to freedom from the hand of Pharaoh and had successfully guided them through the wilderness right up to the Promised Land.

Who was going to lead them into the Land of Milk and Honey? They needed someone to replace Moses. So God told Moses to ordain Joshua as his successor. The ordination was to take place in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation. (Numbers 27:ff). Our scripture then says, “Moses did as the Lord commanded him; he took Joshua and caused him to stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and he laid his hands upon him, and commissioned him as the Lord directed.” By the laying on of hands, Moses transferred to Joshua his authority over the people. The people in turn transferred their allegiance and obedience from Moses to Joshua.

This same idea was expressed in Acts when the disciples ordained, or set apart, seven men chosen by the congregation to serve as Deacons. Luke says, “And they prayed and laid their hands upon them.” (Acts 6:1-6)

It should be remembered that both Joshua and the seven deacons were already spiritually qualified to carry out the ministry of their new office. All ordination did was to grant them the authority to fulfill the functions of the office to which they had been elected.

Ordination Today  As I noted earlier, this morning we are going to ordain Janice Aulcutt as a Ruling Elder. Speaking through the voice of this congregation, God has already determined that she is qualified for this office. By the laying on of hands, the session gives her the authority to carry out the functions and responsibilities of her office.

The ordination by the session this morning is not just for this congregation, but is on behalf of our denomination as a whole. Ordination is a one-time event in a person's life and never again need be repeated. Once an elder, always an elder. Or once a deacon, always a deacon. Our Book of Order says, "In ordination the church sets apart with prayer and the laying on of hands those who have been called through election by the church to serve as deacons, ruling elders, and teaching elders.” (W-4.4001)  One writer noted, "The hand of man is laid on, but all is the work of God; and it is his hand that touches the head of the candidate if he is rightly ordained." So it is through our hands that God’s Divine Touch descends upon Janice.

God is waiting to touch you, Janice. Let us now proceed to your ordination and the installation of ruling elders and deacons.

Will Bill Sternberg and Muriel Steeves please come forward?
Numbers 27:15-23 NRSV

Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep without a shepherd.’ So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him; have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. You shall give him some of your authority, so that all the congregation of the Israelites may obey. But he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the decision of the Urim before the Lord; at his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the Israelites with him, the whole congregation.’ So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation; he laid his hands on him and commissioned him—as the Lord had directed through Moses.

ACTS 6:1-6 NRSV

Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Emmanuel, The Fulfillment of Advent, December 24, 2013

Emmanuel - The Fulfillment of Advent

Christmas Eve Service

Psalm 95:1-9, Matthew 1:18-25

December 24, 2013, 4:00 p.m.

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

Outlaw Christmas?  This evening I have a hypothetical question for you. “What if it was illegal to celebrate Christmas?” No worship service such as we are having would be allowed.

No mention of angels, shepherds, or wise men permitted.  The schools would be in session. The banks would be open. And if we did try to observe the birth of our Savior, we’d be fined. I’m sure we’d be up in arms. We’d be protesting and writing letters of outrage to our representatives in congress.

Sound farfetched? Actually, such a ban of Christmas did take place. In Colonial America, the Puritans of New England disapproved of Christmas. Why? Because they associated such celebration with paganism and idolatry since yule logs, caroling, candles, holly, mistletoe and Christmas trees were all of pagan origin. They believed that only the sabbath day was to be kept holy, and felt that December 25th, the day chosen for Christmas was based on a pagan holiday.

As a result, any celebration of Jesus’ birth was outlawed in Boston for twenty-two years, from 1659 to 1681. In fact, during that time, a Massachusetts law punished those who celebrated Christmas with a five shilling fine. As late as 1870, classes were still being held in Boston public schools on Christmas day and children who chose to stay home were punished. Thus, for a 211 year periods, from 1659 to 1870, Christmas celebrations were virtually non-existent in many parts of the United States.  Finally, in 1870, the United States Congress proclaimed Christmas as a national holiday.

So again I ask you, “What would happen today if Christmas was suddenly outlawed? And schools were in session tomorrow? The banks were open for business. Mail came as usual. And the day unfolded like any other day of the year?”

My answer is this. Although outwardly things would be different and we would miss singing Christmas carols, decorating Christmas trees, and attending Christmas Eve services such as this one, I suggest that the prohibition of Christmas celebrations should make absolutely no difference in our lives. Why? Because the celebration of Christmas is not dependent upon creches and advent candle lighting and singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “What Child is This?”, and our closing hymn, “Silent Night.” Christmas is not dependent upon what we do or don’t do but rather upon that which already has been accomplished in Bethlehem.

The celebration of Christmas is dependent upon whether or not God is in our midst and in our hearts. That God is in our midst is affirmed by John who wrote: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, ... full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is the Divine Word that became flesh in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Jesus is Emmanuel! God with us!

Yes, God is still “the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity” as the prophet Isaiah wrote. [Isaiah 57:15]. Yes, “The Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” as the psalmist wrote in our Old Testament reading.  And yes “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” as our Westminster Catechism proclaims. [Westminster Shorter Catechism, question number 4]

 But God chose not to remain solely as the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity. Many years ago, in a remote corner of earth, an angel spoke, a woman listened, a baby was born, and the Word that had created the heavens and the earth now became incarnate in a baby. And from that moment on, God has been with us in a manner never before experienced.

Think of what this means! God is with us in every aspect of our lives. God dwells with us. And even if we took away our treasured Christmas celebrations with our nativity scene and beautiful hymns, we could still continue to celebrate the birth of our savior because God is always with us, not only tonight, but every day of our lives.

And when we celebrate Emmanuel each day, we are transformed from not simply being followers of Christ, but bearers of his life into the world to make him known to all.

One person put it this way: “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among brothers and sisters, to make music in the heart.” [Howard Thurman, “Work of Christmas”]

Do you realize what this means? Every time we forgive or are forgiven, we are celebrating Christmas! Every time we help someone in need, we are celebrating Christmas! Every time we refuse to show prejudice or express bigotry, we are celebrating Christmas. Every time we hold a crying child or comfort a grieving spouse we are celebrating Christmas! And every time we calm anxious hearts and allay their fears, we are celebrating Christmas! On and on the list could go. Suffice it to say that we can celebrate Christmas many, many times a day wherever we are and whatever we are doing.

And so this Christmas Eve we can give thanks that we live in a land in which we can decorate our sanctuary and homes and have the freedom to sing our beloved hymns. But most of all we can give thanks for God coming to us in the flesh to dwell among us as Emmanuel.

Tonight our Lord will be breaking bread with each person here during Holy Communion. As he does this, remember:

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. Amen.

Psalm 95:1-7 NRSV

O come, let us sing to the Lord;

   let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

   let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God,

   and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;

   the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it,

   and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down,

   let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God,

   and we are the people of his pasture,

   and the sheep of his hand.

Matthew 1:18-25 NRSV

 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

The Angels of Advent, December 22, 2013

The Angels of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent

Psalm 146:5-10, Luke 1:26-37

December 22, 2013

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

Clarence the Angel His name is Clarence Odbody. He was an ordinary looking man who was a clockmaker by trade. However, he had several unusual qualities about him. First of all, he was 293 years old. Secondly, he was an Angel Second Class, which is an angel in training. And for 200 years Clarence had been trying to win his wings by helping a human in need. Finally, he had his chance to help George Bailey who is  despondent and contemplating suicide. Clarence succeeds in saving George by showing him what life would have been like if George had never been born. George then wants to live. A bell on the Christmas tree rings, and Clarence gets his wings. As a result, the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” has become a Christmas classic.

Angels! Over the centuries, men and women have been fascinated by angels. A few years ago, a survey revealed that thirteen percent of all Americans have seen or sensed the presence of an angel. [Newsweek, 28 Nov 1994, p. 54] And in the past seventy years, at least 46 movies have had angels included in the primary plot - in addition to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” there were “I Married an Angel”, “The Bishop’s Wife”, “Angels in the Outfield”, and “The Littlest Angel”.

Of course the Church has also embraced angels into its life and worship. And throughout our Bible, the words angel, cherubim and seraphim appear over 350 times. And our hymnal includes such songs as: “Angels, from the realms of glory,” “Angels we have heard on high,” and “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”

Who are Angels?  What do we know about angels? One person wrote, “I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.” As nice as that statement is, the fact is that no matter how sweet and angelic your special love is, he or she will never be an angel. The reason is simple. The word “angel” in both Hebrew and Greek refers to an order of created beings that are totally separate from human beings.

The Bible also refers to archangels, choirs of angels, fallen angels and guardian angels, none of whom have wings. However, the Bible does refer to cherubim and seraphim who do have wings.

What do angels do? So what do angels do?  Basically, they are God’s personal messengers conveying God’s desires, blessings and guidance to people like us and carrying our prayers back to God. Genesis has them traveling back and forth between heaven and earth by means of a heavenly ladder. [Genesis 28:12]. Often they announced important events, such as the birth of Ishmael [Genesis 16:11] and the birth of Sampson [Judges 13:3-5] It was an angel who ordered Abraham to refrain at the last moment from sacrificing his only son, Isaac [Genesis 22:11]. And it was an angel who escorted the Israelites through the wilderness [Exodus 23:20-23] In Genesis we read of the time when Abraham entertained three angels who were disguised as men. [Genesis 18:1-10].

In the New Testament, angels continue to be busy. The angel Gabriel announced the birth of John the Baptist [Luke 1:11-20]. An angel came to Mary and told her that she would give birth to a son who would be the Messiah. And an angel told Joseph to call his son, Jesus. [Matthew 1:21] An angel warned Joseph to flee with Mary and Jesus into Egypt [Matthew 2:13] An angel encouraged Jesus on the Mount of Olives [Luke 22:43] And an angel rolled away the stone from the tomb of Jesus. [Matthew 28:2-3]

The Angels of Advent This morning I would like to look more closely at what are called the Angels of Advent. I will do this by looking at four significant events surrounding Jesus’ birth in which an angel was involved. These four events involved Zachariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds.

Zechariah We look first at Zechariah, a priest in the temple in Jerusalem. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, had been praying for years that they might have a child. But now that they were old, they had given up all hope. However, one day when Zechariah went into the temple to burn incense, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and stood at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and was gripped with fear. [Luke 1:12-13] But immediately the angel said, “Fear not, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth..” Elizabeth and Zechariah were overjoyed with such good news, and their son was born, later to be known as John the Baptist.

Mary The next Angel of Advent is when Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” But Mary was greatly troubled at his words. So Gabriel said, ‘Fear not, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High.’” [Luke 1:28ff] Once Mary understood the magnitude of what the angel was saying, she ended up rejoicing and singing “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.” [Luke 1:46-49]

Joseph Our next angelic meeting took place with Joseph. When Joseph learned that Mary, his betrothed, was expecting a child, he was understandably upset. In fact, he planned to call off the engagement and the marriage. However, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [Matthew 1:20-21] Thus the anxiety and worries of Joseph went away.

Shepherds The  Advent encounter with an angel took place with the shepherds as we heard two weeks ago. One night, while they were tending their sheep, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. The blackness of night had become filled with blinding, shimmering light, and they were terrified. But again the angel said to them, “Fear not. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” [Luke 2:9-12] And so the shepherds rejoiced and hurried to Bethlehem to see the newborn savior.

Fears are Gone  In each case, an angel calmed the fearful and anxious hearts of these people by saying...

Fear not, Zechariah for you and Elizabeth will be the parents of John the Baptist.

Fear not, Mary, for you are to be the mother of the Savior of the world.

Fear not, Joseph, for what is conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit.

Fear not, shepherds, for to you the Savior has been born.

Jesus, our Fear-Not Savior we find that Jesus also calmed the fears of people many times. Once was when the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee far from land. Jesus had stayed on land to pray. That night, with the boat buffeted by waves due to the high winds, Jesus came to them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost, “ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” [Matthew 14:22 ff]

Another time was at the Transfiguration of Jesus. While Jesus was speaking with Moses and Elijah, “a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” [Matthew 17:1-13]

Finally, Jesus comforts the fears his disciples had of death by saying to them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepared a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” [John 14]

This morning I suggest that God has called all of us to be Fear Not Disciples. We become Fear-Not Disciples whenever we reach out to others who are frightened to calm their anxious souls. We are Fear Not Disciples when we hold a crying child or give a hug of solace to a grieving spouse. We are Fear Not Disciples when we celebrate the resurrection of a loved one in the midst of our tears. We are Fear Not Disciples when we give someone hope who is in despair. 

I leave you with these thoughts: Clarence earned his wings by loving a human being back to health. In like manner, love is how we earn our wings in life. Remember, in a real sense all of us are angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another in love. - Luciano de Crescenzo  Amen.

Psalm 146:5-10 NRSV

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign for ever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!

Luke 1:26-37 NRSV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’

Plan of Salvation  What we discover from the Angels of Advent is that God had a plan to save his people from their sins, and Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds, all were to be a part of that plan. Zechariah’s son, John the Baptist, was to announce to the world the coming of the Messiah. Mary was to be the woman by whom the savior was born. Joseph was to name his son, Jesus. And the shepherds were to go forth and proclaim to everyone they met that they had seen the Messiah.

Yes, God had a plan for each of these participants in the birth of Jesus. And the same goes for each of us here this morning. Many years ago, I found God’s plan for my life. God wanted me to be a minister. And I was afraid. Why? I would have to quit a very lucrative job and I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough income to make it through seminary. I was afraid that I would flunk out of seminary. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to be a good pastor to a congregation. But God said, just as he said to Zachariah, the shepherds, Joseph and Mary, “Fear not, you are a part of my plan.” And so I had enough money for my family. And I didn’t flunk out of seminary. And here I am 56 years later, still doing my best to fulfill God’s plan for my life.

Jesus, our Fear-Not Savior Just as we have “Fear Not” Angels, we also have a “Fear Not” Savior. Jesus calmed the fears of people many times. Once was when the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee far from land. Jesus had stayed on land to pray. That night, with the boat buffeted by waves due to the high winds, Jesus came to them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost, “ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” [Matthew 14:22 ff]

Another time was at the Transfiguration of Jesus. While Jesus was speaking with Moses and Elijah, “a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” [Matthew 17:1-13]

Finally, Jesus comforts the fears his disciples had of dying by saying to them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepared a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” [John 14]

The Fears of our Lives In his book “A Road Less Traveled,” Scott Peck wrote, “Life is difficult.” [p.15] Now that’s not headline news. Each of us here this morning knows that life can be difficult. Although we might not be frightened by an angel appearing in our lives, situations arise that fill us with anxiety and dread.  Life is going well when out of the blue disaster strikes.

We lose our job and we’re afraid we can’t pay our bills. Without warning our marriage breaks up and we’re fearful about the future. All of a sudden we discover we have cancer and we’re terror-stricken that we may die.

However, Peck continues, “If we assume life is supposed to always be free of stress, then we may spend our life bemoaning our fate rather than enjoying life.” Even Jesus himself said, “In this world you will have tribulation.” [John 16:33]

Maybe we can identify with this story. Two sportscasters were discussing some of the great running backs in professional football. One mentioned Walter Payton and said, What a runner. Do you realize that all together he gained over nine miles rushing in his career?” The other man thought for a moment and replied, “And to think that every 4.6 years of the way, someone knocked him down.”

When we get knocked down, we need someone to help us back up on our feet, and someone to say “Hey, it’s going to be OK. I’ll be with you all the way.” I call such a person a “Fear Not” disciple.