Jesus is Coming - Look Busy!
(Practical Tips for Surviving the Holidays)
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Before I begin tonight, I want to say thank you to all of you for being here. I really enjoy this time of worship, and it's good to have your support and your presence. Especially for people who are here for the first time, I know it's not always easy to walk into a new church for the first time, so thank you. Thank you to everybody.
My hope with this service is that already have or you will be able to encounter God in new and life-changing ways. Which is a tall order, and one that I'm not going to be able to deliver on myself. We'll need to rely on the grace of God for that. So with that in mind, will you pray with me?
Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, oh God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
So how many of you have seen the Charlie Brown Christmas special? Raise your hands. Okay, good. And do you remember how it ends? Charlie goes and buys this pathetic little tree--it can barely hold up a single ornament--and he brings it back to the other kids, and they all laugh at it. But then Linus steps in and recites a whole section of the book of Luke, which is impressive, considering that he's a grade-schooler, but he does it. He tells the story with the angels and the shepherds, and he closes with this line--"on earth, peace and good will toward men" Peace on Earth, good will toward men. And all the kids snap out of it, and they fix up the tree and sing a little carol around it.
So when I was thinking about what the true meaning of Christmas is--yes? You in the back?
(from the last few pews in the back) "The birth of Christ!"
That's right, the birth of Christ, and the peace, the peace that Christ brings to us. Thank you. I guess I don't need to give a sermon now.
But when we think about Christmas, it's strange because it seems like this season is one of the most hectic. It seems in some ways like it's the opposite of peaceful. Like there's so much going on it's even more stress than the rest of the year. So tonight I'd like to go through what I'd like to call four pitfalls of the holiday season--four things that seem to draw us further away from God rather than closer to God.
The first one of these is busyness. This is the time of year when we have extra things--I've got friends with tons of shopping to do--and the parties and putting up decorations, there's so much to do. So the first pitfall is busyness.
The second so-called pitfall is conflicts. During this time of year, we spend a lot more time with families, and sometimes that can bring up old patterns and hurts, and make our lives less peaceful, not more so. So the second is conflicts.
The third pitfall is materialism. During this time of year we're under a lot of pressure to believe that if we buy the right present or receive the right present, we'll be happy. But that's just not true.
Finally, and I think this may be the hardest pitfall to deal with, is loneliness and grief. For many people, this time of year is supposed to be joyful, but it reminds them of lost loved ones who aren't with them any more. So loneliness and grief.
Now I've got a couple pieces of general, practical advice for dealing with all of these issues. The first one is probably what your doctor would tell you -- make sure you're eating right, getting enough sleep, not overindulging too much, getting your exercise, and sticking to your prayer habits. Well, the doctor might not recommend daily prayer, but you know what I'm saying. When our bodies are well cared-for, we will be that much more ready for the season.
Second, pay attention to what your expectations are. This time of year is what I think of as the most human time of year. We're having parties, we're spending lots of time with family and friends. And since we're all human, things aren't going to be perfect. If you're expecting perfection, you won't get it. So pay attention to what your expectations are.
Now, those are both good pieces of advice, but they're probably ones you could hear from Dr. Phil or a good advice columnist. But I think the Christian tradition has some wisdom for us for the holidays that is worth paying attention to. So I'd like to turn now to our Bible reading for tonight.
In this story we learn about how Mary got the news that she would be giving birth to Jesus. It starts with an angel who comes to her and says "Greetings, favored one!" Which is an unusual way to greet somebody. And Mary is a little anxious when she hears it, thinking "What kind of a greeting is that?" It reminds me of when I was a kid and my dad used to say, "Hey kids, you want to have some fun?" It always meant chores! Moving the furniture or collecting the trash--never anything I actually thought was fun.
And Mary's right to be a little suspicious. Because while in the long run the coming of Jesus will be a good thing for Mary and for everyone, finding out that she's going to be pregnant in some ways puts Mary in a dangerous position. Women of that time didn't have the means or the economic independence to care for themselves the way that they do now. We learn later that Joseph accepts Mary, and adopts Jesus as his own, but when Mary first gets this message it may have seemed like an announcement that she would be destitute. She has to wait and see what will happen.
Which brings us to our first pitfall of the season - busyness. For a lot of us with so much going on, it's hard to remember that Christian wisdom has a different view of Advent--that it's really a time of waiting and preparing our souls, not just our social life. And waiting and preparing are not the same thing. The busyness of the season is a contrast with the quiet hoping we see with Mary. So when you're at your busiest, see if you can't find a little time to prepare your mind and soul, and to simply wait.
Our second pitfall was conflicts. And I think the first thing we want to notice from this story is that God goes about easing his difficulties with the Israelite people in a gentle way--not with thunderbolts or earthquakes or strong wings--but with a baby. So when we have our disagreements, we should imitate God in making an effort to approach them in a gentle way.
Second, the wisdom from the Christian tradition is this: Pray the hardest for the people who drive you the craziest. Now maybe none of you have someone who makes you crazy. Maybe I'm the only one who does. But in those situations and with those people, the important thing to do is to be praying for them. And not prayers that they'll agree with you, but prayers for their wholeness and well-being. Pray the hardest for the people that drive you the craziest.
Our third pitfall of the season was materialism. This idea that the things we buy will be able to make us happy, when, in fact the things should reflect our feelings, not generate them. The Christian wisdom on this piece is gratitude. We just had Thanksgiving last week, and it was a good time to eat some turkey and enjoy time with family. But gratitude needs to be practiced on a regular basis. Not just once a year. So count your blessings often, and you may find that what you thought you needed you only wanted, and maybe didn't need so much after all. So gratitude.
Finally, we come to the loneliness and grief of the holiday season. This is a hard one, and not something that we can necessarily solve, but may need to be lived with. But from our Christmas story we learn that God's first Christmas gift to us was presence--was reaching out to us and coming to live with us as a human being. If you don't take anything else from tonight, I hope you'll remember this: That there is someone who loves you very much, and that you are not alone. We are not alone. God is with us. Thanks be to God.
Now I have one last piece of what I hope will be practical assistance to you. When you are feeling a need to be near God, whether because of busyness or conflicts or loneliness, it's sometimes hard to work up a whole prayer. But sometimes a song will help. I'd like to teach you a song called Dona Nobis Pacem. The words mean "Give us Peace." I hope it will contribute to your peacefulness during the season.
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Before I begin tonight, I want to say thank you to all of you for being here. I really enjoy this time of worship, and it's good to have your support and your presence. Especially for people who are here for the first time, I know it's not always easy to walk into a new church for the first time, so thank you. Thank you to everybody.
My hope with this service is that already have or you will be able to encounter God in new and life-changing ways. Which is a tall order, and one that I'm not going to be able to deliver on myself. We'll need to rely on the grace of God for that. So with that in mind, will you pray with me?
Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, oh God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
So how many of you have seen the Charlie Brown Christmas special? Raise your hands. Okay, good. And do you remember how it ends? Charlie goes and buys this pathetic little tree--it can barely hold up a single ornament--and he brings it back to the other kids, and they all laugh at it. But then Linus steps in and recites a whole section of the book of Luke, which is impressive, considering that he's a grade-schooler, but he does it. He tells the story with the angels and the shepherds, and he closes with this line--"on earth, peace and good will toward men" Peace on Earth, good will toward men. And all the kids snap out of it, and they fix up the tree and sing a little carol around it.
So when I was thinking about what the true meaning of Christmas is--yes? You in the back?
(from the last few pews in the back) "The birth of Christ!"
That's right, the birth of Christ, and the peace, the peace that Christ brings to us. Thank you. I guess I don't need to give a sermon now.
But when we think about Christmas, it's strange because it seems like this season is one of the most hectic. It seems in some ways like it's the opposite of peaceful. Like there's so much going on it's even more stress than the rest of the year. So tonight I'd like to go through what I'd like to call four pitfalls of the holiday season--four things that seem to draw us further away from God rather than closer to God.
The first one of these is busyness. This is the time of year when we have extra things--I've got friends with tons of shopping to do--and the parties and putting up decorations, there's so much to do. So the first pitfall is busyness.
The second so-called pitfall is conflicts. During this time of year, we spend a lot more time with families, and sometimes that can bring up old patterns and hurts, and make our lives less peaceful, not more so. So the second is conflicts.
The third pitfall is materialism. During this time of year we're under a lot of pressure to believe that if we buy the right present or receive the right present, we'll be happy. But that's just not true.
Finally, and I think this may be the hardest pitfall to deal with, is loneliness and grief. For many people, this time of year is supposed to be joyful, but it reminds them of lost loved ones who aren't with them any more. So loneliness and grief.
Now I've got a couple pieces of general, practical advice for dealing with all of these issues. The first one is probably what your doctor would tell you -- make sure you're eating right, getting enough sleep, not overindulging too much, getting your exercise, and sticking to your prayer habits. Well, the doctor might not recommend daily prayer, but you know what I'm saying. When our bodies are well cared-for, we will be that much more ready for the season.
Second, pay attention to what your expectations are. This time of year is what I think of as the most human time of year. We're having parties, we're spending lots of time with family and friends. And since we're all human, things aren't going to be perfect. If you're expecting perfection, you won't get it. So pay attention to what your expectations are.
Now, those are both good pieces of advice, but they're probably ones you could hear from Dr. Phil or a good advice columnist. But I think the Christian tradition has some wisdom for us for the holidays that is worth paying attention to. So I'd like to turn now to our Bible reading for tonight.
In this story we learn about how Mary got the news that she would be giving birth to Jesus. It starts with an angel who comes to her and says "Greetings, favored one!" Which is an unusual way to greet somebody. And Mary is a little anxious when she hears it, thinking "What kind of a greeting is that?" It reminds me of when I was a kid and my dad used to say, "Hey kids, you want to have some fun?" It always meant chores! Moving the furniture or collecting the trash--never anything I actually thought was fun.
And Mary's right to be a little suspicious. Because while in the long run the coming of Jesus will be a good thing for Mary and for everyone, finding out that she's going to be pregnant in some ways puts Mary in a dangerous position. Women of that time didn't have the means or the economic independence to care for themselves the way that they do now. We learn later that Joseph accepts Mary, and adopts Jesus as his own, but when Mary first gets this message it may have seemed like an announcement that she would be destitute. She has to wait and see what will happen.
Which brings us to our first pitfall of the season - busyness. For a lot of us with so much going on, it's hard to remember that Christian wisdom has a different view of Advent--that it's really a time of waiting and preparing our souls, not just our social life. And waiting and preparing are not the same thing. The busyness of the season is a contrast with the quiet hoping we see with Mary. So when you're at your busiest, see if you can't find a little time to prepare your mind and soul, and to simply wait.
Our second pitfall was conflicts. And I think the first thing we want to notice from this story is that God goes about easing his difficulties with the Israelite people in a gentle way--not with thunderbolts or earthquakes or strong wings--but with a baby. So when we have our disagreements, we should imitate God in making an effort to approach them in a gentle way.
Second, the wisdom from the Christian tradition is this: Pray the hardest for the people who drive you the craziest. Now maybe none of you have someone who makes you crazy. Maybe I'm the only one who does. But in those situations and with those people, the important thing to do is to be praying for them. And not prayers that they'll agree with you, but prayers for their wholeness and well-being. Pray the hardest for the people that drive you the craziest.
Our third pitfall of the season was materialism. This idea that the things we buy will be able to make us happy, when, in fact the things should reflect our feelings, not generate them. The Christian wisdom on this piece is gratitude. We just had Thanksgiving last week, and it was a good time to eat some turkey and enjoy time with family. But gratitude needs to be practiced on a regular basis. Not just once a year. So count your blessings often, and you may find that what you thought you needed you only wanted, and maybe didn't need so much after all. So gratitude.
Finally, we come to the loneliness and grief of the holiday season. This is a hard one, and not something that we can necessarily solve, but may need to be lived with. But from our Christmas story we learn that God's first Christmas gift to us was presence--was reaching out to us and coming to live with us as a human being. If you don't take anything else from tonight, I hope you'll remember this: That there is someone who loves you very much, and that you are not alone. We are not alone. God is with us. Thanks be to God.
Now I have one last piece of what I hope will be practical assistance to you. When you are feeling a need to be near God, whether because of busyness or conflicts or loneliness, it's sometimes hard to work up a whole prayer. But sometimes a song will help. I'd like to teach you a song called Dona Nobis Pacem. The words mean "Give us Peace." I hope it will contribute to your peacefulness during the season.
posted by Amy Sens at 8:51 AM
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