December 24, 2006
SCRIPTURE
-The Unbreakable Gift
- Gold symbolic of King; Frankincense symbolic of high priest; Myrrh symbolic of death (Myrrh used as embalming fluid)
-Luke does not give us wise men, rich and wealthy kings from foreign places; Matthew does. Luke gives us shepherds.
-I suggest to you that at Christmas "the mess is the message." Perhaps some of you have pot holders or plaques to hang on the wall that say, "God bless this mess." Our text for today tells us that God does bless us amid the mess of life. God blessed Mary in a messy time of her life, and yet she might well have called it "this magnificent mess." Perhaps one of the secrets of the faithful lives of both these women is that amid the mess of life, they looked to God. They asked, "What is God saying to me in this mess? Mickey Anders
-Like the Hebrew word for the "little ones," the Greek word for "lowly ones" refers to one "who is of no account in the eyes of the world."
- Elizabeth "eulogizes" Mary and the "fruit of her womb." Literally, the word eulogeo means "to speak well of," then "to praise," then "to bless," and finally, it can refer deeds that bring blessings, "to act kindly towards Stoffregen
-the hiddenness of God in the lowliness of Mary. Luther
- We are all pregnant with the potential of spiritual purpose
-The original Greek of Mary's title is "Theotokos" which means "God Bearer" Something we should all be. John P Wood
-God chose how Christ entered the world. Human beings chose how he would leave the world
-"Some bear God; some only wear God. John P Wood
-The difference between liberal and conservative should not be a matter of labels. It should be a matter of wisdom. What should we seek to liberate? What should we seek to conserve? How can you use wisdom this week to make judgements about the new and the old? As this year ends, what do you need to conserve in the spiritual realm? What do you need to renew? Larry Broding
-We come to the manger not looking for the man Jesus, the Christ of Nazareth, but for the baby born in a manger in order that we might begin again.
-I'm Dreaming of a Right Christmas
-Here I come ready or not!
-"Enters Christmas"
-sermon: The gifts we give compared to the gift we celebrate. (The Unbreakable Gift)
- wrapped in brightly colored paper vs wrapped in swaddling clothes
- bought with money vs. cannot be bought, is free
- put on shelf, worn, played with vs put in our hearts
- cost but fraction of our income vs cost of whole self
- turn is down, does not fit vs. always fits, given whether want it or not .
- There lies the Christmas happiness vs the Christmas joy. Lindy
-sermon: Here I come Ready of Not
-God's that kind of God, comes when least expected
- Moses didn't expect Him (Mt. Horeb)
- Joseph didn't expect Him when he asked for a room in the Inn
-Cleopas didn't (Rd. to Emmaus)
-120 disciple didn't ...Pentecost
-Don't feel bad if you don't expect him but he will come into you life
-God will come./ continually searching for us /continually disturbing us.
- Because God's that kind of God! Lindy
-sermon
A. celebrate Christmas as something that happen in past (
B. celebrate Christmas as something that happens in the present (birth, gifts, etc.)
C. celebrate Christmas as something that happens in the future. (new birth, pilgrimage, new world,
-I would remind all of us that God is hidden in plain sight. Not in this book (Bible). Not in this building (Church). Not up in the sky. God is hidden within the hearts of all of us....hidden yes, but in plain sight. Lindy
- Christmas is by grace....it could never have survived otherwise. Buechner
-The hinge of history is on the door of a Bethlehem stable. God came through that door. Ralph Sockman
-When I was a child, Christmas was a once upon a time....now as an adult Christmas happpens again and again. Marcus Borg
-Christmas is a people thing not a present thing.
QUOTES
-Christmas is by grace....it could never have survived otherwise.
Buechner-Let's not just give gifts....let's be the gift.
-Non religious people only believe their eyes. The Wise men believed beyond their eyes.
-When I was a child, Christmas was a once upon a time....now as an adult Christmas happens again and again and again.Marcus Borg
ILLUSTRATIONS
-- 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.
Then indeed we shall be blessed!
Howard Thurman
HUMOR
-Six year old took her first I.Q. test. When asked how she did, she said, "The teacher asked me to draw a lion between a picture of a bucket and a chair...I knew I would never be able to draw a lion so I drew a daisy instead." The mother told her that the teacher meant "line" not "lion". The daughter exclaimed, "Oh no mommy, that would have been too easy". Maybe finding those things which are hidden in plain sight is easier than we think.
-What do snowmen eat for breakfast? snowflakes
-If Santa gets stuck in the chimney, use Santaflush!
-I have a "git" list......Where's your "give" list?
Peanuts
CHILDREN
1. “Do
You See What I see?” You probably recognize the melody with the words: “Do see
what I see, said the night wind to the little lamb?” It was composed by Regney
and Stein.
The story of the carol goes
like this. It is a wonderful, wonderful story, and easy to remember. There
is the night wind. It begins with the night wind, and the night wind sees
what Christmas is all about. So the night wind tells the little lamb, and
then the little lamb sees what Christmas is all about, and goes to the
shepherd boy. The little shepherd boy sees the meaning of Christmas,
and he goes to the mighty king and he says to the mighty king, “Do you know
what I know?” Then the mighty king says to everyone, everywhere, in a deep,
gruff voice, “Listen to what I say?” That’s what kings always declare,
“Listen to what I say!” The king announces to his kingdom: “A child, a child,
will bring you goodness and light.”
Do you see what I see?
(sung) When you look into the manger and see the Christ child,
do you … see?
PRAYER PHRASES
-Be with those who feel they are beyond the reach of the radiance that Christmas brings to them.
-May we keep the true spirit of Christmas alive in our hearts and in our homes, that it may continue to glow, to shed its warmth, to speak it message through out this season and the year to come.