“What will you give?”

Meditation on Matthew 2:1-11

Christmas Eve 2014

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’

        Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and worship him.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

     William Chatterton Dix was born in Bristol, England, in 1837. His father, John Dix, was a surgeon and writer, and he named William after a poet named Chatterton. William Dix was the manager of an Insurance company, but what made him well-known even today is a poem called, “What Child is This?” The poem William Dix wrote became the hymn we know when it was joined with the music of “Greensleeves.”

     William would never have written this beautiful song if he had not suffered from a terrible trial. When he was 29, he was struck down by a near fatal illness. He was bedridden for months. During this time, William suffered from a deep depression. He was truly living in darkness and fear.

     But William recovered from the illness and experienced a miraculous healing of body, mind and soul. The fear and depression lifted, and he experienced a spiritual renewal. The words of “What Child is This?” reveal William’s grateful heart, touched by a God who, for our sake, came “to dwell in such mean estate—where ox and ass are feeding.” Christ is the one whom “angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping.” William tells us, “Haste, haste to bring Him laud!”—hurry, hurry, to come and worship Him—“the babe, the son of Mary.” William, with his own suffering fresh in his mind, writes of Christ’s suffering death to pay the ultimate price for our sins. “Nails, spear shall pierce Him thru, the cross be borne for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the babe, the son of Mary.”

     In the final verse, William tells us of God’s gift of salvation through the Christ child. He urges us to respond with our hearts and through our giving of what is valuable to us. The message is for all people, for those who have much and those who have little. All are encouraged to draw near to Christ to offer our gifts. Whatever we have. Whatever we are. “So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come, rich and poor, to own Him: the King of kings salvation brings. Let loving hearts enthrone him. Raise, raise the song on high—the virgin sings her lullaby. Hail, hail, the word made flesh, the babe, the son of Mary.”

     The song ends with what William must have felt when he experienced spiritual renewal, healing of body, mind and soul—a healing only Christ can give. “Joy, joy, for Christ is born—the babe, the son of Mary.”

***

     In Matthew’s account of the magi from the East, we encounter the fear of those who walk in darkness and hate the light and the joy and hope of those who are drawn in by the light and are stirred to search for the “child born king of the Jews.” They have seen “his star at its rising.”

     The one who lives in fear and hates is King Herod. He has the most power in his society and the most to lose by the birth of a child rumored to be the future king of the Jews. The ones who experience joy and hope are, surprisingly, not the religious people of the day. The “wise men” or astrologers or “magi” came from somewhere in Persia, a region that includes what is today Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. They did not worship the God of the Jews. And yet they come to Herod looking for the child born king of the Jews—so that they may worship him! Magi were people who looked for the answers to life’s questions by studying the night sky. They believed that all of the universe is connected; cosmic events were signs that something significant was about to happen on earth, among human societies.  

        Also surprisingly, the “wise men” foolishly trust Herod when he lies and says he wants to find the child king of the Jews so that he can go and worship him. A king would never go to a peasant’s home to celebrate the birth of a child, first of all, and a king would never worship another human being, especially the one who may dethrone him! But their visit to Herod does result in new information that leads them to find the Christ child. Herod shares with the magi Isaiah’s prophecy, told to him by his scribes and chief priests—that from Bethlehem would come “a ruler to shepherd my people Israel.”

     In the end, it’s the star that leads them to Christ and his mother. The first emotion they experience is not fear—the usual response when human beings encounter the divine. The magi are “overwhelmed with joy.” And they do as they said they would do—they bow down and worship him.

    In my opinion, way too much emphasis is placed on the gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They can distract us from the larger message of this passage. These gifts, though quite valuable, were symbolic of who Christ would be—gold for our King of kings, frankincense for our priest, and myrrh for the anointing of the dead, for He would give up his life so that others may live.

       But the magi never say they are looking for the child so that they may give of their worldly wealth. The reason they are seeking Him is to come and worship Him. To make Him their Lord and King! Opening their treasure-filled chests is their grateful response to the joy they encounter in Christ’s presence. They want to give Him what is valuable to them, just as a loyal subject would give gifts to their beloved, earthly king. But most importantly, they give him what the Lord desires most of all—their hearts.

       They offer all of themselves and give from their worldly treasures to the King of kings salvation brings”—just as we are called to do. They “haste, haste to bring him laud—the one whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping.”  

    Some of you may be thinking, what do I have to give? I am nothing special. Maybe God won’t even notice if I don’t draw near to Him. But you are mistaken! You are so precious to God that His sent His only Son to be our Emmanual, God with us, to save us from our sins.

       The gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people! God loves the whole world and desires for all to be saved! The good news is for those who have much and those who have little. All are encouraged to draw near to Jesus Christ to offer your gifts.

      Friends, I ask you tonight, what will you give? Open your hearts—for this is what the Lord wants most of all.

      Come and seek Him as the wise men did. Walk in the light. Come with your brokenness. Come with your pain. Come with hope and faith. Come and be made whole!

    Offer all that you are, all that He has made you to be! Offer your thanks, your praise. Offer all that is valuable to you.

     Make Him your Lord. Make Him your King.

     Come, everyone, and worship Him!

     Come to experience, “joy, joy for Christ is born, the babe, the son of Mary.”

Let us pray.

Loving God, thank you for the most Holy Night, when we celebrate the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ. He was and is and will be the light of the world who dispels all darkness. Thank you for the joy and hope you have placed inside of us, for drawing us closer to you and calling us by name. Thank you for your Word and your Church, that has nurtured our faith since we were young. Forgive us, Lord, for holding onto our fears and not trusting you for all things. Forgive us for thinking we have nothing valuable to give, when what you want from us, most of all, is our hearts! And that if we give you our hearts, we will seek You each day and seek to walk in your ways. Lead us to give more of ourselves and our lives to you and to building your kingdom. Grow our faith. Help us to love people more and things less. Move us to be generous and share with others from the abundance you have given us. Thank you for being our Emmanuel, for being God with us now and forever. Amen.  

“Always: Rejoice, Pray and Give Thanks”

Meditation on 1 Thess. 5:12-24

Third Sunday in Advent

Dec. 14, 2014
Here's the video link to the entire service from yesterday morning complete with the bells:
https://vimeo.com/114597227

      But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the gifts of the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

***

     I met a lady this fall from Madrid while I was taking a class in Marshall. We became friends. I learned about her culture and something about her native Spain.  She learned I was a pastor in a country church and that I was studying Spanish to help minister to people of another culture living in our midst.

      We didn’t talk much about religion, though, until one day, in the last week of the class, when she talked about being active in the Catholic Church when she lived in Spain. Then, when she moved to Minnesota about 18 years ago, she visited churches but didn’t find “church people” to be friendly. She attended congregations of a variety of denominations, but none made her feel truly welcome. Because she had been raised Catholic, she joined a Catholic church, but stopped attending after members received letters and phone calls seeking donations for a building project. My friend was distressed to learn that a single mother with a handicapped child was called and, in spite of their poverty and struggles, was pressured to give money.

    My friend asked, “Shouldn’t the church be loving their neighbors and caring for the poor—instead of demanding that the poor give them money?”

   “Yes,” I answered.

   “And isn’t the church supposed to be the people—and not the building?” she went on, surprising me with her astute observation.

    “Yes,” I said again. And I did not know what else to say, except that I was sorry for what had happened.

    But I took seriously her criticism, as it was a warning to all congregations to be ready to welcome visitors as a witness to Christ’s welcome to all people and to pursue loving relationships with one another. Even outsiders can tell when members are not getting along! Her story may also be a lesson in how not to conduct overzealous fundraising campaigns that forget that the Church is the people—and not the building—and the Church is called, first and foremost, to care for the needs of the people in its midst.

 ***

  

   So here we are in the season of Advent—less than 2 weeks before Christmas—and our scripture lessons keep reminding us how we should be living as we await the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Some of us may want to fast forward right to our Savior’s birth—and skip over all the scriptures that may be convicting to those who have grown spiritually lazy or don’t feel like putting forth the effort to be the people God’s prophets, apostles and teachers of old urge us to be.

     But, friends, this is the time of year when the world is looking very closely at us! This is when our witness to the light and love of Christ is especially important! Christmas can too easily become a blur of family get-togethers, shopping and presents, parties and food—even for Christians. It’s too easy to get distracted and forget what Christmas is really about— our present hope in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, and our longing for His Kingdom to come.

      In I Thessalonians, the oldest letter of the apostle Paul’s that we have and one of the oldest writings in the New Testament, we find a number of attitudes and behaviors that lead us to be a good church. Here is my list from today’s epistle reading:

1.    Respect and love your leaders—those who labor among you. Not because of the prestige of their position in the church but because of their service to God and His people. This is a great time of year to say thank you to all of our ruling elders and other workers in the church who give of their time, talents and resources so that the ministry to this community may continue on.

2.   Be at peace! Even visitors can tell if a church is at peace—or if people are harboring grudges or saying bad things about each other behind their backs. As much as it depends on you, make every effort to live in peace!

3.   Admonish the idlers. This word translated “idlers” or “lazy” originally described a soldier that had left the ranks. This phrase, then, really means “warn the quitters.” Do you know people who have quit coming to church and serving the Lord? This is a good time to encourage those who used to be active in the church to become active once again. Say, “Hey, I have been thinking of you. I miss you. Do you need a ride to church?”

4.   Encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. The “faint-hearted” is literally “those whose souls are small.” These are those who are fearful. They are always fearing the worst will happen—the church won’t be able to pay its bills, the young people won’t come, we won’t find enough people to serve as leaders or as Sunday school teachers, and so forth. We don’t always realize the source of these remarks is fear, a failure to trust in the Lord. Those who are stronger in faith must help those who are weaker. And here is good advice for relationships in the church—be patient with all.

5.    Do not repay evil for evil. Does it surprise you that even in the Early Church, Christians could be spiteful to one another and lash out when they felt hurt, despite Christ’s command “to love one another, as I have loved you.”  If you think someone has been unkind to you, don’t seek revenge. Draw them back to the Lord with your kindness! And your gentleness will be a witness to unbelievers.

6.   Do good to one another and to all. When you repay evil for evil, what usually happens? More evil. Stories of the evil deeds move swiftly through a congregation and people start to take sides. Wouldn’t it be better if we sought to do good to one another—and to all so that the community only hears of our goodness and love?

7.   Rejoice always. How is that possible, you might be wondering, when you are grieving the loss of a loved one, living paycheck to paycheck, suffering with illness or struggling with other trials? Remember, this is Paul telling us to “rejoice”—the same Paul who told us we could be content in all situations, the one who wrote while he was in jail, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” Paul isn’t saying, “Pretend that you are happy when you are not” or “lie about your true feelings.” He is saying that amidst your trials and your pain, rejoice in the Lord, the One who suffered and died for your sake and is with you in all your suffering today. Rejoice in the hope you have in Him.

8.   Pray without ceasing. Does this mean you should be a monk in a monastery or a hermit in a cave? No. Paul means for us to live each day in this world walking and talking with the Lord. Recognize and welcome His presence with you, for the Spirit continually dwells within you and will guide you in His ways if you trust in Him.  You are never alone! If you are intentionally walking with the Lord, acknowledging His presence and power and casting your burdens on Him, then you will have His joy and peace! And what a wonderful witness we will be if the world sees us as a people of prayer, who walk with and dwell with God every day.

9.   Give thanks in all circumstances. Does this mean I should thank God for terrible things? No. God doesn’t want you to be insincere. He wants you to be honest. Bring Him your troubles, sadness, disappointments, even your anger! But He also wants you to remember that no matter the circumstances in your life, you always have reason to give thanks—for His love, the sacrifice of His Son, the hope we have in Him, and the wonderful things He has done!

10.   “Don’t quench the gifts of the Spirit. Don’t despise the words of the prophets.” Every Christian has spiritual gifts! Paul is telling us to encourage one another to use our gifts for the Lord! If we refuse to use the gifts God has given us, or to allow someone else to use their God-given gifts, then we will quench the Spirit!

The passage ends with an exhortation to “test everything and hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”  But of course, we can’t do this without the Lord. Paul offers a blessing and assurance of God’s help:

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”

***

Brothers and sisters, especially at this time of year, remember that the world is looking at the Church’s witness more closely than ever. Remember my friend and her experiences that turned her off to the Church. Welcome the stranger. Help those in need in your midst. Don’t complain that other people aren’t giving enough or insist that others give more! Let each one discern the Lord’s will for their own giving. Let each one seek to be generous, for God is always generous with us!

And remember these three: Always: rejoice in the Lord; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances for this is the Will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Live in peace. Walk in love! Don’t hold grudges! Don’t seek revenge! Seek to be the Church Christ calls us to be—with God’s help.

For the One who calls us is faithful, and he will do this.

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for your Word, that continues to guide and shape our communities of faith today.  Thank you for Your Son and the things you have done! Thank you for being faithful to use us to accomplish your wonderful plans for the salvation of the world, with all our flaws and weaknesses. Forgive us for not always seeking to be who You want us to be—for becoming distracted or falling into apathy or spiritual laziness. Give us courage and compassion to welcome the stranger, to be generous in giving our time, talents and resources to the Church, and to be kind to one another, never seeking to hurt others. Help us to win unbelievers through our loving, gracious witness as we await the celebration of our Savior’s birth and long for Your Son’s return to reign over us. Stir us to use the gifts you have given us. And lead us to remember these three essentials for our lives of faith—to always: rejoice, pray and give thanks! For this is your will in Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.