Covenant
United Methodist Church
Sunday School 9:45 Worship 8:30 & 10:45 am
DO YOU HAVE JOY- ISAIAH 12-2-6
DID YOU HEAR OUR SCRIPTURE LESSON TODAY? “GOD IS MY SALVATION, IN HIM I WILL TRUST AND NOT BE AFRAID, THE LORD THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND SHIELD FOR HE HAS BECOME MY SALVATION, WITH JOY I WILL DRINK THE WATER FROM THE WELL OF SALVATION.” PRETTY WORDS AREN’T THEY, AND THE TRUE SENTIMENTS OF ISAIAH. HE WAS SPEAKINGTHEM PROBABLY TO THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH CONCERNING THE UPCOMING PROBLEMS THEY WOULD BE HAVING WITH THE BULLIES OF ISAIAH’S DAY…THE ASSYRIANS. ISAIAH WANTED THE PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT IN SPITE OF ASSYRIA’S POWER AND MIGHT, AND EVEN THOUGH JERUSALEM MIGHT FALL TO THE ASSYRIANS, THAT EVENTUALLY GOD WOULD SAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE. IF JUDAH FELL TO THE ASSYRIANS IN BATTLE IT WOULD BE BECAUSE THEY FELL AWAY FROM GOD NOT BECAUSE GOD COULDN’T SAVE THEM. TRUE JOY FOR ISAIAH COMES FROM SALVATION AND THAT SALVATION CAN ONLY COME FROM GOD!
WITH THE WORDS OF ISAIAH RINGING IN OUR EARS THAT BRINGS US TO THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. MY SERMON TITLE IS”DO YOU HAVE THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, DO YOU HAVE JOY “
THERE IS A STORY TOLD OF A YOUNG WOMAN WHO HAD 5 YOUNG CHILDREN. THE WOMAN HAD GONE NEXT DOOR TO TALK TO HER NEIGHBOR. ON HER RETURN, SHE SAW HER CHILDREN HUDDLED AROUND IN A CIRCLE, IN THE FRONT YARD LOOKING AT SOMETHING ON THE GROUND. SHE WALKED OVER NEAR HER CHILDREN AND TO HER HORROR SAW THAT HER CHILDREN WERE HUDDLED AROUND 5 BABY SKUNKS. SHE SCREAMED AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS, “RUN CHILDREN RUN! THE CHILDREN EACH PICKED UP A SKUNK AND RAN…
LIFE IS KIND OF LIKE THAT SOMETIMES ISN’T IT? THINGS SEEM TO BE GOING ALONG OK AND THEN FOR NO APPARENT REASON YOU ARE CONFRONTED WITH A SKUNK…AN OVERWHELMING PROBLEM…AND IT BECOMES DIFFICULT NOT TO PICK IT UP AND RUN WITH IT. WE SIT BACK AND WORRY ABOUT OUR PROBLEM AND OUR WORRY ROBS US OF ALL OUR JOY. THAT BRINGS US TO THE CHRISTMAS SEASON. I KNOW THAT FOR A NUMBER OF YOU, CHRISTMAS WON’T BE ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A JOYOUS AND FESTIVE SEASON, BUT FOR SOME OF YOU, IT WILL BE HARD TO LET GO OF YOUR PROBLEMS. I THINK OF THAT FIRST CHRISTMAS WHEN CHRIST WAS BORN, WE HAVE GLAMORIZED IT AND PICKED OUT THE PARTS WE REALLY LIKE, BUT I ALSO REMEMBER SCRIPTURE TELLING US OF ALL THOSE CHILDREN IN BETHLEHEM THAT ENDED UP DIEING BECAUSE HEROD WANTED TO PUT TO DEATH THE CHRIST CHILD HE THOUGHT WOULD THREATEN HIS KINGDOM. I BET THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE PERSON WHO GRIEVED DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON AT THAT TIME DON’T YOU. THE POINT IS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING A BAD CHRISTMAS. ALL OF US ARE GOING TO HAVE BAD CHRISTMASES THAT DON’T MEASURE UP. WE SHOULDN’T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT GOING INTO CHRISTMAS FEELING SAD, LONELY, ANGRY, GRIEVING…THAT IS PART OF LIFE…YET JAMES SAYS, “COUNT IT ALL JOY MY BRETHREN WHEN YOU MEET WITH VARIOUS TRIALS,” JAMES INTIMATES THAT TRUE JOY IS BASED ON SOMETHING OTHER THAN JUST HOW OUR DAY GOES, OR EVEN WHAT GOOD AND BAD THINGS HAPPEN IN OUR LIVES. TRUE CHRISTMAS JOY IS SOMETHING DEEPER THAN OUR BAD DAYS. IT IS BASED ON GOD’S SALVATION… REMEMBER OUR SCRIPTURE?
THAT IS WHY WE NEED CHRISTMAS SO BADLY. WE CELEBRATE THE SON OF GOD COMING INTO THE WORLD, AND WHEN HE DOES THE CHRIST CHILD BRINGS SALVATION, AND WHEN HE BRINGS SALVATION WE HAVE TRUE JOY. CHRISTMAS JOY IF WE ARE TO BELIEVE OUR SCRIPTURE LESSON TODAY IS BASED ON GOD’S SALVATION IN OUR LIVES NOT WHETHER WE ARE HAVING A GOOD DAY OR NOT. TRUE JOY AT CHRISTMAS COMES OUR SCRIPTURE READS, WHEN WE “DRINK WATER FROM THE WELL OF SALVATION.” IT IS SALVATION THAT GIVES US JOY…THAT IS WHAT LUKE TELLS US TOO…”I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY, FOR UNTO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID A SAVIOR WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD.” CHRIST SAVES US DURING THE ADVENT SEASON NOT FROM OUR PROBLEMS, BUT FROM OUR GUILT AND FEAR! JOY COMES TO US AT CHRISTMAS TIME BECAUSE OUR SAVIOR COMES TO US AT CHRISTMAS TIME! WHEN THE CHRIST CHILD COMES INTO THE WORLD, HE SAVES THE WORLD, AND HE SAVES US TOO. WE ARE SAVED FROM OUR SIN AND SAVED FOR HEAVEN…BEING SAVED FROM OUR SIN CLEARS OUR GUILTY CONSCIENCE, AND BEING SAVED FOR HEAVEN REMINDS US THAT THIS IS NOT OUR HOME, AND WE HAVE THE PROMISE OF A BETTER LIFE WITH HIM IN OUR NEW HOME IN HEAVEN.
THERE IS A STORY TOLD ABOUT A MAN WHO SENT HIS PARENTS A MICROWAVE ONE CHRISTMAS. HIS PARENTS INITIALLY WERE EXCITED ABOUT THE PRESENT. THE FATHER OPENED THE PACKAGE AND SET IT OUT, THEN THE FATHER BEGAN TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO OPERATE THE MICROWAVE. THE MORE HE READ THE MORE CONFUSED HE BECAME. THEY DID EVERYTHING THEY KNEW TO MAKE THE MICROWAVE WORK, BUT NOTHING COULD MAKE IT WORK. TWO DAYS LATER THE MOTHER WAS SITTING AROUND THE HOUSE PLAYING BRIDGE WITH HER FRIENDS. SHE CONFESSED TO HER FRIENDS THAT SHE COULDN’T EVEN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THE STUPID THING TO BOIL WATER. ONE OF HER FRIENDS SAID, “WELL I GUESS WHAT YOU REALLY NEED IS BETTER INSTRUCTIONS.” THE MOTHER REPLIED TO THE FRIEND, “I REALLY DON’T NEED BETTER INSTRUCTIONS; I JUST NEED MY SON TO COME ALONG WITH THE GIFT.”
DURING THE ADVENT SEASON WHAT WE CELEBRATE IS THAT THE SON OF GOD COMES ALONG WITH THE GIFT OF SALVATION. AND WHEN HE COMES HE CHANGES OUR LIVES, THE WAY WE THINK, THE WAY WE LIVE, AND HE BRINGS WITH HIM THE JOY OF SALVATION! THAT JOY COMES TO US EVEN WHEN LIFE IS TOUGH. IT COMES TO US BECAUSE OF WHAT IT PROMISES. WE HAVE JOY BECAUSE OF THE PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND THE HOPE OF HEAVEN.