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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2007
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Matthew 24:36-44 (Forgive us our
Christmases)
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TODAY’S SERMON THEME:
Unless
we are very careful at this time of year, we might overlook God entirely and
find ourselves praying, “Forgive us our Christmases, as we forgive those who
Christmas against us.” Instead, let us
do four things this Advent: Slow down,
wait, watch, pray.
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1. It was a busy Saturday for
the little girl. It started at 8 a.m. with a
family breakfast at her grandmother’s house.
And then there was a birthday party at 10 a.m. at a friend’s house. And then a hamburger and fries for lunch --
and a soft drink -- to go with cake and ice cream. And then there was a trip to the mall with
her mother for some Christmas shopping.
And then a big cookie and another soft drink. Late that afternoon, they got back home,
where there was just enough time to play with the dog and watch part of a
Christmas movie. And then there was a
letter to write to Santa. And a
thank-you note to Grand mom. And then,
finally, at 8 p.m. the five-year-old was ready for bed. In truth, she was totally and completely
exhausted. She could barely keep her
eyes open long enough to brush her teeth.
And then, right after the lights were turned out, it was time to say
prayers. She was so tired she could
barely say the words. But with her
mother’s help, she started: “Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread . . . AND FORGIVE US OUR CHRISTMASES, AS WE
FORGIVE THOSE WHO CHRISTMAS AGAINST US . . . .”
2. Out of the mouths of babes .
. . “Forgive us our Christmases, as we forgive those who CHRISTMAS against
us.” What could be a more appropriate comment at this
time of year, barely two weeks into the Christmas shopping season? Everywhere we look, people are rushing around
at 100 miles an hour. SO MUCH TO DO and
so LITTLE TIME! Christmas CARDS,
Christmas LIGHTS, Christmas SHOPPING, Christmas COOKIES, Christmas CLOTHES,
Christmas DIETS, Christmas EXERCISE PROGRAMS, Christmas VACATIONS. And then
there are the office PARTIES, the end-of-the-year REPORTS, financial DEADLINES,
family GATHERINGS, holiday VISITORS, football BOWL GAMES, semester REPORTS . .
. And on, and on, and on. So much to
do. And so little time to get it all
done. AND NEARLY ALL OF IT IN THE NAME
OF CHRISTMAS. Yes, Lord. Forgive us our Christmases! So much to do for ourselves, for those around
us, so much to get finished, so much to wrap up, finish up, touch up, clean up,
fix up. So much to do. And so little time for God.
3. For most of the world, the preparation
time for Christmas is a time when things speed up. It is a time when more and more things need to get
done, and more and more stress enters our lives. For some, it is a horribly stressful time of
year. We find ourselves rushing around
faster than ever, with a fixed deadline of December 25 approaching with
unbelievable speed. Those who have
children or grandchildren or great-grandchildren KNOW how CRAZY this time of
year can be. Even those without
children, and those who are retired, find themselves being pulled along by the
increasing pace of time. This is a
terrible tragedy. Because unless we are
very careful at this time of year, we can forget God entirely and we can wind
up praying, “Forgive us our Christmases.”
4. Thankfully, there is a better
way to get ready for Christmas during this Season of Advent. A way of holiness. A way of righteousness. It is a four-step process: (1) SLOW DOWN. (2) WAIT.
(3) WATCH. (4) PRAY.
Today begins the Season
of Advent, the time of spiritual preparation for Christmas. It is a time when we MUST follow the Holy
Spirit, and NOT the ways of the world.
We must NOT allow the world to push us to the brink of insanity. Instead, we must keep our focus on the ONE
who is the REASON for this SEASON. Let us
look at those four simple things we can do each day during Advent.
(1) Let us slow
down. What is the hurry, after
all? Now, more than ever, we need to
stay connected to EACH DAY -- not dragging the emotional wreckage and baggage
from yesterday, and not stealing problems from tomorrow. We must live TODAY. And stay connected to TODAY. Otherwise we might miss out on the blessings
God has in store for us TODAY.
(2) Let us wait
patiently. Few of us are very good
at this, primarily because we don’t try it very often. But as we slow down the pace of each day, let
us spend time each day WAITING EXPECTANTLY for the HAND OF GOD to show up in
our lives, and in the lives of those around us.
Let us wait for HIM each day.
Otherwise we might miss Him entirely.
(3) Let us watch
carefully. Far too many people
wander around each day like zombies, not paying attention to what is going on
around them. God has given us eyes to
see, so let us use them for His glory. And
let us WATCH FOR HIM. If we’re not watching
for Him, then we undoubtedly will not see Him.
And that is a tragedy.
(4) Let us pray
without ceasing. Through prayer we
LISTEN for the voice of the Lord.
Through prayer, we OPEN our minds to Him. Through prayer, we SEEK His will and His plan
and His direction for our lives. If we
forget to pray, then we are doing the most damaging thing to our lives that we
can ever do.
5. In a very real sense, we have
the privilege this Advent season to take our places with the humble shepherds
in Bethlehem 20 centuries ago. We have the opportunity to
SLOW DOWN our lives, and to take our place in the little town of Bethlehem to
WAIT, TO WATCH, and TO PRAY. During the
Advent season, we look in three directions simultaneously:
(1) We look backwards in
time -- to Bethlehem, and to the event that changed the course of history.
(2) We look around in
the present time -- to the miracles and blessings that surround us each day.
(3) We look to the
future -- to the end of time, when the Lord will come again to be the judge of
the living and the dead.
6. In our Gospel lesson this
morning, the Lord Jesus reminds us of the necessity for us to COME OUT OF THE
BUSY-NESS of the day and to PAY ATTENTION to Him. In our lesson from Matthew 24:
(1) Jesus meets privately
with His apostles on the Mount of Olives, during His final week in
Jerusalem. It was then -- as now -- an
easy time to be distracted. I have spent
some time in this holy place. And then
-- as now -- Jesus summons His apostles INTO THE REALM OF THE PRESENT MOMENT.
(2) Jesus tells them
that the “end of the age” -- His second coming -- will be just like it was in
the days of Noah. People ate and drank,
partied and had fun, right up until the time it started raining. And raining.
And raining. Noah and his family
were saved because they OBEYED the Lord and made preparations. THEY STAYED FOCUSED on God.
(3) And then Jesus says
to them: “Therefore, you, too, must be
ready! For the Son of Man is coming at
an UNEXPECTED hour.”
7. Quite
simply, we have a blessed opportunity today to follow a different path to
Christmas -- a spiritual path. Jesus has
given us His promise that His Kingdom is very near to us (Luke 21), and that He
is coming to us at a moment in history that we cannot predict (Matthew 24:36). In order to be ready for Him, we must SLOW
DOWN, WAIT, WATCH, and PRAY. We must
follow God’s directions for our lives, and NOT the fast-paced craziness of the
world. You see, if we are not careful at
this time of year, we might OVERLOOK God entirely. And we could find ourselves praying, like the
little girl, “Forgive us our CHRISTMASES, as we forgive those who CHRISTMAS
against us.”
Above all, let us
remember every day that the GREATEST GIFT of all is the One God gave to us --
sending His Son into the world to live for us, to die for us, and to rise from
the dead. For us. And for our salvation.
The Lord’s GIFT to us is the only One that
really matters at this time of year.
God’s GIFT to us is still the only reason for this season.
Or, as a small child
said to me several Christmases ago:
“If this is REALLY
Jesus’ birthday, we are WE getting all the presents? Shouldn’t we be giving presents to Him?”
Well.
Shouldn’t we?