I'll Be Home for Christmas, Part 2 - Priorities

Isaiah 40:3-5

Introduction

Christmas is traditionally a time when people like to go home to be close to family.  Unfortunately, not everyone is able to go home for the holidays.  Things get in the way.  There are Christmas parties to attend, extra shopping to do, meals to prepare, special activities for our kids and grandkids…  The Christmas season is an extremely busy time of year!  We may just be too busy or too broke to go home this year. 

Even so, Christmas is a time when we long to go home to a place where we feel at peace, where love is freely given and freely received.  Ultimately, our Home is with our Heavenly Father.  As we prepare to celebrate Christmas over the next few weeks, I want to challenge you to think of “Home” in its broader, spiritual sense.  Today, we will look at how being too busy can be an obstacle to going Home spiritually. 

Isaiah 40:3-5

³ Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
    for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
    for our God!
⁴ Fill in the valleys,
    and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
    and smooth out the rough places.
⁵ Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.
    The Lord has spoken!” 

Changing Your Ways

            This passage was written hundreds of years before Christ was born.  It looks forward to his coming and challenges people to change their ways to get ready for the Son of God.  The passage encourages people to clear out anything that gets in the way of the Lord’s coming.  That’s good advice as we prepare for Christmas.

In order to “go Home” in a spiritual sense, you have to repent of your sins.  Repentance starts by recognizing you have gone astray, that you’ve messed up, that you’ve put something before God.  But repentance is more than just feeling sorry.  Repentance means to change your ways with God’s help.  Today, I want to suggest five real changes God can help you make that will lead you Home.  In order to make these changes though, you might have to clear out something else from your life to make room.

            It all starts with your priorities.  Your priorities are what’s important to you.  Priorities are what you spend most of your time, money, and energy on.  For example, if your top priority is to go home to see your parents for Christmas, you will make it happen.  You won’t let anything get in the way.  You will ask for time off from work, buy an expensive plane ticket for travel, and do whatever else it takes to go home if that is your top priority.  (It’s OK if that’s not your top priority.  A top priority of my household on Christmas is to NOT go anywhere but to STAY home.  That’s our family time.  Anyone is welcome to come see us, but we’re not going anywhere if we can help it.  We’re already home!)

            I want you to think of this in spiritual terms.  If your top priority is ultimately to go Home to be with God (and I think it should be), then what do you need to do to make it happen?  I would like to suggest five simple changes you can make that will help lead you Home. 

 

Number one.  Worship Christ at church every Sunday.  As we prepare for Christmas, I challenge you not to miss a Sunday in December.    From there, make weekly worship a goal for the whole year.  I suggest you should miss no more than five Sundays in a year.  That’s my goal; maybe it can be yours.  That still gives you enough spares in case you are sick or on vacation or for other unexpected things that come up.  Of course, I understand that there are always special circumstances.  My wife is a nurse and she sometimes has to work on Sundays.  You may be in a similar situation, but you can still make worship in church a top priority.  Figure out a reasonable goal and stick to it.  Make worship in the church a top priority.

Number two.  Study God’s Word, the Bible.  I recommend you read at least one chapter every day.  It takes less than five minutes, but over time it will make a world of difference in your spiritual health.  In addition, I suggest you participate in at least one group Bible study each week.  Join a Sunday school or Bible study.  Come to church on a Wednesday night.  Youth and children can attend youth or children’s programs.  These times of learning with other Christians is where you will see real spiritual growth.

 

Number three.  Stay connected to Jesus through daily prayer.  Prayer is the heart of an intimate relationship with Jesus.  You can’t have a relationship with anyone if you don’t talk regularly.  I suggest you talk to Jesus in the morning when you get up and then again before you go to bed.  In between, you can say a blessing before each meal.  Add to this short prayers throughout your day and you’ll have a dynamic relationship with Jesus.

 

Number four.  Serve the Lord by loving your neighbors.  Let loving service be your goal throughout each day.  You don’t have to overcommit yourself.  Just start by volunteering for one thing with church and one thing outside of church.  These will help you build your spiritual muscles and can be a real blessing to you and others.

 

Number five.   Give.  I challenge you to give 10% of your income to the church.  That’s the biblical standard for giving and you won’t regret doing it.  If you’re not already a tither (someone who gives 10% of their income), then try it for the month of December.  But don’t stop there, go the extra mile.  Seek to become an extravagantly giving person.  Give more effort at work.  Be generous with your time to your friends.  Surprise people with the way you always give more than expected. 

Make it a Priority

Adding these five priorities to your life will help you be at Home with God.  Now, some people will argue, “But I don’t have time to do all these things.”  Time is not really the problem.  The issue is what we make time for.  We make time for things that are truly important.  We always find a way to afford things we really care about.

            Isaiah 40:3 says, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord!  Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!”  The Truth is, we may need to clear away some of the less important activities to make room for more important stuff.  The Truth is, we may need to spend less on ourselves so we have more with which to be generous.  I’m not saying it will be easy, but it is that simple.  And I can tell you this, you will be filled with so much more peace and contentment when you’re priorities are straightened out.  But most important, putting Jesus first is the only way you will ultimately go Home to heaven to be with God when this life comes to an end. 

So, what do you think?  Can you truly say, “I’ll be Home for Christmas?”

Why are We Giving Away a TV at Church?

"But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet." Luke 15:22

God gives extravagantly. 
When we deserve only reproach and punishment, God forgives and showers us with love.  His love is extravagant and it doesn't make sense! But I'm glad He gives extravagantly.

God’s extravagant giving inspires us to give. This is why we give gifts at Christmas. Even though it is Jesus' birthday, we give gifts to each other because God gave an extrordinary gift to us--His Son.

This month we are giving away extravagant gifts at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Dalton.  In addition to tons of other cool gifts, we will give away a Samsung Galaxy Tab, a Fitbit, and a 42 inch Sanyo TV.

What! Has the church lost it's mind and

been swallowed up in the world's materialism? Absolutely not!
However, God has blessed us beyond all reason and measure with His extravagant love and blessings.  So, we want to turn around and give extravagantly to others the way God gave to us.  That is why we give to the needy all year long through DOCUP and Family Promise and Be the Church and missionaries and many other outreach efforts. And that is why we are giving you a chance to receive a fabulous Christmas gift from the church each Sunday this month.

So come and bring as many friends as you can! Because you might just find the most extravagant gift of all--eternal life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Isaiah 64:1-9

Introduction

Christmas is traditionally a time when people go home to be close to family.  Unfortunately, not everyone is able to go home for the holidays.  There are often obstacles in the way that keep us from going home.  Home may be too far away.  We may be too busy to go home.  Or it may be too painful to because we don’t get along with our family or we may be overcome with grief as we think of loved ones who have passed away.

Even so, Christmas is still a time when we long to go home to the place where we feel at peace, where love is freely given and freely received.  Ultimately, our Home is with our Heavenly Father.  As we prepare to celebrate Christmas over the next few weeks, I want to challenge you to think of “Home” in its broader, spiritual sense.  Consider how Jesus came to overcome whatever keeps us from being at home with God.

Sometimes Home seems too far away.  I think of our brave soldiers serving oversees.  This must be an especially difficult time of year for them.  They feel the same longings we feel to go home for Christmas, but their duty to our country will not allow it.  For them, home must seem especially far away this season.

In a similar way, there is a deep spiritual longing in the heart of humanity to be at home with God, but sin separates us so far from Him it seems impossible to go Home.  Throughout history, men and women of faith have sensed this obstacle and longed to find a bridge between God and humanity.  People have gone to great lengths to cross this chasm, but all human efforts fail.  The prophet Isaiah wrote of the Jewish longing to be at home with God in Isaiah 64:1-9.  This was written over 500 years before Christ was born and laments how sin separates humanity form God.

Isaiah 64:1-9

¹Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!
    How the mountains would quake in your presence!
² As fire causes wood to burn
    and water to boil,
your coming would make the nations tremble.
    Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!
³ When you came down long ago,
    you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.
    And oh, how the mountains quaked!
⁴ For since the world began,
    no ear has heard
and no eye has seen a God like you,
    who works for those who wait for him!
⁵ You welcome those who gladly do good,
    who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
    for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
    how can people like us be saved?
⁶ We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
⁷ Yet no one calls on your name
    or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us
    and turned us over to our sins.

⁸ And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
    We are the clay, and you are the potter.
    We all are formed by your hand.
⁹ Don’t be so angry with us, Lord.
    Please don’t remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray,
    and see that we are all your people. 

Christmas Materialism

God did look and see His people.  Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior.  God loves us so much He sent his son Jesus to bridge the gap that sin places between us and God.  Jesus already did everything necessary to make a way for us to go Home spiritually.  In order to overcome the obstacle of sin that keeps us from being at Home with God we must:  believe in Jesus, repent of our sin, and invite Jesus into our life. 

Unfortunately, few people consciously recognize that they are lost and far from Home.  We mistake the temporary trappings of this world for things of eternal value.  And so, as Isaiah said in verse 7, “No one calls on [God’s] name or pleads with [God] for mercy. Therefore, [God has] turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.”

The Christmas season often heightens our pursuit of worldly things.  It is a time of great excitement and expectation.  Retailers play off this to increase sales and make more money.  A friend of mine told me a funny story that illustrates the effect the Christmas hype can have on people.  He said he once stood in line to see Santa Clause with his little boy.  Of course, it was a long line with many children eagerly waiting to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.  They must have stood in line for nearly an hour.  Then, just before Ken and his boy got their turn, Santa stood up and said, “I’ve had enough of this!”  He ripped off his beard and hat, threw them down, and walked off the job.  Ken just stood there dumbfounded with his jaw on the floor.  He didn’t know what to say to his son.  Would his image of Christmas and Santa Clause be shattered?  Then, his son looked up and said, “Dad, what’s the matter with that elf?  He’s not doing a very good job filling in for Santa!”

The excitement builds as we wait for Christmas to come.  We wait and wait and finally we get our turn at Christmas and then we are disappointed.  Christmas was not all it was cracked up to be.  Why?  Because we can’t find true peace, joy, and happiness in a fat man dressed up in a red suit. 

Sometimes, even visiting family for the holidays isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  Maybe we have fond memories of how great Christmas was in the good ole days.  And maybe it seems things can never be as good as they once were.  The music just isn’t as good, the food isn’t as tasty, the presents aren’t as special, the laughs aren’t as funny, the relatives aren’t as friendly…  Could it be that sometimes we even substitute family for God?  And when we do, we are always disappointed.

That’s not what Christmas was meant to be.  Christmas is the celebration of God’s love revealed to us through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus was born to remind us and invite us to come Home to God.  Jesus lived to show us the way Home.  He died to overcome the obstacle of sin that keeps us away from Home.  He rose from the grave because not even death can keep us from being at Home with our Father in Heaven. 

 

1.     Repentence

The key to overcoming sin is repentance.  Jesus has already broken the power of sin over us, but we must repent—that means to turn away from sin and turn to God.  But how do we actually repent.  First, we must ask ourselves in all honesty, “What do I put in the place of God?”

  I have a good friend who is a die-hard Tennessee Volunteers football fan.  He used to spend all his time tracking statistics on his team, watching games… He even lost sleep over whether or not they would beat Georgia!  But one day a few years ago as he was praying, he realized that he was being foolish.  He spent more time on a silly college football team than he did on his family.  He was even more passionate about the VOLS than he was about God.  When he came to his senses, my friend asked God to forgive him and he repented.  That means he changed the way he lived his life.  He’s still a Tennessee Volunteers football fan, but instead of being a fanatic sports fan, he’s a fanatic God fan.  And football never comes before God or the things that are truly important in life.  

2. Ask Forgiveness

Once we are aware we have put something before God, we must ask forgiveness.  It’s OK to ask for forgiveness in general… because we may never be fully aware of all the things we put before God.  But we should also reflect deeply on our life and then ask for forgiveness for the specific things that God reveals we have put before Him.  

3. Let God Change You

Next, we must let God change our behavior.  It is good to be sorry for our sins, but just feeling sorry is not enough.  There must also be a change in our behavior.  Change comes as a result of a personal encounter with Jesus.  I hope then, you will pray for more and more personal encounters with Jesus that you may be changed.  And pray for God to open your eyes more and more so you can recognize how you have already encountered Jesus in your life.  These divine encounters have profound, life-changing effects on us.  They help us to truly repent and come Home to God.

We change as a response to God’s love.  I think about the lady who was caught in the act of adultery in the passage from John 8:1-11.  She was caught red-handed, dragged from the bed by an angry mob, and thrown at the feet of Jesus.  According to the law, she was supposed to be stoned to death.  The mob demanded an answer—should they stone her or not.  You remember Jesus’ response.  He said, ““All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.  When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said.  And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.””[i]

The Bible doesn’t tell us what became of her after this, but an early church tradition says she went on to become a saint.  If that’s true, she didn’t become a saint to impress Jesus.  He had already seen her at her worst and he loved and forgave her anyway.  She became a saint in response to the great love of Christ that forgave her and spared her life when she was still a sinner.

The same is true for us.  We don’t try to be good people to earn God’s favor.  Isaiah said, “When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags.”[ii]  We can’t impress God and we don’t have to.  God loves us in spite of our sin.  His love for us is demonstrated by Christ who gave up the glory of heaven to be born as a helpless baby in a rickety old manger.  He lived a perfect life and was crucified for our sins so that we can be washed clean—as white as snow. 

Conclusion

 So how do we respond to all this?  Well, we could disregard it and keep on falling for the same old hype the world offers every year.  We could place our hopes in the temporary pleasures the gifts of this world bring. 

Or we could spend our time preparing our souls for the coming of Christ.  One day, we will face Jesus and look into the eyes of the man who hung on a cross for our sins.  If Christ came to take you Home to heaven today, would you be ready to go or would you keep clinging to the temporary things of this world?  The season of Advent is a very fitting time to prepare our souls to go Home to be with God.  Won’t you look into the eyes of your Savior today and say, “I’ll be Home for Christmas this year?” 

Thank You Jesus, for the great gift you gave us on the cross at Calvary.  You have made a way for us to truly come Home for Christmas this year.  We long for Home—the place we’re always certain to find hope and joy and peace.  Reveal to us those things in our lives that we have put before God.  And help us to know that no sin is too big for you to overcome.  Urge us to repent and to always put God first in our lives so that we will be ready to be at Home with God this Christmas.  Amen.

---

[i] John 8:7b-11

[ii] Isaiah 64:6

Christmas in July

Disturbed, Disinterested, or Devoted
Matthew2:1-12

Introduction
            Sometimes we get so busy in the Christmas season it’s hard to actually enjoy Christmas.  That's why I want to look at the Christmas story in July.  Maybe now, in the middle of summer, you may see/hear Christmas a little differently.
            Last Christmas, I was studying and preparing for a sermon, when I discovered a fascinating insight in William Barclay’s commentary on the Gospel of Matthew.  It did not go with my message at the time, but I set the idea aside specifically for “Christmas in July.”  So this message has been over 8 months in the making and you are reading it today for a reason.  I pray you will listen to what the Lord is saying specifically to you. 

Matthew 2:1-12

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ² “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

³ King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. ⁴ He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

⁶ ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. ⁸ Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

⁹ After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! ¹¹ They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹² When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

An Outsider’s View

            Sometimes it takes an outsider to see something everyone else takes for granted.  The Wisemen in our story were outsiders to the Holy Land.  Also known as Magi, these men were probably astrologers from what is now modern day Iran.  They spent their life studying the stars and planets for omens to predict important events on earth.  The Wisemen saw something so phenomenal it inspired them to take a journey of thousands of miles on foot (or camel).  It would have taken months to make the trip to see the child they believed was born King of the Jews. It would have required numerous stops along the way for rest, resupply, bathroom breaks, and maintenance (you know you have to change the oil in the camel every three months!).  All this for a “King” you never met before, but only read about in the stars.  How far would you go to meet Jesus?  Obviously, the Wisemen had high hopes for this new king.

            By the time they arrived in Jerusalem, the Wisemen expected everyone to know about the momentous birth of their “New King.”  And yet, no one seems to know anything about Jesus.  And as the Wisemen tell what they have seen in the stars, the people in the story soon gather into three different groups according to how they respond to the news of Jesus birth.  And ever since Jesus came, people have found themselves in the same three groups according to how they react to Christ--people are either disturbed, disinterested, or deeply devoted. 

Deeply Disturbed

            Some people—like King Herod—are deeply disturbed by Christ because they fear he might interfere with their life.  So they seek to silence or destroy Christ.  King Herod was a ruthless ruler who held onto his power despite the highly fragile political realities in which he governed.  The Roman Empire had conquered Judea, but allowed King Herod to rule autonomously—as long as he remained loyal and kept the volatile people of his kingdom in check.  Herod faced threats from outside from the Roman authorities who could depose him at any time as well as threats from within from political opponents, as well as violent extremists and religious fanatics who rejected Herod’s legitimacy to rule.  Herod maintained his power for decades, despite these obstacles, by ruling with an iron fist.  Not knowing who he could trust, Herod became paranoid that everyone was out to get him.  So he disposed of anyone who made him feel vulnerable or threatened.  The list of people Herod murdered to maintain his power included his wife, his mother-in-law, his eldest son, and two of his other sons.  The Roman Emperor, Augustus, remarked bitterly that it was safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.[i]

            Can you imagine how an insanely suspicious and murderous king like Herod would receive the Wisemen’s news that a “new” King of the Jews had been born?  He was deeply disturbed.  “Herod was afraid that this little child would interfere with his life, his place, his power, his influence, and therefore his first instinct was to destroy him.”[ii]

            William Barclay writes in his commentary on this passage, “There are still those who would gladly destroy Jesus Christ, because they see in him the one who interferes with their lives.  They wish to do what they like, and Jesus will not let them do what they like; and so they would kill him.  The man whose one desire is to do what he likes has never any use for Jesus Christ.  The Christian is the man who has ceased to do what he likes, and has dedicated his life to do as Christ likes.”[iii]

            There is a loud voice crying out in our world today that says we deserve to live as we please—that we have the right to satisfy our desire—even if it goes against God’s Word and natural design.  The same misguided voice proclaims that to deny ourselves is unhealthy, a denial of our individuality, and to be inauthentic and untrue to ourselves.  But Christ says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” In time, as Christ heals our selfish hearts, we may find that we come to love to do what Christ likes.  But it is often not so in the beginning.

            You may be disturbed by Christ because you fear he will interfere with your life.  Are you going to embrace him and let him change you, or are you going to try to destroy and silence him? 

Deeply Disinterested

            Some people are disinterested in Jesus; they don’t care one way or another.  The scribes and chief priests were so engrossed in their politics, their “religious” rituals, and their legal disputes, that they completely disregarded Jesus.  He meant nothing to him—except only to the extent that news of Christ’s birth disturbed their king Herod’s fragile personality which in turn disrupted their own status quo.

            Again, Barclay writes, “There are still those who are so interested in their own affairs that Jesus Christ means nothing to them.”[iv]  There are many who think, “Who has time to worry about ‘religion?’  I don’t need Jesus.  I can do just fine on my own.  I’ll leave all that spiritual nonsense to the religious fanatics, the poor, and the uneducated.  I don’t have time for it.”

            Sadly, it often is not until same terrible tragedy comes in a person’s life that they will become interested in Jesus.  When cancer strikes or a love one dies unexpectedly, then suddenly people begin to cry out to a God they had little interest in before.

            I am a kind person, but I find myself in a strange place sometimes—praying for people who are deeply disinterested in Jesus.  Sometimes I must pray for God to send trials and tribulations that are trying enough to shake people out of their apathy so they will become interested in Jesus before it is too late.

            Are you one of these disinterested people?  What will it take to wake you from your spiritual slumber so you recognize your deep need for the love and power of Christ?  I pray it will not take some terrible tragedy.  Why not turn your thoughts and interests to him today? 

Deeply Devoted

            And finally, there is a third group—those who are deeply devoted to Christ.  Barclay wrote, “There was the reaction of the wise men, the reaction of adoring worship, the desire to lay at the feet of Jesus Christ the noblest gifts which they could bring.  Surely, when any man realizes the love of God in Jesus Christ, he, too, should be lost in wonder, love, and praise.”

            The Wisemen followed the star to the ends of the earth to find the King of kings.  How far are you willing to go?  The Good News is, you don’t have to go far.  Jesus is right here, right now.  He ordained this day long ago as the day you would have the opportunity to bow down and worship Christ—to decide in your heart, “I want to dedicate my life to following Christ—to go where he leads me, to do what he wants of me.” 

Invitation

            The Wisemen presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  But what Christ wants from you is your heart.  Which type of person are you today?  As you react to Jesus, are you deeply disturbed, deeply disinterested, or deeply devoted?  Now is the time to decide.  Now is the time to respond.

---

[i] William Barclay – The Daily Study Bible Series, the Gospel of Matthew Volume 1, revised edition; page 29

[ii] Ibid.; page 30

[iii] Ibid.; page 30

[iv] Ibid.; page 30