November 29, 2015
(120212)
“It’s a Wonderful
Life”: Hope Notes Not Edited
Mat. 2:1-2; Lk. 2:1-14
SIS: Jesus brings
us hope–a sustained, positive outlook on life regardless of the circumstances
around us.
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Nothing will kill
the Christmas spirit faster than the “scrooge of despair.” Every year at
Christmas time stores put on dozens of new employees to cover the Christmas
rush. In fact, many retailers make as
much as 50% of their annual total sales at Christmas time. With the additional throng of Christmas
shoppers, additional sales people are needed.
Amazingly, the Devil does the same thing. Every Christmas season the Devil must work
ten times harder to overcome the contagious spirit of joy that exists this time
of the season. He puts his demons on
double-duty to try to quench any small glimmer of hope that he sees building in
the heart of men, women or children. His
number one weapon against the joy of Christmas is despair. He knows if he can get you worrying about
life, you won’t have time for worshipping the Lord.
The Devil knows
that without “hope” the joy of Christmas simply dies out. So, this Christmas we need to spread the
message: Christmas–It’s a Wonderful hope!
Jesus was born to bring us a “Wonderful Hope!” A hope that comes from a star, a song, and a
Savior.
Like George Bailey,
we all experience devastating blows to our dream for a “Wonderful Life.” But, part of the message of Christmas is a
message of “Wonderful Hope.” A hope that
is signed, sealed, and delivered to us by God through Jesus Christ.
Without hope life
is a series of bad experiences. Hope is
as essential
to happiness as air
is to life. Without hope, all chance of
experiencing the joy so contagious at Christmas time is snuffed out.
In the Christmas
story we find three elements that give us hope.
Let’s read that
hope-filled passage together: Luke
2:1-14.
The Christmas Story
gives us the three essential elements needed
to live a
hope-filled life in a haphazard world: a star, a song, and a Savior. Let’s go first to Matthew to see the first
element of hope.
1. We have a
Star – the sign of God’s Providence (Mat. 2:1-2)
2:1
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi
from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has
been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to
worship him."
Providence, (often
initial capital letter), refers to the foreseeing care and guidance of God
or nature over the creatures of the
earth.
From “pro” (before)
plus “video” (to see)
The “star” reminds
us of the Providence of God – this gives us great hope because – like the
“star” – God goes before us in life making sure and certain His plan for our
lives will unfold just as He has planned they would, regardless of our
circumstances.
The Bethlehem Star:
what a wonderful part of the Christmas story.
Today, skeptics
deny the star; scholars debate the star; but, wise men still follow the
star! The star represents for us God’s
providential guidance in our lives. It
is this sense of direction that helps dispel any sense of doom or despair in
our lives.
Despair is
certainly not something new. It did not
originate in
this the 21st
century. Every generation has faced
discouraging times. Yet, our present generations
seems to be lacking something former generations counted on–direction. As a nation, until our present time, there
seemed to be no doubt as to “who we are and where we are going.” We had a sense of “manifest detiny.” There was a mindset that the course of
America was set by the compass of Almighty God and He had a plan for our
nation. This sense of manifest destiny
helped our forefathers throw off the yoke of British rule and forge this nation
through a great civil war, two world wars, various conflicts and a great
depression. We always seemed to land on
our feet as a nation regardless of how bad the situation was at hand. We have always been a “hopeful nation” because
we believed in the Providential hand of God upon our lives. We were indeed, One Nation Under God and, as
such, we were invincible. Just like the
Star of Bethlehem guided the Wise Men to Jesus, we have sensed that same
guiding hand of God on our nation – until this present generation.
We seem to be a
nation lacking in direction. In
generations past,
our grandparents
did not debate when life began. They
knew that a pregnant woman carried a baby, not just a blob of tissue. Today, we even kill babies “after they are
born” – legally! We used to know when
life ended. Now, we have doctors
debating whether or not a living, breathing, blinking, feeling woman in Florida
has a right to continue living because her quality of life does not meet the
acceptable standards of some in society.
And, what about marriage? Was
there ever any doubt in the minds of our grandparents that marriage was between
a woman and a man? Now, we cannot even
define marriage as a nation.
In short, we as a
nation have lost sight of the star of God’s
Providence in our
lives. Our wise men no longer look to
God’s Book to find guidance as the Wise Men of Old looked to the Book to
interpret the meaning of the Bethlehem Star.
We have lost sight of the Star of God’s guidance and we wander aimlessly
through life confused by the speech of experts and abused by those in
power.
What is the result
of losing sight of God’s Star of Providence?
Our nation has lost
it’s way certainly. But, our churches
have also lost their way. A major
denomination ordains a promiscuous practicing homosexual and we all say, “Oh
well.” Our communities have lost their
ways. Drugs and violence fill our news
while despair fills our streets. Our
families have lost the star of God’s guidance.
Over half the children in our land will grow up in a home where their
father is not present – many will grow up in a home where no father is
present. Yes, we have lost sight of the
Star of God’s Providence and the result is sin, despair and hopelessness
increasing at an epidemic rate.
When Jesus was born
there was a Star. If we want to beat
back
despair and find
hope in our lives, we need to find the Star of God’s Guidance for our lives
once again. Without direction we will
fall into the pit of despair. An
anonymous writer wrote recently, “the greatest need of our time and our
generation is to find a star--a singular goal, objective, or ideal--upon which
we can fix our gaze and toward which together we can move. The tragedy of our
time is that people are pulling in so many different directions that, rather
than moving toward the Kingdom of God, we seem more likely to be headed toward
anarchy.
It will most
certainly get much darker in the future.
Hopelessness will continue to grow.
People will begin to grasp even more wildly for someone or something to
follow. We need a star from on high to
follow. We need a vision of a better world toward which to strive. If there is
any urgent demand being thrust upon the Christian church today, it is the
plaintive plea of society to the church to translate the concept of the Kingdom
of God into concrete Twenty-first Century language.”
This is absolutely
true. To find hope in life we need to
find
God’s Star to
follow once again.
2. We also
need a Song to have hope for tomorrow. (Lk. 2:13-14)
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of
the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: 14 Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!
Now, it does not
specifically say that the angels “sang”
these words, but it
was definitely a “song of praise from a heavenly choir.” And, we have been singing Christmas carols
ever sense.
Have you ever
noticed that how much singing there is associated with
Christmas? Singing and Christmas are almost
synonymous. Churches perform cantatas
and everyone from rappers to pop stars put out a Christmas album.
How powerful is a
“song?” Here’s a remarkable story from WWII.
During the war, an airstrip was built on a small tropical island in the
South Pacific. The chaplain and others had tried to tell the natives about the
Christian faith, but the natives responded slowly. Orders came to move on at
Christmas 1943. Desiring to see the
natives embrace the Christ of Christmas, the departing Americans gave a
farewell party with makeshift gifts, and several tried to explain the origin of
Christmas and the true meaning of the Christmas spirit. The Americans departed never knowing if their effort
to reach the natives was successful. A
few years later the same chaplain stopped at the island in route to a Far East
assignment. He was greeted with excitement and taken to see the beautiful
Church which the natives had built. Over the doorway was crudely lettered,
"This is our Church, built on faith and brotherly love."
The chaplain stayed
for a service of worship in the church. There were no seats; the songs were all
Christmas carols because those were the only ones they knew. One native
explained to the chaplain, "After you left, we built the Church to worship
Jesus. We worship Him with the only service we know--Christmas, the Day He was
born. Every day is Christmas here. Every day the Christ child is born anew. Our
gift to give is love. Our Church, we call it, the Christmas Church." How
the world needs a Christmas song and a Christmas church
Of course, singing
at Christmas time is as old as the Christmas
story itself. In fact, the first Christmas carol was sung
by a heavenly choir. The text never
really says the angels sang, but this has been the longstanding tradition. Luke describes the moment:
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of
the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: 14 Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!
What was the theme
of this first Christmas carol? It was hope!
The Jews lived under the heavy hand of the Roman Emperor. They could not express themselves as the
People of God without fear of retaliation.
The were barely tolerated, but not much more. The angels sang (or heralded) about the hope
of a brighter future of blessing for all men upon whom the favor of God
rested. The song was a testimony of the
power of the presence of God. If God’s
favor rests upon us – that is we surrender to His grace in our lives – then,
regardless of the circumstances of life we can have hope. War or peace.
Feast or famine. Sickness or
health. Good circumstances or bad. God’s people always have “hope.”
The circumstances were not good that first
Christmas. Mary was young and unmarried.
Herod, the Jewish King, was hostile to the very idea of the birth of a
King of Kings. The night air was cold
and the inn was closed to Mary, Joseph and Jesus. It was not at all an ideal situation. But, there is no note of despair in the song
of the angels – only hope. Hope because a new day was dawning. Hope because the Presence of God now was
dwelling among men. The Bible says that
where people are singing praises, God’s presence will dwell. We can have hope regardless of our
circumstances if we know that God is with us.
He is still Emmanuel – God with us.
And, we know that if “God is for us and with us nothing can stand
against us. “
Oh how we need to
hear the Song of Christmas that reminds us that
God presence is
with us. Where God’s favor rests, there
is hope.
We need the Star of
God’s guidance to have hope. We need the
Song of Praise reminding us God’s presence is with us
if we want to have hope. But, more than a Star and more than a Song,
3. we need a
Savior to have Hope. (Luke 2:11)
Unless Jesus is the
Savior of your soul, you can never have the kind of hope that endures any
situations and conquers any circumstance.
As beautiful as it is to have a Star to follow and a Song to sing,
without a Savior we have no reason to have hope.
How important it is
to see the title given to that little child born so long ago. Who did the heavenly host say was born that
day in the city of David?
“Today,
in the city of David is born to you a Savior,
who
is Christ the Lord!”
Christmas is about
salvation. It is about an “eternal
hope.”
Throughout my life
I have been asked a strange question by strangers I’ve met. On occasion a stranger I chance to talk with
will ask me:
“What is your
sign?” By this the person means, of
course, what zodiac sign was I born under.
Different months of the year have different signs. For example, my sign is “Taurus, the
bull.” Now, many people take this “horoscope”
stuff very seriously. But, I must tell
you that it makes no difference whatsoever what sign you were born under – it
has not affect on your life whatsoever!
Now, this is not
entirely true of Jesus. He was born under
a very special sign. The birth sign of
Jesus defined His entire earthly existence.
I’m not talking about some sign of the mythical zodiac. I’m talking about the Sign of the Cross. Even in the manger of Bethlehem the cross of
Calvary cast a shadow over Jesus Christ.
He was born to die for the sins of the world. He was born under the sign of the cross. From before the foundation of the world,
Jesus was the Lamb that would be slain for our sins. He has always been, the Savior. As Jesus stood before Pilate, soon to be
condemned to die a horrible death, Pilate tried to extract a plea bargain from
Jesus so that Pilate could find reason to let this innocent man go. Jesus would not bargain. The cross was His destiny. Jesus replied to Pilate:
“For
this cause I have come into the world, that I should
bear
witness to the truth” (Jn. 18:37)
And what was “the
truth?” It is the truth that we need a
Savior
and God provided
one for us in Jesus Christ. Friends, if you feel like you have no hope. If you feel like our friend George Bailey
that you have nothing to live for there is “hope.” There is hope in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Did
you notice on the bridge that there was an old man standing in the shadows watching George Bailey as he
contemplated plunging himself into the icy waters below? That old man was George’s guardian
angel. His name was Clarence. Clarence was dispatched by God to save George
Bailey from despair.
Well, Jesus is our
Clarence. Jesus was dispatched by God nearly
2000 years ago to save us from sin and despair.
Our Savior Jesus Christ is always standing near us. He is always ready to deliver us from
whatever crushing circumstance we might find ourselves. Because Jesus is always standing at the ready
to save us, we can have hope.
There is an old story told many times that
explains beautifully what the Bible means when it says, “To us a Savior was
born.” It was Christmas Eve and the
man's wife and children were getting ready to go to church. He wasn't going.
"I simply can't understand what Christmas is all about, this claim that
God became man," he told his wife.
It had been snowing all day and it was beginning to snow harder as the
man's family rode off to church without him. He drew a chair up to the
fireplace and began to read his newspaper.
A few minutes later, there was a thudding sound at the kitchen window.
When he went to investigate, he found a flock of birds out in the back yard.
They had been caught in the storm, and in a desperate search for shelter, were
trying to fly through the kitchen window. He was a very kind man so he tried to
think of something he could do so the birds wouldn't freeze. "The
barn!" he thought. That would be a nice shelter. He put on his coat and overshoes and tramped
through the deepening snow to the barn and opened the door wide and turned on
the light. But the birds didn't come in. Food will bring them in he thought. So
he hurried back to the house for breadcrumbs which he sprinkled on the snow to
make a trail to the barn. But the birds
ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow.
He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around waving his arms. They
scattered in every direction except into the warm, lighted barn. "They
find me a strange and terrifying creature," he said to himself, "and
I can't seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me."
Puzzled and
dismayed, he pondered this thought, "If only I could be a bird myself for
the moment, perhaps I could lead them to safety." If only I could be a
bird myself . . .
Just then the
church bells began to ring, pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. The man
stood silently for a minute, then sank to his knees in the snow. "Now I understand," he whispered
as he lifted his gaze to the sky. "Now I see why You had to become
man."
Friends, to have
hope we need a Star. We need the
guidance that only God can give. To have
hope we also need a song. This is the
song that a heart sings when it is overshadowed by the presence of Almighty God
breaking in upon one’s life. We need a
star to follow and song to sing, but most of all we need a Savior.
This morning we lit
the first candle of the Advent season. It
was the candle of “hope.” We lit the
“hope” candle first because, without hope it is impossible to celebrate the
love, peace, and joy of Christmas. This
morning, do not leave here subject to despair, but leave hear surrounded by
hope.
One of the greatest
gifts we could receive this morning is to realize
that Christmas is a
“Wonderful Hope.”
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