Advent 2021: Hope

 

December 5, 2021                        NOTES NOT EDITED
Reconnect with Hope
Mat.  2:1-2; Lk. 2:1-14

SIS: If you are miserable today and facing great challenges, but you listen carefully and hand your heart on three hooks in the Christmas Story, your life will most likely be just as miserable when you leave—but you can still have a deep sense of hope.

One problem with Christian theology and doctrine is that they become disconnected from reality.  The other night, I awoke at about 2:30 am.  I could not get back to sleep.  I opened up a N.T. Bible app and started reading 1Jn. 1 in the original Greek.  I thought this would require ample brain power to overcome the troubling thoughts keeping me awake.  What could be a more powerful therapy than the Bible in Greek.

The theme of 1John, chapter 1, especially verse 1, highlight the “reality” of the Christian experience.  By “reality,” I mean that which corresponds to objective representation in the real world we experience with our senses.  Let me say that again because it isn’t typical, “sermon talk.”  By “reality,” I mean that which corresponds to objective representation in the real world iaIn common language it is that which can be “scientifically proven.”

In regard to John’s description of the Christian experience he does not define it as a grand idea or lofty philosophical proposition.  He says the Christian experience is something that can be “heard” with our ears, “seen with our eyes,” and “touched” with our hands.  That’s as real as it gets by any evaluation.

Now, there are limits to strict and narrow empiricism because there is reality beyond what we can experience directly.  Mathematics is one good example.  The statement:  1 + 1 = 2 expresse a “real” truth that is universally accepted and pragmatically applied every day in a gazillion ways.  But, what is “1-ness or 2-ness?”  They are real,  but cannot be experienced directly through our senses.  Pick up any introductory book on quantum physics and you will be exposed to a myriad of mind-blowing “realities” that cannot be experienced directly through the five senses.

I said in the beginning that there is a significant problem with Christian theology in that it can become disconnected from the real world and cease to be what John the Apostle is describing as Christianity in the Real World in his first letter.  To summarize my point in a common cliché:  “Too often in Church (including preaching), the rubber doesn’t meet the road.”

For example, last week we talked about “love.”  I mentioned the lament of the rock group, Foreigner singing, “I wanna’ know what love is // I want you to show me.”  Love is real—but it cannot be accessed directly.  You can’t hear it in your ear or be poked with it in the eye.  You can’t directly hold love in your hand (though holding a little baby comes close).  If we are not careful in the Church, we will reduce love and hope to grandiose Platonic ideas, void of any real practical applications to our lives.  Last week I addressed Foreigner’s dilemma and “showed you from the Christmas Story last week what love is.”

This week is a similar dilemma as we explore the Christian experience of hope—or lack thereof.  As I did with love last week I want to ask, “What is hope?”  As I did with love last week in referring to the song lyrics from the rock group Foreigner, I want to refer to another lyric from another popular song by Joni Mitchell that says, “I said don't it always seem to go//That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone//They paved paradise//And put up a parking lot.”  I’m going to apply Joni Mitchell’s approach to parking lots to the Christian idea of hope.

Are you following me.  I’m taking quite a while to pack the car for our trip this morning so we will have everything we need for our journey to hope.

Let me break it down in a simple, succinct sentence:  If you are miserable today and facing great challenges, but you listen carefully and hand your heart on three hooks in the Christmas Story, your life will most likely be just as miserable when you leave—but you can still have a deep sense of hope.  OK.  It’s a simple sentence but maybe not so succinct.

The only way to really appreciate what the Bible teaches about hope is to know what it is like to feel you have no hope—remember Joni, “Don’t it always seem to go//That we don’t know what we’ve got til its gone?”  Just like the brilliance of a diamond is best experienced against the back drop of black velvet, so hope is best understood against the dark background of despair.  Only a person who has lost his sight can truly appreciate the gift of seeing.  Only a person who has experienced thirst to the point of near death can truly appreciate the satisfaction and goodness of a refreshing drink of water. 

OK.  The car’s packed.  Now let’s read the Christmas story and see three hooks we can hang our hearts on and experience hope no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.  LUKE 2:1-11

2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.  4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest,  and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

And then in Matthew we read:  Matt 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."

These two passages give us three anchors we can attach our hearts to so we don’t drift out into a sea of despair when the storms of life crash upon us: a star, a song, and a Savior.

1.  We have a Star – the sign of God’s Providence (Mat. 2:1-2)

(Often initial capital letter) Providence refers to the foreseeing care and guidance of God 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 Star was a real star seen with real eyes! 

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 did not originate with our generation. Every generation has faced discouraging times.  Yet, our present generation 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 destiny.”  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.  Hope had always permeated our common culture.  The words of our Pledge, One Nation Under God, was more than a slogan—it was an ANCHOR OF HOPE to which are nation was securely moored. Under the Star of God’s Providence, we were invincible and a spirit of hopefulness abounded.  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. Now, we look like a racing boat with a 400HP motor and no rudder.  We are spinning dangerously out of control with an inevitable crash waiting ahead.

The foundation for hope in America has been eroding for decades, but today almost no foundation for hope remains.  Just listen to even a little news, “fake or otherwise,” and you will hear story after story of a nation being sucked into a sinkhole of sadness and despair.  People are afraid to go out to the stores for fear of getting caught up ina “smash and grab” shopping spree by looters!  Those that do venture out to the supermarket are faced with empty shelves that are a metaphor for empty lives.  Hope is as scarce today as toilet paper during the height of the pandemic—and hope seems to die a little more with the announcement of each new Covid variant. 

In short, we as a nation have lost sight of the star of God’s

Providence in our lives which guides us to the Lord of Hope.  

Our so-called wise men or leaders 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 the power-grapping politicians. 

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. . . . .  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 have hope we need to hand our hearts on the Star of God’s Providence.

2.  We also need a Song to have hope for tomorrow. (Lk. 2:13-14)

“Glory to God in the highest and peace to men upon whom God’s favor rests.”

Now, it does not specifically say that the angels “sang” these words, but it was definitely “songlike 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. Businesses play Christmas carols, churches perform cantatas and everyone from rappers to pop stars put out a Christmas album. 

During World War II an air strip 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. The departing Americans gave a farewell party with make-shift gifts, and several tried to explain the origin of Christmas and the true meaning of the Christmas spirit. A few years later the same chaplain stopped at the island enroute to a Far East assignment. He was greeted with excitement and taken to see the beautiful Church which the natives had built.

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 today.hat Heavenly Choir sang,  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to those that the Lord favors.”

What was the theme of this first Christmas carol? It was hope!  They sang 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.

 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 stable smelled of animals and damp hay. 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, “God’s very Presence inhabits a praising people.” *******

To have hope in a miserably hopeless world we have to Hang Our Hearts On a Heavenly Song.

3.  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,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” which is why my Mom often referred to me as, “Jack the Bull-headed!”  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!

The only person born under a sign that had a direct affect on his life was Jesus. 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.  From before the foundation of the world, Jesus was the Lamb that would be slain for our sins.  He has always been, the Savior.  The Angel’s announcement to the Shepherds reminds us of the “Why” Jesus came to earth: 

“Today in the city of David .. .

Make no mistake about this—maybe you should consider getting it tattooed on the back of your hand, “this world is a horrible place not fit for human habitation.”  That’s why this world is going to be destroyed and a “new heaven and earth established.” (Rev. ****).  Jesus, Himself, reminded us, “In this world you WILL . . . .

There is an old story I’ve told many times in Advent sermons through the years.  It 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 bread crumbs 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." 

This world is horrible and hopeless and the circumstances may never get much better, or may not get better for some time; but, you can still have hope if you Hang Your Heart on the Savior Who Hanged on the Cross.

The Christmas Story gives us three anchors to secure our ship when the stormy seas are crashing upon us:  a Star of Providence, a Song of Heaven, and a Savior on a Cross.