Fourth Sunday of Advent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle A
The church year theological clue
A quarter of a century ago, there was a movement in Great Britain by the Joint Liturgical Group to move Christmas (and other festivals, too) to a Sunday to encourage greater attendance and participation in the festive worship. This did not happen formally (in fact, the anticipated 1980 merger of the Anglican Church with several Protestant communions did not occur, either), but the Fourth Sunday in Advent, through liturgy and lections and popular piety, has clearly taken the shape of "Christmas Sunday" in many parts of the church. At the least, another proposal (to name the Sundays of Advent as Sundays before Christmas) did not reach full fruition, because there is really only one Sunday "before Christmas." This should preserve the purposes of Advent and, at the same time, give Christmas its due.
The theological/homiletical clue, from the perspective of church year and liturgy, is to focus the proclamation of the gospel on the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the beginning of the drama of salvation. The readings support and substantiate this liturgical view of the Fourth Sunday in Advent as the time to anticipate the proximity of Christmas and to prepare for the celebration.
The homiletical problem in preaching is that the content of this Sunday is what most people in our congregations already have been celebrating, rather than waiting for. Advent has become so secularized, with early emphasis on the "commercial countdown" (so many shopping days left until Christmas, etc.), that the Fourth Sunday in Advent and Christmas, too, are practically over by the time they arrive. Therefore, the other two themes of Advent - the Parousia and the present Advent of the Lord - need to find emphasis alongside the historical coming of Christ in his birth if pastors are to preach on the full meaning of the incarnation, which finds expression in the twelve day Christmas season, the Epiphany season, and beyond.
The Prayer of the Day - The third, and last, of the "stir up" prayers, which begins exactly as did the prayer for the First Sunday in Advent: "Stir up your power, O Lord, and come." it continues, oriented to Christmas:
Take away the hindrance of our sins and make us ready for the celebration of your birth, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
The petition, in the light of the address that asks the risen and reigning Lord to stir up his power and come to us in the celebration of his birth, is an expression of repentance by those with contrite hearts so that our rejoicing might be full and complete, and our lives be dedicated to Christian service.
The Psalm of the Day - Psalm 24 - When sung to a psalm tone, this psalm could serve nicely as an entrance hymn:
Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in ...
"Who is he, this King of glory?"
"The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory."
The one who was in the creation and to whom all people and all things belong, is about to enter the world through the king, his Son, to give God's blessing to his people. Long sought by his own, he comes at last to them, whose hands have been cleansed and whose hearts have been purified through repentance and repudiation of sin. With heads lifted high, the people of God ready themselves to receive him with joy as they celebrate the feast, his birth.
The Psalm Prayer
Lord God, ruler and guide of heaven and earth, you made your Son a priest and brought him into your everlasting temple. Open our hearts that the King of glory may enter, and bring us rejoicing to your holy mountain, where you live and reign, one God, now and forever.
The readings:
Isaiah 7:10-14
A one-level exegesis of this passage throws it into the past - and stormy - history of Israel and Judah, when Ahaz, King of Judah, was caught in a political and military squeeze by an allegiance between the northern kingdom of Israel and then-powerful Syria. King Ahaz didn't really want to hear Isaiah's prophesy that all would be well, but he couldn't ignore it, especially when Isaiah spoke his familiar word, "Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This was not intended to be a messianic reference, at that time, but an announcement that the queen would become pregnant and bear a son who would be a political savior for Judah. Early in the history of the New Testament church, the reference to Immanuel was connected to the Christ; Hezekiah, the "Immanuel" of whom Isaiah was speaking, was put in the background. Jesus was Immanuel, no question about it, partly because he came from the house of David, but also because there were special signs and events connected with his birth. It is from this perspective that this text is assigned to the Fourth Sunday in Advent.
The Roman Catholic lectionary reading ends at verse 14, but the other three in this study include verses 15 through 17, which describe how "the land will be deserted," as well as the special character and characteristics that this child-king will have. He will know "how to refuse the evil and choose the good" and will usher in restoration of a bygone era. But the liturgical/homiletical intention in assigning this reading to this Sunday remains in the connection that Christians make of "Immanuel" to Jesus Christ. In actuality, a single verse, 14, could be employed as the First Lesson: "Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (The Jerusalem Bible reads: "The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel." This translation "fits" more accurately Joseph's dream in the Gospel). This is realized eschatology for the church.
Romans 1:1-7
This epistle summarizes the heart of the gospel, much as Paul does in his other epistles - but with some differences - so that the church in Rome would understand that his kerygmatic theology was identical to that which the people had been taught. He emphasizes that Jesus "descended from David according to the flesh" and was "designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead...." The reading seems to have been selected primarily because it asserts that Jesus/Immanuel comes from the Davidic line and thereby substantiates the interpretation that Isaiah's prophecy may be applied to Jesus Christ. Interestingly, what he has to say about himself, the gospel, and the church at Rome, precedes his familiar apostolic greeting, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The epistle also serves to tie the Isaiah reading to the Gospel for the Day.
Matthew 1:18-25
A portion of the Christmas story is read annually on the Fourth Sunday in Advent; in this case, it is the story of Joseph's dream about his pregnant fiancee and the son she soon would bear. This is the first of three dreams in which an angel came to Joseph and gave him a message; this time the angel told him the incredible tale that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and her son would "save his people from their sins." Who can say what Joseph might, or might not, have done had the angel not come and spoken to him? He, too, was a special person - compassionate, for his concern for Mary and his unwillingness "to put her to shame," but also godly in an even deeper sense, because he accepted and obeyed without question - on this and the other two occasions when an angel visited him - what he perceived to be the will of God and married Mary. He, says Matthew, called his name Jesus. And although Joseph disappears from Jesus' story between his youth and the beginning of his ministry, he will always be remembered for his part in the Christmas story.
Matthew 1, therefore, serves to announce to the people that the Christian celebration is at hand, and to affirm that Jesus Christ is the One named Immanuel; in him, God comes to, and is with, his people. He will be with them to the end of the age when, as other parts of the story inform us, he will come again in glory and judgment. Connected, as it is in the lectionary, to the readings of Luke 3 and John 1, the celebration of Jesus' birth is given proper emphasis so that Christmas worship will have some depth to it. This is the story, indeed, of how the incarnation took place by the will and action taken by God.
A sermon on Matthew 1:18-25 - "A Dream - and the Incarnation."
The homiletical lesson that the late Peter Marshall left as a legacy to the church is that The Jesus story is most effective when it is told as a story. His example has rubbed off on many preachers and their preaching in the four decades since his death, and preachers would do well to give narrative expression to the Christmas story as story in their planning and sermon production for the end of Advent and Christmas. This Gospel, in particular, begs to be preached as a biblical story sermon; such a sermon is built into the text and highlights, on this Sunday, the important role that Joseph plays in the Christmas story. He is not the physical father of Jesus, nor has his marriage to Mary been finalized, but he saves her from shame or worse and even gives Jesus his name.
A story sermon sketch: The good and gentle Joseph was faced with a crisis; Mary was pregnant and he had the power to determine her future. Joseph had to make the most important decision of his life, although he probably didn't look at it that way; he had to decide whether or not he should break the engagement and abandon Mary to scorn and shame, letting her suffer the consequences of her "sin." That's the complicated situation in which Matthew begins to tell his version of the Christmas story. Even if Mary had told him that she was pregnant "by the Holy Spirit," his dilemma would not have been solved. Clearly, his was a far more critical decision than he could possibly imagine. (Note: the "complication" in this plot comes at the very beginning of the story, and finds ready expression in numerous contemporary stories. One of these might be used to ground the situation and the gospel in life today.)
Joseph's dream provides additional complication to an already complicated situation; it must have been vivid - and memorable (so many dreams are dreamed and forgotten or ignored!); later, he must have told the dream to Mary, and after Jesus' birth, he might have told it again and again (but that's only conjecture!). What matters, in the story, is that the dream was real for Joseph; it was just as if God were speaking to him in person and making the decision for him. In essence, that's what happened; the angel sent by God gave him such an incredible message that he knew it had to be true, and truly to be from God. His role in the drama of Messiah's birth was communicated to him so that he could not mistake the purpose and will of God in the pregnancy of Mary; the child was "conceived in her of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus (which was done, according to Luke 2:21), for he will save his people from their sins."
When Joseph awakened from his dream, he had already made his decision; he would obey the command of God that came to him through the angel, take Mary as his wife, and name the child Jesus after his birth. Jesus was born into a family, a holy family, and saved from illegitimacy, or worse, by the loving and compassionate obedience of a God-fearing man. And that's a lesson for us as we are about to celebrate Christmas once more. (Note: The secret of developing the text into a biblical story sermon, as does the late Edmund Steimle, is in interweaving the three strands of story: the story in the text, the preacher's story, and the people's story. See his Proclaiming the Story or his one page article in Partners, June 1979, for additional details. Two examples - one by Steimle and the other by me - are in my book, The Song and the Story.)
A possible three-text sermon - "What It Means to be a Servant of the Lord"
Paul Tournier once wrote about dedicated service to Jesus Christ: "We surrender our whole being to the authority of Jesus Christ. This means that we must let God direct us in the use of our body and goods, our work and our money.... This means that devotion to Jesus Christ turns over to him not only our inner life but also our social life."
1. The prophet Isaiah was completely dedicated as a servant of the Lord, demonstrating the graciousness of God in his prophecy, but he spoke of a child he would never see. God has a way of bringing about surprising results to the efforts of his faithful servants. (First Lesson)
2. The Apostle Paul as a servant of the Lord, saw himself as an "apostle," set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets, the gospel concerning his Son...." His surrender to God was so complete that he not only preached the gospel fearlessly, but was beheaded for his faith in Jesus the Christ, and the Christ he preached has become known throughout the entire world. (Second Lesson)
3. Joseph, as the dedicated servant of the Lord God, who dared everything - ridicule from his neighbors, scorn from his friends, possible boycott from his customers - awakened from his dream and accepted the pregnant Virgin Mary for his bride. Believers will be faithful to God, even when common sense, or injured pride, tells them to live as they think to be best for them. (The Gospel Lesson)
4. Few people will become prophets after the order of Isaiah, and fewer will become actual martyrs, but all of us can express our sainthood, as did Joseph, in full and complete surrender to God of all we have, all we are, and all we hope to be in life and in death.
An Old Testament sermon, Isaiah 7:10-14 (15-17) - "Immanuel - God's Word to the World."
1. The word God spoke to Ahaz - Immanuel - has been heard, not by Ahaz alone, but all over the world.
2. Immanuel is a word of blessed assurance; God is with the people who will have him as their Son.
3. Immanuel is the name of One, Jesus Christ, who saves the entire world in his death and resurrection.
4. Immanuel is the name that is above all other names, not only at Christmas, but for all time.
Psalm-series sermon - "We Believe in God, Our Creator and Redeemer."
1. Like it or not, believe it or not, the God who created the world and everything in it is still in charge of human events in time and eternity.
2. Those who declare, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty," in true repentance and faith, "shall receive a blessing from the Lord." He gives them his son and the Holy Spirit to establish, strengthen, and confirm their faith.
3. Christmas tells us that the king of glory "has come into the world" and calls upon us to "lift up our hearts" as we celebrate his coming again.
4. Tell the story so that the entire world may be filled with his glory! He will come again! That's a promise - from God himself.
(Note: This is the sort of personal story I like to use in the sermons that I write and preach:
A couple of decades ago, my son and I made a Saturday afternoon trip into Barcelona, Spain, from the Costa Brava, where we were staying for a few days. The most memorable sight for me was the Church of the Holy Family, planned and begun by Antonio Gaudi, the "father" of contemporary architecture. The church was begun in 1895, but it was not finished when we were there, nor is it completed now; it is being built in the time-honored tradition of the great cathedrals of Europe, and its completion is still in the future. Despite the fact that there is no roof, no windows, and a tremendous amount of work to be done, a sculpture of the Holy Family had been executed and placed on the facade. Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus were there - and an angel, with trumpet raised, not merely to announce the birth of the Christ child, but ready to signal the return of the risen Lord at the end of time. But there was a problem: The trumpet, somehow or other, had been bent downward, as if the angel (Gabriel?) had been waiting so long to blow his horn that the metal of the horn had lost its strength and partially collapsed. For me, this has been a parable of the problem that we, who celebrate the birth of Jesus, have in regard to his Second Coming. How long, O Lord? How long must we wait?)
A quarter of a century ago, there was a movement in Great Britain by the Joint Liturgical Group to move Christmas (and other festivals, too) to a Sunday to encourage greater attendance and participation in the festive worship. This did not happen formally (in fact, the anticipated 1980 merger of the Anglican Church with several Protestant communions did not occur, either), but the Fourth Sunday in Advent, through liturgy and lections and popular piety, has clearly taken the shape of "Christmas Sunday" in many parts of the church. At the least, another proposal (to name the Sundays of Advent as Sundays before Christmas) did not reach full fruition, because there is really only one Sunday "before Christmas." This should preserve the purposes of Advent and, at the same time, give Christmas its due.
The theological/homiletical clue, from the perspective of church year and liturgy, is to focus the proclamation of the gospel on the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the beginning of the drama of salvation. The readings support and substantiate this liturgical view of the Fourth Sunday in Advent as the time to anticipate the proximity of Christmas and to prepare for the celebration.
The homiletical problem in preaching is that the content of this Sunday is what most people in our congregations already have been celebrating, rather than waiting for. Advent has become so secularized, with early emphasis on the "commercial countdown" (so many shopping days left until Christmas, etc.), that the Fourth Sunday in Advent and Christmas, too, are practically over by the time they arrive. Therefore, the other two themes of Advent - the Parousia and the present Advent of the Lord - need to find emphasis alongside the historical coming of Christ in his birth if pastors are to preach on the full meaning of the incarnation, which finds expression in the twelve day Christmas season, the Epiphany season, and beyond.
The Prayer of the Day - The third, and last, of the "stir up" prayers, which begins exactly as did the prayer for the First Sunday in Advent: "Stir up your power, O Lord, and come." it continues, oriented to Christmas:
Take away the hindrance of our sins and make us ready for the celebration of your birth, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
The petition, in the light of the address that asks the risen and reigning Lord to stir up his power and come to us in the celebration of his birth, is an expression of repentance by those with contrite hearts so that our rejoicing might be full and complete, and our lives be dedicated to Christian service.
The Psalm of the Day - Psalm 24 - When sung to a psalm tone, this psalm could serve nicely as an entrance hymn:
Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in ...
"Who is he, this King of glory?"
"The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory."
The one who was in the creation and to whom all people and all things belong, is about to enter the world through the king, his Son, to give God's blessing to his people. Long sought by his own, he comes at last to them, whose hands have been cleansed and whose hearts have been purified through repentance and repudiation of sin. With heads lifted high, the people of God ready themselves to receive him with joy as they celebrate the feast, his birth.
The Psalm Prayer
Lord God, ruler and guide of heaven and earth, you made your Son a priest and brought him into your everlasting temple. Open our hearts that the King of glory may enter, and bring us rejoicing to your holy mountain, where you live and reign, one God, now and forever.
The readings:
Isaiah 7:10-14
A one-level exegesis of this passage throws it into the past - and stormy - history of Israel and Judah, when Ahaz, King of Judah, was caught in a political and military squeeze by an allegiance between the northern kingdom of Israel and then-powerful Syria. King Ahaz didn't really want to hear Isaiah's prophesy that all would be well, but he couldn't ignore it, especially when Isaiah spoke his familiar word, "Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This was not intended to be a messianic reference, at that time, but an announcement that the queen would become pregnant and bear a son who would be a political savior for Judah. Early in the history of the New Testament church, the reference to Immanuel was connected to the Christ; Hezekiah, the "Immanuel" of whom Isaiah was speaking, was put in the background. Jesus was Immanuel, no question about it, partly because he came from the house of David, but also because there were special signs and events connected with his birth. It is from this perspective that this text is assigned to the Fourth Sunday in Advent.
The Roman Catholic lectionary reading ends at verse 14, but the other three in this study include verses 15 through 17, which describe how "the land will be deserted," as well as the special character and characteristics that this child-king will have. He will know "how to refuse the evil and choose the good" and will usher in restoration of a bygone era. But the liturgical/homiletical intention in assigning this reading to this Sunday remains in the connection that Christians make of "Immanuel" to Jesus Christ. In actuality, a single verse, 14, could be employed as the First Lesson: "Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (The Jerusalem Bible reads: "The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel." This translation "fits" more accurately Joseph's dream in the Gospel). This is realized eschatology for the church.
Romans 1:1-7
This epistle summarizes the heart of the gospel, much as Paul does in his other epistles - but with some differences - so that the church in Rome would understand that his kerygmatic theology was identical to that which the people had been taught. He emphasizes that Jesus "descended from David according to the flesh" and was "designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead...." The reading seems to have been selected primarily because it asserts that Jesus/Immanuel comes from the Davidic line and thereby substantiates the interpretation that Isaiah's prophecy may be applied to Jesus Christ. Interestingly, what he has to say about himself, the gospel, and the church at Rome, precedes his familiar apostolic greeting, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The epistle also serves to tie the Isaiah reading to the Gospel for the Day.
Matthew 1:18-25
A portion of the Christmas story is read annually on the Fourth Sunday in Advent; in this case, it is the story of Joseph's dream about his pregnant fiancee and the son she soon would bear. This is the first of three dreams in which an angel came to Joseph and gave him a message; this time the angel told him the incredible tale that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and her son would "save his people from their sins." Who can say what Joseph might, or might not, have done had the angel not come and spoken to him? He, too, was a special person - compassionate, for his concern for Mary and his unwillingness "to put her to shame," but also godly in an even deeper sense, because he accepted and obeyed without question - on this and the other two occasions when an angel visited him - what he perceived to be the will of God and married Mary. He, says Matthew, called his name Jesus. And although Joseph disappears from Jesus' story between his youth and the beginning of his ministry, he will always be remembered for his part in the Christmas story.
Matthew 1, therefore, serves to announce to the people that the Christian celebration is at hand, and to affirm that Jesus Christ is the One named Immanuel; in him, God comes to, and is with, his people. He will be with them to the end of the age when, as other parts of the story inform us, he will come again in glory and judgment. Connected, as it is in the lectionary, to the readings of Luke 3 and John 1, the celebration of Jesus' birth is given proper emphasis so that Christmas worship will have some depth to it. This is the story, indeed, of how the incarnation took place by the will and action taken by God.
A sermon on Matthew 1:18-25 - "A Dream - and the Incarnation."
The homiletical lesson that the late Peter Marshall left as a legacy to the church is that The Jesus story is most effective when it is told as a story. His example has rubbed off on many preachers and their preaching in the four decades since his death, and preachers would do well to give narrative expression to the Christmas story as story in their planning and sermon production for the end of Advent and Christmas. This Gospel, in particular, begs to be preached as a biblical story sermon; such a sermon is built into the text and highlights, on this Sunday, the important role that Joseph plays in the Christmas story. He is not the physical father of Jesus, nor has his marriage to Mary been finalized, but he saves her from shame or worse and even gives Jesus his name.
A story sermon sketch: The good and gentle Joseph was faced with a crisis; Mary was pregnant and he had the power to determine her future. Joseph had to make the most important decision of his life, although he probably didn't look at it that way; he had to decide whether or not he should break the engagement and abandon Mary to scorn and shame, letting her suffer the consequences of her "sin." That's the complicated situation in which Matthew begins to tell his version of the Christmas story. Even if Mary had told him that she was pregnant "by the Holy Spirit," his dilemma would not have been solved. Clearly, his was a far more critical decision than he could possibly imagine. (Note: the "complication" in this plot comes at the very beginning of the story, and finds ready expression in numerous contemporary stories. One of these might be used to ground the situation and the gospel in life today.)
Joseph's dream provides additional complication to an already complicated situation; it must have been vivid - and memorable (so many dreams are dreamed and forgotten or ignored!); later, he must have told the dream to Mary, and after Jesus' birth, he might have told it again and again (but that's only conjecture!). What matters, in the story, is that the dream was real for Joseph; it was just as if God were speaking to him in person and making the decision for him. In essence, that's what happened; the angel sent by God gave him such an incredible message that he knew it had to be true, and truly to be from God. His role in the drama of Messiah's birth was communicated to him so that he could not mistake the purpose and will of God in the pregnancy of Mary; the child was "conceived in her of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus (which was done, according to Luke 2:21), for he will save his people from their sins."
When Joseph awakened from his dream, he had already made his decision; he would obey the command of God that came to him through the angel, take Mary as his wife, and name the child Jesus after his birth. Jesus was born into a family, a holy family, and saved from illegitimacy, or worse, by the loving and compassionate obedience of a God-fearing man. And that's a lesson for us as we are about to celebrate Christmas once more. (Note: The secret of developing the text into a biblical story sermon, as does the late Edmund Steimle, is in interweaving the three strands of story: the story in the text, the preacher's story, and the people's story. See his Proclaiming the Story or his one page article in Partners, June 1979, for additional details. Two examples - one by Steimle and the other by me - are in my book, The Song and the Story.)
A possible three-text sermon - "What It Means to be a Servant of the Lord"
Paul Tournier once wrote about dedicated service to Jesus Christ: "We surrender our whole being to the authority of Jesus Christ. This means that we must let God direct us in the use of our body and goods, our work and our money.... This means that devotion to Jesus Christ turns over to him not only our inner life but also our social life."
1. The prophet Isaiah was completely dedicated as a servant of the Lord, demonstrating the graciousness of God in his prophecy, but he spoke of a child he would never see. God has a way of bringing about surprising results to the efforts of his faithful servants. (First Lesson)
2. The Apostle Paul as a servant of the Lord, saw himself as an "apostle," set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets, the gospel concerning his Son...." His surrender to God was so complete that he not only preached the gospel fearlessly, but was beheaded for his faith in Jesus the Christ, and the Christ he preached has become known throughout the entire world. (Second Lesson)
3. Joseph, as the dedicated servant of the Lord God, who dared everything - ridicule from his neighbors, scorn from his friends, possible boycott from his customers - awakened from his dream and accepted the pregnant Virgin Mary for his bride. Believers will be faithful to God, even when common sense, or injured pride, tells them to live as they think to be best for them. (The Gospel Lesson)
4. Few people will become prophets after the order of Isaiah, and fewer will become actual martyrs, but all of us can express our sainthood, as did Joseph, in full and complete surrender to God of all we have, all we are, and all we hope to be in life and in death.
An Old Testament sermon, Isaiah 7:10-14 (15-17) - "Immanuel - God's Word to the World."
1. The word God spoke to Ahaz - Immanuel - has been heard, not by Ahaz alone, but all over the world.
2. Immanuel is a word of blessed assurance; God is with the people who will have him as their Son.
3. Immanuel is the name of One, Jesus Christ, who saves the entire world in his death and resurrection.
4. Immanuel is the name that is above all other names, not only at Christmas, but for all time.
Psalm-series sermon - "We Believe in God, Our Creator and Redeemer."
1. Like it or not, believe it or not, the God who created the world and everything in it is still in charge of human events in time and eternity.
2. Those who declare, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty," in true repentance and faith, "shall receive a blessing from the Lord." He gives them his son and the Holy Spirit to establish, strengthen, and confirm their faith.
3. Christmas tells us that the king of glory "has come into the world" and calls upon us to "lift up our hearts" as we celebrate his coming again.
4. Tell the story so that the entire world may be filled with his glory! He will come again! That's a promise - from God himself.
(Note: This is the sort of personal story I like to use in the sermons that I write and preach:
A couple of decades ago, my son and I made a Saturday afternoon trip into Barcelona, Spain, from the Costa Brava, where we were staying for a few days. The most memorable sight for me was the Church of the Holy Family, planned and begun by Antonio Gaudi, the "father" of contemporary architecture. The church was begun in 1895, but it was not finished when we were there, nor is it completed now; it is being built in the time-honored tradition of the great cathedrals of Europe, and its completion is still in the future. Despite the fact that there is no roof, no windows, and a tremendous amount of work to be done, a sculpture of the Holy Family had been executed and placed on the facade. Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus were there - and an angel, with trumpet raised, not merely to announce the birth of the Christ child, but ready to signal the return of the risen Lord at the end of time. But there was a problem: The trumpet, somehow or other, had been bent downward, as if the angel (Gabriel?) had been waiting so long to blow his horn that the metal of the horn had lost its strength and partially collapsed. For me, this has been a parable of the problem that we, who celebrate the birth of Jesus, have in regard to his Second Coming. How long, O Lord? How long must we wait?)
