Signed, Sealed, and Delivered
Sermon
Christmas Grace
Cycle A Second Lesson Sermons for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany
Object:
Praise God for all the wonderful things God has done in our lives and in our world! We continue to be filled with awe and wonder. Our fitting response is to sing praises to our God. Our favorite praise hymns and songs can transport us beyond our present situation into the very presence of God.
The early Christians experienced the presence of God through their worship and singing. It is commonly believed that the first chapter of Ephesians contains words and phrases from hymns and liturgy that would have been familiar to first-century Christians. The apostle Paul might very well have been quoting a favorite hymn when he penned these words, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." God has blessed us in and through Jesus Christ. God will continue to bless us as we enter a new year.
As we examine Jesus' life and teachings we discover how much God loves each and every one of us. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life," Jesus said (John 3:16). No price would be too high for God to pay to restore our relationship with God, even if it meant sacrificing God's own Son. As we take down our Christmas decorations, packing them away for another year, we need to acknowledge that Jesus suffered and died upon the cross for our sins and the sins of the world. God then raised Jesus from the dead. Paul explains, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace." Jesus removed the burden and restored our proper relationship with God.
Because we are "in Christ" we have the opportunity for a new beginning, a fresh start. Even when we make bad choices in our lives God loves us so much that we are given another chance. At the beginning of the New Year we can set out with new resolve to claim the life that is possible because of Christ.
Peggy Dimino was driving home on New Year's Day when she was cut off by another driver. Her car slammed into a barrier on the right side of the highway, spun, crossed three lanes, hit the median, and burst into flames.
Jorge Baez was behind her and saw the terrible accident. Immediately he stopped and with the assistance of another man pulled Peggy from the burning car moments before the car was engulfed in flames.
Peggy was seriously injured and was in a drug induced coma for nearly two months. During her recovery she began thinking about her life. She had experienced problems at work; she struggled financially, often fought with friends, and ended romantic relationships. She remembered having a disagreement with her sister the day before her accident. In the hospital she was feeling unlucky and at times angry and bitter over what happened to her. "I just let it go," she says, "I realized how lucky I was."
When she was able to return to her home she stated that she wanted to meet the men who came to her rescue and saved her life. She discovered that Jorge lived near her and with the help of a radio station she learned the identity of the second man, Brice DeMuro. They met on New Year's Day one year after the accident. They reflected on how their lives had been changed as a result of that night. Brice went home and decided to quit smoking. Jorge had not always done good things but vowed that he would change and make his family proud.
"I believe you were sent to give me a second chance," Peggy told her rescuers. "It's made me appreciate life and people around me," she claims. "It's a new lease on life."1 God through Jesus Christ has given each one of us a new lease on life, a second chance.
In living out our faith we discover just how deep God's love is for us and all people. We belong to God in and through Jesus Christ. That designation cannot be taken away from us. No matter what we do or where we are we will forever be children of God. We learn that God "chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love." Before any of us were born, even before Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Mary and Joseph, God had a divine plan that included all people. God chose each one of us, designating us as God's own children. God loves all people as God's own children.
We are able to celebrate our unity in Christ -- in spite of our life experiences and cultural differences we are all one in Jesus. The first-century church struggled with accepting people from different backgrounds and cultures. Whatever divided people and erected walls in the past, Jesus Christ dismantles. All believers are one in and through Jesus Christ. Elsewhere the apostle Paul claims, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). All distinctions of time and culture are erased. We are all God's children. God, "destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ" before the creation of the world. God loves us that much.
The Ephesians and other first-century believers might have felt marginalized and unimportant, put down and ignored, but they found themselves at the center of God's design because they belonged to the risen Christ. They were part of God's plan, "for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."
With this knowledge we welcome and embrace all people especially those who have experienced brokenness as well as difficulties in their lives. We reach out with the love of God to those who through no fault of their own feel unloved.
We belong to God here and now and also in the future. "In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will." We commonly understand an inheritance as money we receive from a parent or relative, or some property that we quickly convert to cash. However, in Paul's day an inheritance was typically received as land that was not under any circumstance to be sold or lost. The inheritance would always remain in the family. Having been delivered from slavery to sin and death through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paul claims that we too are promised an inheritance. We have already obtained our inheritance. We belong to Jesus and nothing can ever take that distinction away from us!
We marvel at the knowledge that God claims us as God's own. God had a plan before the creation of the earth to bring salvation through Jesus to all people. We have many reasons to praise God, "so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory."
Our response to all that God in Christ has done for us can be to live our lives as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. "In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit." When we share the love of God with all people; we participate in projects to assist those in need and contribute our money to help other people. We reach out to our neighbors beside us and across the street. We show love and concern to all people, no matter if they have had different life experiences from us.
We give thanks for those special people in our lives who lived out their faith in a contagious way that led us to Jesus. Laura affectionately remembers the example of her grandmother. While growing up she would bake cookies with her grandmother. Specifically they would bake Christmas cookies. Laura remembers watching as her grandmother rolled out, then cut dough into shapes: angels, Santa Clauses, trees, snowmen, and a star. "I always went over to help Grandma decorate these tasty, delicious cookies," she explains, "and help her fill many containers with cookies to give to family and friends." People who received her grandmother's cookies always told her that they were the best sugar cookies they had ever eaten.
Laura watched as her grandmother would fill containers with her cookies and send some to the local hospice, the children's center, and several local nursing homes. Her grandmother was always willing to share with others. She gave away more cookies than she kept.
Her grandmother was an inspiration in her life. There were other times throughout the year when her grandmother along with others from her church would collect soap, clothing, and school supplies to help children and adults in distant corners of the world. She would make school kits complete with pencils, markers, erasers, and plastic scissors to send to needy children.
Laura claims that her grandmother "was one of the most important, as well as most interesting people in my life."2 If we live out our faith in such a way, others will be drawn to Jesus.
Because we are loved by God we reach out with that same love to all those we encounter in our daily lives. We belong to God. Our status as God's own children is marked or sealed by the promise of the Holy Spirit. The first chapter of Ephesians concludes that Jesus Christ is in charge. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he was placed, "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come" (v. 21). Christ is working, even now at the beginning of a new year, working to accomplish God's purposes, and seeing that God's will is done on earth. Amen.
__________
1. Quick and Simple, December 25, 2007-January 1, 2008.
2. Laura "Grandma's Hands," Love Matters, Delilah (Ontario Canada: Harlequin, 2008), pp. 36-38.
The early Christians experienced the presence of God through their worship and singing. It is commonly believed that the first chapter of Ephesians contains words and phrases from hymns and liturgy that would have been familiar to first-century Christians. The apostle Paul might very well have been quoting a favorite hymn when he penned these words, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." God has blessed us in and through Jesus Christ. God will continue to bless us as we enter a new year.
As we examine Jesus' life and teachings we discover how much God loves each and every one of us. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life," Jesus said (John 3:16). No price would be too high for God to pay to restore our relationship with God, even if it meant sacrificing God's own Son. As we take down our Christmas decorations, packing them away for another year, we need to acknowledge that Jesus suffered and died upon the cross for our sins and the sins of the world. God then raised Jesus from the dead. Paul explains, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace." Jesus removed the burden and restored our proper relationship with God.
Because we are "in Christ" we have the opportunity for a new beginning, a fresh start. Even when we make bad choices in our lives God loves us so much that we are given another chance. At the beginning of the New Year we can set out with new resolve to claim the life that is possible because of Christ.
Peggy Dimino was driving home on New Year's Day when she was cut off by another driver. Her car slammed into a barrier on the right side of the highway, spun, crossed three lanes, hit the median, and burst into flames.
Jorge Baez was behind her and saw the terrible accident. Immediately he stopped and with the assistance of another man pulled Peggy from the burning car moments before the car was engulfed in flames.
Peggy was seriously injured and was in a drug induced coma for nearly two months. During her recovery she began thinking about her life. She had experienced problems at work; she struggled financially, often fought with friends, and ended romantic relationships. She remembered having a disagreement with her sister the day before her accident. In the hospital she was feeling unlucky and at times angry and bitter over what happened to her. "I just let it go," she says, "I realized how lucky I was."
When she was able to return to her home she stated that she wanted to meet the men who came to her rescue and saved her life. She discovered that Jorge lived near her and with the help of a radio station she learned the identity of the second man, Brice DeMuro. They met on New Year's Day one year after the accident. They reflected on how their lives had been changed as a result of that night. Brice went home and decided to quit smoking. Jorge had not always done good things but vowed that he would change and make his family proud.
"I believe you were sent to give me a second chance," Peggy told her rescuers. "It's made me appreciate life and people around me," she claims. "It's a new lease on life."1 God through Jesus Christ has given each one of us a new lease on life, a second chance.
In living out our faith we discover just how deep God's love is for us and all people. We belong to God in and through Jesus Christ. That designation cannot be taken away from us. No matter what we do or where we are we will forever be children of God. We learn that God "chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love." Before any of us were born, even before Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Mary and Joseph, God had a divine plan that included all people. God chose each one of us, designating us as God's own children. God loves all people as God's own children.
We are able to celebrate our unity in Christ -- in spite of our life experiences and cultural differences we are all one in Jesus. The first-century church struggled with accepting people from different backgrounds and cultures. Whatever divided people and erected walls in the past, Jesus Christ dismantles. All believers are one in and through Jesus Christ. Elsewhere the apostle Paul claims, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). All distinctions of time and culture are erased. We are all God's children. God, "destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ" before the creation of the world. God loves us that much.
The Ephesians and other first-century believers might have felt marginalized and unimportant, put down and ignored, but they found themselves at the center of God's design because they belonged to the risen Christ. They were part of God's plan, "for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."
With this knowledge we welcome and embrace all people especially those who have experienced brokenness as well as difficulties in their lives. We reach out with the love of God to those who through no fault of their own feel unloved.
We belong to God here and now and also in the future. "In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will." We commonly understand an inheritance as money we receive from a parent or relative, or some property that we quickly convert to cash. However, in Paul's day an inheritance was typically received as land that was not under any circumstance to be sold or lost. The inheritance would always remain in the family. Having been delivered from slavery to sin and death through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paul claims that we too are promised an inheritance. We have already obtained our inheritance. We belong to Jesus and nothing can ever take that distinction away from us!
We marvel at the knowledge that God claims us as God's own. God had a plan before the creation of the earth to bring salvation through Jesus to all people. We have many reasons to praise God, "so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory."
Our response to all that God in Christ has done for us can be to live our lives as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. "In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit." When we share the love of God with all people; we participate in projects to assist those in need and contribute our money to help other people. We reach out to our neighbors beside us and across the street. We show love and concern to all people, no matter if they have had different life experiences from us.
We give thanks for those special people in our lives who lived out their faith in a contagious way that led us to Jesus. Laura affectionately remembers the example of her grandmother. While growing up she would bake cookies with her grandmother. Specifically they would bake Christmas cookies. Laura remembers watching as her grandmother rolled out, then cut dough into shapes: angels, Santa Clauses, trees, snowmen, and a star. "I always went over to help Grandma decorate these tasty, delicious cookies," she explains, "and help her fill many containers with cookies to give to family and friends." People who received her grandmother's cookies always told her that they were the best sugar cookies they had ever eaten.
Laura watched as her grandmother would fill containers with her cookies and send some to the local hospice, the children's center, and several local nursing homes. Her grandmother was always willing to share with others. She gave away more cookies than she kept.
Her grandmother was an inspiration in her life. There were other times throughout the year when her grandmother along with others from her church would collect soap, clothing, and school supplies to help children and adults in distant corners of the world. She would make school kits complete with pencils, markers, erasers, and plastic scissors to send to needy children.
Laura claims that her grandmother "was one of the most important, as well as most interesting people in my life."2 If we live out our faith in such a way, others will be drawn to Jesus.
Because we are loved by God we reach out with that same love to all those we encounter in our daily lives. We belong to God. Our status as God's own children is marked or sealed by the promise of the Holy Spirit. The first chapter of Ephesians concludes that Jesus Christ is in charge. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he was placed, "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come" (v. 21). Christ is working, even now at the beginning of a new year, working to accomplish God's purposes, and seeing that God's will is done on earth. Amen.
__________
1. Quick and Simple, December 25, 2007-January 1, 2008.
2. Laura "Grandma's Hands," Love Matters, Delilah (Ontario Canada: Harlequin, 2008), pp. 36-38.
