[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for ChristMass, 2011

[Joe Parrish]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Fri, Dec 23, 2011 12:19 am
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for ChristMass, 2011


Dear Friends,

Tomorrow’s sermon is entitled “God So Loved the World that He GAVE…”
and deals with the Gospel (Luke 2: 1-20). Here it is:

Merry ChristMass!  Did you hear the angels tell about the Good News
from God, that a Savior had been born, Christ, the Lord?  The
shepherds dropped everything, later the wise men dropped everything,
and here you are- in the middle of final Christmas preparations.  You
dropped everything- the cooking, the final shopping and decorating,
the assembling of toys and wrapping of presents, and you came to honor
Jesus’ birthday.  Congratulations on your holy choice!  God will bless
you, because you have chosen to accept God’s precious gift.  Remember
that Bible verse you memorized in Sunday school years ago: “God so
loved the world that he gave…his SON!”  That’s why we’re here
tonight!  To thank him; to praise Him; to show Him how much we love
and appreciate Him!

You know- ChristMass is unpredictable when it comes to gifts.  Some
years we get lots of presents; some years we get just a few.  Maybe
some years no one gives us anything and we go to bed wondering if
anyone really loves us.  Think of the best present anyone has ever
given you.  Well, God has a better present for you than that- his
SON!  In Matthew 1: 21-23 when the angel appeared to Joseph, the angel
said: “‘Then after her (Mary’s) baby is born, name him Jesus, because
he will save his people from their sins.’ So the Lord's promise came
true, just as the prophet had said, ‘A virgin will have a baby boy,
and he will be called Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God is with us.’”  So,
when God gave us Jesus, what did He really give us?

A SAVIOR:  A few years ago on my way home from church, my car got
stuck in a snow bank just down the street on Warren and Tuscola.  Two
men from church were watching.  They saw me skid and got on their
coats to help, but then came a stranger in a big beige car who asked
if I wanted a push.  Obviously, I said “yes” and he became my savior
from being stuck in the snow bank.  Jesus doesn’t save us from snow
banks, but he saves us from our sins, from death, from hell- both the
living hell that comes from bad choices now and from future misery.
He doesn’t just save us from hell- he saves us for meaningful,
glorious life right now.

PRESENCE: What else do we get when we accept God’s gift of Jesus?
Verse 23 in Matthew, chapter 1 reminds us that Jesus is with us
always.  Those times when no one seems to understand, no one seems to
be there for us- Jesus is right within us- as close as the air we
breathe.

ADOPTION AS GOD’S SONS AND DAUGHTERS: What other gift does Jesus
offer?  In Romans 8: 15, St. Paul reminds us that we are God’s
children.  He says: “God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are
afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our
Father.”  So, if God is our Father and God is King, that means we are
princes and princesses.

A FUTURE: Did you hear the story of the depressed man and his friend
who tried to cheer him up?  The man said to his friend: “Say, you look
depressed. What are you thinking about?”  “My future,” was the quick
answer.  “What makes it look so hopeless?”  “My past.”

I’m going to close with a story I told you Easter, 2007.  The famous
minister Norman Vincent Peale (who wrote The Power of Positive
Thinking) once traveled to Hong Kong. As he passed a local tattoo
shop, he noticed some of the designs people could have tattooed on
their bodies - a flag, a dagger, and various slogans. One slogan
especially caught his eye: “Born to Lose.” He was curious and went
inside to ask about it. “Do people really ask for that tattoo?” he
asked. “Yes,” the owner replied.  Someone that very day had just asked
for it, in fact. “Why in the world,” asked Dr. Peale, “would anyone
want to be branded with a saying like that?”  The old man shrugged and
said, “Before the tattoo is needled into the body, that tattoo is
already branded on the mind.”

 My friends- don’t let past mistakes brand you with negativity!  Don’t
let your past determine your future!  Your past is the diving board,
God’s ChristMass power is the spring in the springboard to your
future.  ChristMass power reminds us that the future belongs to God
and you.  Think BIG!  If you can conceive it, and God wants you to do
it, the sky’s the limit; and Jesus, Savior, Emmanuel, the Way, Truth,
and Life can give you the power to overcome!  Open your hands and
accept God’s gift, then live it.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements are posted on our parish web site. The address is:
http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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