Sermon

Throughout his life, many missed Jesus. Even his parents lost sight of him, once finding him in the Temple fulfilling God’s work rather than hanging out with the other kids. King Herod sought to kill him instead of seeking the Savior. Religious leaders, confident in their status, failed to see him befriending sinners and touching the untouchable. Jesus’ birth, life, and mission consistently subverted expectations, revealing that God’s truth and blessings are often far removed from what humanity anticipates.

Today, the casualness of Christmas celebrations risks diminishing the incredible gift of Jesus, the Word made flesh. Yet his birth offers us the opportunity to recognize him for who he truly is and to discover our own purpose in him. His humility in the manger and sacrifice on the cross reveal God’s love and redemption. Despite being rejected by the world, Jesus gives all who believe in him the power to become children of God. Like the shepherds, we are invited to see and celebrate the life-changing gift God has made known.

It might even seem strange that John the Baptist’s ministry was in the wilderness. Many would have thought it more practical for him to preach in Jerusalem, where the people were. Yet, John chose the wilderness—a place of quiet and solitude, free from the distractions of city life. It was a place where even Jesus would often retreat. In the wilderness, people confronted the lies that bound them, turned from their sins, and realigned their lives with God’s ways.

John’s message is as relevant today as 2,000 years ago: Prepare for the coming Christ! This is the Jesus whose birth we celebrate, whose death we remember, in whose resurrection we find hope, whose return we await. The good news of Christmas is the birth of a Savior, Christ the Lord, through whom even the most imperfect among us can find hope.

Let us prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight!

In this passage, Jesus speaks about watching—watching for signs—signs that reveal what is about to happen. Signs that when you see the first, you know the second is close behind.

This is the purpose of signs - knowing what is ahead so we can be prepared for when it arrives.

Jesus' words to, "Keep alert!" and to "Stay awake!" are a message for the present, not the future.

"Keep alert" for you do not know when the time will come.
"Keep awake"- for you do not know when the master of the house will return.

Jesus calls for us to be ready. Now.

It is an invitation to live each day as if it were the day of Christ’s return

What would you do differently if you knew Jesus was returning tomorrow?

• Of which sins would you repent?
• What wrongs have you committed that you would make right?
• What would you tell others that do not know Jesus?
• What would you do that demonstrates God’s love?
• What would you say to the people you love?

Are there any good reasons to not do those things today? Are you in any way better off postponing them? Or, would your life and the world be better if you did them today?

Preparing for Christmas is not about shopping, decorating, and cooking. Preparing to celebrate Christ’s birth is about remembering the one who came, living as those for whom he died, and serving him until he returns.

Keep alert! Keep awake!

In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul invites people to join him in choosing and standing firm in the Lord rather than pursuing the fleeting and false promises of transient and temporary pleasures of earth. Instead, like Jesus, he calls us to live out the true meaning of heavenly citizenship - living lives that reveal God's love and grace, and having the same attitude as Jesus who lovingly gave himself for our sake.

As the Israelites, through God's power, had conquered much of the Promised Land, Joshua called for them to choose whom they would serve: the gods and ways of their past or the Lord who delivered them from slavery. They must choose. But Joshua and his family would serve the Lord.

May we stink to high heaven so that others will see Jesus through us.

Jesus’ teachings can feel like that, too. We are called to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and seek humility over power. Jesus reveals the kingdom of God as a reality where giving is gain, challenging the idea that we lose something by helping others.

By living with self-giving love, we help others and find true life and purpose ourselves.

Recognizing when we have enough—be it money, clothes, or food—does not come naturally. The Apostle Paul speaks about learning contentment, suggesting it requires growth. Despite our possessions or circumstances, we often find ourselves searching for more.

Contentment is a deeply spiritual issue. God’s purpose for us is not about chasing “more” or “less.” Both materialism and asceticism miss the point; the focus should be on God's pursuit of us. Only by learning to be content, as Paul did, can we truly live in the present.

Politics isn’t the only place this happens. It also occurs in churches and families.

In this scripture, two women are in conflict - Euodia and Syntyche. We don't know what the disagreement was about or who was right. We only know that it was a longstanding feud between two otherwise amazing women.

The Apostle Paul doesn't write to settle their dispute but to urge them to get over it. He isn't the judge or the referee. He doesn't use his Apostolic wisdom to address and settle the issue.

He urges them to look past it—to have "the same mind in the Lord," reminding them that they were part of something far more important than their disagreement.

1 John 4:10-11 puts it this way:
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.