December 17, 2006

All I Want For Christmas

All I Want For Christmas Is Joy

Matthew 2:8-14

Opening Words: An American Express survey asked, “What is the worst Christmas gift?” The Number one answer at 31% was fruitcake. It even finished ahead of "no gift at all." When asked how to dispose of a bad gift, 30% would hide it in the closet, 21% would return it, and 19% would give it away. This suggests that the Christmas fruitcake you eat at a holiday party is really an unwanted recycle gift. People don’t want fruitcake. So what do people want for Christmas?

During the season of Advent I am looking five different gifts that God gave to you in the person of Jesus. These gifts are eternal. They are not gifts that will end up in next summer’s yard sale. So far we have looked at the gifts of hope and peace. Today, we look at the gift of joy. Next Sunday morning we look at love and end the day by looking at the gift of a Savior. This morning our scripture lesson comes to us from the first chapter of Matthew, verses eighteen through twenty-five.

¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us."

²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

I love the story of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. He was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. He is remembered for his great mind, wit and work. At one point in his life, Justice Holmes explained his choice of a career by saying: "I might have entered the ministry if not for certain clergymen I knew. They looked and acted so much like undertakers." This message is about the true meaning of Biblical joy. Let us look at the text together.

It is the third Sunday of Advent and we find ourselves in the first chapter of Matthew, verses eighteen through twenty-five. The tax collector is very clear about his intent. Verse eight tells us, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.” There was a woman by the name of Mary. In our time we would consider her a girl. Mary was a teenager. She was engaged to a man by the name of Joseph. He is a man in his thirties. The age difference did not bother their generation. However, this is what does bother their generation. She is pregnant. She had not known any man in the Biblical sense. She was a virgin, yet she was a pregnant. How did this happen? According to the text the father of this unborn child was the Holy Spirit. In other words, the father of this unborn child was God, Himself. To say the leased this unwanted pregnancy places Mary in an awkward spot. This unwanted pregnancy places Joseph in an awkward spot. It has always been true. It has never been easy living out the faith. You know the story. In time, the baby is born and they name this mystery child Jesus to fulfill the words of Isaiah.

What is in a name? Do you know what the name Jesus means? The name Jesus signifies “a Savior.” In verse 22 the prophet Isaiah is quoted. He says that the child’s name will be Emmanuel. That Old Testament name Emmanuel means “God is with us.” If you combined those two names then you discover the Savior is always with us. That is part of the Good News for you and I. Life is not always easy, but God is always with us. There are times that we need to remember that the Savior, Jesus, God, God is with us. Today the advent theme is joy. Biblical joy does not mean happy and laughing. Biblical joy simply means being content in any situation. So let me ask you a question. How content are you in your life? We can be content in any situation because God is with us. Jesus is with you through life good and bad experiences.

That is what a third-century man discovered who was anticipating his death. He penned these last words to a friend: "It's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians--and I am one of them." I hope you are one of us!

Today, I want to remind you that God is with you. I want to remind you that God is with you the next time you are frightened. I want to remind you that God is with you the next time you are lonely. I want to remind you that God is with you the next time you are sorrowful. I will underscore these three points with an illustration. God is always with you! It is for this reason that you can find contentment or Biblical joy in any situation. You are not orphaned in this world. The God of the universe is standing by your side. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Frightened

God is with us when you are frightened.

Down in Columbus there is a teacher by the name of Phyllis Martin. She tells of the day that a storm came to her school. The clouds were dark and the wind blew. Everyone was clued to the windows and everyone jumped when the public address system signaled a tornado. The children had practiced that scene a hundred times but this time it was real. There was a tornado in the area. Frightened the teachers and the students filed down the stairs to the basement. They lined the walls and listened to the storm outside. It was the principle who announced there would be a sing along. He hoped to break the tension. It didn’t work. The storm grew stronger and some of the children began to cry. It was at that moment that Phyllis Martin said something you are not supposed to say in public school. She said to the little girl next to her, “Kathy, God is stronger then any storm.” Suddenly, the tears in that little girl’s eyes began to dry. The rest of the children heard those words echo through that basement. They were comforted. A sense of contentment, peace and confidence settled over the group. Phyllis Martin said, God is stronger then any storm.” However, what she really said to that little girl, “God is with us.” A short time later the storm passed and the children returned to their classrooms.

The next time you are facing a storm in your life remember, “God is with us.” The next time a relationship in your life breaks, the money or the credit begins to dry up, the next time your tests results look funny, remember, “God is with us.” God is bigger then any storm in your life. God is with us when we are frightened. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Keep your fears to yourself; share your courage with others.”

Lonely

God is with us when you are lonely.

In New York City there is a woman by the name of Margaret. It was Christmas Eve and she had worked the morning alone. Her coworkers had been given the morning off. They were with their families but Margaret had no family. If the truth be told Margaret had no friends. She left the office and entered the subway. Alone in the middle of the crowd, Margaret headed home, a one room apartment. She felt like crying. She had no hopes, no plans, no husband, no children, and no dreams. She felt like crying. It was only then that she heard the sweet sounds of two flutes. Two little girls, street performers, played them. They were playing Christmas carols. Margaret threw a quarter in the open case at their feet and stopped and listened. One of the songs she listened to was “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” In the middle of that song she forgot about her self-pity and thought about Jesus. Then, suddenly everything changed. It hit her. She did have a feast waiting for her, the Lord’s Supper. She did have a home and a family, her church home and friends. She did have a child in her life, the baby Jesus. She took the next train, feeling warm and contented. Margaret thought she heard the sounds of flutes. However, what she really heard was a divine calling saying, “God is with us!”

Have you ever felt lonely in a crowd? Have you ever felt like your life a little shallow or insignificant? Have you ever felt like you are the only one that gets it? Have you ever felt like it always happens to you? Then remember this divine proclamation, “God is with us!” God is with us when we are lonely. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Sorrow

God is with us when you feel sorrow.

The August 6, 1992 issue of Our Daily Bread told the story of pioneer missionary John G. Paton. He had just arrived on the Hebrides when he discovered that he was going to be a father. He was thrilled but the joy was short-lived. During birth he lost both his newborn son and his wife. Dr. Paton had to dig their graves and bury his loved ones with his own hands. In writing of this experience, he testified, "If it had not been for Jesus and the fellowship and grace He afforded me, I am certain I would have gone mad or died of grief beside their lonely graves." Marvelously strengthened from above, the bereaved servant of God found that the promises of the Word were able to sustain him through the heartache and sorrow of his tragic loss.

In sorrow we learn two valuable lessons. First, we learn to be open to God’s leading. Second, we learn that God is with us. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” William A. Ward once said, “We should be thankful for our tears: They prepare us for a clearer vision of God.”

It all began with an unwanted pregnancy. That pregnancy put Mary and Joseph in an ackward situation. It has never been easy living out the faith but God has always been with us. The name Jesus or Emanuel reminds us that God is with us. God is with us when we are afraid. God is with us when we are alone. God is with us when we are filled with sorrow. And because God is with us we are content and filled with Biblical joy. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”