Christ Among Us
Notes
Transcript
Rosa Cooksey son in law Rocky Mountain Fever
Bitter or better? When the hard parts of life happen, let them draw you closer to God and let them strengthen your love for one another.
Advent is a season of waiting. It so very well symbolizes the current attitude of the church, looking toward the coming of Christ. Ano it highlights the similarity with OT Israel as they looked forward to the original coming of the Messiah.
If we observe advent with our family at Christmastime, We think we are waiting for the next day, then next devotional, the next gift or party. In fact, it is Jesus who is waiting for us. AAMOF He said so in Revelation 3 “I stand at the door and knock”. At the time of the writing of Revelation, He was knocking as the victorious Jesus. But to the church these words were spoken, He was once again the overlooked, maybe even rejected Jesus. So for us to view Him, in light of Advent, as the beggar Jesus is most appropriate.
Before you let yourself get offended by my choice of words describing our Lord, Master, Savior; let me remind you He stood outside the church at Laodocea and knocked to be let in. He called out, with His voice, “open the door for me, that I may come in”. He is identifying Himself with that which we so often cringe at: the beggar. Which brings us to our text today:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
"God of hope, I look to you with an open heart and yearning spirit. During this Advent season, I will keep alert and awake, listening for your word and keeping to your precepts. My hope is in you."
Before you think ‘O, a parable of Jesus’, let me encourage you: Don't. The Son of Man coming in His glory is not a parable. The Glorious Throne is not a parable. The judging of sheep and goats is not a parable. King Jesus and the kingdom prepared for you and me is not a parable!
So do we see how King Jesus identifies with the lowest among us? With the beggar? I think He does. And how we treat the beggar is how we treat the King. How do we interact with the beggar? It’s not always literally someone begging. But it is always someone helpless. Powerless to impact their own situation. They are, to use an old term, lowly.
His original earthly form was lowly. Helpless and frail. The human infant is among the most helpless of all offspring. The spindly-legged giraffe will be up walking and nursing within the first hour of its life. A puppy, with eyes still sealed shut, will find its mother and begin to nurse. An infant will helplessly cry until it is picked up and swaddled and brought to his mother’s breast. That’s how Jesus came into this world. Laid in a manger. Maybe this is why Jesus used the example of children so often in His earthly ministry.
So we peer into this manger at Christmas. We acknowledge His very humble beginnings. You see, if we cant look to Jesus in the manger, we cant see Him on the cross. And we certainly cant look for HIs returning. All this to remind us Advent is the season of waiting. The beauty of longing to celebrate His coming to earth. And it opens the door for us to long for His return. There is joy in the waiting.
And waiting carries with it the element of hope. Hope does not disappoint. Hope for the grand return of Christ when we will meet HIm in the air.
Waiting carries with it the element of believing. There is a remarkable truth in John 3:16: Whoever BELIEVES in Him.
Waiting carries with it the element of preparing. Kids coming in for the holidays? Better get their bed ready. Better get to the store and pick up some mac and cheese. Preparing.
Waiting carries with it the element of working. It is never slack time, but engaged time. Even being still, knowing He is God is an active time. It just doesnt run ahead of His timing. In this light, waiting would probably look a lot like
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
Waiting carries with it the element (promise) of reward. Has anyone here NOT eaten a persimmon? Someone educate these folks about eating a persimmon that isnt quite ripe. Picking and eating a green persimmon spoils the reward. We didnt wait for it to ripen.
I have had the utter joy to get to watch (emails bouncing back and forth) as a couple of our Sunday school classes have made plans to bless families with Christmas gifts.
The advent season is by all means about us looking outside ourselves toward those God is aiming us. It is about peering into the manger and seeing the humble beginnings of He Who Defeated Death and Hell. ANd seeing Him in the manger let’s us all the more look forward to His returning. What a day that will be...