Sunday Service 15th December

Advent 3

15/12/24

Call to worship

Hymn 314: Child in a manger

Time for all Amanda

Hymn 309: Still the night

Reading:  Mark 1: 1-8 Peter

Prayer

Hymn 304: O little town of Bethlehem

Sermon

Prayer

Hymn 315: Once in Royal David’s city

Benediction

Welcome to our meditation for the third Sunday in Advent.

On this Sunday we look at joy. And in this case it is the joy of the exiles of Israel returning home. That a promise of hope once made, can be seen to be fulfilled.

But what does that mean to us, today.

We will reflect on that after our reading and prayer from Peter.

Sermon

Today is meant to be a message of joy.

The reading today is one of joy.

But within it is a message which I think is a challenge to us.

Let me get to the joy bit first.

I was at a family wedding recently.

The site was just past Haggerstone Castle in England. It was one of these custom sites that was exclusively for weddings.

You don’t just turn up on the day.

You arrive the day before and enjoy the area, the cottages and the spas,

While the staff prepares the heavy stuff like tables and chairs, the family prepare the decoration of the worship site and the reception area for the meal.

The next the day some women will arrive at 6am to start the makeup of the women while the men twiddle their thumbs until the wedding.

But the night before is a moment of joy.

We had had a pre-wedding meal where we could get to know some of the guests from the other side.

A few drinks were drunk, it was a cold night and everyone was sitting round a log fire that was about the size of this communion tale.

Everything was done for the next day; all the rooms were decorated, all the admin was finished.

We could just sit with the bride and groom-to-be and enjoy a moment of peace before the celebration of the next day.

We could just sit in the expectation that everything was ready for a wonderful day.

And in that moment there is nothing but joyful expectation.

This is what is being expressed in our passage today.

The people had gone through decades upon decades of exile;

living in a foreign land with foreign customs.

Often being the minority and under threat.

And then they had been allowed home.

It would be a long journey.

And the first few miles don’t feel any different; the homes look the same, the clothes look the same, the countryside looks the same.

Those are tough miles because you question whether the journey is worth it.

What if the destination is no different that the place you left?

What if the destination is worse than the place you left?

Maybe it is better to turn back and just accept what you have had to put up with for years.

But a mile becomes ten miles, become a hundred miles.

Hours become days, become weeks become months.

And you notice that the landscape is changing.

You see signs that you are closer to home.

The people you meet have a different accent, wear different clothes.

The fields are different with different crops, the type you remember playing in when you were a child.

You feel the road is safe, the road is straight.

Around you, you can see signs of hope.

You are near the place you always wanted to be, home.

But not just a building, not just a place, a spiritual home, a place where you feel contentment, peace, laughter, where you can relax, put your guard down, a place where there is no fear or anxiety.

And even though you haven’t reached there yet,

you know you will arrive,

everything has been done to assure that the destination will be reached, you can feel the joy of expectation.

They will reach Jerusalem with gladness,

singing and shouting for joy.

They will be happy for ever,

for ever free from sorrow and grief.

I can see that joy in my granddaughter.

The decorations are up; the lights are sparkling in the Christmas tree.

She knows something special is happening, and nothing can stop it.

At times she literally bounces with joy.

Which drives my wife nuts because invariably she is bouncing on our bed.

When the writers of the New Testament were trying to imagine what the coming of Jesus into our world, into our lives, was like, that was the imagery they reached out to.

That our relationship with Jesus is coming home to a place of safety; where we are accepted as we are.

That our relationship with Jesus is coming home to a place of hope; where the past is cleansed and forgiven, and a new future full of expectation is awaiting us.

That our relationship with Jesus is coming home to a place of healing; where our relationships can grow, where we can find acceptance, and learn to give acceptance.

And the amazing thing to the writers of the New Testament was that this gift wasn’t just for a select few.

You see the Jewish faith had become more and more exclusive.

Their temple even reflected that.

There was the world, then with that was Israel,

There was Israel, but then with that there was Jerusalem.

There was Jerusalem, but with that was the Temple.

There was the temple for all the people, but within that was the bit of the Temple just for Jews,

but within that was the bit of the Temple just for Jewish men,

and within that was the bit of the Temple just for Jewish priests,

and within that was the bit of the Temple just for the High Priest.

At each level God excluded a group of people.

At each level a group of people became unworthy, not good enough,

cut off from fellowship with God,

cut off from all the things of God, like peace, and hope and love.

And now these writers of the New Testament, using the imagery of the Old Testament, talked about a journey that was for everyone.

Jesus showed that in his life.

Here was a person so close to God, and what he did with that closeness was reveal that God was there for everyone...at every time.

Like Matthew, a tax collector, a person who had cheated others...God’s love was there for him.

Like the women who had been sick most of her life...God’s love was for her.

Like those who were grieving and felt isolated and uncertain of the future..God’s love was for them.

Like the widow who could be ignored by everyone and treated like dirt...God’s love was for her.

Like those who knew they had made terrible mistakes...God’s love was for them.

Like those hanging from a cross and thought they were beyond redemption, who had left it too late to sort themselves out...God’s love was for them.

Like those who feel their life is falling apart and they have lost control of life...God’s love is for them.

Like those who are too scared to accept love because they have been hurt before, and those who are too scared to have hope in case they can’t live with the disappointment, or those who are too scared to have faith in case it turns out to be a false hope....God’s love is for them.

And the New Testament writer’s realisation was that all the work had been done.

We are the wedding party on the night before, just relaxing before the celebration.

We are the exiles on the last part of our journey home.

We are the three year old looking at the Christmas tree and knowing the promise of Christmas is just around the corner.

All the work has been done; all we have to do is accept the gift of love freely given.

That is a phenomenal joy for us to have.

We don’t need to deserve it...or earn it...or be good enough for it.

We just need to accept it.

But there is also a challenge there for us.

You see this gift is for everyone.

It is for us...but it is for everyone else.

But how can they benefit from it if they don’t know about it.

Imagine the Emperor freeing the people from exile, but no edicts were read out to the people, how would they know they were free to go home?

Imagine the most amazing wedding, but no invitations were sent out to the guests.

How would they know where and when the celebration was?

It is wonderful that this gift is there for us, and we know about it and can benefit from it.

But don’t our children deserve that love and assurance?

Don’t our grandchildren deserve that love and assurance?

Don’t our spouses, our brothers, our sisters deserve that love and assurance?

Don’t the neighbours who have been there for us in our time of need deserve that love and assurance?

Don’t our friends whom we love dearly deserve that love and assurance?

What kind of people does that make us...if we know of such a gift, and we keep it to ourselves?

So here’s the deal.

We are coming up for Christmas.

Our Christmas Eve service is designed to talk about this gift to people that would never darken the church.

Our Christmas Day service is designed so that anyone of any age can understand the talk about this gift.

If you want invite them to it, sit beside them as they and as you are reminded of the gift of God’s love, they get to hear about God’s love for them too.

If you can’t make it or they live too far away to come to church, there will be video versions of both on our facebook page and webpage on Christmas Eve. You can send them a link or email them to tell them where they can find the message for themselves.

God loves us, he just loves us, even as we are....that gives us hope, and peace, and joy.

If we love others, then we would want them to know that is true for them as well.

We are not asked to make them Christians; we just asked to show them the path so that they can make the choice for themselves.

 Let us pray

Father,

You call us to imagine a highway to heaven,

no objects in our way, no traffic lights to stop us, no dangers experience,.

a place where peace, hope and love, flourish around us,

where mercy is in abundance and hope is springing eternal,

You call us to imagine a kingdom at peace with itself; where people are singing and joy,

laughter and mirth, music and art, worship and learning, are changing us for the better.

A place where evil out-with and within us is banished;

oppression is finished and war is no more.

You call us to imagine such a place, and then live as if we are in that place, that we continually work to make our world like that.

You call us to see old truths that we have hidden from ourselves

To arise and proclaim the beauty of the mountains and the wildness of the sea; to proclaim the miracles around us and the holy potential for what can be.

May we acknowledge the truth of your love for everyone, and what that means not only in our hope for ourselves, but also what that means for the hope of others.

Let us pray for hope to replace the despair that limits us.

Let us pray for faith to replace the fear that disables us.

Let us pray for love to replace the uncertainty that hurt that closes our hearts.

Lord,

give us energy to serve,

grace to forgive,

patience to teach,

courage to be faithful,

dreams to re-imagine our world,,

and your love to give away.

Amen.