Outside My Window

“It’s finally over. . . or is it just beginning”

RUMC December 27^th 2009

Everybody take a deep breath. Christmas is finally over. Maybe there are a few pending celebrations, like my family. However, for the most part it is over. Santa is hibernating or whatever it is that he does. The gift-wrap has been ripped off the gifts. The toys are assembled, charged, or broken. The turkey has been gobbled up. The tree will soon be taken down and the lights will once again be a tangled mess. About all that’s left is the cookies, good memories and a desire to hibernate until spring. Right?

And that’s exactly what some Christians will do. They will crawl into a spiritual cave until Easter and emerge to celebrate the risen and glorified Christ. Not us though. We want to read more than the dust jacket on the book of Jesus life.

NOT ORDINARY- EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED

Christmas may seem like an ordinary holiday, like Memorial Day or thanksgiving. But when thanksgiving is over it is over. I promise you when Christmas day is over- Christmas is just beginning.

Notice the end of the Christmas narrative we read today- what did the shepherds do? Did they just go back to work and forget about what happened? NO_ they went back glorifying God and praising God for all they had seen. Do you think they were the same after that? I doubt it.

What about the Magi- do you suppose they were the same after their long journey that ended in worshipping the King of the Jews? No- and the Bible alludes to that when it says they returned by a different route.

Do you suppose the innkeeper was the same after he saw this miracle? Do you suppose he just put the animals back in the stall and went back to work? Maybe, but I’ll bet his heart was changed.

No one walked away from that first Christmas unchanged.

And neither should we today!

John writes in the beginning was the word. The word was with God and the word was God. That word became flesh and dwelt among us. Eugene Peterson writes this chapter in a tremendously earthy way.

“¹⁴The Word became flesh and blood,
      and moved into the neighborhood.
   We saw the glory with our own eyes,
      the one-of-a-kind glory,
      like Father, like Son,
   Generous inside and out,
      true from start to finish.

“The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” God himself became flesh and blood and made himself at home in our hearts. God in our own hearts. How could we NOT be changed?

You see God does not just move into the neighborhood, he moves into our hearts. Indeed God doesn’t just move into our hearts- he changes our hearts and lives. God sets up camp right smack dab in the middle of our lives.

Christmas is not just about the new life of a baby in the manger. Christmas is about life itself: lives touched by God; lives changed by angel songs; lives transformed by God in the flesh..

No one can really celebrate the Christ in Christmas without being changed forever.

CROSSROADS

SO- Here we stand at the crossroads;

Ø God himself has created this intersection of the “eternal” and the “now” that we call Christmas?

Ø God Himself has created this meeting of the human and the divine?

Ø God Himself has caused this collision sinfulness of my heart runs smack dab into the perfection of God in the flesh of Jesus Christ? How can anyone walk away unchanged?

Instead of saying “Whew- I’m glad that is over let’s move on to the next thing. I want us to stop for just a few minutes and let the spirit of Christmas really soak in. Let’s marinade in it for a few minutes and think about how we have changed. Or how we want to be changed because God has moved into our lives and changed everything.

LIFT OUR EYES UP, REFLECTING GOD’S LOVE.

First I want to suggest that this year we LIFT OUR EYES UP, REFLECTING GOD’S LOVE. That is called worship. Raising our eyes that our faces glow with the light of God’s love. It includes raising our

Ø voices in song,

Ø our heats in praise, and our

Ø Offerings in thanksgiving.

Worship is the number one most important purpose of human existence. The Westminster catechism tells us that the chief end of man is to “glorify God, and know and enjoy him forever.” In other words to worship. Worship is

Ø not getting charged up; though we hope that will happen.

Ø It is not learning something; though we hope that will happen.

Ø Worship is not first and foremost to help us grow in our faith; though of course we hope that happens.

The number one purpose of worship and in deed our lives is to adore God. To humbly reflect back the same love to God that God has revealed to us in Jesus Christ. In other words to Know God and glow with God’s love.

LIFT YOUR HEARTS DAILY SEEKING TO LIVE IN GOD’S LOVE.

Second, I call you to this year to LIFT YOUR HEARTS DAILY SEEKING TO LIVE IN GOD’S LOVE. That is called discipleship. When God’s love intersects with our lives, it doesn’t leave us the same. We can’t help that. But it is quite a different thing to intentionally and habitually raise our heart to God asking God to change it and make it more like his. Did you notice the Epistle reading from Philippians? Paul writes “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,” I would say, not just the same mind, but “Let the same heart beat in you that was in Christ Jesus.” A heart that beats with humility rather than pride. Obedience rather than self-satisfaction. Sacrifice is more important than victory.

Ø Discipleship is praying “Not my will but thine,” AND MEANING IT.

Ø Singing “Have thine own way lord.” AND MEANING IT

and that is the second way Christmas should change us.

LIFT OUR HANDS TO GOD INTENTIONALLY SHARING GOD’S LOVE IN EVERY WAY WE CAN

Finally, a gift never given away is not really a gift is it? So we LIFT OUR HANDS TO GOD INTENTIONALLY SHARING GOD’S LOVE IN EVERY WAY WE CAN. As we emerge from Christmas we have an obligation to share the gift we have received. We found a lot of ways to practice sharing the gift through

Ø OFFERINGS AND GIFTS this advent haven’t we? Society of Saint Andrew, Philippines, Operation Threshold, apportionments, and today, student day offering. At Christmas his love flows through our

Ø WORDS as we offer words of blessing and peace and joy to those to whom we might not normally speak. We are called to let Christmas

Ø LOVE flow through us as we love those whom we don’t understand or even like. We let Christmas

Ø PEACE flow thorough us as we make amends with those we have hurt or who have hurt us. We let Christmas

Ø HOPE flow thorough us as we walk and sit and live next to people who feel beaten down and powerless. We let Christmas

Ø JOY flow through us as others see us respond to the disappointments and frustrations that abound in life.

Find ways then- Find ways to lift your hands to God- intentionally sharing God's love with everyone you can.

Now, I might get booed for this, but I am going to say it anyway. Do you remember the series the dangerous church? What I am talking about today is being a MANGEROUS CHURCH!

Sorry about that.

I am talking about being a MANGEROUS CHURCH one that changed once and for all. By God's miraculous and wonderful coming to us in Jesus Christ.

Consider midnight new year’s eve as an opportunity to not only stop smoking, start loosing weight. I call upon you to do something spiritual with it this year.

John Wesley encouraged his followers to renew their covenant with God as often as they could. He created what he called a watch night service that was to be celebrated on New Year ’s Eve or day. Maybe we will do that sometime, but this year- I call upon you to come to the church sometime on New Years Eve day or next weekend and spend some time in prayer. Spend time praying about where you have been, how you have been changed and where you are going. Make some simple plans to lift your eyes to God in adoration, your heart to God regularly and your hands to your neighbors even when it seems hard. And then pray this covenant prayer we will pray in a few minutes. Just you and God. And really listen to the words. If you listen to the words too closely, you will realize that next to “thy will be done” this is probably one of the most dangerous prayers of all time. I’ll have copies laying here on the altar for you. Come, use them, and then next Sunday we will gather again, pray the prayer together again and seal the covenant renewal with communion.

How will you respond to God's great gift in Christmas? Hibernate until Easter? Or start the New Year with a MANGEROUS faith? It’s up to you.

I AM NO LONGER MY OWN, BUT THINE.

PUT ME TO WHAT THOU WILT, RANK ME WITH WHOM THOU WILT.

PUT ME TO DOING, PUT ME TO SUFFERING.

LET ME BE EMPLOYED FOR THEE OR LAID ASIDE FOR THEE,

EXALTED FOR THEE OR BROUGHT LOW FOR THEE.

LET ME BE FULL, LET ME BE EMPTY.

LET ME HAVE ALL THINGS, LET ME HAVE NOTHING.

I FREELY AND HEARTILY YIELD ALL THINGS TO THY PLEASURE AND DISPOSAL.

AND NOW, O GLORIOUS AND BLESSED GOD, FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT,

THOU ART MINE, AND I AM THINE.

SO BE IT.

AND THE COVENANT WHICH I HAVE MADE ON EARTH,

LET IT BE RATIFIED IN HEAVEN.