Sermon

Advent 4

December 21, 2008

My Dad was a pastor.

            When he died,

                        I got all his books of sermons

                                    for all the years he preached.

            When I first started preaching,

                        I used to check his sermons regularly

                                    for ideas and inspiration.

I do that less often now,

            but as I came to this 4^th Sunday in Advent,

                        I checked back on a sermon of his.

                                    He actually may have gotten the idea from someone else—

                                                --but I don’t know that for sure.

The question he was asking,

            and I ask this morning,

                        is:

            “What is the color of Christmas?”

Have you ever thought about that?

            What do you think?

                        What color would you pick?

Green.

            --The color of the Christmas tree,

            --the color of holly,

            --the color of life and growth.

Red.

            --Christmas lights.

            --Glowing fire in the fireplace.

            --Poinsettias

            --Joy, excitement.

White.

            --I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.

            --Snow

            --Holiness.

In my Dad’s sermon,

            he suggested that perhaps the color for Christmas

                        is black.

Black—

            --he wasn’t depressed or anything.

                        Here’s the thought.

Black—

            --it’s always there around the edges.

  When there is candlelight,

            it also emphasizes the darkness.

We only see the brightness of a star

            against a black background.

You know, we actually don’t know when Jesus was born.

            But do you know why we celebrate in December?

                        Because the light of Christ

                                    comes into the darkness.

                                                When the daylight is shortest,

                                                            the light comes among us.

There would be no need for Christmas

            if not for the darkness.

  It’s been said that:

            “Hope begins on a darkened stage.”

                        There would be no need for hope

                                    if everything was perfect and complete.

            There would be no need for a Savior

                        if all was well.

But all is not well.

            That’s why we need to begin with our lives as they are.

                        Let me ask again about color.

            Just think about it this time.

                        What is the color of your life?

                                    All red with excitement?

                                    Gold with happiness?

                                    Green with life?

Hopefully those colors are there.

            But there is probably darkness in your life, too.

                        Some blues?

                        Some grays?

                        Some dull brown?

                                    Even some black—

                                                            --some darkness.

Pain.

            Sickness.

                        Grief.

And on top of all that,

            the struggle of self—

                        --am I really worthwhile?

                        --will I be accepted by my friend and family?

                        --or even by God?

Our lives are plagued with darkness.

            The brightness of today,

                        might quickly fade into the darkness of tomorrow.

            Darkness—black—

                        --the color of the world at Christmas.

But into this dark world,

            into this darkness of our lives,

                                    there comes a light—

                                                --the light of Christ

            And that light came through Mary.

Let’s take a look at Mary

            in our Gospel reading for today.

And let’s look at the lesson

            through the lens of verse 37.

                        Would you find that and read it with me, please:

            “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Nothing will be impossible with God.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.

Did you read the introduction to the Gospel?

            In this annunciation,

                        Luke makes clear that God comes with good news

                                    for ordinary people (Mary)

                                                from little-known places (Nazareth).

            This king will not be born to royalty in a palace,

                        but to common folk in a stall.

Sometimes we might think

            that we’re not good enough for God.

  That we are too insignificant.

                        That we don’t really matter that much.

                                    We’re not important people.

            But nothing is impossible with God—

                        --and God comes to you and to me,

                                    even in the midst of the darkness of our everyday lives.

And he came to her and said,

            “Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you.”

  But she was much perplexed by his words

                        and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

            The angel said to her,

                        “Do not be afraid, Mary,

                                    for you have found favor with God.

            And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

                        and you will name him Jesus.”

We know the story.

            This seems pretty impossible—

                        --for a virgin to have a baby.

            And let’s take it another step.

                        God’s messenger is telling Mary not to be afraid,

                                    because she is the favored one.

She’s about to be a pregnant, unmarried, teenage girl.

            And yet she is called “Favored”

  We know that Joseph thought about giving up on her

                        until an angel talked to him, too.

It must have been tough for Mary.

            Following God’s will isn’t always easy.

                        It isn’t always pleasant.

            It doesn’t always make us popular.

                        And our path is probably simple

                                    compared to Mary’s.

But what does Mary say?

            Verse 38:

                        Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord;

                                    let it be with me according to your word.”

                        Then the angel departed from her.

She accepts and follows.

I read an interesting article this past week

            about whether Mary had a choice in all this.

  Could she have said no?

                        The author I was reading thought probably not.

                                    I don’t know.

            We’ll never know the answer—at least in this life.

But, whether or not Mary could choose the pregnancy,

            it does seem to me that Mary chose to accept

                        God’s control in her life.

  She accepted God’s direction for her.

            God’s purpose for her.

                        God’s mission for her.

When she was standing at the foot of the cross,

            33 years later,

                        I’m sure that wasn’t easy.

            But she followed—

                                    --even through the darkness.

And that is the call for you and for me as well.

            That, no matter the circumstances,

                        we might say:  “Here I am,

                                                            the servant of the Lord;

                                                                        let it be with me according to your word.”

What might that mean for you this week?

            What might it look like for you to say “Here I am;

                        The servant of the Lord;

                                    Let it be with me according to your word.”

Remember—nothing is impossible with God.

But do you know what strikes me as most amazing

            about all this?

                        That God is Immanuel—

                                    --God is with us.

                                    --Always.

And nothing can ever change that.

            Nothing can change God’s love for us.

                        Nothing can change God’s presence with us.

In the darkness,

            Jesus comes as the light.

In the darkness,

            an angel sings the promise for us:

  “Unto you is born this day in the city of David,

            a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

And as we follow,

            as we say “Here I am,”

                        it’s not really our light that shines in the world—

                                    --it’s the light of Christ.

And God has chosen for that light to shine through you

            and through me.

  God has chosen us to reflect the light of Christ to the world.

            Some days I know that seems like an impossible task.

                        Some days we are quite sure we’re not up to it.

                                    And you know what—we’re not.

            But,

                        with God nothing is impossible.

So, what might it look like

            for you this week,

                        to shine God’s light.

Listen to these words written by someone identified only as Brother Gary.

Faith and Hope and Love—

            --which cannot be bought or sold,

                        but only given away

            --are the well-springs, firm and deep,

                        of Christmas celebration.

This Christmas then,

            let us mend a quarrel.

                        Build peace.

                                    Seek out a forgotten friend.

            Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.

                        Write a love letter.

                                    Share some treasure.

                                                Give a soft answer.

                                                            Encourage youth.

                        Manifest our loyalty in word and deed.

                                    Keep a promise.

Find the time.

            Forgo a grudge.

                        Forgive an enemy.

                                    Listen.

                                                Apologize if we were wrong.

                                                            Try to understand.

            Give up envy.

                        Examine our demands on others.

                                    Think first of someone else.

                                                Appreciate.

                                                            Be kind.

                                                                        Be gentle.

Laugh a little.

            Laugh a little more.

Deserve confidence.

            Take up arms against malice.

                        Decry complacency.

                                    Express gratitude.

                                                Go to church.

                                                            Welcome a stranger.

            Gladden the heart of a child.

                        Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.

                                    Speak your love.

                                                Speak it again.

                                                            Speak it still once again.

Is there something there you can do this week?

May God’s love flow through you,

            into the darkness of the world—

                                    --giving light

                                    --and hope

                                    --and peace

                                    --and joy

                                    --and love.

God can do that in you.

            For with God, nothing is impossible.

In Jesus’ name,

            Amen