Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
But
Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
Then
Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the
patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?
Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will
give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
He
will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose
the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the
right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.
Matthew
1:18-25 –
This
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.
Because
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.
But
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. She will give
birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save
his people from their sins.”
All
this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The
virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him
Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”
When
Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took
Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a
son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
We
were invited back to witness our daughter and son-in-law joining church. The
festive spirit of Christmas causes me to reflect in a church where we don’t
know too many people, how many think the church is always trimmed in greens and
lights. We could be worshiping with people who are here every week or twice a
year…it really doesn’t matter. Even where we are unknown we are bonded in
corporate worship celebrating the birth of Christ. What a way to feel welcome.
I
enjoyed the advent candle lighting and the anthem, “When Will Messiah Come?”
The
sermon could have been titled “Emanuel, With Us Is God.” When we are in need we
want God to show up. We serve and worship a God Who loves to show up in the
lives of His people. When we are in need, we want to buy a miracle but are weak
in faith to believe we will get one.
Today
we were back to Concord to witness our daughter and son-in-law re-join this congregation.
We’ve been here often and know many of the folks.
Sitting
in the very back pew, I appreciated the size and yellow color of the words on
the screen. It can be frustrating to try to read small and/or white print displayed
over graphics, but that was not the case today.
The
cute skit for the Children’s Moment was well done, and I really enjoyed the spirit
of the Senior Choir Anthem, “When Will Messiah Come?”
The
Message, “A Night for Miracles,” began with a quote “from that
pseudo-theologian, Woody Allen: ‘90% of life is showing up.’” He proceeded to
make the point that God shows up even when we have lost hope and don’t expect Him
to or believe He will, and usually when we least expect Him. God’s word has
power to create and to bring healing into our lives, and His promises can be
trusted because He is faithful.
That’s
what I want…a God Who shows up before I know I need Him and does what I don’t
stand a chance of doing. A God to Whom I matter, and Whom I can trust to do the
best thing even when I disagree with Him about what the best thing is. A God
Who doesn’t give up on me even when I’ve long since given up on myself, and a
God Who can and does heal my deepest hurts and sorrows. I am so grateful that
is the God we worship.
Father, We pray this congregation will see Emanuel, “With Us Is God,” and they remember that You want to show up in their lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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