Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 2:1-20 Titus 2:11-14
READING 1:
Isaiah 9:2-7
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
READING 2:
Luke 2:1-7
2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
READING 3:
Luke 2:8-14
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God, and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
READING 4:
Luke 2:15-20
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying, and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Waiting for Hope
By Pastor John Partridge
Well… we’ve arrived.
For many of us, Christmas is our favorite season of the year. For some of you here, I have seen your posts on social media counting down to tonight and tomorrow morning. We might have hoped for a white Christmas, but I’m certain that we’ll have enough of that soon enough. We’ve sung the songs, we’ve heard the children, the pipe organ, the choir, and the bells. In a few minutes we will light the candles and welcome Christmas as we sing Silent Night. For many of us that is the moment that we know that Christmas has arrived and our hearts, and our souls are, even if only for a moment… at peace.
But what does it all mean?
Yes, we’ve heard the story. Yes, we know that the King of Kings was born to a virgin, entered into our earthly existence, and begun the journey that led to our salvation and rescue, but what about the here and now? We know the first century story, but what is the twenty-first century story? What does the Christmas story mean to us in our hectic, helter-skelter, world of rushed deadlines, underfunded budgets, and overscheduled calendars?
As much as we love the Christmas story, we all know that it represents just the very beginning of God’s invasion of the world and our work to tell humanity of Christ’s coming and call everyone to repentance and reconciliation with God. The disciples knew that too. And in his letter to his friend, we hear Paul helping Titus to grapple with the message of Jesus Christ and understand his, and our, role in the world around us. Titus was one of Paul’s missionary partners, a pastor, capable church administrator, responsible ally, evangelist, and a trusted friend. And, in Paul’s letter he tells Titus that what we are doing in the post-resurrection world, is… waiting for hope. That’s a puzzling idea, and so let’s read a larger passage from Titus 2:11-14, to hear, in context, what Paul is saying. He says:
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Paul says that the coming of Jesus Christ was, for us, the appearance of God’s grace to the world and offers salvation to all people. That grace, and that rescue, teaches us to navigate the chaos of the world around us. We surrounded by a culture that admires and idolizes lives that are at least, or often completely, out of control and burning with ungodly and worldly passions that worship sex, drugs, gambling, power, and excesses of every kind and flavor. But God’s grace guides us toward lives that are moral, ethical, upright, and self-controlled… which absolutely is not saying that we live lives that are boring, humorless, or without fun or other enjoyment, but that find fun and enjoyment in ways that honor God.
The odd part of Paul’s writing is where it says that we live these lives “while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of… Jesus Christ.” I’m certain that Paul isn’t saying that we live without hope, because Jesus Christ is our hope. Rather, I think what he is saying, when he says that we wait for the “blessed hope,” is that we live these lives while we wait for the fulfillment of our hope and return of Jesus Christ.
And so, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we must remember not just that he came, but why he came. Jesus came to earth to call the world to repentance, to rescue us from sin and death, to teach us how to live moral, ethical, upright, and godly lives in the middle of a world that is immoral, unethical, out of control, and ungodly. Our mission is to tell the people around us that God offers them a better way and a better life. And we must live and love in such a way, that the people around us can see that better life in us, know that God’s offer is real, and want what we have.
Merry Christmas everyone.
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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org. These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com . All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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