Posted on by Cheryl Norman

In whom Do We Trust and Love?

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 18, 2025

Scriptures: Isaiah 7:10-16 ; Matthew 1:18-25

A story dating from the 1930’s or 1940’s is told of a British man rushing to catch a train.  He and his friends needed to make it aboard this particular train or face waiting a long time until the next, which would put them arriving at their destination in the wee hours of the morning.  As he and his friends ran through the station, he accidentally kicked over a small table supporting a vendor’s box of fruit.  Apples tumbled out all over.  The guy and his friends made it to the train with seconds to spare.  As he looked back at the mess they had made, he wondered if he should risk returning to help and miss his train.  Waving his friends on, he decided to turn back to assist the vendor.  He noticed apples everywhere, kicked here and there by hurrying travelers.  He saw a boy of about 9-10, looking dazed and helpless, but doing nothing whatever to retrieve the apples.  

As he got closer, he realized the boy, the vendor, was blind.  The man began to collect the apples and place them in the box.  He could see that many of them were by now badly bruised.  So, he took out his wallet, and handed the boy a twenty.  As he placed the bill in the boy’s hand, he said, “Here, please take this $20.00 for the damage we did.  Hope we haven’t spoiled your day.”  As the man walked away, he heard the boy loudly call to him, saying, “Sir, are you Jesus?”  (Story origin unknown.)

This boy obviously had some notion of who Jesus was and how He might be expected to act.  He thought the man might be Jesus because of his kindness and generosity toward him.  He thought the man might be Jesus because he hadn’t just ignored him, but had made things right.  The man wasn’t Jesus, but he had acted like Jesus, hadn’t he?  He’d righted a wrong.  He had provided for the boy when no one else did.  He was trustworthy and grace-filled.

Our Old Testament and our Gospel lessons point to the fact that our God is worthy of our trust (and our love).  

A.  The context for Isaiah 7:10-16 is the year 734 BC.  King Ahaz of Judah is surrounded by enemies threatening to invade his kingdom:  Rezer, king of Syria and Pekah, king of Israel, have formed a coalition against Ahaz.  So Ahaz is considering aligning himself with either Egypt or with Assyria for safety.

What do we know of Ahaz?  He was a descendant of King David,  a grandson of Uzziah, and son of Jothem, both of whom had been good kings.  He’dbeen 20YO when he ascended the throne and reigned for 16 years.  Unlike his father and grandfather, however, he was a man without faith in the one, true God.  It had been recounted in 2 Kings 16:3-4–>Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God.  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.  Ahaz was apostate.  He worshiped the crude and evil Canaanite deities.  He even went so far as to sacrifice his first son to Molech.

He is faithless but God nevertheless sends the prophet Isaiah to speak to him.  Ahaz erroneously assumed that because he does not worship God, he cannot expect God to help him against his enemies (failing to consider that God might love His people and want them saved, despite their king’s disbelief.).

Isaiah meets him at the source of Jerusalem’s water supply, and also where clothing was washed clean, and informs him that God will not abandon him or Judah.  God tells him, through His prophet Isaiah, that he can even ask for a sign that will indicate that this promise is true.

Ahaz acts pious (v.12)–>Far be it from me to ask God for a sign…I would never test God like that!  He is in a national emergency, but He doesn’t trust God to help him–even given this very trustworthy prophet.  Notice the symbols included in the narrative:  They meet at the access to Jerusalem’s living (flowing) water (an image of Christ from John 4); it is a place where the unclean are made clean; and Isaiah is accompanied by his son, Shear-Jashub (whose name means a remnant will return, thus indicating a future of Judah and Jerusalem). 

Ahaz is looking to the current crisis, but the prophet predicts a long-term solution, Jesus:  He will be born to a virgin; He will be born a son; He will be Immanuel, God with us;  He will eat yogurt (curds) and honey, the food of poor people (available during drought or years of poor agricultural yield); By the time He is 11 or 12YO, the age of reason, the kings Ahaz fears will have been taken over and deported by the Assyrians.  Scholars believe there was probably an Israelite princess then, in Ahaz’ time, who would marry and give birth to a son—proving the near fulfillment of the prophesy.  But, in the longer view, we know this predicted child is Jesus.

B. This ancient story is a clear set up for our Gospel, Matthew 1:18-25.  Matthew relates the tale from the perspective of Joseph.  Contrast Joseph’s trust in God with Ahaz’s lack thereof:  He has learned that Mary is pregnant.

Instead of demanding that she be stoned, as he could have, he (v.19)…was a righteous man [who] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, decides to quietly divorce her.  He loved her and he loved God.  God sends him a dream in which he learns from the Angel Gabriel (v.20]–>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.  Unlike King Ahaz, Joseph is a man of God and so he believes the angel and is obedient.  He marries Mary and cares for her.  He does not consummate the marriage until after the baby was born.  And he does name the baby Jesus.

What a fabulous segway for Matthew!  Matthew is the Gospeler to the Jews, whose goal was to demonstrate to them how Jesus fulfills the prophesies about the Messiah from the Old Testament.  Immediately he refers to our Isaiah lesson (vv.22-23)–>ll this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet:  The virgin will be with child and will give birth to son and they will call him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

The New Testament scholar and Anglican Bishop, NT Wright, claims that until Matthew wrote his Gospel, no one had ever thought of this Isaiah passage as referring to the promised Messiah.  But under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Matthew did. Matthew, in our Gospel passage, attests to the supernatural origin of Jesus.

Jesus is both human (born of Mary) and divine (born of the Holy Spirit).  In Jesus, God Himself is here, God Himself is with us.

(NT Wright, Matthew for Everyone, John Knox Press, 2004, p.7.)

John Ortberg, a Presbyterian pastor and author, writes in his book, God is Closer Than You Think, (Zondervan, 2005, p. 16):  The central promise in the Bible is not, “I will forgive you,” though of course that promise is there.  It is not the promise of life after death, although we are offered that as well.  The most frequent promise in the Bible is “I will be with you.”  This promise is spoken in Scripture over and over again.  Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, King David, the prophets, the Virgin Mary, and the Righteous Joseph all heard the comfort and the promise:  Don’t be afraid, I am with you.  Ahaz was afraid and mistrusted God’s promise to him, God’s sign to him.  He did not love or trust God.  He did align with Assyria against his northern enemies; but, in 722BC, the Assyrians overran Syria and Israel, and made of Jerusalem a vassal state. 

These Scripture passages demand that we think long and hard about Who we trust and love.  They contrast Ahaz’ unbelief with the faith of Joseph:  Joseph too was afraid, but God told him not to be and he was reassured.  In fact, God made him the same promise he had made to the old, idolatrous king:  “The Child will be a sign, Immanuel, God with us.”

We have the same choice as Ahaz and as Joseph:  In Whom do we trust and love?  In our own devices, our own schemes to save ourselves?  Or in the God of love?  In Immanuel, the One who promises to be with us, no matter our stresses, trials, illnesses, or difficulties. 

Our King and Savior now draws near.  Come, let us adore Him.

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Advent Joy

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 14, 2025

Scriptures: Isa 35:1-10; Lk 1:46-55; Ja 5:7-10; Matt 11:2-11

You may have heard this illustration before. Josh McDowell used it in his book, More than a Carpenter, Tyndale House, 1977, p.108:

In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ [from 60 major Old Testament prophesies of Jesus]. He says, “The chance that any man might have …fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.” (one hundred quadrillion) Stoner suggests that “we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly… Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting the right one?” Stoner concludes, “Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man…providing they wrote them in their own wisdom.”

(Peter Stoner and Robert Newman, Science Speaks, Moody Press, 1976, pp.106-112.)

This account gives us some idea of the incredible veracity, the compelling truth of the Biblical claim that Jesus Christ is God’s Messiah. Not only do Stoner’s (and Newman’s) math computations demonstrate that only one person in all of history could have fulfilled just 6 of the 60 major Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah, but that Jesus–and only Jesus–was the one person who satisfied these prophesies (He also satisfied the other 52 major and 270 minor ones).

Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent and we just lit the candle representing Joy (and prophesy) in our Advent Wreath. Doesn’t it bring you great joy to realize we worship the One, True King, Jesus Christ our Lord? I read this years ago and it solidified in my mind what I already knew in my heart and in my spirit—Jesus is the One and Only, long awaited Messiah. Our Scripture lessons today all testify to His identity and to His saving actions on our behalf:

A. Let’s begin with Luke 1:46-55, known as Mary’s Magnificat, a psalm of praise to God from the newly pregnant Mother of Jesus. Mary realizes a great honor is being bestowed upon her to become what the ancient Greek Christians would later call the theotokis or God-bearer.  In those days, to be chosen to bear the Messiah was every Jewish girl’s dream. Even though having a child out of wedlock could prove dangerous (she could have been stoned) and embarrassing for her before her family and her small community, Mary believes the Angel Gabriel’s announcement and rejoices in God’s choice of her. She then composes a song in which she primarily praises God. How humble and obedient she was! We could expect the whole psalm to say, “YIPPEE, God picked ME! Hooray, I was His choice!” But instead she proclaims (vv.47-49, NLT)—Oh how my soul praises the Lord, how my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations shall call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy and He has done great things for me. She recognizes that God has truly honored her, and she modestly admits her delight.

But then she proceeds to glorify God for what He is doing through her for His people. She shifts the focus from herself, and sets it upon God’s actions. She proceeds to praise Him for… (1) His mercy to those who respect and revere Him; (2) His past works of power; (3) His surprising, unexpected propensity to reverse worldly fortunes: The lowly are raised up, while the lofty and self-reliant are brought low; and 4) His fulfillment of His promises to Israel: A king from the lineage of David, and a Messiah who will bless all nations on earth. Can’t you just hear her joy as she delights in the plans of God the Father and in the future redeeming work of her soon-to-be-born son?!

B. Just prior to our Gospel lesson today, Matthew 11:2-11, Jesus has sent the 12 out to put into practice all He has taught them.

Meanwhile, He does not sit idle, but continues to preach and teach. John the Baptist (JtB), has been imprisoned for some time now, and—as often happens—he begins to doubt his earlier faith that his cousin Jesus is the Messiah. Remember, he was the forerunner, the prophet to announce Jesus’ arrival. But, rotting away in a dungeon, he begins to doubt his previous certainty. He deploys two of his disciples to ask Jesus (v.3) Are You the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else? 

No doubt JtB expected Jesus to set him free. After all, Jesus’ job description from Isaiah 61:1 promised that Jesus would—…proclaim that captives [would] be released and prisoners [would] be freed. John was probably expecting his immediate emancipation. He may have also been frustrated that it was taking Jesus so long to usher in His Kingdom on earth.

But instead of sending word of eminent release, Jesus reiterates from Isaiah 61:1 that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor.

Because He does not reiterate that He will also (NIV)—proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, JtB learns Jesus will not be initiating a jail break. Yes, John, your cousin is the Messiah you proclaimed at the beginning of His earthly ministry; but no, He will not be commuting your sentence. 

Jesus does not meet JtB’s personal hopes. Apparently, it suited God’s purposes for JtB to leave the scene (decrease) so that Jesus’ ministry could increase. If you have watched the various scenes from “The Chosen,” you may have encountered the one that focuses on JtB’s execution. It what seemed to me to be so poignant, the writers have John look out a window, as the executioner’s ax is lifted above his head, and see a lamb grazing. It is as though the Lord wanted to remind him in his last moments that he had done a good job of telling others He was and is the Lamb of God. Jesus does proclaim to those He was teaching that JtB was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Hopefully, John understood this need to exit the world stage and had prepared himself to meet his Maker.

C. In fact, JtB probably knew Isaiah 35:1-10, a Messianic prophesy from 700 years before Jesus’ birth. He would have remembered that in the predicted Messianic or Mellenial Age (the 1000 year reign of Christ) that the material earth will be restored to the time before the Fall. As a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin, God had cursed the ground and the serpent—not the humans. True, life would be harder than it had been for them in the Garden, but only the physical earth and Satan were actually cursed. Paul will later assert (Romans 8:22)—We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Paul had learned from Jesus that creation, too, would be redeemed at Jesus’ 2nd Coming.

Additionally, JtB would recall that the bodies of human beings will be renewed. Verses 5-6 promise that—…the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. Think of the vast swath of desert land in our southwest, or the enormous Sahara in North Africa. These lands will be renewed and covered with vegetation and flowers.

Though Jesus accomplished the healing of many individuals in His 1st Advent—we really have no idea of how very many He healed–when He comes again, all of humankind will be spiritually, physically, and emotionally restored. How can we learn this and not experience a welling up within our hearts and spirits of great joy?!!

D. No wonder we have the James 5:7-10 passage. The 2nd coming of Jesus Christ will right all that is now wrong with our world. However, as James counsels us, we need to (v.7)—Be patient, then, brothers [and sisters] until the Lord’s coming. Scripture has told us what to expect.

We just need to wait with faith, as a farmer waits for his/her crops to grow.

We should get ourselves ready to receive our King. James counsels us not to let Him catch us gossiping about or negatively judging others. And we can and should meditate on the lives of the prophets, including JtB, as we wait. They all prophesied the wonders to come In Jesus, but did not get to see them manifest in their own lives.

An anonymous author once wrote: 

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

(Quoted in www.sermoncentral.com, 12/10/2025)

Thank God the Father sent us a Savior! We all needed saving from the penalty of death for our sins and from our carnal tendencies to seek out and indulge in sin. We all needed a divine rescue! We needed the gift of Jesus! 

The song in our hearts today could very well be Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (Music by Beethoven; lyrics by Henrr Van Dyke):

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of Love;

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, praising Thee, the Sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;

Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.

All Thy works with joy surround thee, earth & heaven reflect Thyrays;

Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise,

Field and forest, vale and mountain, blooming meadow, flashing sea,

Chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessings, ever blest,

Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest;

Thou our Father, Christ our Brother; all who live in love= thine;

Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Lord, please fill our hearts with Joy during this Advent Season. Amen and Amen!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Ready or Not …

Pastor Sherry’s message for November 30, 2025

Scriptures: Isa 2:1-5; Ps 122; Ro 13:11-14; Matt 24:36-44

I thank God I am a little older than I was years ago!: I’ve learned to slow down and not expect as much of myself or of others as I did when I was younger.: About this time of year, I would “get my panic on,” thinking of all the things I “had to do” to get ready for Christmas:

(1) It began with filling a Shoe-box or two, or 10, for Operation Christmas Child.

(2) Then there was the Thanksgiving feast to prepare and hold.

(3) Next I felt compelled to decorate my house, inside and out for Christmas.

(4) And don’t forget my need to survey the Black Friday sales for potential gifts for family and friends.: Be sure to locate and purchase them, then wrap them.

(5) I couldn’t neglect Christmas cards, especially for friends and family who live far away—you know, the ones you only communicate with once a year.

(6) Then I felt compelled to fit in a visit to Christmas on the Square and the Christmas parade here in Live Oak.

(7) I would attempt to find out what gifts my kids and grandchildren particularly wanted.

(8) Daily, I would hum Christmas carols wherever I went and even in the shower. 

(9) I would try to participate in decorating the Church—thanks to all of you who came out to help yesterday.: Isn’t it beautiful?

(10) And finally, I would also try to get my mind into the right head space, remembering that “Jesus is the reason for the season!”

Were you ever this obsessed? I hope not!: I would work for weeks like my hair was on fire!: If you were like me—as a younger person—you reached Christmas afternoon exhausted and on your last nerve.

Fortunately, now that we have more age and experience, we realize it’s not about doing all these things—and doing them perfectly or with panache—but it’s about being.: We can eliminate a lot of the hustle and hassle we used to enforce upon ourselves in this season, and focus on having the right heart attitude as we await the Advent arrival of King Jesus.  

We lit the candle of Hope on this first Sunday of Advent, 2025, because our hope is in our Lord.: Consider this anonymous poem:

Philosophy says:: Think your way out.”

Indulgence says:: “Drink [or eat] your way out.”

Politics [government] says: “Spend your way out.”

Science says:: “Invent your way out.”

Industry says:: “Work your way out.”

Communism says: “Strike your way out.”

Fascism says:: “Bluff [bully] your way out.”

Militarism says:: “Fight your way out.”

The Bible says: “Pray your way out, but…

Jesus Christ says:: “I am the way [out]….”

(J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Isaiah, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.29.)

Our hope is in Jesus…Who He revealed Himself to be in His First Coming; and Who Scripture predicts Him to be in His Second.

Oddly enough on this first Sunday of Advent, our Scripture lessons today all focus on Jesus’ Second Coming:

A. Jesus Himself warns us to be ready for this great event in our Gospel, Matthew 24:36-44.: He says no one—not even He Himself—knows the hour or the day the Father has determined for His return to earth.

It could come as suddenly as the flood in Noah’s day.: People then were blithely unconcerned, oblivious about what was to happen.: They were just going about their lives as if God did not exist.: They were not ready when the flood waters came and swept them away.: I believe Jesus was thinking about the Rapture when He remarked that suddenly one person will disappear while another will be left behind.: Similarly, if burglars break into your home while you are away, you are shocked, stunned, and regret not having been better prepared.: I taught school years ago with a friend in Rhode Island who lived in Providence, on a corner, in a very nice neighborhood near Brown University.: Her family owned a summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, that she and her husband would visit frequently.: Three times while they were out of town their house was robbed.: It seems that burglars then believed houses on corners belonged to wealthier persons (as they are taxed more), so that they expected the loot they would pilfer would be of a higher quality.: She bemoaned the fact that the thieves never took her grandmother’s china, an expensive but unattractive pattern, but stole much of her other valuable stuff.: Three robberies undermined her sense of safety and security in her home and she and her husband ended up moving.: The point Jesus is making, though, is that no one knows the hour or the day of His return, so we need to get ready and live ready.

B. Paul picks up the same theme in Romans 13:11-14.: He sees our need to be ready as crucial (v.11, NLT): This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is:: time is running out.: Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.: He urges us to get ready and stay ready to meet our Lord in person.: He writes, (v.12): So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.: He wants us to behave ourselves, to not give into our carnal natures (v.13): Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in: sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.: He insists we can best be ready for Jesus’ 2nd coming by clothing ourselves with Christ—i.e., act like Jesus.

C. The prophet Isaiah (2:1-5) shares a vision he had of Jesus in His Millennial reign.: King Jesus will reign from Jerusalem, from the old Temple Mount (Mt. Zion), after He has defeated the forces of evil at the Battle of Armageddon.: The word mountain in the Hebrew means a kingdom, an authority, or a rule.: Jesus’ kingdom, authority, or rule will be based in Jerusalem.: It is from there that He will reign over all the earth.

Jerusalem will then have become the most significant place on earth. People from all over the world will journey there to worship the Lord and to learn from Him. They will recognize and acknowledge His transformational and sovereign power.: Additionally, King Jesus will mediate any and all disputes.Weapons of war will be melted down to become farming implements. There will be no more war between nations.

At that time, we will all walk in the Lord’s light. In other words, our God is the only light that overcomes the darkness of sin and evil. We are currently living in what is known as “The Church Age,” beginning at Pentecost and extending until the Rapture.: At the end of the seven years of the Great Tribulation, Jesus will return to earth to establish His earthly rule, and the Church Age will be replaced by “The Kingdom Age.”: We want to be ready to be inhabitants of that new reality.

 (J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Matthew, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.149.)

D.: Psalm 122 was written by King David and in it he prophesies about Christ’s Millennial Reign in Jerusalem.: Pilgrims traveling to the city for any one of the three great feasts would have sung this psalm after David composed it.: Verses 3-5 form an ode or a majestic poem in praise of the city.: And in verses 6-9, David urges us all to pray for Jerusalem.

The prophet Hosea latter penned these words (Hosea 3:5): …Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols!: But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their King.: In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of His goodness.: The first part of this prophesy has come true—no king, prince, or Temple worship being practiced currently in Jerusalem.: The second part—the Jews will return to the city and worship the Messiah—awaits Jesus’ Second Coming.

Our Scripture passages all warn us that Jesus is coming again and we need to be prepared.: The Advent season reminds us to ready ourselves.: Consider this reworking of the Night Before Christmas story:

“Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house

Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.

Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care

In hopes that Jesus would not come in there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,

Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head, 

And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap

Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter, 

I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

And what to my wondering eyes should appear

But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.

With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray

I knew in a moment that this must be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head.

It was Jesus!: Returning just like He had said.

And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,

I cried when I saw Him in spirt of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand

Was written the name of every saved [woman and] man.

He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;

When He said, “It’s not here,” my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love

He gathered to take to His Father above.

With those who were ready He rose without sound

While all of the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;

I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.

I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight.

Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear:

The coming of Jesus is soon drawing near.

There’s only one life and when comes the last call—

We’ll find that the Bible was true after all.

(Chuck Swindoll, The tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word Publishing, 1998, pp.86-87.)

Ready or not, here He comes!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Christmas Joy, All Year Round

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 15, 2024

Scriptures: Zeph 3:14-20; Isa 12:2-6; Phil 4:4-7; Lk 3:7-18

If there is a single word that describes what Christmas is about, it’s JOY!  Some of our favorite Christmas carols include the word:  (1) Joy to the world, the Lord is come; (2) O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant…; (3) Shepherd, why this jubilee, why your joyous strains prolong? (4) Good Christian men rejoice, with heart and soul and voice; (5) Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies, with the angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem.”

But, I wonder how many of us could truthfully say we are filled with joy this morning?  Listening to these wonderful carols can help lift our spirits; however, it’s not always easy to feel joy, is it?  Judge Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.—a Supreme Court justice for 30 years–admitted becoming a judge had been his second choice of vocation.  He later said, “I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers,” a sad commentary on the clergy of his day.

(Moody Bible Institute’s “Today in the Word,” 6/88, p.13).

Or as the Christian writer, John Ortberg asserts, “Joy in this world is always in spite of something.”  His statement implies that we have to fight against negative emotions to feel joy.  It also suggests that we have to work hard to overcome every seduction of the world, the flesh, and the devil to experience it. 

(John Ortberg, The Life you’ve Always Wanted, 1997. P.73)

I think a large part of our problem with the emotion joy is that we have mistaken the way we think about it.  We tend to connect it with happiness and believe it is due to our circumstances.  But the truth is that true joy comes from our relationship with Christ Jesus.  The Rev. Will Willamon, former chaplain at Duke University, once said: Real joy is not self-induced. The Christmas story affirms that despite the oppressive political systems and the depressing reality of life, Christians can still be joyful, for they know joy is not about what they do to solve the problems of life, but that it is instead a byproduct of what God does through Jesus Christ. 

(Will Willimon, Christmas sermon, Duke University, 12/25/1994)

Like the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), it has much less to do with what is going on in our life situations, and much more to do with the depth of our connection with our Lord.

Additionally, true joy just shows up on our faces.  Someone once stated, “Countenance is a press conference that your face calls to give the state of union of your soul.”  The story is told of a man… who walked by a table in a hotel and noticed 3 men and a dog playing cards.  The dog appeared to be winning.  “That must be a very smart dog,” the man commented.  “He isn’t so smart,” said one of the players. “Everytime he gets a good hand he wags his tail!”

(Kent Crockett’s  Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com, 12/24/18)

I guess you could say that it is possible to look at certain people or animals and see joy all over their faces, or in the way they carry themselves, even if you know their life situations are troublesome. 

Our Scriptures this morning point to how we can experience true joy this Christmas—and actually, all year round:

A.  In our Old Testament lesson, Zephaniah 3:14-20, the prophet foretells of a glorious day coming for Jerusalem (and for those of us who love Jesus).  Zephaniah (who prophesied from 640-609 BC) was of royal blood, the great-great-grandson of King Hezekiah—one of the few good kings of Judea.  He was a minor prophet who appeared on the scene during the reign of King Josiah, another good king of Judea, and was one of the last of the prophets prior to the “Babylonian Captivity.”  Unlike his contemporary Jeremiah, who is often referred to as the weeping prophet, Zephaniah is called the prophet of love because of the final chapter of his prophesy.

He spends two chapters warning the people of God’s coming judgment on them for their idolatry and apostasy—for which they were subsequently carried off into the Babylonian Empire for 70 years.  His last chapter foretells of God’s planned restoration and redemption of them.  In His love for them, God is going to bring them back to Jerusalem from where they have been scattered.  How gracious of God to promise them deliverance and restoration even before He punishes them.

The prophet predicts essentially the 2nd Coming of Christ as well, also known as “the Great and Glorious Day of the Lord.”  In verses 14-15 he writes—Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!  Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!  The Lord has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy.  The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.  And continuing on into verse 17, he comforts us all with this beautiful promise—The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

God, through Zephaniah, wants us to know that He will indeed discipline us, but He will also restore us because of His great love for us.

The writer to the Hebrews affirms this fact in 12:6—…the Lord disciplines those He loves….The Apostle John says it another way, quoting Jesus (John 15:1-2)—I am the True Vine and my Father is the Gardener.  He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes [this process tends to hurt!] so that it will be even more fruitful.  Paradoxically, the fact that God allows us to go through trials is evidence of His love for us.   Furthermore, if we have the self-discipline and godly insight to recognize this fact, we can actually rejoice in our trials, knowing God is using them to mold and shape us.

B.  Isaiah 12:2-6 is essentially a song of praise to God.  In verse 2 he asserts—Surely it is God who saves me.  I will trust in Him and not be afraid.  He follows this up in verse 6 by assuring us that our response to God’s acts should make us—Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.  So, we are to rejoice in God because He is our savior; our strength, our song, and our salvation; and because He has done—and will do–glorious things for us.

If we focus our hearts and minds on these things, we cannot help but be filled with joy.

C. In our New Testament lesson, Philippians 4:4-7—Paul actually commands us to rejoice!  We are not to worry about anything, a 2nd command.  Instead, we should submit all our concerns—with thanksgiving–to God through prayer.  Paul is insisting we pray about everything, a 3rd command.  Then, he promises, God’s peace will settle on us and in us and even guard us.  And, if we concentrate, intentionally, only on things that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, we will retain our peace and increase our joy.  In other words, achieving a state of joy is both a choice and a habit.  It comes from disciplining ourselves to look for and celebrate the good.  It is also based upon trusting God, trusting in Jesus. 

Joy is certainly available to us, but it is not found in people’s usual life pursuits:

1. Voltaire, the French philosopher and historian (1694-1778), was an atheist who asserted as he died, “I wish I had never been born.”

2. The British poet, Lord Byron (1788-1824), investigated every possible type of pleasure but concluded before his untimely death at age 36, “The  worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.”

3. Jay Gould, an unscrupulous, American financier and multi- millionaire (1836-1892), said from his death-bed, “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.”

4. Lord Beaconsfield (1804 –1881), also known as British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, later wrote, “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle, old age a regret.” 

5. Even Alexander the Great (357-324BC), the young Greek General who conquered the known world of his day, was said to have wept in his tent, because he believed, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”   He died at age 33.

Each of these famous persons realized by the end of his life, that joy does not come from unbelief in God, nor the dogged pursuit of pleasure, money, position, fame, or successful military conquest (i.e., power).  

(Idea borrowed from “Pursuit for Joy,” www.bible.org, 12/14/2018).

D. Fortunately, though, we can all access joy through drawing near to Jesus.  In our Gospel lesson, Luke 3:7-18, John the Baptist teaches two activities that result in joy:  The first is submitting to baptism.

John’s baptism symbolically washes away our past sins.  Jesus’ baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers us to avoid present and future sin.  If you ever saw the movie, “Oh Brother, Where art Thou?” you may remember the scene in which the fugitive convict, Delmer, gets baptized in the river.

Later, in the car with his other 2 convict buddies, he exclaims, “I have been redeemed.  The preacher said so. All my sins and wrongdoings has been wiped away, including robbing that Piggly-Wiggly.”  Another convict says, “Uh, Delmer, I thought you said you was innocent of those charges.”

Delmer confidently replies, “Well, I lied, but I been forgiven of that too.”

Having his sins washed away filled Delmer with joy—as it should for each of us.  

The second activity that can lead to joy is being generous toward and honest with others.  John the Baptist exhorts is listeners to share with those who have needs, to not extort or oppress those less powerful, and to only charge a person their fair tax.  Our Christmas gift exchanges are a great way to experience this kind of generosity.  So are putting money in a Salvation Army kettle, filling Christmas shoe-boxes for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child, or bringing food to the ill or the grieving.  

May we each draw closer to Jesus this Advent and experience His gift to us of Christmas joy all year round.  Amen!  May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Look Up!

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 1, 2024

Scriptures: Jer 33:14-16; Ps 25:1-10; 1 Thess 3:9-13; Lk 21:25-36

Remember when you were a little kid, waiting on Christmas morning?  You knew Santa Claus would have come and that there were other surprises for you under that tree.  The time had finally arrived for you to unwrap those gifts you had spotted—with your name on the tags–that you had snuck around to shake, trying to figure out what was inside the box or bag.  That waiting was excruciating, wasn’t it?  Five more wake ups til Christmas…two more wake ups, etc.

Besides having to wait on Christmas, we wait on the arrival of a baby (especially when 8-9 months pregnant).  I think the last month of pregnancy is deliberately so uncomfortable that we are willing to go through the pains of labor just to be at ease in our bodies again.  How about the wait we undergo during the surgery of someone we love?  This time of year, we wait in lines in Publix, the Post Office, and the car wash.  Several days ago, I was waiting at the Customer Service counter at the grocery store. I only wanted a book of stamps, but I found myself in line behind a guy buying what looked like dozens of bouquets of flowers.  The cashier laboriously searched out the bar codes on each bunch.  Then the guy used a card to pay for his haul of flowers that did not work.  He had to search for another card that would.  As he fumbled in his wallet, I was becoming so impatient!  All I wanted were stamps, for heaven’s sake!  How ashamed was I to then be presented by the guy with one of his bouquets.  I was stunned!  Maybe it was his way of apologizing for keeping me waiting, but the store personnel told me he comes in weekly and buys up bunches of bouquets to give away.  How amazingly generous of him!  His gift reminded me that I needed to be more patient.

I also heard this week of a guy in NYC who was a professional line-waiter.  People paid him to wait in line to purchase tickets for them to a game, a concert, or a show.  He said his toughest wait was for tickets to “Hamilton” because his tent froze on the inside!  YIKES! He has also been paid to wait for a new IPhone model or for some other new tech gizmo to be released, or to purchase the latest limited edition hoodie, etc.  It is said that he made $86,000 a year!  Kind of an amazing service, isn’t it?

(as shared by www.sermoncentral.com, 11/29/2024)

With the possible exception of the professional line waiter, most of us hate to wait.  Today is the 1st Sunday of Advent, a time of waiting on Jesus.   We prepare for His 1st Coming, at Christmas, as a helpless infant, from a small, Hebrew, backwater town.  His mission then was to save a sin-sick and lost world.  We also await His Second Coming when He will return as a triumphant, all powerful king, with the mission to judge the world and create a heavenly, peaceful order on earth.  Our Scriptures today speak to both Advents or Comings:

A. In Jeremiah 33:14-16, the prophet reminds us that the promised Messianic King (Jesus) will be coming.  He will come from a righteous branch of King David’s family tree (a promise God had made to David that we spoke of last week).  This Messiah would save His people (Jesus’ name actually means God saves).

Jumping ahead to the end times, He will be called, “The Lord Our Righteousness.”   At His second coming, Jerusalem will Live in safety. 

It doesn’t now, by any stretch of the imagination, but it will then, praise God!

B. Our Psalm 25:1-10 is a plea from King David for God’s protection and love.  It suggests that God has a purpose as He makes us wait:  Waiting provides time/opportunity to learn (a) His ways more clearly: (v.4): Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; (b) to trust in Him more deeply; (c) to ask for His mercy, love, and forgiveness; and (d) to cling to hope due to His great faithfulness.  We can do these things by reading Scripture; praying/talking with God as we wait; remembering when God has shown up in our lives before; and by learning how others have experienced God’s intervention in their life. 

C. Our 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 passage teaches us two other benefits of waiting: (1) God uses the time to strengthen a heart of holiness in each of us.  Waiting has been called “the crucible of the saints.”

One of my seminary professors used to say that as we wait, God is molding and shaping our character.  (2) He is also teaching us to abound in love–to love Him and to love others better. 

D.  In our Gospel lesson, Luke 21:25-36, Jesus gives us a few more clues as to what we can expect before His 2nd Coming:  Just as buds on trees broadcast the coming of Spring, we will know the end is near when…according to Peterson’s paraphrase of Scripture, The Message (p.1904): It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers that be quaking.  Heavenly bodies: stars, planets, our moon, will be shaken, doing never-before-seen things.  Worldwide, people will fear the roaring and tossing of the sea.  Does this mean an increase in the frequency and severity of hurricanes, typhoons, sunamis?  Perhaps.  What about a frightening incursion of water into previously dry land (like mountainous Western North Carolina during Hurricane Helena)?  Could be.  Whatever the case, everyone–especially non-believers–will be freaked.

Then, the Son of Man (Jesus’ favorite name for Himself) will come on a cloud.  He will arrive with power and with great glory.  Believers can and should rejoice.  We have every reason to Hope in Christ and in His return!

Today we lit the candle of hope on our Advent wreath.  “But,” you might say, “we hate to wait!”  Yes, but isn’t it also true that “good things come to those who wait” (consider my surprise bouquet of flowers)?  We believers in Christ Jesus celebrate His 1st Coming and dare to hope in His 2nd.  Remember, Hebrews 11:1 (New Living Translation, p.1572) tells us: Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

One of my favorite stories about hope concerns Fiorello La Guardia, the Italian mayor of New York City from 1934-1946 (during the Great Depression and much of WWII).  It is said that he was…

“…quite a character. He would ride the city fire trucks, take entire orphanages to baseball games and whenever the city newspapers went on strike, he would get on the radio and read the Sunday “funnies” to the children.

“At any rate, one bitter cold winter’s night in 1935, Mayor LaGuardia turned up in a night court that served the poorest ward in the city, dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself [He was an attorney, but I doubt a mayor could substitute for a judge today]. After he heard a few cases, a tattered old woman was brought before him, accused of stealing a loaf of bread.

“She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick and her grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, insisted on pressing charges. “My store is in a very bad neighborhood, your honor,” he said. “She’s got to be punished in order to teach other people a lesson.”

“The mayor sighed. He turned to the old woman and said, “I’ve got to punish you,” he said. “The law makes no exception – ten dollars or ten days in jail” [Remember, $10.00 meant a lot more in 1935 than it does now.]

“But even as he spoke, LaGuardia was reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ten dollar bill.  “Here is the woman’s fine,” he said, “and furthermore, I’m going to fine everyone in this court room fifty cents for living in a city where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat [There were no welfare services in 1935]. Mr. Baliff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”

“The following day, the New York Times reported that $47.50 was turned over to the bewildered old woman. It was given by the red-faced store owner, some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations and city policemen – and they all [75 people] gave their mayor a standing ovation as they handed over their money.”

(Erskine White, Together in Christ, CSS Publishing Company, as shared by www.Sermon Central.com, 11/28/2024)  

Mayor LaGuardia set such a great example of how things will operate when Jesus comes back to earth.  You might logically expect the worst in a given situation; but Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, will set things exactly right.  Tattered old grandmothers with poor, starving grandchildren will find mercy and provision.  The meek and the hungry will experience goodness and mercy.  Similarly, those who–like the baker—have been robbed, will be justly compensated for their labors.  Everyone wins!

Our Advent hope is that Jesus will come again, in His unlimited power and awe-inspiring glory, to restore us all to a true state of shalom: total well-being, physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual.  We can hope for this with confidence!

I don’t know how many of you have watched the 4 seasons thus far of “The Chosen.”  I think it is a beautifully dramatization of Jesus’ time with His disciples.  In an episode in which Jesus heals the woman who had been internally bleeding for 12 years, the series creators portray her huddled on her knees, head down in the roadway.  The crowd is clustered around her and Jesus wants to know who touched His garment.  A person who bled in those days was considered “unclean.”  Since her malady was chronic, she could not attend synagogue and had probably been shunned by her family and her community.  For 12 years she had been alone and alienated from all society.  Jesus tells her first to “Look up.”  He then goes on to reinstate her into Jewish community by calling her, “Daughter,” a relational term.  I was so stunned by His direction to her to “Lookup” that I bought a Chosen coffee cup that says exactly that: Look up!  Isn’t that precisely what we need to do when worried, troubled, or even joy-filled?  Because of Jesus Christ, we can all be brave and bold enough to Look up!  Amen!  May it be so this Advent and always!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

God’s Perfect Gift

Pastor Sherry’s message for Christmas Eve, 2023

Scriptures: Isa 52:7-10; Ps 98; Heb 1:1-4; John 1:1-14

A pastor wrote, ”Yes, God is our loving and gracious Heavenly Father—but He eternally dwells in unapproachable [ineluctable, unavoidable, inescapable, certain] light. That means that God transcends us and is totally beyond us. In Theology proper a Latin term is used to capture this reality; God is defined as Deus absconditus, which translates as ‘the hidden God’. If God had not initiated revealing Himself to sinful and fallen mankind in the Garden of Eden and onward through the Old Testament; if God had not chosen to come out of His holy habitation—mankind would have hopelessly lived and died without knowledge of Him. Christmas is the time we celebrate God coming to be with us; no longer sending others, like prophets, priests, kings, and angels to give us His Word. Christmas is God Himself no longer sending–but coming.

“We should reflect upon how fortunate we are that God has mercifully and graciously come to us in our dreadfully lost condition. The writer of Hebrews described our distance from God quite simply as, “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). The imagery of God as [a] blazing and consuming fire aptly expresses God’s holy distance. Because of His holiness, God is eternally inaccessible to man. Our God always lives in an atmosphere of absolute purity, far too holy for mortals to ever enter. Note that Hebrews says that ‘our God is [not was!] a consuming fire.’ ”

“But to solve the problem of the God who is unapproachable, God Himself came to be with us—as one of us, to die for the whole world of lost sinners.”

(Dr. John Barnett, sermon entitled, “The Six Names Of Christmas – Immanuel – God With Us,” www.sermoncentral.com, Jul 10, 2018.)

The Scriptures appointed for today share with us God’s motivation for sending Jesus to earth as a tiny baby, as well as what our response to Him should be:

A. Again, the writer to the Hebrews puts it this way in our New Testament reading (Hebrews 1:1-4): In the past, God reached out to us through the prophets (v.1). But, more recently, He …has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The writer to the Hebrews wants us to realize that God reached out to us first. He initiated a relationship with us, not the other way around. First, He sent many prophets (Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc.) to let us know who He is and what He wants of us. When all those efforts fell short—because human beings were lukewarm, or even outright rebellious, in their response–He sent us His One and Only Son.

But Jesus is not just a messenger of God! The Son (v.3)is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. I love the way Peterson expresses it (The Message, p.2181)By His Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what He says—powerful words! In other words, Jesus is higher than prophets or even angels. He is perfectly human, but also perfectly God. As God encased in baby flesh, He—the Holy One—can interact with sinful us.

B. The apostle John (1:1-14) begins His Gospel essentially asserting what the Writer to the Hebrews later wrotethat God intends to reveal Himself, His glory, through Jesus! Where Luke and Matthew begin with Jesus’ birth stories, and Mark, with Jesus’ entre into ministry, John takes us back to creation, before time and space began. Jesus was present at Creation. John wants to make sure we understand that Jesus, (v.1)the Word, was with God, distinct from the Father; and also that the Word was Godpart of the same deity. They share an identity of being; like the Father, Jesus is fully divine. The Apostle writes in verse 2 that the Father and the Son were in relationship with each other. Additionally, Jesus, the WORD, was the agent of Creation (v.3). God the Father planned it; but all things came into being through the words Jesus spoke. The WORD is life”the Life force.” Life comes to us not just through Him; in fact, His life is our light. Physically, we cannot live without light. Spiritually, His life enlightens (brings light into) ours. In John 8:12 Jesus saysI am the light of the world. As if to reinforce this notion, the 3rd verse of “Silent Night” statesSon of God, Love’s pure light, radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth….

Jesus came to dispel the darkness of unbelief, sin, death, oppression, and bondage. Even though He made us, some of us will–and have– refused to believe in Him. In our rebellion, some of us (what John calls the world) will reject Him and the freedom He offers. But to those of us who have received Him (v.10)–we who have accepted His gift of Himself–He has given another gift: the right to become children of God! We are not biological heirs, not heirs through any human effort; instead, we are spiritual children of God, through Christ’s blood and the Father’s will.

In verse 14, John famously assertsThe WORD became flesh and made His dwelling among us! This is a break with all non-Christian thought: The agent of creation becomes a creature. Peterson describes it this way (The Message, p.1916)

The 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.

Jesus came to demonstrate to us, in the flesh and through His behavior, the Father’s nature. He is God revealing God: (1) Behaviorally, (2) Relationally,

(3) Intellectually, and (4) Spiritually. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Healer, our Good Shepherd, our King. Our response to Him must go beyond intellectual agreement! We need to be in a personal relationship with Him.

We need to accept God’s Perfect Gift.

C. Our Psalm (98) anticipates Jesus’ 1st Coming and urges us to celebrate Him with great joy.

D. Our Isaiah (52:7-10) lesson anticipates Jesus’ 2nd Coming with the same excitement and joy.

James, the brother of Jesus, wrote (1:17)Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. This Christmas, let us remember that God the Father has given us the Perfect Gift, His Son, Jesus Christ. Even if there are no gifts for you under your Christmas tree, God has generously sent Jesus into your life. Because of this, we are truly blessed!

Because of God’s perfect gift of Jesus, we can state the following with confidence (please repeat after me) (Borrrowed from Joel Osteen’s The Power of I Am, Faith Works, 2015):

1. “I am forgiven. I am redeemed. I am wearing a robe of righteousness. I am clothed in Christ” (p.42).

2. “God promised me beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. I’m not staying here. I’m moving forward. New beginnings are in my future. The rest of my life will be the best of my life” (p.41).

3. “I have grace for this season. I am strong in the Lord. Those who are for me are greater than those who are against me” (p.41).

4. “I am getting stronger, healthier, wiser. My youth is being renewed like the eagles” (p.38).

5. “I am free. Addictions do not control me” (p.39).

6. “I am blessed. I am prosperous. I have the favor of God” (p.38).

7. Sickness, addiction, poverty, you are temporary. I am a child of the Most High God. I am overcoming you,” by the blood of the Lamb of God (p.44).

Jesus is the gift that just keeps giving! Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Humility and Joy

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 17, 2023

Scriptures: Isa 61:1-4, 8-11; Ps 126; Lk 1:46b-55; Jn1:6-8, 19-28

Our Gospel today focuses on the role of John the Baptist as a forerunner to the appearance of Jesus.

“Two hundred years ago there was another man named John, a preacher of extraordinary power and influence in England and America. We know John Wesley as the founder of the Methodists. Surprisingly, however, Wesley was not the most popular preacher of his day. A man named George Whitefield preached to far more people than Wesley, baptized many more into the Kingdom of God and was a favorite of such prominent Americans as Benjamin Franklin.

“Whitefield and Wesley were the best of friends –[in fact they had met in college and, together with Charles Wesley, founded the Methodist denomination]– until they had a severe falling out over Whitefield’s strict adherence to Calvinist doctrine. Whitefield was asked following this falling out, “Do you expect that you will see John Wesley in heaven?”

“’No,’ answered Whitefield.

“’That’s what I thought you would say,’ his questioner replied.

“’But you don’t know what I mean,’ said Whitefield. ‘Wesley will be so far up there near the great Throne, I will never see him.’

“Such an answer takes a certain kind of divine humility.”

(Rev. King Duncan, www.Sermons.com, 12/17/2023)

Isn’t it great to know that a famous contemporary of the founder of our denomination was such an humble guy? George Grandison Whitfield led the Great Awakening, the first revival in colonial America, in the 1740’s. His theatrical, charismatic preaching brought many Americans to a saving faith in Jesus, just as Wesley’s preaching accomplished a similar feat in England. Whitfield is said to have preached “at least 18,000 times to perhaps 10 million listeners in Great Britain and her American colonies.” (Wikipedia citation on George Whitfield). In this example, Whitfield was as humble as John the Baptist. As we read in today’s Gospel, John the Baptist humbly redirected attention from himself to Jesus.

I think we can all agree that this kind of humility is fairly rare in our culture today, as well as very admirable. You all know by now that I love college football, but the sense of entitlement and arrogance among today’s players is causing me to rethink continuing as a fan. I heard this week that some players at my favorite school were consistently late to practice and did not work as hard as they should have in the weight room. They have full scholarships to an excellent academic institution, free condo apartments, free training table meals, and free tutoring, and yet they are too full of themselves to cooperate with their coaches and to settle into the program. Instead of appreciating their opportunities, they whine about too little playing time and bail out of the team to transfer where they are promised more money. How many other students would be thrilled to have what they take for granted. They are increasingly short on gratitude and humility.

But back to our Biblical example of humility: Let’s examine John the Baptist’s humility as described in John 1:6-8, 19-28. The Apostle John began his Gospel version of Jesus’ ministry by establishing that our Lord was both present at creation and spoke it into existence. He was and is the logos, the Word Made Flesh. The words coming from the Word established the foundations, the geography, the plants and animals of the world.

The Apostle John then inserts into his account the existence and mission of John the Baptist (vv.6-8) He came as a witness to testify concerning that Light, so that through Him all men might believe. He himself was not the Light; he came only as a witness to the Light.

From there, John goes on to describe (vv.19-28) a dialogue between John the Baptist and some Priests, Levites, and Pharisees regarding his identity. They wondered if he were Elijah, come back to earth. They surmised he might be the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18, a successor to Moses–though all the prophets from Moses until John the Baptist were successors to Moses. John the Baptist freely admits he is not the Messiah/the Christ. He also denies he is any of the others they suggest. Then he quotes Isaiah 40:3—which we read last week—and admits he is the forerunner to JesusThe voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the Lord.” He very humbly also states (vv.26-27)I baptize with water…but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

One among you—did that mean Jesus was there in the gathered crowd, ready to be baptized by JtB? Or does it mean that Jesus was already in Israel and they had not yet encountered Him? Whichever the case, this statement should have clued them in that the Promised Messiah was coming soon. Apparently, they didn’t believe him.

Nevertheless, what a joy for JtB to realize his job was to announce the coming of the Messiah. What a joy to know that he was supposed to get the hearts of the people ready to receive Him. And how humble to later say (John 3:28-30)I must decrease so that He [Jesus] may increase.

This theme of humility and joy continues with Mary’s Magnificat, our New Testament lesson (Luke 1:46-55). The pregnant mother of Jesus realizes a great honor is being given to her. Every Jewish girl hoped to become the mother of the Messiah. The angel told Mary she would have that honor. She would be what the ancient Greek Christians would later label the theotokis or God-bearer.

In her joy, she creates a song in which she praises God because (v.49)The Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name. But, with great humility, she moves quickly ahead to also applaud God for what He is doing through her for His people: She celebrates Him for His mercy to those who respect and revere Him; His past works of power/His miracles; His surprising, unexpected propensity to reverse worldly fortunes. Contrary to the ways of the world, He raises up the lowly, the humble, while He brings low the lofty and arrogant. Finally, she praises Him for His fulfillment of His promises (from Genesis 12 and 22) to Israel: There would come a righteous king from the lineage of David. This Messiah will bless all the nations on earth. Can’t you just hear her joy as she delights in the plans of God the Father and in the future redeeming work of her soon-to-be-born son?

Psalm 126 is an expression of joy for God’s rescue of His people from captivity in Babylon and for the anticipated restoration of Jerusalem. This psalm is a prophesy of things to come, but is written in what’s known as “the prophetic tense,” past tense for something that has not yet happened because it will take place. After 70 years, the Persian King Cyrus, a nonbeliever, will allow the Jews to return to and rebuild their country. He sent the returnees with armed soldiers for protection and included the gold that had been taken from the Temple to finance reconstruction. Ezra the priest would oversee rebuilding the Temple. Nehemiah, the king’s trusted spokesperson, will oversee reconstruction of the city of Jerusalem.

The returning remnant were overjoyed to be going home (vv.1-2)We were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. The returnees rightly and humbly acknowledge it is only God who could have effected their release from Babylon. The psalm hints, too, of Jesus’ 1st Advent, when He would come to free us from the penalty for our sins.

In our Old Testament lesson (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11), the prophet summarizes what Jesus will do in both His first and second comings. Jesus came the 1st time to preach Good News to the Poor/the humble (in spirit and economically). He brought comfort. By paying for our sins, He brought blessed assurance. He also came to bind up or heal the broken-hearted. Jesus can heal any wound we received either as a child or as an adult. He is able. Additionally, He proclaimed freedom for captives (those who have been captured and harmed by the sins of others). He released prisoners (those whose own sins have put them in bondage).

Because of what He did in His first Advent, we can trust with faith that He will accomplish what is yet to be when He returns a 2nd time: He will judge between the good and the evil-doers. He will put down rebellion. He will eradicate evil. He will usher in the Millenium (1000 year reign of Christ). He will rule the world from Jerusalem. It will be a time of great peace and prosperity. He will provide peace and comfort to all those who mourn or grieve, exchanging their pain and grief for beauty, gladness, and praise. He will so strengthen them that they will stand as strong as oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. Additionally, they will be empowered to rebuild the ancient ruins…and renew the ruined cities….

When Jesus comes again in all His glory, He will greatly bless those who love Him, materially, physically, and spiritually. Both Advents are causes for humility and joy!

Do you see the twin themes of Humility and Joy in all of our readings today? As we celebrate Jesus’ 1st Coming, we want to be both humbled and joy-filled—Humbled because we have done nothing to merit God’s great loving care for us. He planned and fulfilled His divine rescue out of His amazing, saving love for us. The Incarnation is a miracle! Jesus agreed to come to earth, leaving all of His prerogatives in heaven to live among us in poverty, and to die a horrid death to atone for our sins. We want to be joy-filled because we owe God the Father and Jesus our gratitude and praise.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia, Alleluia.

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Waiting on Jesus

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 3, 2023

Scriptures: Isa 64:1-9; Ps 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:24-37

Waiting is difficult, isn’t it? Think of all the times you’ve had to wait…

1. Would you get the job you just interviewed for?

2. What about the results of that medical test or scan you just underwent?

3. Did that person you fell in love with also love you back—remember the agony of that wait?

4. Would your child get into the college or internship of their choice?

5. Would your house sell? Would the sellers of the house you want accept your offer?

6. How about that last month of pregnancy? Would that baby ever make an entrance?

7. What about waiting on a grant to come through or a check in the mail?

8. How about those hostages of Hamas, waiting to be set free, or their families, dying to know how they are?

9. Remember being a kid and having to wait for Christmas morning to finally arrive?

Most of us hate to wait. We wring our hands. We pace the floor. We lose sleep. We grumble and groan and complain. We engage in what addiction counselors are now calling “BEEPS” Behaviors, Experiences, Events, People, and/or Substances that help us self-medicate or suffocate our anxiety as we wait.

(Ed Khouri, Restarting, Life Model Works, 2010, p.32.)

If we’re really smart, we pray and ask God to help us wait, so that we can learn what He means for us to learn during this time; so that we may develop the spiritual fruit of patience.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent—a time of great anticipation as we wait upon the arrival of Jesus.

A. In Isaiah 64:1-7, the prophet reminds us both that God controls the entire universe and that our condition as humans is that of unclean sinners (vv.5-7). Verses 1-2 constitute a cry, a plea for God to come down to earth, to defeat Israel’s enemies (and ours), and to make things right.

Isaiah recalls times God did intervene on the behalf of Israel doing (v.3)—…awesome things that we did not expect. He also reminds them and us, (vv.4-5)—Since ancient times, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God beside You, who acts on behalf of those who wait [there it is, wait] for Him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. In other words, we can and should call upon God for help when we are troubled or anxious, when we are worn out with waiting. Isaiah assures us God will respond!

But notice, the prophet attaches this caveat: God rescues those who do the right thing, who remember to do as God would have us do.

I have told you before that I had some difficulty and fear around selling my house when I was leaving seminary. I had listed it in September of 2001, but then 9/11 took place and no one in SW Pennsylvania was buying or selling homes. By January 21, 2002, I had completed my degree but still had no buyers for my home. Worse yet, I had no job and no money. I was sick with a cold and would awaken all through the night whenever I became too congested to breathe. I would take something then return to bed, begging God in prayer to sell my house. Finally, at about 4am, I asked the Lord if I were doing something or not doing something that served as an impediment to Him taking action. I heard Him say, in my spirit, that I had not surrendered to being a lead pastor. He was of course right. I had thought to assist someone, as my gifts are in teaching and counseling, not in administration or leadership. I immediately agreed to surrender to His will, got up at 8:00am, and sent off letters to 4 small parishes in North Florida (I wanted to go home and I wanted a church small enough so I could know everyone’s names.) I put those letters in the mail at 10:30am on January 22nd. My realtor called at 11am with a couple interested in my house. They came at 5:00pm that day and signed a contract by 8:30pm. Additionally, I needed to close on February 7th as my next mortgage payment was due on the 8th and I knew I would be unable to pay it. My Jewish realtor said there wasn’t enough time to make that happen, but I replied that she did not know my Jesus. Sure enough, we closed on my house on the 7th, thanks be to God! I learned from this that God sometimes waits for us to change before He moves on our behalf. We have to be willing to ask if our wills are blocking His will and take action to rectify that.

Finally, Isaiah reminds us in this passage that we are like clay in the great Potter’s hands. We want to conform to His will. We want to allow Him to mold and shape us into the image of our best selves. When we wait upon God to act, God is working on our character, transforming us more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus. We may hate to wait, but God uses that time to do a work in us.

B. Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, is both a prayer for God to relieve the peoples’ suffering—especially after an attack by brutal enemies—and a plea for God to lead them again. The psalmist, Asaph, a contemporary of King David, appeals to God as our shepherd king as He is enthroned in heaven. He is asking God to move on behalf of His people. In the desert wanderings, the ark and the cloud would move out for the days’ march. This signified that God was their leader. When camped, three tribes situated themselves to the north of the ark, three to the east, three to the west, and three to the south, with God at their center. When they moved, however, the tribe of Benjamin, along with the half-tribes of Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh (remember, Benjamin and Joseph were Jacob’s two favorite sons), would past like the Red Sea, allow the Ark to lead them, then follow directly behind. Then the other 9 tribes would all fall in behind them as well.

Asaph asks for God’s favor (v.3)—Restore us, O God: Make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved (This is repeated 3 times). This is a poetic way of saying, smile at us. Demonstrate on your face that you enjoy being with us. Picture how people hold an infant and smile as they talk baby-talk to the new little one. Our faces often “shine upon” or look with great favor upon babies when we talk to them.

He also uses the images of eating and drinking tears to describe how much Israel has suffered. Some biblical experts believe there is no nation ever that has suffered to the degree that Israel has—and survived. (J. Vernon McGee, Commentary on Psalms, Chapters 42-89, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.5.) According to Paul, as he writes in Romans 11, the Jews have suffered because they rejected Jesus as the Messiah when He walked among them. However, when “the time of the Gentiles” is over–or after the Church is raptured–and when the Great Tribulation begins, there will be a huge harvest of God’s original chosen people, as they finally recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

Indeed, verse 17 predicts that Messiah, Jesus, will be standing at God’s right hand and will come (2nd Coming) to save them. We are to await that great day with hope and faith.

C. In 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Paul refers to Jesus Christ a total of 5 times in 7 verses. The season of Advent calls upon us to be a waiting people. Who or what are we waiting for? Paul asserts it is Jesus, the end all and be all of our lives. And Paul assures us He will impart to us grace with which to await His 2nd Coming.

D. Finally, in our Gospel lesson (Mark 13:24-37) we are reminded, as we wait, of Jesus’ 2nd Coming. At the Incarnation, Jesus’ 1st Coming, God broke into human history, as a flesh and blood infant person. He came to preach, teach, heal, encourage, and to demonstrate to us God’s great saving love for us. When He comes again, it will be as the Great King of the Universe, and as a conquering military hero, to judge all the people of the earth. He will liberate all of the Christ-followers who are left from the effects of a fallen world.

His 2nd arrival will follow what the news media will probably proclaim as great heavenly catastrophes and climate change calamities: The sun and the moon will no longer give off light (the light source will be God the Father and Jesus). The stars will fall and planets will change their orbits. Non-believers will be horrified, terrified of what is to come. But Jesus will have already gathered to Himself the Church in the Rapture, and will at that time, then gather in those who have come to believe in Him through the Great Tribulation. Christ’s warning to us is clear: We are to be ready for when this happens…this afternoon or tonight, next month or next year. We don’t know the hour or the day, but while we wait, we need to get ready.

We hate to wait, so what can we do to help us wait with grace and peace? First it helps to understand that waiting can reveal to us our true motives. Are we committed enough to take some time. Or, are we so “me focused” that we are impatient and won’t postpone gratification?

Second, waiting builds the spiritual fruit of patience. The old saw goes, “Don’t pray for patience. If you do, God will put you in a situation that requires that you develop it.” God will and does answer that prayer, but you may wish He had taught you that virtue another way.

Third, waiting builds anticipation, so that we better appreciate those things that did not come to us immediately.

Fourth, waiting builds intimacy with and dependence upon God. Remember that waiting is the crucible of the saints! Back before pills were packaged, pharmacists used a mortal and pestle to pulverize substances into powder form, then sold the compounds they created in little bags. We are like those substances, with God grinding out our impurities as we wait. We are not alone in having to wait. In fact, waiting is a grand Biblical tradition: Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac; (his descendants waited 440 years to inherit the Land). Jacob, his grandson, worked for Laban 21 years before returning to “the Land” as Israel. Joseph was a slave in Egypt in Potipher’s house for 7 years, then in prison for another 7 before being raised second only to Pharaoh. Moses waited 40 years in Egypt, then another 40 years as a shepherd in Midian, before he led the nation of Israel out of bondage. King David was anointed by Samuel, then waited 20 years to become king. Jesus was 30 before beginning His ministry.

As I have said before, waiting molds and shapes our character. God uses it to train us to trust and to persevere. God uses the time to burn off or grind down our impurities (impatience, anxiousness, bad temper, Beeps). God uses it to make us dependent upon Himself. The result, if we wait and trust, is fantastic! The prophet Isaiah wrote in 40:31—Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not be faint.

We have a God who keeps His promises! Let us wait upon Him and His timing with grace and in faith. In this season of Advent, let’s not grow anxious or impatient. But, instead, let’s trust in God’s goodness and loving kindness towards us, and in His perfect timing!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Christmas Eve 2022

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 24, 2022

Tonight you have heard read 8 passages (Gen 3:8-15; Isa 9:2-7; Isa 35:1-10; Mic 5:2-4; Lk 1:26-38; Lk 1:59-79; Tit 2:11-14; and Lk 2:1-20) all foretelling or describing Jesus as our promised Messiah. They all reference Him in some way. Most were written hundreds of years before His 1st Coming, and some even pertain to His 2nd Coming. Tonight, at this candlelight service celebrating the eve of His birth, I want to focus entirely on the Genesis passage, Genesis 3:8-15.

It might surprise you to find intimations of Jesus from the very beginning of recorded time. You see, God created humans knowing we could never be (by our own efforts) holy enough, obedient enough—this side of heaven—to dwell in His presence. Like Adam and Eve, we fall into sin too easily. We don’t know how many days or weeks Adam and Eve hung out with God in the cool of the day before they sinned. Scripture suggests that their meetings together had become a habit. However, one of my seminary professors, recognizing the seductive allure of sin and our own weaknesses, thought they probably did not last even a day before capitulating to sin (eating the fruit from the forbidden tree).

So, even as He was pronouncing their punishment, God revealed His redemptive plan for human kind. This was not a plan B, but His plan from the foundation of the earth. He loved us so much that He and Jesus agreed Jesus would come to earth and take the penalty of our sins upon Himself.

His shed blood washed away our sins, past, present, and future. In a magnificent exchange, He took our sinfulness and gifted us with His righteousness. We are cleansed from our sins by Jesus’ selfless actions.

Our Genesis passage is thus called by theologians the Proto-Evangelion —The Gospel in the Old Testament, written centuries before the New Testament Gospel accounts unfolded. Because he seduced Adam and Eve, Satan is cursed (v.14) by God. Satan is called a serpent in Genesis and we think snake. However, some biblical scholars believe Satan is a “shape-shifter” (able to take on different shapes at will) and probably originally appeared as a dragon (which is how he is characterized in the book of Revelation). The fact that God tells him he will eat dust all the days of his life means he is ultimately defeated. It also means that God effectively “clipped his wings.” God says that His followers and the serpent will be at continuous war with each other. Satan will think he has won this conflict when he wounds our Lord (at His trials and on the Cross); but, Christ’s substitutionary death on the Cross—and His subsequent resurrection–will be the means by which Jesus demonstrates His victory over death and Satan. It will appear as though the snake has bitten the Lord’s heel. However, Jesus, the seed of the woman [Mary] will crush Satan’s head. Again, until Jesus’ 2nd Coming, humans and the devil will, throughout all history, struggle against each other. There is a reason for our difficulties here on earth. We are encouraged to power through with faith. (Later, Jesus says, In this world you will have trouble, but fear not for I have overcome the world—John 16:33.)

But God the Father, in His love and compassion for us, engineered His divine rescue plan. Jesus Christ, who came to earth the first time as a helpless, vulnerable baby to save us, will come again in all His power and glory, and defeat Satan for all time.

At Christmas, and at all other times, let us express our gratitude to God…who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!

©️2022 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Trusting Jesus.

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 18, 2022,

Scriptures: Isa 7:10-16; Ps 80:1-7, 17-19; Ro 1:1-7; Matt 1:18-25

In his book, Holy Sweat, Tim Hansel shares the following biking metaphor for how he came to trust Jesus:

“At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president.

“But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.

“I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since. When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable…it was the shortest distance between two points.

“But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He said, ‘Pedal!’

“I worried and was anxious and asked, ‘Where are you taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust.

“I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say, ‘I’m scared,’ He ‘d lean back and touch my hand….

”I did not trust Him , at first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

“And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.“

(Chuck Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word Publishing, 1998, p.586-587)

I think Tim Hansel captures the experience many of us have as we learn to surrender control over our lives to Jesus. It can be and often is a very difficult lesson to learn—to trust Jesus–but as Hansel says, it is well worth taking the risk.

Two of our lessons today relate to this issue of putting our faith and trust in the Lord:

A. In our Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 7:10-16, the prophet Isaiah relates for us the example of King Ahaz of Judah. He was a faithless idolater who is reported to have sacrificed his first born son to the fires of the pagan god Molech. He was 20 years old when he ascended the throne and ruled Judah for 16 years. A descendant of King David, he was a grandson of the good king, Uzziah, and a son of Jothem, another good king. But unlike his father and grandfather, he did not believe in the Lord, the one, true God. We are told in 2 Kings 16:3-4 that… he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

The context of today’s lesson finds him, in 734 BC, surrounded by enemies who threaten to invade his kingdom: Rezer, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, have formed a coalition against him and are marching on Jerusalem. So a terrified Ahaz is thinking of aligning himself with either Egypt or with Assyria—both traditional enemies of the Jews–for safety. Since Ahaz is a godless king, we would expect the Lord to abandon him to his own devices. However, our God is not like that. Seeing an opportunity to gather Ahaz to Himself, God sends the prophet Isaiah to offer the king comfort. Because he is a nonbeliever—pedaling his bike on his own—it has never even occurred to him to ask God for help! (Some years back, I saw the film “Perfect Storm” with George Clooney. Clooney played a fisherman who is down on his luck and who needed a great catch to save his both boat and his livelihood. He succeeds in loading up his boat with fish, only to find himself in a dangerous storm at sea. His boat is swamped and he and his men know they are about to drown, and not one of them cries out to the Lord. I was truly dismayed, wondering if we as a nation have wandered so far from God that even when in danger of dying, we fail to ask for His help.)

Probably Ahaz similarly assumed that because he does not worship God, he cannot expect the Lord to help him overcome his enemies. Isaiah meets him at the source of Jerusalem’s water supply, in the place where the citizens of the city did their laundry, and informs him that God will not abandon him or Judah. Notice the rich symbolism God has set up: “Ahaz, despite your unbelief, and your heinous sins, I can wash you clean; I can sustain your life with living (flowing) water” (an image of Christ Who later will refer to Himself as “Living Water” in John 4). God has also told the prophet to take his son to this meeting, Shear-Jashub, whose name meant a remnant will return.

We lit the candle for love today. Do you see how loving and generous the Lord is toward this sinful reprobate, Ahaz? God tells him, through Isaiah, that He will protect him and he can even ask for a sign that this will be so. Ahaz acts pious Far be it from me to ask God for a sign…I would never test God like that! Somewhere along the way, he had learned not to test the Lord. However, he is in a national emergency and God has offered. Nevertheless, he doesn’t trust God enough, even given the encouragement of this very trustworthy, accurate prophet.

Ahaz is looking to the current crisis, but the prophet predicts a long-term solution, Jesus: A son—Jesus–will be born to a virgin. He will be Immanuel, God with us. He will eat yogurt (curds) and honey, the food of poor people in that day (available during drought or poor agricultural years). By the time He is 11 or 12 years old, the kings you fear will have long been taken over and deported by the Assyrians. Scholars believe there might have been an Israelite princess then (perhaps Isaiah’s 2nd wife?) who would give birth to a son in Ahaz’ time. There is, however, no record of a child born to Isaiah named Immanuel. However, this side of the Incarnation, we know this is a prediction of Jesus. Ahaz is graciously given a sign, but he still refuses to believe. He is entirely faithless!

B. Now contrast Ahaz’ response to that of Joseph in our Gospel, Matthew 1:18-25. Luke describes the circumstances of Jesus’ birth from the perspective of Mary, while Matthew emphasizes Joseph’s response. Notice Joseph’s trust in God. He has learned that Mary is pregnant and knows he has never slept with her. Instead of demanding that she be stoned, as he could have done by law, Joseph [v.19]…was a Righteous man [who] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, so he decides to quietly divorce her. God, however, intervenes by sending him a dream. In the dream an angel tells him [v.20] 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. Unlike King Ahaz, Joseph is a man of God and so he believes the angel’s message and is obedient. He marries Mary and cares for her. He does not consummate their marriage until after Jesus’ birth, so there is no question of Jesus’ divine paternity. And Joseph does name the baby Jesus, which means God saves.

What a great opening for Matthew! Remember, Matthew wrote his Gospel for the Jews, writing to demonstrate to them how Jesus fulfills the Messianic prophesies from the Old Testament. He immediately references our Isaiah 7 lesson [vv.22-23] all this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to son and they will call him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” The current day New Testament scholar and Anglican Bishop, N.T. Wright, claims that until Matthew wrote his Gospel, no one had ever thought of this Isaiah passage as referring to the promised Messiah. But under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Matthew asserts it, attesting to the supernatural origin of Jesus. Jesus is both human (born of Mary), and divine (born of the Holy Spirit). Furthermore, in Jesus, God Himself is here, God Himself is with us, as the fullness of God is present in Christ.

John Ortberg, a Presbyterian pastor and author, writes in his book, God is Closer Than You Think, The central promise in the Bible is not, “I will forgive you,” though of course that promise is there. It is not the promise of life after death, although we are offered that as well. The most frequent promise in the Bible is “I will be with you.” This promise is spoken in Scripture over and over again: to Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, King David, the prophets, the Virgin Mary, and the Righteous Joseph. They all heard the comfort, the love, and the promise: Don’t be afraid, I am with you.

Ahaz was afraid and mistrusted God. He did not accept God’s sign to him. Instead, he aligned himself with an untrustworthy human ally—Assyria—against his northern enemies. And in 722 BC, (12 years later) the Assyrians overran Syria and Israel, and made Judah a vassal state. Joseph was also afraid, but God told him not to be. In fact, God made him the same promise he had made to the old, idolatrous king: “The Child will be a sign, Immanuel, God with us.” Joseph believed and was comforted, protected, and blessed.

So, our Scriptures today poses the question: How are you doing with regard to trusting Jesus? Is your faith going to look like that of Ahaz or like that of Joseph? Are we going to trust in our own plans and schemes to save us? Or, are we going to trust–like Joseph did and despite our fears– in the God of love? In Immanuel, the One who promises to be with us, no matter our fears, our trials, or our difficulties. As Christmas Day draws near, let us put our faith and trust firmly in the hands of our loving Savior…come, let us trust Him and adore Him. Let’s let Jesus drive our tandem bike.

©️2022 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams