Renewed In Love
Zechariah 3:14-20; Luke 3:7-18
Introduction:
Baby, What You Goin’ to Be? by Natalie Sleeth
Baby, lyin’ in a manger, slumberin’ so sweetly,
What you goin’ to be?
Baby, All the world is watchin’, all the world awaits to see.
What will you be?
Babe in a stable under the heaven,
O what did you come here to say?
Little one, Did you come to light out way?
Baby, gazin’ at the cattle, lookin’ at the shepherds,
What you goin’ to do?
Baby, will you be the master?
Will you bring the kingdom too?
Oh, baby. Hope of all the people,
What you come to do here?
What you come to say?
Baby, can you be the Savior, come to save the
world one day?
Baby, lyin’ in a manger,
Will you save the world one day?
How much human investment is made in this child?
What is it that we expect the child to say?
What is it that we expect the child to do for us, for me and for you?
A better question that we might ask ourselves is, Who is this child?
What is this child here for; what’s he going to say and do that may light our way.
During a Confirmation Class we studied the announcement to Mary.
Luke 1:26-35 (NRSV)
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
Mary is perplexed by Gabriel’s appearance and announcement.
In the phrase “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” you catch a note of deep anxiety.
Mary immediately realizes the implications of this potential pregnancy.
She knows what the normal reaction of Joseph is going to be.
Unmarried pregnant women are ostracized from society.
Gabriel’s message authenticates how this is to be.
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
It also establishes the personal nature of Jesus.
We are givin’ some idea what he is goin’ to say.
You understand that without the virgin birth Jesus has little to say that is different from what has already been said.
He may reinforce what is known, but his words have little force of application to personal life.
We are granted some idea of what he is goin’ to do.
You understand that without the birth Jesus’ actions are limited.
He can only do what the human being who has a highly developed knowledge and skills can do.
Main Body:
It helps us to begin to answer the question raised by the song. What you goin’ to be?
This child is the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Because he possesses this nature he is one who can empathize with us.
He is one who has compassion for us.
He is the exemplar of God.
He reveals to us the being of God.
He reveals to us the purposes of God.
He reveals for us the actions of God.
It helps us to begin to answer the question raised by the song. What you goin’ do?
Reflect on the words of Zephaniah:
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.
The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing {18} as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. {19} I will deal with all your oppressors at that time.
And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.
He Will Renew You in Love.
It is not only the method of renewal.
It is the purpose of renewal.
Love Is the Means of Renewal.
There is no coercion of any kind that will be used to bring about renewal.
No force will be used to create renewal..
No exploitation of the human will take place to impose renewal.
Love Is the Goal of Renewal
apart from Jesus, we do not know the meaning of love.
Apart from Jesus we do not know how love works itself out in life.
God’s gift of love, God’s actions of love are very different from our own conceptions of love.
God’s desire for us is to be renewed.
Any personal, social, spiritual renewal, must be based on and driven by love.
There is really no other alternative.
Conclusion:
Advent points us to Christmas and the baby that is born to us.
The song asks three questions:
What will you be
What will you say?
What will you do.
In a December newsletter I included a bit of verse written by Roger Copeland.
It helps us to answer these and other questions that we may have.
Love Came Down at Christmas (Roger Copeland)
Love came down at Christmas,
Love, all love divine;;
Love came down at Christmas,
And I know, I know that love is mine.
Love was in a manger,
In a cattle stall,
And while angels hovered,
Love was born to be King of all.
The shepherds heard the choirs of angels,
The wise men saw a distant light.
They found the wonder they were searching for,
And worshipped him that holy night.
Love came down at Christmas,
Love, all love divine;
Love came down at Christmas,
And I know, I know this love is mine.
Mr Copeland is assured that his love, the Love of God, the love of Christ, is his.
God help us to live with the same assurance.