Sermon for December 17, 2015 - Revision history

Iraneal at 03:45, 17 December 2015

2015-12-17T03:45:14Z

Show changes

Iraneal at 00:30, 17 December 2015

2015-12-17T00:30:43Z

Iraneal at 00:17, 17 December 2015

2015-12-17T00:17:16Z

Iraneal at 23:28, 16 December 2015

2015-12-16T23:28:47Z

Iraneal at 22:32, 16 December 2015

2015-12-16T22:32:50Z

Iraneal at 22:19, 16 December 2015

2015-12-16T22:19:48Z

Iraneal: Created page with "==Luke 2:1-7== 1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius..."

2015-12-16T20:19:17Z

Created page with "==Luke 2:1-7== 1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius..."

New page

==Luke 2:1-7==
1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

==Hebrews 13:12-16==
12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. 13 Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15 Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

==I'll Be Home for Christmas==
I spent the very first Christmas of my life in Huntstville, Alabama. The next Christmas I was in Mississippi, the next two were in Maryland. Then there were three Christmases in Savannah Georgia, one in El Paso, Texas, two overseas in Belgium, one more in Maryland, and then the next three back in El Paso. All of that before I was 15 years old.

If you haven't already figured it out, I grew up as a military brat. When other kids would ask me where I was from, I used to say "the Army." My mother was an Army nurse, and she was a military brat, too, the daughter of an infantry Colonel.

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:30, 17 December 2015
Line 78:		Line 78:

	Seeing how hard their mother was to please, the Marine son got a little nervous (especially since he hadn't seen or heard the parrot anywhere around the house). But remembering the minor fortune he had paid to please his mother, he timidly asked her, "And how did you like my gift?" Then his mother got a really big smile on her face and she said, "You always were my most practical son, and you always do know just what I like. The chicken was delicious."		Seeing how hard their mother was to please, the Marine son got a little nervous (especially since he hadn't seen or heard the parrot anywhere around the house). But remembering the minor fortune he had paid to please his mother, he timidly asked her, "And how did you like my gift?" Then his mother got a really big smile on her face and she said, "You always were my most practical son, and you always do know just what I like. The chicken was delicious."
		+
		+	Merry Christmas, everyone. May your hearts be filled with love and kindness; may your homes be whereever you make them; and may your chicken be delicious.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Luke 2:1-7==
 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
 ==I'll Be Home for Christmas==
@@ Line 52: / Line 49: @@
 Before Jesus is born, Mary and Joseph live in Nazareth.  After he's born, they live in Egypt. And so the first Christmas comes to pass in Bethlehem, this temporary, transitional place that is not where we're from, and not where we're going.  Actually, Mary and Joseph had no idea where they were going until the Angel showed up late one night, and said "Pack your stuff, you're leaving the country tomorrow morning at 0400 hours."  Can anyone relate?  Are you picturing Sergeant Major in a white robe with wings and a harp?
-The first Christmas was a family gathering--obviously there's Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  But there were others there too--not relatives or even friends, just people brought together by a shared experience:  Local shepherds, wise men from far away, and of course, all the livestock.  All were strangers to each other, and yet I imagine there was among them a sense of something greater than their different cultures, different skills and vocations and social status.  I imagine that their journey to Bethlehem to find the Christ child gave them all a common sense of purpose, a common mission and a common hope.  Again, sound familiar?
+The first Christmas was a family gathering--obviously there's Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  But there were others there too--not relatives or even friends, just people brought together by a shared experience:  Local shepherds, wise men from far away, and of course, all the livestock.  All were strangers to each other, and yet I imagine there was among them a sense of something greater than their different cultures, different skills and vocations and social status.  I imagine that their long journey to Bethlehem to find the Messiah gave them all a common sense of purpose, a common mission and a common hope.  Again, sound familiar?
-The first Christmas also didn't take place in a warm living room around a well-decorated tree with a yule log crackling in the fireplace.  No, it took place in a simple, humble stable.  And there's something beautiful in stripping away all the flashing lights, all the tin foil and all the price tags to celebrate Christmas in
+Seeing how hard their mother was to please, the Marine son got a little nervous (especially since he hadn't seen or heard the parrot anywhere around the house). But remembering the minor fortune he had paid to please his mother, he timidly asked her, "And how did you like my gift?" Then his mother got a really big smile on her face and she said, "You always were my most practical son, and you always do know just what I like. The chicken was delicious."

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:28, 16 December 2015
Line 44:		Line 44:
	And of course, for some, the beauty is the bittersweet sadness that comes at the end: "I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams."		And of course, for some, the beauty is the bittersweet sadness that comes at the end: "I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams."

−	If we're honest, the Holidays combine all of these powerful emotions to some extent (hope, joy, sadness, memory, tradition) and wrap them up tightly in small packages	+	If we're honest, the Holidays combine all of these powerful emotions to some extent (hope, joy, sadness, memory, tradition) and wrap them up tightly in small packages. Where you spend the holidays, and who you spend them with, can make a lot of difference when the unwrapping begins.
		+
		+	And so I think it's helpful to look back at the first Christmas--not my first Christmas, not yours, not even the Sergeant Majors' (although that one might be close) but the very first Christmas back in Bethlehem during the first century.
		+
		+	Mary and Joseph don't exactly go home for the holidays. Sure, the scriptures tell us that they go Bethlehem, Joseph's ancestral "home." But that would be kind of like me going to Scotland; It's the home of my ancestors, but I've never been there, and don't know anyone there. Imagine if I showed up in the city of Edinburgh, started knocking on random doors and saying "My Brothers! I'm Scotch-American, can I crash with you?"
		+
		+	Before Jesus is born, Mary and Joseph live in Nazareth. After he's born, they live in Egypt. And so the first Christmas comes to pass in Bethlehem, this temporary, transitional place that is not where we're from, and not where we're going. Actually, Mary and Joseph had no idea where they were going until the Angel showed up late one night, and said "Pack your stuff, you're leaving the country tomorrow morning at 0400 hours." Can anyone relate? Are you picturing Sergeant Major in a white robe with wings and a harp?
		+
		+	The first Christmas was a family gathering--obviously there's Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. But there were others there too--not relatives or even friends, just people brought together by a shared experience: Local shepherds, wise men from far away, and of course, all the livestock. All were strangers to each other, and yet I imagine there was among them a sense of something greater than their different cultures, different skills and vocations and social status. I imagine that their journey to Bethlehem to find the Christ child gave them all a common sense of purpose, a common mission and a common hope. Again, sound familiar?
		+
		+	The first Christmas also didn't take place in a warm living room around a well-decorated tree with a yule log crackling in the fireplace. No, it took place in a simple, humble stable. And there's something beautiful in stripping away all the flashing lights, all the tin foil and all the price tags to celebrate Christmas in

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 “Just talk to the people who arrive. Ask about their background, their family, and their lives. Then decide if they deserve to be let into Heaven.” So Jesus waited at the gates while St. Peter went off on his errand.
-The first person to approach the gates was a kind looking, wrinkled old man. Jesus stopped him at the entrance to the gates, greeted him, and asked, “So...what was it you did for a living?”
+The first person to approach the gates was a kind looking, wrinkled old man with white hair and a long white beard. Jesus stopped him at the entrance to the gates, greeted him, and asked, “So...what was it you did for a living?”
 The old man replied, “I was a carpenter.” Jesus remembered his own life on earth, and he leaned forward just a little.
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 If you haven't already figured it out, I grew up as a military brat.  When other kids would ask me where I was from, I used to say "the Army."  My mother was an Army nurse, and she was a military brat, too, the daughter of an infantry Colonel. All of this is to say that for my family, the idea of "going home for the holidays" was, well...complicated.
-Despite that, I've always loved the old Bing Crosby song, "I'll Be Home for Christmas."  (I think we're going to sing it a little later on).  The song became popular during World War II, especially among soldiers far away from their families and loved ones. I love it because it has this weird, beautiful blend of hope and confidence (I'll be home for Christmas...you can plan on me!), with nostalgia and tradition (we'll have snow, mistletoe, presents under the tree), and finally a kind of resigned, mournful sadness (I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams).
+Despite that, I've always loved the old Bing Crosby song, "I'll Be Home for Christmas."  (I think we're going to sing it a little later on).  The song became popular during World War II, especially among soldiers far away from their families and loved ones.
-If we're honest, even the best of Christmases have all those elements, to some degree.
+For some soldiers, I imagine the song was (and still is) an expression of hope and confidence: "I'll be home for Christmas...you can plan on me!"

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 ==I'll Be Home for Christmas==
-I spent the very first Christmas of my life in Huntstville, Alabama.  The next Christmas I was in Mississippi, the next two were in Maryland.  Then there were three Christmases in Savannah Georgia, one in El Paso, Texas, two overseas in Belgium, one more in Maryland, and then the next three back in El Paso.  All of that before I was 15 years old.
+I'd like to thank Sergeant Major Thompson and Chaplain ___?___ for inviting me today, and for giving me the opportunity to spend some time today with people who spend their time protecting others--our country, its people, our values. Your service is truly a gift, and this Christmas, it's one I am truly thankful for.
-If you haven't already figured it out, I grew up as a military brat.  When other kids would ask me where I was from, I used to say "the Army."  My mother was an Army nurse, and she was a military brat, too, the daughter of an infantry Colonel.
+One day up in heaven, Saint Peter saw Jesus walking by and caught his attention. "Hey Jesus, could you watch the Pearly Gates while I go run an errand?”