This was Christ the King Sunday and Thanksgiving week-end, but not Advent. I decided to combine all three, in part because I was itching to get started with the Advent series on stories we tell that give shape and meaning to our Advent/Christmas celebrations. To add a visual aid to the sermon, we had a stool at the front of the chancel area, and when I told the story early in the sermon, and then at the end of the sermon, I sat on the stool like it was story time. It did not really change the content, but it gave a different perspective for the congregation, which seemed to work.
I also left he stool and preached the first point on Advent being personal standing in front of the first pews. Then, I went to the pulpit for the second couple of points. Not sure that movement added to the sermon. I'm still learning about preaching in this sanctuary. It's long and fairly narrow, so leaving the pulpit does not seem to gain much in terms of connecting to the congregation.
Merging three themes had its dangers, but it worked ok for this sermon. Probably not the best connect sermon ever, but I think it got us focused on how to look for what is doing this Advent.
I also stopped the Luke reading at vs 20 because it felt like a good stopping point when I was reading it!
I also stopped the Luke reading at vs 20 because it felt like a good stopping point when I was reading it!
Luke 1: 1-25 Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first,[a] to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. 10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”
21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, 25 “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”
“A Sneak Preview” SAPC, November 26, 2017; Luke 1: 1-24;
Introduction:
For you liturgical experts, this Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. thus, the white paraments and the story from the Gospel of John with Pilate and Jesus discussing whether Jesus is the King of the Jews.
Christ the King is the last Sunday of the liturgical calendar. The liturgical intent is to celebrate Christ as King before starting over again with Advent next week. A reminder that as we spend Advent preparing for the birth of Christ, that the Christ-child will become Christ the King.
Full liturgical circle!
This Sunday, as we gather for worship, you will notice in the liturgy and sermon the merging of three themes – Thanksgiving; Christ the King; and a sneak preview of Advent. No doubt my worship professor would cringe at this approach.
As you may know, we are going to spend Advent thinking about stories we tell as part of our Christmas traditions. in fact, in the Narthex are Advent devotional guides that have stories members have shared about what has given shape and meaning to their Advent and Christmas celebrations.
Each week as part of the sermons, we will read a biblical story that is part of the ongoing story of the coming of Christ. Stories like the one we read this morning about Zechariah and the birth of John the Baptist.
We will also hear a story - maybe a personal story that Lisa and I will share with you; or maybe story from someone else’s Christmas tradition.
We will make our way through Advent one story at a time.
(Go to stool) In fact, we’ll even pull up a stool each week and tell you one of those stories.
move 1: Here’s my Thanksgiving/Advent story.
Most years on Thanksgiving week-end, we decorate the house for Christmas. Through my growing up years, the Friday after thanksgiving was the day we decorated the house. That still happens at my mom’s house on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
In my own family, we continued the tradition by decorating our own home in KY or OH Thanksgiving week-end. Christmas decorations around the house, lights up outside, etc.
One of the items that always goes up with the Christmas decorations is the Advent calendar. Technically it’s not an Advent calendar because it starts December 1, not on the first day of Advent, but we called it an Advent calendar and it marked off each day from Dec. 1 - Dec. 24.
It is not an elaborate calendar. It’s is homemade of burlap with a simple, cut out tree on it, and 1-12 down one side of the calendar and 13-24 down the other side.
it looks just like the one at my mother’s house because my oldest sister and my mother made a replica calendar for each of the kids when we were married, so the tradition would continue. And now with the first wedding of the next generation in the family taking place, the next generation of Advent calendars are being made to continue the tradition.
Each number down the sides of the Advent calendar has a trinket pinned to it, which are then transferred to the tree each day of December.
in my family, each Thanksgiving week-end we would have the Advent calendar draft — each kid would pick in order the trinkets they would put on the days they would; thus developed the new tradition, the Advent calendar fight as at least two of the girls would want the same trinket and would see evil intentions in the way another sister chose her trinkets for the calendar.
over time, we collected little trinkets specific to each girl or something the family had done; the draft has become much easier now as the girls know that the A&M trinket or the figure skating trinket go to a particular sister.
As the calendar fills, it serves not only as a countdown to Christmas, but a personal collage for the members of my family.
Move 2: I tell you this story as we take sneak preview of Advent this year because I hope you take Advent personally this year.
a. Begin Advent thinking that this year Advent is about you.
1. Not in a narcissistic sense that all of Advent revolves around you.
2. not with the idea that every gift is for you or every celebration is about you.
3. Take it personally with the realization that the anticipated coming of Christ into the world has global implications, but also very personal implications.
4. The stories we tell of a God who comes to saves the world is the story of the God who comes to save you.
b. the personal nature of the coming of Christ also makes a claim on you personally.
1. one of the things we will notice in the biblical stories we read during Advent is that preparing for the coming of Christ, being part of what happens when he arrives, disrupts people’s lives.
2. Zechariah and Elizabeth have to deal with pregnancy late in life when they least expected it.
Mary has to deal with pregnancy at a young age.
Mary and Joseph have to find a way for their relationship to handle the birth of God’s son.
Shepherds in the fields find their lives changes by the story told to them by angels in the skies and from their trip to Bethlehem.
3. Advent invites us to remember and reclaim what it means to receive the Christ-Child into our lives and follow Christ into the world.
Take Advent personally as we retell the stories of the God who comes into our lives and the God who calls us to give our lives over to serving Christ.
Move 2: I am also reminded that there is always a new story in the making.
a. Zechariah
1. Going about his business.
2. He’s got it down.
3. it’s his turn to go into the sanctuary to burn incense. Same old story.
b. except, God is doing something new.
1. The same old story is about to add a new, amazing chapter.
2. His wife who could not get pregnant will bear a child.
4. And Zechariah, the priest, a teller of the stories of God’s people will not be telling any stories during his wife’s pregnancy because he is made mute for his unwillingness to believe what God is going to do.
b. As we hear the old stories of our faith tradition; as we tell the stories of Advent and Christmas seasons past; we look for the God who is always moving forward with a new story.
1. I hope you will spend this Advent looking for new possibilities of how God is at work in your life.
2. To see the new places God is calling you.
3. to discover in the disruptions in your life the God who is still at work on you.
3. I love the stories that shape our traditions, but do not let them keep us from discovering the new stories.
4. Instead, let the stories we love to tell remind us that the God who has been faithful to us in the past, will be faithful to us in the future as we live out new stories.
Move 3: a final thought - the Advent calendar always leads us to the Christ-child.
a. each day someone in my family puts the trinket on the tree.
1. No matter what happened the day before, not matter what we might think will happen that day in our lives or in our world, lives, we pin the trinket and move one day closer to the birth of Christ.
2. We know a lot can happen over the course of Advent.
2. Our prayer list each week of Advent will chronicles some of those stories — there will be deaths grieved, lives celebrated, prayers of intercession lifted, and still we move forward to the birth of Christ.
3. the daily news will tell who knows what - think about the last month or so and project similar stories over the course of Advent — stories of life and death will play out in our world. And still we move forward to the birth of Christ.
3. Whatever happens in the our personal lives or the world around us, we still move forward to meet the God who comes in Christ Jesus.
4. Nothing on earth can stop the God who comes in Christ Jesus.
6. We make the Advent journey to meet Christ.
b. The same Christ who stands before Pilate as Pilate asks, “Are you king of the Jews?”
1. Jesus will not exactly tell Pilate.
2. Jesus suggests that is up to Pilate to decide. He basically says, “you’ve heard what they say about me. What do you want to believe?”
3. Advent will take us to the birth of Christ — are you ready to claim Christ the king in your own life?
Conclusion: One of the stories we tell about the Advent calendar goes way back to when I was really young, maybe kindergarten.
the Advent calendar has hanging on full display, 24 trinkets on various days or the tree.
Until someone walked by and noticed that it was stripped bare. Naked. not a trinket on any of the days down the side of the calendar; not a trinket on the tree. they had disappeared.
Or, as it was discovered. the trinkets had been stolen.
the young neighbor boy about my age was so captivated by the trinkets on the Advent calendar he had to have them. So he took each one, including the baby Jesus. Stuffed his pockets full and left for home, with the evidence waiting to incriminate him left in his room for his mother to discover and return.
When we tell that story, I don’t see a trinket thief, but I imagine a young kid whose greatest desire in the moment was to have a part of Advent in his life, to have baby Jesus in his pocket along with all the other trinkets.
I invite you to listen and tell the stories of Advent that lead us to baby Jesus.
not just listen, but to be filled with such great desire that you give your life over the Christ-child, the one who becomes Christ the king.
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