Loyal, OK

 
Pastor Leon Seaton

Surprised By Christmas

Matthew 24:36-44

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.

A recent news article talked about a school in Florida that was so intent with including all religions in the area that they actually left Christmas off of the school calendar. No harm was intended; after they apologized they restored Christmas to its rightful place. In reading the article I was reminded how often we miss the obvious – because it is so obvious!

Procrastination has been one of my major weaknesses. Hopefully, I am improving. I often think of the year that I went to the Montgomery Ward catalog store to order a gift for my wife two days before Christmas. They didn’t think they could get it to Kingfisher in time!

In February of 1949 I gave my life to the Lord – I was 11 years old. A few months later our church had a visiting quartet from Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri. The song that I remember the most went like this: “Not here for long, we’ll soon be leaving this old world of sin and woe; up above the clouds we’ll go. Not here for long, we’ll soon be leaving, for our Savior will come back to take us home.”

            That was almost 58 years ago. While Jesus lives among us and in us every day of our lives, the fulfillment of that song has still not taken place. But you have to admit that we are 58 years closer!

The song was based on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17:

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

There is always a temptation to write off Matthew’s words. If Jesus has not already come, why should we expect Him now – almost 2,000 years later? 

The other question is why has this scripture been selected for the first Sunday of Advent? For some reason the church includes this lesson or one like it on the first Sunday of Advent of every year. Hopefully this text will caution the church about the full story of the gospel. It is more than God sending His Son to die for us. It is about us walking in a close relationship with God and sharing the good news with those around us.

Tonight our church will celebrate the annual “Hanging of the Greens” as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Our scripture from Matthew announces Jesus' second coming.

The birth of Jesus is exciting – it was prophesied, yet many missed it. Likewise, the second coming of Jesus has been prophesied – and many will miss it as well. The second coming is described as “a thief in the night” and is compared to the destruction that took place with the flood in Noah’s time.

Obviously there is a reason for the comparison. Many who worship the birth of Jesus and believe in the power of God’s love refuse to allow Jesus to be the Lord of their lives. Someday the Baby in the manger will be the God that judges us at the end of time.

People everywhere are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we have to wonder how many have made preparations for His second coming.

One writer noted, “It is clear we are still in danger of spending more time at the mall than at the manger, but even these places help us get ready. Before the plastic pumpkins and black capes of Halloween are put away, hints of Christmas are seen in displays here and there. By mid-November shoppers have to step over artificial poinsettias on their way to their favorite department. Called the biggest shopping day of the year, the Friday after Thanksgiving is not for the faint of heart. Christmas trees start standing up in living rooms and sanctuaries alike. Advent wreaths are aglow with promise and light. We attend special services. Greeting cards from loved ones, complete with quotes from scripture, are taped to the mantle with care. We don't want to be too hard on Matthew, especially since the gospel writer did not have two thousand years worth of tradition to draw upon, but we have lots of preparation for Christmas.”  William B. Kincaid III

It is safe to say that everyone has their favorite scriptures… and probably a few scriptures that we would rather not exist at all. However the Word states, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16) By implication then, all scripture should be respected, obeyed or anticipated.

The urgency of a second return of Christ is lost on the world today as the birth of Christ was lost on the world when Jesus was born. Just because we do not believe a scripture does not mean that it is not true!

Have you ever wondered why most of us are more relieved when Christmas is over than we are excited about its arrival?

There has to be a reason… and I believe the reason is that we are so busy meeting unreal expectations that we forget the real reason. My reluctance over Christmas stems from the fear that I will not be able to purchase the right gift for the people I love. That really isn’t what Christmas is about, but for some reason I still struggle with that problem.

The fault does not lie with my family… it is an internal thing.

No one knew for sure when Jesus would come the first time, and no one knows when He will make His second appearance. But… the one took place, and the second will also.

In fact, we do not even know what day or date Jesus was born on… December 25^th has been celebrated for about 1500 years, but it is a chosen date… which is fine! We are celebrating the gift of God, not trying to be “picture perfect” in the celebration.

There is one gift that I will definitely give my wife. It’s the same one every year. I buy her a goat through World Vision… and the nice folk from World Vision give it to a needy family in Haiti or Malawi.

The early-morning bleating of a dairy goat is a happy sound for children in countries like Haiti and Malawi. They know it’s ready to be milked! A goat nourishes a family with fresh milk, cheese, and yogurt, and can offer a much-needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products for sale at the market. It even provides fertilizer that can dramatically increase crop yields. A perennial favorite, both to give and receive!

I suspect that there are 2 reasons that people put off preparing for Christmas. First, they are too busy; secondly they are short on money, so are on the hunt for bargains. And maybe they just enjoy the adrenalin rush!

However, it is unwise to not be prepared for the second coming of our Lord. He will come as a thief in the night, so it they are not spiritually prepared, they will miss the great event.

Actually, there is more to getting ready for shopping than simply decorating, buying gifts and fixing meals. Advent and Christmas are compromised if we focus too much on what is under the tree and too little on who is in the stable. The coming of Christmas is not the same thing as the coming of the Lord.

Both comings of the Lord are very important. And for the next month we will be focusing on the first coming… by celebrating Advent and all that the first coming means to us.

What would life be like had Jesus not come? We would still be sacrificing animals to hold off God’s punishment for our sins. We would not know the true joy and peace that comes from having the Holy Spirit live within our hearts. We would not understand love as we do now because Jesus truly taught us that God is Love. And women would not have the prominent place in our world that they do now, because until Jesus came women were mere property.

The religious leaders at the time of the birth of the Messiah missed Him, for the Messiah they looked for was a political figure who would destroy the Roman bondage that they were under. They could not comprehend how a Baby could make a difference! Growing up as a carpenter did not help either! They needed a strong political leader!

Additionally they thought the Messiah would surely recognize how important they were! How dare this upstart to disagree with a scribe or a Pharisee.

When Jesus entered His ministry He lived out the fast that is described in 2 Chronicles. The hungry people were being fed, poor people were ministered to, and Jesus even healed the sick people. He actually touched the untouchable. Because of Jesus, we who are gentiles by birth have a chance to be children of the living God.

Even today, hungry people are treated as being lazy; highways are designed to take traffic over and around the poor parts of town. No one seems to want a half-way house for people getting out of prison near their homes, and we hate to have people with AIDS around.

After Jesus lived among us for awhile He returned to heaven… He left the task of completing His ministry to the early church. They, too, have gone on, so now it is – and continues to be – our responsibility to be Christ in action in a world that is in need!

Friday while I was visiting with a hospice patient and her husband about some of their problems related to her illness and his physical disability, someone knocked on the door of their small home, and in walked a friend with a Poinsettia – an inexpensive one from Wal-Mart or Target. It was a quick minute or so that she spent with them, but it brought immeasurable joy to them.

This Christmas season let’s all seek ways to lift the burden of our friends in quiet, simple, loving ways – just like God did through Jesus. And when someone repents of their sin and asks Jesus into their heart because of your witness, all the angels in heaven will sing just like they did 2,000 years ago!

    Sunday, December 2, 2007