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December 27, 1992 First Sunday After Christmas
PREPARATION FOR THE WORD
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND CONCERNS OF THE CHURCH
INTROIT
CALL TO WORSHIP
L: Praise God, all nations! Extol God, all peoples!
P: For great is God's steadfast love toward us; and the
faithfulness of God endures for ever.
L: Great are your works, O God, full of honor and majesty.
Your righteousness endures forever.
P: Praise be to God.
* HYMN OF PRAISE "O Come, All Ye Faithful" #
*CALL TO CONFESSION
*UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
You give us a vision of a world made new, O God, yet we find
it so easy to abide in the old. You promise your presence
among us, yet we seek so often to hide from it. We continue
to mourn for our own way, though you have promised to wipe
away the tears from our eyes. When the former things have
passed away, will we still long for what used to be? You
are the beginning and the end; the middle we cling to for
ourselves. We confess our nearsightedness and beg for eyes
open to the new creation. May we enter the coming year made
whole by your grace. Amen.
*ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
L: Anyone in Christ becomes a new person altogether; the
past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and
new.
All: We believe the good news that in Jesus Christ we are
forgiven. Amen.
*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE Gloria Patri
PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD
FIRST READING FROM SCRIPTURE Isaiah 63:7-9
L: This is the word of the Lord.
P: Thanks be to God.
WORD FOR CHILDREN
*HYMN OF MEDITATION "What Star Is This, With Beams So Bright"
(During this hymn, children through Grade 3 may leave to
attend Children's Church)
RESPONSIVE PSALTER READING Psalm 148 (see insert)
SECOND READING FROM SCRIPTURE Matthew 2:13-23
SERMON "Things Clearly Aren't What They Used To Be"
RESPONSE TO THE WORD
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
WORSHIP THROUGH GIVING
*DOXOLOGY #592
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God, above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*HYMN OF PROCLAMATION "The First Nowell"
*COMMISSION AND BENEDICTION
*POSTLUDE
The * indicates where to stand during the service. Please
feel free to remain seated if that is more comfortable for
you.
RESPONSIVE PSALTER READING Psalm 148
L: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
P: Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
L: Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining
stars!
P: Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the
heavens!
L: Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded
and they were created.
P: He established them forever and ever; he fixed their
bounds, which cannot be passed.
L: Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all
deeps,
P: fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his
command!
L: Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
P: Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying
birds!
L: Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all
rulers of the earth!
P: Young men and women alike, old and young together!
L: Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone
is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
P: He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all
his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!
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"Things Clearly aren't what they used to be":
Ron Francey: December 27, 1992
Isaiah 63: 7-9; Psalm 148; Matthew 2:13-23
. Have you ever experienced that old nostalgic love for something that in
earlier days you were perhaps glad to be rid of?
. For men, maybe it's that 1951 Ford or that 1955 Chevy - you know
- your first car
. And now, there is that old car again, maybe conjured up in your
dreams or in the wanderings of your mind - there it is in all
its splendor - just waiting to be polished, loved and part of
your life once more.
. For women, maybe it's those piano lessons and the long practices
that Mother made you do and take - maybe you remember using the
excuse "but MOM! I can't do the dishes and do my practicing!"
. And now, there you are at your daughter's recital, her dressed
up, hair gleaming, excitement bustling in the air, excitement
around the anticipation to come - and suddenly you feel the
warmth of those earlier days that had been masked by your
earlier feelings so many years ago of the sweat and toil that
went into your practice sessions.
. There are anchors in our lives of which we're really not often
cognizant - they are the things of the stuff of life of which
each of us are made. Perhaps the anchors can better be
understood as seeds lying dormant, needing just a little
rainfall.
. Maybe the "something" that you used to avoid or ran from was more
intense and disturbing, maybe even threatening - whether real or
imagined.
. Maybe it was parents that beat you, that crippled you either
physically or emotionally
. Maybe it was friends who betrayed you or lied to you and made it
such that you no longer trusted any close relationships
. Maybe it was your own perceived self which you felt was no good,
not worthy
. And so you might have run from all these torments of life, run
completely from all of your family because of embarrassment,
of not knowing the "howness" or the "rightness" of maintaining
close family ties when there exists a family crisis which
threatens the very essence of your understanding of family
and family values.
. And perhaps you have run from friends. You fled from
close relations because you have been afraid, unnerved at
your friend's dying because of the deadly AIDS virus; you were
afraid that you wouldn't know WHAT to say. Or, perhaps, you
fled from a friend because you have not been comfortable with
your friends deformity from a recent terrible automobile
accident or from a close couple who recently divorced or
from a woman who recently had her breasts removed because of
cancer.
. Knowing and feeling that God is with you through all your life seems to
be more easy to forget than to remember - especially when you are struck
by the things of life
. The OT lesson speaks to that point:
. of the prologue to the escape FROM Egypt
. of the trustworthiness and steadfastness of God
. of people making the escape - and continually and
repeatedly forgetting of God's goodness and mercy and
presence and patience in the thick of the raging of the
battles of life
. "For He said, 'Surely they are my people, ..., and He
became their savior in all their distress. It was
no messenger or angel but his presence that saved
them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; He
lifted them up and carried them all the days of old".
. And so the people fled from Egypt, a land of tyranny and
oppression, a land of injustice - they were held and cared for
by God regardless of their continually forgetting about God's
righteousness and steadfastness.
. Quite paradoxically, Joseph and Mary's escape TO Egypt embodies a return
to a safe place - at least for a little while. The very country that
the Jews fled from became the sanctuary for the new born Christ child
and his family.
. What made Egypt safe?
. It certainly was NOT that the holy family returned to oppression;
that they entered into that from which they were fleeing
. Perhaps, a peoples' returning to Egypt signifies that the people
were now better equipped to deal with an area of life that was
formidable in the past.
. How could that new found freedom come to be for us today? How can we re-
enter the land of Egypt?
. It certainly is NOT that we should return to oppression or that
we should reenter at the same point of which we left.
. What makes YOUR Egypt safe for you?
. Christ was born for YOU! Christ was born for YOU! Christ has
set you free. Christ, God with us, fully human, fully divine,
fully spirit, born in a manger, lived amongst us, teaching us
the way, took on the sins of the world upon his shoulder, died
for us and rose again, conquered sin, evil and death and showed
us that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the
love of God.
. We have been empowered to replace hate with love - to love as we have
been and are loved
. Clearly Egypt was not the same, it was not as it used to be
. So, too, where before we had to flee, now we have been set free. Know
that God loves you and love others as you have been loved. You are
free to be yourselves and all that God has ever meant for you to be.
. Whatever Joseph's Egypt was, whatever the Angel's Egypt was - they had
come to terms with it and could deal with it.
. It was in going BACK to Egypt that allowed Jesus and his family to
continue on from there to Nazareth. It is in dealing with life, with
conflict, with difficult times that we too are free to return to our
Egypt and then to continue with our life's journey. Thanks be to
the God that has set us free!
. Christ's entry into our lives is the bread of our lives; it is that which
sustains and empowers us and guides us; Thanks be to God!
. It's clear that this church certainly isn't what it used to be!
. it didn't even exist
. the old school
. the "workship" service
. yes, even the fellowship
. Taking the steps :
. requires risks
. requires prayer
. requires interdependency
. requires looking forward along a sometimes difficult
and sometimes incredibly joyous path
. And so, what happened to make Egypt a safe place?
. How does this relate to us today?
. many of us set out on similar trails, called the trail of life
and the brush gets us or the trail twists and turns and has so
many forks that we get lost
. maybe in a love relationship
. or in our nuclear family
. or in our plans for work
. in unemployment
. in physical, mental or health areas
. So we escape, we FLEE from
. sometimes to a bottle
. sometimes thru entering depression
. sometimes thru expressions of anger and violence
. sometimes thru overeating, oversleeping, not being able
to move
. What is it that makes the old territory seemingly safe?
. Jesus Christ was born for YOU! Jesus Christ was born for YOU!
. The old dragons still lurk in shady corners and blast their snorts of
fire!
. The difference is that Christ has changed the equation: now we no longer
need to FLEE as we have been set FREE
. The tyranny of Egypt, the despair and agony of life, can now be
visited from a new direction, from a new perspective. Christ has
set you free.
. the dragons ARE still there!
. their strength has been sapped
. Yes, Christ came - now it is our choice, how do we wish to respond?
. Things clearly aren't what they used to be, instead of needing to flee,
now we are called to be freeing.
. What IS God calling us to do?
. How will WE be parts of the body of Christ?
. When will we answer the door and let Christ in?
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"Things Clearly Aren't What They Used To Be"
* Remember what it was like the first time you had a baby?
How your life changed? You came home from the hospital and
didn't get a good night's sleep because of this new someone
in your life who was now dependent on you. Remember the
first night the baby cried all night and you thought you
must be doing something wrong because babies aren't supposed
to cry like that. From the birth of that new baby your life
was never the same again.
* Later when your children grew up, left home, perhaps to go
away to school, to get married, or to get their own
apartment; again your life changed and you had to refocus on
priorities and people in your life. Your own relationship
with your spouse now was able to be focused on.
* Still later after many years of a fruitful and rewarding
relationship your spouse dies and you are now alone. This
time the change seems unbearable. Now the crying that wakes
you up in the night is your own. God's love holds you and
sustains you. Through family and friends that love is made
evident.
* Or going back to your younger years, perhaps you remember
being that young person who went off to school for the first
time. Away from familiar family and friends. You embarke
on a new life and instead of having responsibilites, you are
responsible - for your own life and your own decisions. And
the change is exciting /and scarey.
* You get your first job. Move to a different part of the
country. Later, you realize that your life isn't what you
thought it was going to be like. You accept the fact that
you are not going to be married and have the dreamed about
family and the house in the suburbs with the two car garage.
You wonder about your later years and who won't be there for
you when you need help as you get older. What was expected
didn't happen and new adjustments must be made in your
thinking and understanding.
* Change is never easy, yet the reality is our life is
always changing. Change is sometimes sought after, but more
than likely outside influences cause changes in our lives
that often seem out of our control. We worry about it, we
wonder what's going to happen, we cope.
* Changes are occuring here at Trinity. Hopefully we are
more than coping. This is a time of transition as Janet,
our Senior Interim Pastor, spiritualy guides us and leads us
as we discover who we are and where we are going. We're
discovering that change is a growing experience. That by
careful study, prayerful diligenge, and hard work - what we
do does make a difference - and not only in our lives, but
in the lives of those around us and around the world.
* Two days ago, we celebrated the birth of Jesus. At the
Christmas Eve Service, we read the story and sang of the
birth of the Christ Child. Have our lives changed because
of that birth? Do we live as if it made a difference? How
do we affirm the presence of God in our lives that is so
central to Christmas? Even at those times when we do not
experience it? Is Christmas reliable? Do we have a savior
during the hard times?
* The Old Testament Lesson from Isaiah speaks of the
trustworthiness of God during difficult times. The people
recall God's graciousness and mercy at a time of need when
the mercy of God is not readily apparent. The prophet
Isaiah recalls how God embodies the three qualities of
goodness, mercy and loving kindness. He illustrates how in
the past these qualities have been directed toward Israel
and how God is present with the people. He emphasizes how
God is Israel's savior even when the salvation of God does
not appear to be present - God is suffering with them in all
their distress. Because God is so intimate - by suffering
with them - they are able to affirm the divine presence and
salvation at all times.
* Contrasting this conclusion of Isaiah that God is present
in suffering is Psalm 148 which turns all of creation (both
heaven and earth) into an orchestra, whose music is meant to
praise God, who is clearly present in every corner of the
created order. The scope of this psalm encompasses all
aspects of creation. This larger vision tells us that it is
God who generates praise and it is God who remains close to
the people of God at all times - nearness in times of
distress and in times of praise.
* Have you ever experienced that old nostalgic love for
something that in earlier days you were perhaps glad to be
rid of? For men, maybe it's that 1951 Ford or that 1955
Chevy - you know your first car. And now, there is that old
car again, maybe conjured up in your dreams or in the
wanderings of your mind - there it is in all its splendor -
just waiting to be polished, loved and part of your life
once more.
* Or perhaps you took piano lessons as a child, and you
remember those long practices that your mother made you do.
And you even volunteered to do the dishes to get out of
practicing. But now, there you are at your daughter's
recital - she's all dressed up, hair gleaming, excitement
bustling in the air and suddenly you feel the warmth of
those earlier days that had been masked by your dislike of
those practice sessions.
* These parts of our lives help make us who we are, yet
often we're not aware that that is so. These seeds aften
lie dormant, needing just a little watering to make them
come alive.
* Sometimes the things in our past that we try to avoid or
run from are more intense and disturbing - maybe even
threatening - whether real or imagined. Parents beat
children and leave scars that are physical and emotional.
Perhaps a close friend betrayed or lied to you as a child
and made it impossible for you to trust in any close
relationships any more. Maybe you have a perception of
yourself as not really good or worthy enough. And so we
hide. We turn away from our families from fear, from
embarassment, because we don't know how to be close.
* We run from difficult situations - from a friend dying
with AIDS, because we are afraid we won't know what to say -
from the couple who are in the midst of a divorce - from a
friend who recently had her breats removed because of
cancer. Knowing and feeling that God is with us through all
our lives - in the pain, with the fear, and in times of joy
- seems to be more easy to forget than to remember.
* Others too have faced difficult situations. The verses
that were read in Matthew this morning, follow the story of
the visitaion of the wise men from the East who came looking
for "the king of the Jews," because they had seen a star
signifying his birth. They first went to Herod's court
seeking the child. When Herod heard that the wise men had
seen the star and had come to worship the Christ whom the
prophets had written about, he was fearful. Herod caused
changes to take place because of this. Joseph, Mary and the
baby had to flee to Egypt to escape the slaughter of the
innocent children ordered by Herod. This Gospel lesson -
with its images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as refugees in
Eygpt and finally making their home in Nazareth and the Old
Testament lesson emphasize God's presence in the midst of
suffering, God's identification with the powerless.
* Paul Sherry, President of the United Church of Christ
writes, "When the best we do is never enough, when human
misery so often overwhelms us, when beauty is covered with
ugliness, when innocents suffer, it is God's presence in the
babe of Bethlehem that sustains, renews and transforms us.
The birth of Jesus was a miracle - a miracle of love and
mercy in a world of pain. God continues to do miracles.
Christ is born this day, as, together, we witness to God's
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presence among us in acts of justice and mercy, forgiveness
and healing, love and peace. The miracle of Christmas
reignites our faith in the faithfulness of our God. The
miracle of Christmas provides hope that what is, need not
continue to be. Christmas reminds us that God does not
forget. We live in hope that the beloved community that God
desires for us all may yet come to pass. The miracle of
Christmas reminds us that love is of God and that love is
the final word. God's love is for all creation and, in and
through that love, our lives are renewed and the creation is
restored."
* In our secular world where Christmas is often celebrated
by non-beleivers, where Christmas has become part of our
culture and is accented with mistletoe and the Ho, Ho, Ho of
Santa, we sometimes forget the seriousness of Christmas. It
is serious business to celebrate Christmas. Many in our
history have sacrificed their lives and were martyrs in the
name of Christ. Ever since Christ was born, "Things clearly
aren't what they used to be."
* You all know the story of Rip Van Winkle. Well, good old
Rip was a lazy, irresponsible fellow who never provided
adequately for his wife and children. One day when he
should have been working, he took his dog up one of the
Catskill Mountains for a walk, and being tired, lay down and
fell asleep. He slept rather a long time, twenty years in
fact, though on awakening he did not realize this. When he
came down the mountain to the village, everything had
changed. The place seemed older to begin with. He could
not find his house or his family. He did not recognize
anybody, and no one recognized him. Rip walked around in a
daze, wondering if he had been transported to some new
world. In many ways that very thing had happened. During
his twenty years' sleep the American Revolution had taken
place and because he knew nothing about it he was on the
wrong side of the revolution.
There are some Christians like that. Christmas celebrates
the anniversary of a revolution. After Jesus, the Christ
was born, the world was never the same again. But some
people have never caught up with the news. They have a
religion of sorts- a belief in God as Creator and Judge and
Ruler, but there is nothing in their thinking, their
attitudes, or their behavior that gives evidence that once
and for all God has visited and reedeemed God's people.
They need to hear, as we need to hear, the good news of
Christmas, that in the coming of Christ Jesus the hopes and
expectations of the world have been fulfilled. Christianity
is indeed a historical religion: Christ did come; but we do
not survive on nostalgia. Christianity is indeed a present
fact. The risk in being a Christian is that you open
yourself to a future, God's future. The good news is that
God is with us and therefore we need not fear. We can live
in trust and obedience.
* What is God calling you to do? How are you to live your
life? How will you be part of the body of Christ? How will
you live as though Christ's birth makes a difference? Yes,
Christ came - things clearly aren't what they used to be -
now it is our choice, how do you wish to respond? Amen.
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