Sunday, December 23, 2007
Romans 1:1-7
Senior Pastor
It was Christmas
on the calendar… but not in my heart, writes Janet. My children were busy with their holiday parties,
and simply baking the perfunctory cookies for them felt like a massive
chore. You see, tragedy had struck our family just four months earlier by
way of the untimely death of my oldest daughter, Kristen.
Much to my surprise, life had proceeded all around me. The holidays were
coming but I wondered: How will I get through the holidays? How can I
be strong for my family?
Christmas was just
two weeks away, and my parents came to join us. At least we could grieve
together. It was a quiet night.
The lights of Albuquerque sparkled below us, and I had just finished playing Christmas
songs on the piano when the front doorbell chimed. My son, Nick, was
quick to see who had come to visit us this late.
But there was no one there. Instead, sitting on the front porch was a
beautiful white candle covered in a glass dome. The fire of the
candle danced merrily, and we quickly brought it inside. How nice!
Who could have given us such a nice present? Why didn’t they stay so that
we could thank them? So many questions!
The following night, after a particularly stressful day, we once again heard
the sound of the doorbell. The children laughed merrily. This time,
a basket of freshly baked Christmas cookies was left for us. They
were still warm and covered with a clean red-checkered dishtowel. Nick
quickly ran out onto the porch and into the driveway. No one was there.
What was going on? Who could be doing this? And how could they
disappear so quickly without a trace into the night?
On the third night, we waited with anticipation. Nick had a plan that he
felt would be foolproof. He would be ready this time if the doorbell
rang. He camped out in the foyer, directly in front of the door.
Sure enough, this time, there came a knock. Before anyone had a chance to
respond, Nick swung open the door. However, much to his chagrin, he
wasn’t fast enough.
Nestled among
delicate green foil were two crystal tree ornaments. They were
filled with a fragrant, spicy potpourri. We immediately placed them in a
prominent location on our Christmas tree. This was fun! My father’s
eyes sparkled with life, and my mother’s face was lit with a happy smile.
How wonderful! Someone was playing the “Twelve Days of Christmas” on
us. But who? Who could be doing such a wonderful thing?
Nights four, five,
six, seven – it happened again. Gifts
left by a mystery visitor. We had to know. We began to scheme how we could catch them. Then my father said, “No.” “Whoever it is does not want to be seen, and
it is our responsibility to keep it that way. This is part of the
gift. This angel is also receiving a gift, the pure and obvious joy of
giving, secure in the knowledge that he or she is bringing joy to our
family at a very difficult time.” He,
of course, was right.
On the eighth night, we waited. No one came. Disappointed and
tired, we went to bed. We had come to look forward to our nocturnal
visits and now wondered why they had stopped. Morning dawned brightly,
and when my husband stepped outside to retrieve his paper, lo and behold!
On our threshold were two gifts: a red poinsettia, and a lovely Christmas cactus
that was preparing to bloom. Our friend had truly caught us off guard
this time. Indeed, our eighth and ninth day gifts had been quietly left
outside our door sometime during the night.
Then an apple pie
followed by handmade coasters. So lovely – so loving!
Christmas Eve was upon us,
and these beautiful and thoughtful gifts had warmed our spirits. Our
sweet mystery angel had taken our minds from our loss and had treated us to a
very different kind of Christmas.
On the twelfth day - Christmas Day - we sat in the living room. All of
our gifts had been exchanged, and we had enjoyed a quiet family dinner.
It had been a good Christmas, after all, loving and joyous. Then, as
usual, the front doorbell rang. Right on cue, our secret Santa disappeared
into the night, leaving behind a small white envelope. Upon opening it,
we found that our twelfth Christmas gift was a message, neatly written in a
child’s hand. It read:
I am the spirit of
Christmas, Which is PEACE
I am the spirit of gladness - HOPE
I am the heart of Christmas, which is LOVE
Have a Merry Christmas!
Janet wrote: We were changed from that night on. We began to
heal. (by Janet K. Brennan in Chicken
Soup for the Soul Christmas, 2001, Jack Canfield and M.V. Hansen)
So often in life we do not know where we are going. We think we know what is coming next, but I find that life is
full of surprises. Particularly when we
trust in God I find that the future is often more of a blessing that we dared
imagine. Certainly Janet and her family
had that experience. Later in this
letter to the Romans, Paul affirms: All things work together for good for
those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (8:28) Our God is at work for good in our lives!
And yet, it can
still be scary to look ahead
not knowing exactly what the future holds.
Will we have the money to cover that expense? Will our loved one recover from this disease? Are our children making the right
decisions? Will my business prosper
next year? Will my marriage survive
through the year? Can I be forgiven for
my misdeeds?
A doctor tells about a time when she was barely out of school and working as an associate director at a pediatrics clinic. There were a group of six kids that had juvenile diabetes that were having a difficult time managing their diabetes and their adolescence at the same time. After several of them fell into diabetic comas and had to be rushed to the emergency room she decided to try something new.
She organized two support groups. Three kids in each group with the parents of the other three. Communication blossomed and both children and parents were soon hearing each other better. All involved began to feel understood and cared for and out of that grew helpful insights. Personhood was validated – hope grew. Behavior began to change for the better. Health crisis and emergency room visits dropped and the quality of family relationships and health rose.
Then the director of the clinic heard about this. Who authorized this? What if someone got hurt? This was not part of their protocol for treatment. The groups were cancelled. (Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., p. 226)
Yet, this young doctor was following her calling to
bring healing to those she served. She
could not know the future, but in this experiment where they were working
together these people were finding healing. Saint Paul introduces himself to
these Roman Christians as an apostle called to serve Jesus Christ. Then he goes on to remind any others who
would be followers and servants of Christ that we have all been called through
grace and have been sent – sent to share the Gospel with others. Do you see that Christian faith is not
something just for yourself, but is always something given to you to be
shared with others?
Paul is saying I was called and you were called and together we are all called to serve in the name of Christ. We are to tell and retell this story of God coming to us. He puts it like this in these first verses of Romans: Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God… the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. (selected from v. 1-4)
The Good News for us is not only that Jesus is going to be born but through that birth we can find meaning and direction and fullness in our own lives – through his life we receive the call, which Paul says is a call to belong to Jesus Christ. Receive the call. Receive the peace and the hope, receive the joy and the love that come through Jesus Christ.
Yet, the fullness of this Gospel calling is not only in the receiving, but in the sharing. Remember the story we began with today. The mystery gift giver was sharing the gifts of God, the real gifts of Christmas, with those desperately in need of them. Go forth full of the wonderful spirit of Christmas you have received and share it lavishly with others.
And as Paul closes this section: To all God’s beloved…who are called: Grace to you
and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 7)
Amen and thanks be to God.
It was Christmas
on the calendar… but not in my __________
…a beautiful white candle covered in a __________ dome.
…freshly baked
Christmas ______________ was left for us.
…were two
______________ tree ornaments.
Gifts left by a
______________ visitor.
This angel is also
receiving a gift,
the pure and
obvious joy of ____________…
…two gifts: a red
poinsettia, and a lovely Christmas
____________ that was preparing to bloom.
…an apple pie…
coasters. So lovely – so ____________!
I am the spirit of Christmas, Which is PEACE
I am the spirit of gladness - HOPE
I am the __________ of Christmas, which is LOVE
Have a Merry Christmas!
Our God is at work
for good in our lives!
And yet, it can
still be __________ to look ahead…
Yet, this young doctor was following her ______________…
Saint Paul introduces himself to these Roman Christians
as an apostle called to __________ Jesus Christ.
…always something given to you to be shared with others?
We are to tell and retell this story of God coming to ____.
selected v. 1 - 4
Receive the call.
Receive the peace and the hope, receive the
joy and the love that come through __________ ____________.
Kid’s Question: What is at the heart of Christmas?