"The Perfect Pre-Christmas Sale"
A sermon preached by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) based on Jeremiah 33:14-19.
A woman and her daughter were out doing some Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving. As was expected, the crowds were simply awful. They had to skip lunch because they were on such a tight schedule. Toward the end of the day, Mom was hungry, tired and her feet were killing her. And she was getting more and more irritable as the day went on. As they left the last store, she turned to her daughter and asked, “Did you see that nasty look the salesman gave me?” Her daughter answered, “Oh, mom, he didn't give it to you. You had it when you walked into the store.”
Well, the countdown has begun. The malls and the stores are filled with shoppers. Many stores, during the holidays will extend their shopping hours to accommodate all of the Christmas shoppers. Needless to say, we can expect the crowds all the way through to Christmas Eve. But hopefully, you all survived Black Friday if you were brave enough to venture out and take advantage of the sales.
Without a doubt, to some, Christmas is about the shopping frenzy. It’s about hustle and bustle of the crowds, picking the perfect gift and finding the best bargains. Sadly, Christmas to them is something that is bought or purchased, wrapped in paper or stuffed in a stocking. Now, I am not saying that we should do away with this long-standing tradition of gift-giving at Christmas. I mean, after all, I like to receive gifts as much as anyone, but we must not allow this tradition to crowd out our understanding of the true “Reason for the Season.”
I always found it interesting that my great-grandfather, Silas, did not like to receive gifts. I guess I found this interesting because I have never met anyone who didn’t like to receive a gift. He would literally get angry if you bought him a gift and it didn’t matter if it was for Christmas or some other day you typically exchanged or received a gift.
I remember in a Sociology class that I took in college we had to a report to do and I chose to do mine on the affects of gift-exchanging in different societies. One of my resources was an essay that Marcel Mauss, a French sociologist, wrote entitled, The Gift. Mauss’ essay focused on the form and reason of exchange in archaic societies.
Without a doubt, gift-exchanging is an essential part to our Christmas celebration. Advent is a time of personal preparation. It is a reminder that just as we prepare our homes, so we must spiritually prepare our hearts for the birth of God’s gift to us - Christ.
Soon, our Christmas trees will be loaded with gifts underneath - gifts for family and friends. You know, I can remember as a child shaking those gifts with my name on them, trying to figure out what was being concealed by the wrapping paper. Very seldom would my guess or assumption be correct. We spend a great deal of time and energy and money shopping for the perfect gift to give to the special people in our lives. But what would that gift be, if the recipient didn’t open it or utilize it? The gift would serve no purpose, it would be useless and meaningless. And the same is true with the gifts and the Gift that God gives us.
Philosopher and historian Hannah Arendt was a German Jew who lived through the rise and fall of the Nazi party and the horrors of the holocaust. She advocated that the philosophies or even theologies we live by should be based as much on formative powers of natality as on the finalizing powers of mortality. You see, she argued that our stories of birth should define us even more than our stories of death. Arendt realized that if you begin with the power of birth instead of mortality you take philosophy in a whole different direction! And that’s what the Church does. The liturgical calendar begins with Advent - today begins a new year for Christians. Advent focuses on natality - on birth whereas Lent focuses on mortality.
Typically, during this season of Advent, the church turns its attention to the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah and his kingdom. And we have heard several readings this morning from the prophets in relation to Christ and his kingdom. Our Scripture Lesson for this morning is taken from the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived seven centuries before Christ was born. His ministry spanned four decades from about 627 to 586 BC. Jeremiah’s message focused repentance and a sincere commitment to God.
In our Scripture Lesson this morning, we see that Jeremiah offers words of hope and promise as he speaks of hope and peace and salvation all wrapped in the one who is coming from the David’s line - who, like a branch will sprout up and whose fruit will bring justice and righteousness, hope and salvation to our lives and to our world.
Someone once said; “The best way to send an idea into the world is to wrap it up in a person.” In a sense, infinitely more sublime of course, that is what God has done. God had an “idea” - had a “Word” - Logos, in which God wanted to convey to humanity and that message was God’s divine love and grace. And it is a Word of hope and peace, joy and love. In God’s infinite wisdom God took this “idea,” which God was so eager to communicate to humanity, wrapped it up in the person of Jesus Christ, and laid it in a feeding trough. The babe of Bethlehem is the Word of God Incarnate. He is the message of God to humanity.
This one has come and is coming, and we are invited to once again allow him to be born in us - to receive his gifts of hope and peace, joy and love. We are invited to envision his kingdom and to become a partner in “executing righteousness and justice,” that his kingdom and realm may be birthed in and among us.
The church’s season of Advent is, without a doubt, the greatest Pre-Christmas Sale. It is an opportunity for us to envision God’s kingdom and to become a partner in establishing it.
When Amber and I were expecting Miriam, Marita gave me a book entitled; What to Expect When You’re Expecting. The book is a popular book among expectant parents. But you know, we too are expecting and Advent is Church’s What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Jeremiah offered the people of Israel a message of hope. The Hebrew word “hope” is yachal and it literally means “to wait with expectation.” That pretty well sums up what we do during Advent, doesn’t it?
One of the things that Marcel Mauss determined from his research and study was that gift-giving builds relationships. He argued that giving an object creates an inherent obligation on the one who receives to in turn give a gift. And so, may we receive God’s Gift of Christ, anew and afresh this Advent season and in return give our lives to God and to God’s kingdom.
Well, the countdown has begun. The malls and the stores are filled with shoppers. Many stores, during the holidays will extend their shopping hours to accommodate all of the Christmas shoppers. Needless to say, we can expect the crowds all the way through to Christmas Eve. But hopefully, you all survived Black Friday if you were brave enough to venture out and take advantage of the sales.
Without a doubt, to some, Christmas is about the shopping frenzy. It’s about hustle and bustle of the crowds, picking the perfect gift and finding the best bargains. Sadly, Christmas to them is something that is bought or purchased, wrapped in paper or stuffed in a stocking. Now, I am not saying that we should do away with this long-standing tradition of gift-giving at Christmas. I mean, after all, I like to receive gifts as much as anyone, but we must not allow this tradition to crowd out our understanding of the true “Reason for the Season.”
I always found it interesting that my great-grandfather, Silas, did not like to receive gifts. I guess I found this interesting because I have never met anyone who didn’t like to receive a gift. He would literally get angry if you bought him a gift and it didn’t matter if it was for Christmas or some other day you typically exchanged or received a gift.
I remember in a Sociology class that I took in college we had to a report to do and I chose to do mine on the affects of gift-exchanging in different societies. One of my resources was an essay that Marcel Mauss, a French sociologist, wrote entitled, The Gift. Mauss’ essay focused on the form and reason of exchange in archaic societies.
Without a doubt, gift-exchanging is an essential part to our Christmas celebration. Advent is a time of personal preparation. It is a reminder that just as we prepare our homes, so we must spiritually prepare our hearts for the birth of God’s gift to us - Christ.
Soon, our Christmas trees will be loaded with gifts underneath - gifts for family and friends. You know, I can remember as a child shaking those gifts with my name on them, trying to figure out what was being concealed by the wrapping paper. Very seldom would my guess or assumption be correct. We spend a great deal of time and energy and money shopping for the perfect gift to give to the special people in our lives. But what would that gift be, if the recipient didn’t open it or utilize it? The gift would serve no purpose, it would be useless and meaningless. And the same is true with the gifts and the Gift that God gives us.
Philosopher and historian Hannah Arendt was a German Jew who lived through the rise and fall of the Nazi party and the horrors of the holocaust. She advocated that the philosophies or even theologies we live by should be based as much on formative powers of natality as on the finalizing powers of mortality. You see, she argued that our stories of birth should define us even more than our stories of death. Arendt realized that if you begin with the power of birth instead of mortality you take philosophy in a whole different direction! And that’s what the Church does. The liturgical calendar begins with Advent - today begins a new year for Christians. Advent focuses on natality - on birth whereas Lent focuses on mortality.
Typically, during this season of Advent, the church turns its attention to the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah and his kingdom. And we have heard several readings this morning from the prophets in relation to Christ and his kingdom. Our Scripture Lesson for this morning is taken from the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived seven centuries before Christ was born. His ministry spanned four decades from about 627 to 586 BC. Jeremiah’s message focused repentance and a sincere commitment to God.
In our Scripture Lesson this morning, we see that Jeremiah offers words of hope and promise as he speaks of hope and peace and salvation all wrapped in the one who is coming from the David’s line - who, like a branch will sprout up and whose fruit will bring justice and righteousness, hope and salvation to our lives and to our world.
Someone once said; “The best way to send an idea into the world is to wrap it up in a person.” In a sense, infinitely more sublime of course, that is what God has done. God had an “idea” - had a “Word” - Logos, in which God wanted to convey to humanity and that message was God’s divine love and grace. And it is a Word of hope and peace, joy and love. In God’s infinite wisdom God took this “idea,” which God was so eager to communicate to humanity, wrapped it up in the person of Jesus Christ, and laid it in a feeding trough. The babe of Bethlehem is the Word of God Incarnate. He is the message of God to humanity.
This one has come and is coming, and we are invited to once again allow him to be born in us - to receive his gifts of hope and peace, joy and love. We are invited to envision his kingdom and to become a partner in “executing righteousness and justice,” that his kingdom and realm may be birthed in and among us.
The church’s season of Advent is, without a doubt, the greatest Pre-Christmas Sale. It is an opportunity for us to envision God’s kingdom and to become a partner in establishing it.
When Amber and I were expecting Miriam, Marita gave me a book entitled; What to Expect When You’re Expecting. The book is a popular book among expectant parents. But you know, we too are expecting and Advent is Church’s What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Jeremiah offered the people of Israel a message of hope. The Hebrew word “hope” is yachal and it literally means “to wait with expectation.” That pretty well sums up what we do during Advent, doesn’t it?
One of the things that Marcel Mauss determined from his research and study was that gift-giving builds relationships. He argued that giving an object creates an inherent obligation on the one who receives to in turn give a gift. And so, may we receive God’s Gift of Christ, anew and afresh this Advent season and in return give our lives to God and to God’s kingdom.
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 11:27 AM
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