God With Us
The preached version can be listened to here
Gate Pa – 18 December 2016 - Year A
4th Sunday in Advent
Readings:
Psalm Psalm: 80:1-7,17-19
First Reading: Isa
7:10-16
Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7
Gospel: Matt 1: 18-25
What I want to say:
explore
“God with us” from Isaiah – what did it mean and what does it mean for us
What I want to
happen:
This
week our theme is love. During this week I invite you to take time at the end
of each day to give thanks for ways God with us has both brought love into your day; and through you brought
love into the lives of others. I also
invite you to reflect on what has led you away from love.
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
A man was sitting on the edge of the
bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. Since her
birthday was not far off, he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday.
"I'd like to be eight
again..." she replied, still looking in the mirror.
On the morning of her birthday, he
woke up early, made her a nice big bowl of Fruit Loops, and then took her to
Adventure World. What a day!
He put her on every ride in the park;
the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything
there was. Five hours later, they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was
reeling and her stomach felt upside down.
He took her to a McDonald's where he
ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Then it was
off to a movie with popcorn, a soda and her favourite candy, M&M's. What a
fabulous adventure!
Finally she wobbled home with her
husband and collapsed into bed, exhausted. He leaned over his wife with a big
smile and lovingly asked, "Well dear, what was it like being eight
again?"
Her eyes slowly opened and her
expression suddenly changed. "I meant my dress size, you idiot."
so who thought she was talking about
her dress size?
2. Matthew’s Christmas story
today we heard all of Mathews
Christmas story
story of wise men is next – in Mathew
comes a little later
so – what
is same between Luke and Matthew?
û Mary and Joseph
û born in Bethlehem
û grows up in Nazareth
what
is different
û not start in Nazareth
û no census
û no inn
û not in stable
û no shepherds
û no angels
û is star and wise men
û after birth they flee to Egypt and not
go to Nazareth via the temple in Jerusalem
why the
differences?
Mathew – Jesus is new Moses
life mirrors that of people of Israel
Joseph
bar Jacob – dreams (remember first one?)
led
to Egypt
Jesus
life is threatened by fearful tyrant – like Moses
story is constructed to show this
3. God with us
central to all this is Matthews quote
from Isaiah 7:14
22 All this took place to fulfill what had
been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23
"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,"
which means, "God is with us." 24
this is where our story comes in
this is where
some might here age 8 and some size 8.
what is Mathew
meaning when says
this is what Isaiah 7:14ff says
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a
sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name
him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse
the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil
and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be
deserted. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your ancestral
house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the
king of Assyria.’
Statement about trusting in God’s
intervention.
people who know this know the story
Israel
and Syria are wiped out
Assyria
arrives in Judah
Assyria
is not victorious
this passage became linked with hoped
for messiah
he
too would herald in time of God acting on behalf of people of God
freed
from yoke of foreign rulers and corrupt kings and temple leadership
true
line of David will be restored
Matthew is using this to say
Jesus
is the fulfilment of these hopes
establishing
who he is before he shows how he does it
we here age 8 – all about miraculous
virgin births
Matthew is using it as size 8
prophecy
attached story of real events
come
to be attached to huge hopes for people God
and
Mathew says – for all creation
God is intervening
So how is God intervening this Christmas?
How is God intervening in our lives
How is God intervening in our city
How is God intervening in our world?
How is God bringing peace into our lives, our city, our world.
through people like Kai Aroha feeding homeless and others
people like Peter and Tommy at Te Tuinga Whanau
creating Tauranga Whare
work of Merrivale Community Centre
Whanau Aroha, especially the work of Leanne in Whanau
room
Centrepoint, in care we offer and money we give
God is intervening through each of these
and God is intervening through us
and the choices we make
actions we take
what we choose to pray for.
this Christmas - through presents we choose to buy
where they come from
groups
we choose to support
advert for CWS.
4. Love
This
week our theme is Love. During this week I invite you to take time at the end
of each day to give thanks for ways God with us has both brought love into your day; and through you brought
love into the lives of others. I also
invite you to reflect on what has led you away from love.
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