Luke 2:1-15 - "Angelic Message" (12-24-07)

The message was loud and clear! The shepherds were not confused about the message. “For unto you is born in the city of Bethlehem a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. They heard the message and paid attention! They went to see the baby born in a manger!

Guess what this means (tap out this Morris Code)

*--- * *** **- ***! Answer? Jesus!

Loud and Clear!!

In 1838, Samuel Morse could send 10 words per minute on what we know as Morris Code. Reginald Fessenden was was the eldest son of an Anglican minister. One hundred and one years ago in 1906 on Christmas Eve from his workshop in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Reginald sent a Morse message, alerting all ships at sea to expect an important transmission. When the telegraphers had assembled in their shipboard radio shacks, they heard the unimaginable: The sound of the human voice! The first ever a vocal radio broadcast, "Glory to God in the highest -and on earth peace to men of good will," then he played the song O Holy Night on the violin. Those who were listening that night were no less stunned than if a tree had talked to them. Earphones that had only ever carried Morse code were communicating the full range of sound.”[1]

We have expanded our communication abilities in the last one hundred years from the telegraph to the telephone to the answering machine and email and cell phones. If anything we have more messages being sent to us and bombarding us all the time. Messages are loud and messages are many! And maybe the Christmas message has been changed and the advertising has confused us about what the meaning of Christmas is all about.

“A woman was doing her last-minute Christmas shopping at a crowded mall. She was tired of fighting the crowds. She was tired of standing in lines. She was tired of fighting her way down long aisles looking for a gift that had sold out days before. Her arms were full of bulky packages when the elevator door opened. It was full. The occupants of the elevator grudgingly tightened ranks to allow a small space for her and her load. As the doors closed she blurted out, “Whoever is responsible for this whole Christmas thing ought to be arrested, strung up, and shot!” A few others nodded their heads or grunted in agreement. Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator came a single voice that said, “Don’t worry. They already crucified him.”[2]

This is the Christmas message the angels the night of the birth of Jesus was loud and clear! The angel is the ANNOUNCER, saying, “Fear not, I am bringing you good news of great job for all the people… a child will be born…a savior for all people.”

The recipients of this message were the shepherds! They are the garbage men of the day! They’re just trying to earn their keep working with in the fields smelling like the stinking garbage like sheep. To YOU is born this day…”

The message is given to all of us who have the smell of the stink of life upon them. I heard the message of the angels this morning as I sat eating breakfast! The sound of a garbage truck bringing good news! I chased down the garbage truck this morning! I heard him and ran three doors down and the last house on the street toward Broadway I’m pulling my garbage can. He dumped the last of three cans and I stood there. I forgot, do you mind? Sure! His only words! Sure! Then I looked at the neighbors.

The message is sent to us this night again. We who may feel like life stinks; that life isn’t worth living; that Christmas is too hard when you miss a loved one who isn’t with us for the first time at Christmas. You feel like junk and you don’t know how you the message will touch you again.

But you hope for reclamation. I discovered this fall that 1-800-GOT-JUNK! The Crystal Lake office is at 457 Coventry Lane, Suite 129B! This was our old church office between 1997 and 2001.

That even stuff that might not be considered worth anything is valued and treasured. Even when things are hectic and crazy, these words come directly to the shepherds and to us in our fields of working. The message was not whispered to just one but to many and to us it is communicated clearly, “For unto us is born this day in the city of David the savior.”

Let us pray: Gracious God, the message is loud and clear, Jesus is born to set us free from the power of sin and receives our junk and places it on the cross. Cause us to hear the message loud and clear.

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[1] Ralph Adrus, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=86661&ContributorID=13105

[2] K. Edward Skidmore, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=86202&ContributorID=11446

Luke 1:26-38 - "Angelic Guides" (12-23-07)

The angel told Mary she was going on a journey she never asked to go on. She was being led in a way that she didn’t plan. She was going to be guided in her journey in a step family that include Joseph as a step father to this son she going to give birth to who was destined to be a great man according to the angel.

Mary pondered what these words meant; she had an internal guiding conversation with herself about how she was a “favored” one, by God; a literal “dialogizomai” with herself. She’s thinking in a frozen moment in time what does this mean: why am I favored? Why would this angel visit me?

Have you ever talked with yourself? You have an inside voice and an outside voice when you talk with yourself. Some of the early church fathers thought that the angels literally dwelt in the soul. We’ve seen this manifested in the last 40 years in media that shows and angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other shoulder. There is an inner dialogue.

has been guided by what others have said about her in the past but now she will be guided by these words, even if she doesn’t completely understand quite yet.

After the angel told her about this child that will be born to her, Mary said, "I am the Lord's servant or slave; handmaid is the word; and she said “I am willing to accept whatever God wants." She was willing to surrender to her plans and trust that God would guide her. This message would over-shadow her like a rainbow in the midst of any future clouds. “But we should bear in mind that the angel’s glad tidings, as wonderful as they are, do not spell out the whole story.”[1]

These words she would ponder in her heart as Jesus grew up, as he would go off into the desert and then work miracles in the lives of those around them, and these words would guide her to Jerusalem with the hope of him becoming a star and these words she would ponder in her heart as they guided Jesus to a cross and these words guided her to their fulfillment on that Sunday morning when he rose from the dead.

This is what the angel meant… not a complete picture here in this moment but then they would all make sense. Oh how she would be guided in ways never imagined to that day. Oh but along the journey we may have clouds of fear hanging over our heads. We may have that internal diaolgueizomai about not feeling very favored at any given moment! Even when the guidance of loved ones is missing in our lives because of distance in geographical or emotional terms, their guidance was provided to us for a time but their words still overshadow us and guide us long after they have died and departed. The evil one in the Revelation 12:9 passage is called the “deceiver” which means this Satan or diabolic one is trying to lead astray and guide us with fear, sin, death and destruction. These clouds can often cause us to be guided into the hiding heart! But this angelic guide draws us out of the hiding heart into a journey of life; into a place of freedom that is not afraid and hiding; we are remind that we live under the “shadow of the Lord.”[2]

I was at Chili’s on Friday, went to prepare more for this angelic sermon. They were busy. I sat in a small booth for two and started to read a book for sermon preparation. Five minutes went by before I noticed and no one had come to take my drink order, I was thirst. Six minute, seven minutes, and then I began to have an internal dialogizomai; ten minutes and I would leave; eight minutes; nine minutes, ten minutes and I thought I would actually get up and leave. But she arrived and didn’t apologize and she even looked at me as if to plead for understanding. I told her I would like a soda and then said my meal preference before she could leave my table and enter into the abyss of serving others. The food arrived quicker than it took to order it but there was no fork, knife or napkin. I waited another minute and the inner dialogue was being guided to a place of frustration. I stopped her this time and asked and I was guided to the next part of the meal. Sermon preparation is so much fun I thought! Yes, I know what I’ll do, I was going to tip her less, yes 10% instead of 20%; but then I remembered that tip is often called gratuity; which comes from grace; charis in the greek; favored one; so 90% tip was left and then I realized that I needed to bring her good news in the midst of my un-favored day; so I took the bill and decided to write a note. What should I say, yes, “Glory to God in the highest…” no I can’t write that! I wrote, tip = gratuity = means grace: God’s riches At Christ’s expense! Merry Christmas!” Ten minutes of waiting verses the thirty three years of waiting for Mary until she is guided to that point in the life of this son of hers where peace to all people will be established. The angels will guide us until that day when all is clear!

Let us pray: Gracious God we ask you to guide us in this season to hear your voice calling out to us, leading us and guiding us; in Jesus name, Amen!

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[1] Watch For The Light, Johann Christoph Arnold devotion (Mary Knoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001), page 155

[2] Psalm 91:1

Matthew 11:2-11 - "Angelic Power" (12-16-07)

Elijah was visited by an angel and provided food when he was weak. He was being hunted down by Queen Jezebel and was going to kill him. He thought she was dangerous and ran. Yet the message of the angel gave him strength and power to continue his journey in his time of great weakness.

John the Baptist wasn’t afraid of King Herod and stood up against his power. John the Baptist wasn’t afraid to speak the truth to power, even if it meant getting thrown into prison. John’s faith in God was dangerous and he was thrown into prison for it. This messenger in prison perhaps became weak and afraid that the message he was preparing the way for wasn’t powerful enough to overthrow this dangerous King Herod. But now John is wondering about this Messiah named Jesus and how he would rescue the people from this dangerous and powerful oppression.

John the Baptist is tired and is looking to be saved from the imprisonment and tells his followers to go and ask if Jesus is the Messiah. They arrive and tell them about John. The cousin of Jesus is in prison and what does Jesus do and say?

Jesus responded not with theological explanation, pointing out that John is like Elijah and has a dangerous message of fulfillment! Also, Jesus didn’t tell them to be optimistic about John’s future, for John would soon be beheaded by this evil King. Jesus didn’t drop everything and go and rescue John from prison. Finally, Jesus didn’t tell them not to question in the midst of struggles.

Jesus told these messengers, “Go and tell John what they see and hear”. Here is the first angel reference of three in this passage. The Greek word for tell in the go and tell John is the word ap-angellos. What do they see? The blind see; the lame walk; the lepers healed; the deaf can hear and the dead are raised. But what do they hear? They hear that the good news is proclaimed to the poor – who are grateful for everything. The poor have the good news proclaimed to them; they are comforted with word; not that they are fed and given a home; but they receive the good news. Here is the second angel reference when it said that the good news proclaimed with the Greek word eu-aggelizoô. The poor are brought the angelic message. Only they are given words of comfort.

The only group here that has GOOD NEWS preached to them is the poor who are weak and have no power! Charles Spurgeon said, “Every impostor who has come into the world has aimed principally at the rich, and the mighty, and the respectable; very few impostors have found it to be worth their while to make it prominent in their preaching that they preach to the poor.”[1]

These disciples of John return with a message of hope to John who is in prison. They go and tell him what they see and hear! The angelic message is sent to John in prison with a poor and weak heart; in the midst of uncertainty and suffering; in the midst of struggle and fear. Jesus didn’t go and bring the message to John himself but sent these disciples to be the messengers of Good news to the cousin of Jesus while he was in prison. No guarantees the message would get through, a dangerous mission to be sent upon.

Then Jesus talked about his cousin, but he wasn’t just his cousin, nor was he just a prophet, Jesus said this about John the Baptist, ¹⁰‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you…” Here the third angel word is referenced in the word “messenger”, as the word is euangelizo is the Greek word. John was an angelic messenger sent to prepare the way, a dangerous mission that landed him in prison, for John the Baptist would soon be beheaded by this king. The messengers are sometimes not appreciated or welcomed. It’s dangerous being a messenger.

When I arrived at Lutheran General Hospital to visit Christi in the hospital, I thought I would get her something from the gift shop. I’m usually not very thoughtful but I went looking and found the Willow Tree collection of wooden figurines. I got her a little angel to remind her of God’s messengers all around her in her family, the doctors and staff of the hospital. It was actually called the “angel of hope”. Now I didn’t get it in order to harness the power of God’s angels to protect Christi. I wanted her to know that God’s angels will guard her through this healing process.

When we talk about the power of angels, we are not focusing on them in order to harness their power. We are not focusing on them to do what Shirley McClain’s website said, “Anyone can access their angels”.[2] The angels do not belong to us. They were created by God for God’s purpose. They are sent by God to us as we face the jails and imprisonment of life. They are messengers from God to set us free and tell us of God’s power that is protecting us. This message saves us, heals us that we might see a new future, we might walk with confidence into a new future; that we might feel welcomed into community instead of being ostracized.

We are to proclaim the angelic message to those around us who are weak and are not strong. We are let people know that they can be set free from the jail of fear; that they can be healed and to know that great miracles are happening all around us. This message is a dangerous message of God’s powerful love that brings good news.

Pastor Erwin McManis son went to church camp when he was in second grade for a two night overnight. His dad was about to leave his room after tucking him in one night after that. Erin said, “Dad, please leave the light on.” Why, his dad said? “The camp talked about demons that tempt us and I was afraid.” Erwin McManis dad-ness kicked in and he wanted to just tell him they are just pretend. What do you want me to pray for you? “Pray that God will keep me safe.” He thought about it, “I’m not going to pray for that, God will do that! But that God will make you dangerous and have a strong faith. So he started to pray, “Lord, make Erin dangerous.” His son broke in, “No dad, Lord, make me be very, very dangerous!”[3]

Let us pray: Gracious God, give us a faith that is dangerous and unafraid to speak your messages of hope. Grant us your strength and power to share that hope with others, in Christ we pray, Amen!

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[1] http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0114.htm

[2] http://www.shirleymaclaine.com/articles/spirits/article-258

[3] Illustration from http://www.woodburylutheran.org/media/angels_demons/angels_demons_20060122_s.mp3

Luke 1: 8-20 - "Angels Are Unbelievable" (12-9-07)

Zechariah is in the Temple working his liturgical shift for this one week of the year. The temple is a cathedral like worship space surrounding him and he is engaged in the ritual role of worship leadership.

A priest would usually serve for one week at a time, two times a year. There were so many of them that they would cast the lot/role the dice and he was chosen to go in and help with the morning incense offering in the temple court. This smell of incense would burn as a pleasing scent to ascend to God before and after the morning/evening sacrifice; it was a sweet smell.

He stood there in the temple and offered prayers of intercession for the people, for himself and wife. Zechariah has no child and he knows the agony of his wife’s prayers for a child. He is standing there praying when an Angel says, “Your prayer has been heard” and tells Zechariah of the pregnancy. He shall have a great joy and this child will be the joy for all people, the birth of John the Baptist. But Zechariah wants a sign for he is an old man and his wife is up in years. He has a hard time believing this message.

Then the angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.” It’s almost as if Gabriel is a little put off that Zechariah doesn’t believe him. Giving away his name as an angel demonstrates that he is one important angel and Zechariah better listen to him. When an angel is noted by name in the Bible, it happens only about 4% of the time in scripture. Gabriel

Now, lest we think the cute Angel Gabriel is some middle ages cute cherub that flies around bringing good news in a nice sweet voice, we should recall this verse of chastisement that Zechariah receives a punishment his not believing the messenger.[1]

This past week we were going over personality inventory with the teenagers in Crossroads youth group and I did a LISTEN TO ME moment like the angel! I told the teens that everyone has personality! THIS IS THE TRUTH! Don’t let anyone say or don’t you say that there is one type of personality that is better than the other. LISTEN TO ME!

Gabriel appears in Daniel 8:16 and Daniel 9:21 as the interpreter of his visions. He is often viewed as the angel of pronouncement, explaining what God’s plans are to those he is sent to.

GABR-IEL – GABER =From H1396; properly a valiant man or warrior; generally a person simply:—every one, man; IEL – from God (Michael; Daniel; Nathaniel). Gabriel is found in Luke 1:26 with the announcement to Mary about her pregnancy.

Gabriel is also listed in the book of Enoch (chapters 9, 20, 40) as one of the four archangels of God; along with Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel.[2]

But Zechariah didn’t believe the messenger. He doubts this good news. Zechariah struck mute (and perhaps deaf – see Luke 2:62) and comes out speechless from the temple and they say he’s seen something, perhaps an angel? His disbelief will be carried for nine months and eight days until the day of the circumcision and naming of his son when the name of his son “John” comes out. John the Baptist will be the messenger that prepares the way for ministry of Jesus! And no one will believe that messenger either!

Imagine a message so awesome that you can’t believe it or you can’t believe the one who is bringing the message. We say “GET OUT” nowadays to the messenger. “NO WAY”… Like the Caddyshack actor Bill Murray saying, “It’s unbelievable”.

Such a great message from a messenger is so incredibly difficult to accept sometimes because we just don’t believe that God would provide us a way through the difficult situation. We just don’t believe there will ever be any good news. We don’t believe even when something good is standing in front of us and disbelieve.

We remember the name angel is the name of their office not of their nature![3] They are ambassadors for God’s message that brings light and bears witness to God’s will for the world. During this Christmas season, we will often look at people in the eye and speak the truth to an unbelieving person! Like you and me, this message will leave us speechless. We don’t know what to say and we end up waiting during this pregnant pause until the message is born in us here and in eternity. This message is so unbelievable we don’t know what to say in response…

Let us pray: Gracious God, your grace is unbelievable and we are left speechless again and again. Send your message today that we might be believe, in Jesus name we pray, Amen!

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[1] J.C. Ryle from http://bromattsblog.wordpress.com

[2] http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T3615

[3] Augustine

Matthew 1:18-25 - "Angels in the Dark" (12-2-07)

What is more frightening than seeing an angel? What about a pregnant woman? Joseph wasn’t afraid of the angel that showed up, which is usually the case and the reason the angels usually say, “Do not be afraid”. The angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to marry Mary!

The angel didn’t say; Do not Fear, in a manner that reflected Joseph’s fear of angels but fear of making this decision to marry this pregnant woman whose child she was carrying wasn’t even his. He had decided to divorce her or break off the engagement privately without bringing any charges of infidelity against her. The night before he was “resolved” to take action, the angel shows up and gives him an alternative view of the situation. This happy time of engagement had turned dark and his fears were taking over his decision making abilities.

Darkness is all around us but we should not be afraid of the dark. During this time of year when the nights get longer and people are beginning to face the Christmas season and the New Year under the shadow of fear, we need to be afraid of the darkness.

For children who are afraid of the dark at times; parents should listen to their concerns; perhaps give them a tour of the room; acknowledge the fears and realize that there is nothing to be afraid, not even the dark for God’s angels are protecting us. There is the bedtime prayer with my children that goes like this: “Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the lord my soul to keep; the angels watch me through the night until I wake with morning light.

During this season of Advent, I am going to do a sermon series on angels. When people ask me if I believe in angels, I say “no.” I can’t say I believe IN angels but I believe in the one who has sent and continues to send angels to guard and protect us! People have either become so focused on angels that they worship them or they usually dismiss them altogether in the twentieth century as just a personification of a psychological connection with spiritual realm.[1] We believe angels exist! So, when it comes to angels, we first of all want to say that we do believe that Angels exist!

Secondly, we believe from a Biblical and Christian tradition that the angels fight for the church community and demons fight against the church community. We don’t believe that SATAN and God are on the same level. Angels fight for the will of God and demons (fallen angels) fight against God’s will in the world and our lives.

Finally, we believe that angels and people are two different created beings. When people die, they don’t become angels. We don’t believe God claims people, especially children to become angels in heaven. Please don’t tell parents who lose children that God needed another angel. They were created like us to praise God and are sent as messengers.

Here is an easy way to remember some of the characteristics of angels with the use of an anachronism.

A = Ambassador; angel is the name of their office not of their nature![2] When Jacob met an angel with darkness all around and the messenger was sent to engage him in dealing with his fear of seeing his brother for the first time since deceiving Esau. Genesis 32:22-31. In the Hebrew Old Testament, the word for angel is MALAK; meaning to dispatch as a deputy; a messenger; specifically of God, that is, an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher); ambassador.

N = Nameless; What are the two named angels in the Bible? Gabriel and Michael! They are used only about 4% of the time in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the word angel is used 95 times in Old Testament and they are never named four time and they usually referred to as the angel of God. In The New Testament, the word angel is used 98 times and again only four times is a name given. Michael is used 4 times in the Bible (Daniel twice and Luke twice) and Gabriel is referred to 5 times (3 in Daniel; 1 in Jude; 1 in Revelation). I think they are nameless the way children are sometimes named. My parents had nine children. My oldest brother was named John Paul Thomas; John for my grandfather and Paul for my dad. After Gabriel and Michael, they were probably too many to name. Remember, their purpose is to focus on the one sent. Jacob wanted to know the name of the angel in Genesis passage and the angel dismissed his need to name and claim.

The G = GOOD NEWS; the angels always brought an encouraging word; they brought a message, the good news as a word of hope in the life of the person in order to set us on a new course. The Greek word for Good news is euaggelion, which means message, gospel, sent, good news or evangelical.

The E = EVANGELICAL; take your bulletin and look where it says that we are a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Put your fingers of the EV and then over the ICAL. What do you read? ANGEL! We are a church that is evangelical, a word that means messenger or being sent with good news as an ambassador. Fifteen years ago today the ELCA sent Pastor Dennis and Beverly Heaney to bring a message of Good News to this community. We are now being sent with that same message and ambassadors or angels to others. You are a sort of like angel to others.

The L = LIFE; Only Jesus could save us from our sins, not the angels. They couldn’t defeat the evil one on their own and nor can we without the cross. The angels had to wait Good Friday and Saturday until Sunday morning and then just two of them were needed to role the stone away. Only Christ can defeat the evil forces that try to keep us in the dark. We receive this message of Christ so that we might not be afraid of the dark!

Let us pray: Gracious God, you continue to send angels to protect your church and guard us. Guide us this day as we hear the good news, the message of the angels that we need not be afraid, in Jesus name, Amen.

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[1] The Angels;

[2] Augustine

Other sources include: Angels by Douglas Connelly and In The Days of Angels by Walter Wangerin, Jr