December 4 2016 “Born Again – Safe” *Isaiah 11.1-10
Mathew 3.1-12 Pastor Jacqueline Hines
We continue our Advent season with words
from the prophet Isaiah. He is speaking to a world that longs for peace and
safety, [slide #
1 dove of peace] even while many choose
violence. We are to find comfort in Isaiah’s reference to the new life found in
roots and shoots and branches of a tree that has been cut down and is now only
a stump called Jesse. [Slide # 2 Verse 1]
Jesse is listed in Matthew chapter 1 as part
of Jesus’ family tree. [Slide # 3 stump ] Jesse was the father of King David of the
royal city of Jerusalem – the city of God. Jesse goes back about 28 generations
before Jesus. [slide # 4 genealogy list ]
Violent lifestyles rather than a
determination to participate in a [slide # 5 Kinder, gentler] kinder, gentler nation created an ugly spiritual atmosphere in Israel, generation after
generation. Creating an unholy atmosphere, [slide # 6 garbage] cut them off from God and made it easy for the
Babylonians to plunder Jerusalem and destroy Solomon’s beautiful temple nearly 586
years before the birth of Jesus, just as the prophets predicted.
In this world we can do anything we are
big and bad enough to do, but there is always a price to be paid. We can ignore
the small evils and injustices, but, sadly, if we forget to pay attention to
the details, trouble will follow. While growing up, my father would take note
of any five of us who got out of hand. He would chuckle and say to my mother,
“Anna, we’ve created a monster.”
We cannot control every aspect of our
life or the life of our loved ones and neighbors. We cannot live life
perfectly, but we must take [slide # 7 keep calm] the responsibility that is
ours to nurture the opportunities God gives us. Every day is a new day, born again [slide # 8 …born
again] with new opportunities to bring
forth some good.
How does God decide to allow a stump
that has been cut down to grow roots and produce branches again? [ slide # 9 man and
stump] Amazing wonders happen in spite of
incredible odds. We see flowers blooming in the dessert and trees bursting
through concrete. We see arrogant people repenting – turning around in order to
right a wrong. We see the church thriving and prospering when other businesses
are breathing their last. How does God decide to allow that which is cut down to grow again? [slide # 10 green bud]
History shows us that God works in the hearts and minds
and wills of humans. We saw
the collapse of apartheid, the falling down of the German wall, the end of
segregation, and the turning of a tide that persecutes people for their sexual
orientation. [slide
# 11 scales of justice]
When God looks at us, God sees us as
marvelous, precious, and beautiful. In each of us are the wonderful seeds of
greatness passed down from generation to generation. [Slide # 12 wonderfully made….] The mysteries of life are unfolded in each of our
hearts. Even when we cannot seem to get ourselves together, God is still good
to us. God is still working and growing great things in us so that we can know
that God is our source of the peace and safety we so desperately need.
Even when our lives, our family, our
country seems cut off and cut down [slide # 13 man on knees] we
have the hope of new life and we can grow into something great as a person, as
a family, as a country. Some of us know what it is to be cut off, yet the Lord
has helped us overcome great trials. We have lost loved ones but the Lord has
been our companion. We have been betrayed, cheated, ignored, but the Lord has
provided in abundance. We have suffered and the Lord has been our comfort,
holding our hand in the midnight hour.
The world may choose violence and death,
but we, the children of the Almighty are made safe because the seeds of
greatness within us are always producing life that leads to peace and safety. [slide # 14 seeds of
greatness] It is within us to be
motivated and driven by the Spirits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Having the spiritual strength to
forgive, to reconcile, and to use our talents and our gifts creates a more
peaceful and safe environment within and without. [slide # 15 safe place]
We all have the potential to grow as
powerful as the ancient prophets, speaking life, living life in ways that create life where life has been
cut off.
My family has its share of good news.
When we gather there is always laughter and encouragement. At the same, when I
get with them on the phone or on Facebook, I hear the back stories
and the incredible contradictions to our wholeness. When negative predictions
of the future come to my mind, I remember that there is power in prayer that
creates the future. Praying Christians [slide # 16 praying] do
not have to stand by helplessly and watch a situation being propelled by a
self-fulfilling prophecy. We do not have to just let things happen; we can pray
and get God’s wisdom to make things happen even when things seem impossible as Mark
Batterson New York Times best-selling author of the 40 Day prayer Challenge
reminds us.
It takes spiritual strength to stay
alive and grow. If you have ever had surgery, you know that your doctor will
not allow you to just go under the knife. You have to have some readiness and
strength. When I was in college, I had reluctantly signed papers for my dentist
to extract a tooth. He lined up all his tools and instructed me to say, “Ah.”
But, he wisely, noticed that a tear had begun to stream down my face and he
stopped the procedure. He knew I was not ready. [Slide # 17 ready?]
But, we are ready. We are ready to
invite others to church, knowing that 80% of new members come – not to hear
this wonderful choir or my great sermons. They come because you invite them. A
warm, sincere invitation goes a long, long way in this world. We are ready to
serve, not because we have nothing better to do, but because we want to keep
the body of Christ strong enough to take care of itself as well as minister to
the needs of others. We are ready to trust and obey the voice of God. We are
ready to let go and let God handle our sins and weaknesses because we know that
if we cling to sin, our heart will become hard and if our heart is hard toward
God, we will become spiritually hard of hearing, too.
We are ready to experience in our own
lives the sense of safety that Isaiah shows us in verse : 6The wolf shall
live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the
lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them…. [slide # 18 verse 6 wolf…] [slide # 19 lion and lamb]
When we intentionally, conscientiously
and deliberately decide to lock arms and work together, synchronizing, harmonizing,
uniting, agreeing to be one body, cherishing one another, knowing diversity
makes us stronger, then all things are possible as the kingdom comes. [slide # 20 unity
holding hands] Peace and safety will grow
from generation to generation, despite the odds.
The world may choose division and
devilment, but we have the power to build up what is torn down and to mend what
is broken. May it be so for us always. May the seeds of goodness and greatness
give birth in us again and again in our lives that we may know what it is to
grow safe in the arms of Jesus. [slide # 21 I died for
you] May we trust God to change ourselves
and our world until it is a safe place to be. [slide # 22 winner on red tape].
Amen [Slide # 23 dove]
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