December 14 2014 "Comfort - Act Compassionately

December 14 2014 “Comfort – Act Compassionately” Isaiah 61.1-4, 8-11 Jacqueline Hines

In this month’s sermon series, the focus is God’s comfort for God’s people. So, today, as every Lord’s Day, is a day of celebration. It is a day to [ #1 rejoice….]  “10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

Our God delights in us. Our God smothers us with love and kisses, especially on the Lord’s Day, especially when we gather as a family to celebrate the greatest love in the world. It is here that the Son shines on us and we grow. It is here that we are shaped and inspired to shine to the glory of God wherever there is darkness, to go into this world as God’s servants ready to serve wherever God lead us. It is here that we are spiritually smothered and literally covered with love and kisses.

We are all dressed up for this occasion! In fact, everything around us is dressed up. We have dressed up our homes for Christmas.  Businesses are dressing up. Our sanctuary is dressed up. And, we are all dressed up and ready to light up the world with miles of smiles.

We are especially dressed up in anticipation of the birthday party of our Lord and our savior. [ #2 Happy Bday Jesus ] We are wearing the garments of salvation and robes of righteousness. We are remembering one who was dressed in swaddling clothes. We may be wearing a choir robe, a clerical collar, or the colors of Christmas. You may have played a part in dressing up the altar, the sanctuary. December may be an important month to dress for spiritual battle or for bed to make up for all those sleep-deprived moments Christmas may bring, but the Lord’s Day is the day we are dressed for rejoicing in the presence of God who gave us the Son, the reason for the season.

Because we are dressed for a party, others notice. Truly others need to know that we are celebrating the joy and hope and faith that we experience all through the year. We need all the joy, hope, and faith that we can muster. So do many others around us.

This is a time of year when many gather to acknowledge that their Christmas is a “blue” Christmas. In addition to the many reasons to be grateful for the love that surrounds our life and the hope that God’s will is being done in us and around us, we also acknowledge that there have been some losses along the way and they still bring tears to our eyes. There are wounds that have not yet healed, and there are struggles that are just beginning. Some of us may need Christmas more than ever. It is a good thing that Christmas come as Christmas always comes, [ # 3 Merry Christmas - camels    ] to straighten something out and to build up something wonderful, to comfort with acts of compassion.

If you saw Jeopardy Friday evening, you heard this quote –    “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” The answer was  - who is the Dali Lama? As the most famous Buddhist monk, [ #4 Dali lama ]the Dali Lama speaks a truth that scientists universally affirm: Connecting to others in peaceful, positive, kind and compassionate ways feeds our brains and strengthens our minds and our bodies. God designed our love connection to bring us life.

This week’s news of a journalist committing suicide after reporting on Ferguson stunned me into remembering how emotionally debilitating some days can be. We can only wonder if those God assigned to light the way for him, agreed with God and chose to let their light shine.

Odds are good that the light within you will shine on the life of someone who is languishing in a deep, desperate, and dark moment. It may prove to be just enough light to bring hope or joy or faith or love, regardless of the twists and turns in their journey.

We need not feel guilty about our light, about how bright it is or is not or in what direction it shines or who does or does not benefit.  We need not worry or wonder about ANYTHING. We can simply BE the light God calls us to be. To be the light, let us remember at least three things.

First, in order to shine our light in the darkness, we need to have lots of hours exposed to the “son” light. Musicians that shine their light know that it takes from 10 to 50, 000 hours of practice to master their ministry. A solar lamp [ #5 solar lamps ] needs up to eight hours of sunlight in order to produce three hours of light in the darkness. If we are going to shine, we must be exposed to the source of light.

Secondly, in order to be the light this world needs to find the way to peace and joy, we must be willing to see with our own eyes and embrace with God’s heart those who are in the shadows, who are experiencing being the least, the last or the lost among us. [ #6 two embracing ] You’ve heard my story of doing a house blessing for a family whose son was plagued by heroin use. When I arrived at the home, I was overwhelmed by the emotion of God’s vast love for this son who was appetizing as road kill in the eyes of the world. Only God can guide us and help us share that level of love. It’s supernatural.

Thirdly, being the light of Christmas in this broken world means understanding that the Truth is the Light. [ #7 truth ]The truth is the light that guides us to great wisdom about what to do and what not to do. The truth is the light that reveals where God is and where God ain’t. [ #8 blue manger scene ] The truth is the light that connects us to a future filled with peace and joy and hope. [  #9 highway ].

May Christmas comes to your heart as it always does, to straighten something out, to build up something wonderful, and to comfort you in all your cares. [ # 10 blue manger scene with angels above ] Amen.