Tuesday, December 26, 2017

7p.m. Christmas Eve Service - Christmas Prayers

Christmas Prayers – December 24, 2017 Christmas Eve 7 p.m. service Pastor Jacqueline Hines
In the midst of Christmas excitement and elation with its glitter and its glamor, we no doubt have found time to pray. We are praying people. Prayer, like Christmas, is part of our DNA. Just as it would take a long time and a lot of changes for us as a nation to stop celebrating Christmas, it would take a long time and a lot of changes for us to stop praying. We are a praying people. [slide # 1 man praying in pew]
We pray in many ways. We fold our hands or bend our knees. We sit in awe like angels, we whisper, we cry aloud. Sometimes we sing, or dance, we put our prayers into action on a mission.  The three things that matter most in prayer, as Pastor James McDonald put it, is a humble position, true contrition, and sincere petition. Whatever the quality or the quantity of our words, what matters most is our humble position, true contrition, and sincere petition. That’s what makes prayer real and deep before God.
Our prayers at Christmas, as much as in any other time of year, are constantly flowing consciously and unconsciously with every breath we take. Our Jewish brothers and sisters laid our foundation of prayer for every move that is made in life. [slide # 2 Jewish men praying] There are thousands of pages of Jewish prayers. There are prayers for going to sleep, prayers for waking up, prayers for wearing a prayer shawl, prayers for blessing God, for blessing of people, blessing of food, for healing, for help in a time of trouble, prayers to celebrate the harvest, prayers for God to clean our hearts, prayers for justice, prayers for peace.
On the foundation of our Judaic legacy, Christians also have developed a wellspring of prayer books, a river of prayer devotionals, prayers we memorize, silent prayers, and a host of hymnals for prayers that we sing with all our hearts - joined as one. [slide # 3 Methodist Hymnal] We pray day and night in order to see God’s will, to see our way through life’s journey, and to see each other through the eyes of God.
A brother Mormon [slide # 4 Mormon Temple] on a blog urges the Godly to study the life of Christ, to pray daily, and to see from the depths of our hearts rather than see only outward appearances, but to see what God sees.  Everything that looks like Christmas is not about Christmas. Prayer helps us to see what God sees. [slide # 5 keep Christ in…]
Perhaps the greatest Christmas prayer is the one that Jesus learned from his mother. [slide # 6 Mary sitting] When the angel came to Nazareth to tell Mary that outrageous, out-of-this-world story of God’s plan for her to bear a son who would be the Messiah – the anointed one, chosen to save the world – and God knows we all need saving – Mary said a special prayer from her heart. ‘Let it be done to me according to your word.’  [slide # 7 let it be done…]
And what did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, 50 miles away and 30 years later, ‘if possible, let this cup pass from me, but not my will but yours be done.’ [slide # 8 Jesus in prayer shawl]
The Christmas cups from which we drink are often so sweet. [slide#  9 boy with cup] But, from time to time we may have a taste of life that is bitter. [slide# 10 frowning baby] God knows and God cares. [slide # 11 Jesus hugging]
Talk to God both day and night, through thick and thin, during the bitter moments as well as the sweet ones, [slide # 12 if God brings you to it…]
and you are sure to see Christmas for what it really is – a time to walk in the light of God’s will, to be saved from our enemies, and to give our love to the God who never leaves or forsakes us. Amen. [slide #  13 love God…]


December 24 2017 Christmas Angel 8 30 and 10 45 a.m. services

December 24    “Christmas Angel” Luke 1.26-38  Pastor Jacqueline Hines
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There are so many angels in the bible. Thirty four of the Bible’s books are said to have angels. Angels always come with breaking news [slide # 1 breaking news] to help us move to the next spiritual level. We can imagine an angel coming to us, saying, “We interrupt your life with breaking news.” Then our ears perk up. How we respond depends on the nature of the news, of course.
In Exodus 3 the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire from a bush, [slide #  2 burning bush] saying ‘I’ve seen your misery and you are about to be delivered from slavery to freedom.’ After that angelic visitation, Moses decided to partner with God for the liberation of God’s people, who evidently were not in the biggest hurry to leave their current state of affairs.
An angel appeared to Jacob even though he had cheated his brother Esau out of his inheritance. He knew Esau was going to kill him, so Jacob ran for his life. He formed a caravan of all his family and his belongings – animals and all – and traveled out of sight to Bethel where he saw angels in his dream. They were going up and down a ladder to Heaven. [slide # 3 Jacob’s ladder] In Genesis 28 he heard God promising to bless him with land upon which to rest his feet and a wonderful family to surround him on that land. After seeing those angels, he pledged a tithe; he vowed to give God ten percent of his income.
In our text from Luke this morning, we read how as a young girl, Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel who told her just how special she was, in the same way that each and every one of us is special in some way or another. [slide # 4 Mary and Gabriel]
The angel told her the Lord was with her, and she was going to have a baby who was special in all the ways God designed him to be. After that conversation, she submitted her heart and soul to doing God’s will. She married a most wonderful and righteous man, and she became a great mother, faithfully following God’s plan all the way to the cross. [slide # 5 Mary at the cross with Jesus]
In Luke 2 there were shepherds living in a field when they heard that Jesus was born. It takes special skill to live in a field. It takes a special heart and special skill to take care of one animal much less several animals. [slide # 6 shepherds] Anna and Dorene and you folks who live with animals have what it takes to connect and care for God’s creatures.
In our vicinity, if there are people living in a field it is not because they are being dutiful shepherds. People living in fields, under bridges, in their cars, truck-stops, or hotels are not trying to be seen.
I learned recently that in Chester County there are over 500 persons who are homeless every night. [slide # 7 Hard times Hall] The average age is nine years old. Twenty-five percent are under age 17. The next level of homeless are ages 45 to 61. One organization has as a goal to end homelessness by 2022. [slide # 8 man with sign] They believe it is possible and when that long-expected day arrives, there will be a celebration.
Suddenly, the shepherds, who were living in the fields, heard a chorus of angels. The angels probably looked and acted like our Bethel choir, their halos were shining so bright, their voices ringing out to the glory of God. The angels told the shepherds that it was Jesus’ birthday, and they believed it, just like the choir stirs up our faith and we believe. The shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem to welcome the new born king which they had, no doubt, been expecting and preparing for all their lives. It was a part of their culture. The savior was finally here and they were so excited that the day had come.
Angels are messengers who bring breaking news that helps us take an important step in the right direction. Their words come as a special delivery [slide # 9 Fed Ex] whose arrival can be a pleasant surprise or a cause for concern. Most often special deliveries are expected and excitedly anticipated. Many of us order things on line or on the phone and when they arrive by mail, or delivery, or for pickup we usually get what we expect, and we get it in no time at all. Gone are the days when we would order something and read small print that says, “This takes 6-8 weeks to deliver.” There is even talk of drones [slide # 10 drones] delivering our purchases so that we can get them even faster. Speed is served slavishly, if not reverently. Fast is where it’s at. [slide # 11 Amazon]
Do you think there will come a time when one can speed up pregnancy to 9 days instead of nine months or the growing of asparagus to 3 days instead of 3 years?
Marketing is almost a religion these days. The competition for our dollars and our time is quite fierce and loyal. Corporations spend millions working to convince us to give up our cash; unfortunately they are not all above stealing, killing, and destroying in order to sell us a bill of goods.
Marketing can be a powerful magnet. [slide # 12 magnet ] We are drawn and tempted and easily persuaded to go mindlessly in various directions like a puppet. [ slide #  13 puppet]  
Once I bought a magazine and read it from cover to cover. I saw an ad on television for that same magazine and bought it again. The advertising drew me in, but evidently the contents did not match what I was really looking for. Such simple experiences remind us how easily we can be roped into certain ideas and how important it is to think and reflect about the choices we are inclined to make.
Marketing magnets draw because opposites attract. It is the same in relationships. As one counselor put it, sometimes we think we are in love when really the bump in one head fits perfectly into the dent in another head. It is not really love from above, but more like a falling in love – and falling is not usually a good thing. [slide # 14 falling ]
The evil of this world naturally seeks out the God in us, tugging, clinging, pushing, pulling, hoping to win us over. In the process, we may get stuck in an unholy rut, mired in the mayhem of mean mud, captured by some despicably cagy enemy – like a computer hacker or overseas financial scammer. When the time is right, that is when the fullness of time has come, God dispatches angels on our behalf to lead us to places that ultimately fulfill the deepest desires of our hearts. [slide # 15 angel on a bridge]
The story is told in Guidepost [slide # 16 Guidepost mag] of a 9 year old girl named *Rachel who was surrounded by guardian angels. She went into the hospital for surgery and when the doctor came out, he was not smiling. She had a tumor that they discovered had probably started growing in the fall.
The fall season was about the time her mother saw her in the back yard swing, transfixed, staring in space, looking up, her eyes wide and her mouth open.
She ran out to her daughter, thinking she’d had a seizure or something. But by the time she got out there, she was smiling. “Mommy,” she said. “I just saw an angel!”
A while later, it happened again. They were heading home, driving across a busy bridge. Rachel’s mother said, “I just happened to check the rearview mirror and saw her looking out the window with the same expression. “Rachel,” I said. “What are you looking at?”
“Can’t you see them?” Her eyes were wide with wonder. “See what, Sweetie?” “They’re everywhere. All around us.  Mommy!”
She described the angels as male beings with shining faces, wearing white robes with gold cords around their waists. “Not cords of cloth,” she carefully explained to me, “but real gold. And Mommy, their feet don’t touch the ground.”
I was in awe of the angelic visitations and grateful for the peace she said they brought her. But it also troubled me. What was going on? Why Rachel? Why now? She was a very special child, using her allowance to buy bibles for those who needed them and making prayer pillows to be sent out to the foreign mission field.
When I went in to get her after her treatment, she leaned close to me. “The angel came back,” she whispered. “He was there the whole time I was on the table, and this time he smiled at me. Then, when you opened the door, he left. Mommy, he was so comforting.”
That evening her cousin and inseparable best friend Katie, spent the night at our house. The two of them were upstairs in Rachel’s bedroom reading the Bible, and John and I had settled into the living room, when suddenly Katie came flying down the stairs, trembling with fear. All she could blurt out to us was, “Rachel!”
We raced up the stairs, dreading something terrible. When we got to her doorway, there Rachel was, transfixed like she’d been on the tree swing and in the car—wide-eyed and looking up, her mouth open.
Then our daughter turned toward us and began to cry. “Mommy and Daddy,” she said, “the angel said my name! He said it like no one’s ever said my name.”
Katie told us that she hadn’t seen the angel herself, but that she had started trembling when she felt the presence in the room.
When Rachel passed away, her mother was unbearably grief stricken and a little angry that Rachel’s healing did not happen on earth and that there were no angels around to comfort her like there were for her daughter. She could not even feel God’s presence, but the ladies of her church came to her house every Monday for two years to bring food, fellowship, help around the house and make sure she got some fresh air. Eventually, she decided that they, too, were angels sent by God.
Over half the bible talks about angels. If we think about it, we can probably find angel stories in over half of our lives. We are all just that special to our creator. Every angel knows us by name and we can hear the echoes through time of Gabriel saying in verse 30 “Do not be Afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Or as the Living Bible translation says, “30 “Don’t be frightened, Mary,…for God has decided to wonderfully bless you!” [slide # 17 Do  not be afraid….]
God speaks to each and every one of us. All of us are special. So when God interrupts our lives with breaking news in order to bless us in ways that are out of this world, may we hear in our hearts an angel say, “Do not be afraid, for God has decided to wonderfully bless you.”  
On our way to Christ being born again in our lives this Christmas, may we find bigger ears for listening and hearts open wide enough to receive God’s great love for each of us. Amen. [slide # 18 Merry Christmas]



Sunday, December 17, 2017

December 17, 2017 "Christmas Joy"


December 17, 2017     Christmas Joy * I Thessalonians 5. 16-24 Pastor Jacqueline Hines
You have heard that song that gets us all moving:
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy [slide # 1 I’ve got the joy…]
Down in my heart, Down in my heart,
Down in my heart,
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy  [slide # 2 leaping for joy]
Down in my heart,
Down in my heart to stay.
I’ve got the love of Jesus…. [slide # 3  I’ve got the love…]
I’ve got the peace that passes understanding…. [slide # 4 I’ve got the peace…]

Down in my heart. That is where it should be. Down in our hearts to stay, and it should stay there always.
Whatever journey we are on, we need the joy of the Lord because the joy of the Lord is a primary source of strength for the Christian. [slide  # joy….sheep]
Paul spent about three weeks with the church in Thessalonica. [slide # 6 Greek church] No doubt, he preached and taught. This letter shows that Paul taught the church in Thessalonica to rejoice always. The words that follow in his teaching show us just how we can rejoice always.
In verse 17 he says “pray without ceasing.” That is talk to God about everything and God will surely guide us and give us insights and comfort so we can endure anything that comes our way. It is good to pray and ask God for help when we go to the doctors, when we talk to someone that is hard to talk to, when we need ideas on how to fulfill a dream, when we need moral, physical, or spiritual strength to do good. [slide # 7 God wants to talk…]
Verse 17 says pray and we know how prayer can lead us to joy. Verse 19 says do not quench the spirit; when the fires of good are glowing in us and around us, we need not pour a bucket of water on it. It is good to be a fan of God’s good work and fan the flames and decide to be a part of whatever God has planned. God’s plan always includes some joy. God’s plan may leave room for many challenges, but as Psalm 20 says weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning. [slide # 8 joy comes.. ]
Next, Paul says in verse 20 we should not despise the words of the Prophets. Prophets are anyone who speaks God’s truth to direct us. Though it is up to each of us to decide the answer to Pilate’s question, “What is truth?”, we are still responsible for responding to God’s truth whether we care about it or not. [slide # 9 prophets speak]
If we ride through a stop sign [slide # 10 bus/stop sign] or loiter too long in a park after sundown, [slide # 11 sundown/man] we are responsible whether we care or not. We are held accountable for our trespasses against God and God’s creation. The Spirit tells us what to do and where to go in ways that take into consideration who we are. We are all unique and God deals with us individually.
There is no one who speaks to us more than the Holy Spirit speaks to us. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the scriptures, through circumstances and through persons God chooses to use whether for a moment or for a lifetime. Listening to God’s word will enable us always to find a reason to rejoice. [slide # 12 balloons]
After all of Paul’s teaching – reminding the church to rejoice always, to pray, to not quench the spirit and to not despise the prophets who speak on God’s behalf, Paul continues to offer the hope that God – the God of peace - would sanctify them, set them apart in loving arms, [slide # 13 wrapped in Jesus’ arms] for a good work that is pure and holy and special.
Furthermore, Paul suggests in verse 24 that God will do that, [slide # 14 God will do this] will sanctify those who want to be sanctified and set apart. When God calls us aside for a special job, assignment, blessing, or sacrifice, joy is always a by-product. [slide # 15 there is joy…]
Every day, we can hold on to the fact that joy is a part of the journey. We can hold on to the fact that God is with us, will never leave us, and loves us more than we can ever fathom.
You have heard the story written by Dr. Seuss, the son of German immigrants. [slide # 16 Dr. Seuss] He wrote How the Grinch Stole Christmas. For whatever reason, perhaps a heart that was too sizes too small, the Grinch did not like Christmas. [slide # 17 How the Grinch/book] So, he stole all the gifts, all the toys, and all the food from the little town called Whoville. He was sure there would not be any Christmas if nobody had any stuff. Then he got a surprise on Christmas day.
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?"
"It came without ribbons! It came without tags!"
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store."
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" [slide # 18 grinch at table]
So it is, Jesus is the reason for the Season[slide # 19 crèche]   and good Christians can rejoice always because Christmas always comes whether we care or not, whether we are ready or not, [slide # 20 are you ready…]in spite of what we have or don’t have. It is Christmas, and Christ is with us, enabling us to rejoice. Amen. [slide # 21 …love in the heart…joy in the home]
         


Monday, December 11, 2017

December 10, 2017 Christmas Comfort

December 10   2017 “Christmas Comfort” *Isaiah 40.1-5, Psalm 85. 8-13 Pastor Jacqueline Hines


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The prophet Isaiah hears God’s command to comfort, not once but twice, comfort, Oh comfort, my people. Comforting is a human reflex, for those who are human. Have you ever had your doctor take a little hammer, hit you in the knee, testing your reflex. [slide # 1 hammer/knee]
If the doctor sees a knee-jerk reaction, an automatic response, the doctor is pleased because it means that the segments of the spinal cord - L2, L3, and L4 are functioning in a way that they should. If your leg does not go up when the hammer goes down or if the leg goes up more than once, or if the leg stays up, then the doctor will conclude there is a problem.
Comforting others is a human reflex. Every day we are apt to run into someone whom we can comfort, whom when we hear God’s emphatic voice, “Comfort, Oh Comfort” my people, we move. It is then that our reflexes are tested and we find the right nerve to ask God to help us respond in ways that bring relief, that help someone bear their burden as we share kindness, tenderness, laughter, and joy. Comfort is what makes us human and defines us as Christians.
When God calls us to comfort someone, we draw closer to them, close enough to see their brow wrinkled in pain, tears trickling down their cheeks, their hands clenched in fear, their eyes looking down at the floor, their chin low to the ground. When we are comforted, we are comforted by someone who is able to hear the sadness in our voice, the despair in our heart, the gasping in our lungs, the longing in our life, and God’s word crying out, ‘Comfort, oh comfort me…comfort her, comfort him, comfort my people…in their distress.’
Thankfully, comfort can be contagious like crying, [slide # 2 baby crying] or laughing [slide # 3 laughing lady] or yawning, [slide # 4 yawning baby] or a sports wave. [slide # 5 sports fans]
Isaiah hears God’s call to comfort the people. We all hear that call and we all answer. We saw that at Bethel last week as we showered the veterans with Christmas Carols, gifting them with 100 scarves with a patriotic emblem; they shared their grateful smiles and tears of joy that God had not forgotten them and that their service and sacrifice were honored and appreciated. [slide # 6 two veterans embracing]
We heard the call Wednesday to comfort when we shared a community meal with persons most of whom we had not met before, but who are clearly known by God, precious and beloved. [slide # 7 community meal]
Our kindness brings comfort. A couple from Central New York lost their home after Hurricane Irene in August of 2011. [slide # 8 destroyed house] They returned to what was left, slipping and sliding from room to room in the mud that was everywhere; their refrigerator had blown over and was blocking the door between the kitchen and the living room. An antique organ and sewing machine used for quilting were part of the rubble, bringing tears and feelings sadness.
The couple prayed to trust God. When the pastor assured the congregation “God is at work even now,”   [ Slide # 9 God is…]  they wanted to believe that but questioned - what exactly was God doing? A neighbor told them about a community café that was especially set up in a hall in a hall for this emergency situation. People would go there and bring food for those who had come to clear out some of the wreckage of their homes.
The community café served lunch daily for months and months. Countless people who heard God’s call to comfort came with an endless supply of food. All could see that the hand of God was working even in the midst of chaos and despair. The couple knew they were going to be ok. Kindness comforts.
Verse 2 tells us a particular way we should show comfort. [slide # 10 speak tenderly] “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry out to her that she has served her term that her penalty has been paid.”
Words comfort. You may have read the story in this week’s Daily Bread of a high school sophomore who worked in a bowling alley. The custodian called out sick and the young man mopped the muddy tile floors and did not tell the boss. He wanted his good deed to be a surprise.
The next day he showed up for work, he stepped into the door and saw several inches of standing water with bowling pins, rolls of toilet paper, and boxes of paper scoresheets bobbing on top. It turns out that when he mopped the floor, he left the faucet on and water was running all night long. He was amazed and no doubt relieved when his boss met him with a smile and a big hug. “That’s for trying!” he said.
Words comfort.
In verse 3 another voice cries. It specifically cries out in every wilderness – [slide # 11 cries in the wilderness] you know – the wilderness of disease, divorce, death, treason, betrayal, and aborted promises. A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, [slide # 12 prepare…]
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God…”
Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all people shall see it together,

When our souls are languishing in the wilderness of disease, divorce, death, treason, betrayal, and aborted promises, we don’t think of preparing the way of the Lord. The first thing on our minds is not always straightening ourselves out – morally, emotionally, physically, psychologically with the help of the Lord. Much of the time, what we do in the wilderness is wander around in circles and listen to ourselves cry and complain and carry on. We may do so for many years. Sounds familiar.
If we want to comfort each other in the wilderness and if we want to receive God’s comfort, we must just do it. Like Nike says, “Just do it.” Make the time, make the sacrifice, make it happen. Comfort, oh comfort! That’s what I see when I see you all going from person to person on Sunday morning to see how someone is doing. That is what I see when I know someone has gone to a widow’s house to bring Thanksgiving dinner and a family is planning to spend Christmas Day making a wonderful meal and bringing it to a homeless shelter, sitting down with them and feasting together on the goodness of the Lord.
If we want to comfort and be comforted with the guidance of the God of ALL comfort, we are taught not only to comfort but to ALSO do something that is not always so comfortable – that is to prepare the way of the Lord no matter overwhelming it seems. Those of you who are preparing for families and guests coming at Christmas probably have an impossibly long list of washing, cleaning, baking, and shopping to do.
Our need to prepare, cries out to us as we journey through the deserted wilderness. [slide # 13 desert wilderness] The cries are unsettling reminders of our urgent need to get ready and get going to the place God has for us. It is not always comfortable because the journey is not about us. Our comfort alone, is not God’s highest priority. In this world, Jesus says we will have tribulations, but be or good cheer, for I have overcome the world.
When we come to God’s word and meditate and pray and come to worship and to bible studies and study groups, [slide # 14 bible study] the Spirit moves in us, through us, around us and we hear God’s voice in multiple ways. We hear where we need to prepare ourselves for more blessings that we need to receive and give, more wisdom to maneuver through the pitfalls or more emotional and spiritual fortitude to climb the mountains that we must climb to reach the promises of God.
In this season of Advent – we prepare because Jesus is NEAR. At Christmas – we will celebrate because Jesus will be HERE. [slide # 15 Advent candles]
May we find all the comfort we need to receive and to share and may we be prepared and ready for Christmas. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.  Amen. [slide # 16 Amen…]


December 3 2017 "Christmas Light"

Dec. 3, 2017 “Christmas Light” Mark 13.24-37   Pastor Jacqueline Hines
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Just when things seem like they cannot get any worse, there are those days that things do get worse. On television, radio, Facebook, twitter, and emails, we hear news that goes from bad to worse in the world. Sometimes we hear news that goes from bad to worse among our friends and family, our neighbors, from our doctor, job, our spouse, our children.
The gospel of Mark says, “In those days after that suffering…” Mark is referring to a spiritual season of dire needs and great distress that is yet to come. Mark’s references suggest a time of terror and tribulation that is on its way. This terrible time may be caused by corrupt politics, poor economics, or tumultuous emotions. As if it were not bad enough to have one’s world turned upside down, Mark is describing how even the earth itself will reflect, will mirror, humanity’s struggle with evil.
“In those days after that suffering,” verse 24 continues, “the sun will be darkened, [slide # 1 “…the sun will be darkened…” ]and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”
Unsettling situations are no real surprise to Christians. Just like the coming of spring and summer, [slide # 2 flower bud] we see the signs of trouble. We feel anguish coming just as we may feel rain coming when our joints ache. We see warnings in our dreams [slide # 3 warning signs] to obey good and not evil. When we keep our weather eyes open, we can often see the enemy lurking in the spiritual atmosphere and we know to call upon our God for help and direction.
Mark reminds us that there are signs in our natural lives that help us see and prepare for what is coming in our spiritual lives. Verse 28 says [slide # 4 fig tree] 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. [slide # 5 good sign] 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 
Again, as verse 24 says, “the sun will be darkened, [slide #6 dark sun] and the moon will not give its light,…”We do not know when trouble will come or when the final Tribulation will come before the end of all time. Mark tells us :32“But about that day or hour no one knows, [slide # 7 no one knows] neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 
We do not know the exact moment when troubles will come or when the time of Tribulation before the end of the world as we know it will begin. What we do know is what the Apostle Peter says in chapter 2: that God brings us out of darkness into a marvelous light. [Slide # 8 he has called you…]
No matter how grey the clouds get, no matter how low and fast they swirl around threatening in our direction, we know God will send the light of Christ. [Slide # 9 light of Christ] The Christmas light shines so we can see our way to God’s promises of peace and joy. 
We have all seen days when clouds covered the sun. Before a storm, light may disappear and the darkness seem foreboding; it is as if evil is in the air.  
Well, whenever evil seems to be in the air, by faith we know that God is greater than evil. [Slide # 10 blue lighthouse] Here is a riddle for you: What is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you’ll die. What is it?
The answer: Nothing. Nothing is greater than God, nothing is more evil than the devil, the poor have nothing, the rich need nothing and if you eat nothing you’ll die.
By faith, we know that God is greater than evil people, evil diseases, and evil actions. God is greater than anything.
When hunger comes, [slide # 11 soup bowl] we do not like it, but God provides food, even if it is a crumb that we can share. [Slide # 12 bread basket]. When drought comes, we do not like it, but God sends water, even if it is not the 80 gallons that we Americans are used to every day for flushing, showering, washing clothes, cars, and dishes. [Slide # 13 gallons of water]
When warfare comes, we do not like it, but God sends peacemakers, even if God uses us by helping us to let go our resentments and grudges and to make a choice to love in ways that repair the brokenness of others. We may be the ones God uses to bring peace when we forgive our trespassers [Slide # 14 two in a gap] and show kindness to those who spitefully use us.
Some of us do not appreciate winter and our time change that makes darkness comes so early. Fortunately for us, we can count our blessings, one of which is that the light always returns in the morning. [slide # 15 bright sky white clouds]
Even for those around the world who live with more dark times and dark situations, [slide # 16 mother with child after bomb] God provides light for which to be grateful and for which we are praying that all will have. [slide # 17 with Jesus at the cross]
There are those who live in parts of the world that literally have fewer hours of daylight than we are accustomed. During certain winter days, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada may see no light or as little as 4 or 5 hours of daylight which is hard for many of us to imagine or accept. [slide # 18 dark street]
There are those who endure spiritually dark days with not enough food and water, or their home is in a battle zone, or they are responding to disease and distress that takes all their time and most of their money…
Most of us would prefer more light than darkness. I would not mind spending time in Yuma Arizona where all year round there are 11-13 hours of daylight and every day has a 90% chance of being a sunny day! [slide # 19 Yuma]
Whether we are living in the darkest days of our lives or the sunniest, God promises to be our light. It’s Christmas and we are happily surrounding ourselves with all kinds of glowing reminders of the light of Christmas. [slide # 20 Christmas tree, red bow]
We put Christmas lights everywhere; they are bright candles, shiny ornaments, stars glimmering and trees toppling over with an abundance of light. Christmas light is a powerful light because we light them passionately. We light them religiously in preparation for Good News. We light them in anxious anticipation of the coming of Christ, the coming of light, the coming of love….mmm….love!
Russian-born Irving Berlin wrote the song “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.” He wrote it in 1942 during World War II for a movie with Bing Crosby singing. Crosby’s character was a New Yorker stranded in sunny California during Christmas. [slide # 21 snow scene/house] He was dreaming of the winter snow he knew in the North, the snow that made it really feel like Christmas, the snow that reflected the beautiful lights and reminds us of precious Christmas memories made year after year after year.
The song ends with the blessing: “May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white.” We can understand how the words of that song and many other Christmas songs      brought hope during the darkness and fear that came with World War II. Christmas songs are a part of what lights up our lives before, during, and after Christmas. [slide # 22 several lit trees and couple walking]
In every season, we need Christmas lights, for it is the light of Christmas light that always comes and makes the darkness vanish. It is the light of Christmas that helps us see our way through anything and everything![slide # 23 man walking in light] Amen. [slide # 24 lights]     [slide # 25 lights/church/snow]