Sinner & Saint

Nothing makes me more anxious, the good kind of anxious, the kind of anxious that is synonymous with hope, than seeing the words, “Out for delivery,” on my Amazon account.

“Out for delivery” means that a package I ordered will be at my house any minute now.

Seeing those three words causes feelings of excitement to take over my heart, adrenaline to start pumping, and endorphins to be released.  For me, the words, “Out For Delivery,” have the power to turn any frown upside down into a smile.

Once I receive this message that let’s me know an item that I ordered is on the way, I begin to pace back and forth in front of the window that looks out upon my driveway and I check the minute-by-minute updates on my phone that tell me exactly where my package is at any and every second.  Kind of OCD, I know.

Patience is called a virtue.  But, for me, patience goes out the window when I am told that something I am waiting for is “Out For Delivery.”

During Advent, the season of waiting for Christmas to arrive with all of its gifts, we are told that God’s Savior is “out for delivery.”  

After hearing those three words we wait for God’s promise of salvation, that comes wrapped up in the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and righteousness, to arrive on our doorsteps.

Many years before God sent Jesus out for delivery, one of God’s messengers, the prophet Isaiah, told us about the coming package that God sent to us.

Isaiah describes the coming gift of a Savior by telling us what we can expect when He arrives.

Isaiah says,

[2] It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the LORD

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be lifted up above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

[3] and many peoples shall come, and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

[4] He shall judge between the nations,

and shall decide disputes for many peoples;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war anymore.

[5] O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the LORD. (Isaiah 2:2–5, ESV)

Jesus, God’s special delivery, comes to you to make peace with God for you through his life, death, and resurrection.

When Jesus arrives on your doorstep and enters into your life on Christmas morning, you can expect peace to be yours—peace with God and peace with others.

During Advent be anxious, the good kind of anxious, the kind of anxious that is synonymous with hope, and expect to receive God’s promise of peace that comes through forgiveness, eternal life, and righteousness.

Amen.
Pastor Fred.

December 16, 2019

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

— Luke 2.8-11 —

Every maternity ward in every hospital has a space labeled, “Family Waiting Room.”

This is the place that smiling sisters, beaming brothers, grinning grandparents, anxious aunts and overjoyed uncles, wait with expectation for the doctor to bring the good news of great joy, “For unto you this day, a baby has been born into your family.”

In the same way that sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, wait for a new life to be brought into their family, the shepherds out in the field, around 2000 years ago, were also waiting for a new life to be brought into a family—God’s family.  They were waiting for God’s promise of a Savior to be fulfilled.

However, on this particular night, the wait was over. 

Just as a doctor comes bursting in with the good news of a baby’s birth, God sent angels to burst into the lives of these men working with their sheep.  On this night, the angels proclaimed that a baby had been born and that baby was Christ the Lord. 

This was good news because for thousands of years, people waited, watched and kept their ears close to the ground to pick up on any murmuring that would let them know that God was doing what He said He would do.  What did God say He would do? God said that He would provide a way for sins to be forgiven, eternal life to given, and righteousness to be imputed.

God promised that sinners would be made into saints.

When Jesus was born and God’s promise was fulfilled there was great joy because salvation was now possible.  Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, sins would be forgiven once for all. There would be no more working for or sacrificing to earn God’s love. Through faith in Jesus, the gifts of peace, hope, and great joy are freely given.

Jesus has been born and He is the one that will save men and women from their sins (Matthew 1.21). He is the Christ. He is the Messiah.  He is the Chosen and Anointed One.

We are saved by the first Advent, the first coming of Jesus.

But, now we continue to wait for the second Advent when Jesus will return one final time to make all things right and new for us.

As we wait, like the shepherds in the field, let us count the Lord’s patience as our salvation (2 Peter 3.15).

Amen.

Pastor Fred.

December 9, 2019

https://vimeo.com/376679298