I'm going to run two "Build a Sermon" themes into this section this week. I may be able to include Rebecca and David's themes as well. Here is the Christmas Eve schedule
3:00 Rebecca and the Family Service
5:00 and 7:00 I am preaching the sermon and the bell and adult choirs are included. The themes is "What Would Adam and Eve Have to Do With Christmas?"
9:00 Rebecca will preach
11:00 David will preach
The theme related to Adam and Eve and Christmas is an interesting one. This is something I have never noticed until this year and it is an important part of the Christmas story.
If you look at the genealogies in Matthew and Luke you will find some interesting differences. Matthew traces Jesus family tree back to Abraham. Luke traces it back to Adam. I think the gospel writers are trying to tell us something.
I think Matthew is telling us Jesus was related to Abraham and Sarah and is tied into the Jewish tradition. He, and we, are special, unique, and we have an important tradition. The tradition goes back to the people of Israel, the Chosen People. It is a good thing to realize we are important and to claim our heritage. It gives us a sense of identity. Christmas does just that. It gives us a sense of being "chosen" of being "special" and Matthew wants us to understand that about Jesus.
Now, look what happens when we think about Luke's view of Jesus' genealogy. It goes back to Adam and Eve. It incorporates the entire human race. Our sense of specialness yields to the fact that we are, as Christian people, part of the human family. Our uniqueness and our chosenness is not an exclusive claim that we are better than other people or that we deserve merit or privilege. It means that our chosenness calls for us to recognize how we have responsibility for the whole human family. Jesus is related to Adam and Eve according to Luke. That means Jesus is heir to the entire human race and so are will.
The Christmas Eve sermon will claim our uniqueness and will move us toward inclusion.
Christmas Day sermon
December 25th
10:30
We will have only one service on Christmas Day this year. The sermon theme comes from the angel voices and the words, "Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth, peace, good will to those with whom God is well pleased".
What I'm struggling with is the concept that there are some with whom God is not "well pleased". I don't know who those people are or what we have to do to become one of those who does not "please God". This sermon is in its formative stage but it is posing an interesting question.
If you have thoughts on any of these issues write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
If you would like a "rough draft" if either of the sermons indicate that and I will email them to you. I have both sermons in a "very rough draft" state currently. I've been off a week and have had some time to work.
Charles Schuster
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1 comment:
There are times of discomfort for me, as well, over an allusion to God's nature that does not sit well-- such as the one you mention, where my all-loving God appears open to the prospect of being displeased with one or more of his
children (or maybe only pleased an "average amount", whatever that would be, as oppoosed to being "WELL pleased"! Is that kinda like cum laude vs. MAGNA cum laude?!)
In my younger Bible-studying days, when faced with such a passage, I might conveniently switch back to referencing the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, oftimes seeing in it, a greater "poetic license" and perhaps a greater, dare I say,
ambiguity, or at least affording a greater latitude for personal interpretation. For instance, here in the KJV it recites: "Peace of Earth, good will toward men." Of course, I would assume "men" refers to mankind, until my teen daughter takes me to task over such an interpretation -- "Where are the women in this verse?" I might be a little prone to snootiness and say that, of course, the KJV is older than the NIV, while intimating that the KJV, being of older ilk, must be closer to the original translation and intended meaning. At least that used to be my rebuttal, until
someone unintentionally displaced my convenient "reasoning" by telling me that the NIV was ALSO translated from original texts! Plus, I must note that God did not come off very pleased, as described in numerous instances in the Old
Testament story, to be sure, especially when read about in the KLV. Yikes!
My own faith and prayers tell me that God is well pleased with the core nature of Mankind -- made in His Image and Likeness, and that, with the Gift of His Son (as celebrated this time of year), He has given us every opportunity to
reflect His nature through our every thought, word and deed. My KJV also quotes Jesus as having given the command, "Be Ye Therefore Perfect." Well now, THAT is a mighty tall order, to be sure! Are all my thoughts, words and deeds perfect? Not by a mile, though, in my defense, I do think I, like all of us, have my nobler moments!
How foreign the idea can be to human beings, that God's Nature provides such a depth of unconditional Love that He has ALREADY provided a mechanism for forgiveness, even before we stray. Our job is to fully receive that forgiveness. To me, this shows the power of our Lord through Christ, the resurrection and the life.
PenDell Pittman
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