Love Finds a Way
I’m going to keep my remarks short this morning because the words I have for you are ones you’ve heard me say a hundred times before. But it never hurts to be reminded that we not only serve a loving God, but that God own self is love.
We heard words of God’s love this morning as we lit the fourth candle of Advent, when asked for a sign of God’s promise, the prophet Isaiah told Ahaz that a child would be born – a child of the Lord; of the House of David. A son to be named Immanuel.
In times of distress, in times of need, in times of want and worry – God renews his promise with us in new life; through new children – his own child, Jesus.
And we heard words of God’s love this morning as we welcomed children of our congregation into the full and adult life of the church. As Kayla and Sonia professed their faith and made their vows for all of us to hear.
In the voices of children who are no longer children we hear God’s love. With each of them seeing in the example of Jesus Christ love exemplified, love personified, love not only idealized, but love realized.
In Luke’s gospel this morning Mary learns that she is going to be the channel for God’s love – God’s child – in a most impossible way. And God’s people – straining under the yoke of Roman occupation, and straining under the corruption of their own leadership – are in an impossible situation, yearning for God’s hand to lift them up.
Well… for Mary and Elizabeth… for the people of Israel… for God’s people here in this church and around the world today… we are children of the impossible. We don’t just defy the odds sometimes. We don’t simply score the occasional upset. We are children of God, and with God nothing is impossible. In God, the things that shouldn’t be, that couldn’t be, things that have no business being – those things be. They are. They happen every day.
We see every day in a thousand different ways how God turns despair into joy. How God turns mourning into dancing. How God averts tragedy, turning fear into hope. And it’s not that our lives are always perfect and that nothing ever goes wrong, but that we know that we are never alone. That we pray and our prayers are answered. That we may know darkness, but have faith in the light ahead. We may know misery, yet in that misery, know that God’s love always finds a way.
That is God’s way. To pour love in through every tiny crack and rusty keyhole into our lives. Even when we think we’re totally shut out and alone. We can never be truly alone.
God’s purpose in our lives is to bring us hope, to bring us peace, to bring us joy, to bring us love in all things.
This is a message you’ve heard from my lips hundreds of times over now. The words change, but the story is still the same. We look forward to Christmas knowing that in the Christ child we find renewal. We find new life and new faith. We find generosity of spirit, kindness and compassion. We find God’s love pouring into the world, filling every nook and cranny.
So I’ll simply close this morning by asking you to embrace that love. Live into it. Look for it, receive it, and then share it. Remain open to God’s blessings, and bless others in turn. Amen.
Let us pray,
Holy Lord, for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ, we give you thanks. The love that you send into the world every second of every day is love that we have not earned, but that you give to us freely. Help us to remember that even in impossible times, nothing is impossible for you, and your great love fills your creation with wondrous opportunities. We pray in thanksgiving to you in the hope, peace, joy, and love of your child Jesus Christ, in whom we find our salvation and renewal. Amen.
I’m going to keep my remarks short this morning because the words I have for you are ones you’ve heard me say a hundred times before. But it never hurts to be reminded that we not only serve a loving God, but that God own self is love.
We heard words of God’s love this morning as we lit the fourth candle of Advent, when asked for a sign of God’s promise, the prophet Isaiah told Ahaz that a child would be born – a child of the Lord; of the House of David. A son to be named Immanuel.
In times of distress, in times of need, in times of want and worry – God renews his promise with us in new life; through new children – his own child, Jesus.
And we heard words of God’s love this morning as we welcomed children of our congregation into the full and adult life of the church. As Kayla and Sonia professed their faith and made their vows for all of us to hear.
In the voices of children who are no longer children we hear God’s love. With each of them seeing in the example of Jesus Christ love exemplified, love personified, love not only idealized, but love realized.
In Luke’s gospel this morning Mary learns that she is going to be the channel for God’s love – God’s child – in a most impossible way. And God’s people – straining under the yoke of Roman occupation, and straining under the corruption of their own leadership – are in an impossible situation, yearning for God’s hand to lift them up.
Well… for Mary and Elizabeth… for the people of Israel… for God’s people here in this church and around the world today… we are children of the impossible. We don’t just defy the odds sometimes. We don’t simply score the occasional upset. We are children of God, and with God nothing is impossible. In God, the things that shouldn’t be, that couldn’t be, things that have no business being – those things be. They are. They happen every day.
We see every day in a thousand different ways how God turns despair into joy. How God turns mourning into dancing. How God averts tragedy, turning fear into hope. And it’s not that our lives are always perfect and that nothing ever goes wrong, but that we know that we are never alone. That we pray and our prayers are answered. That we may know darkness, but have faith in the light ahead. We may know misery, yet in that misery, know that God’s love always finds a way.
That is God’s way. To pour love in through every tiny crack and rusty keyhole into our lives. Even when we think we’re totally shut out and alone. We can never be truly alone.
God’s purpose in our lives is to bring us hope, to bring us peace, to bring us joy, to bring us love in all things.
This is a message you’ve heard from my lips hundreds of times over now. The words change, but the story is still the same. We look forward to Christmas knowing that in the Christ child we find renewal. We find new life and new faith. We find generosity of spirit, kindness and compassion. We find God’s love pouring into the world, filling every nook and cranny.
So I’ll simply close this morning by asking you to embrace that love. Live into it. Look for it, receive it, and then share it. Remain open to God’s blessings, and bless others in turn. Amen.
Let us pray,
Holy Lord, for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ, we give you thanks. The love that you send into the world every second of every day is love that we have not earned, but that you give to us freely. Help us to remember that even in impossible times, nothing is impossible for you, and your great love fills your creation with wondrous opportunities. We pray in thanksgiving to you in the hope, peace, joy, and love of your child Jesus Christ, in whom we find our salvation and renewal. Amen.