Reflection on Isaiah 43:1-7 and Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

 

Isaiah 43:1-7

 1 But now thus says the Lord,

  he who created you, O Jacob,

  he who formed you, O Israel:

 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

  I have called you by name; you are mine.

 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,

  and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

 when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

  and the flame shall not consume you.

 3 For I am the Lord your God,

  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

 I give Egypt as your ransom,

  Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

 4 Because you are precious in my sight

  and honored and I love you,

 I give people in return for you,

  nations in exchange for your life.

 5 Do not fear, for I am with you;

  I will bring your offspring from the east,

  and from the west I will gather you;

 6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,”

  and to the south, “Do not withhold;

 bring my sons from far away

  and my daughters from the end of the earth—

 7 everyone who is called by my name,

  whom I created for my glory,

  whom I formed and made.”

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

 21 Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Reflection

Just take a moment and listen again to all of the wonderful promises from God that can be found in Isaiah 43:1-7.  And, as we listen, remember that all of these promises were given to a people who had been cast out from their own land by God because they had failed to connect with one another and had failed to love one another, especially the lowly.  These promises were given to a people who were suddenly forced to live as foreigners in a strange land.  They did not know how to speak the language of the strange land.  The food of the strange land did not sit right on their tongue or in their stomachs.  The new customs were strange and sometimes indecipherable.  But these promises from God ring out as God’s people are finally called to come home.  Here are just a few of these mighty promises:

The one who created you says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 43:1).

“I have called you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (Isaiah 43:2).

“When you walk through fire you shall not be burned…For I am the Lord your God” (Isaiah 43:2-3).

“You are precious in my sight” (Isaiah 43:4).

“I love you” (Isaiah 43:4).

“Do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:5).

“I will bring your offspring,” bringing them back home (Isaiah 43:5).

Are not those promises awesome?  We could spend an entire sermon on each one of them. 

Such as: God’s promise to be with us through the waters not only speaks to times that we are drowning in life, but it also intimately connects our overwhelming struggles with God’s ancient people.  And it connects us to the time that God brought God’s people through the waters of the Red Sea and then through the waters of the Jordon River, walking on dry ground, in order to be brought back home to God.

And, “You are precious in me sight” is something that a mother or father whispers to their baby as they rock the baby to sleep, feeling the warmth of the baby’s body soak into their hearts forever.  God’s connection to us is like that.

And, all of the language about bringing “your offspring,” in other words, “you children” home really speaks to us when we feel separated from our children, or we lay awake at night because our children seem to be headed off in the wrong direction and there is nothing that we can do.  The promise that they will come home is the answer to so many parent’s prayers.

It reminds me of an old, old sermon that predates me, and I know for certain that you have heard it over the years.  But I am going to tell it again because it a sermon that preaches to all those who have been called home by God.

A minister had just closed a revival in a huge Midwestern city. He stepped on the train on his way home and found himself seated beside a young man. Just to kind of pass the time away, he tried to start up a conversation. He noticed that he didn't receive an answer. He turned to the young man and said, "Son, I'm a preacher. I'm a minister. I'll be glad to help you any way I can".

And the young man, through his tears, proceeded to tell his story. He said:

"Preacher, two years ago I got so mean at home that my mom and dad couldn't do anything with me. But one day I even went so far as to strike my father with my fist. He told me then, 'Son, I hate to do it. It's going to break your momma's heart. But we want you to just get away from here--just leave this house.'"

"Preacher, I wandered all over this country for the past two years. And then about three weeks ago Jesus found me and I turned my life to Jesus. I wrote Mom and Dad a letter and told them I'd be on this old train. I told them I was coming home."

The preacher said, "Son, that's well and good, but how do you know you're going to be welcome? How do you know that your Mom and Dad will even let you go home?"

The young man said, "Preacher, we've lived beside these old railroad tracks all of my life in a little white house. And out behind the house is a great big old apple tree. And I told my dad in my letter, if I was welcome home and he and my mom could see it in their hearts to forgive me of all the pain and heartache I caused, for Dad to go out there in the backyard and hang a little white rag on top of that tree. And I could see it from the train. And I'd know by that signal that everything was all right."

"Preacher, would you look for me and tell me what you see? I want to go home so bad and I'm so sorry for all the things I've done. Tell me if you see one little teeny white rag on top of that tree."

Well, the old preacher not knowing what to expect wiped the window of that old train off and looked out. And he had a great big smile and said, "Son, you can relax. That apple tree is in full bloom! I never saw so many white rags tied on anything in all of my life. And that's not all. Out under the apple tree I see that grey haired old Mom and Dad standing out there waving a big white bed sheet saying 'Come home son. Welcome home. We love you."

And you know, that's just like God. No matter how we've wasted our lives, no matter how far in sin we've sunk, no matter how lost we get, whenever we reach out to Jesus saying, "Jesus, I want to live for you. Forgive me of my sins." you know that, He'll welcome each and every one of us home.

I was once told that you cannot hear that sermon too many times, and I feel the same way about all of those promises straight from the Lord’s mouth.

“You are precious in my sight” (Isaiah 43:4).

“I love you” (Isaiah 43:4).

“I have called you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

These are the promises that you need to hear when you are ready to turn your life around and start again.  In the same way, these are the promises that you need to hear in order to set out into the world in the first place.  I think that many people vastly under-appreciate how important both those close, warm infant snuggles, and the years and years filled with words of love truly are.  They set a person on a path of goodness and love.  We might under-appreciate the importance, but God does not.

Just listen to what God the Father has to say to his own Son right before Jesus sets out to minister to the world.

“Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21-22).

So, I guess we will add “you are…beloved” and “with you I am well pleased” to the list of promises that God the Father offers to those who are loved.  “You are precious,” “I love you,” “You are mine,” “I am pleased by you,” these are all words that God uses to draw us closer to God’s heart, and to one another’s heart.  These are all deep, holy words that God uses to connect with us.

“I don’t think that my generation understands that sort of connection,” the young woman said as we explored these very scriptures together just the other day.  She continued, “You see, my generation puts our whole lives on social media, and we see each other’s lives on social media, and it seems like we know one another, but we actually have not really connected with anyone.  It seem like we are so connected, but my generation is so lonely.  We do not actually go out to see one another and get together.  We are a lonely generation.”

I was just blown away by her words.  I just had to just sit there and absorb them for a bit, because what she said was so true.  I had never really thought of it that way before.  She was so wise.  There is a whole generation in our world that shares their entire lives with one another, but fails to actually connect.

She said: “‘I love you.’  ‘You are precious.’  ‘You are mine.’  These promises sound so far away from us.  You have no idea how we lack that sort of connection.”

When God speaks these words to a people who had lost their way, God knew what God was doing.  God was drawing them back.  God was connecting.  God was showing love.

When God the Father called Jesus, “Beloved,” God knew what God was doing.  God was laying the groundwork needed for a life lived full of love in a world that was not going to accept it.  God was laying the groundwork for Jesus to commit to loving the world anyway, even if it meant resistance, and even if it meant a cross.  Only a life with a rock solid base of “Beloved,” and “you are my Son,” and “with you I am well please” would be able to withstand the gale force winds and flooding waters of hatred and resistance that Jesus would need to save the world on the cross.  Jesus was beloved, and Jesus trusted it all the way to death.

Do you know what is so crazy to me?  Part of preaching the good news of God in Jesus Christ to this generation, then, is as simple as actually being present and actually connecting.  To a lonely generation that knows what each other ate for breakfast because they read it on social media, but has no deep friends with which to eat that breakfast, having someone in their life who will actually show up and live God’s words, “you are precious in my sight” might actually be lifesaving.

I might actually propose that showing up with love is the good news of Jesus Christ.  In Jesus, God actually showed up, in the flesh, to actually eat a meal with others, and to actually heal the broken, and to actually touch those who felt untouchable, and to actually be there to love the un-loveable.  And, the Holy Spirit is actually within you, touching you, healing you, and working that same love of Jesus within you, drawing you to touch a generation who desperately needs a loving and healing touch.

“You are precious in my sight” (Isaiah 43:4).

“I love you” (Isaiah 43:4).

“I have called you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

Allow these promises given to you by your loving God, to live in you as God sends you to be the actual hands and feet that connect and take part in drawing the people of the world together once again in love.  After-all, our world needs it.  Your neighbor needs it.

Reflection on Matthew 2:1-12

 

Matthew 2:1-12

1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:

6  ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,  

for from you shall come a ruler 

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

 

Reflection

God gave the magi a star.

I do not want you to forget this intentional action by the Lord.  God gave the magi a star.  I do not want it to get lost on you just how much of a gift this is, especially considering who they were. 

Typically, we think, these guys are three kings.  Of course, God has their backs.  But, these guys were not kings, they were magi.  They were into astrology.  They were into reading the stars and getting meaning out of the stars, because they (like most ancient people) believed that the stars were actual heavenly beings.  And, if you could figure out what those guys and gals up there in the heavens were up to, then maybe you could figure out what is going on with the stuff down here as well. 

Divination, figuring out what the heavenly beings are up to, was forbidden in Leviticus 19:26.  It reads, “Do not practice divination or sorcery.”  That seems to be a pretty clear cut instruction. 

Could the sun, moon, and stars be used to help predict the seasons and the time of year?  Yes, that was permitted.  God might even use the sun, moon, and stars as a sign or warning (Genesis 1:14).  So, you could watch out for that.  But, are people allowed to use them to eavesdrop on the heavenly council as they make their deliberations?  No. 

Of course, the magi were not Israelites, so we can forgive them for being ignorant of this law.  They had no compulsion to follow Israel’s laws, but that makes it all the more surprising that God chose them.  God gave them a star.  And, if God chose them, God might also choose you.

And, while we are at it, can we mention that it is equally surprising that God gave a star to these people “from the east,” who were not even followers of Israel’s God?  Why would God choose these strangers to reveal God’s greatest gift to humanity?  Why not choose someone who actually knows about the coming of the Messiah; someone who has been eagerly awaiting and praying at their bedside for the Messiah’s coming.  Why not choose someone who cares that the world will finally be set right by God?  I do not know the answer to that.  But, I do know that God chose the Magi.  God gave them a star.  And, if God chose them, God might also choose you.

Many biblical scholars have pointed out that these “three men” might not have been three, nor were they necessarily men.  Even in the Bible there are women mentioned practicing divination.  And, the Bible says nothing about how many visitors there were to Jesus’ home.  That being said, it is quite possible that they were men; after-all, if the three wise women had visited Jesus, they would have brought diapers, formula, and a casseroles or two for the family.  I stole that from the internet.  But, I agree, who gives a baby “gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11)?  But, the magi did.  It was to them that God gave a star.  And, if God chose them, God might also choose you.

You see, the more that I study the Bible the more I think that God chose the magi because they were foreigners.  Just remember that when the Lord called Abraham, he said, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).  And later after Isaac was not sacrificed by Abraham, God repeats this promise and says, “In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18).  God has always, from the very start of the story, wanted to reach everyone.  So yes, these foreigners are chosen to see God’s gift of love to the world; God’s love in the flesh.  And, if God wanted to reach them, God probably wants desperately to reach you in a deep way too.

God did send the magi a star, because that was where these magi were looking.  God gave them a star to follow in order to reveal God’s ways to them.  Take a quick note that it was only when the magi detoured from this plan, detoured from that star that some major, life threatening problems were set in motion.  But, we will get to that in a minute. 

First, I just want to point out that these people knew the language of reading the stars, so God started there in order to draw them closer to the Lord’s heart and soul.  God is willing to stoop down and speak our language, to walk with us for a while in our ways, in order to grasp hold of us.  The magi believed those stars meant something, so God made the star mean something.  God gave them a star.  And, if God spoke their language and understood their ways, maybe God understands you better than you can even imagine, and can speak in ways you can understand as well.

God gave them a star.  But, they failed to keep their eye on it. 

They saw the star while they were still in the east, but they failed to follow it straight to God’s intended destination.  The Bible indicates that the magi were detoured, because the first time the magi make an appearance in the Bible is just as they wander into Jerusalem asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage” (Matthew 2:2). 

They were not the first people to take their eyes off of God resulting in a tragic consequence, and they will not be the last.  Adam and Eve took their eyes off of God and trusted the word of a snake instead.  There were tragic consequences.  The Israelites, after being freed from slavery in Egypt, failed to trust God while Moses was away on the mountains receiving the commandments.  There were tragic consequences.  And, I am not even going to start talking about all of the times that I have not trusted in God and the direction that God wanted me to take.  But, if I were, you would see that the consequences, though they did not exactly affect the destiny of all humankind or cause a mass casualty situation, were not good all the same.

For the magi’s part, their failure to trust God, and where God was leading them, caused them to trust in an insecure ruler which lit the spark of a horror that they could have never anticipated.  They went to Herod to inquire about the newborn king.  This caused Herod to be “frightened,” as the Bible says, “and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3).  Sure, the magi were given the probable location of the child, the Messiah, the new king, by Herod’s priests and scribes, but they also triggered the fears of a man who did not want to lose power, and set the stage for many baby boys to lose their lives as Herod sought to destroy the future king.

If only they had trusted God and not sought out the wisdom of someone else.  If only they had just looked up, because when they eventually did look up they saw “ahead of them, [going] the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:9). 

Have you ever been in that sort of situation?  Have you ever faltered in your trust of where God is leading, and it backfired?  Have you ever trusted in your own smarts or the recommendation of a friend, or simply just ignored God’s leading because it was not to your liking and you did not like what God had to say?  Has anyone ever been hurt because you failed to follow your star?  God gave them a star.

I do not know about you, but those failures, those hurts that I have caused will play over and over again in my mind, usually when I need to be to bed early and get lots of sleep.  It is always on a night when I actually need to be well rested for the next day.  Every, single, time. 

Well, if you understand what I am talking about, then I have a story that I want to finish for you, because, even though the magi take their eyes off of God, God does not take eyes off of them.  God gave them a star, again.  And, if God chose them still, even after their failure, God will also choose you too, after your failures. 

When Jesus instructs us to forgive seventy times seven times, it is because he forgives that many times.  Jesus is always seeking to lead us back.  God is always forgiving and trying to start over with us again. There is always a star to follow.  This forgiveness does not erase the harm that is done, but God always provides a chance at a new start and a new life. 

And, that new start, that chance to follow the star once again, delivers the magi to, as the bible says, “the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:9-11).  They followed the star, and it led them right to where God wanted them the whole time, to Jesus.  And, when they are with Jesus, their hearts are overcome with joy and gratitude as they give gifts out of thanks for all that God has done. 

God gave them a star.  And, if God chose them, God will also choose you.

Look up and follow your star; whatever that star might actually look like.  It might be a faithful friend.  It might be a faithful coworker.  It might be an unexpected opportunity or seemingly chance occurrence.  Or, it might be an actual star up in the sky.  No matter what God chooses to draw you closer, look up and follow your star.  Even if you have tragically veered off course before, look up again, and follow the star.  Jesus is drawing you closer and closer to his abundant life.  That is the way of love.

Reflection on Psalm 148

 

Psalm 148

1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; 

praise God in the heights.  

2 Praise the Lord, all you angels; 

sing praise, all you hosts of heaven.  

3 Praise the Lord, sun and moon; 

sing praise, all you shining stars.  

4 Praise the Lord, heaven of heavens, 

and you waters above the heavens.  

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, 

who commanded, and they were created,  

6 who made them stand fast forever and ever, 

giving them a law that shall not pass away.   

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, 

you sea monsters and all deeps;  

8 fire and hail, snow and fog, 

tempestuous wind, doing God’s will;

9 mountains and all hills, 

fruit trees | and all cedars;  

10 wild beasts and all cattle, 

creeping things and flying birds;  

11 sovereigns of the earth and all peoples, 

princes and all rulers of the world;  

12 young men and maidens, 

old and young together.   

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, 

whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over earth and heaven.  

14 The Lord has raised up strength for the people and praise for all faithful servants, 

the children of Israel, a people who are near the Lord. Hallelujah!   

Reflection

There are not too many times of the year where we spend so much time praising God as at Christmastime. 

Praise, of course, comes out of a deep sense of gratefulness and joy.  For example, as a child, when the Christmas morning came that I finally got to open up the one gift that I had been waiting for over the course of years (a Power Wheels police motorcycle, like the ones I saw Poncho and Jon ride on the TV series, CHIPs) I must have excitedly thanked my Mom at least two hundred times.  I would wheel past while she was washing dishes and say, “Thank you, Mom!”  I would wheel past while she was folding laundry and say, “Thank you, Mom!”  I would wheel past while I was supposed to be brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed and say, “Thank you, Mom!”   

You get the idea.  I was full of praise for the great thing that my mom had done…oh, and my dad.  I am sure he had a hand in buying to too.

And, during Christmas, we sing our thanks and praise to God for giving us Jesus, the Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us.  We longed to be connected to God, to have God with us, walking and talking with us, and in Jesus we have it!  What is there not to be excited about?  What is there that would keep us from singing songs of praise?

The gospel writers certainly offer us glimpses of praise at the birth of Jesus!  We see Mary sing her heart out as she finds out about the coming of the Lord, in her own belly.  We hear angels sing full voice as the Shepherds see the heavens open, revealing the choir of heavenly beings, all praising God.  And, though it is not in the Bible, we often hear tales about cattle, sheep, and even poultry in the stable all giving their praise for what God has done in giving the world the gift of Jesus. 

Where does the inspiration for all of this praise come from?  You need look no further than Psalm 148 that has all the heavenly beings as well as all creation singing God’s praise.  Now, Psalm 148 does not talk about Jesus, but you can see how both the followers of Jesus and the writers of our Christmas hymns are all highly influenced by its poetry.

Psalm 148:1-2 begins excitedly with: “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise God in the heights.  Praise the Lord, all you angels; sing praise, all you hosts of heaven.”

That is right; the heavenly angels give their praise of all that God has done in creation.  At Jesus birth, they sing once again about God sending Jesus to redeem the world.  We still sing of it this day in verses 1 and 4 of “Angels from the Realm of Glory.”

Angels from the realm of Glory

1          Angels, from the realms of glory,

            wing your flight o'er all the earth;

            once you sang creation's story,

            now proclaim Messiah's birth:

            Come and worship, come and worship,

            worship Christ, the newborn king.

4          All creation, join in praising

            God, the Father, Spirit, Son,

            evermore your voices raising

            to the eternal Three in One.

            Come and worship, come and worship,

            worship Christ, the newborn king.

You heard the hymn right.  Not only are the angels praising God, but so is “all creation.”  Even before our hymns were written, Psalm 148:7-10 tells us of creation’s praise.  “Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and fog, tempestuous wind, doing God’s will; mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; wild beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds…”

Sea monsters and ocean depths, fire and hail, mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, the wild animals such as bears and domesticated animals such as cows and cats, even creeping spiders and flying blue birds all give praise to the Lord for all that the Lord has done in creating and sustaining each of them.  Maybe, those early Christmas hymn writers were not so far off in having the cattle and sheep giving their quiet praise at the humble cradle of the Christ child. 

And, though I do not necessarily want to, I feel compelled to point out that even snow and blustery winds are praising God in Psalm 148.  Of course, not everyone has a negative relationship with the winter.  As Carl Reiner once quipped, “A lot of people like snow.  I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”

But, the Bible was not written by people who had to shovel the stuff.  In an arid desert, snow was the unlikely gift of water to a people suffering from dry conditions.  Snow is a type of liquid manna, falling in the desert.  Snow is a miraculous cause for praise for those in arid conditions.

So, yes, even snow and the cutting wind that accompanies it, joins in praising God and is still remembered in the Christmas song of praise: “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

In the Bleak Midwinter

1          In the bleak midwinter,

            frosty wind made moan,

            earth stood hard as iron,

            water like a stone;

            snow had fallen, snow on snow,

            snow on snow,

            in the bleak midwinter,

            long ago.

Do not forget that Psalm 148:9 also has “mountains and all hills” praising the Lord who is exalted over all the heavens and the earth.  Along with mountains and hills, all creation repeats the sounding joy of God as we still sing in verses 1 and 2 of “Joy to the World.”

Joy to the World

1          Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

            Let earth receive her king;

            let ev'ry heart prepare him room

            and heav'n and nature sing,

            and heav'n and nature sing,

            and heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

2          Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

            Let all their songs employ,

            while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains

            repeat the sounding joy,

            repeat the sounding joy,

            repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

And, why does all creation sing their praise to God?  First, God has taken the time to create us in the first place.  And, to some of us in creation, God even breathes in us life.  Rocks still give their praise, though they did not get this gift.  So, we should give praise even more so than rocks! 

This breath of life is so taken for granted, but as every person with asthma knows…every person who has struggled to suck in that life giving air…the breath of life is truly a gift to get excited about. 

So, even if you cannot rejoice in anything else in this hard life, at least rejoice that you can take a breath.  Take a breath and know that you are blessed!  Take a breath and give thanks to God for that gift.

We do take the time to rejoice at each gift that the Lord provides, because God did not have to give any of it.  All creation is enslaved to sin and death.  All creation is subject to harm, and falling apart, and eventual death and crumbling.  Therefore, all creation gives praise to God when it is given a hope that it can be blessed and restored again.  Verse 3 of “Joy to the World” gets at this source of praise.

Joy to the World

3          No more let sin and sorrow grow

            nor thorns infest the ground;

            he comes to make his blessings flow

            far as the curse is found,

            far as the curse is found,

            far as, far as the curse is found.

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over earth and heaven” the writer of Psalm 148:13 exclaims. 

And, at Christmas, we praise God for plowing the fields and making creation ready for the planting of a savior who will redeem not only lowly people, but will redeem all creation.  Romans 8:22 says “that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now."  God has plowed a furrow, a trench, in which is planted the Messiah who spreads his arms wide to redeem all creation.  Colossians says of Christ Jesus, “He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).  So, we sing praises out loud for those furrows to receive the glorious seed of Jesus, the Messiah, as we sing in verse 2 of “People Look East.”

People Look East

2          Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,

            one more seed is planted there.

            Give up your strength the seed to nourish,

            that in course the flow'r may flourish.

            People, look east, and sing today—

            Love, the Rose, is on the way.

All creation celebrates God’s redemptive task!  All earth is hopeful!

All Earth Is Hopeful

1          All earth is hopeful, the Savior comes at last!

            Furrows lie open for God's creative task:

            this, the labor of people who struggle to see

            how God's truth and justice set ev'rybody free.

So, this Christmas we will continue to sing our praises to God for Jesus.  We will listen to the writer of Colossians as he instructs us to: “With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” (Colossians 3:16). 

After-all, when you sing praises to God, you are actually doing something quite holy and quite essential to the faith.  Even if you if you sing off tune, you are still letting Christ do something so, so important in your life.  You let Christ thrive in you.  So, this Christmas and beyond, sing your praises to God and “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16).

*Thank you to Sermon Brainwave hosts Rolf Jacobson, and Caroline Lewis for these examples from hymnody.