Romans 13:11-14

Do you know what time it is? It's already a quarter 'til December! Thanksgiving is already over. The Christmas trees have already been up in the stores for a month or more now. Christmas will be here before you know it.

Wake up and smell the coffee. Ring, ring. "Hello, Who's there?" "It's Christmas and this is your wake up call."

We have to get ready for Christmas. We have the send the cards and plan the parties and buy the presents and deck the halls with bought of holly, Fa la la la la la la la la." Christmas is closer than when you first saw it coming. So get ready!

But before we get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, let's stop to consider God's Word. It's a wake up call from God. Paul writes, "Don't you know what time it is? The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." In the book of Romans Paul outlined for the Christians in Rome the message of the Gospel. Here near the end of the book he is getting to the reality of the second coming. Jesus is coming again to vindicate the faithful and bring judgment on the wicked.

Look we don't know when Jesus is coming back. In fact Jesus said that he didn't know but only the Father knew. But no matter when he is coming, the date is always getting closer. So we need to be ready.

You might say "Wait a minute preacher; I thought we were talking about Christmas." Well believe it or not, it's all tied together. The name of this season in the Church calendar is Advent. The word "advent" means coming. It refers to Jesus coming as a little baby born in Bethlehem. But it is also about Jesus' second coming. When Jesus came the first time he brought light into the darkens. And Jesus has been bringing light into the darkness of people's hearts and souls ever since. But he is coming again to bring light into the darkness of the world.

Advent happens at the time of the year when it is getting darker to remind us that the light is coming. The night of human sinfulness and lostness is almost over. The night of the tyranny and oppression of the soul and body is almost over. The dawn of freedom and liberation from sin death and the evil of this age is about to break. The dawn of Jesus' second coming is about to break and you better get ready. This is your wake up call.

Are you awake? But how do we get ready? It's not about Christmas decorations or presents. Paul said, "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." I hope I don't have to tell you not to be involved in drunkenness, sexual immorality, dissension and jealousy. But just in case I do: Don't do it!

But more important than the don'ts here is what it tells us to do. "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." It also says that we should put on the armor of light. What is it that covered your heart? Is it your personal wants and desires? Or is it love for God and your neighbor.

Cover your life with Jesus Christ. I don't know about you but I feel lost without my watch. We have clocks everywhere but I came from a day when your watch was the only clock and receiving a watch as a gift was a rite of passage. But I wear my watch all the time except when I take a shower. So once in a blue moon I forget to put it on after my shower and I leave for work without my watch. Some people are like that about the cell phones. They feel lost without them.

So in the morning each day put on Christ. Open your heart and wear Christ, not as an accessory that can be interchanged with other accessories. But as an essential. Make him the primary garment for the heart and soul.

The story goes that a man had a bad habit of falling asleep in church. The preacher's feelings were hurt that this guy wouldn't stay awake for his sermons so he decided to fix his wagon. He was about 30 minutes into his sermon and the guy was sound asleep. So he quietly said, "Ok, everyone, who wants to go to heaven raise your hand." Everyone in the church raised their hands except that one guy. Then the preacher said, "Now everyone who wants to go to hell" and he shouted, "STAND UP!" The guy shot out of his pew and stood up. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. Then he said, "Preacher I don't know what we's votin' on but you and me seems to be the only ones in favor of it."

Wake up! If you have been asleep we are not voting on going to Hell. But we are voting on not going there. We live in a dark world. If you don't believe me just read the papers. But the light is coming. Jesus is coming again. The day of his dawning is closer now than it has ever been.

Clothe yourself in Christ and the armor of light. Sure you can get ready for Christmas. But more importantly get ready for Jesus' return. Give your life to Christ. If you have never asked Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your heart than do it today. If you have then devote each day to living his love and grace and forgiveness. This is your wakeup call from God!

Isaiah 2:1-5

Since the weather has gotten cold I have spent more time at the mall to do my daily walking. I have also done a lot of window shopping. And I think I have already figured out what I want for Christmas. I want a five mega pixel digital camera with a 10 power zoom. I want a few new suits, shirts and a couple more ties with religious motifs on them. I want a treadmill so I can do my walking in the comfort of my home in front of my TV. And I want one of those video game things that plays all the old arcade games like centipede and stuff.

But is that what I really want or is that just what I think I can get. What I really want is much less tangible and obtainable. I can't easily put it on a Christmas list and mail it to the North Pole. I want all the troops to come home. I want husbands and wives and children and grandparents to come together in love. I want all injustice to end so that people no longer have a reason to fight. I want the armies of the world to disband because everlasting peace has suddenly broken out all over the world. I want the tanks, and the missiles, and the planes, and ships to all be refitted for feeding the hungry and bringing aid to those in need. I want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I want to buy the world a Coke and keep it company. (Leslie didn't pay me to say that!)

I really don't think I will get any of that for Christmas this year. So I guess I will settle for some clothes and an electronic gadget or two. You know, I think that's the way a lot of people feel. We all want those things I talked about, but we settle for much lesser things instead. We might harp on the materialism of Christmas. Perhaps it is all about people who really want the peace and harmony settling for what they can get.

Isaiah knew how we felt. God gave Isaiah a vision and the promise of the kind of world filled with peace and justice we long for. Isaiah lived in a time when nations regularly attacked one another and where kings were even more unjust that in our world. God told Isaiah, and the people of this day, that a time is coming when God will rule the world. God will establish justice and righteousness. And as a result wars will cease and armies will disband. And the implements of war, swords and spears, will be reconfigured for growing food, plows and pruning hooks.

This is a promise from God! But it is awfully hard to believe that it will come any time soon. Just look at the world. People are ruled by greed for money and power. The idea of all the people of the world turning to God for guidance and justice, and peace breaking out at every corner of the world is beyond belief. Isaiah prophesied this hundreds of years before Jesus and it still hasn't happened.

We Christians believe that this is one of those prophesies that will be fulfilled when Jesus returns. When Jesus comes again at some time in the future that we don't know, then he will establish justice and peace. At that point there will be no need for armies and weapons. And Jesus will teach the world to sing in perfect harmony and keep us all company.

So what do we do in the mean time? Isaiah says, "Let us walk in the light of the Lord." Perhaps this knowledge can inform and govern the way we live our lives. Maybe we can live as those who have seen peace from a far. We live in the here and now amongst swords and spears. But perhaps we can live as people who know that the age of plowshares and pruning hooks is coming.

Have you ever know about something before others and had it effect how you live your lives. That prior knowledge of upcoming events led you to do something different. I am sure that a few weeks back Stephanie through we were all going crazy. I was canceling meeting with out giving a reason. And the United Methodist Women was calling meetings for no real reason. All in an attempt to manipulate circumstances to throw her a surprise baby shower. Our prior knowledge prompted us to act differently than we would have otherwise.

You see God is cong to throw the world a surprise peace shower. And we have advanced notice of it. We as followers of Christ are at work in the world preparing for this party. That prior knowledge governs the way we act.

Once upon a time there was a land of darkness. People there had heard of light before but many thought it was just a myth. Some said that at one time there was light but few believed. In fact most people never bothered to open their eyes. Small children were warned about running with their eyes open. They might fall and be poked in the eye.

But there was a woman who knew that a time of light was coming. She believe in it so much that each day she opened her window and opened her eyes to see if the light had come. And she told people that she did this. They said she was crazy, a dreamer, and that she might get poked in the eye if she was no careful. But a few people thought, "What if she is right?" and they opened their eyes to see if the light had come.

We live in a land of darkness. And we believe that the light is coming. Other may think is foolish and call us dreamers. But we need to keep opening out eyes and looking for the light. Perhaps we can inspire others to do the same!

But there is another question. How do we know for sure that this age of peace will come? I mean it has been over 2,000 years. Is there a statute of limitations of prophesies? Does the book of Isaiah have an expiration date? Do we have any evidence that this day we long for will come?

Christmas is that evidence. Jesus came once and that is proof that he will come again. He did not bring and end to wars and violence. He did not usher in a new age of world peace, but he did bring peace to many people's loves.

Sisters and brothers, let us live by the light of this truth. Let us be as those who know that something greater is coming. Let us act out the conviction that the world will one day turn to God for justice and righteousness. We may settle for the things of this age but let us live by the light of the hope of the age to come!

Are You Prepared for a Surprise? If you think about this is a ridiculous question. How can you be ready for a surprise? By definition a surprise is something that you are unprepared for. If you were prepared for it, is would not surprise you. If you were expecting it, it wouldn't be a surprise.

But that is exactly what Jesus appears to be telling his disciples in the passage we read today. He is saying, "The coming of the Son of Man will be like a thief in the night." He will come at an hour that you do not know. So expect him when you least expect it. And be ready when he comes.

Can you imagine a friend from far away calling you and saying, "I am coming for a visit and it will be a long trip so please have a meal ready for me when I arrive." You want to be as gracious a host as possible so you ask, "What time will you arrive: morning, noon or night?" And they reply, "I am not sure." "Well, then, what day should I expect you?" "I can't say." How do you prepare for such a visit? Yet that is what Jesus appears to be telling his disciples and us. I can't tell you when I will arrive, but be ready.

How do we prepare for a surprise? Perhaps this season itself gives us a clue. As Christmas approaches we spend a lot of time getting ready for surprises. Oh, we know when Christmas will be, that never changes. But we never know what it will bring. We are never sure what people will give us or what Christmas cheer we will experience. We know for the most part who will give us gifts, but every now and then someone we didn't expect to show us their love. We expect these things, yet they are still surprises. We even prepare for them by decorating our houses and singing songs about the holiday. We prepare ourselves to be surprised. We don't know who will bring us gifts, but we have a tree to put them under.

It's like a couple expecting a baby. They have an idea when it will come: but that is at best an educated guess. And the doctors may be able to tell them some details: like one baby or twins, a boy or a girl. But there will still be surprises. What color will its hair be? Will it suck its thumb or will it use a pacifier? Will it be quiet or loud, outgoing or shy? And so they make plans for a surprise. They decorate a room and they pack to go to the hospital. The family will be pleasantly surprised, but that surprise will have been anticipated and expected.

In the same way we are to prepare for the surprise arrival of our Lord. We are to set our homes in order. We are to prepare a place in our hearts and lives for God's surprises. We are to watch for his coming because we know he is coming. We are to anticipate with great expectation God's arrival in our lives.

This is not new with Jesus. God's people have always been preparing for a surprise. God's salvation is always something that surprises us. When we least expect it, God is revealed to us. When we don't see it coming, God surprises us with some act of salvation or grace. God intervenes in our existence and drastically alters and transforms it. That's the way God acts.

That's what Isaiah was telling the people. God's Messiah is coming and the Messiah will drastically alter the way things are. The Messiah will change all the rules that the world lives by. And no longer will we kill and be killed. Instead swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. Tanks will be transformed into tractors. Missiles will no longer deliver warheads, instead they will deliver scientific equipment to other worlds.

And God's people are supposed to expect this. We are supposed to always expect God's transforming visits. This preparation is on two levels: the cosmic and the personal. We are to be prepared and expecting Christ to come in clouds of glory to bring the Day of the Lord and his Kingdom. We are to expect Jesus to come and wipe away tears form our eyes. We are to be on the watch for him to come to judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous. This is his cosmic coming. But we should also expect Jesus to come to us personally. By the presence of the Holy Spirit, Christ is with us. He is constantly coming to us to bring us comfort and grace. He will surprise us with these blessings but we should expect that. We expect Christ to come and bring peace to the world, but we should also expect him to bring peace to our hearts.

In Jesus' day they didn't see it coming. They were unprepared and were not expecting the salvation of God to be revealed. The prophets had told them about it. They had either forgotten or given up on God. They were not really expecting God to send a Messiah. So when he arrived most of them missed it.

When he did come they didn't even know it. He ended up sleeping in the barn. You would think they would at least reserve a room at the Holiday Inn for God's Messiah. But there was no room at the Inn. And at the same time there was no room in their hearts.

Christ came to them. And they were not ready to receive him. They were unable to receive him and the blessings that came with him. They were unprepared to celebrate Christmas when it did come.

Expect God to surprise you with his grace and peace and love. Expect to see blessing from God in your everyday life. Look for them. Strain your eyes at the horizons for Christ's coming. Like a lady whose Lord is at sea, watch the distant horizons for a sight on his approaching ship. For as surely as baby's are born, Jesus came and will come.

Look for Jesus in your everyday life. Christ will come into your life and transform you. That is true for everyone who accepts Christ as their Lord and Savior. Always be ready for those divine surprises. Just as the light of Christ came into the world at Christmas, so it still comes to enlighten people's lives.

Look also for Christ's return in final glory. Expect to see it. Be ready for it. God's people were not ready the first time when he came in the middle of the night, and most of them missed it. Don't miss it. Prepare for it. Expect it. He is coming again. That is a promise from God's Word.

Isaiah 2:1-5

For over a month now the Christmas decorations have been out. We were in the store a couple of weeks ago. All the Halloween stuff had disappeared over night. And isle after isle was full of Christmas decorations. One year in the middle of November Kaitlyn looked around the store at all the Christmas decorations and asked, "Where is the Thanksgiving stuff?" Thanksgiving got lost in the rush to Christmas.

At one time it would have been considered bad taste to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, but now in is common practice. At least in stores the Christmas decorations come out right after Halloween, almost two full months in advance of Christmas. Except for the grocery stores which make a lot off of Thanksgiving that holiday is almost forgotten. Do you know why? Do you know why they put the Christmas decorations out so early?

It's economics. Stores make more in the last month of the year during the Christmas shopping season than in any other month of the year. It has been said that December is the break even month. So they think that if they extend the Christmas shopping season by another month they can make more money. And it appears to work. People flock to the malls and do their Christmas shopping earlier. "Shop early and shop often," is the economic motto of the season.

You know, the church does better business in the Christmas season too. During the month of December attendance goes up and gets better and better as we approach Christmas. The Sunday before Christmas is always the best attended or the next to best attended service of the year. People who haven't been to church in months show up to sing Christmas carols and hear Christmas anthems and participate in Christmas socials. And giving increases too. Often times it is the extra gifts given in the last month that make or break the church budget.

Jesus told his disciples to be wise as serpents but innocent as doves. Maybe we can learn a lesson from the secular world. Perhaps we can begin celebrating Christmas on All Saints Day (which is the day after Halloween) instead of celebrating Advent for four weeks and then Christmas on the Dec. 25th to Jan 5th. We could just extent Advent by four or five weeks. Our season motto could be "Worship early, worship often."

Somehow I don't think it will work. If "worship early, worship often" were viable it would already be working. Worship is all about devotion. Simply extending the Christmas season will not increase people's devotion. It might actually increase attendance a little. But at the heart of the problem is that people just don't get it. They don't make Jesus an important part of their daily lives because they don't think their relationship with him is important.

If only people could get it. I wish people could see how important their relationship to God is. I wish going to church, worshipping God, serving him was a priority in peoples lives. If only they could see that God is the one with the wisdom and the love to enable them to live their lives. Then they would flood to the churches like they flood to the malls. Then the malls would close on Sundays and the church parking lots would be full.

If only people could get it. Then they would say to each other come on let's go to church. They would want to attend Sunday School and Bible Studies. They would eagerly learn of God and his ways. They would make their relationship with Jesus a priority in their lives.

If only people could get it, things would be different. Our society and government and personal lives would be governed by the justice and love of God. God's law would guide us and there would be an end to injustice. Even war would cease because countries could work out their differences. The hearts of the people would be guided by the principles of God's Word.

I imagine that Isaiah felt the same way. He lived in the midst of Israel, God's chosen people. And they didn't get it. They didn't see serving God and living by God's laws as a priority in their lives. They chose to serve other means and ends and relied on their own power or prowess. They just didn't see that only God had the wisdom and the love to guide and protect them.

So I imagine Isaiah prayed for the people to get it. And in answer to those prayer the Word of the Lord came to Isaiah. And God said that a day would come when people would look to God. God said that the mountain of the Lord's house would be higher or more important in peoples eyes than any other house. And people would flock to the temple to worship God and seek God's will and to live by God's love and justice.

And things would be different. God's law would rule over the people. God would judge them. Even the nations of the world would come and they would beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning hooks. And conflict would be brought to an end by God's justice and love.

Isaiah foresaw this great day of coming justice and righteousness. But he never actually saw his prophesy fulfilled. He died not seeing the coming of God's reign. And hundreds of years later Jesus spoke of that same day of the coming of God's kingdom. And that day is yet to come. A day when people will come to church not just to celebrate a holiday but to seek God.

At this point I would like to tell you to go out and bring people to church so that they can know God. And you should do that so don't misunderstand what I am about to say. While it is good to invite people and witness to people so that they can get it, the reality is that most people won't get it in this age. Most people will fail to realize that Jesus is the answer to everything in their lives. They will continue to fail to make Jesus a priority in both their holiday preparation and the rest of their lives.

But both Jesus and Isaiah tell us that the day is coming when they will get it. When they will flock to God's house and seek God's will. And the coming of that day is not something we can predict or create. It is a direct act of God and will come at a time we least suspect it.

That is what we in the church are celebrating as we approach Christmas. We are preparing to celebrate Jesus' birth by remembering why he came. He came to lay the ground work for the coming kingdom. He came to help us to get it so that other could get it.

The mall parking lots will always be fuller than the church parking lots in this age. That is the reality. And we will continue to tell people that what is happening in the church is the real Christmas and what is in the shops is just a pale reflection of it.

And most of them will not get it. But praise God we get it! Thanks be to God who sent his Son to show us the truth. And thank God he is coming again to straighten out the rest of the world too.

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