In this blog, we'll focus on the working being done at Sligo Presbyterian Church, Sligo, Pennsylvania. We'll also look at what's happening in Sligo, Rimersburg, Clarion, and all the other communities served by our congregation.
As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:
On Sunday, we continued this series by looking at how we can celebrate the gift of love. During the service, Lundyn Gallagher sang and Lundyn and Raelyn Gallagher danced.Below is a video of the service, a video presentation for the sermon, some pictures of Lundyn and Raelyn, and a copy of the bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.
As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:
Well, I think we can all agree that, as it relates to Christmas, we’ve made the final turn and are now heading down the home stretch. I mean, this morning, we lit the last blue candle on the advent wreath. I’m sure TBS has dusted off A Christmas Story so that it can play on a loop in about three and half days. And yesterday, this was what looked back at me from the 365 Dogs calendar I have right beside the computer. I swear, I can almost hear sleigh bells jingling in the distance. Whether we like it or not, Christmas will be here in 3 days, 13 hours, and 30 minutes.
Which also means, this morning, we’re putting a bow on this Advent series dealing with unwrapping the four gifts of Christmas that are represented by the different candles on the wreath. Now, to this point, we’ve talked about the gift of hope, you know, how it’s liberating and eternal and constant; therefore, it can shape the way we view the past and the future and the present. And then we talked about the gift of peace and how we’ve received peace with God as well as peace from God. And then last week, as you remember, young dancers and musicians and singers reminded us of what the gift of Christmas joy is all about, something that can fill us with gratitude and comfort and confidence. And so, I guess you can say that covering hope, peace and joy is now a done deal.
And this morning, we’re moving on to the last Advent candle, the one that represents love. And you know, even though I didn’t realize it at the time, when I was growing up, well, that attitude just filled the Christmas season. For example, looking back, I think love was what motivated Dad to haul down all those decorations from the attic and mom to make all those Toll House cookies and chocolate crinkles with powdered sugar and of course, that fruit cake that only my father liked. And love was certainly there when we went out on Christmas Eve to deliver presents to Aunt Virginia and Aunt Irma and Aunt Margaret. And I’ll tell you, you could just feel it on Christmas evening, when my mom’s side of the family would get together at my great grandmother’s house on Willoughby Spit where my brother, sister and I could bring one toy that we really didn’t like all that much because we could be sure that my cousin Jerry would break anything we brought before we got home. It was a holiday tradition. You see, although I didn’t know it at the time, back in the sixties, Christmas really was about love.
And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. But, of course, we won’t be looking at decorating or delivering or breaking. Instead, we’re going to focus on three ways God has shown and is showing his love for us through the one whose birth we’re going to celebrate in about three and a half days. And for each, we’ll use a little scripture to consider what it means and how we might respond.
For example, first, I think God shows his love by finding us, and I’m talking about by entering our time and space and by coming to where we are in a form that we can understand instead of expecting us to find him somewhere, up there, out there. You see, through Christ, we’ve been found. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s what Jesus was getting at when he said this to Nicodemas:
No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as the metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert. Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn’t have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God’s only Son. [John 3:13-18, CEV]
Now, this is what God has done.
In other words, it was through Jesus that God revealed his nature and his intentions. I mean, just think about the life of Christ. My goodness, not only did God show his power and authority through the miracles that Jesus did, he also showed divine grace and mercy every time his Son healed the sick and fed the hungry and told his disciples that real greatness wasn’t shown by wealth and self-glory but rather by humility and self-sacrifice. Now that’s how Jesus lived. And then when he died, Jesus put into practice exactly what he taught. He humbly sacrificed himself for others; man, he humbly sacrificed himself for us, so that we no longer have to be bound to the past. Instead, we can move with hope and with peace and with joy into the future, confident that Paul knew exactly what he was talking about when he told the Romans that “nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” [Romans 8:39b, CEV] Now that’s why Jesus died. And through his resurrection, that amazing resurrection from the dead, Jesus pulled the curtain up on our own future. You see, because he was raised, we can believe that death just doesn’t have the last word and that there’s life and redemption and glory on the other side. You see, when God found us, I think he revealed his nature and intentions.
And you know, that’s something we can decide to trust. I mean, instead of being jerked around by values and priorities that seem to be constantly changing, we can trust that when Jesus said to deny self, he meant it. And when he said to take up the cross, he meant it. And when he said to follow him and his example and his word, man, he meant that too. And instead of assuming that we can never be better than we were and instead of believing that mistakes are suppose to haunt us like some kind of ghost of Christmas past, we can trust in the forgiveness, and we can trust in the cleansing, and we can trust in the freedom that just flows from the cross. And as we look forward, we don’t have to be distracted by all the problems and all the pain we might see and feel. You see, we can fix our vision on that empty tomb and we can listen for that trumpet sound and we can look forward to that time when “our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won’t die or decay.” [1 Corinthians 15:53, CEV] You see, right here and now, we can decide to trust in God’s nature and intentions revealed through Jesus Christ. And that’s possible because, first, God shows his love by finding us.
And second, I think he also shows his love by adopting us. In other words, not only does he find us, for reasons we may never understand, he takes the next step and brings us into a relationship with himself. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s what John had in mind when he wrote this in his first letter:
Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are. But since the people of this world did not know who Christ is, they don’t know who we are. My dear friends, we are already God’s children, though what we will be hasn’t yet been seen. But we do know when Christ returns, we will be like him, because we will see him as he truly is. This hope makes us keep ourselves holy, just as Christ is holy. [1 John 3:1-3, CEV]
You see, this is what God has done.
And just think about what it tells us about the one we worship. I mean, it shows us that God really wants us to be in his family, doesn’t he? You see, with all our wart and flaws, God desires a relationship with us. In other words, in spite of our tendency to create for ourselves gods that tell us what we want to hear and that pretty much do what we want them to do, the real Lord and Creator of the universe wants us to be part of his family, you know, to be his children, and for us to view him as our father. As a matter fact, it was through God and his Spirit that we’ve been brought together as a body, as a community, as a family, as a church, which means that, not only do we have a spiritual father who chose us but we also have spiritual brothers and sisters who can help us, who can show by their examples what it means to follow Jesus Christ and who can encourage us to live as Paul envisioned when he wrote that “anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new” [2 Corinthians 5:17, CEV] and who can redirect our focus when we feel almost crushed by all the nonsense that can just drain our strength and hope. You see, by his choice, God has adopted us as his sons and daughters.
And I’ll tell you, this is something we can decide to recognize. And you know, in my opinion, this is really exciting. I mean, we can recognize that God has chosen us, but not because we’re so loveable or so sweet or so deserving. Instead, God chose to love us because of God, not us. And we can recognize that his love for us is so perfect and so powerful and so intense that he made us his sons and daughters, and since that’s a relationship that we didn’t earn, it’s not something we can lose. Believe the good news, we are the children of God. Which also means we can recognize that we’re surrounded by our brothers and sisters in a new family created by God himself. Of course, like in every family, we might not always get along with one another, especially with folks who may really get on our last nerve. And there might be times when one of our siblings might disappoint us, maybe even hurt us. And when those times come, we might say or do something we may regret later. Still, there’s something greater than ourselves holding us together. I mean, you’ve heard people say, “Blood is thicker than water.” Well, brothers and sisters, there’s nothing thicker than the blood of Jesus Christ or more powerful than the grace of the Father or more lasting than the Holy Spirit. You see, right here and now, we can decide to recognize that we’re all members of the family of God. And that’s possible because, second, God shows his love by adopting us.
And third, I believe he also demonstrates his love for us by correcting us, in other words, by teaching us how we might live and by guiding us so that we’re actually able to do it. And I think that was the point made by the one who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews when he said this:
None of you have yet been hurt in your battle against sin. But you have forgotten that the Scriptures say to God’s children,
“When the Lord punishes you, don’t make light of it, and when he corrects you, don’t be discouraged. The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own.”
Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don’t all parents correct their children? God corrects all his children, and if he doesn’t correct you, then you don’t really belong to him. Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn’t it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us?
Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is. It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace. [Hebrews 12:4-11, CEV]
Now that’s what it says.
And I don’t know about y’all, but just hearing it, man, it really makes a lot of sense. You see, like any good father, God corrects his children, you know, when we make mistakes and wander off. I mean, a parent who chooses to let his children run a mock, you know, to let them do whatever they want whenever they want to do it, I think we’d all agree that person probably shouldn’t have kids, right? And I believe we would probably say the same thing about a parent who uses violence and abuse as a learning tool. You see, through his word, God teaches us. And through his Spirit, he guides us. And through the other members of his family, and I’m talking about our brothers and sisters, he moves us in the direction we should go. And even though, as the writer to the Hebrews said, “it is never fun to be corrected,” [Hebrews 12:11a, CEV] (truer words have never been spoken), I think it’s really important for us to remember that the one who corrects and disciplines his children is also the one who, through his Son, Jesus Christ, said, “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30, CEV] You see, this is the one who corrects us.
But it’s going to do us absolutely no good, if we don’t accept it. I mean give me a break, although we are God’s children, we’re certainly not helping ourselves if we assume that we already know it all and treat the guidance and direction we’re receiving as a lot of white noise. You know, to learn anything we just might have to accept that there’s probably a reason why God gave us two ears and one mouth. My gosh, if I’m staring out the window, I’m probably going to miss the lecture. Man, to listen, we’ve got to decide that we’re going to pay attention and not doze off. But you know, all the listening in the world doesn’t mean a hill of beans if we don’t do anything in response to what we hear. As every parent knows, there’s a world of difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. But it’s right there where the rubber hits the road. You see, we can decide to listen and to respond to the instructions we receive from our Heavenly Father, something that’s a whole lot easier when we accept that God shows his love by correcting us. And for me, that’s the third sign of his love.
Well, we’re now a little bit closer to Christmas than when we started. And even though Debbie and I don’t decorate and bake like mom and dad did when I was a kid, and even though we’re not going to pile into a Ford Fairlane and deliver presents to a bunch of aunts and even though I am absolutely certain that my cousin Jerry won’t be breaking any of my toys, I think there’ll still be a lot of love in the Rudiger house in about three days. You see, Maggie’s coming home. And I’m cooking a turkey. And some time on Christmas day, I can guarantee we’ll be watching Ralphie get his “official Red Ryder, carbine-action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time.” And I’ll tell you, that’s going to feel just like love to me.
And you know, as we all move toward the day on which we remember the birth of Jesus, let’s also remember we have an incredibly special gift from God. You see, for reasons we may never understand, God finds us, something we can trust. And he adopts us, something we can recognize. And he corrects us, something we can accept. And I’ll tell you, this can happen for us all, when we unwrap God’s gift of love.
As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:
As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:
On Sunday, we continued this series by looking at how we can celebrate the gift of joy but with a radically different service. Young people from the Dancer's Studio in Clarion and some of the youth from our congregation will help us experience the joy of this season through music and dance.Below is a video of the service, a video presentation for the sermon and a copy of the bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.
As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:
On Sunday, we continued this series by looking at how we can celebrate the gift of joy. Although young people from the Dancer's Studio and our congregation led the service and no sermon was preached, I wrote a message to complete the series. Below is a video presentation and the text for this sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.
Well, here we are, another week closer to Christmas. And I’ve got to tell you, as I look out the window, I can’t help but to think about one particular Christmas song, and it ain’t All I Want for Christmas Is You. Of course, it’s that wonderful Irving Berlin classic, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas,” a song that was written for the 1942 musical Holiday Inn and that actually won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Now, I think we’ve all heard at least a dozen times in the last few weeks. And I’ve got to tell you, as I look out the window this morning, well, it feels a whole lot more like a concrete reality than wishful thinking.
And you know, as we continue through our series dealing with unwrapping the gifts of Christmas, this morning I think we’re reminded of another song that we generally associate with this time of year but, when it was written way back in 1719, wasn’t intended to be about Christmas at all. You see, to this point we’ve already talked about the gift of hope and the gift of peace. And this morning, we’re going to focus on the one that, according to Isaac Watts, involved joy to the world.
You see, during the rest of our time together, we’re going to focus on how the birth of Jesus Christ really does represent a gift of genuine joy, because through him, we can experience three feelings that can not only brighten our lives right now but that we can also carry with us as we go into the future.
For example, first, I believe Jesus brings us joy, because through him, we can experience gratitude, and I’m talking about a genuine sense of appreciation and thanks that we wouldn’t have if he hadn’t come. And I’ll tell you, I think we can hear this kind of joy announced immediately after his birth. You see, as we all know, on “that night in the fields near Bethlehem [when] some shepherds were guarding their sheep,” [Luke 2:8, CEV] this was what the angel said:
Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay. [Luke 2:10b-12, CEV]
Now that’s what the angel said to those frightened shepherds.
And for all of us who know the story, that’s exactly what that child of Bethlehem was; he was our savior, and for that reason, man, we can be grateful. I mean, we can feel gratitude because, through his life, he saved us from questions and confusion. I mean, thanks to him, we know exactly how to demonstrate compassion to those who need it most. And we know exactly how to demonstrate courage when confronted by men and women whose relationship with God is shaped by works rather than by grace and whose compassion is doled out based on status rather than need and whose love has far more to do with “who” than with “how.” You see, we’ve been saved from questions and confusion. And we can feel appreciation because, through his death, he saved us from shame and guilt. You see, because he died, we know that we’ve been forgiven of all those things we’ve done and left undone. And we’ve been cleansed as though, in God’s sight, what we might consider as red as scarlet has been bleached as white as snow. And we’ve been freed from that feeling that we’re bound and limited by our past mistakes. You see, we’ve also been saved from shame and guilt. And we can feel thankful because, through his resurrection, he saved us from fear and despair. You see, that empty tomb is a sign that death no longer has the final word. And it’s the proof that no matter how bad the world might appear, God is still in control and when you get right down to it, he’s still the Lord and giver of life. And it’s a reminder that just like his tomb was empty on that Easter morning almost two thousand years ago, the day will come when ours will be too. I’m telling you, right here and now, we’ve been saved from fear and despair. You see, because we believe Jesus is the savior, we can feel genuine gratitude, and for me, that’s certainly one part of our Christmas joy. But that’s not all.
You see, second, I believe through him, along with gratitude, we can also experience comfort, and I’m talking about a real sense of strength and security that can change the way we live in the present. I mean, remember, according to the Evangelist John, after his resurrection,
The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.
After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, “I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” [John 20:19-22, CEV]
You see, just like the Lord breathed his spirit into Adam, the child born in Bethlehem has breathed the Holy Spirit into us.
And for that reason we can feel comfort. You see, we can feel comfort just knowing that the presence of God is within each one of us here; therefore, in a very real way Jesus has always been our Emmanuel, God with us, and when, on that mountain in Galilee, he promised to be with disciples always, man, he was speaking to us. And that’s a source of comfort. And we can also feel strength just knowing that the Holy Spirit isn’t just static and callous and uninvolved, but rather it’s working within us, changing us on the inside and enabling us to be everything we were created and called to be, because, using the words of Paul, “God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.” [Galatians 5:22-23, CEV]. I’m telling you, whether we recognize it or not, we’re becoming stronger because of the Holy Spirit. And you know, we can also feel security, and I’m talking about the kind of security that comes from knowing that we’re not alone, that God has called us together, to this place, at this time, and that, as his body, you know, the Body of Christ, we can support and encourage one another and we can work together as God’s people and we can combine our gifts and our talents to accomplish far more than any of us could do on his or her own. Now that, my friends, is real security. You see, because we have faith that Jesus is the giver of the Spirit, we can feel genuine comfort, and for me, that’s certainly another part of our Christmas joy. But again that’s not all either.
Because, third, through him, we can also experience confidence, and I’m talking about the kind of certainty and assurance that will keep us moving forward regardless of what we have to trudge through to get there. And I’ll tell you, this was something that I believe the Apostle Paul understood. You see, just listen to what he wrote to the Romans:
I am sure what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children. We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth. [Romans 8:18-22, CEV]
Now that’s what Paul wrote. In other words, he wasn’t going to let the trouble he was facing right now distract him from what he knew lay ahead.
And I’ll tell you, that can be just as true for us as it was for him. You see, we can be confident, because we believe that the one who was born in Bethlehem, the one who lived and died and was raised, I’m talking about the one who breathed on us and said “Receive the Holy Spirit” [John 20:22b, CEV], man, we believe he’s coming back. He’s coming back to set things right. He’s coming back to separate the sheep from the goats. Man, he’s coming back to deliver his kingdom to his father. Of this we can be confident. And we can be certain that, when that day comes, we’re going to be part of his return, as Paul wrote, “It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye. At the sound of the last trumpet the dead will be raised. We will all be changed, so we will never die again. Our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won’t die or decay.” [1 Corinthians 15:52-52, CEV] Of this we can be certain. And we can be assured that no matter what happened in the past and no matter is happening in the present and no matter what might happen in the future, our ultimate destinies are in the hands of God, in his loving and gracious and merciful hands, and that when the last page of the book is written, when the roll is called up yonder, brothers and sisters, we will be there. Of this we can be assured. You see, because we trust that Jesus is coming back, we can feel genuine confidence, and for me, that’s certainly another part of our Christmas joy.
Of course, as we all know, we can’t trust in everything, not even in everything we see. Good night nurse, AI has taught us that, right? For example, do you remember how I mentioned that, given what we can all see as we look out the window, man, we have an excellent reason to expect a white Christmas? Well, quoting that great biblical scholar, Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.” You see, according to The Weather Channel, on Thursday, we can expect rain and temperatures near 50. As a matter of fact, they’re not calling for any more snow until after the twenty-five. In other words, it’s likely we’ll only be experiencing a white Christmas in our dreams.
But you know, that’s not the case with Christmas joy. You see, because Jesus is our savior, we can experience gratitude. And because Jesus is the giver of the Holy Spirit, we can experience comfort. And because Jesus is coming again, we can experience confidence. And as it relates to this wonderful Christmas gift, I really think that’s what Christmas joy is all about.
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