A Sermon for the 4th Sunda in Advent

4 Sunday Advent

Matthew 1:18-25

"A Blender for Christmas"


18* Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;
19* and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
20* But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;
21* she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
22* All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23* "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife,
25* but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

A many of years ago for Christmas we received a blender from my brother and his wife as a Christmas present. A blender is a very useful item in the kitchen, as it can make bread crumbs for that great Italian disk eggplant or it can make some great drinks by mixing various juices together, or it can make sauces for meats and vegetables. Blenders are very useful for mixing things together, or they can be used to make food that is difficult to swallow easier say for babies or older people who have a . difficult time eating. A blender mixes items so much that the various items cannot be distinguished one from another after they have.been blended.

God sent the world a blender--.Jesus. In him God and man, divinity and humanity, were so perfectly blended that no one can separate the human and divine natures in him. Jesus is all human and all God, perfectly blended into one integrated personality, a God-man.

Our gospel lesson this morning ,deals with this fact as it tells the story of Joseph and his struggle with his brothed being with child. We need to understand the Jewish courtship to understand what was happening. A Jewish couple is engaged as very young children by their parents. As they grow up they get to know one another, and if they like each other, then the engagement is still on. After some time, the betrothed period takes place, the man takes the woman to his house to live together under one roof, but without all the benefits of marriage for about one year to see if they can get along, then after this period the marriage ceremony is conducted and the
couple become truly husband and wife.

So you can see Joseph knew this child was not his, he was upset, but being a kind and gentle man he wasn't going to publicly hurt Mary by divorcing her publicly, but
would hand1e it very quietly since that was also a right of a Jewish man As Joseph was weighing all of this he has a vision an angel explains that Mary's child was from God and would be given the name of Jesus will save the people from their sins. After this vision, Joseph did as the angel commanded because he was a religious man, kept Mary as his betrothed, and eventually married her and named the child she was carrying Jesus.

Of all the characters in the Christmas Story, I can relate to Joseph the best. Who ever gives him any credit? From the biblical record he is the most nondescript person you will ever find. Why, even his identity with his son is lost. Most Jewish boys were called son of Joseph, as in Matthew's gospel when Jesus was referring to Peter at the time of Peter's great confession of faith, he said, "Peter bar Jonah," Or Peter son of Jonah, but what about Jesus himself, in our hymn of the day; the last line of the 1st verse says "Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the Son of Mary." Son of Mary, not son of Joseph. He might not of bore him, but he helped raise him, he was a son in the sense that Joseph trained him in the skills of a carpenter.

Besides having a problem with the marriage and not having the right to name the child, you can see why Joseph is a very upset about all that has happened. But as a religious man, you need to give him credit for going along with the wishes of the angel. He followed through.

As Jesus grew we know from scripture that Joseph trained him in the trade that he knew as a carpenter. Joseph passed on to Jesus all of his learning. To this blended person, God and man, Joseph passed on his trade.

This story of Joseph illustrates the blender effect of Jesus He was true God and true man. He was true - man because he was born of a woman. God came into our world like we do, through the birth process. God didn't use any super means, nothing spectacular, nothing out of this world to enter this world. He came into this world like the rest of us, God truly wanted to be like us, he wanted to take on all the form of a human being so became into the world- as humans do. God, because he came into the world as humans do, became truly human. God had skin on. He wasn't any different than any:of us. As a baby he cried, he laughed, he ate, he crawled, he walked he talked. He learned how to get around in the environment he was in. God grew up in Jesus as a human being grows up. The God who made all of life, the God who created everything out of nothing, the God who loved what made gave it all up so that in Jesus he wanted to know, to understand, to be like the creatures he created in his own image, human beings. God became man, God put skin on, the same kind of skin we wear.

In the following story we see how God put skin on in a different kind of way.

"A old cobbler named Conrad had a dream that the Lord was coming to visit him. So he washed the walls of his small shop and his shelves until they shined. He decorated his shop with holly and fir. He put milk and honey on his table to offer to his special guest. He sat down and waited.

As he was waiting, he saw a poor barefoot beggar walking in the rain outside his door. He felt sorry for the man and invited him and gave him a pair of shoes. His clean floor was now dirty from the rain and mud.

As he was about to clean it up, he noticed an old lady who was bent over carrying a heavy load of firewood. He invited her in to sit and rest, shared some of his food with her and walked with her, helping carry some of the wood.

When he returned to his shop, he thought of all that needed to be done. He began to clean again and hoped he had tome to find more food. Just then a knock at the door. He answered hurriedly and it was a small child crying lost and cold. He picked up the child, dried the tears, gave her something to drink, the cup of milk and walked her to her home down the street and around the corner.

He hurried back to the shop. He was too tired now to clean or find more food but he still waited. Evening came and he began to wonder if the Lord had forgot.
Then he heard a soft voice break the silence in that shop, 'Lift up your heart, for I kept my word. Three times I came to your friendly door, Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was the beggar with bruised feet; I was the woman you gave to eat, I was the lost child on that homeless street."

Conrad smiled to himself, put his feet up on the table and settled back in his chair to pray and talk with the Saviour so fair. "(1)

But the other side of this story shows the divine nature of this babe. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and then given a heavenly name. I imagine like all parents, Mary and Joseph probably had some names picked out for this child, but through the vision Joseph was given the name by God to name this child, he was to be called Jesus which means one who brings the new covenant. Or as the early church understood Jesus to be also the Emmanuel which means God with us. Never the less, the name of this child was important, He was given a God given name, a name which no other human being has had.

These two nature of Jesus his human nature and his divine nature were blended together so as one studied his life, you not decide at what moment Jesus
was human and at what moment he was divine. His natures were blended together so that he was God-man all wrapped up together.

Now that we understand the two natures of Jesus, the question needs to be asked so what? Why is it important to know that Jesus has two natures, one divine and one
human.? It is important because as we live now, we know we believe, we trust that Jesus understands all the struggles, all the heartaches, all the tension, all the frustrations, all the joys, all the events that make up our lives. Jesus understands sorrow because he lost a friend in Lazarus. He understands human suffering because as a man he suffered on the cross. As a man he was loyal to his mother, he knew what family ties were all about. Jesus lived a human life so he can understand our human life. He understands our joys, our happiness, our heartaches, our sorrow, our pain, our suffering. Because Jesus was human, he doesn't just imagine what we bear as his children, he has gone through it himself.

"God hears our cries. He hears our cry no matter the time of the day or night He hears our cry no matter where we are. He hears the cry of every creature on the face of the earth.

He hears the cry of a child who cries as her daddy drives away on yet another business trip. She will see him again on Saturday morning. Make that Saturday afternoon. He has a golf game on Saturday morning. God hears her cry.

He hears the cry of the teenage boy who cries himself to sleep in the security of his bedroom after spending his weekend with his step-dad and his mother. The rest of the week he will be with his Dad and his step-mother. He will repeat this same scenario next weekend, and the weekend after that, and the weekend after that. God hears his cry.

He hears the cry of the wife who cries as she wonders if the man she married so many years ago will come home today. They had a big fight and he left angry. Words were spoken that neither one meant to speak. She wants to call him, but she is afraid he will not answer his phone. God hears her cry. God hears his cry... wherever he may be.

He hears the cry of the executive who closes the door to his office and turns his chair away from the window so no one will see his tears. He has just gotten a notice that his position is being phased out. His wife moved out last week. He has no place to go. He has no one to tell. So he sits alone in his office and he cries. God hears his cry.
He hears the cry of the husband who walks down the hall toward the exit of the nursing home where he left his wife. She has not recognized him for quite sometime. He puts the key in the ignition and cries for his wife. God hears his cry.

He hears the cry of a lady who walks into a church and finds a seat. She sits alone. No one speaks to her. No one notices she is there. No one notices when she leaves. As she walks through the parking lot to her car she cries. She cries for the love of someone... anyone. God hears her cry."(2)

The human God hears our cries so that the other side of God, the divine can reach a hand into our live with his saving grace and peace. So through the spirit, Jesus as God can walk with us, can be with with us, can give us the assurance, if we trust in Him, we will not walk alone in this world. God will walk with us. God through the Spirit will walk with us. God will be with us through the divine side of Jesus.

The gift of Christmas is that we have a God that is both human and divine. We have a God that understand the human condition so as God he can walk with us and give us a measure of his peace.

We have a blended God.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale December 17, 2006
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

(1) A poem by Edwin Markham , "How the Great Guest Came."
(2) He Hears Our Cry by Tom Norvell from firstIMPRESSIONS

3rd Sunday in Advent Sermon

3rd Sunday in Advent

Matthew 11:2-11
"What child is this?"

"Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me." As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? Why then did you go out? To see a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who wear soft raiment are in kings' houses. Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.' Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." Matthew 11:2-11, RSV.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savoiur, Jesus who is the Christ child. Amen

Our gospel lesson this morning sees John the Baptist in prison and he was wondering if Jesus was indeed the Messiah. So he sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one.

Jesus does not say yes or no, to that question but tells the disciples of John to tell John what you have seen and heard. And what did they see and hear. The lame can walk the blind had received their sight,. Leper had been healed and the dead have been raised up.

Jesus told John's disciples to go back and tell John what has been happening and then John could figure out for himself that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

John was probably having a difficult time understanding who Jesus was.

He might be thinking, "Lord, where did I go wrong? I did what I thought you wanted. I said what I thought you wanted me to say. You told me that Messiah was coming. But where is he? Where's the fire, the ax, the judgment he's supposed to bring? And why, if he's here, would he let me stay in this place? I've heard rumors about this one called Jesus. I thought I knew my cousin pretty well. I remember that day in the Jordan when I baptized him. What a glorious day. I knew it was all beginning then. God's whole plan was being put into play. But, where is he now? Why isn't he doing what I said he would do? Is he really the one or should I look for another?

John waned to know why Jesus did not come with a fire instead of love. He wanted Jesus to bring judgment upon the people, but instead he brought love and forgiveness. This was not what John thought the one would do. He thought the one would come with fire and brimstone. but Jesus came with love and understanding. Jesus came with forgiveness.

Jesus then pays his respects to John by saying : Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

He tells the crowd that John indeed someone who should be respected for the message that he brought. John's message was right for that time, but Jesus' message of love and forgiveness is the main message that God wanted to come to this earth.

And today, which message do we listen to when we see the child come at Christmas? Do we see judgment or do we see love?

What child do we see on Mary's lap sleeping as that song says. What child, the child of judgment or the child of love. The child who can answer all our questions of faith, or the child that leaves some of those questions unanswered.

Wondering, having doubts, is that okay? Do we shy away from these questions of doubts ? As Christians do we say doubts, questions of faith are wrong?

Paul Tillich points out that God does not stand aloof, apart from our questioning; rather God is in the struggle of doubt, making himself known through it. Doubt therefore is a vital part and element of the faith which justifies.

In the book, "A sign in the straw" Pastor Richard Hoefler asks, "Who of us have not cried out with John, 'Are you the Christ, or shall we look for another'? When life gets tough and we see innocent people suffer. The bad so often succeed while the good fail. When we face a world locked in the death grip of one meaningless war after another; when we witness the destruction of nature as greed and desire for comforts drain the earth of her natural resources; when we choke on pollution and stumble over wrecked lives of people struck down by drugs and alcoholism; who can help but cry out, 'If you are the Messiah, why this? Must we, shall we, look for another?'

He asks again,"When will we learn that faith does not have all the answers? Faith is a risk. Faith is a life of trust, not of certainty and security God never promised answers to all our questions. God never promised life without stress. He promises and gives only himself, with all the dangers and risks of personal encounters.".

He states further,"Our hope? Not faith without doubt, but faith within doubts. Not the answers we possess but who possesses us. We may doubt God, but God never doubts us. We may not know God but He with absolute certainty knows us. This is the gospel. This is our life. This is the love that will never let us go."

We need to have faith with all our doubts and questions. The child comes with love and allows us to face our doubts and questions about life and faith.
The child comes and changes everything about life for us. He makes the weak strong, the strong weak, the dirty clean, the sinful, sinless, and the unforgiven, forgiven. In a word he changes everything.

He is like the baby in the following:

The story goes that Roaring Camp was supposed to be the meanest, toughest mining town in all of the West. It was reported that there were more murders and thefts than any other place around. It was a terrible place inhabited entirely by men, except for one woman who made her living in the only way she knew how. Her name was Cherokee Sal.

She became pregnant by who knows whom and died while giving birth to a baby. The men took the baby and put her in a box with some old rags under her. Somehow that just didn’t seem right, so one of the men rode eighty miles to buy a rosewood cradle. He brought it back, and they put the rags and the baby in the beautiful new rosewood cradle. But the rags didn’t look very nice in the beautiful new cradle, so they had another man ride to Sacramento where he bought some beautiful silk and lace blankets. Now they put the baby in the cradle lined with silk and put the new blanket over her. It looked fine until someone happened to notice that the floor was so filthy.

So these hardened, tough men got down on their hands and knees, and with their calloused hands scrubbed the floor until it was spotless. Of course, now the walls and the ceiling and the dirty windows without curtains looked absolutely terrible. So they washed down the walls and the ceiling, and they put curtains at the windows. Things were beginning to look a lot better. But of course, they had to give up a lot of their fighting, because the baby slept a lot, and babies can’t sleep during a brawl. So the whole temperature of Roaring Camp seemed to go down.

They would take the baby out and set her by the entrance to the mine in her rosewood cradle, with one of the men staying next to her, so the others could see her when they came out of the mine. Then somebody noticed what a dirty place the mine entrance was, so they planted flowers, and they made a garden there. It really looked quite beautiful. The men would bring her shiny little stones that they would find in the mine. But when they would put their hands down next to hers, their hands looked so dirty. Pretty soon the general store was all sold out of soap and shaving gear. The baby was changing everything.

That’s also the way it is for those who have placed their faith in the babe of Bethlehem. The baby enters into their lives, and he slips into every crevice of their experience. (1)

The one who John was wondering about, Jesus the Christ child born in a manger came and changed everything about life. He came into every part of life and changed it.

It is this child of change that we await for during this advent season. The child in the manger, the child on Mary's lap sleeping that comes now in our lives and changes us from the inside out. He comes with love to forgive, to love, to change us.

Will you let that child of change enter your life this Advent and Christmas season? Will you be changed from the inside out?

"A pastor writes:

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick.

Suddenly, my daughter, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I'm thinking of something."

This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that her six-year-old mind had
discovered. I was eager to hear.

"What are you thinking?" I asked. "The rain," she began, "is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away."

After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond. "That's really good, Aspen."

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take this revelation? So I asked.. "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What
does that tell you?"

Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer: "We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us." (2)

We keep on sinning and God just keeps on forgiving us is the way for us to see this child born in a manger.

What child is this, the child who comes into every aspect of our lives and changes us, forgives us and cleanses us from our sins. Will you allow that child into your live this Advent and Christmas season? Will you allow him to change you from the inside out? Will you allow him to clean up every aspect of your life?

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale December 10, 2007

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

(1) Contributed by: Rodney Buchanan at SermonCentral

(2) from inspirational-stories@yahoogroups.com

Sermon for the 2nd Sunday in Advent

2nd Sunday Advent

Matthew 3:1-12

"Look, Jesus is Coming"


"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit that befits repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:1-12, RSV.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

There is a purely American art form that has been lost to the American scene over the last 20 to 15 years. It is the Circus Poster. Some of you can remember those colorful posters that were hung about a month before the circus would come to your area announcing the greatest show on earth. These posters would announce the glory, the "thrills, the glamor and the excitement of the most magical of worlds SOON to arrive for one day and one day only.

The life of the bill poster was tedious and hard work, never accompanied by applause or any sign of appreciation. Few people even noticed him at work, but when he was done, the results of his hard work were seen on barn sides, wooden fences and store windows. It was not at all his job to call attention to himself; his job was to leave a visible sign, a visible proclamation of the greater than himself that was yet to come.

The Circus was coming to town!!

So, our text for this morning from Matthew's gospel, tells of another whose job was not to point attention to himself, but to one who was coming who was greater than I." John was not the big show, but he came to proclaim that the big show was coming. Jesus was coming.

Yes, this is the season to get ready, to prepare for one who is coming. We light the Advent candles on the wreath this morning as a signal that someone.is coming and we have the next 3 weeks to get ready. But ready for who?? Who is coming? Beginning today and continuing the next weeks of Advent, we will answer that question, who is coming. We will answer the question posed.by our .hymn of the day,"What child is this, who laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping?"

What child is this? Who is coming? Does he get confused with another who is coming this season? I would imagine if we asked our children who is coming they might answer with another song that is sung during this season: "You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town! He knows when you've been sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows when you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake!

Yes, this is the season to get ready. Ready for the Christ child in our, lives. 4John the Baptist gives us a hint this morning about how we are to get ready for the Christ
child in our lives. .John brought and still brings into our lives a message for personal repentance. This message that told and tells people they need get out of the ruts, the grooves they are in, to change, to turn around from the kind of lives they are living to repent to .change to make 180 degree, turn. Advent is the time for us to look at; our: lives to note the changes that need to be made then to make them.

This term repentance can be defined. as a- change of"soul as found in Matt. 27: 3 &.. IICor. 7.: 9,10. Repentance means turning one soul, one's life around, changing direction. Repentance is a human possibility, because it is the result of divine redemption in: our lives. Repentance is at once man's. responsibility and the gift of God through the Spirit.

Repentance is not done in fear but in love. It is done because one is motivated:by, the grace of God. John"s message was one .of escape to repent' because one would escape the terrible consequences of hell.

Jesus came with another kind of message of repentance a positive message. Jesus says, take those steps of, repentance that will allow you to seize the opportunity to claim .your status as a son or daughter of God. Jesus .message was and still is life affirming. We repent, we change because we want a better quality of life.

Repentance is a returning to God which is now no longer a response to law, but a response to a person to Jesus Christ it is discipleship; There can be no genuine repentance which is not also the acceptance of the divine promises spoken in .Jesus of Nazareth: Repentance is linked with faith in that once a per:son accepts the promises of God in Jesus, one is then led to see 'ones life illuminated by grace as a sinner in rebellion against God. It is in this illumination that one then comes to the acceptance that life would be a better quality in and through the life or" Jesus 'who helps us turn away from self and sin and live in and through 'him.

A wife.tells about her Friday afternoon when she starts preparing 'for her husband's return after a week of traveling. "When I start shopping and cleaning and arranging flowers, it is,like having him already here. There is some thing special in the cooking on Friday because I know we will share it. It is as if he were already with me."

That is the way we find ourselves in our journey in Christ. We await for his coming again. We prepare in repentance,we sense the nearness of the kingdom and yet we wait for its consummation. When we wait for something, we, in a sense already possess it.

Now I would suppose that many of you; are wondering why we would need to talk about repentance letting Jesus change our lives giving us his grace to accept our short comings so that we deal with them, change and then life a better quality of life in our rural middle class church, when we don't really think of ourselves as doing things that are so awful/ Surely pastor, you might think, you are talking to someone else, not me. Maybe the person next to me in the pew, or maybe those who are here they really need to hear a message of repentance, but not me.

A poem says:

Preach about the other man Preacher
the man we all can see

The man of oaths, the man of strife, the man who drinks and beast his wife, but helps his mates to fret and shirk when all they need is to keep at work --

Preach about the other man, Preacher! Not about me!

But it is when we, you and I realize that the message of repentance is directed at us. When we realize that before God we are indeed sinners, it is only then that the message, the miracle, the greatness and glory of this Christmas season will come alive in our hearts. When we see that we truly need Jesus, that we are totally dependent on him for our salvation, will the impact of the incarnation be that spacial even in our hearts.

A man was watching a marble cutter with chisel and hammer clanging a stone into a beautiful status. He said o the cutter, "I wish I could change my life like that. I wish I could deal such clanging blows on my story heart".

Maybe you could if you worked like me, upon your knees."

Repentance means you are truly sorry and seek the forgiveness of Christ. But do we take this forgiveness and this repentance not very seriously. Do we tell God we want tot repent but then do that act again and again. How seriously do we take repentance and the forgiveness that it brings. How sorry are we?

Christopher D. Green writes:

"You could say that it was part of the environment surrounding our house. It was an unwritten code held sacred to all in the family. From the time I can remember being able to remember things, I grew up understanding what it meant to say, 'I'm sorry. From childhood, I recall my parents instilling in me and my sister that if we were truly
sorry for something we had done, we could always ask for forgiveness and we would be forgiven. It was a mutual obligation both parties (the inflicter and the inflicted) had to accept. Through the realization we had wronged another member of the family, unity could be restored with those simple words, 'I'm sorry.'

"I remember a time when this worked amazingly well, until I abused the system. I still remember breaking my sister's baton over my knee when I was about eight years old. It was then I learned about the power of repentance. As I forced the midpoint of that lightweight baton over my knee, I remember thinking, 'Saying "I'm sorry" will fix this!'

Repeated 'I'm sorry's were declared in my defense, but Mom saw through the veil of charade. I had abused the right to say 'I'm sorry'! Finally, after a long discussion, I was forgiven. Not for breaking the baton as much as I was forgiven of abusing the ability to repent and say I was sorry.

"There are times now when I think of how I have abused the repentance God has provided through Christ. Have I taken advantage of our relationship?"

Have you or I abused the repentance God has provided through Christ have we taken advantage of that relationship and come to Christ with half hearted requests for forgiveness?

A closing story about two brothers one who felt the forgiving power of repentance in his life and one who didn't.

There is a story bout two brothers who were convicted of sheep stealing. The brutal custom of their time demanded that their foreheads be branded with ST standing for Sheep Thief.

One of the brothers tried to run from his past sin, but some one would always ask that the ST stood for and the truth would come out. He fled from place to place. His life became unbearable and he died a biter and despised man.

But the other brother repented of his misdeed, lived in the power of Christ, stayed at his home, worked hard to recapture the respect of his neighbors and established a reputation for integrity and goodness. One day a stranger in town saw the old man with the ST branded on his forehead and asked a native what it meant. After thin for a long time, the man replied, " it all happened so long ago but I think the letters are a abbreviation for SAINT."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale December 3, 2007 You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.