Sermon Video: The Zeal that brought Emmanuel to Earth - Isaiah 9:7b

The most important events in human history invariably later involve those asking two questions: How did it happen?  Why did it happen?  For the most singular and momentous event in human history, the advent of the Christ child, the question of how was answered by the angel Gabriel, although it remains shrouded in mystery.  The question of why, however, has been clearly answered by Scripture, we need only ponder the character of God as we examine it.
The zeal of the LORD brought the Emmanuel, God in the flesh, to earth.  Why zeal?  Zeal is the emotion that is connected to both love (ardor) and anger (envy, jealousy) relating to the relationships between people and between God and people.  In this case, the zeal of God as our Heavenly Father would not allow God to sit idly by as humanity self-destructed in its rebellion against God.  The love of God, propelled by zeal, moved God to act in accordance with his holiness, thus the advent of the Son of God, sent to be a sacrifice for sin, sent to redeem humanity from darkness.

As we celebrate Christmas, marveling at the wondrous deeds of love which God has wrought, let us remember that zeal motivated God, for his is our God, and we are his people.

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The importance of heaven: a life lesson from Everybody Loves Raymond

In an episode of the excellent sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray's brother Robert is faced with a moral dilemma because he for once has a beautiful woman, Stephana, who is interested in having sex with him.  Robert, a lonely middle-aged man with serious fears of commitment, makes the morally correct decision to not get into a physical relationship with Stephana, despite her overwhelming beauty and clear willingness.  As Stephana leaves in anger from his apartment after Robert informs her that they shouldn't see each other anymore, she taunts him one last time with the beauty that he had chosen to abstain from, after Robert had shouted at her, "I did the right thing, morally".  After her taunt, Robert says to himself, "there had better be a heaven".  Sitcoms are meant to be funny, first and foremost, but in this case Robert is also hitting upon an important moral principle.  The morality that we live by is not limited to this lifetime; it is affected by, and carries over into, the afterlife.  Because Robert was a Christian, a Catholic to be precise, he believed that making morally correct decisions was more important that worldly pleasures.  That Robert is counting upon heaven to recompense him for his sacrifice is not a cop-out, but a wise perspective on his part.  Too many Christians live too much of their lives as if this life is really all that they believe there is.  When we instead consider eternity as we think about today, our perspective changes, what we place value in changes, what we focus upon changes, and we find motivation and encouragement that will help us to achieve victory over temptation as well as endurance in our acts of righteousness.  Robert chose to do the right thing, he did so in the hope that there is indeed a heaven, fortunately for him and all of us, he is right.

Sermon Video, "to win the prize" Philippians 3:10-14

Having just told the church at Philippi that his past life of self-righteousness is meaningless and his current state of self-sacrifice in the service of the Gospel is not a loss, Paul now explains to them that he has not yet reached the perfect state of Christ-likeness that he, and all of us, must strive for.
That the Apostle Paul admits to be less than perfect is welcome news to those of us who struggle to live up to the high standard of the conduct of Jesus Christ.  Not only does it allow us to be honest about our shortcomings, it keeps us from being judgmental toward others because none of us are, or can be, perfect until God finishes that process of transformation beyond the grave.
So what do we do now?  If we can't be perfect, does it matter if we try to be better?  Paul's answer is an emphatic, "Press on!"  We must strive and struggle toward that lofty goal of Christ-likeness, it doesn't matter that we can't get there because God has called us to be soldiers for the Cross, we too must take up spiritual arms and stand against evil, we too must stand with the weak, the outcasts, because we will then be standing where our saviour stood, with the people, that he might save the people.

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Sermon Video