“Do you hear what I hear?”

    I love the words of this classic Christmas carol - ”Do You Hear What I Hear?” I almost have a picture in my mind – if this were a child’s Christmas story – of a small shepherd boy skipping away from the manger in Bethlehem singing; “Do you hear what I hear?”...“Do you see what I see?”…“Do you know what I know?”

    Through the course of this Advent series, we will be taking a little more in depth look at this well known part of the Christmas story about the shepherds and especially the words of verse 20 “The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Later in the Book of Luke and in the life of Jesus, John’s disciples come to Jesus and ask “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replies; “Go back and report to John what you have seen and what you have heard!”

    The angel messenger who was sent to the shepherds of Bethlehem startled them with his presence, but his voice spoke the very words of God; words that God wanted the whole world to hear…”I bring good news of great joy! To you this day is born in the city of David – a Savior!”  I can imagine that as the tiny child in the manger of Bethlehem cried for the first time, Satan and all of hell must have heard God’s voice thunder in their midst!  Do you hear what I hear?

   There once was a skit out that asks the question; “What did Joseph do the day after Christ was born?” The play imagines that since Joseph is a carpenter, that he begins to make a crib for Jesus. And, as he does, he thinks about all the events surrounding the birth of Jesus; the angels, the shepherds, the

wise men, and he thinks to himself “If they treat him like this when he is just

a baby, how will they treat him when they find out that he is the Son of God?”

At about that time, the lights suddenly go out and all you hear is the hammer hitting the spikes… “How will they treat him when they find out who he really is?”

    The goal of any good communicator is not necessarily to speak well with perfect English, but to be heard and understood. In the Old Testament God spoke clearly through the prophets, but nobody listened. God spoke through the scriptures, but nobody listened. In our scripture today, God spoke through angels and the testimony of others, but they still did not listen. It says they were “amazed” but they were not listening! Today God still speaks in ways that we can hear Him, receive his message clearly, and understand Him…if we are listening.

    One of the most important Christian concepts that we can grasp is that when God speaks, he is speaking to us personally. Every scripture we read, God speaks to us. Every scripture we hear, God speaks to us. Every message given, every study taught, every testimony heard; God is speaking to us.

    I don’t know how many times you have heard the Christmas story, perhaps every year of your life since you started school, but if you don’t hear anything else I have said today, hear this; “God loves you!” The child Jesus – born of the virgin Mary – the Son of God – in the manger of Bethlehem – was born for you because God loves you!  I hope you hear what I hear…

Thanks-Living

    In Psalm 116, the Psalmist David asks the question; “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” If you really think about that question, there really is nothing materialistic or monetary that we can give God. He owns it all! I could say: “Because of all your benefits toward me Father, I’m going to give you this nice new watch. It’s a great watch. It keeps good time. It’s got the date on it and everything! And, it’s pure, artificial gold!  Then God says: “No thanks. You see, I have the sun and the moon which I created to keep track of time. And besides, I am eternal, I have no need for a watch! 

    “Well, O.K. then, How about a raise in pay! How does $5.00 more a Sunday sound?” And God says: “O Ye of little faith, don’t you know by now that no matter what the amount you give, it’s for your benefit and not mine!” “Don’t you realize that I have blessed you in so many ways because I love you?” “All I want is your love in return.”

    Once we realize that there is nothing we can render unto God except ourselves; our devotion, our time, our talents, our abilities, our prayers, and our praise, we will know that it is these things that are our “Thank-offering”. What can we do except “enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts!”

    Imagine, if you will, it is 1789 and George Washington is addressing the nation; “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly implore His protection, aid, and favor; "Whereas, Both Houses of Congress" (Did you hear that, "Both Houses of Congress?") "have by their joint committee requested me `to recommend to the people of the United States a day of Public Thanksgiving & Prayer…To be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many favors of Almighty God. . .Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday the 25^th. Of November, to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be, that we may unite in rendering to Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this great country; and for the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.” (Thanksgiving Proclamation declared by President George Washington - 1789 )

    Our founding fathers openly recognized God as Creator and the source of all blessings as a nation. It was also George Washington who said: “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and His Word”.  How times have changed!  Our nation seems to be working hard to push God out of our lives and our schools and our government, and, I for one think we have lost what Thanksgiving is all about. However, we need to know that government, nor proclamations, not even laws can turn our this nation toward God. God , himself, has told us in His Word the only thing that will work. It’s found in II Chronicles 7:13 - “If my People, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and WILL HEAL THEIR LAND”.  This Thanksgiving, let’s not just acknowledge all the little, undeserved blessings we have received, let’s take some time to humbly pray for ourselves, our churches, our community, and especially our nation. Let’s not just give thanks for what God has done, but also what He can do!  Our prayer should be as that of King Jehoshaphat in II Chronicles 20:13 - a classic line where he said: “O God, we know not what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee!” The nation turned to God, and the nation was delivered. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!” (Psalm 136)

    One of the most beautiful Psalms of thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, & we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving & His courts with praise; give thanks to Him & praise His name. For the Lord is good & His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

    With all my heart I believe we are a people & a nation that has truly been blessed by God. And of all those who "give thanks to Him & praise His name" we should be at the top! 

    It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, & draw up a list of resolutions for New Years. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful.  Let me pass on a part of the list that several housewives compiled. They wrote that they were especially thankful:

"For automatic dishwashers because they make it possible for us to get out of the kitchen before the family comes back in for their after-dinner snacks. "For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house, because they usually end up making them big enough to call in the professionals.”  "For children who put away their things & clean up after themselves. They’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents!” "For teenagers because they give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.” And, "For Smoke alarms because they let you know when the turkey’s done.”

    Now our list might not be the same as theirs, but I’m convinced that if we began to make a list, we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions. Like you, I’m sure, my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, & the nation we live in, despite all its flaws…But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, our church family, & the mercy that God showers upon us each day.       

    Our forefathers had "a boundless faith in God." That almost sounds strange today in a time when powerful forces are at work in our nation to strip us of every reminder that the very foundation of our nation was built upon the conviction that we are "one nation, under God."  Our hallowed "Declaration of Independence" pro-claims, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights . . ." And it ends with these words, ". . .with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes & our sacred Honor."  Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn’t commemorate a battle or anyone’s birthday or anniversary. It is simply a day set aside to express our nations thanks to our nation’s God.

    The 100th Psalm was written for the people of Israel. God said to them, "When you come into the promised land, & settle down in your warm homes, & you have plenty to eat, don’t forget Me. I led you out of the wilderness & I brought you into a land flowing with milk & honey". But it doesn’t take very long to realize that the people of Israel needed a reminder, & I am afraid that we need it, too.  Maybe God had us in mind, too, when this Psalm was written. Did you notice to whom it is addressed? The first verse says that it is addressed to "all the earth," & the last verse says that it is includes "all generations." This message of thanks-giving is so deep & wide that it applies to every person in every era in every stage of life.

    Alex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why it was there?" Alex Haley answer-ed, "Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words & think that they are wonderful, & begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post & remember that he didn’t get there on his own. He had help." That is the basis of thankfulness - to remember that we got here with the help of God, & that He is the provider of every blessing we have.

    During this season we call Thanksgiving, the time when we typically remember all the ways that God has blessed us; with salvation; forgiveness; mercy; grace; love; good health; prosperity; family and friends; I would call you to remember that I call this a life of Thanks-living… It is a way of life, and not just a holiday. 

“A Missionaries Request”

Colossians 4:2-4 ^{– “}Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”

Ephesians 6:19-20 – “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

In these two scriptures there are five things that Paul says we can pray for. These are what I call “general” prayers. The kind of prayers that all of our missionaries need.

1. He says “pray for us”… In other words, just praying for missionaries anywhere and everywhere, as they serve and allow God to work through them.

2. He says, “pray that God will open doors”. We can pray that God will open doors of opportunity to proclaim the message of the gospel of God’s love and grace extended to all people. The early church did this. They were watchful about people who needed Jesus and desired chances to share their faith. Paul was already in chains because of the gospel, but that didn’t stop him. We should pray that our missionaries would “make the most of every opportunity” to witness and honor Christ in all that they do.

3. Pray that they would proclaim the mystery of Christ. In other words that they would stay true to the message… the only message that can and will transform lives. “There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

4. Paul says – pray that the gospel is shared clearly. The Judeans had eyes and ears but couldn’t see or hear spiritual truth. There is a way that the gospel can be clearly shared with all people groups. The church has to be careful to share the gospel in a way that is culturally relevant. Finding ways to proclaim this simple, yet profound message. Our missionaries must be able to share the gospel in a clear and understandable and real way. An early church father used to say, “Share Christ at every opportunity, and if necessary, use words.” We ought to pray that God will bless their times of study, and their preparation and delivery of His message. Pray that it will be clear and helpful and encouraging to the people!

5. Finally, Paul says we should pray that our missionaries would speak “boldly” or “fearlessly”. Not with self-confidence but with confidence in God. Paul himself said in Romans 1:16 – “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for everyone who believes.” We must pray that our missionaries would know and believe and understand that we have the greatest message that the world has ever known and needs to know! And, that they would not be intimidated, or fearful, nor arrogant and conceited, but bold and fearless in the power of the one who is over all things.

Conclusion; As we think once again about missions and missionaries, we should never place more importance on giving over praying. We should never worry about just being a prayer partner rather than monetary supporters of missions. The Apostle Paul, the first and greatest missionary and church planter, mentions money and support only once in speaking of the Macedonian churches, but he mentions prayer in every letter he sent. Prayer is something we all can do, but we are to be – as Paul says – “Devoted, watchful, and thankful” – for what God is doing all around the world.