The Season of Advent (4)

Good Morning. I am so glad that we can be here together. It is a good day for us to be in the house of the Lord. IT is the final Sunday before the coming of Christ. The anticipation is building and we look forward to celebrating that day soon. We are reminded of the love God has for us.

The love for people. It is an interesting topic because when we talk about who we love in this world or who people look up to and adore we get into a sensitive topic.

For many of us the people we look to as important in our lives are family and friends. Our loved ones.

Society though as a whole we look to different people though.

If you were here last Sunday night lets see if you remember or might see where I am going with this.

Culture tells us that the important people are things like Politicians, Doctors, Athletes, and any other number of professions that the wold looks up to.

What is interesting is the Jewish culture did the same thing. They looked up to the Priests, and the Pharisees and other high authorities in the world.

Yet, one of the things about the story of Jesus Birth is it points us to a place we don’t expect. It points us to professions that we don’t think about. It points us to places and people that don’t fit in the norms of society.

It is a reminder that God uses the things we least expect to achieve his goals.

Let’s read together a passage that helps remind us of that.

Micah 5:2–4 NIV

2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” 3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

The Unexpected

God uses the unexpected. and it begins with Bethlehem.

The town that was amll among the clans of Judah. the one who will be ruler over Israel.

That is a big promise and statement. I mean Society would tell you that a true king or leader should come from a large city or a more royal place. Yet, Bethlehem this small town has royal history.

Bethlehem is the home town of David and the people of Israel were very aware of this as they lived life thorugh the years. They truth is that they would look back to when the line of David was ruling and they would remember only good things.

Things were so much better when David and Solomon were in charge.

We didn’t have to be worried about being seized or exiled like we do now.

God promised though that out of Bethlehem that a new King would come. This also fulfills the promises made to David and the importance of his line.

IT still though for some reason was overlooked and not valued as much as it should be.

Not only is the promise of a savior supposed to come from Bethlehem but he will belong to Yahweh.

The Unexpected

The promised King will belong to Yahweh. This is a powerful and significant statement. It recenters the idea that the people of Israel are better off when their ruler is devoted to God and not to man. This idea also stands in contrast to the idea of who David even was.

David a man after God’s heart and a great King was still flawed and the end of his reign was marked with a lot of tragedy and pretty awful things.

It is a good reminder and aspect that helps point us to the fact that we need a ruler that is first devoted to God is essential.

It is here that he will unite all of Israel and the hope of this king is a powerful one.

It points everyone to the idea that the Kingdom of Israel will only be restored when he finally comes.

Yet, what this king will look like is what no one could expect because after all they are expecting a KIng not a Shepherd.

The Unexpected

Earlier I mentioned how as a society we tend to look up to specific professions and types of people as what we aspire to or who we expect great things.

Jewish society wasn’t very different from that.

They expected great things to come from great people. IT is funny because they didn’t know their history very well or they just choose to ignore it.

Shepherds.

The Great people in the history of the Israelites were Shepherds.

Abraham—Shepherd

Jacob—Shepherd

Moses—Shepherd

David—Shepherd

God liked to use the people that no one would expect.

I think it is interesting that Jesus followed suit and did the unexpected. He just switched professions.

He used Fishermen.

Not priests, not political leaders, not great authorities. He used the unexpected to achieve his will.

The shepherd though is a powerful image because it is a reminder of what we are promised in the one who will come from Yahweh.

Micah 5:4 NIV

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Jesus comes to stand and watch over his flock to guide and to direct and to care and love on his sheep.

This image of the sheep and the Shepherd is a powerful one that draws us to who he is and what he does for us.

The Sheep and Shepherd

I can’t help when i think on this idea of the Sheep and the Shepherd I get two stories in my mind.

Luke 2:8–18 NIV

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

and

Luke 15:4–6 NIV

4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

The Sheep and the Shepherd

Two stories. Both involve leaving sheep behind. Have you thought about it before. What happened to the sheep that night when Jesus was born. The Shepherds left their lively hood behind to go find Jesus.

I mean the main reason they had to stay with the sheep overnight was to keep them safe and to protect them. Why would they not say this can wait till morning?

The realized what finding the one is far more important than staying with the 99. This works for us not only when we think about the idea of going out and finding those who need to come to Christ like in Luke 15 but it works to remind us of how important it is that we are looking for the one true lamb who is to become our true shepherd.

We are to look for his coming and we are to be willing to give up everything to go and find him.

Are we willing to do that this Christmas season.

Communion