The journey through Advent takes us a matter of 4 weeks. Yet for the Israelites it was much longer. Remember they wandered in the desert for 4 decades, between the Old and New Testaments there is 4 centuries of silence. The longing that the people had for the coming Messiah only intensified as they waited, and one ca also imagine that many had simply given up hope.

We started Advent with the theme of Hope: waiting and expectation. Looking towards the future. Then we had the theme of Peace: the peace of wholeness and completeness. The Shalom. Last week we looked at Joy: not based on circumstances, but often in spite of them. “Joy is an attitude that people adopt not as a result of their happy circumstances, but because of their hope in God’s love and promise.” And today we get to the theme of Love. As we have in past weeks, we’re going to open with a video from our friends at The Bible Project. Let’s watch their film here:

Play video by The Bible Project on Love.

Leaping for Joy

I can only imagine the waiting the people of Israel had endured. We read many times through the Psalms where the psalmist laments, “How long, how long O Lord.” And then God’s promise is fulfilled in Jesus.

Christ represents the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise as prophesied in the prophets like Micah, and then evidenced in the announcement to Mary in Luke and culminated in his sacrifice as we’re told in the letter to the Hebrews.

Our challenge as 21st century Christians is it is difficult for us to imagine the wait, the longing that the people of Israel had. All the way back in Genesis you have a promise to the people of Israel that God would bless the world through them. Yet throughout their history we see them oppressed under the rule of Pharaoh, and then their own Kings good and bad, to the New Testament when they are under the rule of Rome. Underlying all of this is the promise of a Messiah - one who would come and set them free.

How long…when…Is it time yet?

1. Promise of a Ruler

In our Old Testament reading this morning we heard from Micah, and we read Micah 5:2–3

Micah 5:2–3 ESV

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.

Israel began as a humble people. Even back in Genesis the promise came to Abram and Sarai and elderly couple well up in years and she was barren. Yet the promise of a son came to them. Who would have thought?

Now the to come through this small, insignificant town? Who would have thought? God’s plans always seem to unfold in unexpected ways. It’s almost as if God is saying to us, because it is so impossible you should believe it all the more.

God’s promise is an invitation to a greater vision. The fact that Jesus birth is foretold and then happens as it was foretold reminds us once again that God fulfills his promises.

2. Peace in His Shepherding

Micah continues to describe who Jesus would be, as the good shepherd. Pointing the people and us as His followers toward the security and peace that only He can bring.

Micah 5:4–5 (ESV)

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.

What we know is that when Jesus comes into the world, he doesn’t come to be born to some great military family or royalty. He comes to a young woman, a girl really, betrothed to be married but not married yet. All of his circumstances seem less than ideal. Yet this is the way God chooses to enter our existence. And he will be our shepherd, our protector, our guide.

In our Gospel reading today from Luke we see the first time Jesus is recognized!

3. Promise Recognized in Joy

Mary has gone to visit her relative Elizabeth, in the house of Zechariah the priest, who is herself pregnant. As we read last week Elizabeth will give birth to John the Baptist.

Luke 1:41–42 ESV

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Isn’t it ironic that it’s even before Jesus’ birth that he is recognized, and not by Elizabeth, but by the baby in her womb. Mary is just now pregnant, and Elizabeth is 6 months pregnant. Neither baby has yet been seen and still their presence is recognized, and felt. God is working.

4. Promise Affirmed by Faith

Often it is in the affirming of our faith that we see God’s action taking place around us. It is important for us to share our life experience, our faith stories with one another. Elizabeth affirms what Mary already knows by sharing her experience of the baby leaping in her womb.

Luke 1:44–45 (ESV)

…when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Imagine what that meant for this young mother to be. Mary was young, she was betrothed to be married, she’d had this encounter with an angel, she’s told she will carry God’s own son within her, she will no doubt face ostracism in her own community, one can only imagine how her head was spinning from all of this. And so she goes to see her relative Elizabeth.

No doubt hearing Elizabeth’s words helped Mary to trust in God’s unfolding plan. The challenges she would have facing her husband to be, her own family, his family, her community…all of it. Elizabeth’s joy affirms her faith in the midst of uncertainty.

Faith is Hard

Throughout the Bible we see promises being made towards the people of Israel. In the Old Testament we read many prophecies about a coming Messiah. Something that Israel hoped for, but I am sure also often doubted. And yet in the New Testament we see those promises come true.

In the person of Jesus we see the ultimate promise of the Messiah come true. And still, Jesus made promises too. Can they be trusted?

I’m reminded of an encounter Jesus had recorded in the Gospel of Mark. A man had brought his son to Jesus and asked for the disciples to cast out a demon that would throw the boy into convulsions, but the disciples were unable to do anything for him. Approaching Jesus he says, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And we read on from there…

Mark 9:22–24 (ESV)

But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

I want to focus on that statement of faith from that father, Mark 9:24

Mark 9:24 (ESV)

“I believe; help my unbelief!”

In my experience there is not a greater statement of faith, because I know that as we gather here today, we are all somewhere on that spectrum between our belief that God can answer our prayers and our unbelief that God would have any interest in doing so.

When I was in seminary I served as a volunteer for the youth ministry group at a large presbyterian church in S. California. We had a young man in our youth group who had cerebral palsy and was confined to a wheel chair. I’ll call him Jason. Jason was a kid with a huge heart and a huge faith, and he knew his Bible. He’d been brought up in that youth group and the kids knew him. It wasn’t rare for Jason to answer a question who struggled to understand him, and the entire youth group to repeat his answer in chorus.

My last year of seminary we took Jason to a winter conference at a retreat center in the mountains. The speaker had challenged us to share in our group what we would want Jesus to do for us. Jason said matter of factly and yet boldly, “I want to walk.” We dutifully prayed that God would help him walk.

Afterwards, I’ll never forget as we gathered as leaders for a debrief of the day and planning for the next day we discussed how we were to pray for something that we all knew was not going to happen? Jason had been in a wheel chair since he was a child. Cerebral palsy is a degenerative disease. We confessed we’d all prayed in doubt. We cried for Jason. How horrible it must be to hope and hope for something that isn’t going to happen.

I would graduate later that year and return back to our home in Seattle. I would received a call to my first church in Chattanooga TN! So I made a road trip and took a side trip through southern California to pay one last visit to friends there and I visited that church. I got to see Jason again in that youth group Sunday School room. As I was getting into my car it struck me, Jason had walked into the room. Jason had WALKED into the room!

A year before, we’d all prayed. A year ago we’d all surrounded Jason and prayed. Perhaps there was only one who really prayed with faith it could happen. There was only one who really believed. Only one with a child like faith. And now Jason WALKED into the room.

I share that story to inspire you and to remind me again that God hears our prayers. God answers our prayers. God has made promises. God fulfills his promises.

Perhaps you’ve been praying, and you’re waiting. You’ve been waiting, and praying, and waiting for what seems centuries. In this Advent Season we talk about the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. My prayer for you is that you might recognize the love of God for each one of you. The love that intends to give us hope in the midst of what would otherwise be hopeless situations.

My prayer is, Lord, we believe. Help us with our unbelief.

My message to you is believe. and may the Lord our God help you with your unbelief.

To God be the glory, AMEN. Let me pray for you.