Reclaiming Love

Todd Spieker

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We can reclaim love only when we recieve it from the Father and pass it on to others

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I -

We have been talking about these things that make up what we kind of think of as the Christmas spirit. These four words that sort of define the Christmas story.

We have talked about what these things looked like to people when the story was written

Hope -

Peace -

Joy -

Today is love.

I have trouble with this word if IM being honest. Its one of the hardest ones to talk about.

I have a lot of trouble with it.

It just seems meaningless from overuse.

I remember when I was growing up people would say the bible is “god’s love note to you” and it made me not want to read it.

kind of Cheesey, like the bible is a hallmark movie (no offence to hallmark movies!)

Its funny because this is probably the most important word in the bible.

Right paul Says now what remains is Faith hope and love and the greatest of these is love.

Its used nearly a thousand times in the bible.

For god so loved the world

It just seems meaningless from overuse.

Cheesey, like the bible is a hallmark movie (no offence to hallmark movies!)

Y - We discount love, but it is a fundamental human need

Trans: I dont think I am the only one.

We sort of take this word for granted.

We love Grandma, pizza, and the Packers in the same breath. And no one needs to hear in what order.

IT can become almost meaningless from overuse.

Clearly the bible means something more with this world than Taylor Swift. Because if the bible is really a love story.

How do we reclaim that love?

Life is short, maximize my happiness.

Family over all else

Patriotisim

Political stories

Progress

Decay

The good old days

Survival of the Fittest

True Love is acting in someone's favor regardless of someone's response to me. Tied into the ultimate source of love.

Life is short, maximize my happiness.

God shows us what true love looks like He shows us that the world is organized around this principal This love stands at the center of the universe

sometimes our actions show the story

Reclaim love by grounding yourself in God's love and sharing it with others

Survive another day

Human beings dont work without love and approval

Family over all else

Just gotta get to friday

The Doing for God story

Patriotisim

The sacrificial mother

God goes from heaven to earth and I can't be bothered to pick up the phone to show love? What?!

Political stories

Progress

How do we reclaim love?

Decay

The good old days

Survival of the Fittest

What is at the center of God, and the universe

sometimes are actions show the story

Survive another day

Just gotta get to friday

The Doing for God story

The sacrificial mother

G

Trans: When Jesus was born there were lots of people trying to explain the world by telling stories. There were lots of stories to believe

When Jesus was born there were lots of people trying to explain the world by telling stories. There were lots of stories to believe

Background - Three Stories about the world (Romans - Power, Pharisees - Law, Zealots - Purity)

SLIDE

Jesus’ Story in Luke Challenges all of these worldviews. Bible says, “The world’s story is as love story”, not like Taylor Swift

Read:

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

elaborate

6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

elaborate

His weakness is a challenge to the power story

His unclean place of birth place d in a dirty manger, surrounded by dirty sinful shepherds, is a challenge to the LAW story

The visit of the wise men is a challenge to the PURITY story

From God of the universe to baby wrapped in cloths and placed in a dirty feeding trough.

The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

But when God came to earth he confirmed what the true story of the world was.

HE came a helpless child, born to poor nobodies pushed around by the powers of their day, he was celebrated by shepherds, wrapped in clothes and placed in a a manger. When you love someone, you make yourself vunerable and God did that for us.

But when God came to earth he confirmed what the true story of the world was.

That vunerable baby grew in to a man eating and drinking and playing. Expereiencing fully what it is like to be human, (laying aside his rights as God himself.)

As an adult he drew near to the people who seemed to recognize their need for love most. The sinner, the sick, and the poor. He challenged those who built walls keeping people out of GOd's presence who ignored, bullied, and burdened people like that, those who misunderstood God's story. Jesus in every act proclaimed one message. God Loves you, the story of the world is a love story.

That vunerable baby grew in to a man eating and drinking and playing. Expereiencing fully what it is like to be human, (laying aside his rights as God himself.)

Until. The people in power, on the relgious, political side, and popular side. Those three stories teamed up to do something about Jesus. They colluded to capture and kill Jesus. And though he was God himself, though he had every right to, though he could have, he refused to fight back. In fact he refused to speak a word in his defence as they beat him and hung him on a cross, in the most discracefully brutal method of punishment imagined at teh time.

And there for all to see he died. He died for the sins of his crucifiers, for the sins of his mockers, for the sins of those who abandoned him, and for the sins of all of us who turn our backs on people and on God in so many ways. He died for his enemies to atone for our sins, to make a way for our hearts to be changed, to bring his loved ones back to him.

Until. The people in power, on the religious, political side, and popular side. Those three stories teamed up to do something about Jesus. They colluded to capture and kill Jesus. And though he was God himself, though he had every right to, though he could have, he refused to fight back. In fact he refused to speak a word in his defence as they beat him and hung him on a cross, in the most disgracefully brutal method of punishment imagined at teh time.

When evening came his body was taken down by his loved ones.

He was in the same words used in luke in the Chrsitmas story. His body was "wrapped in strips of linen" and he was placed not in a manger, but in a tomb. And for three days the Romans who thought the world was about power, the pharisees who thought it was about religion, and the Zealots who thought it was about purity, and the Forces of Evil togeteher seemed to have won.

And there for all to see he died. He died for the sins of his crucifies, for the sins of his mockers, for the sins of those who abandoned him, and for the sins of all of us who turn our backs on people and on God in so many ways. He died for his enemies to atone for our sins, to make a way for our hearts to be changed, to bring his loved ones back to him.

BUt three days later those strips of linen were left behind. The grave could not hold him and in that moment the claim was made and verified. That the story of this world is not one of Progress, or DECLINE, or POWER, or PURITY, or RELIGION, or any of the other ways we understand this place and what it means to be human.

Once and for all the claim of SCripture is that the story of this world, and our lives is a love story.

When evening came his body was taken down by his loved ones.

READ:

That God loved us too much to make us slaves, too much abandon us to evil, too much to use his power against us. That he LOVE us so much he send himelf with all the strength of the univers to be born in a manger, die on a cross, and lay in a tomb.

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

So that we might have the oppertunity to die to evil and be raised again remade, reforemed and reclaimed.

This is the story of the Bible, this is the story of Christianity. GOd out of love came a very long way, so we might be RECLAIMED by his LOVE.

The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

In Jesus God Revealed the story of the world was a Love story. Lets live like it. (or and he invites us to join it)

He was in the same words used in Luke in the Christmas story. His body was "wrapped in strips of linen" and he was placed not in a manger, but in a tomb. And for three days the Romans who thought the world was about power, the pharisees who thought it was about LAW, and the Zealots who thought it was about purity, and the Forces of Evil together seemed to have won.

Once and for all the claim of SCripture is that the story of this world, and our lives is a love story.

That God loved us too much to make us slaves, too much abandon us to evil, too much to use his power against us. That he LOVED us so much he send himself with all the strength of the universe to be born in a manger, die on a cross, and lay in a tomb.

So that we might have the opportunity to die to the evil (we are constantly choosing and trapped by) and be raised again remade, reformed and reclaimed.

45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

This is the story of the Bible, this is the story of Christianity. God out of love came a very long way, so we might be RECLAIMED by his LOVE.

Paul one of the first missionaries tells the love story like this.

The bible says it in many different ways but here are two good ones.

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

SS: In Jesus God Revealed the story of the world was a Love story.

And True love

is acting in someone's favor regardless of their response to me.

It comes from the ultimate source of love.

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

God shows us what true love looks like He shows us that the world is organized around this principal This love stands at the center of the universe

and he invites us to join it.

Y - The story you believe determines a lot about your life? It impacts your decisions in the hard moments.

Trans: This is the story God is telling in the bible. But at the end of the day we have to choose what we are going to believe and what we are going to live?

Are we going to live like Power, Money, Family, America, Religion, Technology, Progress, Decline are the true stories of the world.

Or are we going to belive Gods?

That’s our choice.

What Story are you going to believe?

This christmas i want to invite you to trust God that this is indeed a love story.

And Love is acting in someone's favor regardless of their response to me.

When you feel this small piece of fabric in your pocket, or on your dresser or whatever. Remember the story God is telling with our world, and the one he is telling in your life really is a love story.

A story of God loving us while we were his enemies, loving us from the highest place to the lowest, loving us form life to death and back to life.

And inviting us to show his love same love to the people who drive us crazy, to the people who are hard to love, and even to the people we might call our enemies.

And you will find that you are reclaiming a love that is different, deeper, and far more significant than the “love” we tend to throw around today.

W - What story will you believe?

Its really easy to forget what this story is really about. We get distracted and we fall into those same paradigms they did. Law story, Power story, Purity story.