12/8/2019 God with Us Brings Love

a scripture reading for this morning comes from Luke chapter 1 verses 68 through 79

blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has looked favorably on his people and redeem them. He is raised up a mighty Savior for us in the house of a servant David as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from from of old that we would be safe from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us that she has shown the mercy promise to our ancestors and has remembered his Holy Covenant the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham to grant us that we being rescued from the hands of our enemies might serve him without fear in Holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you child will be called the prophet of the most high for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of Salvation to his people by the Forgiveness of their sin by the tender. Mercy of our God the dawn from on high will break upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of Peace the word of God for the people of God.

Thank you, sir. All right, let's begin with the word of Prayer. Lord May the meditations of our hearts in the words of my lips be pleasing in your sight our Rock and Our Redeemer. amen

this morning we are talkin about love.

We use the word love in the English language, especially for a host of things. Many of you in the room love quotes football. some of you love Cardinals baseball some of you are so disillusioned you love the Cubs.

The reality of Love is that that we can use it in a host of ways we we say love but but sometimes we really mean like but but also when we say love it doesn't necessarily always mean the same type of love. The way I love my children is different than the way I love my wife is different than the way I love my mom and I love my family. love is not just one simple emotion. This includes the way that we love God. And the way that God loves us.

The way we exchanged love. many times in broken relationships one partner says the other but I love you so much.

Often times the other person will say then why didn't you do this or do that?

There are two ways that we engage with loved. One of them is the way that we feel it and another is the way that we share it.

diseases in the last 20 years been broken down into love languages

These fall into various categories. The five categories are words of affirmation. Some of you feel loved when someone gives you an encouraging word. But it also then it goes beyond that to be a letter or a thing in offering of things through written form.

Then there's acts of service.

idiots Doing the dishes in the middle of the night before the other person wakes up for going to gas up her car or starting your car before she goes to work or starting his car before he goes to work.

acts of service

and then there's receiving gifts. The material things not necessarily based on the price, but based on the thoughtfulness of thinking about someone.

And showing your love to them through that.

Then there's quality time. Sometimes you can just spend time with another person and it rejuvenates your soul. You can just spend time doing nothing. Or time going on a drive or going to events together or going shopping together just being together.

And then there is physical touch.

The reality of love language through physical interaction isn't just speaking of physical intimacy, but it's speaking of intimacy. the hug the hand what when I visit nursing homes, and when I visit those who are homebound I always make sure to touch them to hold their hand to touch their shoulder. Because in those environments, that's the first thing that people miss. the reality of touch

this isn't only about the way that we experience love. It's also about the way that we show love.

Christmas isn't about gifts.

Unless their gifts given in love.

about love It's it's about God's love. It's about God's love come down and was with us and is with us. This sermon series is God With Us God's love with us. before we get to the manger Let's go all the way back to Genesis. Got to go all the way back. over here in Genesis God's love was present at the creation of the universe. God's love was present at the creation of Adam. Out of God's love relationship was Bill. God made Adam in His image. for relationship

and then that relationship in Genesis and it tells us it was broken through sin. But even through that the fall Adam and Eve being removed from the Garden of Eden it was still with love.

And it was love that sustained Abraham and it was God's love that was constantly trying to break through to get to the Israelite people.

I'm constantly God just poured out and poured out and poured out love. But what would love be without free will? It would be nothing but a prison. And so way back from the very beginning Humanity had free will to make choices. and sometimes we can't force others to love us. And just like God can't force us. to love God

So we go throughout time God reaching out to humanity. To establish this Covenant to bring it to fruition.

And then we arrived here.

at this manger scene, but but before any of the wise men or women were there in before the Shepherds and where is Joseph?

No, I'm serious. Where is Joseph? Which ones just do we have a Joseph?

Okay. Mr. Cooper Shepherd, sorry, okay. Alright. So Joseph who's holding the night-light? Okay.

Maybe it will maybe it was a shepherd's crook that he made cuz he was a carpenter scriptures told us that that he was a carpenter. We don't know a whole lot about in we kind of guess what we do know by knowing quite a bit about Jewish history in the way things work. Now, we do know that he was a carpenter so that probably meant that his dad was a carpenter and we are probably under the assumption that he moved.

He moved to town. And was working when he was about 20K. He's probably right around 21 Mary. That's her. Okay. She probably would have been a young girl somewhere around 15. Let's say okay, let's make us comfortable and safe 15, maybe a little younger. and so somehow Mary's father Got this idea that he should approach Joseph and work out a marriage. That's how this is how he Harmony worth back in the day Okay, so So dad went to Joseph and dad said listen. You're nice guy. You're good guy. You're you're from a line of David. That's even better. Right? And so I think that we should we should make a a contract here and you should marry Mary. Just says okay. They work out a dowry they sign on the dotted line. They're married. Okay with this is what marriage looks like for the Jewish people. They were technically married then then they started between one and two years of courtship. You're like Rob that's kind of backwards for us. It is for them. It was the way things worked. So you got to know one another now, you didn't switch houses or anything. She stayed at home and he stayed at home and didn't go to either home to date or whatever. Right? So after a year or two, then they all agreed Joseph's family and friends would gather at his house and they have a processional March over to Mary's house. Mary's family and friends would be there. They don't meet outside. Joseph would go inside and consummate the marriage. Romantic, isn't it?

Different for our culture, right but it was tradition for them. I didn't happen with Mary and Joseph cuz somewhere in that first or second year.

Mary had appeared to her an angel told her she was with God's child. And Joseph being a respectable individual wanted to divorce her quietly.

Just kind of wanted to be done. The trust has been broken.

Right when he's about to do that an angel of the Lord appeared to him. And tells him know you're going to raise that child as your own. God's child the Messiah

And Joseph does it.

That's love. That's devotion. That's Trust. See we get the Christmas story. We get the story of love because Joseph active love. Was something probably even greater than he himself could consider doing. He left everything he knew. with this girl Wasn't much older than a girl?

That's love.

this Christmas

we should ask what God is calling us to do.

to share God's love with others

and love isn't the word. It's an action. We love through action. If all anyone ever does is just say I love you. I love you. I love you, but they continue to treat you like crap. Is that love? Oh. Or someone just says I love you. I love you. I love you, but never thinks of you. Is that love? No.

God's love calls us to action God's love called Joseph to action called Mary to action and they did something with it that helps us see the love of God as well. So this Christmas?

Ask yourself what God's love languages.

What can you do to show God that you love him? And how is God showing you? The God loves you.

butter spray

Or do you have shown us a beautiful?

beautiful depiction of Your Love Do Joseph's devotion and Trust?

Help us to seek out how we can show you are loved. Aquis to see that love and relationship with you.

Help us to share others. with others

and their love language our love and your love is well. amen