A Weary World Rejoices

Introduction

Good Morning & Merry Christmas. Welcome to Central Presbyterian Church where week in and week out we seek transformation through the renewing power of Jesus. If we haven’t met before (virtually or in person) my name is Cole Lescher and I am the pastor of College and Young Adults here. Today I get to share with you from God’s word and particularly a beautiful song given to us from Mary the mother of Jesus.

We are in the Christmas season or Christmastide. It isn’t just the one day, it is a season leading up to Epiphany, but sorry kids not sure you are going to be able to eek out anymore presents. But, for those super bummed about taking down their Christmas decorations you got time. And if you are like our family a put up your decorations like a 2 months before just to bring more joy in the house. Keep it up.

The spirit of Christmastide is one of celebration. We celebrate that the Lord Jesus came to the earth to set in motion the restoration of all things. The restoration between us and God, us and our neighbor, and the restoration of our world.

So, I have a question for you...What would get you to celebrate wildly? What would get you singing a song?

Would it be a broken relationship restored?

A financial burden where you thought you would never get out of is wiped clean?

Would it be after being out of work, getting that job offer?

Would it be that a long time sickness would be gone? Or that scan came back negative?

Or would it be the moment you got to finally get out of quarantine

One funny example is my son;

One the funniest and fun parts of being dad is watching my 5 year old son Jude and his dance moves. It never fails when a song comes on that he loves or when he is just so excited. I have seen this first hand in the last few months. In October we went to the Boo at The Zoo lights and I don't know if it was just because we got to get out of the house (we all know the struggle is real) or I don't know. We came down the ramp and as soon as he saw the lights and then heard the music he put on a show. He didn't care who saw him, he was just happy. He did the same thing recently when we went the the wild lights at the zoo, and even at the end of a movie. He just has so much joy.

In a time that we are in where there seems to be one piece of bad news after another. Or more family strife or division that is pandemic related, politically related, culturally related and other hot button issues we wont be touching on today. What hope can we find? Where can we experience this joy and anticipation?

2020 has been a year of many sorrows. A year of waiting. A year of frustration. We need a sign of hope and place of joy. Here in Luke 1 the same hope Mary found in the coming of her son is ours as well. Where the broken parts of our world; Sin, Injustice, Racism, Disease and Sickness, and even death itself has an expiration date.

In Luke 1 Mary breaks out into a song. It is a song of remembrance, of joy, and of hope in the coming of her son. It is called the Magnificat due to it first line of "Magnifying the Lord". It is one of 4 songs of celebration of the incarnation in the gospels. It speaks of work in the past, present, and in the future.

One author says that it is;

"the gospel before the gospel, a fierce bright shout of triumph thirty weeks before Bethlehem, thirty years before Calvary and Easter. It goes with a swing and a clap and a stamp. It’s all about God, and it’s all about revolution. And it’s all because of Jesus—Jesus who’s only just been conceived, not yet born, but who has made Elisabeth’s baby leap for joy in her womb and has made Mary giddy with excitement and hope and triumph." -N.T. Wright

This song helps give us an outline of what Jesus’ life will look like, how he will act. When you read this section and compare it too many of well known texts like the sermon on the mount, beatitudes, Jesus’ first sermon, and others you will notice the that the same themes are represented in this song. This song that draws from Genesis, Deuteronomy, 1 &2 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Habbakuk, & Zephaniah. It doesn’t come out of nowhere, it is not unique to the NewTestament. It is the continued message and narrative from beginning to where we are here in the text.

This is a message that our weary world needs of one of hope. One of Restoration.

Let's Pray

Almighty God gives us eyes to see and ears to hear. Where there is need of conviction spirit change us. Where there is need of comfort spirit be there. Where there is hope to be found let us embrace it and don't let us explain it away. Plant deep within us your word we pray. And Lord may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be holy and pleasing to you, our rock and our redeemer. It is the beautiful name of Jesus we pray.

Amen

Hear The Word of the Lord...

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Main Point 1: He shows mercy on the Humble

Illustration: My Imaginary Jesus

Kirk and I moved here from TN fresh out of college to go to Covenant seminary. And about a few months in I receive a book in the mail from our campus minister. The book was called "My Imaginary Jesus". The note said, "You are going to learn a lot of really great things in seminary, but don't forge the whole reason you there in first place and don't forget how the one you serve loves." So I picked up the book and started reading.

The book is a story. A story about one mans pretty hilarious and odd journey to recognizing his imaginary Jesus'. The book starts with Matt the main character sitting at a table reading his bible his favorite super hipster/vegan coffee shop in Portland, Oregon (its in the book I'm not throwing shade). Across from him is Jesus and they are having an argument about why Matt illegally parked and why Jesus should have got him out of his parking ticket. All of sudden a big burly man who looks and smells like he just got off a fishing boat comes and tries to order fish, and being told that was not possible. He then gets a little heated and looks around and sees Matt with his bible open. Matt is thinking great, "the one guy making a scene is a Christian and he is coming right at me." The big burly man comes up to him and says a gruff hello meanwhile Matt introduces him to Jesus and all of the sudden the big burly man decks this Jesus in the face. In a moment of chaos and panic this Jesus sprints out out of the coffee house and runs away. Matt confronts big burly man about why he just did that. He said that is not the real Jesus, it is an imaginary one. How would you know says Matt, because I am the apostle Peter and I'd like to think I am a bit of an expert.

The book follows their journey trying to find this "Imaginary Jesus" all along being introduced to all of the other made up Jesus's Matt had come up with like, magic 8 ball Jesus, Perpetually angry Jesus, legalist Jesus and host of others. Throughout you are seeing glimpses of the real Jesus through different interactions. One interaction at the beginning of the book has always stuck with me. In their discussion about the danger of following an imaginary Jesus one of the characters says this,

“That’s the danger of following an imaginary Jesus,”.... “The more committed you get to him and his plan, the further afield from the real Jesus you get. Your earnest attempts to be committed to your imaginary Jesus actually move you away from Christ.”

Im not sure what imaginary Jesus’ you have battled in your life. Whether you cant get passed the 8 pound six ounce Jesus in his golden fleece diaper, Legalistic Jesus, or Magic 8 ball Jesus. whether you have been walking in the faith for 70+ years or 5 minutes we always need a reminder of who Jesus is, what he values, and how he loves. Who is this Jesus that has Mary singing a song about. Who is this that has given her so much hope?

One thing that we see in this text Jesus;

Main Point 1: He Shows Mercy To The Humble

Mercy to the lowly

Mary begins with a profound sense of joy and gratefulness at the mercy given to her. It is important to realize that Mary in this song is thinking of the past, present, and future work of the Lord. That in this prophetic work she is both magnifying what the Lord has done, and what is doing and will do through the work of her baby boy.

Mary begins with stating that she is to magnify the name of the Lord. Hence where we get the work Magnificat. When you hear this you might remember Psalm 34:3,

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

The Lord’s name is the be honored, revered, and trusted. Mary recognizes this and the posture is one of gratitude. She identifies her “humble estate or lowly condition”. It might be helpful to note that it is not merely talking about a posture of humility that we see in Philippians 2:3, but there is a sense of speaking about her pedigree, her place in society, and also her humble posture to the Lord. All those come into play. She has no special heritage, as a women she is treated as a second class citizen. This is actually a theme in the gospel of Luke, the lifting up woman to a place of immense value. Elizabeth and Mary are bearing the two people who will spark a revolution. The first ones to witness and to share about the resurrection of the Lord were women. It is another example of the great reversal found in Jesus. Those who were valued less in society are lifted to a place of honor, of respect, and of value. The way of the kingdom is upside down from the ways of the world. One way to think about it is that Jesus draws near to those we are naturally drawn away from.

We also see the theme of God's intentional mercy to the hurting, hungry, and hopeless. In the text it shows that those who are poor and needy will be defended and given mercy. These themes are found throughout Jesus' ministry. Andy Crouch says,

"Over and Over again in the Gospels, Jesus interrupts his agenda for those who have nothing to offer him but need everything from him."

We see the themes in Jesus' first sermon as he quotes from Isaiah 61,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 1

We see even in the sermon on the mount with the Beatitudes. In both Matthew and Luke we see the reality that there is both deep material brokenness in our world and deep spiritual brokenness. Where Jesus is seeking to show mercy to both the physically blind and the spiritually blind, The poor in spirit and the materially poor, The physically hungry and those who hunger for righteousness. Jesus is calling to see the whole person, yet not neglected either piece.

His mercy is extended to those who know their need of him. His mercy extends to those who are hurting, hungry, and hopeless.

Application:

He gives mercy to people like you and me. It is in our deep need of restoration in which God send his son to us, "that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." Some of us still feel the raw reality of that. That God rescued us from our selves, our addictions, our self righteousness out of his mercy. If you are like me when I waiver between self sufficiency and need we need to to be taken down a peg...or 10.

But there is a flip side...

It is out of this mercy that we extend mercy to others. Jesus was always accused of being with the "wrong" crowd. He was often with those who were seen as other. The good news to weary world is the news that Jesus the Christ is born and that he has come to restore our relationship to God and ultimately restoring the whole world and we are the hands of feet of this good news to the weary world. In a time of pandemic, division, racial injustice, and all that 2020 has wrought a weary world needs the mercy of Jesus and the mercy lived out from his followers.

So, We see that Jesus shows mercy to the humble, hurting, hungry and hopeless. But what about the powers of this world. Does Jesus have power of evil people, places, and things of this world?

Humbling of the Proud Nations

The hope that Mary has is a past, present, and future expectation. What God had done, is doing, and will do is on full display. The great power reversal had begun. Mary has in mind the ways that God showed his power of using, toppling, and dismantling powers. The protection of Israel from powers that would seek to destroy them from the outside and the allure of power that started to corrupt the inside.

“From drowning Pharaoh’s army in the sea; he scattered the proud Philistines by striking down the giant Goliath (with David merely a child); he brought the might Nebuchadnezzar down from his throne and sent Belshazzar away from his feast. God did this to save his people.” - Philip Ryken

She is envisioning the rescue from the oppressive arm of the Roman empire and the unjust ruling structures and systems of her day. And she is envisioning the future restoration of all things. Where God’s rule and power will be established, where oppression, pride, and misuses of power are no more.

There is a clear reversal of power. It is another example for us in scripture that what we might believe is power is folly. It shows us to that the kingdoms of this world are temporary. That the kingdom of God has come and is pervasive in its agenda and it is wide in its scope. All that Shalom & restoration be known as far as the curse is found.

The good news is that the unjust systems, people, places, and things in this world to have an expiration date. The Lord does not work in the status quo. One of my favorite pictures of this every time is when Jesus says, “You have heard it said, but I tell you…, . Jesus us telling us their is new way, a better way, the way of the kingdom.

Humbling of Proud Hearts

Once again those we are not left alone in this. We may not have mighty thrones of nations, yet we build little thrones in our lives. We have our times when we start to believe our own hype. Where we are the rulers of our lives and better than those around us. No one loves to admit it but it is true. For me and you both. We can start to rely more on our intellect, our money, our sense of safety and security, our social status or prestige, rather than Jesus. We need the Lord to break us of that pattern. And he can. He can restore us. I love the verse from the hymn Come Ye Sinners that says,

Let not conscience make you linger,

Nor of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness He requires

Is to feel your need of Him.

The scattering of the proud and the toppling of arrogant kingdoms is good news for a weary world. For those who have experienced oppression, persecution, and injustice in this world justice will win the day. For those of us who have been rescued from the grips of our own pride and have been freed from lies of our days we find mercy, we find love. Jesus as the mighty one has this power and wields this power in our world and in our lives. And we now are a people marked by this mission. We are a people as Micah 6:8 tells us to Act Justly, Love Mercy, and to walk Humbly before God and before a watching world.

Closing: A Weary World Restored

Illustration:

In the second to last chapter titled, "Craft time with the apostle John". Matt as we saw earlier was looking for the imaginary Jesus, but on his journey he comes to meet with the apostle John and do some crafts. They start to about the struggles of the world. The pain and the brokenness.

John says, “Some people stop following Jesus because the world is full of pain.” He watched me paint for a minute. “They lose a loved one, or they are harmed by a loved one.” He started taking small pieces of clay in various colors and mixing them in his papery hands. “Here they acknowledge a great truth: that God is love. He must be love. And if he is not, then he is no God worth serving. “But they also make a great mistake, for they assume that the world’s pain is his pleasure. This is simply false. Or they will say he cannot know our pain. This, too, is a lie.” I could see that in his hands he was fashioning a tiny crown of gold, made to look like thorns. “They will say that he has no power to overcome death—another lie. Love is as strong as death. It burns like a bonfire, like the very flame of the Lord. Water can’t put it out. Rivers can’t wash it away. Love existed before the first death, and it will remain when death is gone.”

John reached across and grabbed my hand. “God will live with us. You will speak with him as you did today. We will be his people, and he himself will be with us and be our God. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Even as he said these words, his voice quavered and a tear ran down his crooked face. “The old order of things will have passed away.”

“We do not follow Jesus because the world is a perfect place.” He made a clay sword and put it into the hand of the rider. “We follow him because we desire his Kingdom to come. When he comes, he will make all things right. He will bring justice. And you and I are his humble servants. His representatives. His ambassadors. And we must do our best to bring life and justice, to free the captives, and to bring recovery of sight to the blind.”

The magnificat challenges us, it moves us, and gives us a hope as weary world that prince of peace our king Jesus will in fact do what he said. That he is faithful, merciful, and just to do what he says he will do. This is worth celebrating. Its worth singing a song about. For our God is worthy of Praise for he has done great things!

For those you who are in ear shot may not have ever heard about this Jesus. You may have had some different versions told to you or believed some lies about him. Jesus loves you. He does. Not for anything you have done, but because he does. Would you today put down your pride and follow him today for he is merciful and good and will make all things right. For those who would consider themselves followers of Jesus may you find joy in the message that our savior is merciful and just for he loves you with an unquenchable fire, we are prone to forget it, but he never will.

Lets Pray

Almighty God, May we be people of mercy, justice, truth, and humility. Not for our sake but for you and the for the life of the world. Guide us in your way O'Lord. Guide is in your grace as we seek to share and live out the good news of you king Jesus. And we so look forward to the day when this weary world will rejoice in full. Until then we wait. we love. and we walk in your ways. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Lords Supper:

This table is a place where we find strength in our times of weariness. We find joy and hope when it seems to be in short supply. Here we see the love of Jesus spread out on our behalf. This table is not Central’s table Jesus’ table. So, if you have put your faith and trust in Jesus come and eat and find strength. If this does not describe you, first of all we are so glad you are here. There are some prayers in the back the bulletin for you to meditate on. I or one of our elders would love to talk with you after the service. But, the greatest gift would be to receive the Lord Jesus. He is merciful and good.

We will take each element at time and I will guide you as we go.

Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made for yourself; and when we had sinned against you and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent your only Son Jesus for us. Jesus you became flesh and dwelt among us. In obedience to the will of the father, you stretched out your arms upon the Cross and offered yourself once and for all, that by your suffering and death we might be saved. In your resurrection you broke the bonds of death, trampling Hell and Satan under your feet. As our great high priest, you ascended to the right hand of the Father in glory, all that we might come to the throne of grace with confidence. Lord take these ordinary elements of bread and cup to bless, strengthen, and sustain us until we sit at table again.

Words of Institution:

On the night that he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks he broke it, and said, “Take, eat; this is my Body, which is given for you: Do this in remembrance of me .

“The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven. Take and Eat.” (pause a few seconds)

In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you; for this is the blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you , and for many, for the forgiveness of sins: Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.

“The Body of Christ, the cup of salvation. Take and Eat.” (Pause a few seconds)

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim mystery of the faith, That Christ has Died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.

Benediction

The ushers will be dismissing rear to front, row by row. When leaving exit using the outside aisles. Thanks again for your partnership in keeping each other safe.

I leave you with this benediction. Stretch forth your hands to receive it.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.