Friday, December 22, 2017

The original Christmas playlist contains songs that celebrate God’s faithfulness by faithfully pursuing Him while waiting for Him...

This week we have been looking at another song that was a part of the original Christmas playlist that was written by a man named Simeon. We looked on as Luke explained that eight days after Jesus birth, and before Jesus was circumcised, Mary and Joseph officially named their child Jesus. Mary and Joseph were responding to the birth of Jesus by following and fulfilling God’s commandments when it came to Jesus.

Mary and Joseph were responding to the birth of Jesus by following and fulfilling God’s commandments to dedicate their firstborn son to be Holy to the Lord. In other words, Mary and Joseph were following God’s command to dedicate Jesus to be wholly devoted to the Lord. Mary and Joseph worshiped God by giving their son who was the Son of God back to God.

However, as Mary and Joseph worshipped the Lord for their firstborn son who just happened to be the arrival of the Messiah, they were not the only ones who were aware of the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah. We saw Luke introduce us to a man named Simeon, who is described as a man who was righteous and devout. In other words, Simeon was a reverent, God fearing man, who strove to do what was right in God’s sight.

Simeon was looking forward and counting the days until God would fulfill His promise to humanity to send a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah. And Simeon was looking forward because the Holy Spirit had let Simeon know that he would see the Messiah enter into humanity before he died. So Simeon’s head was on a swivel. Simeon was looking forward to the day when he would be face to face with the one who God would send to provide humanity an opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God.

Every day, Simeon made the journey to the Temple to look for the one who God would send to provide humanity an opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God. Every day, Simeon made the journey to the Temple, waiting and hoping this would be the day that God would fulfill the promise that he had made to him. 

After days of making that journey to the Temple, Simeon would have an encounter that resulted in him composing and singing a song that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist. So let's look at that encounter and song together, beginning in Luke 2:27-32:

And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel."

Luke tells us that on the day that Mary and Joseph were in the Temple following and fulfilling God’s commandments, the Holy Spirit led Simeon to Mary and Joseph and opened his eyes to see that God had fulfilled His promise. And Luke tells us that Simeon responded to God fulfilling His promise that he would live to see the arrival of the Messiah by embracing Jesus and singing a song of worship that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist.

And as part of his song of worship, Simeon quoted a section of a letter in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 49:6, the prophet Isaiah predicted and proclaimed that God would send a rescuer and deliverer who would bring salvation to all of fallen humanity. Isaiah proclaimed that this rescuer, the Messiah would make fully known God’s message of rescue and would provide rescue to individuals from all of the nations of the world. And this rescuer, this Messiah would receive honor and would enhance the reputation of God among the Jewish people.

And now Simeon was holding God in a bod in his arms. Simeon responded to this reality by stating “you are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word”.   You see, Simeon recognized that his task had been completed; his role in God’s story was now complete. Simeon recognized that he could leave this earth because God had fulfilled His promise to send a rescuer that would bring peace on earth. God had announced the arrival of the Messiah to bring a state of well being with God that comes as a result of one’s rescue from selfishness and rebellion through the life, death, and resurrection, of the baby in his arms.

And it is in this song that was composed and sung by a man who faithfully waited for God to fulfill His promise that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist, that we discover a timeless truth about the very first Christmas and its place the grand story of God's activity in history. And that timeless truth is this: 

As we talked about earlier in this series, waiting is a major part of life. And the timeless reality, as songwriter Tom Petty once sang, is that "The waiting is the hardest part". And when it comes to waiting, we can often find ourselves living in the tension of the question "When should I wait and when should I act?" 

And nowhere is this tension more difficult then when it comes to waiting on God. You see, while God is a promise maker and a promise keeper, God's timetable often does not necessarily line up with our timetable. And so we find ourselves in a place where we are waiting. And as we are waiting, we can wrestle with the tension of "when should I wait and when should I act?"

But could it be that we are asking the wrong question when it comes to waiting? You see, when it comes to waiting, the real question is not "What are we waiting for?" The real question is "Who are we becoming while we wait?"

Just as it was for Simeon, waiting is not about passive non-action. Instead, waiting is about active obedience. Simeon responded to his circumstances of waiting by faithfully and obediently continuing to show up at the Temple. Simeon responded to his circumstances of waiting by continuing to develop a deepening relationship with God that was open and sensitive to the direction of the Spirit of God.

And as Simeon faithfully and obediently trusted and followed God in the midst of waiting, God was at work in Simeon to develop the character and wisdom that was deeply rooted in God. What changed for Simeon at the end of his time of waiting was that he was given the opportunity to hold Jesus, God in a bod. And at that moment, as Simeon held God in a bod, God became personal to Simeon in a powerfully profound way.

And in the same way, we are to respond to our circumstances of waiting by actively and faithfully following the message and teachings of Jesus. We are to respond to our circumstances of waiting by continuing to develop a deepening relationship with God that is open and sensitive to the direction of the Spirit of God.

As we faithfully and obediently trust and follow Jesus in the midst of waiting, we are to be driven by the question "What is the next right and wise thing, according to the message and teaching of Jesus, that I need to do?" And then instead of passively taking no action, we are to actively live out the answer to that question.

And as we faithfully and obediently trust and follow God in the midst of waiting, God will be at work to develop the character and wisdom that is deeply rooted in God. And, as it was for Simeon, God will become personal in a powerfully profound way as a result of our active and faithful pursuit of Him in our times of waiting.

So with that in mind, here is a question to consider: What are you waiting for? And how are you waiting? Are you waiting passively for God? Or are you responding to your circumstances of waiting by continuing to actively develop a deepening relationship with God that is open and sensitive to the direction of the Spirit of God? Who are you becoming while you waiting?


Because, the timeless reality is that the original Christmas playlist contains songs that celebrate God’s faithfulness by faithfully pursuing Him while waiting for Him...

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

A man who lived with his head on a swivel...

This week, we are looking at another song that was a part of the original Christmas playlist that was written by a man named Simeon. And it is in this song that Simeon composed during the very first Christmas that we discover a timeless truth about Christmas and God's activity in history. 

Yesterday, we looked on as Luke provided the context for this song by explaining that eight days after Jesus birth, and before Jesus was circumcised, Mary and Joseph officially named their child Jesus. Mary and Joseph were responding to the birth of Jesus by following and fulfilling God’s commandments when it came to Jesus. Instead of naming Jesus, as the first born son, after Joseph or another male family member, Mary and Joseph followed the angel Gabriel’s command to name the baby Jesus.

And Mary and Joseph also followed God’s command in the Law to have Jesus circumcised. Mary and Joseph were responding in worship to God by being obedient to God. Mary and Joseph were making sure that Jesus was identified with God’s people so that He would be able to fulfill His role and be identified as the rescuer of God’s people.

In addition, Mary entered the Temple to present a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering. This set of offerings was required before the mother could return to the state of being considered clean and able to participate in the worship of God. Mary and Joseph were responding to the birth of Jesus by following and fulfilling God’s commandments to dedicate their firstborn son to be Holy to the Lord.

In other words, Mary and Joseph were following God’s command to dedicate Jesus to be wholly devoted to the Lord. Jesus was being dedicated to live a life that is separated to God and separated from all that is unclean. Jesus was being dedicated by his parents to live a life that was committed to God and the mission of God in the world. Mary and Joseph worshiped God by giving their son who was the Son of God back to God.

Now you might be thinking to yourself “well Dave, why did Mary and Joseph offer up a pair of turtledoves instead of a lamb?” If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that is a great question to ask. And we find the answer to that question from Leviticus 12:8, in God’s command when it came to the days of purification:

'But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

Now look again at how Joseph and Mary fulfilled God’s command in Luke 2:24:

and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS."

You see, Mary did not offer a lamb and a young pigeon or a turtledove, did she? No, Mary only offered a pair of turtledoves of pigeons. And the reason that Mary did not offer a lamb was because Mary and Joseph could not afford a lamb. Mary and Joseph grew up in blue collar working class families. Mary and Joseph were most likely teenagers from a small town who were newlyweds and had little or no financial means. Most likely, Joseph had just opened up his carpentry business.

For Mary and Joseph, their response to the birth of Jesus and what God was calling them to that first Christmas was to respond in worship to God through their obedience to God with whatever resources they had. However, as Mary and Joseph worshiped the Lord for their firstborn son who just happened to be the arrival of the Messiah, they were not the only ones who were aware of the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah. We see Luke reveal for us how another man responded to  the presence of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the Temple in Luke 2:25-26:

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Here we see Luke introduce us to a man named Simeon, who is described as a man who was righteous and devout. In other words, Simeon was a reverent, God fearing man, who strove to do what was right in God’s sight. The reason why Simeon was a righteous and devout man was because the Holy Spirit was upon him. Simeon was a man who God was active and present in his life and who lived a life that was led by the Holy Spirit.

Luke also tells us that Simeon was looking for the consolation of Israel.  When Luke uses the phrase the consolation of Israel, he is referring to God’s promise of a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah, who would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world. Simeon was looking forward and counting the days until God would fulfill His promise to humanity. And Simeon was looking forward because the Holy Spirit had let Simeon know that he would see the Messiah enter into humanity before he died.

So Simeon’s head was on a swivel. Simeon was looking forward to the day when he would be face to face with the one who God would send to provide humanity an opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God. So every day, Simeon made the journey to the Temple to look for the one who God would send to provide humanity an opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God. Every day, Simeon made the journey to the Temple, waiting and hoping this would be the day that God would fulfill the promise that he had made to him.

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as Simeon. I want us to take a minute and place ourselves in his shoes. Every day, you make a trip to the Temple, waiting and hoping that this would be the day that God would fulfill the promise that He had made to you. And every day, you would leave the Temple without having God fulfilling the promise He made to you.

You are Simeon: What would you be thinking? What would you be feeling? How would you respond? Maybe you can totally relate to Simeon. Maybe you are waiting and hoping that God would come through on a promise. Maybe it seems like you just seem to be waiting and waiting on God? Maybe you are beginning to wonder what God is up to as you wait and hope for Him to come through for you.   

After days of making that journey to the Temple, Simeon would have an encounter that resulted in him composing and singing a song that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist.


Friday, we will look at that encounter and song together...

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

How did Mary and Joseph respond to what they received that first Christmas?

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of our Christmas sermon series entitled the original Christmas playlist. During this series, we are going to discover that the Christmas story is told through song as well and a recollection of events from history.  And as we go through this series, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands in a way the enables us to learn several timeless truths that these songs teach us about the very first Christmas and its place the grand story of God's activity in history.

This week I would like for us to spend our time together looking at another song that was a part of the original Christmas playlist that was written by a man named Simeon. And it is in this song that Simeon composed during the very first Christmas that we discover a timeless truth about Christmas and God's activity in history.  However, before we look at Simeon’s contribution to the original Christmas playlist, let's look at the circumstances the led to his song. We find these circumstances, and his song, in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. So let's jump into this event from history together, beginning in Luke 2:21:

And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Luke begins this section of his account of Jesus life by explaining that eight days after Jesus birth, and before Jesus was circumcised, Mary and Joseph officially named their child Jesus. Now a natural question that arises here is “Why did they wait until eight days after Jesus was born to name Him?” In a letter in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Leviticus, we see God command that a circumcision was to be performed on the 8th day after a male child was born.

The reason that circumcision was so significant was that circumcision was a covenant sign that identified the Jewish people as being God’s people. Circumcision was a religious act that was required to be performed under the Law so that you would be able to be identified as being right with God as part of the Jewish religious system. Here we see Luke reveal for us the reality that Mary and Joseph were responding to the birth of Jesus by following and fulfilling God’s commandments when it came to Jesus. Instead of naming Jesus, as the first born son, after Joseph or another male family member, Mary and Joseph followed the angel Gabriel’s command to name the baby Jesus.

And Mary and Joseph also followed God’s command in the Law to have Jesus circumcised. Mary and Joseph were responding in worship to God by being obedient to God. Mary and Joseph were making sure that Jesus was identified with God’s people so that He would be able to fulfill His role and be identified as the rescuer of God’s people. But that is not the only way that Mary and Joseph were responding to God’s call to worship, as we see in Luke 2:22-24:

 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD "), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS."

Now to understand what is happening here, we first need to ask and answer several questions. First, what is Luke referring to when he talks about the days for their purification? We discover the answer to that question in a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible, called the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 12:1-8, we discover that a Jewish mother would be viewed as being unclean for 40 days after the birth of a male child.

Now a natural question that arises here is “why? Why would a mother be viewed as being unclean after giving birth? I mean doesn’t God command us to have children? Aren’t children a blessing from the Lord?” To understand the answer to these questions we first need to understand some biology and some theology.

The mother, after the birth of a child was viewed as being ceremonially unclean and unable to enter into the temple to worship because of the discharges of blood that occurs after a woman gives birth to a child. In the Old Testament, bleeding or the discharge from a body lacked wholeness and was therefore viewed as being unclean. As we know, the loss of blood can lead to death, which is the antithesis of a normal healthy life.

Thus, in the Bible, we see blood portrayed as, on the one hand, representing a cleansing agent for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God, and on the other hand, a polluting substance when it is in the wrong place. And because God is perfect; and because God is Holy, which means to be totally separate in terms of character and conduct, God presence could not be present with anything that was unclean.

So, after a male child was born, on the 8th day that male child would be circumcised, but the mother would remain unclean for 33 more days. During that time, the mother was forbidden to enter into the temple area to worship God as she recovered physically from giving birth. After the 40 days for her purification were over, the mother was to present a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering.

This set of offerings was required before the mother could return to the state of being considered clean and able to participate in the worship of God. This leads to a second question, which is, “why did the mother have to bring these offerings and present her firstborn son to the Lord?” We find the answer that question in the second letter in our Bibles, called the book of Exodus. In Exodus 13:1-2 we see the Lord say the following to Moses:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me."

A few verses later, in verse 11-15, we read the following:

"Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. "But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. "And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, 'With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 'It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

In these verses we see God command the Jewish people to respond to what He had done to deliver the Jewish people from slavery at the hands of the nation of Egypt. As part of that deliverance, one evening, the Lord went through the land of Egypt and struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, but He passed over all of the Jewish homes who had marked their doors with the blood of the lamb. This feast was referred to by the Jewish people as the Passover. In addition to celebrating the Passover feast, God commanded that all firstborn sons of the Jewish people were to be consecrated to the Lord as a response to the sparing of the lives of the firstborn Jewish people during that first Passover.

Now, with these questions answered, we get a picture of what Mary and Joseph were doing in response to the birth of Jesus that first Christmas. Mary and Joseph were responding to the birth of Jesus by following and fulfilling God’s commandments to dedicate their firstborn son to be Holy to the Lord.

In other words, Mary and Joseph were following God’s command to dedicate Jesus to be wholly devoted to the Lord. Jesus was being dedicated to live a life that is separated to God and separated from all that is unclean. Jesus was being dedicated by his parents to live a life that was committed to God and the mission of God in the world. Mary and Joseph worshiped God by giving their son who was the Son of God back to God.

Now you might be thinking to yourself “well Dave, why did Mary and Joseph offer up a pair of turtledoves instead of a lamb?” If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that is a great question to ask.


Tomorrow, we will discover the answer to that question…

Friday, December 15, 2017

The original Christmas playlist contains songs of God’s faithfulness in the face of our fallenness...

This week we have been looking at a song that was a part of the original Christmas playlist that was written by a man named Zacharias. Zacharias was a priest who was a direct descendant of a man named Aaron, who was the very first priest of the Jewish people. Zacharias was married to a woman named Elizabeth, who was also a direct descendant of Aaron. However, Luke tells us that Zacharias and Elizabeth were childless, because Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years.

Zacharias was selected by lot to have the privilege to enter into the sanctuary of the Temple to burn incense before the Lord. And in the Temple, Zacharias had an encounter with an angel of the Lord. The announced to Zacharias that he and his wife would have a son that would be the fulfillment of a promise that the Lord would send a messenger prepare the Jewish people for and to announce the arrival of the Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to the Lord and back to prominence in the world.”

Instead of rejoicing at the angel of the Lord’s announcement, Zacharias doubted the angel of the Lord’s announcement. The angel responded to Zacharias’s doubt by providing him with the credentials to prove that he was a messenger from the Lord that had been authorized to announce the arrival of the son who would prepare the Jewish people for the arrival of the Messiah. After providing his credentials to Zacharias, the angel Gabriel then proclaimed that Zacahrias would be unable to speak until his son was born.

When Zacharias emerged from the Temple, he was unable to speak a sound. Luke tells us that after finishing his time serving the Lord at the Temple, Zacharias and Elizabeth returned to their home in the hill country of Judea. A short while after returning home from serving the Lord in Jerusalem, Luke tells us that Elizabeth became pregnant. Then, eight days after John the Baptizer’s birth, as they came to circumcise their firstborn son, Elizabeth officially announced that that they were going to name their son John. 

When Luke tells us that they were all astonished, this phrase literally means to be extraordinarily disturbed by something.
Zacharias family and friends were extraordinarily disturbed that Zacharias would not want to pass on his name to the next generation after God had acted in such a miraculous way to provide them a son by which to pass on his name. However, Zacharias family and friends would become even more disturbed with what was about to happen next. And it is what happens next that we see Zacharias respond by composing and singing a song that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist. So let's look at that song together, beginning in Luke 1:64-74:

 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, "What then will this child turn out to be?" For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant-- As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old-- Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

Luke tells us that as Zacharias made his wishes concerning the naming of his son known, his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed. In other words, Zacharias mouth and tongue were once again enabled to function by the Lord. And here we see the Angel Gabriel’s words come to fulfillment. As Zacharias obeyed the Lord’s command to name his son John, the Lord enabled Zacharias to be able to speak. And as Zacharias spoke, he responded to the evidence of the Lord's activity in his life by worshipping the Lord. Zacharias was empowered by the Spirit of God to deliver new verbal revelation about God and His divine plan in the world to the world in the form of a song of worship.

Zacharias song of worship surrounding God’s Divine Plan in the world, if communicated in the language that we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Praise be to the Lord God who is going to look after us and come to help us in a way that is going to bring about a great deliverance for us. Praise be to the Lord God who is going to cause to come into existence the Messiah through a descendant of King David and who has the mighty power to deliver and rescue us from the transcendent danger of selfishness and rebellion according to the promise that He made to us. Praise be to the Lord God who is going to fulfill His promises to extend kindness and concern for us in need as He promised our ancestors in Psalm 106:10. Praise be to the Lord God who is remembering the promises that He made to our Father Abraham in Genesis 22:16 to rescue and deliver us from our enemies so that we would be able to serve and worship Him fearlessly with a proper attitude toward God that is reflected in our actions and that results in a life that is right in God’s sight.”

You see, when provided a second chance to respond to the announcement of the Messiah, Zacharias responded by proclaiming that announcement to everyone around him. Zacharias then continued to announce God’s Divine Plan by shifting the focus of his announcement to the role that his son would play in the announcement of the Messiah in verse 76-79:

  "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace."

As the family and friends of Zacharias and Elizabeth looked on in fearful and disturbed astonishment, Zacharias continued by singing that the son whom they just circumcised and strangely named John would become the prophet of the Most High. Their son would grow up to be the fulfillment of a promise God made some 400 years earlier in a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Malachi.

In Malachi 3:1, the prophet Malachi had predicted and proclaimed to the Jewish people that the Lord would send a messenger ahead of the Messiah in order to announce the arrival of the Messiah. That messenger would call the people to prepare for the Messiah’s arrival by removing the obstacles of unbelief that would cause them to miss the Messiah’s arrival. And Zacharias proclaimed that his newly born son would be that messenger that would prepare and make known how all of humanity could have the opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God so that they could experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for.

Zacharias quoted from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bible called the book of Isaiah to reveal the reality that their son would be the messenger that would announce the arrival of the Messiah who would be sent by God as a demonstration of His merciful heart to reveal and explain God to those who were far from God. Their son would announce the arrival of the Messiah, who entered into humanity to direct and point humanity to the path that would provide them an opportunity to live in a state of harmony and well being with God in relationship with God.

And it is in this song that was composed and sung by a man who once doubted God’s promise that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist, that we discover a timeless truth about the very first Christmas and its place the grand story of God's activity in history. And that timeless truth is this: The original Christmas playlist contains songs of God’s faithfulness in the face of our fallenness.

The timeless reality is that God is a promise maker and a promise keeper. The timeless reality is that history demonstrates that God was faithful in the past and God will be faithful in the future. And this morning the timeless reality is that humanity is flawed and fallen as a result of our selfishness and rebellion. The timeless reality is that history demonstrates that humanity consistently doubts God and the promises of God. The timeless reality is that history demonstrates that humanity chooses to reject God and the relationship with God that we were created for and does things out of that selfishness and rebellion that hurt God and others.

And nowhere is the collision between God’s faithfulness and humanities fallenness more evident than at Christmas. Christmas is all about God making good on promises that go all the way back to the beginning of human history. Christmas is all about God responding to the fallenness of humanity who rejected Him by promising to faithfully pursue and rescue them. Christmas is about God making good on a promise to give what was closest to Himself to rescue what was furthest away.

And Christmas is about the reality that God will be faithful to fulfill His promises in the future. Christmas is about God making good on all of His promises not because of our performance, but in spite of our performance.  Christmas is about the reality that God is a promise maker and a promise keeper who has a plan in history to provide all humanity the opportunity to experience the forgiveness and relationship with God that they were created for.

So with that in mind, here is a question to consider: Do you believe that God is a promise maker and a promise keeper? Do you believe that God can be faithful in the face of your fallenness? How are you responding to the promises that God has made to you through the original Christmas playlist?

Have you come to the place where you have responded to the reality that we are all flawed and fallen and have hurt God and others by responding to God’s faithfulness that has been demonstrated throughout history by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader?


Because the timeless reality is that the original Christmas playlist contains songs of God’s faithfulness in the face of our fallenness... 

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

A Promise Kept Despite One's Doubt....

This week we are looking at another song that was a part of the original Christmas playlist that was written by a man named Zacharias. And it is in this song that Zacharias composed during the very first Christmas that we discover a timeless truth about Christmas and God's activity in history.  However, before we look at Zacharias’ contribution to the original Christmas playlist, let's look at the circumstances the led to his song.


Yesterday, we discovered that Zacharias was a priest who was a direct descendant of a man named Aaron, who was the very first priest of the Jewish people. Zacharias was married to a woman named Elizabeth, who was also a direct descendant of Aaron. However, Luke tells us that Zacharias and Elizabeth were childless, because Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years.


We discovered that Zacharias was selected by lot to have the privilege to enter into the sanctuary of the Temple to burn incense before the Lord. By being chosen by lot, Zacharias was viewed as being chosen by God for the privilege to come before His presence to worship Him. As Zacharias entered into the Temple to offer up the incense before the Lord, And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.


The angel basically said to Zacharias “Zacharias do not be afraid because I am here to tell you that your prayers have been heard. And the Lord is going to answer your prayers by supernaturally enabling you and Elizabeth to have a son. But Zacharias, your son is not going to be just any son. Zacharias, your son is not only going to cause you to powerfully proclaim your joy and gladness, your son is going to bring joy and gladness to many people. You see, Zacharias, your son is going to have a position of prominence before the Lord and in the Lord’s story. Your son is to be set apart to the Lord in such a way that he will never be influenced by alcohol. Instead, he will live a life that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit. Zacharias your son is the fulfillment of a promise that the Lord made that last time He spoke to the Jewish people over 400 years ago through the prophet Malachi. Your son is the fulfillment of a promise that the Lord would send a messenger that would turn the hearts of the Jewish people from a life of disobedience to a way of thinking that is right before the Lord. Your son is the fulfillment of a promise that the Lord would send a messenger prepare the Jewish people for and to announce the arrival of the Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to the Lord and back to prominence in the world.”


However, instead of rejoicing at the angel of the Lord’s announcement, Zacharias doubted the angel of the Lord’s announcement. Zacharias basically said to the angel of the Lord “How am I supposed to know for sure this announcement of yours is true? You need to prove it to me before I am going to believe and trust you. I am an old man and my wife is on the other side of menopause, so I really doubt this announcement that you have made to me is true and is going to really happen.”


The angel responded to Zacharias’s doubt by providing him with the credentials to prove that he was a messenger from the Lord that had been authorized to announce the arrival of the son who would prepare the Jewish people for the arrival of the Messiah. After providing his credentials to Zacharias, the angel Gabriel then proclaimed what the immediate future would hold for Zacharias as a result of his doubting disbelief. 


The angel Gabriel basically said to Zacharias “So you want a sign, well I’ll give you a sign. Here’s a sign for you to know that I am who I say I am and that my announcement of the arrival of a son who would prepare the Jewish people for the arrival of the Messiah is true. Because you doubted and disbelieved me and my announcement, you will be unable to speak until your son is born. Since you were not silent and did not embrace my announcement to you, you will be silent until these things come true, because they are sure to come true”.


When Zacharias emerged from the Temple, he was unable to speak a sound. Luke tells us that after finishing his time serving the Lord at the Temple, Zacharias and Elizabeth returned to their home in the hill country of Judea. I bet that was a quiet trip home. A short while after returning home from serving the Lord in Jerusalem, Luke tells us that Elizabeth became pregnant.


However, unlike her husband Zacharias, who doubted the Lord’s supernatural activity in his life, Elizabeth responded to the Lord’s supernatural activity in her life by rejoicing in the Lord. And during the time of her pregnancy, Elizabeth rejoiced in trustful expectation of the promise of new life as Zacharias remained unable to speak. Then, a few verses later, in Luke 1:57-62, we see Luke give us a glimpse into the arrival of this new life. Let’s look at these verses together:


Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, "No indeed; but he shall be called John." And they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name." And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.


Luke explained that eight days after John the Baptizer’s birth, as they came to circumcise their firstborn son, Elizabeth officially announced that that they were going to name their son John. Now all of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s friends and family wanted Elizabeth to name her first born son after his father Zacharias. However, instead of naming their son, as the first born son, after Zacharias or another male family member, Zacharias and Elizabeth followed the angel Gabriel’s command to name the baby John. And Zacharias and Elizabeth also followed and fulfilled God’s command in the Law to have Jesus circumcised.


You see, Zacharias and Elizabeth were responding in worship to God by being obedient to God. Zacharias and Elizabeth were making sure that John was identified with God’s people so that He would be able to fulfill the role that he had been given in God's story to be the messenger who was to prepare and announce the arrival of the Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world.


Luke tells us that the move by Elizabeth to name her firstborn son anything other than Zacharias was met by skepticism and objections by the rest of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s family and friends. And in their skepticism, the family and friends asked the wordless Zacharias his opinion when it came what he wanted his son to be named.


You see, the rest of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s family and friends assumed that Zacharias would want to name his firstborn son, who he had waited so long for, after himself. But since Zacharias had not been able to speak for the past ten months as a consequence from the Lord of doubting the Angel Gabriel’s announcement, they had no idea what was going on in his mind regarding the naming of his son. So Zacharias family and friends signaled to Zacharias to make his wishes known concerning the naming of his son. Luke records for us Zacharias response in verse 63:


 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, "His name is John." And they were all astonished.


Luke tells us that Zacharias responded to his friends and families request concerning the naming of his son by asking for a small wooden tablet that was used for writing notes. And on that tablet, Zacharias made his wishes concerning the naming of his son crystal clear: “His name is John”. In other words Zacharias basically says “This is not up for debate. We have already made our decision. We have already named our son and his name is John”.


When Luke tells us that they were all astonished, this phrase literally means to be extraordinarily disturbed by something. Zacharias family and friends were extraordinarily disturbed that Zacharias would not want to pass on his name to the next generation after God had acted in such a miraculous way to provide them a son by which to pass on his name.


However, Zacharias family and friends would become even more disturbed with what was about to happen next. And it is what happens next that we see Zacharias respond by composing and singing a song that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist.


Friday we will look at that song together...

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

The Doubt Surrounding The Original Christmas Story....

At the church where I server, we are in the middle of our Christmas sermon series entitled the original Christmas playlist. We launched into this series by talking about the reality that the Christmas is a season filled with sights and sounds that provoke memories, hopes, and aspirations. And perhaps the most powerful aspect of the sights and sounds of Christmas in found in Christmas music. So, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, we are spending our time together looking at the first Christmas Playlist that was composed by those who were involved in the very first Christmas.

During this series, we are going to discover that the Christmas story is told through song as well and a recollection of events from history.  During this series, we are going to discover that each of these songs helps us discover something different, something important about the coming of Jesus that first Christmas. And as we go through this series, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands in a way the enables us to learn several timeless truths that these songs teach us about the very first Christmas and its place the grand story of God's activity in history.

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together looking at another song that was a part of the original Christmas playlist that was written by a man named Zacharias. And it is in this song that Zacharias composed during the very first Christmas that we discover a timeless truth about Christmas and God's activity in history.  However, before we look at Zacharias’ contribution to the original Christmas playlist, let's look at the circumstances the led to his song. We find these circumstances, and his song, in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. So let's jump into this event from history together, beginning in Luke 1:5-7:

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

Luke brings us into this section of his account of Jesus life by introducing us to a man named Zacharias. Zacharias was a priest who was a direct descendant of a man named Aaron, who was the very first priest of the Jewish people. Zacharias was married to a woman named Elizabeth, who was also a direct descendant of Aaron. So both Zacharias and Elizabeth were pastor’s kids who were very familiar with the message and teachings of the Lord.

Luke tells us that Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.  In other words, Zacharias and Elizabeth were model citizens who did what was right in the sight of the Lord. However, Luke tells us that Zacharias and Elizabeth were childless, because Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years. You see, Elizabeth was incapable of bearing children. And not only was Elizabeth barren, both Zacharias and Elizabeth were at a place in their lives where children were beyond a possibility.

Now in the culture of the day, being childless was viewed as a sign of God’s judgment and punishment for one’s selfishness and rebellion. Being childless was a source of shame and resulted in a couple being ostracized by others. Now imagine yourself as Zacharias and Elizabeth. Place yourself in their shoes. You have strived to follow the Lord in a way that honored and pleased the Lord. You grew up in a home that served the Lord and you have continued to serve the Lord. Yet, even though you wanted to have children, you are childless. Even though you served the Lord and prayed to the Lord for children, you are still childless.

And you hear the whispers. You hear the accusations of hidden selfishness and rebellion. You feel the shame. And you are at a place in your life where there is no hope of ever having a child. You are Zacharias and Elizabeth. How would you feel? How would you respond? Luke records what happened next in verse 8-10:

Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

Luke tells us that Zacharias was selected by lot to have the privilege to enter into the sanctuary of the Temple to burn incense before the Lord. You see, at this time in history, prior to having the letters that make up the Bible that we have today and the Holy Spirit, casting lots was used to either determine blame or know God’s will. To be selected to enter into the Temple to burn incense was significant because the privilege to enter into the Temple to burn incense before the Lord would only occur once in the lifetime of a priest. So the custom of the priests was to cast lots to determine who would have that privilege.

By being chosen by lot, Zacharias was viewed as being chosen by God for the privilege to come before His presence to worship Him. As Zacharias entered into the Temple to offer up the incense before the Lord, Luke tells us a multitude of people remained outside the Temple in prayer. This multitude of people would be praying to the Lord and would be praying that Zacharias would honor the Lord through his offering of incense to the Lord. However, as the multitude of people prayed to the Lord and as Zacharias approached the Lord to honor the Lord, Luke reveals for us the reality that this day would be unlike any other day, as we see in verse 11:

And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.

Now when Luke states that fear gripped Zacharias, this phrase conveys the sense of fear cascading or falling upon Zacharias. You see, Zacharias recognized that he was in the presence of a messenger of the Lord. Zacharias recognized that this was not normal. And as a result, Zacharias experienced an inward turmoil that produced alarms in his mind as a sense of overwhelming fear fell upon him. An alarming fear of being face to face with a being who has been in the presence of the Lord and who could take him out in an instant, which is most likely what Zacharias thought was going to happen. “Uh oh, I’m in trouble. Did I do something wrong? What did I do wrong, because this does not happen every day? This does not happen any day.” We see what happens next in verse 13-17:

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb."And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

The angel basically says to Zacharias “Zacharias do not be afraid because I am here to tell you that your prayers have been heard. And the Lord is going to answer your prayers by supernaturally enabling you and Elizabeth to have a son. But Zacharias, your son is not going to be just any son. Zacharias, your son is not only going to cause you to powerfully proclaim your joy and gladness, your son is going to bring joy and gladness to many people. You see, Zacharias, your son is going to have a position of prominence before the Lord and in the Lord’s story. Your son is to be set apart to the Lord in such a way that he will never be influenced by alcohol. Instead, he will live a life that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit. Zacharias your son is the fulfillment of a promise that the Lord made that last time He spoke to the Jewish people over 400 years ago through the prophet Malachi. Your son is the fulfillment of a promise that the Lord would send a messenger that would turn the hearts of the Jewish people from a life of disobedience to a way of thinking that is right before the Lord. Your son is the fulfillment of a promise that the Lord would send a messenger prepare the Jewish people for and to announce the arrival of the Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to the Lord and back to prominence in the world.”

Now you are Zacharias. You are very familiar with the Lord’s promise to the Jewish people that He had proclaimed through the prophet Malachi. And now, you are told that not only are you going to have a son; you are told that your son will be the fulfillment of that promise.  What would you be thinking at this point? What would you be feeling? How would you respond? We see Zacharias’s response in verse 18:

Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."

Instead of rejoicing at the angel of the Lord’s announcement, Zacharias doubted the angel of the Lord’s announcement. Zacharias basically said to the angel of the Lord “How am I supposed to know for sure this announcement of yours is true? You need to prove it to me before I am going to believe and trust you. I am an old man and my wife is on the other side of menopause, so I really doubt this announcement that you have made to me is true and is going to really happen.” We see how the angel of the Lord responded to Zacharias’s doubt in verse 19-20:

The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. "And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."

The angel responded to Zacharias’s doubt by providing him with the credentials to prove that he was a messenger from the Lord that had been authorized to announce the arrival of the son who would prepare the Jewish people for the arrival of the Messiah. After providing his credentials to Zacharias, the angel Gabriel then proclaimed what the immediate future would hold for Zacharias as a result of his doubting disbelief. 

The angel Gabriel basically said to Zacharias “So you want a sign, well I’ll give you a sign. Here’s a sign for you to know that I am who I say I am and that my announcement of the arrival of a son who would prepare the Jewish people for the arrival of the Messiah is true. Because you doubted and disbelieved me and my announcement, you will be unable to speak until your son is born. Since you were not silent and did not embrace my announcement to you, you will be silent until these things come true, because they are sure to come true”.

When Zacharias emerged from the Temple, he was unable to speak a sound. Luke tells us that after finishing his time serving the Lord at the Temple, Zacharias and Elizabeth returned to their home in the hill country of Judea. I bet that was a quiet trip home. A short while after returning home from serving the Lord in Jerusalem, Luke tells us that Elizabeth became pregnant.

However, unlike her husband Zacharias, who doubted the Lord’s supernatural activity in his life, Elizabeth responded to the Lord’s supernatural activity in her life by rejoicing in the Lord. And during the time of her pregnancy, Elizabeth rejoiced in trustful expectation of the promise of new life as Zacharias remained unable to speak. Then, a few verses later, in Luke 1:57-62, we see Luke give us a glimpse into the arrival of this new life.


Tomorrow, we will look at these verses…

Friday, December 8, 2017

The original Christmas playlist contains songs of hope that trust in God's promises for the future while waiting for that future...

This week, we have been looking at a song that was a part of the original Christmas playlist that was written by a woman named Mary. We know Mary as the mother of Jesus. However, it is in this song that Mary composed during the very first Christmas that we discover a timeless truth about Christmas and God's activity in history. 

However, before we look at Mary's contribution to the original Christmas playlist, we have been looking at the circumstances the led to her song. We find these circumstances, and her song, in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. We have looked on as God sent the angel Gabriel to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, which was a small, rural town, located about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. Gabriel was sent to Nazareth in order to deliver a message from God to a woman named Mary, who was a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph.

God’s message to Mary was that Mary would become pregnant as a result of the supernatural power of God as displayed through the Holy Spirit, who would creatively and supernaturally bring about the physical conception of Jesus. God moved in a supernatural and unique way, displaying His power through the Holy Spirit, to bring the second member of the Trinity into humanity as the only begotten son of God.

We looked on as Mary responded to the news of her pregnancy and that her relative Elizabeth had become pregnant as a result of the God’s supernatural activity in her life, by immediately leaving Nazareth to visit Elizabeth. However, before Mary could engage in a conversation about what had happened in her life, Elizabeth’s yet unborn son leaped in her womb. And as Elizabeth experienced the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, Luke tells us that Elizabeth responded to her unborn child’s announcement and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and influence in her life by rejoicing in the Lord’s supernatural activity in Mary’s life.

Elizabeth’s proclamation, if communicated in the language we us in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Mary, how blessed are you to be the recipient of God’s favor and activity in your life. And how blessed is the child that is within you. And how has it come to be that I would have the privilege to have the mother of my Messiah come to visit me!”

Elizabeth then explained to Mary that at the sound of her voice, her son announced to her that she was in the presence of the Messiah. And Elizabeth proclaimed to Mary that she was the recipient of God’s favor and activity in her life as a result of her placing her confident trust in God’s promise that had been proclaimed to her by the Angel Gabriel and that had driven her to travel to visit Elizabeth.

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as Mary. You travel four days to see your relative, after an angel tells you that, in spite of the fact that she was incapable of bearing children and was at a place in her life where children were beyond a possibility, she has become pregnant. Then, as you greet her, and before you can even tell her why you have traveled so far to see her, she breaks out in worship of the Lord after telling you that you are pregnant with the Messiah before you could even tell her that you were pregnant with the Messiah.

You are Mary. What would you be thinking? What would you be feeling? How would you respond? Because this morning, it is in this context that Mary responds by composing and singing a song that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist. So let's look at that song together, beginning in Luke 1:46-55:

And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 "For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold,  from this time on all generations will count me blessed. 49 "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. 50 "AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. 51 "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in   the thoughts of their heart. 52 "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. 53 "HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. 54 "He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever."

Luke tells us that Mary responded to Elizabeth’s response of worship by singing a song of worship to the Lord. This song, which has become known as Mary's song, can be divided into five different stanzas that reveal five aspects of the Lord’s character and conduct that Mary exalts, or makes much of, in worship. In the first stanza, in verses 46-49, we see Mary express, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy over the Lord’s activity in her life.

Mary made much of the fact that the Lord looked with concern over her despite the fact that she was just a teenage girl from a small backwater town. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord responded to her humble circumstances by choosing to extend grace to her in such a way that all humanity would now view her as being especially favored by God as being the mother of the Messiah. Mary made much of the fact that the all powerful Creator and ruler of the world, who is set apart in His character and conduct, would choose her to do such a great thing in her and through her for the world.

In the second stanza, in verse 50, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy over the Lord’s faithful devotion to His people. Mary made much of the Lord by quoting from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 103:7, King David worshipped the Lord as he proclaimed the Lord’s covenant promise to demonstrate His faithful devotion to His people when they lived their lives in submission and obedience to Him. Mary quoted King David’s words as evidence that the Lord was fulfilling the promise of His faithful devotion to His people in the fullest way possible as a result of her response of submission and obedience to the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah that the Angel Gabriel made to her.  In the third stanza, in verse 51, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy over the Lord’s activity in history when it came to the Lord’s power over the proud. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord scatters from Him those who arrogantly believe that they do not need Him.

In the fourth stanza, in verses 52-53, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy over the Lord’s activity in history when it came to the Lord’s ability to reverse the fortunes of people based on their response to Him. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord dealt with those who were in a position of leadership and authority and who arrogantly oppressed others while denying God by removing them from power. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord dealt with those who were of humble circumstances and low class but who placed their confident trust in God by elevating their circumstances.

Mary made much of the Lord by quoting from another section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 107:9, the psalmist worshipped the Lord as he proclaimed the Lord’s provision to those who trust in Him. Mary quoted the psalmist’s words as evidence that the Lord was large and in charge over the provision of resources to people. Mary made much of the fact those who are humble and hungry will have their needs met by God while those who are arrogantly wealthy will lose the very things that they had placed their confident trust in instead of God. 

And in the fifth stanza, in verses 54-55, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy over the Lord’s activity in history in light of the promises that He had made to the Jewish people. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord remembered His promises that had been made to Abraham, Jacob, and the Jewish people by demonstrating His faithful devotion to keep those promises by His activity in her relative Elizabeth and her life. You see, as Mary reflected on the evidence of the Lord’s activity in her life and the life of her relative Elizabeth, she was moved to respond to that activity by singing a song of worship to the Lord in a way that made much of the Lord.

Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s activity in her life. Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s faithful devotion to His people. Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s power over the proud. Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s ability to reverse the fortunes of people based on their response to Him. And Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s faithful devotion to fulfill the promises that He had made to the Jewish people.

But did you notice something about Mary' song? Did you notice that the entire song is in the past tense? Did you notice that the entire song is not written from the perspective of what she wished God would do in the future? Instead, the entire song was written from the perspective that what God had promised to Mary had already come to pass. Instead singing about wishing that what God had promised might happen, Mary sang as though it had already happened.

Now a natural question that could arise here is "Well Dave, what possessed her to sing that way. After all, Jesus had not even been born yet. So, what drove her to compose and sing such a song?" If you are here and that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And it is in the answer to that question and in this song that was composed and sung by the mother of Jesus that would become a part of the original Christmas playlist, that we discover a timeless truth about the very first Christmas and it’s place the grand story of God's activity in history. And that timeless truth is this: The original Christmas playlist contains songs of hope that trust in God's promises for the future while waiting for that future.

The timeless reality is that waiting is a part of life. And just like Mary, we can find ourselves in a place where we are waiting for something in the future. We can find ourselves in a place where we are waiting to see if a promise that has been made will be a promise that will be kept. And this morning, the timeless reality is that there is a difference between wishing and hoping. There is a difference between wishing in something that you hope might come true and hoping in something that you trust will come true.

Just like Mary, we can find ourselves in a place where we are waiting on God when it comes to the promises He has made for the future. And just like Mary, when we find ourselves in that place where we are waiting for something in the future, we are faced with the question "How am I going to respond when I am asked to wait? Where am I going to place my trust today as I wait for God's promise for the future? Am I going to live as though I wish that something might come true? Or am I going to live with a hope that trusts that something will come true?"

You see, Mary lived with a hope that trusted that God's promise would come true. And it was that trust in God's promise that drove Mary to live a life of faithful obedience as she waited for that future. Instead of a life that wandered in her relationship with God as a result of a wish in something that might come true while she waited for the future, Mary remained firmly committed in her relationship with God as a result of the hope that she had that God's promise would come true, while she waited for the future.

So here is a question to consider: How do you respond when God asks you to wait? And where do you place your trust while you are waiting?

Do you respond when God asks you to wait by living as though God's promises are a wish that might come true? Or do you respond when God asks you to wait by living with a hope that trusts that God's promises will come true? Are you wandering in your relationship with God because you view God's promises as a wishes? Or are you firmly committed in your relationship with God because you view God's promises as trustworthy and true.


Because, the original Christmas playlist contains songs of hope that trust in God's promises for the future while waiting for that future.