Christmas Shouldn’t Feel Stressed and Rushed |12.03.23| The Word Became Flesh pt.1
John 1:1-14, Mark 4:26-29
Pastor Drew Williams
Well, to get started, I want to tell you that earlier this week, I got a message from a friend of mine here at the church, and they simply said, “Pastor Drew, I need some help getting connected with a Bible study or a life group, because I’m starting to feel a little burnt out.”(…) And so I was really grateful to be able to connect them with Pastor Eric to find out what some of our Bible studies and life groups are that happen throughout the week to figure out, is there one that works in their schedule? Because I know that this season of life can feel really stressful. It can feel really rushed. We just finished Thanksgiving, and while that’s a great time for families and friends and food,
(…)
so much food, it can also feel a time that is stressful, because there’s more people than we’re used to. There’s way more food to organize and cook and transport, and people are traveling, and family dynamics are different because we don’t always have all those people in the same room at the same time, and so that’s a different dynamic.(…) See, the social ones are usually busy in the kitchen, you know, talking together and wondering if anyone is going to thank them for the hours and hours and hours of work they have done over the food, and the not-so-social ones are in the living room watching TV, because it’s a lot easier to complain about a coach or some team or some commercial than it is to talk about, you know, life and work and kids, because this time of year can be stressful.(…) It can feel rushed.(…) We’ve got to keep track of all the different activities and programs for kids and grandkids. We’ve got to deal with all the extra traffic from all the holiday events.(…) We’ve got to make sure to find time to shop for gifts, and then we wonder if the gifts we’re going to get for the people are even the ones they want, and we’re stressed about that, and don’t even get me started on how expensive everything is right now, because I’ve got enough stress with the finances and bills that are normal in my life,(…) and so we try and just keep going. Keep your head up, keep track of the calendar, keep moving, even though the days are getting a little colder, a little darker,(…) but maybe Christmas will be better this year.(…) Maybe we’ll just get through it, or maybe we won’t have as much family stress this year.(…) Maybe.(…) We hope.(…) And then we come to church, and everywhere we look, there’s messages of hope and joy and goodwill among men,
(…)
but it doesn’t make us feel any better. It’s not making us feel more alive.(…) In fact, our life might not even feel that different with Jesus in it, because all the other people that we know in our life, they feel the same as we do. They’re just as stressed.(…) They’re just as rushed. They’re trying to keep their heads up too.(…) They’re trying to just get through.(…) Even though we read our Bible,(…) we try and pray as much as we can.(…) We do our best to try and forgive people, and we do our best to try and raise our kids the best we can, try and be a good person, but you still stumble.
(…)
You still fall short. You don’t really feel different. You don’t feel better, necessarily.
(…)
Maybe you’ve settled into a marriage that you don’t think can get any better.
(…)
Maybe you’ve settled into a life where most days are just wondering where the next distraction is going to come from. Anything to brighten your day.(…) You wonder where the next drink is going to come from, just to mellow out.(…) You wonder when the next vacation is going to be, or the next hunting trip, anything to feel alive again.(…) I don’t know. Maybe Christmas will be better this year.(…) Maybe the gifts will bring joy,(…) or maybe it will all rush by like any other year.(…) Any other day.(…) Now, even if you have never felt that way, we all know someone who has felt that way, or who is feeling that way right now. And it’s not because they’re a Scrooge, either, because there’s no “ba” humbug in feeling stressed,(…) rushed.(…) See, we’re all looking for that spark to light up our life again. We’re all looking for that thing that gives meaning and purpose to our lives, so that we can wake up excited to join in with what the day has to offer.(…) And that is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he went around telling people that the kingdom of God was near,(…) breaking in, opening up in front of you. He was saying, “It’s right in front of you. An amazing opportunity. An incredible chance to feel fully alive. It’s very near to you. So close, you could reach out and touch it. This is what you’ve been waiting for. This is what you’ve been wanting. This is the thing that will fill your life with actual hope and joy. This is the thing that will give your life the pathway to meaning, as well as a process to help transform the lives of the people around you, so that they can have hope and joy, too.”(…) And everyone that Jesus was talking to asked the same questions that we ask today. Really?(…) Well, how do we do it? What do we say? What are the steps we need to take to build this type of life?(…) And the answer Jesus gives(…) is a little surprising, and that’s what we’re going to be talking about this month. How do we experience the kingdom of God type of life here? Is Jesus at work around us now?(…) And can we be a part of it? How do we break out of the stress and the rushing of this season to actually see God at work? So let’s open up our Bibles to the Gospel of John, chapter 1. And if you’re using the Black Seatback Bible in front of you, it’s on page 70 of the New Testament. And as you’re finding it,(…) John, chapter 1 in the New Testament, page 70, I want to remind you that John was one of Jesus’s closest followers. He had seen and experienced firsthand the type of full life that happens when we follow Jesus. And he was writing at a time and to a group of people who needed that message of hope.(…) They felt weighed down by life. They felt that it was just a hamster wheel of the same old tiring thing, rushing them along, threatening to push them off balance, erect their family. And so John is writing to a people who felt like life was kind of dark.
(…)
And here’s what he writes to them. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being
(…)
through Him. And without Him, not one thing came into being.(…) What has come into being in Him was life.(…) And the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Skip down to verse 9 with me. “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to what was His own, and His own people did not accept Him.(…) But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood or of the will of the flesh or the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us. And we have seen His glory, the glory as of a Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.(…) In the beginning(…) was the Word.”(…) And if we keep reading in John’s letter, we find out that he’s talking about Jesus.
(…)
In the beginning was Jesus.(…) And Jesus is God, the Creator of all, the light that is more powerful than darkness.(…) And anyone who feels down in the dumps or feels down in darkness, your ears should perk up here because there is someone who is light.(…) Light that can overcome darkness.(…) Light that can bring life.(…) Light that is full and bright and gives meaning and purpose.(…) And the only thing that anyone needs to do to have this light fill their life is to believe in His name.
(…)
And what is His name? Well we already talked about it. Jesus.(…) Jesus in the original Hebrew is the name Yeshua, which means God saves or God will deliver. It’s where we get the English name Joshua from. And so anyone who’s named Joshua, or if you know someone who’s named Joshua in your life, their name is a reminder that God is the rescuer.(…) That’s what the name Jesus means.(…) God saves.
(…)
God doesn’t just leave people in darkness. He comes searching for them, lighting up every corner of the darkness until they’re found.(…) And John is telling us that if we want to receive that light in our life, all we have to do is trust in that.(…) Trust that God is a rescuer.(…) Even if we’re in a dark spot,(…) even if we don’t feel it yet,(…) trust in His name.(…) God saves.(…) That’s what His name means. That’s who He is. A rescuer.(…) And how did God plan to carry out this plan?
(…)
By coming here. By becoming flesh.(…) By not just staying far off and watching from its throne, but by stepping down and stepping into our space. Stepping into our existence.(…) Entering into our life.(…) Jesus the rescuer doesn’t just stand at the edge of like a forest and say, “Hey, are you lost in there? Follow the sound of my voice.”(…) Jesus the rescuer doesn’t just stand at the top of the stairs when there’s been a commotion in the basement. It says, “Hey, are you hurt? Come over here so I can see you.” No, He steps in. He enters in. He comes running. He jumps down into the muck of our life and gets a good grip on us so that we don’t get pulled under.(…) And when He did that, when He became flesh and entered into human history, He came saying, “I’ve got good news.”
(…)
Now, I don’t know if you’re a good news first type of person or a bad news first type of person, but if you’re feeling kind of down in your life, if things are seeming kind of dark, kind of bleak,(…) and someone shows up that exudes light and life and they say, “I’ve got good news.” Well, your ears perk up a bit because maybe that good news is good for you too. Maybe this will help overcome the feeling of stress and rushing. Maybe this will give meaning back to our lives. So you listen up.(…) I’ve got good news. The kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of light and life is here right now. It’s not far away. You don’t have to go searching for it. It came searching for you.(…) And you are being invited to step in, to start to live in a new way of life, one that’s not crushing and stressful and rushed and pushing you down.(…) And if you feel down enough, well, this does sound like good news. This does sound like something you want in your life, a new way to live? Where my life isn’t dictated by keeping up with the expectations of earning enough or buying enough or pretending to act in a certain way just to fit in with the other people who are trying to keep it all together?(…) But how do we get this new way of life?
(…)
How do we step in?(…) What do we got to do to help God build his kingdom here so that we can begin to experience that?(…) Because if I’m honest, I don’t have a whole lot of energy left at the end of the day to take on a new building project. Right? Like I’m barely getting by with work and with the kids activities and holiday events and putting on the smiling face for the family get togethers and trying to remember to do the extra grocery shopping for the extra baking projects(…) and finding time to go shopping for gifts. I’m feeling the pressure.(…) I’m juggling all the plates.
(…)
And so this good news sounds pretty good and I want it. And I want to be part of the type of life that Jesus invites me to where it’s full of light and life and helps me feel meaning and purpose and expands beyond just me to other people as well. But I don’t think I have time or energy to build something like that right now. I don’t think I can add on more to-dos to create that type of life right now.
(…)
But Jesus has even more good news for us because it’s not something that we have to build. He tells us through a short parable in Mark chapter 4.(…) He gives us metaphor for what is the kingdom of God like to help us understand the things at play. And he says the kingdom of God is the same as when a seed gets scattered on the ground. You know over the course of the days and the nights when everyone’s going about their normal activities the seed is actually sprouting and growing.(…) There’s no effort on the part of anyone but God.(…) And we can describe the stages of growth right like first the stalk then the head then the grain but we didn’t cause the growth.(…) We didn’t do anything to build the stalk or the head or the grain.(…) No our job comes when it’s time for the harvest.(…) God does his part in bringing the growth and then he tells us when it’s our part to come in and collect the harvest.(…) Jesus is saying that we don’t build the kingdom of God for him.(…) He’s building it. He’s causing light and life to grow.(…) Our job is to get involved in the harvest.(…) Jesus is telling us that the kingdom of God has already entered into our existence. The kingdom of heaven where there’s this new way of life where light and life are full and people get to live out from underneath the oppressive weight of darkness and decay. The kingdom of heaven is already growing and working and building. That’s why he tells us it’s here right in front of us right around us. We just have to open up our eyes and see where God is already at work. We just have to be willing to slow down a bit and not focus only on our own stress and rushing and building but to see where Jesus is inviting us to join him in his work.(…) See Jesus is already at work around you.
(…)
You get to join him.(…) Joining Jesus in his work of bringing light to dark places is something that we’re all invited to do.(…) Joining Jesus in his work of bringing hope and redemption to people who are in need of hope is something that we are all invited to do. Joining Jesus(…) is in his work of reconciliation and forgiveness is something that we are all invited to do.
(…)
And the good news is that this isn’t some concept or some like task list that he writes up here says this is what it looks like in the kingdom of God. Now figure out how to make it happen because you’re my followers and that’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s not the life of following Jesus. This isn’t something that we have to go build. We are not the saviors or the rescuers given a task to go save the people around us. God saves.(…) Jesus is the rescuer and he’s already at work around us. Already growing and building under the ground and behind the scenes and when it’s time to get involved he invites us to join him.(…) There’s a friend of mine who’s a pastor and an author and he wrote this book called Joining Jesus on His Mission. His name is Greg Finke and he says that it’s actually really simple to join Jesus in his work. Here’s how he puts it. He says in order to join Jesus on his redemptive mission all we really have to do is number one enjoy people.
(…)
Number two then seek recognize and respond to Jesus with what he’s already doing the lives of the people that we’re enjoying.(…) Could it really be this simple? The answer is yes.(…) See if Jesus has already done the work of becoming flesh, of moving into our neighborhood, if he has already done the work of planting the seeds of hope and light and life, if he’s already actually doing the growing and the budding and the building behind the scenes all we have to do is look for signs of him.(…) And if Jesus is the rescuer well one of the most sure places that we’re going to find him is places that need hope.(…) People who need rescuing and help.(…) Greg says this in another section of his book. He says wherever hope and redemption are needed you can be sure of this.(…) Jesus is present and working nearby.(…) In other words the kingdom of God is near.
(…)
See Jesus is doing the prep work.(…) Jesus is causing the growth.(…) Our job is to regularly ask Jesus what are you up to and can I join in with what you’re doing and then join in when he invites us. And you might be listening and saying yeah that sounds good Pastor Drew but I’ve been trying that and I still don’t know what God wants me to do.(…) Just this week I was having coffee with
(…)
someone here at the church and we were talking about life and stuff and they said something very very similar. They said that they were worried that they were letting God down.(…) They were worried that they were missing what God wanted them to do with their life. They said I pray every night and I ask God to tell me what to do and he hasn’t told me yet.(…) And I knew exactly how this guy felt because I often feel unsure with what to do to follow God. All right like I read my Bible, I pray, I try and be a good person but is that it?(…) What am I missing?(…) How can I know when God is telling me to join his work?(…) Well maybe a good way to describe this would be to tell you a story about some folks here at the church who have been actively joining Jesus in his work.(…) I started not too long ago. A couple months ago one of our life groups found out about a single dad with two kids in our community. Not connected to the church but in our community where we live who was in need. And I’m not going to go into all the details but the mom is a drug addict and so the two kids were just dropped off without warning to the dad with the clothes on their back and that was it. And so he was in a tough spot and that’s where they knew that they needed some help. And so one of the families from the life group had found an apartment for him to rent that he could afford with his job which was great but that wasn’t everything because they needed furniture and clothes and stuff. And so that’s where the rest of the life group got involved. They found the sizes of the clothing for the kids, they found out what the needs were in the apartments, so they started looking at garage sales and furniture store clearance sales and they came up with a list of what was needed. And I asked a couple of the life group members what that experience was like and one of the life group members texted me this. They said our group text chain was filled with the specific responses of what each person had purchased.(…) It made me feel so good to be a part of this caring group of people.
(…)
There’s another person who from this life group that texted me and they said helping this family get a second chance made me reflect on different situations in my life and how it changed because the outpouring of love and acceptance and support from our own life group.(…) Right there.(…) Seeing a need.(…) Seeing where hope was needed.(…) Redemption was needed.(…) And that means that Jesus wasn’t that far off.(…) He was ready to break in with the kingdom of heaven through life and light. Through the actions and words and the support of his children through this life group.(…) Well, they got together all the stuff they had collected and then the one family that had the closest connection with the dad dropped it all off and when they were there dropping everything off, his eyes were as big as they’ve ever been. He was completely blown away by the generosity of a group of people that he had never met. And when he asked where all this came from, they just said,(…) new life is a church that loves people.
(…)
Jesus became flesh in that moment to that dad and his kids.(…) The light shined in the darkness in that moment.(…) That life group joined Jesus in his work when he invited them to.(…) And I love this story because it’s not even over yet. I still have more to tell you. There was another problem that was brought up after this because the dad still worked full time, but now had to figure out how to be a full-time dad on top of that. And that’s a tall order for anybody. And so the life group called this other family that’s in our church that has kids because they figured, well, they probably know the best leads on babysitters and things like that. So they called this other family and the other family heard what’s going on. And without even skipping a beat, they said, we’ll help take care of the kids.(…) This other family who has kids of their own,
(…)
complicated calendar of their own, issues of their own said, no, we don’t need to find out anyone else who can help. We’ll help with these kids. They can get dropped off at our house by the school bus after school. And then when the dad gets off working, he can come pick them up from our house.(…) This family who didn’t even know this dad or his kids before, it’s not like they had known him for a long time and they’re trying to figure out time to work and they’re just waiting for the right time. No, they didn’t even know this person before. They didn’t even be a part of the project the life group was doing with the furniture and the clothes and stuff.(…) Jesus was handling that part of the project through someone else. Jesus was bringing the growth and the building behind the scenes and waited for this family to be ready for a different part of the harvest, to join him in his work for a different step, to be able to help when he invited them to.(…) And this story isn’t even finished yet because this doesn’t solve things for the family. The kids still miss their mom.(…) The dad still is struggling to figure out how to handle all this. He’s not perfect for them. He isn’t everything he needs him to be at every moment. But the point is that it’s not the job of the life group to fix this family. It’s not the job of that one family to help raise the kids for him.(…) Jesus is the one who’s at work in this guy’s life already.(…) Jesus is already at work in the kids’ lives and he’s just inviting us to join him in that in whichever ways we can when we see an opportunity to jump in. Because I don’t know what comes next for this family but I know that Jesus the rescuer isn’t done with them yet. And I know that New Life people are going to be involved whenever Jesus gives them an opportunity. Because I’m not personally involved with his family. This is just a story I’m sharing with you and I don’t know if you’ll ever have an opportunity to get involved with this family specifically. But Jesus is still at work around you and he is still inviting you to join him in his work of bringing hope and healing to the people in situations around you.(…) And one way that you can make sure that you’re opening your eyes, see where God is at work, is to just pray a simple prayer.(…) Just pray a simple prayer. God, what are you up to today(…) and can I join in?(…) Like seriously, I really want to encourage you to pray that prayer like every day this month. God, what are you up to today?(…) Where are you already at work?(…) Can I join in?
(…)
Can I give a smile?(…) Can I slow down and be a listening ear for a moment?(…) I was talking to a couple after the service just an hour ago and they were sharing how not too long ago they were at a restaurant, they overheard another couple trying to figure out which meal they could get that they could afford. And they had the same waiter and they said, “Hey, don’t tell them it was us but we’d like to pick up their bill.” And they didn’t say anything to that couple, they didn’t try and like get attention, they just said, “Here’s a way we can help.”
(…)
And it’s just small things like that.(…) I was talking to someone else recently who said that they’ve got into the habit of just stopping in their driveway if their neighbor pulls up at the same time too and wavy and saying hi.(…) And that that has led to a new friendship budding.
(…)
It’s the small things that God is inviting us to step into because He’s already at work around you. He’s bringing hope to people who need it through your words.(…) So who is someone who needs hope or encouragement in your life?(…) Maybe God is asking you to join Him in His work in their life this week(…) because God is a Savior. God is a rescuer and He’s already pressing in. He’s already leaning in close to us. He’s bringing light wherever we feel darkness. He’s bringing life where we feel the threat of death. And He’s the rescuer who then invites us to join in in bringing help and redemption to others.(…) See we get to join Jesus in His work of inviting everyone to experience a life that is transformed by Jesus together for others.(…) Isn’t that good news?(…) Amen.