Advent DAY 2 - Without A Doubt

From Luke 1 (NRSV) 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³⁴Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ ³⁵The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.’ ³⁸Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Mary was in a dream world called betrothal when she and Joseph were to make plans for their marriage and life together. Suddenly, this dream was shattered by a light, by a figure clothed in white, by a voice that spoke her name. And, as Mary responds to the angel’s announcement and God’s request of her, she offers you and me a gift. I call this gift the choice of acceptance. Acceptance is difficult for many of us. It is difficult because we have been raised to be determined rather than accepting, and when we are encouraged to be accepting it is usually to accept a forced option … “you’ve just got to accept it,” we are told. “Acceptance is good for you … it is the only way you will find peace, it is the only way to get on with your life, it is the only way you can allow God into your life.” Acceptance may have been good for us, but it was also a kind of  “bitter medicine” we had to take, more of a weary resignation. Acceptance is not likely to work its miracle in our life if it is seen or felt as force.

Mary’s acceptance opens the way, not only to fulfill God’s plan for the world, but also for Mary’s life, but her first response was not acceptance. It was hesitancy, wondering, even doubt. Acceptance needs to be freely chosen and is seldom chosen at first. It is almost a sign of our freedom that we wrestle with and resist the decision we need to make. When someone is so full of assurance that they rule out the possibility of doubt and discussion, almost instinctively we suspect that there is something false here. Likewise, we recognize truth in those who have come to the point of acceptance through the difficulties and doubt. Mary’s experience of the angel’s announcement is powerful, but not overpowering. She was awed, but not overcome. God does not do that. God speaks to us in the particular, personal way we need to hear, in the way that respects our freedom even as it challenges us to choose.

Acceptance in all its beauty and glory and grace is seen in Mary and in her response to the angel. Let it be to me according to your word, even though your word changes the dream I had for my life. The gift of acceptance fills us with gratitude and overflows in celebration and service. 

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 3 Who Are You To Tell Me What To Do

Matthew 1:18-20, 24 (NRSV) 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. ²⁰But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²⁴When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife ...

How? When? The questions raced through his mind, but in the end it did not make any difference. Answers would not change the fact: Mary is pregnant. Joseph had two options. One was to write a public statement of divorce. It would serve as a reminder to the whole village that God demanded faithfulness. But public divorce also meant punishment for Mary, possibly being stoned to death, or at least banishment from her home and village. Or, Joseph could fill out the divorce papers privately in the presence of only two witnesses and that would be the end of it, and this is what Joseph decided to do. The decision brought a certain measure of relief, and Joseph drifted off to sleep. And in his sleep Joseph saw a light, and in the light he saw a figure dressed in white, and the one in the light spoke to him, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.

In Mary’s response to the angelic message brought to her we are offered the gift of acceptance. In Joseph’s response to the angelic message brought to him we are offered the gift of obedience. It will help us see and receive this gift if we remember that there are several kinds of obedience. One is forced obedience. We obey because we have to. Forced obedience often gives obedience a “bad name” in our minds. Another kind of obedience is free obedience where “have to” and “want to” combine. But there is another kind of obedience. It could be called faithful obedience. We obey because we are told to by God. In this kind of obedience there is no fear of punishment from God, nor is there any hope of reward. There is only the Word and the command, and we remain free to accept or reject. Faithful obedience rests solely and squarely on the Word of God to our life. It is what we do despite the pressures on our life to do differently.

The pressure may be our pride, ridiculing us inwardly, or fear that we will lose everything, or the pressure may be pride and fear combining to cause confusion. We begin to reel with worry. On this side of obedience, before the decision is made, all we can see is the risk and the reasons for NOT doing as commanded. The only thing that can resolve our dilemma is the decision to obey God as best we presently understand His Word and His Will for our life. Every act of obedience leads to more light. Faithful obedience is the gift Joseph offers. It is not a glamorous gift but it is the way Christmas comes into our world. Christmas comes into the world through our obedience, and through our obedience, Christmas comes to us. 

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 4 Hope is A Happening

I Peter 1:20-21 (Common English Bible) ²⁰ Christ was chosen before the creation of the world, but was only revealed at the end of time. This was done for you, ²¹ who through Christ are faithful to the God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. So now, your faith and hope should rest in God.

During those years before the first Christmas, a deadening despair settled over the people of Israel. The Scriptures would read of the promise of the Prophets: “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will  rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NASB). But the words did not help. They rolled over the backs of the people burdened and oppressed by life’s problems and difficulties. And the people settled into their rut of hopelessness. As we begin looking forward to Christmas now, I wonder if an air of hopelessness hangs heavy over our lives? “Don’t worry, it may not happen,” but it does. “Don’t worry, your problems will take care of themselves,” but they don’t. “Cheer up. Things could get worse,” and they do.

Hope can begin happening to us when we realize that as Christians we are not spared the trials, problems, difficulties, and sufferings of life. Despite all we may know, somehow we may still build up the expectation that when we become a Christian everything will take a turn for the better. But God never promised that. As long as we live with the false hope that we will not experience the problems and difficulties of life we cannot know the true hope we have in God. The difference is how we face those problems and difficulties knowing that God is with us.

Christianity offers no Pollyanna hope to life’s problems and difficulties, but Christmas is the invasion into our lives of the clean, pure air of hope. Let us breathe deeply of that air as we hear again the words of Simon Peter: Christ was chosen before the creation of the world, but was only revealed at the end of time. This was done for you, who through Christ are faithful to the God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. So now, your faith and hope should rest in God.

Our hope is in God alone, not in what happens or does not happen to us. The hope Christianity offers is that in whatever happens or does not happen, God is still with us. Life may get better or it may get worse, but regardless, God is still with us, offering us all the resources of His life. God offers Himself to us only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Never did life seem more hopeless than on that dark day when Jesus died. But, when He arose, with Him new hope arose. Hope is received in the same way it has been offered. Hope will happen to us when we die to our hopelessness and God raises up new hope within us and new Light is seen where there had been darkness.  

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope December 2, 1973

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 5 The Gift of Waiting

II Peter 3:3-9, 11b-13 (GNT) ³ First of all, you must understand that in the last days some people will appear whose lives are controlled by their own lusts. They will make fun of you ⁴ and will ask, “He promised to come, didn't he? Where is he? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world. ⁸ But do not forget one thing, my dear friends! There is no difference in the Lord's sight between one day and a thousand years; to him the two are the same. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think. Instead, he is patient with you, because he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins. ^11b … what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God, ¹² as you wait for the Day of God and do your best to make it come soon—the Day when the heavens will burn up and be destroyed, and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat. ¹³ But we wait for what God has promised: new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home.

It had been proclaimed that the risen Christ would return. But thus far, nothing had happened. So Peter is saying that there will be mocking of those who wait for the return of Christ. How do we respond to modern mockers? Do we set up elaborate proofs? Do we devise defensive statements and mount sharp arguments? Peter answers with two statements. One is a statement about God. The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think. Instead, he is patient with you. God is not irrelevant, indifferent, or impotent in the affairs of our life. God is patient and does not take back the freedom He has given us, even it if causes us grief and trouble, and He gives us ample opportunity to come to Him just as the prodigal son returned to the father. The loving patience of God is the loving patience we see in Jesus who delayed two days even after hearing that Martha and Mary were grief stricken over the death of their brother Lazarus, who sat on a hillside and watched His disciples fight for their very lives in a storm tossed sea, and who remained on a Cross even when the crowd taunted Him. The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think. Instead, he is patient with you. Is that a reason or a rationalization? A revelation or a cover up?

Peter then makes a second statement, about you and me. What kind of people should you be? Our lives should be holy and dedicated to God, as we wait for the Day of God. Those who live expecting and earnestly longing for the coming of the day of the Lord have a faith that is constant because they have the grace of the gift of waiting. Waiting is a wonderful, soul-surviving gift for those who have received it. God’s patience is meant to be met by our steadfastness. With such a faith we begin to sense that somehow we are partners with God in the fulfillment of His purpose both for our life and our world. For once we have seen God in the cradle and that stable we can never be sure where God will appear again or to what lengths God will go or to what depth of humiliation God will descend to in order to reach us and to touch our lives with His presence in Christ Jesus.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope November 29, 1987

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 6 Joy Is More Than A Season

John 17:13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

Life is a routine of getting up in the morning, going to school or work, accomplishing our daily duties, making decisions, and hopefully by bedtime checking off another day well done. Occasionally into this routine come moments of joy … the sight of a sunset on the way home from work, a special letter in the mail, the touch of warmth from those we love. Christmas is a season when we are often fortunate to experience many such moments, and because we do I think we are ripe to remember the meaning of joy. But the joy Scripture speaks of is more than a moment. It is more than a brief exuberance. It is deeper than a feeling of emotional effervescence. 

Joy is a gift of grace. The Greek words for grace and joy are almost twins, charis and chara. Out of experiences of God’s grace, in good times and bad, a belief begins to grow - the belief that there is an all rightness at the heart of life. Joy is this growing conviction of confidence that everything is all right even when everything seems all wrong. It is a conviction that is not given by the world and therefore the world cannot take away. It is a gift from God. It is a confidence that gives depth to the good experiences and hope to the bad. It is a miraculous shift in perspective that life is good simply because it is given.

Our joy is not in a life that knows no darkness, but rather that even though we walk through a darkness we have seen a great light. It is into the world that Jesus sends us with that perspective of joy. It is with that conviction of rightness at the heart of things that we are to confront the wear and tear of the routine, the ups and the downs of life. It is with this conviction of joy that we deal with unfair teachers, egotistical bosses, personal failure. For joy is the perspective of truth. Joy corrects our distortions and widens our perception beyond the laughter and beyond the tears. We carry that conviction into a world where we do not get everything we want, but receive everything we need to be co-workers and co-celebrators with God.

We are sent into the world equipped with the perspective of joy. We are to carry out our tasks with the spirit of joy. We are to make our decisions with the wisdom of joy. And we are to celebrate the good that we receive with the gratitude of joy.

For it was into this world One was born whose life was the literal embodiment of joy and of whom the angels said, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people (Luke 2:10 – NASB).

May the moments of joy we experience this Christmas season contribute to that growing conviction of God’s rightness at the heart of life, and may we take this conviction beyond the Christmas season into all the world.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 7 Small Wonder

Luke 4:16-22 ¹⁶He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. ¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, ¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." ²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, ²¹and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." ²²All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

Shopping for surprises is fun, but it is also risky, so some of us shop for certainty.  One man honed this type of shopping down to perfection. Each Christmas his wife went to a department store and chose the things she wanted up to X amount of dollars. Then she left the items with a store clerk. Thirty minutes later the husband would come in, purchase the items, have them wrapped, and then place them under the tree, guaranteed to please. Shopping for certainty may take some of the glee out of Christmas, but it gets the job done. Wonder is like shopping for surprises. It is risky business. The risk is not simply that we will be disappointed.  The risk is that we will be surprised at how uncertain all our certainties turn out to be. Wonder comes when we cease to resist with all our certainties and dare to risk the exposure of our life to His life. We never know when wonder will happen or what will happen after that, whether there will be dancing in the street or deeds of love and mercy, or both, and more.

The stage was set for an event that would change the world, not for a season, but for good. In a world where life was cheap and executions were common, where the lame and blind were resigned to their fate, where tax collectors sold their souls to collect their salary, and where a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed and taxed and taxed some more, a baby is born. In this baby was one who would offer life in a new dimension that He called the Kingdom. The Kingdom was the opportunity to taste eternity in the midst of time, and to be touched by the crazy extravagance of God’s love. Those who met Him wondered at all that He said and did.  Eyes that had been dulled by the traffic of the years were opened to see God in Him and a vision of life lost. They wondered as all of their forgone conclusions of both belief and doubt melted away under the warmth of His grace. They wondered as hope was renewed, faith revitalized, and a spirit of love moved strangely to the center of their lives.

To wonder is to have many certainties melt away. It is to feel the very supports of our life give way and to land in the hand of God’s love. To wonder is to have our eyes opened to new truth and new possibilities that we never dreamed of in our wildest imaginations when they are closed by cold certainty. Is there a spark of wonder smoldering in our soul? Dare we risk exposure to Him who was born in Bethlehem?

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 8 The Gift of Faith

John 1:45-51 ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." ⁴⁶"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. ⁴⁷When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." ⁴⁸"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." ⁴⁹Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." ⁵⁰Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." ⁵¹He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Genesis 28:12-13a ¹² He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ^13a There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.

Do you believe in the God revealed in Jesus of Nazareth? Why do you believe what you believe about God? Nathanael believed because of the miracle of being known by Jesus, but there is a greater reason for believing, and it is greater than the influence of our family, more basic than the Bible, more important than giving and receiving help, and more convincing than the most brilliant argument. "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The answer sounds a little strange to us, and I would not be surprised if it sounded a little strange to Nathanael. But, Nathanael knew the reference. Jesus is referring to Jacob’s dream at Bethel, which was a moment of revelation when the veil that so often hides God from our sight was pushed apart and Jacob had a close and personal meeting with God. The gates of Heaven were thrown open to him. The ladder bridged the gap between himself and God, and the angels made the connection that enabled Jacob to hear God’s commitment to him. Jesus is saying, “In me, the gates of Heaven have been thrown open. The ladder has come down. The connection between heaven and earth has been made. In me, God has come to meet you in a new and special way.”

The only real reason for believing in God is a moment of personal meeting with the living God. The family, the church, the Bible, receiving and giving help, and rational arguments can give us the opportunity for that meeting and they can nurture the faith that is born, but they cannot take the place of the event when the ladder is let down and the meeting occurs. This is the season we celebrate the Christmas events of our lives, and celebrate the hope that we might come and behold Him, born the King of Angels.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 9 Christmas Necessities

Exodus 19:5-6b (NASB) ⁵ Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; ^6b and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

Ephesians 2:12 (RSV) ¹² remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

I Peter 2:4-5, 10 (NIV) ⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

We tend to believe that our most important needs are for tangible things like food, clothes, housing, and the necessities to maintain good health. We have another need that is intangible, yet which may be more basic to our well-being than many of the more commonly felt needs. We have a need to belong. It is a need recognized by God, and is included in God’s basic commitment to the people of Israel and therefore to you and to me … you shall be My own possession among all the peoples. Peter reminds the early Christians of a time when their need for belonging was not being met … once you were not a people. Paul speaks the same truth to the churches in Ephesus … you were at that time separated from Christ. Belonging is a basic human need. We are born with it. We have a need to belong to a family, to someone or something greater than ourselves.

Belonging is life giving and life sustaining, but it is also a very difficult need to meet. It is difficult in part because we tend to deny the need, and there is a spirit to our times that works against the need to belong. But even if we could eliminate all the difficulties in our society, belonging is still a difficult need to meet because the problem is as much in us as it is around us. How does a self-seeking person meet their need to belong?

Peter’s words echo with belonging. Once we were a bunch of loose stones lying scattered on the ground. Now we have come together like a beautiful spiritual house with Christ as the cornerstone. We have been chosen by God to belong, and that makes it possible for us to belong regardless of our basic, self-seeking lives. It is like being adopted. It is like getting married. The Messiah has come and we have responded to His call. Therefore we belong to God and to His Kingdom and to His people. Christmas is visible, tangible proof that we are claimed as God’s own people. Christmas is the gift of belonging.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope December 6, 1992

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 10 Searching for the Perfect Christmas

Matthew 2:1-2, 8a-11 (KJV) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, ² Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; ⁹ When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. ¹¹ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

Luke 1:41-42, 45 (NIV) ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

The Wise Men shared a common hope among the people of their time that a king would come and bring a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity to the world. The hope for such a king is still very much with us, except that the king we hope for is not a political ruler, but a king called happiness. When we try to be king over our own happiness and fail it breeds frustration, anger, and a growing resentment. When we try to be king over our own happiness and succeed the results are not much more satisfying. Being king over our own happiness is a rather thankless job, but is one we often pursue with persistence. The search goes on all the time, but we feel the need and the desire with a special intensity at this time of the year as we plan and hope for the perfect Christmas.

Christmas is also about another search. It is about God’s search for a wayward and wandering people. It is about God’s work to set up a kingdom where He is the ruler. For centuries God had worked through people like Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets, but, at Christmas, God came personally in His Son to set up His Kingdom in us and among us. And those who submit to His rule discover a gift called Blessedness. We seek happiness. We are given Blessedness, a deeply held confidence that we are of value to God and that our lives are significant

Christmas is about a God who is in search of you and me to give us the gift of Blessedness. That gift is received by acceptance, and that is the difficult part for many of us. Trying is what we are used to doing and well trained at doing. Cultivating a mind and heart that knows how to accept is a far more challenging step for many of us. We might take our cue from the Wise Men who saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 11 ‘Twas the Morning After Christmas

Matthew 3:13-17 (NASB) ¹³ Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him. ¹⁶ After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, ¹⁷ and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Matthew 17:5 (NASB) While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “ This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

If all goes well this Christmas, when it is all over we will be left with a warm feeling of well being. Whatever we call this afterglow of the Christmas season, it is the experience that makes the frustrations and difficulties of the season worth the effort. And it is this after Christmas experience that gift giving is all about. The giving and receiving of gifts feeds a sense of well-being. If we do not have that sense of well being after Christmas then we feel cheated, and we will be right. For this is the heart and soul of the Christmas experience.

And the experience is very close to the Good News that Christmas brings. For God wills and desires that we have a sense of well-being that leads to living well. There are many words in Scripture that describe this experience of well being that leads to living well, but the one phrase that seems to be important to Jesus and popular in the church is being beloved of God. The word beloved simply means one who has received love. But that simple meaning does not tell the significance of the word. Beloved conveys a sense of well-being that we are connected to God and have the awareness that we belong to God.

Beloved is a gift that God wants us to have because it is true and because it is helpful. Hopefully we have received the gift. If the Heavens have not opened for us, perhaps some people have … parents, teachers, friends who had had that spark in their eye and that sound in their voice that told us you are beloved.

Have you heard that message in your heart of hearts that we call the soul? The God who spoke the message from Heaven came to us in the flesh to speak that message and to demonstrate its truth and power. God did this in His Son, Jesus. You are beloved. Listen to Him.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope December 20, 1992

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 12 Are You Doing Enough To Have A Really Great Christmas?

Galatians 5:1, 16-18, 25 (NASB) It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. ¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Christmas myths are false messages about how to celebrate the Christmas season that somehow get in our heads, get a hold on our hearts, and undermine real celebration of Christmas. The one Christmas myth that causes me trouble is the recurring question, “Am I doing enough for Christmas?” Am I doing enough for family and others, and for people in need? Am I doing enough to have a really great Christmas? Have any of you heard that question? Have you felt the pressure? Do you know the drive and quiet sense of desperation that question kindles? Even good Christian customs of doing for others can become exaggerated, distorted, twisted, and more a source of pressure than of pleasure.

This is not the way it is supposed to be for us. It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. For the Hebrews, freedom meant release from the burden of countless laws and the pressure of tightly prescribed rituals, performed until they could feel good about themselves. For the Gentiles, freedom meant release from the pressures of the chaotic culture around them, from a kind of blind obedience to the false promise that “you will be happy if …” And for us, at this time of the year, freedom means release from these myths that come clothed in the bright wrapping paper of the Christmas season and then disappoint and spoil the joy for us. Freedom means release from the pressures of the season that drive us, that whisper false promises to us, that hold us in unquestioned obedience.

Paul tells us how to escape. He says “stand fast.” Do not become entangled. Be aware. Stand fast. Resist. Paul calls us to stand fast, but this is not just by determination. Our resistance rests on the power of knowing that we are loved by God. This truth proves stronger than the false promises. The truth is that Christmas is about the love of God who stoops, and stays, and stands with us. Christmas is about God getting on His hands and knees with us, about sharing life with us, about being persistent in love and commitment to us. We stand fast in recognizing, remembering and relying on the Christmas promise that we are brought Good News of great joy that we are loved. Rooted in this love, we stand fast. And then we walk by the Spirit, doing what love tells us instead of what the pressures of the season demand of us. It is relying on the love of God to direct our planning for Christmas instead of the pressure of the times. Do you know what it is like to walk in the Spirit, to plan and prepare in the trust and confidence that you, and those you love, are loved by God?

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 13 Me First

Matthew 1:21 (NASB) She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:23 (KJV) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Luke 1:46-52 (NIV) ⁴⁶ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. ⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. ⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

Who would have dreamed that the child lying on coarse straw would cause such trouble for the luxury loving Herod? Who would have believed that One born in obscurity would confront Pontius Pilate with the most important decision of his career? Who would have guessed that a baby’s low cry was the trumpet sound of One who would confront and destroy the power of sin and death over our lives? Even the wildest dreams of Mary and Joseph for their son were not big enough or wild enough to comprehend what the birth of Jesus would mean to our world. All they knew is that they were to name Him Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins, and in Mary’s Great Magnificat we hear that one of those sins is pride … he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. Pride literally means high minded. Pride is putting our will above, before, and beyond the will of God. Pride is tricky and difficult to deal with.

Pride is what we see in Caesar Augustus. If the angelic host had appeared to him with the announcement, for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11), what would have been his response? Indeed, there were already people proclaiming him savior of the world for he had delivered the people from what they considered their two worst enemies: war and poverty. The pride of Caesar is still with us. Pride not only denies that we need saving, it also distorts its damaging effects by sometimes cloaking itself in humility. Christmas celebrates the coming of One who would defeat and deliver us from our pride. God delivers us by being Emmanuel, God with us, not a distant deity that stands in heaven and strikes down the proud with misfortune. God comes to be with us in the day to day activities of our life.

I do not think we are ever entirely free of pride, but neither are we entirely free of Christ, and that is our hope and confidence. This is part of the hope we celebrate at Christmas. God is with us.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 14 Christmas Connections

Matthew 2:1-2 (NRSV) In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’

John 1:1-2, 4-5 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

How many of us are in the mood for Christmas? Do we look forward to the season with excitement, or does it seem like Christmas has come as an uninvited guest? Are our spirits lifted by the joy of the season or are we weary with the responsibility? If we are not in the mood for Christmas, that may be a good place to be. For not being in the mood helps us to remember the difference between the Christmas of fact and the Christmas of fantasy.

The Christmas of fantasy sees the tiny village of Bethlehem as a beautiful moonlit town where all is calm and all is bright. The Bethlehem of fact was much different. It was a place where people went to be taxed and the burdens of life were felt and resented. It was a noisy and pushy place where people elbowed and jostled on another to secure a place for themselves. It was a place where the blind and lame and the poor were resigned to always having no place. And Bethlehem was a cold place, not because of the weather, but because of the people, because of their fears and their self-centeredness, callous spirit, and suspicious minds.

Matthew tells us in a matter of fact way that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. John tells us the meaning of that fact for us: In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. Jesus confronts our fantasy that life will be found in the futile prizes we chase. Jesus reveals the reality that life comes from God. As long as the connection between ourselves and God is kept sound we are kept fully alive, regardless of the chance and circumstances of life. Life is drained and drawn from us when we are disconnected from God by a hardened commitment to self-centeredness.  Real life is recovered for us when the connection to God is re-established. In Jesus was the life of God, re-establishing the lost connection. Christmas is God with us in Jesus. God confronts the resistance of our self-centeredness in the life of a baby. Babies confront our self-centeredness in the most beautiful and powerful way possible. We are reconnected to God in the vulnerability of a baby.

When we give up the fantasy of our self-seeking and discover the dream of God seeking us, we can see that God wants more than anything else to give us His plan and purpose in the day to day doings of our lives. Accepting God’s gift that challenges our self-centeredness is the hope this season brings. If we are not in the mood, these can be the words we most need to say and feel and believe. 

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles

Advent DAY 15 With Whom He Is Pleased

Luke 2:8-14 (NIV) ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Three times an angel appears before the birth of Jesus – to elderly Zechariah as he was burning incense in the Temple, to Mary in her home at Nazareth, and to Joseph, in a vision as he slept. Each time, the angel has brought good news. And then again, almost three months later, an angel appears proclaiming good news a fourth and final time. An almost blinding light enwraps the shepherds and the angel gives the message, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Thus far the good news has trickled out, but the next announcement is with a host of angels, as if someone pulls the cork and the world is flooded with the good news of Jesus.

During this Advent season God has some Good News to speak to each of us, and that Good News may be contained in the final message of the great company of angels,  “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Could it be that one of the deepest yearning of our life is the desire to know that our life is pleasing to God, that His favor rests on us?

In His earthly ministry Jesus encountered only one group of people who did not receive Him as “good news.” These were the people who already thought their lives were pleasing to God. Those who thought themselves “good enough already” saw no need of Jesus. To them He was a nuisance, a fake, an imposter. They insulted Him, plotted against Him, and finally put Him to death on a Cross. But to the sinners, those who sensed that their life was not “good enough,” the angels brought good news of great joy.

Because of Jesus, and only because of Him, God is pleased with us. That good news does not leave us as we are or where we are, but moves to pick up our life and move us on to becoming the kind of person we have dreamed we could be. That good news not only brings praise to our mouth, that good news also transforms our life. Being in the presence of someone who is pleased with us has a way of drawing the good out of us. This is the blessing I believe God wants to pronounce on your life and mine this Christmas season. It is a blessing made real through our simple act of faith of believing it is true and receiving the One who is that truth into our life.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope December 22, 1974

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles