"Agape Love" Fourth Sunday Of Advent

This is the fourth Sunday of Advent the advent of love.  Agape is an ancient Greek word used to describe the purest form of love, God’s Love.  This Love was poured into the seed that would eventually produce you before your conception took place.  First we have to establish that this Love does not come to you because it already exists in you.  Jeremiah 1: 5, and nothing can separated you from it. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Roman 8:38-39. You nor your parents had anything to do with it, this precious gift is God given to all. And there is no other power on this earth or in the heavens that is greater than this LOVE.  So how does this Love work?  You just put it out there for others, no strings attached, and when you do, what goes around comes around.  When you hear the reading from Matthew this morning I want you to listen for love being poured out.

Dec 22 2013 Advent 4 readings:  Isaiah 35: 1-10,  Matt 1: 18-25

Would you agree that our consumer culture and advertisements present a Christmas with many false expectations about family harmony and Christmas joy?  These expectations allow stores, magazines, catalogues and greeting card companies to define for us what the “Perfect Christmas” should look like.  In the weeks leading up to Dec 25^th, many of us invest a great deal of time, money and energy trying to achieve what they have defined as the picture-perfect Christmas.  But as hard as we try, many of us have mixed emotions that include feelings of emptiness or sadness.   Often these sad or empty feelings arise because of the death of a close friend or family member at this time of year.   Or maybe our hidden conditions or our expectations are just too high.  Let us not forget the financial pressures placed upon us at Christmas, which often steals the joy of Christmas for many.  What’s wrong with this picture?    So then, let’s take a minute to review the actually biblical story.  For Mary and Joseph leading up to what we now call Christmas, there is no mention of a jolly old St. Nickolas, black Friday, nor is there any mention of a winter wonderland filled with stories and songs about silver bells, reindeer and candy canes.     Think about it?  Would you consider the angel Gabriel’s message to Mary a moment of celebration?   How did the Jewish folk of the day respond to her story of this holy pregnancy?  How could that be, a virgin child bearing a child through some unnatural means.  Many though, she must be lying!!! Including Joseph.   In Jesus’ time a pregnancy before marriage would not have been at time of celebration it could even bring about the girl’s death by stoning.   You mean to tell me that behind this pretty nativity scene that we are so familiar with, lies both wonder and scandal.  For Mary and Joseph this situation would bring both disgrace and shame to them and their families.  What Mary and Joseph did not know, was that regardless of this experience with its pain and suffering God would eventually develop within them, a love bond that would bless not only them, but the entire world.  The physical presence of Love itself was to appear in human form.  But we all know that agape love, the unconditional love of God, love that is poured out, no strings attached, comes at a cost even to us.  As believers we are compelled to trust in this love as did Mary and Joseph.  For them, it gave them the courage to put their trust in Gabriel’s message, for something marvelous was about to take place.   So I have a question for you to think about for the week coming:   How’s your love life going this year?   Do you have an expectation that something marvelous will take place in your life this year or in the coming year?

My personal prayer for each and every one is that the Advent experience this year has inspired you to seek a deeper, more personal relationship with the Jesus?  That you will have developed a thirst for study so as to improve your 20/20 vision, no pun intended!!!

 To Joseph the pregnancy was a violation of religious laws and social traditions.  Joseph’s reaction to the situation at first is one of disbelief and dismay.  How can this be?  Has she not violated their marriage commitments?  In the end being a man of charity and compassion, Joseph decides not to publically shame Mary but to quietly divorce her.  For him there seemed to be no other option.    Are you beginning to get the real picture?  How distorted this idea of a perfect Hallmark Christmas has become?   You know in light of their story it is helpful to remember that following your heart and being faithful to God’s love, sometimes is at odds with today’s social norms and seasonal traditions.    But just like Mary and Joseph, we must remain open, alert, looking and listening for God’s correction during Christmas no matter when or where it comes.   In fact not just at Christmas but throughout the year.  We must remain open, alert, looking and listing for God’s correction.   Did you notice that, I did not say direction, I said correction?  Spiritual growth happens and revelation comes most often during mistakes, uncertain times, while we are in troubled waters, but this lesson is a difficult truth for many of us to accept.  

With courage and God’s help Joseph’s love for Mary and God remained faithful and God, as God often does, intervenes in radical and unexpected ways.  That unexpected things outside the norm, the status quo, or tradition can often be where our wonderland and God’s handy work show up in our lives too.  Amidst our less than perfect Christmases are those whose lives are not so perfect, the lonely, the poor, the sick or the outcast within society.  It is there we are called to pour out God’s agape love.  God is at work doing something marvelous, something good, do you have the desire to be a part of this work.  Its Christmas folks, someone is hungry, someone is lonely, and someone needs your love and encouragement to carry on.   Somehow Mary and Joseph trusted, that in their strange and difficult circumstances, God would somehow make a way for them.  Folks we must learn to look listen and put our faith and words into actions.  God is still at work making wonder and miracles even today.  So let us begin to focus on this not so perfect Christmas story with new eyes and ears, so Jesus can show you and me a different way to “LOVE” this year.  Let us pray.