At Costco. Exactly right.

Transcription

1 Calvary United Methodist Church December 17, 2017 CHRISTMAS CANTATA NIGHT OF THE FATHER S LOVE Rev. Dr. S. Pastor Ronald Parks Children s Sermon: 1 John 4:7-12 The people of God have come together to celebrate a child. The children are welcome to the fpastor Ront of the sanctuary at this time to celebrate their brother, Jesus. Good morning! Morning, gang. How are we doing? How many more days before Christmas? (Eight.) Eight? Exactly right. Perfect. And you know what that few number of days to Christmas you might, well, you probably will find me at my favorite shopping place: Costco. Went there the other day, however, with Mrs. Parks. She had to pick up something in the optical department which is right next to where the TVs are. Now, I haven t bought a TV in some time, so I walked over and I was kind of looking around at them, but it wasn t the TV that caught my eye. It was this video. Check it out. (VIDEO) Ever seen a teddy bear that big? I have. At Costco. Exactly right.

2 In fact, this video was actually produced by Costco. If you go to the internet and go to U-tube and look up the 93 inch bear and me, you won t find that exact video. You ll find something with a little bit of a different ending. The ending that I wanted you to see, however, begins with this image. This is a children s hospital in Seattle, Washington. And the little girl takes her bear, something that she loves. And takes it and gives it to one of the patients there. Now, you probably noticed this guy making an appearance in the video.

3 Do you know who this guy is? Do you know? Probably not. I didn t. I had to do a little research. His name is Russell Wilson and he is the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson and his wife, of course, live in Seattle. His wife works at the Seattle Children s Hospital. And so shortly after he was drafted and moved to Seattle he started going to the hospital every single Tuesday. In fact they, at the hospital, call Tuesday Blue Tuesday because Russell Wilson doesn t only go himself. He takes his team members with him. And they often take all kinds of paraphernalia from the Seahawks whose colors are blue and that really awful lime green color. He takes this stuff to the kids and he hands them out. Now, why does he do that you might ask? Well, he s very clear. This is what he has to say:

4 I think God s given me a great opportunity to give back, to share moments with people. No one s life is perfect, but these kids face enormous challenges. If I can find a way, if we can find a way, to share love and to give it back to God, to hopefully bring a smile to somebody, then there s hope. Every time I walk into a room, I m praying for a miracle. You see, Russell Wilson gets it. He s a Christian and he understands that the whole point of our lives is to share the love that God has given to us and to give it back to God by sharing with others. And that s why God sent his Son into the world. Christmas is exclusively about two things: God so loved the world that he gave us loving and giving, that he gave us his Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have life everlasting. John puts it this way in his first letter: Love is a gift from God. When

5 we love others, We give the gift that God gave us. When we love, we connect people to God. When they see how much they re loved, They re re-born. Their lives begin again. You know God? Do you know love? The two things are the same. No love in your heart? No God in your heart. Why? God is love. That s why God sent His Son into the world To bring new life in a relationship of love. We don t deserve it. We can t earn it. And we won t keep it for ourselves. No one has ever seen God. But if we love God, If we love, God lives in us. His love can t be seen by everyone. You see, that s the perfect gift. Loving and giving is Christmas. Now, I m standing there And I watched this video about five times, and then I remembered I know exactly who sells these things. Back in 2014 I happened to be there on the day when they opened up the 8 foot bear box and so I got my picture taken with one of them. So I knew where the toy aisle is in Costco so I headed on over.

6 I looked at the 26 inch bear. Then I looked at the 53 inch bear. Nah, not really. There was no 93 inch bear to be had at Costco. Amazon however was another story! So, I called my brother up, who I know loves to do stuff like this and we had a conversation. And between the two if us we bought some things. They came this week.

7 In a box that size right there. And the really cool thing about it is, there is a bear in each box and I m giving them to you. I don t have one for everybody and if you really wanted to, I could think of somebody else who might use it, just like Russell Wilson did. You see, we have two bears and we can give them with love. Now, here s the only question: who is going to get them? Who should we give them to? Go ahead. You are going to jump up to take one? Ah! You see, I was afraid of that, but it wouldn t be right for me to give one of you a huge bear, not to mention the abuse I would take from your family. I thought it might be cool to suggest, perhaps, two other people. One of them is in Baltimore, Maryland right now at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Children s Cancer Hospital. Her name is Jillian Procope. That s a picture of Jillian and her mom. Jillian had stem cell transplant on Thursday and she got the stem cells from her mom. So, I called Mom and said, Hey, do you think Jillian would want an 8 foot bear? Mom didn t even ask Jillian. Mom said, Mmmm. No, no. However, Mom called me back later that day and said, J ust down the hall is one of Jillian s friends who had a bone marrow transplant on Thursday also and who happens to have the exact same form of leukemia that Jillian has. And Susan said, If you bring the bear down we ll go over with you, introduce you to Maeve and you can give her the bear. Does that sound like a plan? Yeah! Would you like to go with me? (Laughter.) I m not so sure, right? So, I m going to do that immediately after church today. I am going to load one of those huge boxes in the back of the car and I m going to drive to Baltimore.

8 Now, out on the tables, as you come into the sanctuary, there are two cards that you are welcome to sign. They are cards that we are going to give to Maeve and even though she doesn t know any of us and we really don t know her, it doesn t matter because Christmas is about two things: it s about loving and it s about giving. So, here s what I thought of in terms of the other bear, which is a little bit more local. Over at Hershey, in the Children s Cancer Hospital, I talked to one of the people who are sort of in charge of patient life. And they did not think it would be appropriate for me to bring a bear and give it to one patient out of all the kids there. And they have no way to display something that big in a public place because it can t be sanitized. But just down the street from Hershey Med is the Pastor Ronald McDonald House, where all the families of all the kids who are in Hershey Med go to stay. And I went over there a talked to a Mr. Laser and he said, Yes! We ll take the bear! Does that sound like a plan? So, one of them goes to Baltimore and one of them goes to Hershey, right? Now, you are probably asking, How do you jam an 8 foot teddy bear into that box right over there? I don t know. But later today I m going to find out. To share love and to give it back Is why God sent his Son into the world.

9 Because Christmas, it s all about love and it s all about giving. Thanks for sharing in our time this morning. Christmas Cantata Night of the Father s Love Before The Coming of the Lord PASTOR RON: A voice cries in the wilderness. PASTOR JEFF: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. PASTOR RON: Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, PASTOR JEFF: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed! Before Waiting PASTOR JEFF: We gather here to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. MRS. PARKS: We come to remember when God visited the earth in the form of a child. PASTOR RON: And we meet to worship the Lord and to celebrate the new life he offers us. PASTOR JEFF: We pray that we will experience God s presence in a fresh way. This is the true meaning of Christ s birth. The angel said He would be called Emmanuel, which means, God with us. MRS. PARKS: God is always with us. But when we welcome His Spirit into our hearts and minds, we experience the comfort and the power of God s presence. PASTOR RON: As God s people awaited his arrival for centuries, so now, we wait as we listen to the story of the Christmas

10 miracle. PASTOR JEFF: The psalmist said,... it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. MRS. PARKS: Come... let us be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Before Angels Are Making Their Rounds PASTOR RON: While the world waited, the Spirit of God was stirring. Angels began to appear and brought messages to God s servants on earth. PASTOR JEFF: And the angel said to Mary, MRS. PARKS: Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, PASTOR RON: Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Fear not... MRS. PARKS: Fear not, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard. PASTOR RON:... fear not, Joseph, to take Mary as your wife.. PASTOR JEFF: : Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God. MRS. PARKS: Zechariah, your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name, John. PASTOR JEFF: : And behold, Mary, you will conceive in your womb, and you shall bring forth a son... PASTOR RON:... and she shall bring forth a son... PASTOR JEFF: (begin music)... and you shall bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. PASTOR RON:... and you shall call his name Jesus. Before Night of the Father s Love PASTOR RON: The angels said, Fear not, the Lord is with you. This is the essence of the Christmas story: that God became flesh and lived among us.

11 MRS. PARKS: It is a great story of love. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish... PASTOR JEFF:... should not perish, but have everlasting life. PASTOR RON: (begin music) Fear not, for the Lord is with you. Luke records God s act of love as the Lord of heaven and earth became flesh and lived among us. PASTOR JEFF: And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Before The Shepherd s Song MRS. PARKS: Fear not, for the Lord is with you. PASTOR RON: (slight pause) As the child was born, the angels continued to bring their message of comfort to the earth. PASTOR JEFF: And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. MRS. PARKS: (begin music) And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. PASTOR JEFF: And the angels said unto them, Fear not... PASTOR RON:... fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. Before Seeking the King PASTOR JEFF: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem. They had seen a star in the east and had come to worship Him. MRS. PARKS: Like the Wise Men, we seek the Lord and remember the words of the psalmist: PASTOR RON: (begin music) O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You in a dry and weary land.

12 Before Fall on Your Knees PASTOR JEFF: When the magi saw the Child, they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they presented Him with gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh. MRS. PARKS: We can join the magi in their giving as we draw near to the Lord and open the treasures of our hearts. PASTOR RON: Instead of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we bring our tithes and offerings in response to the priceless gift of the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Love.. Before Christ Is Born, Nowell! MRS. PARKS: When we are in the presence of the Lord, we feel His holy peace; and all is well. PASTOR JEFF: Because of Christ s birth, all is well between God and us. For through this great gift from heaven, we are reconciled with God and can experience holy peace in our souls and new life in Christ. MRS. PARKS: To celebrate this new life, we come to sing, Nowell. Some scholars believe that the word, Nowell, began as a shortened form of the phrase, Now all is well. PASTOR RON: In old England, perhaps people used this as the Christmas greeting. Christ is born, to which would come the response, Nowell Let s do this together. Christ is born! ALL: Nowell! MRS. PARKS: Christ is born! ALL: Nowell! PASTOR JEFF: Christ is born! ALL: Nowell!

13 Benediction: Our thanks to everyone who has been a part of this presentation. The choir has been working on this since I think the end of October, way back when the leaves were still on the trees. It is a glorious thing to share with you. It is a gift to you, the gift of song. And we remember that sharing love and giving gifts to one another, giving them back to God, That s why God sent his Son into the world. Loving and giving is Christmas. Thanks be to God. And Merry Christmas (Merry Christmas.)