Give Yourself 120609 2nd Sunday of Advent

H2o sj 120609 GIVE YOURSELF
2nd Sunday of Advent
+Nicholas+ Bishop of Myra, c 342


“It’s Christmas time again New Year’s ‘round the bend
There must be something more than give and take
What it’s all about turns you inside out
‘till you finally see the difference you make

This Christmas this Christmas
There’s a gift that only you can give
This Christmas this Christmas
Give yourself to …”
This Christmas by Peter Mayer, Jim Mayer and Mac McAnally

http://www.petermayer.com/AUDIO/SPA/ThisChristmas.mp3

Several years ago Peter asked me if pastors ever “collaborate” on writing sermons together. I indicated that many pastors attend weekly studies on the Biblical texts for each week. But, I doubted whether too many pastors actually sat down and wrote their sermons with one another. Peter shared that often songwriters ask another song writer to give them input or collaborate on a project they are working on which seems to be stuck or not quite where they want it to be.

Today, the 2nd Sunday of Advent at our congregation, Pastor Ruth Ann will present a sermon that she and I collaborated on. She is going to be narrating what we call an “Advent Dream.” And in the middle of the dream there are two visitors, John the Baptist and St. Nicholas. Two people from two different times in the history of the church. It’s been a blessing to work with Pastor Ruth Ann on this sermon and I pray that it is a blessing to the congregation.

As Peter sings,
This Christmas this Christmas
There’s a gift that only you can give
This Christmas this Christmas
Give yourself to …”

Peter is echoing the life, ministry and words of St. Nicholas. For here was a saint who gave and gave of himself, (much of it anonymously). We are called to simply give the gift of self. It’s precious, sacred and wonderful.

At the end of the sermon with John the Baptist and St. Nicholas verbally wrestling with each other and the congregation, Pastor Ruth Ann will declare:
Two men, living several hundred years apart, both had a message to share with the world about Jesus Christ. My Advent dream helped me see what these two men had in common.

• Both, prepared ways for God to enter into the lives of people.
• Both, paid the price for being faithful to their vision and understanding of Jesus.
• Both spent time in jail for following Jesus.
• John the Baptism ultimately lost his head because he was relentless in calling Herod into accountability. And St. Nick was relentless in showing mercy and being responsible to those who were in dire straights.

The bottom line of this Advent Dream is to embrace God’s dream and vision of a time when
"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Sing Joy,
Rtg