9A Worship

Grace of Christ

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9A Worship

December 1, 2024 • Curt McFarland • Luke 10:25–37

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“The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.” In whom? When?

What do we hope for … not “wish for”, not “want”, not “it would be nice if …” but genuinely, deep in our soul, down to our toes, hope for? When we are alone, reflecting on our life, on those we love, and on the world we live in … what is our greatest hope … and our deepest fear? Our hopes are often connected to our fears.

The problem with hope is that we are continually enticed to place our hope in the wrong things and the wrong people. Promises are made, our hope rises. And then those promises are broken, and our hopes too.

Christian faith, and the Christmas miracle, offers a different kind of hope. Christian faith, and the Christmas miracle, claim that one night, 2000 years ago, our greatest fears ran into something, actually SOMEONE, who entered this world, and our lives, and brought not simply another vague and unreliable hope, but a certain and unshakable hope. The hope this One brought at His birth is way beyond wishful thinking … He has enabled generations to overcome their fears, to live differently, generously, confidently. Even the fear of death fades as the Hope He provides rises.

Our Advent preaching series begins this morning and reaches its crescendo on Christmas Eve. True Hope, Enduring Peace, Unrestrained Joy, and Overwhelming Love come from Jesus … nowhere else. These next four weeks we will look at the miracle of Christmas through some of the greatest parables Jesus told: this morning the Good Samaritan. We find courage to risk, courage to be compassionate, courage to love … because Jesus was born in the “Little Town of Bethlehem”.

11A Worship

December 15, 2024 • Curt McFarland • Matthew 20:1–16

How do you respond when you come across something that does not seem fair? You watch, or are the victim of, one person being treated one way, and others (maybe yourself) being treated another way. One person is given extra benefits, or their questionable behavior is tolerated, but others are not, and it’s not fair. Few things get us, me too, worked up faster than when it is clear that two different standards are being applied and the playing field is uneven. My first job after graduating from Whitworth was that way. There were certain favored employees. The manager turned a blind eye when certain co-workers crossed ethical lines. The owner himself regularly cheated his employees. It was unfair. I confronted the owner and he began treating me more fairly … but it was a reluctant fairness. In our Christmas parable this morning the issue appears to be one of fairness. Some workers are hired first thing in the morning and toil all day. Others are hired one hour before the workday is over. And yet they all get the same pay. When I first heard this parable, it didn’t seem fair. The first to be hired in the parable grumbled. I would have too. But there is something bigger going on. This is a kingdom of heaven parable, a Christmas parable. The message of this parable is Joy. His Joy is beautiful. His Joy is freedom. His Joy came to us that first Christmas … at the birth in Bethlehem. The Hopes and Fears of all the years are met in THEE tonight!

11A Worship

December 8, 2024 • Rick Murray • Luke 2:8–14, Matthew 13:44–46

How much would you be willing to pay for peace? Christians are commanded to live at peace with others, “if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18) We pray for peace in our world. We pray that age-old adversaries would no longer seek to kill each other but would live at peace. Bomb and bullet makers would go out of business. But world peace does not seem possible … until every human heart has been dramatically changed by the work of God. Setting aside global peace for a moment … how much would you be willing to pay for personal peace? If Christmas is what it claims to be … God breaking into this world to bring what we need most but cannot get anywhere else … then peace, personal peace, is a gift only He can give us. Peace grows as our understanding of who Jesus is grows. Peace grows as our love of Jesus grows. Peace grows as our trust in Jesus grows. The peace God gives a Christian takes root and begins, slowly at first, to gain ground. The peace God provides begins to clear out interior storerooms filled with bitterness, fear, resentment, pain, and our desire to “get even.” His peace brings a calm and confidence, and even compassion, for those we were silently, or not so silently, at war with. His peace is beautiful. He peace is freedom. His peace came that first Christmas … born in Bethlehem. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:13-14) The Hopes and Fears of all the years are met in THEE tonight! How much would you be willing to pay for peace? Real peace. It is a pearl of great price, a treasure buried in a field. Most of us would be willing to pay any price for such peace … and then we discover it is a free gift of God!