Rev. David Holwick ZQ First Baptist Church Ledgewood, New Jersey December 25, 2016 John 1:9-14 THE ACCOMMODATION I. A dispute over changing times to accommodate family traditions. A. We have had discussion over how many services, and what time. 1) Since this is Jesus's day, are we stiffing him by having a single service? a) Some churches cancel worship altogether today. b) The Willow Creek megachurch in Illinois started the infamous trend. A few years ago they announced they would not have church on Christmas. They said the reason was they relied on many volunteers to run the service and they didn't expect enough to come out on Christmas Day. They put a positive spin on it by saying that now those people could spend Christmas with their families. [1] 2) We thought we had to have worship, but we simplified it. B. There is no "best" time for Christmas worship. 1) If you do it early, you interfere with opening presents. 2) If you do it later, you interfere with Christmas dinner. a) It is only a problem for Protestants when Christmas falls on a Sunday. b) If you are Catholic, you go to church whatever day Christmas is on. 1> Christmas means "Christ's mass." A> It is worship devoted to him. 2> Presents and food are secondary. II. Should the church always bend? A. Marilyn Davis's comment to me: "Will we be Marys or Marthas?" 1) I am always impressed by how wise she is, because she hits it on the head. 2) Marilyn, of course, is referring to an episode where Jesus is visiting the house of Mary and Martha. Turn in your Bibles to Luke 10:38 and following... Jesus always brought a lot of guys with him so hosting him was a big undertaking. Martha buzzes around getting everything ready, while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus soaking up his wisdom. This is too much for Martha, who complains, "Do I have to do all the work by myself?" That sounds like a reasonable complaint to us. But Jesus defends Mary. He says, "Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." 3) Which will we make a priority - doing every detail for every holiday tradition, or quietly focusing on Jesus? B. Cultural realities. 1) Talking to my friend Glenn Gunderson about the challenges of growing a church. a) He said something we often hear out east - sports programs are killing their youth outreach. b) Everyone wants to take up Sunday. 1> There are too many things to do in life. 2> And lots of them are more thrilling than church. 2) Is there any way to put the focus back on Jesus? III. The American church has always been innovative. A. We are not static like state churches in Europe. 1) At least in the past, a portion of their taxes went to churches. 2) The government paid the pastors and sometimes even chose them. 3) Americans didn't want to go that route. 4) We let churches do their own thing, and over the centuries we have been pretty successful, relatively speaking. B. On the other hand, we seem to be consumer-oriented. 1) What people want, they get. 2) What does God get? a) In some popular churches, the gospel becomes unrecognizable. b) People get a feel-good philosophy but little meat. IV. What we owe God. A. Our faith. 1) God calls on us to believe in him. a) Not just acknowledge that he exists, but that he is the Lord of the universe -- and of us. b) We don't have to answer every doubt or question, but we have to bet our destiny on his truth. 2) God calls on us to obey him. a) You can get away with a lot in today's culture. b) Few people will condemn the choices you make, but the consequences will still be there. c) Christians should live lives that are disciplined, honest and loving. 1> How are you doing? B. Our service and dedication. 1) What are you doing for the Lord? 2) No matter how busy you are, God deserves some of your time. a) Faith is more than just warming a pew a few times a month. b) Young people need to be taught, committees need to function, programs need to be run. c) Are you doing your part for the Kingdom of God? 1> What have you done for him lately? C. Our time. 1) Believers have always spent time in devotion to God. 2) Often it is in worship services, or prayer meetings, or presenting sacrifices, or a time of quiet personal devotion. a) Do you go through the motions, or is it really meaningful for you? b) When was the last time you had a serious prayer that went beyond the normal "Good night, God" prayer? 3) You will be spending eternity with God, so he deserves a few hours now. D. Our treasure. 1) Followers of God have always supported him with offerings. 2) Jews had various kinds of expensive sacrifices, and also the principle of tithing - a tenth of all your income. 3) Jesus didn't stress tithing, but seemed to consider it to be the bottom line. a) To Jesus, true generosity gives everything. b) We can freely give because he has given us so much. 4) What you do with your treasure shows where your heart is. a) If God is a hobby to you, throw a $20 bill in the plate. b) If your relationship to God defines who you are, you will have a much more committed approach. V. God himself is accommodating. A. He became one of us. 1) The greatest thing about Christmas is not the food, the gifts, or even a little cuddly baby. 2) It is that that baby represents an invasion of earth. a) God became vulnerable so we could become immortal. b) He became a human and let himself be subjected to the worst we could throw at him -- because he loves us. B. He understands us. 1) He knows that our minds have a hard time wrapping themselves around the idea of a loving, Almighty God. 2) He can reveal himself to us in ways we can comprehend. In 1974, 14-year-old Rod Bennett was sitting before a television set, mesmerized by an old black-and-white film called IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. The film is a Christmas classic and played last night at 8:00. Most of you probably know the plot about George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart), who dreams of leaving the small town of Bedford Falls and doing great things in the world. But he is trapped by a sense of obligation to his family and to the town. After enduring a long series of setbacks and disappointments, on Christmas Eve, George is standing on a bridge, contemplating suicide. But then an angel appears and reveals to George that, instead of enduring what he had considered a failed, hum-drum existence, he really lived a wonderful life. Watching this film for the first time, 14-year-old Rod Bennett was stunned by the rush of conflicting emotions. As an adult, Bennett began researching Frank Capra's life. He discovered that Capra was raised a Catholic in a family of Sicilians who, despite grinding poverty, enjoyed great happiness. Bennett says Capra "was raised to believe in the Christian faith as the way to understand man and his destiny." But Bennett found another side to Capra: the Capra who studied chemistry at Cal Tech. He was educated in an atmosphere of skepticism and insistence on hard proof. This ensured that the movies of Frank Capra would not be movies of blind faith, but of doubt - doubts that become resolved, just like science experiments. Many today look down on Frank Capra for being too sentimental and simplistic. They call it "Capra-corn" because it is corny. And Capra's answer? George Bailey, like all of Capra's heroes, "bet his life on what he believed ... and what [he] believed was true." The testimony of Capra, the chemist, is that his faith was not in vain. Do you have this faith? #34898 ========================================================================= SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON: 1. “When Christmas Falls on Sunday, Megachurches Take the Day Off, by Laurie Goodsteindec, December 9, 2005; <link> #34898 “The Greatest Gift: Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life,” by Charles Colson, BreakPoint Commentary, December 18, 2007. These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html ========================================================================= |
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