Good day dear friends. We had a wonderful Lord's Day yesterday. At 11 we welcomed The Jim Cullum Band and they treated us to some wonderful Christmas music done jazz style and we were blessed. Jim is a very gracious guy who donated half of the proceeds from the sale of his CDs (actually he only recovers his cost) to the church. His presence brought back many memories of Christmases past.
At 8:30 we had our traditional service and yours truly shared an Advent message with the above title. Using the passage from Isaiah 61:1-11, we made the case for the world still having the same needs for Jesus. We also talked about God's neverending desire to be in relationship with us, desiring children, not grandchildren. I stressed how important Advent is as a time to receive Jesus as being real and our personal Lord and Savior and to stop keeping Him at arm's length as a good idea or concept. We need to keep Christ in Christmas in our hearts and homes and not be worried about retailers who have chosen not to use the word "Christmas" in their stores or ads. The real danger comes when we remove Christ from our hearts and homes. The same is true about prayer. We can still complain that we cannot pray in schools, but sadly, some kids don't pray at home.
Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: For today let’s go to the Psalms. In Psalm 34:18 what do we find there? Is there a connection between what God said in yesterday’s Isaiah passage and this one? Do you think God really cares about the brokenhearted? Now let’s go to Psalm 147:3. What does it say there? I ask again, do you believe God really cares for the brokenhearted? Why do you suppose this is?
Isaiah stresses God's promise to care for all who are hurting. The first verses of chapter 61 read, "61:1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn." We hear God's concern for the brokenhearted. I asked if in 2,000 we had finally overcome heart break. The answer is no. For differing reasons we know brokenhearted people and every day brings a new crop of brokenhearted folk. Their plight is the Lord's delight. That's precisely what the Psalmist says in Psalm 34:18:
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit."
Is there a connection between Isaiah and the Psalms? Yeah. It's the same God sharing His concern. It's the God of hope and life calling for those who find themselves far from hope and living in despair to come out of that situation and back into the fullness of life. Does God really care about the brokenhearted? Yes! God knows what thoughts go through the minds of those brokenhearted. Last Wednesday morning, Rev. Del Brown shared with the United Methodist Men at our monthly breakfast about the 22 year-old grandson of one of our retired UM pastors, who because of the breakup with a girl, committed suicide. The heart break of this young man led him to do something terrible. And his actions led to the heartbreak of his parents and grandparents and all of his family. "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted." The key is knowing and claiming that. When we're at our lowest, God is at His highest, and if we take hold of Him, He will lift us up.
The second Psalm for this morning says, "He (GOD) heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds."(147:3)
Again, God cares and heals the brokenhearted. God cared so much He sent Jesus, who identified with our hurts and pains. The One who cried at graveside for His friend, is the One who comforts us when we cry for our loved ones. The One who carried our hurts and shames, is the One who can lift us up.
Let the message of Advent be your personal message from God. God is with you and will lift you up. Receive that today!
PRAYER: Loving God, bring comfort and hope to the brokenhearted. comfort those who mourn. Bring the promise of a new, better day to those who think their world has ended today. Use me to share that message. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
