Jesus The Bright Star of Hope . . . .

. and Peace Isaiah 9: 6-7 December 8, 2013 (Second Advent and Cantata Sunday) Rev. Deborah Dail Denbigh Presbyterian Church Isaiah 9: 6-7 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Luke 1: 26-33 Good News Bible In the sixth month of Elizabeths pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary. The angel came near her and said: Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you! Mary was deeply troubled by the angels message and she wondered what the words meant. The angel said to her, Dont be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.

Meditation I read a quote which says: Hope is the wild ride between fear and peace. (Quote Shack, Elizabeth Able) When God calls people to do his will He often says fear not. Dont be afraid. When the angel Gabriel showed up in Nazareth to announce to Mary that she would miraculously conceive and give birth to the Messiah, the angel greets her

saying Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you. (Good News Bible) Its curious that Mary was troubled right off the bat. I guess anytime an angel shows up its a little scary and perplexing, but the message Gabriel delivered doesnt sound so scary: Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. Marys cousin Elizabeth reiterated to Mary that she was blessed after Gabriel departed. Commentator William Barclay wrote about the paradox of blessedness and pastor Adam Hamilton says of this paradox: Sometimes we think Gods blessing involves gaining money, power and prestige. Blessedness is often associated with a life of comfort and ease . . . . Marys blessedness came from being a part of Gods plan to be used by God for Gods kingdom. Her blessedness was in the fact that she was chosen by God to bear the Messiah. This blessedness was not to be confused with ease or comfort or well -being that came from possessions. Mary would face the whispers of those who would know she conceived out of wedlock. She still faced the task of telling Joseph she was with child. She would face the difficulties that come from being the mother of Jesus fleeing to Egypt when Herod sought to kill the child, watching as others sought to destroy him when he began his ministry, and finally standing by as he was crucified. This is what blessedness looked like for Mary. (Adam Hamilton, The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem, pp. 67-68) Barclay said: The piercing truth is that God does not choose a person for ease and comfort and selfish joy but for a task that will take all that head and heart and hand can bring to it. (Barclay quoted by Hamilton in The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem, p. 68) It was a wild ride for Mary the wild ride from fear to peace. This was a ride she was to take many times over in her lifetime. And it is a ride we take many times over in our lifetimes. We are also perplexed, troubled and fearful at times. Thats life as we know it. We daily take the wild ride of hope which carries us from fear to peace. Yet, beyond the fear that comes with simply living in the world as we know it, is the fear of answering Gods perplexing calls in our lives. If we really take Gods calls in our lives seriously we will certainly experience the paradox of blessedness and thats frightening. If we embrace a biblical view of blessedness . . . if we embrace what Barclay calls the piercing

truth we will hear and respond to Gods call not to ease and comfort and selfish joy but for a task that will take all that head and heart and hand can bring to it. If we answer Gods call to serve the poor, to be in relationship with the poor we will get our hands dirty and our hearts pierced. If we answer Gods call to live and give sacrificially we will not always have ease and comfort and selfish joy. If we answer Gods call to live peacefully with all so far as it depends on us, it will not be easy. If we answer Gods call to forgive those who have sinned against us, it will be a wild ride. If we answer Gods call to leave our comfort zones and move into unfamiliar areas of service and ministry, it will be a wild ride. But, the wild ride from fear to peace is hope. The writer of Hebrews says Faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. Thats a wild and crazy ride for sure. Hope moved Mary from fear to peace. Hope moves us from fear to peace. The source of our hope is Jesus. We place our hope in many things and many people, but when you get right down to it our ultimate hope is in Jesus. He is the one who does not disappoint. He is the ride that always shows up to move us from fear to peace. Is there something you sense God is calling you to do today . . . in the New Year? It may be a change of attitude. It may be a new commitment to service. It may be a journey you are being called to take for the good of Gods Kingdom. It may be a call to help someone youd rather not help. Are you fearful? If so, get ready for a wild ride the wild ride of hope, the wild ride that will take you from fear to peace. The wild ride is hope. The wild ride is Jesus the source of our hope. Enjoy the ride, which may be more like a roller coaster ride than a ride down a country road. Trust that hope trust that Jesus will carry you from fear to peace.