December 24, 2010

12/24/2010

 
Children’s Story and Sermon                      The Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ December24, 2010                                                                         The Rev. R. Allan McCaslin
Readings:             Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20

For our Children gathered at the Chancel steps:

Guess what? It’s Christmas Eve! Are you excited? I know I am. Do you have Christmas Tree at your house? Does it have ornaments on it? How about lights? Are there any lights on it? And I’ll bet there’s some gifts under that Tree. And I’ll bet they all have MY name on them! Right? No? That’s okay.

Did you know that Christmas is about the greatest gift ever given to us – and not just you and me, but the whole world? Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, who came to us at Bethlehem. Jesus is the gift and he has wrapped your name, my name, everybody’s name all around him. That’s why we decorate our Christmas Trees with lights and bows, and ornaments because the Christmas Tree represents the gift of Jesus Christ to the world.

And tonight, we celebrate Jesus’ birth as a little baby. He was born in the strangest place we could imagine. He was born in a barn! And there was no crib for him, so his Mommy and Daddy wrapped him in a blanket and put him in a feeding trough full of hay. Can you imagine that? The King of Kings lying in a manger full of hay in the middle of a barn? Well, it’s true. Jesus came to us and asks us to come and meet him.

So, let’s look at the manger together. What do you see? I think we should sing a song together. (Away in Manger is sung).

Now, I want you to remember that Jesus is the best gift of all. And I have a little gift for you to hang on your Christmas Tree or even in your window. And whenever you look at it, remember that God loves you so much that he gave you his son, Jesus, who wants to live in your heart. Can you remember that? Good.

Now, I’d like you to go back to your seats and be very quiet while I talk to the adults for a moment? Okay? Merry Christmas!

For our adults:

I speak to you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     I have been amazed at how many television and radio shows, throughout this holiday season, ask the question, “Do you believe?” From movies like The Polar Express to films on the Hallmark Channel, the question keeps being asked, “Do you believe?” Now most of these shows are about belief in Santa Claus and yet, broadcasters like the History Channel and even PBS have aired programs asking if we believe that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah. They do not question the historical fact that Jesus did, indeed, live in 1st century Palestine.  But rather, they ask, “Do you believe Jesus really is the Christ?”

 

December 19, 2010

12/19/2010

 
Sermon Transcript: December 19, 2010                    The Fourth Sunday of Advent The Rev. R. Allan McCaslin Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25

     From this morning’s Gospel, “‘… and they shall name him Emmanuel’ which means ‘God is with us.’” I speak to you in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     God is with us!  A young man was hitchhiking and was delighted when a car stopped and the driver offered him a ride. But the young man became concerned when the driver squealed the tires as he pulled back onto the road and quickly sped up. He glanced at the speedometer. “Whoa. You’d better slow down. You’re driving 50 mph in a 35 zone. The driver turned and said, “Ah, don’t worry. God is with us” and he continued to accelerate.  The next thing he knew, the driver ran a stop sign as he continued to drive faster and faster. “Hey,” said the hitchhiker, “You could have killed someone. Please slow down.” The driver looked at him and said, “Don’t’ worry about it. Like I said, God is with us.” The speeding vehicle approached a sharp turn and, you guessed it, the driver sped up that much more. They took the turn on two wheels. The hitchhiker shouted, “Stop the car!” The driver said, “I told you, God is with us.” The hitchhiker replied, “I know but stop the car anyway… God and I want to get out!”

 

December 12, 2010

12/12/2010

 
Sermon Transcript: December 12, 2010                                The Third Sunday of Advent The Rev. R. Allan McCaslin Readings: Isaiah 35:1-11; Canticle 15: (Luke 1:46-55); James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

     From this morning’s Gospel reading, John’s disciples asked Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” I speak to you in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     Are we there yet? When I was a child, each summer our family would load up the Buick and head off to our lakeside home for our summer vacation. Within 15 to 20 minutes of pulling out of the driveway, my sisters and I would start our annual chant, “Are we there yet?”  Every few minutes, one of us would ask again, “Are we there yet?” This continued throughout what, for my parents, must have become a most tedious three-hour drive. Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

     Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. Again, we hear lessons from scripture and our prayers echo the faith of the Church that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will come again. The early Church believed Christ’s return was imminent. But two thousand years have passed and Christ still has not returned. Are we there yet? The answer is a resounding, “No!” Why has Christ not returned?  Like the early Christians and millions of others throughout the centuries, we continue to wait and some of us start to wonder, if Jesus really is the Messiah, why hasn’t he returned? Could we be wrong? Maybe Jesus isn’t the Christ after all. We call these kinds of questions “doubt.” And I have news for you this morning: it’s okay to have doubts.   
 

December 5, 2010

12/05/2010

 
Sermon Transcript: December 5, 2010               The Second Sunday of Advent The Rev. R. Allan McCaslin Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72;1-7, 18-19 Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

     From this morning’s Epistle reading, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” I speak to you in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

   I was struck this week by how often news reporters bandy about the word, “hope.” It seems that everywhere we look people make mention of hope in the face of overwhelming economic failure and record unemployment. Some said they hoped our elected officials would extend unemployment benefits, while others continue to hope for an extension of various tax cuts. Locally, there was mention of hope in the form of financial assistance for our farmers and those affected by this past year’s drought. Retailers say they hope for a hectic and, therefore, profitable holiday sales season. Some employ incentives to draw us into their stores even opening their doors on what should have been a national holiday of Thanksgiving. In the north, owners of winter and ski resorts say they hope for record snowfalls, while officials from their surrounding towns hope for the exact opposite because they do not have funds available for snow removal. And the list goes on.   
 

November 28, 2010

11/28/2010

 
Sermon Transcript: November 28, 2010             The First Sunday in Advent The Rev. R. Allan McCaslin Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44

     From this morning’s Epistle reading, “You know what time it is … now is the moment for you to wake from sleep.” I speak to you in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     Today is the First Sunday in Advent: The first day of the Christian New Year. So, let me be the first to say it, “Happy New Year!”

     When I was younger – a lot younger – I used to love to go out on New Year’s Eve and celebrate the coming of the new calendar year complete with its hopes for renewed prosperity, improved health, and, of course, peace and happiness in our lives. But these days, I find it more and more difficult to stay up on New Year’s Eve. The thrill of watching the ball drop in Times Square just doesn’t seem to capture my attention like it once did. Perhaps it’s because Dick Clark just doesn’t look as young as I once was. He is no longer the icon of youthful hope and energy by any stretch of the imagination. While many here may stay up late and party on December 31st – New Year’s Eve – I am willing to bet that none of us stayed up late last night to welcome the beginning of the Christian New Year at the stroke of midnight. For most of us, Advent arrived while we were fast asleep. In fact, we probably went to bed unaware that a whole new year in the life of the church and, in particular, this church is about to begin. Had our alarms not rung this morning, some of us might have missed this first day of our New Year altogether.