ARE YOU GEiTING FOR CHRISTWAS?" BETHANY PRESBYTERIAN ‘CHURCH
ISAIAH 42:1-4 Lafayette, Indiana
KE 1:76-79 | John M. Buchanan
DECEMBER 9, 1973 |

(“was are you getting for Christmas this year?" ) - A quegtion much on_the minds of
many people, particularly the young, as we move closer to ee 25.) It's part and
parcel of the season: \the waiting, the excitement, the counti Ig of days, the almost :s
unbearable anticipation.\ One writer commented recently that 'ichristmas is the time of year
lugh_ noise about anything
within reason you'd like to have, chances are good it will be|there on Christmas morning."

(The—Pretestant—Hottisacembers012—Janes=Wherten )

The b usiness community has known that all atong. | Long
Ser Sy

when parents are honor bound to _come through. \ iF you make en

ago they quit making suggestions

to parents and began making their Sales pitch to the kids at Christmas time, with spectacular

<a

: i i intity into
success \ in any case, a reasonably ingenious parent can insert enough uncertaintity in

the process to provide for a little doubt, which in turn translates into high level excite-

ment if you happen to be ten and want a bicycle.\ That, in turn, becomes the grist for lots

= or

of high level conferences in the neighborhood regarding the question I have chosen for my
title: “What are you getting for Christmas". )

That's very much the spirit of Advent, the season of expectancy, the time of year
that calls us to look forward to the celebration of a birth, but beyond that to the future -

our future, with hope and confidence, knowing that because of this birth the future, no

matter how threatening, ultimately will be good. \ Now, I'm not so naive as to believe that

everyone who experiences a little excitement at Christmas would put it in those words \\In

Fact, it may be that this other business has become so all consuming that apart from the
receiving of presents as a child, or the giving of presents to children - - Christmas has

very little meaning to us )\ Hn notncunentdonnetre- Ran DET—TeAettenetepent of
Whar nWe—dPe-Sty ING —hen—Wend- on —bhet=e—nedl dont colebnabenanymeresbecausethenchitdven

a aceassis ty \euq doy
-aregene. [Le

Christmas is for children..\ Christmas ~is- for -the-child in us \ but Christmas it also
: [os Sows

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a very adult matter: san idea that stretches our minds, \a concept that calls for our best

a a & ulsion that Can inspre us la ater Aa offs are Ford
intellectually. \ mn
aud Fie! ot awoy for austtir year.

a AL Prres=in—Light.0fthis-ouent .

‘WHAT ARE YUU GEITING FUR CHRISTMAS?" ~¢- ;
. 1

What are you getting for christmas?" |

A better approach in

DECEMBER 9, 1973

ight be to ask, ("What did

God intend to give the world in the gift of Jesus christ? ) What is God about in sending a

Messtah? What does God give us - the adult in us - at Christ as?
ad a ed .

at

The answer , I would Suggest will be found in the Old Testament - jn the prophets -

those men whose perception alfowed them to see deeply into thi

vision who sensed. that history was not an ever-repeating cycl

Fag, was approaching donee @ turning point.| These

remembering God" s mighty acts of deliverance in the > Exodus, Pt

to act again. \in the Fullness of time God would do something.
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God would come again as he had in the past and this time all i

en 5

heart of God:| those men of
ee

~ but a process that, dr

oclaimed that God was about

new in the arena of history:

hd aenidainteentemened

Hen would see j Sevveu

bn tbe ast aes

part at awe - God's Capning aot - 7 hes

fe of

@

Listen to the words of the prophet, speaking for God: —

uphold, my chosen in whom | my soul delights \t have put my spi
prophet talking about? | Who is the servant?| Some have felt tha
about the nation of Israel itself. “Israel was to be God's sev

. oe, a

that the prophet was predicting the rise of another great lead

likelMoses_ or vavial\

Whatever the prophet intended, one thing is lear \ sesus ie

hold my servant, whom I

rit upon him.."[Who is the

t the prophet was talking
vent | Others have felt

er from within the nation
—

Others have felt that the prophet wa was describing tne Messtah.

identified with his words.

Jesus saw nis task in fe, his calling, in terms of living out the the concept of servanthood

as it is set forth in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. \ That's
Te ad

up in the Old Testament lessons during Advent \ He may not have

the birth of Jesus Christ, but he was coming very close.
hE a A, eines

in mind for the world.

ere

In any case, the servant will be superbly equipped
al Certs

Dr anal

the authority of God himself to do his work , pleasing to God 4

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by God with his Spirit. \ And the assignment? | God's intent?
‘Netopeptaniaeriat ey

the servant wil] perforn?("h

e will bring forth justice to the

word, and what a word! | Justice - for all nations

jy Isaiah keeps turning
as

been consciously envisioning
Ci nil

He Was describing what God had

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ews by God for the task, given

his faithfulness \\ empowered
i

d's project on earth that
‘Kamen,

lations "| ThatGit is - in a
1 a

\i Furthermore, it is a project that will «
—_

—_— ek, ere “ee
not terminate until the task is complete "He will not rair*| wrote the prophet, tor be
—, of =e battens,

~ WWHAT ARE YOU GETTING FOR CHRISTMAS?! iat

discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and’

Taw.

What does God give the world in Jesus Christ?\ what is ¢

DECEMBER @, 1874

the c@gtlands wait for his

he adult in you receiving

er is Justice.

for Christmas? \ If the Old Testament is to be trusted the ans¥
Now, I'm very much aware that that is an unlikely Advent
| iieehmnme a i

Compassion, are far more compatible with our preferences duriy

itheme:\ that Joys Hope s
g this season \ I'm also

Pal

aware that justice is a concern that we have delegated to that

called the social activists - the ones who keep rocking the bo

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outbursts:

Dl ie el

Christmas tima! | And that if your average Presbyterian Church

mission priorities - the estab lishemtn of Justice would not
—

it it got on at all.

i

that we tolerate a little bit of it during the year,

vocal minority in the Church
q TEE

at with their inopportune

La

but for God's sake not at
emanate at

assembled a list of its

————S ot

e very high on that list,

cries,

But there it is, standing almost in bold faced type - right in the middie of the

=

=

Advent Old Testament Lessons = right in the Bible, that is to

concluded that Biblical Christianity and social concerns like

Se aia

is - right in the middie of Israel's prophetic literature, whi

for his ministry.\ Even if you wanted to ignore it - an honest

er

that it be celebrated too.

ba |

“de will bring forth justice to thi

say, for those who have

Uustice don't mix. \ There it

ee

ch Jesus used as the pattern

Advent obseryance demands

natons." |

Justice is an important word in the Bibie. | In the 01d Jestament it is almost synony-

mous with another important word - righteousness. \ It means ki

it happens when the basic rights of men are respected, \ The pry

pdness , compassion, fairness,

bphet ficah put it as simply

as possible

oe

—

“What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness

1

and to watk humbly with your God." |(Micah 6:8)

The practical resuits of dustice and Righteousness

\ Anot

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is aiven

Thus Isaiah

re

government and of peace there will be no end..
a

Christians owe the Jews a great debt here
ET, Scene

Justice - Peace ~ in Advent?

a (Is. 9:6- 7)* aia eA, apie ave
It souads a little like a lef

her important word -

"Peace,"
Dl snl

..of the increase of his

Bape ote Zecluarian - vy rohan d
‘ otce mien te wan,

aX peece ;
tewing plot.

lty of censoring the Bible:
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\ For we are guj

of picking and chosing what we want to hear, and simply elliminating those words and ideas

Wem ETE

that are not compatible with our particular political ideology, \ Ane the Jews keep

weer

ie Ti TLS RY “he mreaat 9; 1822

reminding us that you can't very well deal_with the God of the Bible - or his Messiah -
apart from Justice.

In 1933, in Stuttgart, Germany there was a debate between a noted New Testament scholar,

Karl Ludwig Schmidt, and the gveat Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber. \ at one point Schmidt

oe ,

said,\"Thevanly real difference between Christians and Jews_is whether Jesus was or was not
the promised Messiah" \ And .Buber said,|*vhen our Messiah comes the dessert will. blossom
like the rose, and people will live together in God's own peace and compassion, God's own

justice. and righteousness. | What kind of world do you live in, Préfessor Schmidt?"| The

Wee aT

poignancy of that question, of course,was the fact that the nation in which the debate

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took place - the nation that academically and artistically had. become the flower of. Christian
———— = SST

Civilization - was preparing at that moment to rid the world of 6,000,000 Jews.

Christians owe the Jews a great debt for their insistance on integrity. \ They remind
“ta lire of & Wasgiak - 1s ct see We weres ee ‘yuskre 4

us that the “only possible way of celebrating Justice as God's gift to the world in Christ
is by living it out, by working for it in all the affairs of our own lives.

— Christiane believe that God's Justice has happened in Jesus christ. | Among all the

ne

other things that the birth of Jesus Christ means is this: \in him God's own Justice has been

planted in the hearts of nen. \He Tiyed it: /he identified with poor people, outcast people,.
sick people. pte. \ He kept constant company with those kinds of people who ask for and demand

justice today. \ te showed that justice is simply his love at work.\He made it impossible
RESTA |

Caiman

for anyone who wishes to use his name to be comfortable with injustice.
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And to celebrate his birth is to acknowledge that <—_mimiomms. and that

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he has left to us the prosecution of that prophetic vision: \"He will bring forth justice

to the nations." | One writer puts it this way: "Though. Christ ha$,come.in ages past, ne

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continues ‘to come again-to offer _us salvation.\ Where justice and righteousness prevail,

there is Christ.redeeming us and our society.\\ Where persons liye in. harmony and peace, |

You don't have to be. terribly perceptive, it seems to.me,.to.understand that what. the

there is Christ saving life."

world needs today is God's own Justice. \ And you don't have to. be much of a Biblical Scholar

it seems to ‘oO me, to understand. that. to. celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ is.to do more than
_ cite mame ie
——_

pay lip service:to..God's agenda for his creation; namely Justice for all nations.

"WHAT ARE rUu weir diy FUR Grind iMAy ape . vecembper ¥, IW73

Christians have a vision of the Kingdom of g04:\God's kingdom right here on earth.
SS SSS | =

It is a vision that was born in human hearts when a baby was born in Bethlehem.\ That vision

has inspired men to do justice, to work for justice, to die gladly for_justice.\ The best

eee SE

of Western Civilization is a result of this vision begin long ago in the Bethlehem manger.

It is no naive fantasy, no weak hope.\ It acknowledges that the prophetswere stoned when
they talked about it:\that Jesus Christ was crucified, not for gentle words of love, but

for acts of honest Justice\ But the vision includes a resurrection and a promise that one
day that Kingdom will come \\one day justice and righteousness and peace will extend to the
four corners of the earth.

Let that penetrate deeply this Christmas. \ Let that magnificent, soaring vision of

God's Kingdom on earth lift up your hearts as you contemplate the Bethlehem birth.

It is what God has give for Christmas.\ The next time you hear the Hallelujah

Chorus, listen for fe. [it's there - in the middle, as the voices suddenly drop...

————

\ “the kingdom of this world has beeome the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ"
and then the soaring crescendo...

\rand he shall reign for ever and ever. "\ AMEN

Father, in the middle of preparing for our Christmas, we are inclined to forget yours.
Keep us honest. Make us uncomfortable wherever we see injustice. And give us that best
of all gifts - that confidence in your Kingdom which is breaking into our lives: through

Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN