What a season of party after party we just finished. This is a season in my family that we actually go from party to party because in one week we have Elizabeth’s birthday, our anniversary, my birthday and then Christmas. Because we are a bi-cultural family, we celebrate on Christmas Eve as Mexicans and on Christmas day as Americans. With all this party happening, I have learned that there are 3 seasons in a party. (For people like me that have this structure mentality it help us to maintain our sanity)
A season of preparation and getting ready. When you call your friends, prepare the menu, plan how the party is going to be, where, Americans will plan the beginning and the end time, Mexican we will plan sort of a beginning time, with no end time.
A season of celebration. That is the event itself. When you are running all over with a present in your right hand, a plate with mash potatoes for your guests in the left hand and you are pulling the chair with your left foot, to sit the great-grand father and walking like if you were in a war zone to avoid stepping on the children who are running faster and they are hyper for the amount of extra sugar that they get.
A season of re-integration. It is when you already clean all of the left-over, people are gone, presents are open and you are sitting in the floor of the living room with the “Happy New year cards” . Many of these cards say beautiful things like “ I wish you a happy new year and May God be with you in this new year of your life” or “Blessings in this new year of your life” I love that…. I love to see those happy wishes and blessings for you or your relative for each of the days of that new year of life.
We are in that precise moment of re-integration today in relationship of celebrating Jesus’ birthday. We had Christmas, we had the Christmas Eve worship, the Christmas day gathering, dinner, presents. We celebrate New Year and now we are in Epiphany… the moment of re-integration. It is like today we are opening the Card from God for us that wishes us a good year…. The one that we celebrate the Birthday for is giving us a good wish card.
What is God promising to you and me in this year, in this time when we are “back to normal”? Are we going to make it? Is it going to be a good year?
What does the card says for us?
1. There is a promise. Isaiah is a prophet, these are the guys who are like God’s blackberry for people--- Look at this example. Here is Isaiah talking to the people of Israel. This nation has been in pain, in confusion. They were taken as slaves to a different country. This is called Exile. Why? Israel was behaving like when all of us get to a time in life when we do things that we know in our gut feeling that we should not be doing. It is harmful. (Methodist we call that previenient grace, wives call it the look. You know that look the one that you give your spouse to say are you kidding, you can’t be serious) For that reason, their city was destroyed. Think about what it could mean to be out of your city for 39 years, and you hear that your city is just a bunch of broken walls and rocks… Now, think about the identity of those in the Exile… the only behavior and identity that they knew was as a slave.
In this environment of confusion and struggle there is a promise: A promise of Hope. God’s blackberry called Isaiah says “Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you”
Now, I am not sure what do you understand by that phrase “The Glory of GOD” Usually I have seen definitions almost as a passive action, like if God is just there. I see the Glory of God very different.
There were some movies called “The Lord of the Rings” Do you know what I am talking about?”
IT is about a guy who needs to take a ring to a specific place because the ring was a bad influence in people. But to do that, many battles needed to happen.
One of the battles impresses me: There is this army of semi-human, semi animal looking creatures (needed dental work) attacking people
It is almost overwhelming to see the amount they are. You can not see the floor of this, actually darkness covering the area. The people, good people, are fighting with all of what they can, but they are not winning, until in the distance, there is this man surrounded with a light who is coming to help with a huge army behind him. When they approached the enemy, a strong light came upon the place, to the point that the enemy could not see and gave the advantage to this man and his army to win the battle. That is how I see God’s glory working for the people of Israel for you and for me. Glory of God means: – the active presence of God among His people.
Our God is not just sitting passively looking to you and to me in our difficulties, problems and concerns, but He is coming with His Strength, love and power to show you, I am with you, You are not alone and I have power.
How is our environment today? Can we say that we are not in darkness in 2009. What is the message that we have today through our society? If we watch T.V. for 5 minutes. It does not matter if is a commercial, a program or the news, it is evident that people are searching for meaning. We are trying to make sense of our lives here. The problem is when we have tried to fulfill that meaning through resources that are limited.
Work hard so you feel fulfill – what if you get sick
Buy stuff – and when the bill comes
We can not deny the reality of living in a world that is difficult and oppress.
Even closer, how many of us stands up in front of the mirror and if we were able to see inside, we can see like a wall in our heart where we have received many negative messages that have shaped who we are now: Through people around you “Why you are not like your brother?” “ I am ashamed of you” Through your self “ I am ashamed of my self” “ If I was different, that will be better” and we walk in this world believing it and accepting it.
The people of Israel stop believing that they were the people of God and instead of relying in their God, they relied in their own decisions and desires that brought them to the pain of disconnect their lives to the real powerful and strong people of God that the Lord created them to be. In our case, we believe the lies and sins that this world tell us as well as the sins and lies where we get involved in our own lives and we feel… hopeless and confused.
Here is when we can hear: The GLORY OF THE LORD is here.
How can we be sure about it? What is our warranty, sign to believe that God’s presence is here. Through the Light…
2. There is a Sign: “For your light has come” says Isaiah. And God fulfill his plan at that time delivering the people of Israel, but it did not stop there. This is the Highest manifestation of God’s glory: Jesus Christ. It is Himself becoming flesh. Let’s walk together in time. From that baby Jesus that we just celebrate, he becomes this man who is also God and says: I am the Light of the World. This is the way where you and I can see clearly the Glory of the Lord among us. Our hope relies in a strong God who is clear and very direct in showing us His love. There is a unique characteristic for the Christians about our God compared to any other being who calls himself or herself a God: Our God is the only one who offers His life for us. He is the only God who is approachable and understands us. That is why I became a Christian. God was close to me and not ready to show my mistakes but to tell me that he understand and the evidence of that is the Cross…… The Cross brings us the opportunity to remember that our God, Jesus Christ, is a God who understands our moments of feeling with physical pain, rejected, lonely, etc because he experienced in the cross. Therefore, he can walk that with us.
The World does not promise an easy life, but Jesus promised “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
As a parent guiding a child in love, we have God guiding us, protecting us and confronting us in love to one place: where our lives are fulfilled. Our light is a light who guide us to the fulfillment of our lives. What do we do with it? Receive it!!!!
Even before you are aware, you will be living the statement of the Village, “Change the World” It will be a consequence that even before you know it, you will be doing it without noticing.
Today you receive a card from God… He is telling you that there is hope in this world. There is hope in your life through a very concrete and real testimony: Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. Receive it and Arise!!!
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