The Divine Crash

This week my church hosted a community-wide service as a kick-off to the Christmas in the Village that takes place every year in our little town.  As a result I had an extra opportunity to share Jesus was 135 people who would not normally have set foot in the church.  As a second result you get an extra podcast this week and more sermon notes.  You can read the notes below and hear the sermon as well as hear my sermon on iTunes. Enjoy!

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Prayer: In the midst of hurt let there be hope.

Raise your hand if you have ever had….

- forgot to change clocks and shown up an hour early or an hour late somewhere?

- A time where your dinner was burned?

- If you had your heart broken in 7th grade by someone you knew was the one you would spend eternity with.

- If you ever had to fire someone?

- If your interior decorator made your house look worse than before?

- If you have ever had or known someone who has had cancer.

- Look around at all the me too’s….

For some reason when we talk about cancer everyone’s hand goes and we can look around and for some reason we can relate exactly to what the other person is feeling.

The most unifying feeling in the world is not when one person can help, serve, or do something for another but when we can simply look at the other person and say me too, I know exactly how you are feeling right now.

God recognizes this and knows that there is nothing more powerful in the midst of despair than the words “me too.”

In Exodus chapter 3:7 is when God is talking to Moses at the burning bush.  It says “I have seen my people’s pain.”

- In Hebrew the word we translate as seen, or observed, or known has a closer meaning to this idea that when we hurt God hurts too and it bothers God to the core that we hurt.

God knows that we hurt all the time and in Exodus God says I hurt too.

In Matthew God becomes flesh and no longer knows our hurt, now God experiences the hurt.

God became flesh and went through all the pain and agony of childbirth so that when we say “You have no idea how much my kids hurt me.” Jesus can say “I do”

God became flesh and was born into a family and never got to see his father face to face until his baptism 30 years later so that when we say “My family is broken and I didn’t think it would hurt this much”  Jesus can say “me too.”

God became flesh and was raised as a carpenter so that when we say “My job is too much for me.”  Jesus can say “me too.”

God became flesh and lived without ever breaking a rule, law, or even telling those little white lies so that when we say “It is so much work to do the right thing.”  Jesus can say “I know, me too.”

Fast forward 30ish years from the time of Jesus’ birth.  We find that in the last week of Jesus’ life he is:

• Questioned
• Betrayed
• Deserted
• Denied
• Spit On
• Struck
• Slapped
• Mocked
• Stripped Naked
• Beaten
• Insulted
• Lied about
• Falsely accused
• Condemned
• Crucified
• Bruised
• Rejected
• hated
• Pierced
• Stared at
• left naked in public to die
• Killed

Jesus did all of that so that when we say “I can’t believe the people I cared about so much would do this to me.”  Jesus can say “me too.”

On Easter morning Jesus rose from the dead and met back up with his disciples and left that tomb empty so that when we say “I want this place to be better.”  Jesus can say “me too.”

If you attempt to read the Bible and find out why all the bad things happen to good people the closest answer is in Job where God says “you aren’t God so it is none of your business.”

The Bible is not a book of why or even how.  The Bible is God’s giant book of “me too.”

So then, when things have gotten so out of control, or we come to the point where we realize we can’t pay bills AND buy food, or when our kids have hurt us one more time, or we get that parking ticket while we were trying to help that lady cross the street, or anytime when we come to our lowest point where we can’t go on anymore, we can go to Jesus and say “it hurts” and Jesus will run to us, wrap his arms around us and simply say “me too”

we are going to close in prayer, but running to Jesus isn’t about prayer, it is about honestly looking to God and saying “I hurt” and letting Jesus comfort you.  While we pray, if you need to be comforted by Jesus right now then ask Jesus to come to you and comfort you.  You’re life won’t be easier and you won’t get lots of money to pay off all your troubles but you will find a savior that will say “me too, I am with you.”

Sermon Audio

 

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