The Divine Crash

Merry Christmas, this sermon is from our 11pm Christmas service.  Please enjoy! You can listen to it on iTunes or at the bottom of the post.

I do want to give some props to John Acuff at Stuff Christians Like his blog was my first introduction to this idea of God’s relationship to Code Adam.

 

Scripture: Philippians 2:6-11

Prayer:

Have you ever seen these little blue squares on the doors to a store? The ones that say Code Adam?

These were started by Wal-mart and are now used in almost every store and recently the government required them on all federal buildings.

A Code Adam is what happens when a child goes missing in a store.

If a store has a Code Adam sticker and a child goes missing here is what is supposed to happen.

1. All doors are immediately locked.

2. Some employees go to the parking lot and some watch all doors, no one is leaving.

3. All other employees line up at the front of the store and form a human barrier and walk in a line through the entire store until the child is found.

During this time, no registers are used, no one goes in or out, nothing happens until that child is found.  For those few minutes or more no price tag, door buster sale, or last minute gift matters as much as finding that lost child.

That is the best description of Christmas I have ever heard of.

If you have ever been that lost child you know what it feels like to be scared, alone, and all you want is the safety and security of home but every turn you make seems to take you further from that safety.

Sometimes, we know that feeling even though we aren’t children anymore.  Sometimes we have decided to strike out on our own and find our own path but that path has taken us so far from our comfort and security.

Sometimes in the midst of trying to find our way back we hear “God helps those who help themselves.” or “God won’t show up unless you go to God first.”

Christmas is a declaration that the statement “God helps those who helps themselves” is a made up fairy tale, like elf on a shelf.

Christmas is a declaration that God does not wait for you to call out.  That God has noticed you are lost and is coming for you.

Jesus picks up on this idea in Matthew 18 he tells those around him that when one sheep is lost he will go out and look for it.

Jesus doesn’t care why the sheep is lost, doesn’t care how many wrong turns they have taken all Jesus cares about is the fact that they are missing and that is more important than anything.

The fact that the one thing Jesus loves most of all is missing is more important than any festival, sabbath, or law.

Another time Jesus says that even if the sheep is in the well on a sabbath day he will rescue them.

From Jesus there is no question why, but from us, even now all those reasons why that sheep is stuck or lost are coming to mind.

- I messed up again.

- I’m not worthy to be with them.

- If you knew what I had done you wouldn’t save me.

- I am not good enough

- Look at how far I have wandered.

Jesus doesn’t care about the why and he doesn’t care that you can’t help yourself.  In fact, if you could help yourself then you wouldn’t need Jesus in the first place.

Jesus only cares that you are his and you are lost.

- Because of that Jesus considered equality with God nothing.

- Because of that Jesus took the form of a servant born in a manger because there was no room. for him.

- Because of that Jesus gave up his life on the cross

Jesus tells another story about a young man who took his father’s money and squandered it all on fast cars and loose women.  When the young man runs out of money he decides to go home and beg.  On his way home the father was waiting on the porch for him.  When the father saw his failure of a son the father ran to him, hugged him and wouldn’t hear the speech he had been practicing.

The father never asked any questions and never said you got into this mess now get yourself out.  The father only ran and hugged and kissed him.

Jesus does not care what you have done.

Jesus does not care that you are now helpless

Jesus does not care that you have become best friends with the word regret.

Jesus does not care that you have to look up to see rock bottom.

Jesus only cares that you are his and you are missing.

And so because we are all his and we have all been missing God decided to do for us what we could not do for ourselves and so

From the safety and security of heaven, stormed Jesus. From the contentment and perfection of God rushed the Lord. Why? Because God had declared a Code Adam. A Code Jon. A Code Christy. A Code Stacy. A Code Chad. A Code Chris. A Code You.

When we were lost, He did more than just lock a store down. When we were beyond all hope he did more than sprint to the parking lot. He sent his son to the cross for us, to rescue us. And, he speaks this message in a thousand ways every day. He would move the mountains and the cosmos if it meant we came home safe. If it meant we returned to the father and he could stop saying, “Code Adam, Code Adam.”

the reason for the season is rescue and because of Christmas rescue is possible.

- It doesn’t start with a prayer, it started with a Baby who declared that you are beautiful and worthy to be rescued.

- It doesn’t start with a church but it started in a manger and it ends with you.

- It didn’t start because you helped yourself, it started because of the cross and the God who died on it.

there is a story of Abe Lincoln who bought a slave to set free. she followed him

It has never been about what you did but about what God did for you.

- You did not let God down, you weren’t holding Him up.  God is holding you up with His mighty right hand.

- It is never about trying to live better, be nicer, not swear, or any of that it is about living like you have been rescued when you were lost.

- The thought that we have been rescued might drive you to your knees or cause you to shout or cause you to weep, but it will always cause you to follow the one who rescued you and tell others that rescue is possible no matter what!

Prayer:

As we light the candles we don’t light them in shame of our past we light them as a declaration that darkness will not triumph because we have been rescued.

As we sing Silent night we don’t do it from a place of guilt, we sing because, like the song says “The Savior is born with the dawn of redeeming grace.”

Benediction:  Go in peace this Christmas because God has declared a Code You and nothing else matters until you are found.

Sermon Audio

 

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