Pondering Christmas Luke 2:11-19 12-26-10

Sermon 12-26-2010 luke 2: 11-19 ppppppp
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Mary pondered all these things in her heart

Pondering
To weigh in the mind, to consider, to appraise, to reflect on, to weigh
Its not exactly clear, this takes a little more thought

There are joys and concerns
The wonderful and the scarry
The frightening and the amazing

In life, god often joins the amazing with the problematic

And we choose whether we will be lost in the fear
Broken and paralyzed by the problem

Or filled with joy at the chance to be alive, to participate

Lavonne
Wow, if people had any idea what you have had to live through
No, I would love to tell people about the things that I have had the joy of living through

This was not easy-
Was mary complaiing? Were the wise men>?
Will mary look back and complain
Will the wise men look back and complain

Sometimes we react to things without considering the value of the moment-
We are cut off by a bad driver –
Someone is late for a lunch appointment – thankful for the quiet?

Angry that our parent dies, as if parents don’t die if we just get mad enough
Angry instead of savoring

there is value even in the difficult moments
In them, god is still working
He tends to have our attention
I suggest to you today that there is a richness in the challenging times, a value, a joy.

James 1:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Joy is not based on circumstances
Happiness is
I am so happy because I…………….
Joy transcends circumstances
Joy is found by those who ponder. Consider. Weigh the moment


Joy is found by those who find something deeper to trust. Something that transcends how its going

The shepherds saw the baby and went back to their old life……
glorifying and praising God
the wise men saw the baby and started their long journey back - rejoicing with exceeding great joy
The fruit of the spiritual life as outlined in Gal 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

spirituality is not measured by whether or not we get our way.
Love, joy, peace, patience
Did mary like this………you are gonna have a baby…..
As you have said, let it be done to me……….

Joy is much talked about…..
Few people actually have it
Turn up the heat and you will see who is grounded in faith and who is depending on the circumstances of life

joy is found in may places

joy of receiving
joy of giving - fulfills you more when you give to others – water, Katrina, adopt a child
joy of doing the right thing
joy of savoring a moment

Appreciating your life

[demello] the paralyzed man – the man in the body cast

Joy is contagious…..funny hat, someone starts to laugh
It takes over everyone else
christmas eve story of picket and grant – joy is contagious
We like being around people that are joyful

It simply starts with taking the time to consider your life. Ponder the situation. Don’t get stuck on the delivery, enjoy the baby. Don’t invest your unhappiness in others, show them your joy.

Joy leaves behind a kernel of the eternal
Terency Elwyn Johnson, of Margate Community Church (New Jersey), tells the story of Bonnee Hoy, a gifted composer, who died in the prime of life. At her memorial service, a friend told of how a mockingbird used to sing regularly outside Bonnee's window on summer nights. "Bonnee would stand at her bedroom window, peering into the darkness, listening intently, marveling at the beautiful songs the mockingbird sang. Then, musician that she was, Bonnee decided to sing back. So she whistled the first four notes of Beethoven's 'Fifth Symphony.' With amazing quickness the mockingbird learned these four notes and sang them back to Bonnee. 'And in perfect pitch,' Bonnee marveled. Then, for a time the bird disappeared. But one night, toward the very end of her life, when Bonnee was so terribly sick, the bird returned and, in the midst of other songs, several times sang those first four notes of Beethoven's 'Fifth.'" At that memorial service, her beloved friend, with a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes, said, "I like to think of that now. Somewhere out there (in a big, big world) is a mockingbird who sings Beethoven because of Bonnee."

possibly the greatest source of joy in live is to be accepted and loved by that person that is most significant to you
if you are a child and you are in trouble, to be welcomed by mom or dad
if you have had a hard day at work and you go home and your wife loves you.
Nothing better than that.
At Christmas, the most significant one, tells us that we are loved, for he has sent his son into the world to love us, forgive us and die for us….

It is the day after Christmas, we are open for business.
We have a message for anyone that is listening.
See it, think about it, ponder it, it is good.

Tell your friends.
Spread the joy.
Let us pray.