December 3, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
1st
Sunday of Advent
Sermon
Series: “The Invitation”
The
Lord Be Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Isaiah
57:7-12, 17-19 (The Voice)
Isaiah
9:1-3 (The Voice)
Romans
5:1-5 (The Voice)
“An
Invitation to Hope…”
The Lord Be with you
and also with you
Let us pray…Pray for
the Spirit’s Leading…
A
reading from the Prophet Isaiah from chapter 57, verses 7-12 and 17-19. Listen
and take heed the words spoken by the prophet, through the Spirit of God, to
the children of Israel and to the children of God throughout the centuries…
“I
can see no one has ever helped you understand what this whole invitation to
Jesus is all about. Let’s get some more coffee. I will try to explain it to
you,” Esther said over her shoulder as she went to the coffee station. “Cream
and sugar Hun?”, she asked. “Yes please,” Hope answered… “Ok…let’s get
started…”
Good morning and welcome to “The Invitation…” The
invitation you might ask? What invitation? Well the invitation of Advent of
course. Today is the we celebrate the invitation of the manger. We begin our
“Advent”ure to the feeding tough the Bread of Life, our Savior and Lord, Jesus
Christ was laid in. It is the moment that God sent the invitation to all of
humanity to come and see the babe in the manger and return forever changed.
Without this invitation, you and I would not be here today. Without this
invitation there is no Hope, no Peace, no Joy, and no Love…there is no
invitation to Christ.
Why is this invitation important to you…or is it
even of any significance to you? Give
time to answer. What do you think this invitation consist of…do you what
know what actually laid in that manger when love came down? Give time to answer. Do you think that
we “Christians”, in general, are more like Hope in the story than her friend
Esther? Giver time to answer. This
season, I ask that you join me on an “Advent”ure. Let’s really look at what we
are invited to. My prayer is as we do this…we are going to be changed. My
prayer is as we journey together and discover or rediscover the excitement of “The Invitation.”
But to do this, I am going to ask you to do
something truly radical. This is going to be hard, but I believe it is
necessary for our journey. Most of humanity has things we carry…baggage as some
call it. Most of us have stresses that we hold on to. I am asking that we empty
our baggage right here, right now, pick up our empty suitcases and begin the
journey. Now I am asking we leave with an empty suitcase for this reason, to
fill it with the invitation. Now some of
us go on vacation with and empty bag or almost empty. Why? So that we can fill
it with things we gather on the journey. I am inviting us to gather all that we
can to be able to bring it on our new journey of the New Year in the end. Let’s
do this now…in this place…leaving on the altar…(Visualization)
So…let’s begin…the first invitation of the “The
Invitation” is “an invitation to Hope.” OK…don’t
be rolling your eyes at me…we have been talking about Hope for a while now and
you are probably thinking…here we go again with hope…we get it already. Well I
am talking about a different Hope…the Hope of the invitation…
Now in the Isaiah from the Isaiah we just read,
we hear about a hopeless situation. They had made their bed and now they had to
lay in it…so to speak. They had turned away from God, again, and now they were
reaping the rewards. They were doing the whole “lip service” to God but behind
the scenes they were completely the opposite. Where is the hope of restoration?
They walked away from God and turned to the god’s, the deities, of the culture
around them… Even today we do the same
thing. We, the children of Go, still tend to lead a double life.” Where do we find hope?
Even as we enter the story of hope, peace, joy,
and love, we find it hard to believe. But there is hope found in the manger.
Even when there was no light at the end of the tunnel God was work on a “restoration
project” for all who believed then and now. Listen
for the hope in Isaiah 9:1-3…
When
God’s people haven’t seen a hint of light or hope of day, God will do something
new.
9 But there will be no
more gloom for those who knew such hardship. In times past, God humbled the
land of Zebulun and Naphtali; later, He will restore the honor and glory to the way of the
sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee, home of the nations.
2 The people who had been
living in darkness
have seen a great light.
The light of life has shined on those who dwelt
in the shadowy darkness of death.
3 And You, God, will make it happen. You bolstered the nation,
making it great again. You have saturated it with joy.
Everyone in it is full of delight in Your presence,
like the joy they experience at the harvest,
like the thrill of dividing up the spoils of war.
have seen a great light.
The light of life has shined on those who dwelt
in the shadowy darkness of death.
3 And You, God, will make it happen. You bolstered the nation,
making it great again. You have saturated it with joy.
Everyone in it is full of delight in Your presence,
like the joy they experience at the harvest,
like the thrill of dividing up the spoils of war.
The people would suffer for what they had done…we had suffered for what we ad done in the
past…but God was working on a “restoration project” on the other side… An Invitation to Hope…real hope…
Hear the Good News in Romans 5:1-5:
In God’s plan to restore a fallen and
disfigured world, Abraham became the father of all of us, the agent of blessing
to everyone. Jesus completes what God started centuries before when He
established Abraham’s covenant family. Those who put faith in Jesus and call
Him “Lord” become part of Abraham’s faith family. Because God is gracious,
loving, and merciful, men and women from every corner of the earth are not only
declared right, but ultimately are made right as well. It happens through God’s
actions—not our efforts—in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus who was
crucified for our misdeeds and raised to repair what has been wrong all along.
So the promises of God made long years ago are being realized in men and women
who hear the call of faith and answer “yes” to it.
5 Since we have been acquitted and made right through
faith, we are able to experience true
and lasting peace with God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King. 2 Jesus
leads us into a place of radical
grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory. 3 And
that’s not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that
when we suffer we develop endurance, 4 which shapes our
characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. 5 And
hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that
was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love.
Within “The Invitation” was and is “An
Invitation to Hope…”. Within “The Invitation” of Advent, God worked out His
plan of the restoration of humanity to Himself. Within “The Invitation” is “an
invitation” to all the promises of long ago were offered to all of humanity.
Within “The Invitation” we are set free to hope once more.
Have you accepted “The Invitation” to “An
Invitation of Hope”? If you have accepted it, are you living it out in your
daily life or is it just for show and you have your own deities you hope in?
The plea of the Psalmist is clear and it was answered in the form of a babe in
a manger…
Restore
us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
Let
your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have raised up for
yourself.
Then
we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.
Restore
us, Lord God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
Amen!
edited
December 3, 2017
hope above all
else – v2
December 3,
2017
hope above all
else
December 3,
2017
the ones
dressed in white
December 3,
2017
riding into
battle
edited
December 3, 2017
they don’t
come – v2
December 3,
2017
invite them
December 3,
2017
carrying our
treasure
&
edited November 22, 2017
A Journey of Treasure – v5
(editing original again)
edited January 13, 2015
A Journey of Treasure – v4
(editing original again)
Edited January 5, 2013
“A Journey of Treasure – v3”
edited September 1, 2011
“A Journey of Treasure – v2”
1/1/06 14:38
“A Journey of Treasure”
Matthew 2:1-12 and the sermon “Time Passages”
by Pastor Lori Eldredge
Wesley United Methodist Church
Concord, NH
&
December 3,
2017
we wait, we
hope
edited
December 3, 2017
A journey of
Hope – 2 – v2
December 3,
2017
A journey of
Hope - 2
edited/new
name December 3, 2017
an invitation
to hope
December 3,
2017
a journey of
hope
December 3,
2017
the invitation
of Advent
December 3,
2017
First Sunday
in Advent - Hope
Advent Sermon
Series – “The Invitation…”
Lighting of
the Advent Wreath – the candle of Hope
Psalm 80:1-7,
17-19
Isaiah 57:7-12
Isaiah 9:1-3
Romans 5:1-5
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
and sermon “An
Invitation to Hope”
text
video
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
First Sunday
in Advent
December 3,
2017
&
edited
December 3, 2017
they are not
invited – v2
December 2,
2017
they are not
invited
December 2,
2017
they don’t
come
December 2,
2017
we must invite
them
December 2,
2017
we don’t
invite them
December 2,
2017
come into
God’s presence
edited
December 2, 2017
Will we join
that congregation – v2
edited/new
title December 2, 2017
will we join
that congregation
December 2,
2017
will we be
gathered up to heaven
edited
December 2, 2017
will we be
raptured – v2
December 2,
2017
will we be
raptured
December 2,
2017
an invitation
to the stable
December 2,
2017
Jesus won
salvation
edited
December 2, 2017
where will we
stand on Judgment Day – v2
edited
December 1, 2017
The King is
coming – v2
edited
December 1, 2017
will we be
ready – v2
December 1,
2017
will we be
ready
December 1,
2017
where will we
stand on Judgment Day
December 1,
2017
The King is
coming
edited
December 1, 2017
Does the Judgment
convict us
December 1,
2017
does the
judgement convict us
edited
November 30, 2017
we live out
our faith – v2
(with truthful
weasel words added…)
edited/new
name November 30, 2017
we live out
our faith
edited
November 30, 2017
do we live out
our faith? – v2
November 30,
2017
do we live out
our faith?
November 30,
2017
do we believe
the scripture?
November 29,
2017
Christ will
return soon
edited
November 29, 2017
I believe in
Jesus – 2 – v2
November 29,
2017
I believe in
Jesus - 2
November 28,
2017
when I say I
am a Christian
edited/new
name November 28, 2017
I say I am a
Christian
edited/new
name November 28, 2017
We say we are
Christians
November 28,
2017
They say they
are Christians
edited/new
name November 28, 2017
Christ will
come down from heaven
edited
November 28, 2017
Christ will
judge us – v2
November 28,
2017
Christ will
judge us
November 28,
2017
God will see
our heart
November 27,
2017
whitewashed
Christians
Matthew
23:27-28 (The Message)
““You’re
hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds!
You’re like
manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright,
but six feet
down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh.
People look at
you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin
you’re total
frauds.”
November 27,
2017
false
Christians - 2
edited
November 27, 2017
lumped in with
the others – v2
November 27,
2017
lumped in with
the others
edited
November 26, 2017
Why would I
want to be a Christian – v2
November 26,
2017
why would I
want to be a “Christian”
November 26,
2017
the name Christian
spit from their lips
November 26,
2017
the name
Christian spit from their lips
edited
November 26, 2017
I saw heaven
open – v2
edited to fit
Twitter 280 characters
November 26,
2017
I saw heaven
open
November 26,
2017
Ladies of
scripture
November 26,
2017
Christ the
King Sunday
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Psalm 95:1-7
(The Voice
Matthew
25:31-46 (The Voice)
The Final
Judgement
The Sheep and
the Goats
Revelations
19:11-16 (The Voice)
The Rider
and sermon “The
King is coming…”
text
video
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Christ the
King Sunday
November 26,
2017
All of my
poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001,
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,
2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See
all 45,590 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church, poem, Matthew 25, Psalm 95, prayer, Christ the King Sunday,
Revelation 19, sheep, goats, judgement, Christian, second coming, Advent,
rapture, invitation,
#Christ #God #Spirit #Faith #love #grace #poem #Psalm95
#Matthew25 #pray #praying #prayer #hope #ChristtheKingSunday #Revelation19
#sheep #goats #judgement #Christian #Esther #rider #secondcoming #Advent
#rapture #invitation #salvation
==================
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church, poem, Romans 5, Psalm 80, Isaiah 57, Isaiah 9, prayer,
Advent, invitation, hope, manger, journey, treasure, Magi, sermon,
#Christ #God #Spirit #Faith #love #grace #poem #Psalm80
#Romans5 #Isaiah7 #Isaiah57 #pray #praying #prayer #hope #secondcoming #Advent
#invitation #salvation #manger #cross #sacrifice #journey #treasure #Magi #sermon
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