Advent—A Sanctuary of Misfits
"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;
he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 (KJV)
Intro: The prophet Zepheniah gives us an old testament glimpse of Advent.
According to the Prophet Zepheniah…, Advent is a day of Celebration.
"The Lord thy God is in our midst, in a mighty way…
He will save you…
God will rejoice over you with gladness, ....
There is love and joy over thee with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:14-20)
The first thing to think about this morning is this exceptional image of God
I. God in our Midst Zephaniah 3:17a
I am thankful to have a God who is not so detached or so disconnected as to be so removed and apart from us…
But this God who appears among and together…, in middle of his people…
That’s what God did at the manger… in Bethlehem…
He was born into this world
Into the middle of us…
God in our midst…
The image that a lot of people have of God…, is…, this serious…, powerful…, being…
Who is not only out of touch with their reality…, but who is also out of their reach…,
And the church…, it is our responsibility to help change their perception…
I am thankful that this church is a place where visitors and guest are pleasantly surprised to discover how easy it is for them to feel like they “fit in”
This is a church where people don’t think they are better than other people…
Because we know that we are all a bunch of misfits…
On T.V. about this time of year…, you will see the "Island of Misfit Toys",
A story about an island sanctuary…, where defective and unwanted toys are sent.
Among its inhabitants:
“ King Moonracer - a winged lion who is islands ruler...
“Charlie-In-The-Box” is a misnamed Jack-In-The Box
“Spotted Elephant” is a polka dotted elephant…
“A Dolly for Sue” while it is not explained in the story itself
The show’s producer Arthur Rankin Jr. says Dolly's problem was psychological,
caused from her being abandoned and suffering depression from feeling unloved.
“Bird Fish” is a toy bird who swims instead of flies.
“A Misfit Cowboy” who rides an ostrich.
“A Train” with square wheels on its caboose.
“A Toy Boat” that sinks instead of floats;
“A Squirt Gun” that shoots grape jelly;
and “An Airplane” that cannot fly…,
Of course Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer…, who has been kicked out of the Reindeer Games
Because of his red nose…
Takes the lead in rescuing the “Misfit” toys…
And finding them a home with children who love them and play with them and takes care of them…
Hey…, that kind of sounds like what church is like…
A place where unwanted..., broken…, misfits…,
find they belong…, find love…, find people who care about them..
You are not so different…, from the person sitting in the seat in front of you… or behind you…
In a way we all come from the Island of Misfit toys…
The world’s values are often opposite of God’s values.
This can cause Christians to feel like misfits.
But even if life is difficult now, one day we will rejoice.
One of the greatest feeling you will ever know…,
Is to meet and experience God…, who is part of our everyday lives…
A God who not only cares…
But a God who is very near…, a God who is easily reachable…
A God who is part of our everyday lives…
A God who is in our Midst…
Let’s go back to Zephaniah 3:17b
II. He will Save You
There has been a lot of shopping this past Friday…
The day after Thanksgiving is one the biggest shopping days of the year…
How many of you have been shopping this weekend?
I didn’t see any eight-track tape players on sale…,
If you went shopping for a phone…, I bet you saw the latest I-Phone… ,
I remember my first cell phone was a car “Bag Phone” that weighed about five pounds…
It was about as big as my bible
For better reception you had to install an antenna on the outside of your car…
I bet you didn’t see any “Bag Phones” on sale…
And “Bell Bottom” jeans....
I wander what happened to those?
I heard that two women got into a fight at Wal-Mart over a “Black Friday Special”
One woman “bit” the other woman
Security had to be called…
What ever happened to Christmas cheer?
It seems to have gone by the way of the eight-track tape player.
Bag Phones and Bell Bottoms….
If we are not careful “Merry Christmas” can become more a time of grumbling and complaining.
More a time of presents and gifts, hams, and fruitcakes, than of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace, Christ and giving…
And what about all the stress…, all the running…, all the busyness
Every year I hear someone say…, “I’ll be glad when the Holidays are over.”
Imagine what the Holidays would be like if God in the person of Jesus Christ had never came to earth?!?
Oh, we would still have Santa, and Frosty the Snow Man… I’m sure…
Because the secular world would have to create a Holiday for shopping…
But somehow I don’t think that the birth of Frosty the Snow man has the same meaning as the birth of Christ…
And while Santa is a symbol of giving…, I don’t think putting candy in stockings is the same thing as the giving that is connected to the Christ and the giving that came later on the cross…
You see…, Christmas is about Christ who came to save me…
Without Jesus…, the two thieves hanging on the cross would have both died in their sin…
Without Jesus…, Zacchaeus would never have climbed into a Sycamore tree to watch for a Saviour
Without Jesus…, the woman at the well would have come to draw water
but all she would have drawn would have been water…
She would never have heard Jesus say…, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am,
you would ask me, and I would give you living water."" John 4:10 (NLT)
Man without God makes his own plans, follows his own ways and lives by his own rules.
Nevertheless, because man was created for fellowship with God,
there remains a dissatisfaction and longing within man that can only be fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the fountain of life…the only thing that quenches the human thirst for God
Jesus is the Messiah who gives a gift that satisfies the souls’ desire…
We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land, climb the mountains, cross the waves;
Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command; Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Without Jesus…, I would be buried in the dry dusty grave…, and that would be the end (see Jeremiah 17:13)
But Jesus has come…, so that I can know the forgiving and saving love of God…
God has provided a “Plan of Salvation”
God sent Jesus…,
Who by his life and death provided the one sacrifice on the cross for the sin of the world…
Salvation is simply a confessing and believing.
That Christmas is about the birth of a Saviour
Advent is the “Coming…, waiting…, preparation…, ”
Advent is how Christians prepare for Christmas…
According to the reading from the Prophet Zepheniah…,
God is in our Midst
Christ will Save you…
III. There will be Rejoicing and Singing Zephaniah 3:17a
When Jesus was born there was a multitude of angels and heavenly host who began to sing
• Joy to the World the Lord is Come
When Jesus was born the Shepherds gathered and at the manger and sang
• Away in a Manger
When Jesus was Born three wise men came from the East
and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and mire… sang
• We Three Kings
When you are born again…, Can I get a Witness??? Is there anyone who catches my meaning here?
"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth,
more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." Luke 15:7 (KJV)
There is more singing over you coming to the alter and giving your life to Christ
Than over 99 Sundays of Worship in the church without one profession of faith!!!
I am convinced that means that there is more rejoicing in heaven over worship service
where one sinner comes to Christ and is saved
Than two years worth of church services where nobody is being saved…
Closing: Repent…,
Ask Jesus to come into your heart…,
Believe in Jesus as your Saviour
Commit your life to trust and obey God…
There is rejoicing and singing when the lost come to know Christ…
A pair of “Vintage 70’s Hippie embroidered Bell Bottom Jeans” are worth about $150 on ebay…
An 8 track tape of the Beatles' Deluxe 3-Pack, in mint condition is worth about $2000
And who knows there is probably somebody who would pay something for an old “Bag Phone.”
There is an old saying…, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”
When God see you…, God sees you for your true worth.
God sees you through the eyes of his Son Jesus…
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 (KJV)
