Signs Of Love In Our World

3rd Sunday in Advent

Luke 3:7-18

"Signs of Love in Our World"

Zephaniah 3:

14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has cast out your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear evil no more.

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.

17 The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing

18 as on a day of festival. “I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.

19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.

20 At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you together; yea, I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the LORD.

Philippians 4:

4* Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

5* Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand.

6* Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7* And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Luke 3:

7* He said therefore to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8* Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

9* Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10* And the multitudes asked him, “What then shall we do?”

11* And he answered them, “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

12* Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13* And he said to them, “Collect no more than is appointed you.”

14* Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

15* As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ,

16* John answered them all, “I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

17* His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

18* So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people.RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

God is in our world in wonderful ways when we least expect or as it goes unnoticed by the majority of people. Signs of God’s love go unnoticed. As Christmas approaches we excited about this dramatic sign which shows us God’s love. The Christmas sign is not the only way God reveals himself to us. His signs of love are all around us, in the in the people who touch our lives, or encouragement we receive in all sorts of subtle and yes even dramatic ways revealing his love for us today.

Let me demonstrate with the following: "A lady, during one of the coldest spells of the winter’ noticed an eleven year old boy standing barefoot over a heater grate on a street corner selling his evening newspapers.

"Son, where are your shoes and socks?" asked the lady.

"I ain’t got none!"’ was his reply.

Taking the boy by the ham she led him into a department store and bought him some thick wool socks and heavy shoes.

The boy quickly ran out of the store, but then turned suddenly toward the lady and asked," "Lady, are you God?"