St. Timothy's Church

Christmas Eve

2010

The Rev W Terry Sweeney

Titus 2.11-14

In the Name of God: + Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Merry Christmas! And welcome to St Timothy's Church. Please extinguish your candles.

About 300 years ago a young man abruptly stood up in the middle of his father's sermon walked out the church. His name was Isaac Watts. His father, being a man of wisdom, asked his son why he left so abruptly? Isaac's response was that church was boring, dull and lifeless – especially the music! His father's response was to tell Isaac he should do something about it. . . . so young Isaac penned the words to Joy to The World based on Psalm 98!

To young Isaac and millions of us before and since, the wonders of God are anything but boring, dull and lifeless. . . . . They are in fact exceedingly joyful!

I'd like to bring your attention tonight four Grace filled verses that are among the most sublime in all of scripture.

They contain a message that is far from boring, dull or lifeless. . . bit instead a message filled with grace and Joy.

They come from a short letter written by St Paul to the overseer of the Christian community on the island of Crete – a man named Titus.

The Island of Crete had a reputation of inhabitants who lived in a variety of immoral ways; there were also a group of folks who were teaching against Titus and trying to convince people of another gospel. And whose lifestyles were not worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

Paul wrote to encourage Titus and share with him what makes it possible for Christians to live as holy people – a people set apart for God. . . different.

Titus Chapter two verses 11-14. Verse 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

Christmas is about the Grace filled birth of the Savior – Jesus – the son of Mary – the Son of God.

His birth as foretold by the prophets – announced by Gabriel the angel – is purely Grace.

Grace is the purest of all love from the Godhead – it's undeserved; unmerited; given freely regardless of who we are, what we've done, age, sex, status or anything we can use to describe ourselves.

Grace is the love of God found in Jesus that brings His peace and salvation to the broken, poor in spirit, and those who know their sins are real and are dead in their trespasses. (Eph. 2:1, 3)

Grace although for the sick and weak, is radically about RESCUE . . . . .

Jesus is Grace made flesh. Grace that brings salvation – true freedom from sin and death – and this grace has appeared and will appear again first, to the world as an offer of reconciliation with God, and second to receive His faithful people.

It is by grace that we believe and come to Christ in faith and seek a new life.

It is by grace that we confess our sins; that sins are forgiven through the cross of Jesus and are put away and not remembered again.

It's by grace that our soul's are satisfied and our questions find answers; our uncertainties are cleared up; our weaknesses can be strengthened.

Lying in a manger in Bethlehem, Judea, is He who has been born by Grace.

A Child of Grace is born among a people in great need of a savior.

Let me reiterate that Grace did not bypass the aged nor women nor babies it dawned upon all, regardless of age, sex, or social standing. . . . .

The gift of salvation was made available but not everyone it was offered to accepted it in faith and followed Christ.

Verse 12 It (the Grace of God) teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

Grace – God's unmerited love for us – is a teacher. . . . . God's love leads and guides therefore it teaches.

Grace teaches us by chastening (1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim 2:25), comforting, counseling, encouraging, admonishing, guiding, convicting, rewarding and restraining.

God's love understood and internalized induces us to renounce ungodliness, and wickedness.

As we come to understand the love of God to send His Son to take on the form of human flesh – to suffer – to die a brutal death for us and maybe we won't be so inclined to abuse His name or continue to break His commandments.

In other words, grace leads us to consciously strive to give up what is displeasing to God.

Grace trains us to live changed lives that go noticed by those around us:

We demonstrate that we've overcome drives and desires that are harmful to us and others.

We demonstrate love for neighbor by acting fairly, with honesty, without deceit, with integrity and respect for others.

We find our desires to worship God are growing more and more; we long to worship Him in spirit and truth.

God's love is a powerful teacher to hearts and minds that were once cold and indifferent toward Him.

Verse 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

The first Christmas in Bethlehem is sometimes called the first advent – or coming. Christ came among us, first as a baby then a young boy and eventually an itinerant Rabbi proclaiming a message of repentance and salvation.

The "blessed hope" spoken of by Paul to Titus is the second advent – the second coming – of Jesus who is "our great God and Savior".

Christians live in an anticipation and expectation of Christ's return when He will suddenly appear in all of His glory and splendor. . . . .

As we wait we do one other thing: live in gratitude and thanksgiving for what God has done through His Son.

We are commended to live lives that intentionally seek to purify ourselves of wickedness and strive, through Grace, to become more and more Christ like thereby becoming His very own.

Many of us live two lives – a life filled with worldly standards and practices and a life where we try to be "good people" and hope that counts.

The testimony of the Christian faith is that since God loved us and sent His son to become human flesh

We who have known the love of God through word or testimony or demonstration and believe by Grace through faith that Jesus is the Son of God who has taken our sine and died for us . . . . .

We can no longer live as we once did.

Grace has come to us and we can not remain the way we were.

Grace has brought us to a manger tonight to remember the Christ child – so innocent and helpless.

This child's purpose in life was to demonstrate the love of the Father and give us a way back to relationship with Him.

Friends, this very night Grace has filled this place – the Holy Spirit is among us.

Christ is calling out to us by Name to set aside that which separates us from following Him more deeply and consistently.

He knows about our idols, our lust, our greed; He's aware of our anger toward others, our hatred, or gossip and backbiting. He knows about our prejudice; the ways we lie to one another; our fears of being real, our need to try to be something we're not . . . . . He knows so much about us yet in spite of it all He sent His Son to give us new life.

In much of the world around us Christmas is equated to how much we could spend on gifts . . . . . how much we could consume and often feel sorry for once the bills start rolling in.

Some of us may have a sense of emptiness this time of year – Christ can fill it.

Some of us this very night deep inside are lonely – very lonely; we are depressed and sad – maybe over a death or someone far away; perhaps a broken relationship. Suicide increases this time of year. Misery folds into the store music and crowded malls.

Christmas was never intended to be what we've made it to be . . . . . it's really about an amazing Grace that came to us as a baby.

God's love - His love for us is real and life changing . . . . . .

Grace has come to us in the form of God incarnate, born in Bethlehem, Judea to a virgin named Mary and her betrothed husband, named Joseph.

Joy to the world the Lord is come: Let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing.

Merry Christmas!

Amen.

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