Christmas: December 29

Old Testament Lesson

2 Samuel 23: 14-17

In this passage David desires to have some water from the well near Bethlehem. Bethlehem was his home, the land where he grew up. Some of his men hear this wish, and they go and break through the line of the enemy go and get him some of this water. They bring it back and give it to him, and then the text takes a turn that we don’t expect. David doesn’t drink the water. In fact, he pours it out, before the Lord. What does this mean? Why did he do that?

David was a revered leader among his men and his nation. A leader is someone that doesn’t tell folks to respect of follow them; people just know to follow that leader. And leadership has with it responsibilities. A leader must care for their followers. A leader must respect and value their followers. If you treat those beneath you with contempt, they will not follow. David values his men. And, he also wanted that water. But, he valued his men more than he wanted that water. He poured it out to the Lord as an offering to honor what his men had done, but he knew that their lives were more important than his desires. As Christians do we value other people as much as we value our desires? Or are we more concerned with getting what we want, having our needs met, having our desires fulfilled than we are with the needs and the lives of others. Jesus said to be the greatest we must first serve. Are we willing to be a servant? Are we willing to humble ourselves? Are we willing to consider others before we consider ourselves? That is how we find life. Not in getting what we want, but in laying down our lives for God and for each other. Jesus said there is no greater love than this, that you lay down your life for your friends. That is the path to true life; life that comes from God. David laid down his desires for his men. We will do the same?

New Testament Lesson

Revelation 1: 1-8

Revelation is a double edged sword. To those that believe, it is great news, the Lord is coming! Everything will be as it should be! He is making all things new! So, for the Christian, there is much hope within this book of the Bible. But, it is also a book of woe for those that do not believe. In this text, we see these two thoughts. He is coming, and for those that have been washed in the blood, that is a blessing. But it also says that everyone will see him, including those that pierced him, and the world will mourn. So, we see in one text praise and mourning. Praise from those that believe, mourning from those that do not.

There are things that we cannot stop from coming. Our own death and the return of Christ are two them. We can keep from thinking about them, but they are still coming. What thoughts do they bring to mind? Do you long to see your savior? Or are you filled with dread? For the Christian, there is hope in these things. Do we have that hope today? Or are we filled with dread? For the believer, there is hope. For, one day there will be no more sickness, pain, and death. One day, God will restore things to how they should be. One day it will all be right. One day we will be reunited with those that we love. That should make us joyful. The question then becomes do we believe? Do we have faith in him? Are we ready for these things? They are coming; we can’t put them off forever. Are we ready? Are we prepared? We do not know the time or the hour. Will our homecoming be full of tears of joy or sorrow?

Gospel Lesson

John 7: 37-52

Jesus is not always what we make him out to be. He is not always nice. He is divisive. He will cause fights. He will ask us to make tough choices. Verse 43 says the people we divided over Jesus. Like in the Revelation passage, there are two different things held tightly together in the passage. Jesus brings unity and division. There should be unity. He said when I am lifted up I bring all people to me. When Jesus is lifted up, it should draw us to together. We should be unified not only as a local church, but a universal church. All believers, regardless of where they go to church, hold Christ in common. We can have differences over theology, but let us never forget than as John Wesley said, “if you heart has been warmed, then brother give me your hand.”

So, Jesus will bring unity. But in the text, we see him bringing division. Jesus demands that we choose sides. Jesus demands that we show our allegiance. He tells us that we cannot have 2 masters; we will love one and hate the other. Jesus or the world must be our master. We cannot serve both God and the world. We must make a choice. Every day, our lives are filled with choices. Will we serve God? Will we serve the world? We must make a choice. Who will we serve? There will be division over Him. But, at His name, every knee shall one day bow, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. He demands that choose either Him or the world. Today, whose side are we on?