Rejoicing in God’s Justice

Rejoicing in God's Justice Delbert Enns   Luke 1:26-38 www.EasTview.org

This is a hectic stressful time. Loneliness, losses, mourning, grief, bankruptcies, all happen this time of year.

What is justice? If it works for me that's justice?

Is this season worth celebrating?

Truly God is good. Psalm 73:1-5 In the midst of trouble, God is good. If you feel things are disconnected remember Mary had her issues. Nothing good can come from Nazareth. I'm not from Jerusalem. Joseph, what a wonderful man! He stuck with me. I was proud to be at his side. When Jesus came all I had was a feeding trough. I admired him, my redeemer who would change everything.

Joseph could have had Mary killed.

You might be feeling you were born on the wrong side of the river. Things may be all wrong. Maybe nothing makes sense in your life.

Something happened that changed everything. Luke 1:26- The Annunciation. You will have a son whose kingdom will never end. The son of God. Nothing is impossible with God. I am the Lord's servant. Did Mary know what would happen?

We think the advent is for me. It's not about me and my pity party. It's about others. Mary's life was rearranged. She understood that this child was not here to be selfish. To walk humbly.

Joseph. He was also transformed. Your mess up is not just your own. Others are also involved. It affects others.

God's justice is for everyone. Not just for me. Joseph was willing to walk with Mary even though she was pregnant with someone else's child.

The shepherds got messed up. Herrod's life was messed up. The Jews were looking for a political redeemer messiah.

Mary was mentally confused deeply upset when the angel gave her that message. I'm a virgin she said. Why me?

Hush hush does not work. Call to God. Yell at him. He is not offended. He will hear your cry.

The Holy Spirit will overshadow you and give you peace in the quietness.

When you are in a traffic jamb pray for the others on the road. God is trying to talk to you. God has a rescue plan for them too.

Jesus took on the form of a servant. Mary said I'm your servant. This is the King of Kings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9HodA8jUCk

Hug someone now. You need at least 3 hugs to know you are loved.

What hope we hold. Song.
Praise his name Emmanuel!

Wonder at God

Welcome to Eastview!  We're glad you're here! At Eastview, we are committed to "Leading people to Christ and on to maturity in Him."  Worship Services: 9:15 & 11:15am
Messages are recorded and video is available online: www.eastview.org/sermons
Today: Advent @ Your Door Steps   Wonder at God Delbert Enns   Luke 2:8-21
Third Sunday of Advent   
Next Week: Advent @ Your Door Steps   Rejoicing in God's Justice Delbert Enns   Luke 1:26-38 Fourth Sunday of Advent       

Eastview Christmas Eve Service Times   Monday, Dec 23, 6:30pm            Tuesday, Dec 24, 5:00pm & 6:30pm 

Songs this Morning: Joy To The World    Frederic Handel For All You've Done Reuben Morgan Come Thou Fount Robert Robinson Offering  Paul Baloche Music Team: Adam Bergman, Heidi Boon, Jesse Hamm

Bulletin
http://www.eastview.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/bulletin-Dec-15.pdf

How many Charlie Browns do we have? What is Christmas all about? How many Linuses do we have?

Where is the wonder of the season? We go through the rigamarole of Christmas and feel miserable.

How did Joseph feel? His girlfriend was pregnant with someone else's child. How did Mary feel? Subject to stoning.

Luke 2. How did the shepherds feel? Good news for all! These shepherds were chosen to be the first ones to hear the good news.
Shepherds had a noble calling. King David was a shepherd. By the time of Jesus's birth they were despised and considered ceremonially unclean.
They got fantastic good news. They were outside.
Jesus said: healthy people don't need a doctor. Sick people do.

If you want to understand 1 Cor 1 says few of you were wise when God called you. God calls the marginalized.

Claudia, a healer preacher, wanted to preach to the assembled 4,500 when Delbert heard that there were 2,500 people wanting to come in. They let them in and a small boy was in that group and he was worshipping God.

The shepherds did the ordinary things of life when God showed up. Jesus does that.

Jesus asked Peter and his team to go fishing after they had wasted all night and caught nothing. Peter said if you say so I'll do it! When they were overloaded with fish, Peter fell at Jesus' feet and worshipped him!

The Christmas story changes people's lives. Mega joy comes to those who are touched by God. Don't believe Satan's lies.

The great news comes to the community. God chose me!

Peter got a new assignment. Become fishers of mankind!

Have you shared the message of the messiah to those who don't know Him? Invite them to come to Jesus.

Invite people to the Christmas eve service.

This Table - written 20 years ago

Broken. 

Cut from side to side. 

Life is like that

sometimes. 

Through a series of foolish errors we are broken. 

Or

we break others. 

That hurts. 

We

learn.  We remember.  We heal in time.

This coffee table is in the centre of our living room.  We see it every day.  We use it every day.  We put things on it.  It carries our loads.  But its glass top is broken.  Four pieces of glass where there was one.  Held together with glass mending glue.  Three lines run through it.  Reminding us.

Renee, this glass broke when you sat on the cutting board that should never have been left on this table.  No one picked it up and put it away. 

You know you should not sit on the coffee table. 

We know that cutting boards do not belong on coffee tables.  We know that people should not sit on cutting boards. 

But you did. 

The pressure point of the cutting board edge on the glass broke the glass tabletop. 

You learned a lesson. 

You were sorry.  You cried.  But the glass was broken.

Your daddy saw what you did.  He forgave you and mended the glass with mending glue.  But the lines remain.  Reminding us of our lives. 

Your mom and dad experienced much pain and brokeness when one by one your brothers Kris and Jason went to be with the Lord.  God has healed us but the scars remain. 

Sometimes they still ache.  You will experience pain in your life.  Let this table remind you that God heals.

He heals when others hurt you deliberately or accidentally.  He heals when you hurt yourself.  Be careful where or who you sit with in life.

 

This table reminds us of God.  Three lines run through it from side to side.  They remind us of the trinity of God.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

Running through our lives and mending us. 

Like the almost invisible table top glass holds the coffee cups, God holds us.  He needs to be in the center of our social lives. 

As we share the coffee and donuts, we need to keep God in the center of the Living Rooms of our lives.

This table reminds us of our family.  Four pieces of glass held together by love.  Four children, Justin, Renee, Alayna, and Karalee. 

Fragile. 

Transparently honest. 

Innocent.  Clean. 

 

Life is fragile. 

Be careful not to get broken. 

Broken by the allures of sin or the slights of others. 

Make sure you read wholesome books and keep wholesome friends.  They mold your lives.

 

Be transparently honest with God.  Keep asking Him to cleanse you. 

Read His Word

 and

commune with Him daily.  Stay tuned in to Him so He can guide you

around and

over the thunderstorms of life.

 

Clean.  That's what we all want.  But life will throw dirt on you. 

You will stumble and get dirt all over you. 

Let God clean you

every day, moment by moment. 

If you let the dirt and the splatters of sin harden in your heart, then it may take a razor to scrape it off. 

That could hurt. 

Keep the glass clean. 

 

Always Remember. 

God loves you.

Your mom and dad love you. 

We will guide you to the

best of our ability. 

We

care about

you.

Advent: Wisemen seeking God

www.EasTview.org
Song: You are calling us all by name.
You choose the humble and raise them high
You choose the weak and make them strong  
You heal our brokenness inside 
And give us life
The same love that set the captives free
The same love that opened eyes to seeIs calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name
The same God that spread the heavens wide
The same God that was crucified Is calling us all by name 
You are calling us all by name
It's a really nice song; why sing it over ad nauseam?

Oh come all you faithful
O come let us adore him

Fabulous choir music. We anticipate the Christmas eve choir programs Dec23 6:30, & Dec 24 5:00 & 6:30. Worth putting on your calendar!

A new king was born. 400 years of silence broken by the cries of the son of God.

Dave Ens

"Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes – The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries."– Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Interconnectedness. God is present in all our times.

People are seekers. The Wiseman were seekers.
They had expectation - 2 years the Wiseman followed the special star. (Maybe it was 2 months?)

Am I keeping up with Jesus? God is working. Are you watching for it? The Wiseman stopped to see Herod. (Was that wise?)

When they finally found Jesus they had a God moment. Finally they found the promised messiah! They were overcome with joy!

Jesus is difficult to see because we have so many preconceptions. We think he is with our team.

We presume to speak for God in spite of the fact we are not good at seeking God's will.

There is something bigger than we are. The seekers in the Bible were often outsiders. The Greeks came to see Jesus. Jesus said come follow me.

Seeking to see stuff is not truly coming to see Him.

Leave things behind to really find Jesus!

Advent Waiting for God

Steve says, Easter is what Christmas is all about so let's sing Easter songs today. Jesus Messiah Lord of All!
Humbly to the earth you came. Born into this world to save. Your name is a strong and mighty tower. Nothing has the power to save but your name.

Elton Da Silva
Jesus's parents brought Jesus to the temple. 2 devoted people recognized him as the Messiah. Simeon and Anna had been waiting for the deliverer for a long time. They recognized God had come!

Do we recognize God in our lives? Are we ready to meet God? Do we recognize God at work at Tim Horton's?  I felt down that day, and when I opened the door, someone opened it and said I know who you are. God told me to come here to encourage you! Never met the man before but God worked something miraculous.

A four year old prayed for the man who is very sick. Who? The man who sold us the car. The next day mom went to encourage him.

God is doing amazing things. Are we missing Him because we have lost our passion? We don't expect him. Do we come just because or are we expecting God in church?

Are we hugging God with excitement like people at the airport?

Consolation Redemption are the 2 words of the text. Jesus brings healing comfort restoration.

God wants your life to be an exciting revelation. The glory of the King is about beauty.

Surrender. The story starts with the old law. There is a junction of the old and the new. The 2 old people are surrendering. Their lives are over. The new has come.

When guests come we surrender a room. It's yours for a season.

We need to surrender and say to Jesus this life of mine is now your temple.