Brown's Daily Word 12-16-11

 

Good morning,

    Praise the Lord for this Friday.  Pray for our Friday Evening television outreach this evening on Time Warner Cable channel 4 at 7 PM.  Some of us will be attending Handel's Messiah at the Binghamton Forum this Evening at 8 PM.  One of our ministry teams will be preparing and serving a Christmas Meal tomorrow at noon at the First United Methodist Church .

     It is beginning look a like Christmas everywhere you go.  Yes, there are signs of Christmas everywhere.  Centuries ago, however, there were not many signs.  There were a couple of signs in particular, though, that brought the reality of the presence of the Lord home to several people. The year was 734 BC.  Ahaz was king of Judah.  Rezin was king of Aram, modern day Syria, and Pekah was king of Israel.  Rezin and Pekah combined forces and surrounded the city of Jerusalem.  It must have been frightening to Ahaz and the people of Judah.  So the Lord God, through His prophet Isaiah, gave a sign to a frightened and somewhat wavering Judean king that would encourage him to remain firm in his political commitment to Tiglath-Pileser, III, king of Assyria, and resist Syria and Israel.  The details are in Isaiah 7and 2 Kings 16.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

     Sponsored by:  The Union Center United Methodist Church, Endicott.

     4-6 PM Living Nativity, with live animals and full Nativity cast

        Across from the First Presbyterian Church of Endicott.  

         The Corner of McKinley  Ave and Monroe  Street . Endicott

            Praise and Worship Service

        First United Methodist Church, Endicott

        Sponsored by  Union Center UMC

        6 PM Gathering - Coffee - Fellowship

        6:30 PM  Worship

            Music:  Laureen  Naik      

            Speaker: Rev. Earle Cowden

 

    Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

        4:30 PM at First United Methodist, 53 McKinley,  Endicott

        Music:  Aric Phinney and Yancey Moore

        Preacher:  Rev Brown Naik

 

    Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

        A Service of Carols, Candles, and Communion

        7:30 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive

        Music:  Laureen Naik, Betty Phinney, Sarah and Emily Sabin

        Preacher:  Rev. Brown Naik

    The sign the Lord gave was this: a young virgin  would be pregnant, have a baby, and refer to him as "God is with us."  This reference, Immanuel, was a reminder of God's promise that He would be with David's dynasty in a special way. By the time this child was old enough to make wise decisions, the nations of Syria and Israel would be destroyed.  The immediate context here in Isaiah referred, most likely, to Ahaz's son, Hezekiah.  The greater context, of course, refers to Jesus of Nazareth. Ahaz discovered encouragement in the sign given by the Lord.

    728 years later, another sign of encouragement would be given.  The third gospel evangelist, the beloved physician and historian, Luke, recorded it in Luke, chapter 2.  Shepherds were tending to their flocks on a Judean hillside when, suddenly, they were interrupted by angels who told them they had a sign for them from the Lord.

    As the sign given to Ahaz had to do with the birth of a baby, so did this one.  It was the sign of a baby lying in a manger.  It is not by accident that the sign was given at night.  The scriptures tell us the shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks at night.  The magi from the East were guided to the place of Christ's birth by a star at night.  The shepherds went to the manger at night.  Night has always played a significant role during the Christmas season.  Christmas Eve worship, midnight masses, and the lighting of candles, which symbolizes that the Christ-child is the Light, which has come into the world to overcome the darkness, surrounding us, all have to do with night.  It was a dark world when Christ was born and it is still dark in some respects.

    During Advent, with all its merriment, delight, and joy as preparation is made for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we discover the darkness of the world is dark indeed.  There is still unrest in the Middle East and other parts of the world.  The darkness of hostility and violence is overwhelming in various parts of the world.

    The darkness of the world is dark indeed.  Yet, the good news of Christmas is that all that darkness, whatever its cause — fear, murder, strife, unrest, violence — may be dispelled by the Living Light of Bethlehem's Baby.  The darkness of the world may be overcome.  The darkness you and I experience may be overcome.

     We may be experiencing the dark night of the soul from anxiety, loneliness, uncertainty, and a host of others dark situations.  Though we may be in the dark, we have good news from the Lord.  There is a sign in everybody's night.  It is the Christ-child — the Light of all humanity.  God gave that sign at night to remind each of us that in the darkest hour of our lives, the Most High God gives a sign that brings life and light.

  In Christ,

    Brown

http://youtu.be/vftEpuxUo1E