Praise the Lord for Christmas. It is simple and yet profound. It is earthy and yet celestial. It is mundane and yet majestic. At Christmas our Savior was born. He started the whole world dancing and singing. He dances over sin and suffering. He dances over injustice. He dances even over death. Christmas is about songs of Joy. Our friend Dr. Ellsworth Kalas, the president of Asbury Seminary, says that during Christmas both saints and sinners sing. Thank you, Jesus.
Frederick Nietzsche, the nineteenth century German philosopher famous for his quote that “God is dead,” stated, “If they want me to believe in their God, they’ll have to sing me better songs . . . I could only believe in a God who dances.” Our view of God often determines our relationship or our lack of relationship with our Creator. Many individuals see the Lord as someone who stands off in the distance, watching and waiting to strike us down the minute we mess up.
Bet Midler sang the song, "God watching from a distance". He is viewed as a God of rules and regulations, looking to stifle our fun and suppress our freedom; and for such people this is not a God who cares about anyone. He is not a God to be desired, but rather to be rejected and opposed every step along life’s journey. Would Nietzsche’s life have been different had he known that the Lord does care for his creation? The Bible teaches us that the Lord is not impersonal and that he does not wish to remain somewhere in the distance, but rather he desires a very close and intimate relationship with human beings. In fact, for those of us who confess him as Lord and Savior, he is a God who loves us so greatly and is filled with such joy for us that he sings and dances over us! If only Nietzsche could have realized that God sings beautiful songs and that he really is a God who dances! He is not dead, but a God who is alive (Mark 16:6) and who seeks to make us alive as well (John 10:10). We are going to know God’s extravagant love this morning as we look at our God who sings and dances over us.
There is a song called “Amazed” by singer and songwriter Jared Anderson. The lyrics of this song say, “You dance over me while I am unaware. You sing all around, but I never hear the sound . . . Lord I’m amazed by You – how You love me.”
One of my favorite Advent passages is found in Zephaniah 3:14-17. First of all, in verse 14, we see that God was speaking to Zion, Israel, and Jerusalem. Zion here is “the city of David” where King David built a citadel and his palace, and it was the place where the Ark of the Covenant had been stored for some time before being brought into the temple that King Solomon built. In the later books of the Old Testament this name was sometimes used to denote Jerusalem in general, and sometimes God’s chosen Israel. In the New Testament it is used sometimes to denote the Church of God, or people who worship Jesus Christ. The three names mentioned here are all names for God’s chosen people – or those who worship the Lord – and Zion includes those of us who worship him today. If we keep this passage in its context we understand that God was speaking to Israel, and in verse 15 we learn that God wanted to remove the judgment that was brought upon Israel by her enemy.
Zephaniah prophesied of judgment by Babylon, but he also prophesied of the day of deliverance from that judgment. In verse 16 he used the expression “in that day” which is in the future tense, and is an image of God’s faithfulness to his people and a future deliverance. The people are told, “Let not your hands be weak” (v. 16). In Hebrews 12 we read about how God allows us to go through hard times for our own good; and in Hebrews 12:12 we are encouraged to “Strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees . . .” Israel would experience chastening in the Babylonian exile, but chastening lasts only for a time before we are purged and escape to the other side; therefore we are to lift our heads and take heart, and stand tall in the confidence that our deliverance is near. Isaiah 35:3-6 refers to deliverance by the coming Messiah, and Israel is encouraged, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” Israel would go through a tough time in the captivity, and some of us are going through a difficult time of bondage in our lives, but we are to look up and place our hope in our Deliverer, Jesus Christ.
In verse 17 we see God’s love for Israel, as it is his fervent desire to rescue Israel, to sweep her off her feet and rapture her away to a place where he can “rejoice over [her],” “quiet [her] with his love,” and “rejoice over [her] with singing.”
In verse 17 we see that God desired to “rejoice” over Israel, and “sing” over her as well. In just a moment I will discuss how God rejoices over Israel, but first let’s focus on how he will sing over her. What type of song will the Lord sing? In Psalm 32:5 and 7 we read, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin . . . You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”
We read here how the Mighty One desired to “save” Israel (v. 17) and rescue her; therefore his songs would be “songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7), and in verse 17 we are told that God wanted to take away Israel’s judgments. Today we are placed under God’s judgment if our sins have not been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. In Romans 6:23 we are told, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If we wish to receive forgiveness and eternal life, then we need to be as King David and confess our sin to God in order to be forgiven (Psalm 32:5). 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God will take away our judgments, as we read in Zephaniah 3:15, whenever we acknowledge and confess our sin. That’s when we are surrounded by his songs of deliverance.
The Lord not only wished to sing over Israel with songs of deliverance, but he wished to rejoice over Israel as well. I mentioned earlier how singer Jared Anderson said that God dances over us. The Hebrew word for “rejoice” which we find here, or yagil (giyl, gheel), is defined in Strong’s Concordance as, “To spin around under the influence of any violent emotion,” and to “be glad, be joyful,” or to “rejoice, cry out, and exalt.” Some other words of commentary that I read on this verse state, “Yagil literally means ‘spin around in joy.’ God will spin around in joy over his people, and we reflexively respond to his love by spinning around also. Interestingly, rejoice and dance are the same word in Aramaic, the common language spoken in the area.”
Our God truly sings beautiful songs – songs of deliverance; and he really is a God who dances – who dances for joy out of his love for us! You can know this God who sings and dances if you have your sins forgiven by Jesus Christ.
I have included a link to Celtic Woman's recording of "O Come All Ye Faithful". Just cut and paste onto the "go" line at the top of your server. or click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eLDvM7eSq0
Last night we attended a Christmas Cantata presented by a 60-member choir comprised of singers from various area churches. It was a Tom Fettke composition that was moving and powerful.
Our choir is going to present the annual Christmas Cantata this Sunday, December 23 at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship services. We will have our annual Christmas banquet after the second service. We will also be attending the Handles Messiah this Friday, December 21 at the Binghamton Forum. The performance will begin at 8:00 p.m. This is the 25th anniversary of the presentation of the Handle's Messiah, by the Downtown Singers. It is conducted by Alan Crab. We will meet at the church parking lot at 6:30 p.m. for carpooling.
Congratulations to George and Irene Dunham on their 52nd Wedding Anniversary.
Keep praying for :
Ryan Kerr, Dr. Roger Chatterton, Jack Black, Linda Geer, Linda Ayer, John Pipher, Jack Hoppes, Irving Rosenbarker, Connie Perry, Mahlon Tewksbury, Scott Henson, Andy Morse, George Kossler. Richard Babcock.
Joy to the world,
Brown
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