The Park Road Pulpit
Sermons from Park Road Baptist Church
Russ and Amy Jacks Dean, Pastor
Expect the Unexpected – Unexpected Love
A Service of Lessons and Carols
Park Road Baptist Church
Late Fragment
And did you get what
you wanted from this life,
even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved,
to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
Raymond Carver
Ever-present God
awaken us to the lesson of our childhood,
to those simple words:
“God Is Love” --
whose subject (God)
is the very source of our life,
whose object (love)
is our only prayer for healing and hope.
Ever-present God
whose own object is love,
Heighten our senses:
light our eyes;
tune our ears;
quicken our souls
that the One who came at Christmas
might be worth waiting for all over again,
and that the lessons which we learn today
through music and silence,
through prayer and praise,
through confession and proclamation
might become a carol which we sing
with our lips and with our lives.
Ever-present God
of unexpected Christmas grace
wait for us,
wait on us,
wait with us that your will
might finally be done in us.
Amen.
Carol: Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth, Wilcox
Come thou Redeemer of the earth, And manifest thy virgin birth: Let ev’ry age adoring fall; Such birth befits the God of all. Begotten of no human will, But of the Spirit, thou art still The Word of God in flesh arrayed, The promised fruit to man displayed. Thy cradle here shall glitter bright, And darkness breathe a newer light, Where endless faith shall shine serene, And twilight never intervene. All Laud, eternal Son, to thee Whose advent sets thy people free, Whom with the Father we adore, and Holy Ghost for evermore.
Second Lesson: Unexpected Love – Forgiveness
Carol: The Holly and the Ivy, Davies
The holly and the ivy when they are both full grown; Of all the trees that are in the wood The holly bears the crown. The holly bears a blossom As white as any flower; and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To be our sweet Savior. The holly bears a berry As red as any blood; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To do poor sinners good. The holly bears a prickle As sharp as any thorn; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ On Christmas Day in the morn. The holly bears a bark As bitt’r as any gall; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ For to redeem us all. Oh the rising of the sun And the running of the deer, The playing of the merry organ, Sweet singing in the choir.
Third Lesson: Unexpected Love – Freedom
Scripture Reading and Exposition: Russ Dean
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.
In the year 40, BC, the son of a prominent citizen of Idumea came to the throne in Judea. He ruled with the support of Rome under the requested title, “King of the Jews.” “Herod the Great” arrived in Palestine with his fiancé – a granddaughter of a former king of Judea. Hyrcanus had been a member of the famed Maccabean family who, 100 years prior, had rescued the Temple from foreign rule and had established an independent Jewish state. The Maccabees were Jewish heroes. Herod was not. Though he practiced Judaism, he did so as a matter of political expediency.
He was never accepted as the “King of the Jews.” He was a foreigner. He was a hypocrite. He was a paranoid psychotic. But he was the king. As such, he wielded the power to command his every wish. Most of which were evil. He had his brother-in-law killed, and three of his own sons. Even his beloved wife, Mariamne, became his victim. He is infamous for the massacre of Bethlehem’s baby boys, and in anticipation of his own death, he gathered the heads of every Jewish family in the country and ordered them to be killed when he died -- he wanted there to be great mourning at his own death. Herod the Great ruled with fear. He offered no one freedom.
Some thirty years later, another “King of the Jews” died. He had no kingdom – only a band of rag-tag followers. He had no throne – only a basin used for washing feet. He had no crown or scepter – only the authority of his own words and deeds. He had no power – except his death, which is now claimed by millions as the source of their life.
The prophet Micah proclaimed that one from Bethlehem would “rule,” not by might, not even by bringing peace, but by himself, “being [that] peace” (NIV). Paul says, “…in his flesh he has… broken down the dividing wall… [of] hostility between us… Christ is our peace” (Ephesians 2.14). This one whose star the Wise Men sought, ruled and rules without force. This one whose birth was in little Bethlehem is our peace. “For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5.1). It is an unexpected legacy for a king.
Does his freedom rule your heart?
May it be so today. Amen!
Carol: Sussex Carol, Willcocks
On Christmas night all Christians sing, To hear the news the angels bring, …
News of great joy, news of great mirth, News of our merciful King’s birth.
Then why should men on earth be so sad, Since our Redeemer made us glad..
When from our sin he set us free, All for to gain our liberty?
When sin departs before his grace, Then life and health come in its place…
Angels and men with joy may sing, All for to see the newborn King.
All out of darkness we have light, Which made the angels sing this night…
“Glory to God and peace to men, Now and forevermore. Amen.”
Luke 2.15-19
Scripture Reading and Exposition: Ed Stallworth
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
I arrive in Detroit and there he was. As my sister was holding her five-month-old baby, he looked at me for the first time and smiled. My sister handed Kevin to me, I held him and thoughts about his future entered my mind. I decided that Kevin was going to be the greatest person ever. He was going to go to Harvard as an academic scholar and football player. He would then be the greatest NFL quarterback to ever play and after he retired, he would become president and win the Nobel peace prize. As I told my sister these things, she just stared at me with love and laughter and then looked at her son with the belief and hope only a new parent can give. Is he going to become these things? Seven years had passed and he wants to go to Michigan State, his mother will not allow him to play football, and he wants to be a musician. Although my imagined hope for him will probably not come true, an unexpected blessing did. Kevin continues to be the sign of hope and love for my family. He has brought new life to my parents, my sister, and me. Kevin may never go to Harvard but his blessings go beyond expectations.
What do you think the shepherds expected when they saw Jesus? The angel had told them the Messiah had come and with that expectations. Was this baby going to be a great conqueror that defeats the Roman Empire? Was he going to be the great King and lead Israel to a renewed greatness? Whatever they said, Mary just listened and "kept these things in her heart." I see Mary staring at the shepherds with love and laughter and then she looked at her son with the belief and hope only a new parent can give. Jesus never became a conqueror nor did he lead Israel to become a powerful nation. However, Jesus, did bring unexpected blessings. We gather two millennia later because Jesus brought the blessings that only love, sacrifice, acceptance, and hope can bring. What words did Mary treasure and ponder as the shepherds spoke to her? We may never know but this we do, the birth of hope came from a manger and this was an unexpected blessing. Not just for two parents and the shepherds that were there, but for the whole world.
As the deacons come to receive the offertory plates, consider how we can be a blessing. Not just with tithes but also with time. Christmas is a lonely time for many and the gifts bring a fellowship of hope for our church and with the community at large. May we be generous this holiday season.
Carol, Nativity Carol, John Rutter
Born in a stable so bare, Born so long ago; Born ‘neath light of star
He who loved us so. Far away silent he lay, Born today, your homage pay;
Christ is born for aye, Born on Christmas Day.
Cradled by mother so fair, Tender her lullaby; Over her son so dear
Angel hosts fill the sky. Far away silent he lay, Born today, your homage pay;
Christ is born for aye, Born on Christmas Day.
Wise men from distant far land, Shepherds from starry hills
Worship this babe so rare, Hearts with his warmth he fills. Far away silent he lay,
Born today, your homage pay; Christ is born for aye, Born on Christmas Day.
Love in that stable was born Into our hearts to flow;
Innocent dreaming babe, Make me thy love to know. Far away silent he lay,
Born today, your homage pay; Christ is born for aye, Born on Christmas Day.
Scripture Reading and Exposition: Amy Jacks Dean
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Her name was Trina, and she was a challenge to love. She was only 1 out of 10 women with whom I spent 10 weeks in a welfare-to-work program. We met in the downtown project of Birmingham known as Southtown. The Housing Authority called the apartments “Housing Communities,” but the residents called them the projects. I went there everyday for 10 weeks from 8:00 AM-3:00 PM to teach the women basic life skills, job interview skills, filling out an application skills – basic knowledge for beginning the slow, slow move from welfare-to-work. Nine of the women were great – fairly eager, polite, fun – except for Trina. Trina was a challenge to love. She took advantage of the system at every turn. She took advantage of me with every opportunity. She had a bad attitude and would just as soon cuss you out as to look at you. She was angry and hostile and always in attack mode. She was the “thorn in my flesh” for about 6 weeks, but something in me cared – dare I say - loved.
Something happened to Trina one day. We went to a temp agency to practice job hunting. The women were to dress appropriately for an interview, fill out an application, and have a mock interview with the agency’s staff. Not much of what I had taught had gotten through. Most of the women showed up looking like they were ready to party – hair done up and out and everywhere, long nails painted with many designs, big gold hoop earrings, dresses with splits way beyond professional. Trina was too much of a tomboy for all of that. She looked nice, low-key and professional. She was calm that morning – I don’t know why – I just thank God for small miracles. She wheeled and dealed her way that day into a valet parking job at a country club for the weekend. On that day, Trina changed. One weekend valet parking job, and she was a different person.
Our adult SS classes have bought gifts for 6 families in need this Christmas. I don’t know if any of these families take advantage of the system or not. I don’t know if they have bad attitudes or bad luck. I don’t know their story, but Trina taught me that I don’t have to – all I have to do is love – even when love is challenge.
Paul admonishes us to let love be genuine – to outdo one another in showing honor – to extend hospitality to strangers. I pray that as these 6 families open these gifts that they’ll know there were loved by Park Road Baptist Church – and that that would make all the difference.
Carol: For Unto Us a Child is Born, Handel
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, unto us a son is given, for unto us a child is born: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.