December 3, 2017 Isaiah 64:1-9 Gift we need   

First Sunday of Advent

Like children we want but God gives us who we need.

Psalter Reading Psalm 80:1-7

“1 ¶ «To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Lillies." A Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.» Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! 2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength, And come and save us! 3 Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! 4 O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people? 5  You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure. 6  You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves. 7  Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:1-7 NKJV)

 “1 ¶ Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence— 2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil—To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! 3 When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence. 4 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. 5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved. 6 ¶ But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. 7 And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. 8  But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. 9  Do not be furious, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!” (Isa 64:1-9 NKJV)

Preparing for Christmas usually means trying to get people the gift they want.  Many remember so fondly gifts they wanted so much and received on Christmas morning.  As kids we rejoiced to see toys and were disappointed when we saw clothes.

We often convince ourselves the First Gift of Christmas was a Gift we wanted but the Bible reminds us again and again in so many ways Jesus is the gift we need and not the gift we want.

In truth the Christ child is not the gift we wanted but the gift which we need!  We need the Christ child because we need to be freed from the sin in our lives. The sin that burns in our lives and destroys us, which keeps us from God and each other even in the season of Christmas and makes even our best deeds  like filthy rags in the eyes of God.

So in this season of Christmas receive the gift of the Christ child. Discover the Fingerprints of God's work in your life. And see how He is forming your lives like the Potter forms the clay.

As you opened and received the gift that you did not want but which you do need receive the fullness of the gift of Christmas as you receive the fullness of Jesus Christ into your life.  AMEN!