2002.12.22. Advent 4th Sunday - JDS Moon Hyung Il

What present do you want?

Luke 146-56

Christmas will be here in three days. Arrays of cars leading to the Tysons Corner Mall seem endless. Whether you are a Christian or not, Christmas brings happy thoughts and anticipation. Falling asleep waiting for father with presents on a snowy Christmas night. Opening presents by your beds early morning half sleeping. I remember singing Christmas carols, exchanging Christmas presents on my once a year allowed sleeping over at friend's house. I remember spending a lot more on wrapping than the present itself. I don't remember what I got or what I gave but I remember being very happy opening the presents. Christmas was favorite time of the year for the men in service as well. I remember sending presents and letters to the men in service every December in the elementary school. I wondered whether they would receive all those on time or not. But they were delivered to the men on time, all of them. While I was serving, I also received these bags of comfort once or twice. In them were letter, soap, toothbrush, paste and cookies that would last for a week or so. It was worth waiting for the Christmas because of a bag of those items.

Presents are good things. Presents represents sender's love and thoughts. Receiving presents means receiving sender's thoughts as well. Trying to give better presents and at the same time gets happy receiving better presents. I don't remember when we started to exchange presents. In the Bible, we see three kings of East bringing presents to baby Jesus but we don't see the people exchanging the presents.

One thing to think about though is we are still busy while Jesus and his family is waiting outside by the Nativity or by the Christmas decorations. 2000 years ago, baby Jesus was born outside the manger because there were no rooms left. Is he still waiting outside because we are too busy that there are no rooms left for him to come in? Is Jesus a guest in our mind rather than the focus of our mind?

I am not here this morning to talk about the materialism nor the secularism. I am here to talk about the need to make the memorable Christmas memory for our children as I have experienced while growing up. This week is the forth advent week. I like to talk about what really is important and necessary presents for us while waiting for our Savior Jesus Christ.

Today's scripture is song of Mary. Mary went to see Elizabeth as soon as she heard the angel saying that she would give birth to a son. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, she blesses Mary and the child. Mary with blessings from Elizabeth sings her first hymn in New Testament. " My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." She sings magnifica. She sings her deep gratitude of receiving the greatest gift of being a mother to our Savior Jesus Christ. How can we give this kind of thanks and praise?

First, we have to know whom to give thanks to. We have to know who gives this kind of gift. We have to know whether it is from husband, wife, children or from the parents. When you look at today's scripture, it's not the human beings like us who gives gift to Mary. It is God who makes impossible like giving birth to a son through Holy Spirit possible. Mary could have been stoned to death being pregnant since she wasn't married. She might have been scared just because or she might have doubted the angel Gabriel. Instead, Mary gave praise to God. Mary realized it was God who gave this gift. She believed in God.

Luke 1;44, Elizabeth said "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished."

In verse 46 through 49, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for Might One has done great things for me-holy is his name."

Have you been in gratitude for God's glory? Mary conquered her fear with God's blessing. The most difficult thing would be changing oneself. Changing what one is accustomed to would be difficult. I tried not talking after getting up in the morning for over ten years. Along with Ten Commandments, I kept not talking before 10 as 11th commandment. I kept that 11th commandment that I made. I changed that habit while I was in theologian school. I had to greet friends good morning there. Was I happy? No. It was just morning to me instead of good morning. Even though I didn't feel like it, I had to say good morning to friends. As I was saying that my mind slowly opened up. It was hard enough to change small thing like that but it was even harder to change my fear and worry with the joy and the gratitude. But Mary sings praise through her lips. She opened up to praise God for all the things God will accomplish in faith. When the angel said of a baby being born, she was greatly troubled.

"How will this be, since I am a virgin?" She asks this general question. In general, it is unthinkable to have unwed baby. We too sometimes ask this same question. When we go through hardships in business, in relationships, in bad health and in never ending troubles. How will God solve these problems? It seems impossible. What is God going to do? How could God let this problem happen to me? Why me? Why now?

The angel Gabriel answered. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

But Mary still couldn't believe. Our heads seem to believe when we hear sermons, when we read the Bible and pray. But the situations and the ways do not seem to change at all for us. We doubt of ever solving. Then the angel answered again.

"Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month."

Elizabeth is like the brothers and sisters for us. No one is free from problems. There is no one without any problems. Dead are the ones. When you die, there will be no problems. But we are to solve problems while living among living. God is at work solving Elizabeth's and our problems without us knowing. God is at work solving Mary's and our problems when our minds with all the logic and the objectivities cannot. God was at work six months ago. God was at work with Elizabeth, God who made impossible possible is at work with me. The angel Gabriel answered again. "For nothing is impossible with God."

Mary believed what the angel has told her. Nothing is impossible with God. Do you believe this God? With this faith, God gave Jesus. With this faith, God gave Jesus as gift. We can now hear the greatest confession in the New Testament. "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."

That is when the Holy Spirit came. When I completely empty myself to be used in God's will is when the Holy Spirit fills myself. What fills myself? God's gift is the one. Mary did not confess after she measured all the possibilities, but confessed to the Lord to be used for God's will. She confessed that she is the Lord's servant. Being the servant or the slave mean being without the freedom. I am the Lord's servant. Use me as you wish. But unlike any masters, God doesn't use us as slaves or the servants. There is nothing like forced work. God doesn't force us to work. Mary was given the choice. We were given the choice to walk the walk of the chosen one. We were given the choice to receive this greatest gift of all.

For these past four years, I have walked the path of the chosen one. I have been called to work in the ministry. Like Mary, I have received this great gift. But honestly, I felt burdened by this gift at times. But I realize that I am not walking this path alone. God not only has taken over the ministry that I serve but also gave me the gift of rejoicing in them. Since December 1st, I am taking the clinical pastoral education in Asbury Methodist village. There are about 1500 retirees living. I am currently working at the assisted living due to the bad health in that ward. A lot of them are Christians and the Methodists. I see a lot of people who are interested in their own health rather than with faith even though they were once devoted to going to church when they were young. Their last wish is not going to heaven but of living without any assists. There was one who committed suicide because of feeling of abandonment by the society and by the family. I had the chance to talk with 86 year olds lady whose husband passed away two years ago. During our conversation, I asked her if she prayed and what she prayed. She asked me back if the prayer was that important. Prayer is the conversation. Prayer is not only asking for what we need but is also talking to God continuously. Like we are talking right now. That is why God has sent Jesus. I told her of other Jesus' name since she didn't know. Immanuel who is with you and me. Immanuel who is with us. She thought for a while and said she wasn't lonely anymore. She thanked me for being there to tell her that. Emmanuel Jesus is with us forever the minute you receive Jesus Christ as gift. My first sermon was about five loaves of bread and two fish. It ended like this.

Five loaves of bread and two fish….they are sufficient God.
Mary who believed God, and that is sufficient God.

Secondly, let's take a look at what gift God is giving.

What did God promise to give through Mary? Was it the big house by Bethlehem or the money or the gold and silver? It was baby Jesus. Then, why did he give this gift among all the other gifts?

In conclusion, Jesus was the most necessary gift to us. The gospel through the prophets, through the promise in Old Testament that God will save us. The Word came down in flesh. Nobody could see God, because God was God. But God is here with us where ever you are. He came down to us to change despair, pain and suffering to hope and joy. He came down to us to live among us. And so we call him the Savior. There is nothing like this gift. It is exhilarating when we receive what we hope for. It is most exhilarating when we receive before hand. God sent Jesus for this reason. The story of the first gift ever is the gift of Jesus to Mary. And God has called us to receive this gift right here and now.

This is the praise of the one who has received the greatest gift of all.

I do not have much
I do not have great knowledge
I do not have great health
But I do have something nobody has

I did see what nobody could see
I heard what nobody could hear
The love that nobody could receive and realize
Through fair God, have I received all.

What has this cerebral palsy poet Song Myung Hee received as gift? What has this poet received that nobody could have received? God was her gift. She received what nobody could see or feel or hear. That she said is enough. This poet knows she has the greatest gift of all.

I jokingly asked our member who recently returned from Korea, what gift he has brought. He put both hands under his chin and said "Me." I found truth in his reply. God looking through what gift to give to us sent us the best gift. Himself. I will send myself as best gift. Receive. I am the gift to you. To show his love for us, he came to us as baby Jesus. He showed himself through baby Jesus.

My soul praises God
My spirit rejoices in God for looking after mere servant
All the generation rejoices from now on

What do you like to get for this Christmas?

Mary confessed herself blessed for receiving the best gift. Are you happy now? Do you rejoice in baby Jesus as your gift this Christmas? Do you feel the anticipation of the birth of baby Jesus like Mary?

I feel the joy thinking of our Savior Jesus Christ. I thought of the verse 47 like this.

"My spirit rejoices in receiving our Savior Jesus Christ as my gift. I hope to pray with such anticipation with you today."