Holy Hump Day (December 16) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

The Gospels & The Christmas Story

Sermon (December 13/Advent) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     The theme of our Advent sermon series is “wait for it.” Advent is a season of waiting and being patient as we prepare for the Christmas celebration. So if that’s the meaning of these four weeks leading up to Christmas, it seems a little premature to add rejoicing to what we should be doing in the middle of December. 

     Rejoicing is what we do on Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Christ. Rejoicing is what we do when we gather with family to open presents and laugh together around the dinner table . Rejoicing is what we do when we gather on Christmas Eve and sing “Joy to the World.” 

     Even so, the Christian calendar knows that you need to have at least a little fun during these long weeks leading up to Christmas. It can’t all be so serious.

     This is why the third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for rejoice. And it’s the reason why today’s New Testament scripture reading is from I Thessalonians where the Apostle Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.”

     Paul wrote those words for Christians who were living in Thessaloniki and who were being persecuted for their faith. It was during this time of adversity, that Paul encouraged them to not give up and to keep waiting for the coming of Jesus.

     And this reminds us that Advent is not just a time that we await to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Advent is also a time that we await the second coming of Jesus when something even bigger and greater will happen. That’s when God will make all things new. Even after the Christmas holiday comes and goes, we are still an Advent people because we await that time in the future when God will make as the scriptures tell us, new heavens and a new earth. 

     Or think of it this way. These four weeks of waiting for the first coming of Christ into the world is a reminder that we are also called to wait for the second coming of Christ. If we thought his first coming was wort waiting for, imagine what his second coming will be like!

     This is the big picture of the whole reason why we observe Advent. These four weeks are meant to remind us that we are always a people who are in waiting. We are waiting not just to open Christmas presents, but we are waiting for this world to be transformed, renewed, and reclaimed by God. 

     And Paul is reminding the Thessalonians that they are not to wait passively. They, like us are invited to wait proactively. We are to wait by rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in all circumstances.

     For the past several months, we have all been in a waiting mode as we have been making sacrifices to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. We have also been patiently waiting for a vaccine to be developed and made available for people all around the world.

     I remember when I started to work on this Advent series thinking that these four weeks leading up to Christmas are nothing compared to these past several months in which we have been in a waiting period for a medical breakthrough. If anything, this global pandemic has forced us into a long-term waiting mode.

     And I’ve been wondering how this time of waiting has impacted people in different ways. Our hearts break for families whose loved ones have passed away because of this virus. One of the ways that I have been impacted during this time of waiting is in being more appreciative of what we have. As Tom Murray, our coordinator of Monday Lunch reminds me, “our health is our wealth.”

     Remembering to be thankful for our health, for our loved ones, and for our blessings in life has stood out for me especially during this long and challenging year. I’m more inclined to rejoice in the things I have rather than be sad about the things I don’t have.

     During the weeks leading up to the start of school this past August, school districts had to make very difficult decisions on whether they were going to allow students in the schools or offer online learning only or a combination of the two. I was following the discussions that were happening with our local area schools but I was also following an out of state school district. 

     I made the mistake of joining a Facebook page of this out of state school district. It consisted mostly of parents of students as well as other people in the community. At first, the comments that were shared were civil and respectful, but after about a week, the opinions that were being shared became so negative and toxic that I decided to leave the group discussion.

     And I know that there is no way you can make everybody happy, but that’s when I realized that this was an example of how we can so easily forget to be thankful for what we already have. I was thinking, what if this pandemic happened back in the 80s or 90s or even just ten or so years ago when we wouldn’t have even had an online learning option at all?

     The same can be said for the church. What if the only option we had to help people stay connected would be sending out a newsletter through the mail. I can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have our new sanctuary camera to make these online worship recordings. 

     I remember this past July after one of our worship recordings, one of you told me over the phone that you felt like you were physically here in our sanctuary even though you were watching the recorded service on your computer. That positive comment led me to a moment of rejoicing and I think it did for you as well. 

     I think this is a little of what the Apostle Paul is saying in his letter. “Give thanks to God in all circumstances.”

     Maybe your blessing during this long year of social distancing is that you have been able to spend more time with a loved one, enjoy a hobby or maybe start a new one. One of the new hobbies I started is to identify plants in my neighborhood. I downloaded an app on my smartphone to help me do this.

     When I go on a walk, I take a picture of a plant and the app will instantly tell me what it is and even if it can detect a diseased plant. When I come home from a walk, I’ll mention to Penny that I never realized how many wild grape leaves are in our neighborhood or that one of the trees near our house is a black cherry. I’m learning all kinds of things about God’s wonderful creation that I never took time to notice. 

     When we focus on what we do have rather than on what we don’t have, it helps us to give thanks in all circumstances. What helps you to be thankful for God’s blessings especially during this long time of waiting? And what prompts you to rejoice even when life can seem so mundane at times?

     Do you know who St. Nerdnuk was? I would guess not. One of my seminary professors had created this fake saint day for the church calendar. He came up with the idea of having a St. Nerdnuk Day because it was my professor's way of having a little fun during the Advent season.

     As the story was told, my professor didn't like it when his family members gave practical gifts to each other for Christmas. And so he created this new pre-Christmas Feast Day to be the day when we give practical and utilitarian gifts to each other so that Christmas can be reserved for more special gifts.

     Some examples of practical St. Nerdnuk gifts? Toasters, oven mitts, underwear, cooking utensils, coasters, pillows, pens/pencils, etc. These types of gifts are meant to be given on St. Nerdnuk Day. The more special and personal gifts are to be reserved for Christmas.

     This professor has since passed away and I don't remember the exact details of St. Nerdnuk Day. I'm sure he had a special date for it in December. I just don't remember which day. As a way of honoring this professor's creative way of have some fun during Advent, I have taken it upon myself to establish the Monday after the 2nd Sunday of Advent as St. Nerdnuk Day which would have been last week. I chose Monday because it seems like it is in the spirit of the purpose of this Feast Day.

     I’ll remind you about this next year so that you’ll have time to purchase, wrap, and deliver practical/utilitarian St. Nerdnuk gifts to your loved ones. Actually, I'm a little surprised that I even remember the name of this made up special saint day. I'm not sure if this would be the correct spelling for St. Nerdnuk. I'm spelling it like it sounded when he first told me this story over thirty years ago now. 

     I often wonder what St. Nerdnuk would have probably looked like. Maybe he looked like this picture on this oven mitt. This could become the new logo for St. Nerdnuk Day.

     The Apostle Paul tells us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. This is what it means to be a people of faith who wait for the coming of Christ.

     It’s not always easy to wait for it, but it’s good to know that there are moments of rejoicing as we wait for that time when God will make all things new.

Wait for It! Rejoicing

Sermon Discussion Questions

I Thessalonians 5:16-24

December 13, 2020 

Knowing how difficult it can be to patiently wait for the coming celebration of Christmas, the 3rd Sunday of Advent is known as “Gaudete Sunday.” Gaudete is a Latin word that means, “rejoice.” Even though we are still in a waiting period, this Sunday reminds us to appreciate God’s blessings even as we wait.

Share how God is blessing you during this Advent season.

In the spirit of Gaudete Sunday, our I Thessalonians scripture reading invites us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and to give thanks in a circumstances. The Apostle wrote these words to encourage the Christians in Thessaloniki as they awaited the 2nd coming of Jesus. This reminds us that we are not only waiting for Christmas to come during this Advent season. We are also waiting for that time in the future when Jesus will return and God will make new heavens and a new earth.

What does this connection between the 1st and the 2nd coming of Jesus mean to you? How does the future 2nd coming of Jesus give new meaning to the 1st coming of Jesus when he was born at Christmas? 

Pastor Robert shared a fun way to rejoice during this Advent season by celebrating St. Nerdnuk Day that always falls on the Monday after the 2nd Sunday of Advent. It’s a day to give more practical and utilitarian type of Christmas gifts to each other and save the more special gifts for opening on Christmas Day. 

What are some creative ways that help you to have some fun and rejoice even during this Advent season of waiting?

Share in this Advent prayer which reminds us to rejoice as we await not only Christmas but that time in the future when God will make all things new.

Spirit of the living God, during this season of Advent, help us to draw closer to you. Guide our preparations for Christmas so that we will hold fast to what is good and holy. Remind us that in all of life’s circumstances, you are with us. You never forsake us! We confess that we often try to solve the challenges of life with our own strength and we quench your Spirit. Forgive us for not turning to you in our time of need. Teach us in this time of waiting to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. Amen.

Online Sunday Worship (Dec. 13/Advent) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our (December 13/Advent)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:20 am]

Holy Hump Day (December 9) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

The Apostle Paul Said What

I Wanted to Say!!

Sermon (December 6/Advent) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     Many of you know that I plan out my sermon themes a year in advance. When I came up with our Advent series a year and a half ago based on the theme of waiting, little did I know how important this topic would be for us now. As they say, the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways!

     Wait for it. That’s basically what we have been doing since last March. We have been waiting for when our world, our community, and our church will get back to some type of normalcy. 

     A week or two after we needed to close down our church building because of the coronavirus, I was speaking with one of our church members. And if you remember, at that time, we were being told that it would be another month or two, like by the month of June before we would be able to resume a more normal routine.

     And this church member said to me, “Wow, I can maybe handle a couple of weeks of this, but I can’t get my mind around dealing with this for the next two to three months.” I remember responding in agreement. I just couldn’t imagine being apart from each other for that length of time.

     But then around early to mid July, the cases started to spike all across the country. Even though some businesses had reopened, we knew that we were still far from where we needed to be in fighting this virus.

     And then I started feeling some hope when they were saying that a vaccine was going to be available by the end of this year. But then, they said how it probably wouldn’t be until the summer when the vaccine will be available for everybody.

     It was at that point, that I put up the white surrender flag and just accepted that there was no quick solution to help us get back to normal. I’m saying all of this because it feels like the Advent season of waiting didn’t start last Sunday. Advent started last March!

     But really, if you think about it, we are always in a season of waiting, not just these four weeks leading up to Christmas.

     In our II Peter scripture reading we read this verse… “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” 

     II Peter isn’t referring to the end of a global pandemic. He’s thinking of that time in the future when there will be new heavens and a new earth. And this is what gives us hope during this time of waiting. A time is coming when God will make all things new.

     Imagine what that time will be like when there will be new heavens and a new earth. Imagine that time when all of the problems of this world will cease and there will be only peace, joy, harmony, justice, equality, freedom, and unity.

     II Peter is saying, that this is why we can have hope because God is leading us into that future. What gives you hope and patience during this time of waiting? 

     This past summer, I was thinking about this very question. The long months of the pandemic coinciding with the many protests across our country made it difficult to feel any hope during this difficult time. You can sense it in people’s eyes even when they are wearing a mask that all of this is overwhelming us. The pain and brokenness of our world has been too much to bear. 

     Where can hope be found when it seems like all around us is only pain, fear, and anger? That’s what I was asking myself one day this past July as I was getting ready for work.

      And of all places, I was reminded of hope by watching the morning news. Imagine that! Again, God works in mysterious ways.

      They were reporting at the funeral of Congressman John Lewis, civil rights leader and activists who died after a long battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. They were reading John Lewis’s farewell letter to our country which he had written shortly before he died. It’s a letter of hope. I know you might have already heard this or read it, but I think it fleshes out a little of what II Peter is telling us in this season of Advent.

     John Lewis wrote, “While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself. Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.

     Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to  answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life, I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21^stcentury, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”

     Usually the news is just background noise but this time was different. I sat down and listened to the reading of his letter.

     And I thought to myself, if this man who had his skull fractured by police back in 1965 while leading 600 peaceful demonstrators across a bridge in Alabama in support of equal rights and continued to dedicate his entire life to freedom and justice, then maybe I had a lot more to learn about patience. If this man kept hope alive his entire life through service to his country, than maybe I had a lot more to learn about hope. 

     Advent is a season that reminds us that even though we haven’t arrived to the place where God is calling us to be, to keep hoping because at the very heart and center of the compelling biblical narrative is that God will one day make new heavens and a new earth. That hope is deeply rooted throughout the scriptures.

     When God sent Jesus into the world, it was a visible sign that God was keeping his promise. Jesus, the very embodiment of God was born into our world, died for our sins, rose again, and then promised that he would come again to renew all things.

     This is one of the reasons why II Peter is encouraging us to stay patient because he knows that it’s easy to grow weary during this waiting period. It’s easy to become impatient. It’s easy to lose hope when we focus only on how far we need to go.

     Advent is a time for us to keep hoping as we wait.

     And as we wait, look for those signs of hope that are all around us. I see so much hope through our church.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We’ll buy a recording camera for the sanctuary and offer a high quality online worship service each week.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We’ll still help Habitat for Humanity to build a house this year and we’ll make a commitment to help build another one next year.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We’ll provide weekly curbside meals to our community.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We’ll offer online small groups through Zoom to help people in our church stay connected.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We’ll continue to pay 100% of our conference apportionments because we believe that these funds will be used by our West Ohio Conference in missions and ministry throughout the world.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We’ll still send out prayer requests every week and include the prayers from our outside prayer box.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We’ll still make and deliver prayer shawls to those who are in need of some love from our church.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We have our church toys who are kind of taking over our church in a fun way.

     Facing a global pandemic? No problem. We’ll still collect Festival of Sharing hygiene and school kits for people in need all around the world.

     You are some of the most hope-filled people I know. Evidently you already received the memo from II Peter to keep waiting for new heavens and a new earth.

     I think that over the past several months we have been learning that there’s a lot that we just don’t need in order to be the church. 

     We have one of the most beautiful church buildings in the area, and even during the several months that it was closed, we adapted and continued to be the church. Even though our shiny offering plates haven’t been passed through the pews since last March, your offerings continue to pour into the church every single week.

     I can only think of one reason why you are such a tenacious bunch of believers. It’s the only way for me to describe why you are so patient and willing to stay the course. 

     We are an Advent people. We are a people of hope!

Wait for It! Hoping

Sermon Discussion Questions

II Peter 3:8-15a & Mark 1:1-8

December 6, 2020 

The season of Advent is a time for us to wait patiently for the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. We have also been waiting patiently during these past several months due to a global pandemic. 

What has helped you to wait patiently during these past several months of the pandemic?

The author of our II Peter scripture reading is encouraging us to be patient as “we wait for new heavens and a new earth.” The biblical writer is reminding us that we are to wait patiently for that time in the future when God will make all things new and the world will be filled with harmony, justice, peace, love, and unity.

What helps you to wait patiently for that time in the future when God will make all things new?

Pastor Robert shared how a letter written by civil rights leader, John Lewis just before he did this past summer gave him a sense of hope during this very challenging year. Even though John Lewis suffered greatly for standing up for racial equality, his letter encourages all of us to not give up and to keep hoping as we seek to make this world a better place.

Who has inspired you to keep hoping for a better world? 

In his farewell letter, John Lewis’s last words are “walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”

Share some ways that can help us keep hoping and working toward that time when God will make news heavens and a new earth.

Online Worship (Dec. 6/Advent) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our (December 6/Advent)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:20 am]

Holy Hump Day (Dec. 2) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Why Do We Observe Advent When

We Already Know Jesus Was Born?