COMING TO LOVE



A Sermon On:

Zephaniah 3:14-20




PREPARED BY

KEN GEHRELS

PASTOR

CALVIN CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH

NEPEAN, ONTARIO



Are you ready to celebrate this Christmas season?
I hope so, because of all people in the world, we've got more reason than anyone to do so.
What makes me say that? Something that's brought to mind every time I see a mother cradling her baby;when, in that, I see her love, care, tender passion, determination to protect that young and very vulnerable life. There's something very beautiful about that mother-child relationship - something almost mysterious.
That sort of mother-child bond is, of course, brought right to the forefront this season as we all focus on a very special mother, cradling a very special baby:We see a young Jewish Virgin cradling her firstborn, a son. We see a greater mystery of love than ever -- we see that Virgin, Mary, cradling not just her son, but God's Son. It is the mystery of a human being cradling God.
Who could ever imagine that such a thing would ever be?
Yet it IS so.

And, mystery upon mystery, we can look at that infant son, cradled in His mother's arms, and see the greatest of all mysteries -- wondrous, life-giving-- a Holy God who desires to cradle, love, care for and protect humans.
- to gather people to Himself
- to wrap His strong arms around them
- to care for them, to soothe them, to protect them
- to do so with a tender and yet very determined passion.
Can you see that in this Holiday, this Christmas season?
If you can, what more reason do you need to celebrate?
Celebrate, then, for all you're worth!

A mother's passion for her child.
Mary's passion for the Christ Child.
Reflections of God's passion for you.

How can I dare, how can I presume, to say such words?
Based on God's own Holy Word given down through the ages to us.
Please join me in reading words from the Prophet Zephaniah, words given him by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Zephaniah 3:14-20


One thing we must do -- that is make sure we're reading these words in their proper context; that we're not injecting some wishful meaning of our own construction into them.So, to make sure we don't end up leading each other down the ol' garden path, let's consider what's happening when these words were spoken.
The Prophet Zephaniah was speaking to the ancient nation of Israel in a time of great national uncertainty. Sort of a messy, unstable time. Raiding parties were constantly at the Israelite border, attacking, picking away, destabilizing in a kind of guerrilla warfare. Find a weak spot and poke. Draw back and look for another vulnerable moment. Just biding their time until the opportunity would present itself to rush in and strike at the heart of the nation. People were being killed and captured. Economic stability was undermined. Social life was shaken. Any sense of prosperity, peace and well-being was quickly evaporating. If these people were to look at their future it would seem -- at best -- as bleak and grey as a February afternoon in rainy Vancouver.To these people the Prophet brings a ray of sunshine - a cache of hope.v.16: "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
Don't let your hands hang limp -- don't give up home, and say in disillusionment and fear, "Why bother? What's the use?"See - The Lord, the great King of Creation is with you.
"With you" is really not strong enough to give the effect of the original language, which is more of "smack dab right in the midst of you; among you; with you -- right there; no distance."
And for you, O people, that are frightened by the impact that raiding warriors may have on your nation, take heart --The Great Almighty Divine Creator is with you. The One with all power ---- all... mighty. As v.17 says: Mighty to save. And the Hebrew word used there for mighty was one that people in the prophet's day would have used to describe a national war hero -- super strong soldier, rugged leader, invincible.HE is with you; to fight for you. His power will work on your behalf.
Only -- not in a rough way, violent or destructive. Keep reading in v.17:He will take great delight in you.
He will quiet you with His love.
He will rejoice over you with singing. And the prophet's picture changes from that of a granite-jawed Airborne colonel to a mother in the maternity ward.

Notice the verbs, the action words used in the remainder of the prophecy:removing sorrow, rescuing, gathering, giving, restoring.
Freed from slavery,yes, it seems that there will be slavery from which the people need to be rescued.
Restored and recovered from being scattered,somehow they will be strewn all over the map.
But God, with a passion for His children that is stronger than the greatest passion any mother on earth could muster -- God will draw His people back together, and back to Himself.

That's the promise of Zephaniah.
What the prophet doesn't present, is the roll-out of the promise; how it's going to come to be.... or when.
And it's something that neither the people nor he could ever envision.
First reason being that the problem was much bigger in scope than they saw. It was more than trouble with political, economic or military enemies. It was a problem with the very Great Warrior King, the passionate Parent in Heaven who desired to draw them back.
It's a problem called sin.

God called them to go one way.
In their hearts was a tug to go the other way. Which they did.

Sin - that destructive force within them chewing away at their heart; at the very core of their being, bit by bit -- in the same way as those invading guerrilla bands.
Sin - shaking, banging, ripping, tearing, nudging, wooing, tempting....doing whatever it can to damage or hopefully destroy the relationship between God in Heaven and people here on earth.
Sin - was given a clear picture of how it works this past week when my home computer was invaded by a virus called "One-Half." We had a virus shield up, and all that good stuff, but it wasn't enough. The guard slipped down for a moment and -- bamb! -- there it was.
Oh the machine still works.... for the moment. But if that virus goes unchecked it will worm it's way through the guts of the computer, munching up memory and bits of program coding, little by little. Slowly system performance is affected. And finally , one day, everything comes to a crashing halt.

That's how sin works -- snipping here a bit, getting a foothold there some. Sneaking quietly around in the background until, almost unnoticed, it completely severs the tie between a person and their Lord, their Lord who created them, loves them, has a real plan for their life, and wants an eternal relationship with them.
Sin had pulled the people of Israel into a decaying lifestyle that was everything God didn't want it to be. Sin -- which had affected the entire human race; the entire Creation Order.
THAT'S the real problem that needed solving.
THAT'S what God promises to fix.

Back to the mother and child.
Because that's where the solution is found.
The God who so passionately wants His children close, to embrace them, guide them, love them, and guide them through life to eventual eternity with Himself. That God stoops to become one with us -- a baby in a mother's arms.Only by entering our state, working from within, is God able to effect a cure to the problem -- to meet the rot, and stem its tide.

Sin had entered the Cosmos through the human race, and it was only through the human race that sin could be eradicated; the way in was also the way out.
The way in was through a person who wilfully went against the Lord's commanded will, rejecting His Love for personal desires.
The way out would be through a person would could wilfully follow the Lord God's commanded will all through life, accepting and walking close to His Divine love every moment. Never sinning.
That person would also have to then shoulder the blame, the guilt and the punishment for all who would be set free. For sin had been committed. And justice demanded punishment.
That baby in the arms of Mother Mary, baby Jesus, is the One - the Holy One - who would live that perfect life. He is the One who would face divine justice. He is the one who would carry the weight of punishment. He would clear the record and open the door back to God.
He is the one -- doing this because God desires it so.

Deeply desires it.
He wants His people back.
He will get His people back!

Zephaniah and the Israelites couldn't see all that.
But on this Christmas day we can.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God's Son become a man, we can see it.

We see, and we hear words in our mind that Jesus was later in life to speak:"Come to me, all you that are burdened and carrying a heavy load. I will give you rest."
This morning we draw closer to the Christmas season where we celebrate Zephaniah's prophecy finding the beginning of its fulfilment.
The beginning.
The end of the story is yet to come.
And it will come, in God's perfect time and way.

But until then, that Holy loving passion remains.
And the baby of Christ,
now Christ the King
continues to seek, to gather, to protect, to guide His Children.

He's here this morning. Gathering in you and I. Holding us.
That's why your here.
I firmly believe that Jesus himself brought you here.
Maybe you think it's because your girlfriend or boyfriend brought you, or your family, or habit or whatever. Not so.
Jesus brought you.
Because He's calling you, claiming you, drawing you to Himself.Where sin seeks to infect and destroy us, Jesus has come to heal, to support and to guide.

Now is the season to acknowledge that once again.
And, if we've never done so, to welcome and receive Him into our lives.
To make room for Him.Him with all power in heaven and on earth - mighty warrior Him with a quiet voice and a loving touch - gentle parent.
I asked you at the beginning if you were ready to celebrate this Christmas season. I said that I hope so, because of all people in the world, we've got more reason than anyone to do so. Indeed -- what a reason. If you know that reason -- that powerful, sin-forgiving, life-restoring, eternity-securing, heaven-opening reason - then celebrate this Christmas with all the holy vigour you can muster.

If you haven't, may I invite you to come.
Come to God's love.
And then join in the celebration.
Celebrate the truth and depth of Christmas.
Celebrate it for all you're worth!