Joy Unexpected!

This fourth Sunday of Advent at Ft. Collins FUMC, we're focusing on joy.  I think joy can come to us in a number of ways.  It can result from circumstances that please us, like a raise or promotion at work or “ace-ing” a final exam; maybe achieving a long-sought goal after lots of hard work or seeing a loved one overcome a difficult challenge.  But it can also come to us through discovery, especially when that discovery is completely unexpected, as if it came from a spiritual realm beyond us.  I think recognizing Jesus as Immanuel, God-with-us, is like that – and the hazard is that those closest to Jesus are the ones most likely to miss that discovery.

I will be using the familiar (perhaps) verse from Isaiah, 7:14, coupled with a passage from Luke, not one typically read/heard at this time of year: Luke 4:16-21.  At this point, I'm considering the perspective that while those who didn't grow up with Jesus hailed him as remarkable (see 4:14-15), those who were most familiar with him and his family missed the connection that Christian tradition later made between Jesus and  Isaiah 7:14, namely that this Jesus, "Joseph's son", was much more than that. See Luke 4:22 and the following verses for what I mean.

And I'm thinking that for those who made that discovery, joy filled their hearts.  The same kind of thing can happen today.  If you've got a story or two I can share regarding your experience of this discovery, I'd love to consider it for the sermon.  Just shoot me an e-mail or Comment on this blog.

God's blessings to you,

Steve