Romans 15:4-13.                                                Good News for all!!                                           4/12/16

⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, ⁶ so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. ⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed ⁹ and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing the praises of your name.”

¹⁰ Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

¹¹ And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.”

¹² And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.”

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There is hope as we go forward as God’s people and that hope is available to all people; if only they would have it. With that we are able to have the courage and endurance to face life in a world that is having great difficulty; but desperately trying to pretend that all is well. Along with that we can have a joy and peace that overflows in our lives.

At this time, as we are approaching Christmas once more, this is a very important message for us to hear and share with those we come into contact with. For despite the fact that this is the season of joy and happiness, for many it is the opposite. Again the other night I heard of the fact that there is a huge increase in in loneliness, depression and troubled relationships at this time of the year.

Despite all the nice adds and rhetoric around the Christmas tree and dinner and the like, the reality is sadly far different. We are told that Christmas is such a wonderful time for us as we enjoy our gifts, relationships and merriment. Yet the reality for many is far different.

The financial pressures for many means that they will be dependent on the Welfare agencies for their basics over Christmas. Broken and divorced families result in tensions over access and who we will and won’t be sharing it all with, and the untold loneliness and hurt that results. The extra work requirements at this time adds to the pressure and lack of time to do what needs to be done. And the list could go on.

Then to make matters even worse Christ is taken out of Christmas and the result is a lot of hype about nothing. For without him the peace, joy and good will is empty and shallow. Christmas becomes a time that we have to work hard at making it what we want it to be; and it just doesn’t work out. The more that we make it about what we do, the more frustrating and divisive it all becomes. There is then no meaning in Christmas other than a few ‘nice’ sentiments.

Yet again, we as a society want to desperately portray it all as a good time and that all is well. We don’t want to admit that life for most people is far from rosy. We put a nice glossy coat over it all, and pretend that all is well. The reality however is far from it.

 This then adds to the dilemma for most people. Since all this is so good, and everyone is wearing their plastic smiles, it must be only me that is the problem. Everyone else is having a good time, and everything is going well for them, so my problem then is even worse. Either I am a failure or everyone is against me, or my problem is worse than the others. So inside the hurt is even worse.

So welcome to today’s real world. This is the harsh reality of life in our sinful world. It is all around us, and even in our own lives. Not only is this real life, but the Bible tells us also that this is the reality of a world that has chosen to disobey and ignore God. Take Christ out of Christmas and this is all that is left. Sin brings untold grief into our world in abundance; and there is no escaping it. As much as we might like to pretend that this is not so; this is reality.

But as we are prepared to acknowledge this reality and the hopelessness that is encapsulated in it, we suddenly are confronted with a whole new story. As we give up on pretending that life is so good, we find that God has some real, Good News for us. And Christmas is all about this Good News that suddenly gives us all hope, peace and joy.

This Good News is that God himself has come into our sick and broken world to give us hope and salvation. He comes right down to where we are in our brokenness and then takes it on himself and goes to the cross to take the punishment that we deserve for it all on himself. In turn he assures us of forgiveness and the certainty of eternal life in heaven, free from all sickness, troubles and death.

So now we can know for sure that we are loved, even though we are up to our eyeballs in muck. No matter who we are or how big the mess might be, God is with us for sure, and promises us that this is not the end of the story. Rich and poor, healthy or sick, religious or not, Jew or Gentile, all are confronted with the same reality and the same hope. It is there for all who do not turn their backs on it.

What a wonderful assurance that is for us as we face the realities of life. God is with us, not necessarily, to take the problems away, but to be with us through it all. He mostly does not suddenly take the problems away, because they are the consequence of and reminders of humanities sin. And we need constant reminders that disobedience and rejection of God has its consequences. We know what happens when life goes well for us, we become more selfish and give God less and less of our time and thinking.

We need troubles and hardships to turn us away from ourselves to look to the great and glorious promises that God has for us. We need to look to him who is not just the creator of all things, but also the redeemer and saviour, and there know for sure that he does have a plan for us all, no matter what sort of mess we make for ourselves and our world. As we recognise that the realities of life in our world are not good at all, we do now have One who we can rely on in the midst of it all.

Here let me repeat that opening verse of our reading: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. So we have God’s word written down from ages past to help us to know all of this. It was written by God’s inspiration to teach us all of these things. There he tells us why we have all these problems and his answers to them.

But most importantly to teach us that he is there so that we can know that we are loved, forgiven and assured of eternal life in heaven. He teaches us there that we can look to him with certainty and know that in connection with him, the troubles and death of this world is not the end of the story.

In the Bible we have that which will enable us to endure in the face of all the rubbish that surrounds us. As we look to him and what he promises we can ‘hang in there’ and know that it will all work out for good. In that too, we find great encouragement that enables us to keep going forward with a sure hope that will not let us down.

Here we are clearly reminded that it does not matter who we are or what our status in life might be, this Good News is available to all. It is not simply for those who were the Jews, or those who have been born and bred in the Church. It is not just for the ‘good religious people’. 

No, again the Scriptures themselves say: “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” Jesus coming, life, death and resurrection was for all people. He came into our mess to be with us all and help us all, no matter how rugged life may be for us. No one is excluded; except for those who refuse to believe it.

Again it says: For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.

So the reliability of Jesus and his coming for all people is verified again and again throughout the Scriptures. He is true, and his coming for the benefit of us all, is guaranteed. So the message of Christmas truly is a great and joyous one. It is a message that is important and helpful for all who are struggling under the pressures that surround us at this time.

So no matter what our financial, relationship, emotional or whatever struggle it might be; we now can know for sure that God is right there with us and for us in the midst of it. We have one who cares for us no matter what. We have one who has provided a way out the other side for us. We can trust him and so endure and be encouraged in the midst of it all.

So now our peace, hope and joy is no longer dependent on our making or living up to the expectations of others and our world around us. It is not some plastic facade that we place around us. Instead it is found in the rough and grime of life, knowing that God himself has come right down into our mess and has provided life and salvation to each and every one of us.

So: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. To him be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish