What’s In a Name? 

“And you shall call his name Jesus for it is he who will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 

By now, even people who don’t care about economics or what happens on Wall Street are all aware that our economy is in bit of a tizzy. Politicians pontificate about it and financial experts fume about it and everyone has an opinion about what caused it and what must be done to fix the situation.

So, do you know what really caused this mess? One word: SIN. Sin masquerades as many things – greed, ambition, thirst for power, envy, jealousy, pride. All of these character flaws had a part to play in the current economic collapse, and there is plenty of blame to spread around from Wall Street to Main Street to Capitol Hill. But in the middle, it is all about “I,” and “I” is right in the middle of sIn.

In ancient times, economic collapse was generally the result of famine or pestilence or war, but as Western civilization became more sophisticated, economies have followed cycles of boom and bust that are more directly related to irresponsible, selfish behavior. Have you ever heard of the Tulip craze which occurred in Holland from 1634 – 1637? Traders brought tulip bulbs back from Turkey in 1593; they were rare - and therefore, expensive – from the very beginning. But eventually the tulips contracted a virus that caused them to produce many and varied colors and patterns when they bloomed. People started cultivating and trading the bulbs in an attempt to develop new strains, and the price skyrocketed. Tulip bulbs were soon worth more than their weight in gold – a LOT more. In some cases, one bulb could be traded for an entire estate! Soon everyone in Holland was trying to get rich off of tulip bulbs. Then, one day, someone said, “Wait a minute; this is a FLOWER, for goodness sake!” That person started selling to cash in their profits and everyone else followed suit. People who had mortgaged their homes and businesses to buy FLOWERS lost everything. In a matter of months, most tulip bulbs were worth about the same as an onion.

Yep, sin causes people to do lots of stupid things. Not all sin involves rape and murder and selling drugs and lying and stealing. Sin is simply the tendency we all have in our hearts to pursue our own self interest without seeking or submitting to the will of God. At times sin involves tulips. At other times it involves subprime mortgages, or gossip or gluttony or self-righteous attitudes.

And, sin always produces consequences. Romans 3:23 says the wages of sin is DEATH – eternal, separation from the love and presence of God. In the here and now, sin also produces real pain for someone. And that is where the promise above comes in.

The angel tells Joseph his son will be called Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Jesus is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Joshua – God is Salvation. Jesus is the embodiment of this phrase – he is the agent of God’s salvation, delivering us from sin. However, this has two important characteristics. First of all, Jesus delivers us from the penalty we deserve for our sin, i.e., DEATH. His death on the cross spared us from that awful, ultimate punishment. But then it gets interesting. What about the consequences of sin? Does the death of Jesus on the cross spare you the consequence of going to jail if you rob a bank? Here is a trickier one – does the death of Jesus on the cross protect you from the consequences of someone else’s sin – like someone who lies about you and gets you fired, or someone who allows the ENTIIRE commercial banking industry to invest in subprime mortgages and crash the economy? Hmmm.

That’s where the rest of the Christmas message comes into play. In the prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus is referred to as Emmanuel – which means God is with us. Jesus delivers us from the power of sin and the penalty of sin, but the issue of consequences is more fluid. The pain that sin causes to us and to others in this world is still real and active, and it will be until we see Jesus face to face. In the meantime, God will always be with you to comfort and sustain and guide you as you work your way through the consequences of sin, whether it be your sin or someone else’s. He will be with you if you have to go to jail, he will be with you if you have to go on unemployment, and he will get you through it all.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says:  

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

 More than anything else, the promise of Christmas and the power of the Gospel message can be summed up in that one life-changing phrase: God IS faithful. In this present crisis, just like any other crisis you have faced or will face in this life, it all boils down to this: Sin is the cause. Jesus is the answer. He will never leave you or forsake you. He is Emmanuel right here and right now. And that makes all the difference. 

Blessings, Jackie

Prayer Focus

Pray for Sam and Lee Johnston, who are both in urgent need of healing right now … continue to pray for Sharon Dilsaver as she awaits a decision from the doctors on her next course of treatment.

Christmas Calendar

Wednesday -- Friday, December 10-12, 6-8 pm

          Christmas Outreach Workshop at Grace United Methodist Church on Valley View. We will be preparing toys and food boxes to help almost 550 kids have a merry Christmas.

Saturday, December 13, 9-12 am

          Come lend a hand as we distribute all these toys and goodies to about 250 families at Grace United Methodist Church.

Sunday Evening, December 14 – 7 pm

          Joy to the World – A very special Christmas musical presented by our Choir at the Granite Shoals Community Center. This is an upbeat, fun, inspirational program, but it is more than entertainment -- it is presented in such a way as to lead you into worship. You will get to sing along and share the joy. Invite your friends to come and catch the real Christmas Spirit!

Wednesday, December 17 – 7 pm

          Church Christmas Party and Annual Meeting – Bring a plate of your favorite Christmas goodies to share with everyone. We will select officers, approve a budget, and provide an update of our building plans. The location is still to be determined. We will have that little detail worked out by this coming Sunday morning.

Wednesday, December 24 – 6 pm

          Christmas Eve Candlelight Service – What a meaningful way to put the focus of Christmas back where it belongs; bring your family and share in this special service of lessons, carols around the Lord’s Table. We will have you home in plenty of time for the Christmas Eve buffet.