the sapiential cafe

When hope comes to life…

A few rambling lines on the tension and facts of Christmas.

Isaiah 9:2-7

2 The people who walk in darkness


Will see a great light;


Those who live in a dark land,


The light will shine on them.

3 You shall multiply the nation,


You shall increase their gladness;


They will be glad in Your presence


As with the gladness of harvest,


As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,


The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.

5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,


And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;


And the government will rest on His shoulders;


And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,


Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,


On the throne of David and over his kingdom,


To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness


From then on and forevermore.


The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

 Introduction

1.     It’s Christmas!

2.     What would it be like if we unlocked the security door over our hearts and looked at our secret Christmas wish list? What would we discover if let honest be the voice in our heads?

3.     A secret Christmas wish list may look something like…

a.     I want a new friend. The friends I have are good, but no one truly understands me.

b.     I want a new friend – someone worthy of my trust.

c.     I want to be able to fix people around me.

d.     I want true love. Will I ever find true love?
(cf., Christmas and the Hallmark channel)

e.     I want a political change I can believe in and trust.

f.      I want a new job – I have so much untapped potential.

g.     I want a new body.

h.     I want to be needed and appreciated.

i.      I want my family back.

j.      I want a new car!

k.     I want a new house!

l.      I want a redo on my marriage – my husband needs improvements.

m.   I want a redo on my marriage – my wife needs improvements.

n.     I want so much money that I could take care of everyone who is important to me, all the poor people and then surprise strangers with kindness.

4.     Sometimes we are sad because we know that what we really want will not be under the tree.

5.     Depression: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with depressive illnesses don't all experience the same symptoms. How severe they are, how frequent, and how long they last will vary depending on the individual and his or her particular illness. Here are common symptoms people with depression experience:

a.     Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions

b.     Fatigue and decreased energy

c.     Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness

d.     Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism

e.     Insomnia, early morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping

f.      Irritability, restlessness

g.     Loss of pleasure in life

h.     Overeating or appetite loss

i.      Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment

j.      Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings

k.     Thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts

6.     I think I'm depressed.

Luke 1:26-33

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Exegesis: Linguistics

28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

• Favored one κεχαριτωμένη χαριτόω, Perfect Passive Participle
• With you

29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

• she was very perplexed διεταράχθη διαταράσσω, Aorist Passive Indicative
• Kept pondering διελογίζετο διαλογίζομαι Imperfect Middle Indicative

30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

• Do not be afraid μὴ μή φοβοῦ φοβέω, Present Middle Imperative
• You have found favor χάριν χάρις

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

• You shall καλέσεις καλέω Future Active Indicative
• Jesus Ἰησοῦν Ἰησοῦς

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

• great μέγας μέγας
• Throne θρόνον θρόνος

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

• He will reign βασιλεύσει βασιλεύω Future Active Indicative
• Kingdom βασιλείας βασιλεία
• End τέλος τέλος

Nouthetics

1. Sometimes we may become jaded and cynical by life and we bear a kind of subterranean depression. This thing under the surface of our lives that constantly drains our emotional batteries.
2. Someone said, if you are not depressed, it’s because you don’t have all the facts! Agreed!
3. It’s also pretty easy to take a shot at God. After all, this whole mess is ultimately His fault.
4. The post-modern, post-Christian person easily blames God for the mess of this world. It’s easy to say to God, “If you do exist, you do a lousy job running things.” And then proceed to question Him, saying, “Why don’t you do anything about the mess we are in?”
5. It is through the birth of Jesus that God did the big thing. JESUS IS THE BIG CORRECTIVE TO THIS WHOLE MESS.
6. Jesus, as the answer to the problem, is what Christmas is all about.
7. What will you do this Christmas to instill into your family what the birth of Christ really means.