Sermon Archive December 24th, 2008

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=130 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="12ba6e903.jpg"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="11fcbc320.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>OFC:  713-526-5731      5315 MAIN STREET, HOUSTON TEXAS 77004      FAX: 713-524-1709</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Matthew Lutheran Church Houston, Te"><U><B>HOME</B></U></A><B>  ~   </B><A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Worship Schedule"><U><B>WORSHIP</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Map Directions"><U><B>LOCATION</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="id362.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="URL Calendar Home Link"><U><B>CALENDAR</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="mailto:info@stmatthewhouston.org?subject=Website Inquiry" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@stmatthewhouston.org?subject"><U><B>EMAIL US</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="id452.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><U><B>SITE MAP</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=155 BGCOLOR="#660000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="123030970.jpg" border=0 width="48" height="151" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="id464.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome"><U>Welcome</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id465.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lutheran Beliefs"><U>Lutheran Beliefs</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id466.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How to Join"><U>How to Join</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id467.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Local Missions"><U>Local Missions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id468.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Global Missions"><U>Global Missions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id508.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Parish Education"><U>Parish Education</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=280 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> Sermon Archive December 24th, 2008</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="568" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#990000" BORDERCOLORDARK="#FFCC99" FRAME="VOID" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#FFCC99 HEIGHT= 18 WIDTH="134"><div> <A HREF="id563.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Matthew Sermon Archives"><U><IMG SRC="157a270e0.png" border=0 width="39" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#990000 WIDTH="421"><div>  </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>     </div> <div> <B>“Big Enough?”</B></div> <div> Luke 1:46-56</div> <div>  Christmas Eve 6:30 & 11:00 PM services, 2008</div> <div> Pastor Mark Wiesenborn</div> <div> St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >     </FONT>Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The sermon message for Christmas Eve is taken from the first chapter of Luke's Gospel.  Mary is probably only fourteen or fifteen years old - a virgin, pledged to be married - and she has been visited by the angel Gabriel and told that she will give birth to a son through the power of God's Holy Spirit.  But there is more!  The Lord God promises to give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Israel and his kingdom will never end.  So when she goes to visit her (pregnant) relative Elizabeth, Mary offers a hymn of praise saying:</div> <div>      “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”</div> <bR> <div>      Dear friends in Christ, great things sometimes come in small packages - and great people often come from humble circumstances.  I am going to begin describing a person that many of you should have at least heard of.  When you are fairly certain that you know the person I am describing, I would invite you to raise your hand (and I promise not to call on any of you to see if you got it right!).</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">He was born in New York City in October 1914, the son of poor Russian-Jewish immigrants.  As a child he was not interested in science; his first desire was to become a lawyer.  Only due to his mother's persuasion (which included telling him he wouldn't be good at it), he changed from a pre-law to a pre-med student.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">While in college, he began working as part of research team that was developing one of the first influenza vaccines.  In June 1939, he received his medical degree from the College of Medicine at New York University.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">He married his college sweetheart that same month, and they later had three sons.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">He first worked as a staff physician at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.  In 1942 he won a research fellowship and followed his faculty advisor to the University of Michigan, specializing in epidemiology and virology; then in 1947 he moved to the University of Pittsburgh as head of the Virus Research lab.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">During the 1950s (with funding provided by what later became known as the March of Dimes Foundation), his team developed, tested, and refined the first successful vaccine for a disease that was widely feared for outbreaks that killed thousands of people and left tens of thousands paralyzed.  The volunteers during the testing phase included himself, the laboratory staff, his wife, his children, and finally one million children from ages six to nine across the country.  Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.</div> <bR> <div>      That man was Dr. Jonas Salk, and after his vaccine became widely available polio cases in the United States dropped by 85-90% in only two years.  Since this disease is now considered to be nearly eradicated in this country, most people below a certain age are blessedly unaware of what this means.  But some of you still remember how healthy children stricken by polio would experience paralysis within only a few hours - and sometimes in order to keep them alive, needed to be placed on a machine called an “iron lung” which enabled them to continue breathing.</div> <bR> <div>      What I remember is how, as a little child, my parents took us one Saturday morning to the local community college where we waited in a long line and were finally each given a pink sugar cube and told to eat this “medicine”.  Since I never cared much for receiving shots, this sounded pretty good to me!  There was only one for every child.  Then we went home, and that was that.  But for my parents who knew what this was all about, our family had been saved from a possible tragedy.</div> <bR> <div>      So it seems strange to consider that during the national testing program in 1954, half of those children received the vaccine and half received a placebo.  Although these were administered by injections, I still think of those pink sugar cubes - some people (selected for no apparent reason) received the gift of life, and others received a useless dose of sugar.  And on a day like today, this seems like a powerful metaphor for what is happening in our world as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  How well do you know him - this man whom we call our Savior?</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">He was the first-born son of Jewish parents, who were originally from Nazareth but were forced to live as immigrants in Egypt for a time.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">As a boy it seems that he was not interested in following his father's footsteps as a carpenter, but instead showed a strong interest in sitting among the teachers in the temple courts - listening to them, and asking them questions.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">He never married, but loved children - taking them into his arms, and putting his hands on them in order to bless them.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">And in his early thirties, he provided the cure for a disease that was scarcely feared at all, even though constant outbreaks were responsible for the spiritual death of hundreds of thousands of people, leaving millions more paralyzed in hopelessness.  During the “testing phase to eradicate SIN” (if you want to call it that) he was the only volunteer - and it caused him hours of excruciating suffering and resulted in his bitter death on the Cross.  He was rejected by his peers and abandoned by his closest friends - yet today Jesus is considered by many to be THE most important person who has ever lived.</div> <bR> <div>      So tonight as we listen to the story of his birth in a humble manger at Bethlehem, and sing “Silent Night, Holy Night”, we have the chance to treasure up all these things and to ponder them in our own hearts.  What child is this, who laid to rest on Mary's lap is sleeping?  Is this little Lord Jesus big enough to accomplish such a mighty task as that of being the Savior of the world?  And if He also comes as the Great Physician, has he truly provided a successful cure for SIN in our world?  It is sometimes hard to believe this is even possible - especially when there still so many people who are spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and spiritually at war with the God who created them and even loves those who would reject Him!</div> <bR> <div>      I find myself thinking of Dr. Jonas Salk, and the miraculous and undeniable cure for polio that was handed to me as a child in the form of a pink sugar cube.  When Christmas comes and we gather to celebrate the birth of our Savior, do we fear, love and trust in God above all things - that is, do we love Jesus with all of our hearts and souls and minds and strength - or is this something we avoid, like children who dislike having to receive medicine if it comes in the form of even slightly painful shots?  I think of the many people who come to worship only a few times each year, with Christmas Eve being one of these occasions, and wonder why they would be satisfied to leave with a placebo instead of the real gift of life.  There is so much more to Christmas than the visions of sugarplums filling your dreams; so   much greater things to look forward to than a jolly old gentleman bringing gifts in a red sleigh pulled by a team of reindeer.  No one else but Jesus Christ can save us!</div> <bR> <div>      So let me return to Mary - that excited young Jewish mother-to-be, who already knows that her son has been promised something even greater than going on to become a carpenter or a lawyer or even a doctor.  He will be the king of Israel, and he will bring a cure for SIN - including her own:</div> <div> “For he has looked on the humble state of his servant.  For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”</div> <bR> <div>      There can be no doubt that as a young physician, Dr. Salk experienced firsthand the frustration of seeing children killed or left incapacitated by polio.  I wonder if there were nights when he tucked his own sons into bed and prayed for God to help him complete his work, before it was too late to save them.  And I believe that Jesus prayed for each of the children he took into his arms - that his loving Father would be gracious and merciful to them, knowing that we live in danger every single day.</div> <bR> <div>      We need to keep this awareness of danger and this sense of urgency with us, even at Christmas; not for the sake of those who have already been gathered into the Good Shepherd's tender care, but for all of those lost little lambs who have not yet heard the voice of Jesus calling.  Just as great people often come from humble circumstances, so have we been selected for no apparent reason and called to become children of God… and also to serve Him.</div> <bR> <div>      Brothers and sisters, I have a question for each of you this Christmas Eve: is the power and presence of God “big enough” in your heart to enable you to will and to do all that he has commanded?  Are you prepared to love God, and to love others, as much as you love yourself?  And the next time you have the opportunity to share your Christian faith with someone, are you going to offer them a useless little taste of sugar - or will you hold out a message that carries the power of salvation and new life?  Take these words from Mary as your encouragement:</div> <div> “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.”</div> <bR> <div>      In closing, I wanted to mention that many of us have personally known people who were polio survivors after having contracted that terrible disease as children, before Dr. Salk's vaccine was available.  For the remainder of their lives some have had an arm or leg that might be described as weak or “withered” - yet for many, their faith in God has remained steadfast.  Where we are weak, God is almighty; where we are sometimes humbled by our circumstances, God lifts us up and does great things through us, for the sake of His Kingdom!</div> <bR> <div>      May the wondrous love of God cause His Son to be magnified in our hearts and in our lives, and may our spirits rejoice in our Savior - because our Lord and our King is most certainly big enough to do all that He has promised… and my friends, the best is yet to come!</div> <bR> <div> In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen!</div> <bR> <div> <B>GOSPEL LESSON </B><B>- Luke 1:46-56 [ESV]</B></div> <bR> <div> 46 And Mary said,</div> <div>      “My soul magnifies the Lord,</div> <div>      47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,</div> <div>      48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.</div> <div>           For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;</div> <div>      49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,</div> <div>           and holy is his name.</div> <div>      50 And his mercy is for those who fear him</div> <div>           from generation to generation.</div> <bR> <div>      51 He has shown strength with his arm;</div> <div>           he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;</div> <div>      52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones</div> <div>           and exalted those of humble estate;</div> <div>      53 he has filled the hungry with good things,</div> <div>         and the rich he has sent empty away.</div> <div>      54 He has helped his servant Israel,</div> <div>           in remembrance of his mercy,</div> <div>      55 as he spoke to our fathers,</div> <div>           to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”</div> <bR> <div> 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=155 BGCOLOR="#660000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="122e30960.jpg" border=0 width="48" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="id499.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meet Our Leaders"><U>Meet Our Leaders</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tour Our Church"><U>Tour Our Church</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id493.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Read Our History"><U>Read Our History</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id626.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Arts and Music"><U>Arts and Music</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Special Events"><U>Special Events</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id515.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery"><U>Photo Gallery</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=70 BGCOLOR="#660000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="id423.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bible Search"><U><B>BIBLE SEARCH</B></U></A><B>  </B><B>~  </B><A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LCMS Links"><U><B>LUTHERAN</B></U></A><A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LCMS Links"><U><B> LINKS</B></U></A><B>  </B><B>~  </B><A HREF="id100.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Online Devotionals"><U><B>DEVOTIONALS</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="id563.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Matthew Sermon Archives"><U><B>SERMON ARCHIVES</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> © 2008  St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Houston, TX - 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