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November 25th 2007
Scripture: Luke 1:68-79
Title: “Serving without fear”

Mike and I have started a new venture: landlords. You see, we still own our home in Williamstown and have decided to put it up for rent since the housing market is not doing too well. And much to our surprise, we were actually able to rent it out fairly quickly.

Our new renters are a young woman with her three children. We knew the basic facts about this family because they filled out an application. And everything checked out. She is going through a divorce and wants to move back to the area where she grew up and can be near family. And we had a house that needed renters. Seemed like the perfect opportunity for both parties.

So on Friday, my family and I drove up to the house to do some final repair work and to get it ready for our new renters. As we entered the house, I found a card addressed to Mike and me. I opened the Thanksgiving card and found a letter from our renters.

And as I read the letter, I realized that this renting was more than a perfect opportunity. It was a moment where God had worked a miracle in our lives. It was a moment where both side could side God’s hand leading the process. It was a moment where God had kept God’s promises of caring and saving grace.

The letter simply explained how thankful this family was for finding this house to start over in. Promises had been broken in this woman’s marriage and now she had to start over with three children. She said that each day, she would drive by our house and see it up for sale and sitting empty. Each day, she would wonder if the people would be willing to rent it out. Each day, she wondered what if.

She said that one day, she felt that something was telling her to call the realtor. Something was guiding her to make that phone call. And that she is usually not a person who would randomly call a realtor to see if a house that was for sale would be available for rent. But something kept telling her to call.

Finally she made the call. And much to her surprise, the owners (Mike and Me) had just made the decision to rent it out. But someone else had called first and the realtor would take her name and give her a call back.

The letter continued by saying that she was sure that she had missed her opportunity but something kept telling her to wait, to be patient. And then her phone rang. It was our realtor calling to let her know that the other renter didn’t work out and would she like to come in and fill out an application.

And letter simply continued by letting Mike and I know a little bit more about her and her family and the funny connections that she has had to our house. Her son had taken guitar lessons from a youth minister who used to live in that house.

She simply ended the letter by thanking God for God’s continued care and God’s continued blessings in her life. Thanks God for remembering her. And she knew that God hand’s has lead this process and had help create a blessing in both of our lives! She said, “It is times like this one that reminds me that when I turn everything over to God, that God takes care of God’s children. Like so many times when I have done this is in the past. When I turn things over to God, my load becomes lighter and God takes care of us.”

After I had finished reading the letter, I realized that she was right. Our lives had been touched by something bigger than all of us. I realized that one of my prayers for the last few months is that God remember us and that God would find a way for us, that God would hold to God’s promises of care.
And as I read that letter, I realized that God remembered, that God has blessed our lives, that God had provided a way through the wilderness for both of us.

Thanks be to God who knows us, who takes care of us, and has claimed us as God’s own.

And that is what our Scriptures are about today. Understanding that God holds to God’s promises of redemption. Understanding that God will provide for God’s people. Understanding that God will guide our feet into the way of peace so that we may live out our calling to serve God fully.

Understanding Gods’ blessings in our lives.

Our story takes place after the birth of John the Baptist. An angel had come to Zechariah, who was a priest in the Temple and share that Elizabeth would have a baby. Now, Zechariah had his doubts about this message because Elizabeth was barren and well, they were both getting up there in years. And Zechariah asked the angel, “How is this possible? We are old.”
And the angel says, “You know that something that you sometimes experience that tells you do things that you don’t understand. Well, that is God. And here is the best part: God sent me to tell you this news, this blessing in person. And well, since you don’t believe in God’s promise of this blessing, you are going to be unable to speak until the baby is born.”
And so for nine long months, Zechariah was unable to speak. The baby is born and then taken to the Temple to be blessed. And someone asks, “I wonder what God has in store for this baby.”

And all of sudden, Zechariah speaks. He starts sharing how God has blessed all of them because God has been true to God’s promises that God made to Abraham. A savior is coming and he will redeem God’s people. And Zechariah’s son will be a great prophet who will prepare the way for this savior. God has remembered us! God has blessed us! God has taken care of God’s people. Thanks be to God!!

God remembered. God has provided. God has redeemed God’s people by sending a Savior: Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God!

At that moment that we begin to understand that our lives are filled with God’s blessings, all we can do is lift up our praises to our God and thank God for all of those moments when our lives are touched by God’s hand, for all those moments where we can feel God’s presence in our lives, for all those moments where God has extended God’s care to us, God’s own children.

We are redeemed through Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God.

We are delivered. We are a part of God’s new creation where all of God’s people can worship and service God as God’s redeemed people, as people who have experienced God’s unconditional love in our lives, as people who have experienced God’s grace in our lives.

We are redeemed and we are called to raise our voices in praise. We are called to raise our voices in thanksgiving. We are called to serve our God as people who have been touched by God’s holiness and God’s righteouness.
We as people of God live in the knowledge that God has cared for us, will continue to care for us and that God has redeemed us through Jesus Christ.
We live in joy because we are God’s own. We serve in joy and without fear because we are God’s children.
God has watched over us. God has held to God’s promises. God’s grace has and will continue to sustain us on our faith journey.

As people who have been redeemed, we hold to the hope that one day that all of God’s creation will be at peace through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God!

As people who have saved, we are called to live in the light of God, trusting in God’s promises of grace and peace.

Blessed be the God who watches over us, who cares for us, who remembers us!

As people who have been redeemed, we are called to serve our God with a passion for all of God’s people, with a passion for justice, with a passion for peace, with a passion that fuels our hope that God’s Kingdom is coming. That one day, all of God’s creation will be a peace.

So we serve out God without fear. We serve our God in joy. We serve our God, knowing that our God is watching over us, that our God is guiding our feet in the way of peace, that our God has done what God promised: we were sent a Savior: Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God!!

Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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