Dan Herold | Zephaniah 3:14-17 | December 13, 2015
(Sermon starts at 11:43)
What’s on your “to do” list for the next couple of weeks? If your celebration plans involve a gathering at your house with friends and family then your “to do” list probably seems like it just keeps growing. There’s so much to do in order to get ready for having company over. In fact, sometimes getting ready seems like so much trouble that you find yourself wondering if it’s really worth it. But still, those big parties and get-togethers are things we cherish and things we look forward to each year—even though they mean there will be a lot of work.
If you think that your holiday season “to do” list is long, though, think about this for a minute…think about what God’s “to do” list looked like! Today we are going to look at God’s “to do” list for celebrating Christmas. In our Old Testament lesson Zephaniah tells us about the things that God did to prepare for Jesus to come into the world—for the first time he came and also for when he returns.
The first thing on God’s “to do” list for his Christmas party was my least favorite thing (and my wife can vouch for that)—he had to clean house. The first item on God’s “to do” list was to get ready for company. Now, when we get our houses ready for company we clean too. We clean out the dirt, the old stuff, the clutter, and things like that. The things God had to clean out are similar. What God cleaned out was sin. Before the celebration, God had to get rid of sin.
When you clean your house you get together all the supplies you need and then you use those tools and supplies to clean your house. The tool that God used to clean up sin was his son Jesus. God sent his Son to take away all the sins of the whole world. He sent him to live a perfect life free from sin, die on the cross, and rise from the dead so that all of our sins would be washed away and we would be made clean.
Zephaniah wrote,
“Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.”
The day that God sent Jesus to be born in Bethlehem was an awesome day! It was a day when God showed that he is faithful to all his promises—especially his promise to send a Savior. But that was just one item—the first item!—on God’s “to do” list for his grand celebration. Christmas Day is one of our biggest days of celebration, but God wants us to remember that it’s just one part of the preparations for the real celebration which is still coming—but first there are some more things on the “to do” list.
After your house is all clean, you’re ready for the guests to arrive. That’s the next item on God’s “to do” list—bring his guests into his house. On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love…”
writes Zephaniah.
Sucking pits from peaches, cherries and nectarines cialis online help in causing saliva flow. Person taking this medication must avoid eating fatty meals and grapefruit, and must also avoid drinking alcohol and grape juice; which will help tadalafil 20mg for women to give full effect on the penis. By Michael Podwill / May 9, 2011 Lots of questions emerge in the wake of the raid on Osama bin Continue viagra prices Laden’s residence and how he met his fate, courtesy of US Navy SEAL bullets to the al Qaeda leader’s brain and chest. cialis in the uk Any sex-related problem can negatively affect your relationship with your partner if used correctly. On the first Christmas God sent Jesus to begin his earthly mission of defeating Sin and Satan. Once Jesus rose from the dead and accomplished his mission on earth—defeating sin—it was time to move on to the next item on the list. God welcomes people into his party—into heaven—not because they earned it themselves, but because they had been invited by their Savior, Jesus. If a stranger showed up on your doorstep and asked to come in to your family Christmas celebration you’d probably think it was a little strange and wonder why they thought they had a right to come into your party. That’s why you send out invitations and then when your invited guests arrive you are there to open your door, welcome them, and show them in. That’s just what God does too!
After his house was ready God sent out invitations to the party. He sent out disciples, and apostles, and evangelists to deliver his invitation all around the world. In fact, God is still sending invitations out and gathering his guests. Just like all your guests won’t show up at the same time, God’s guests all arrive to the party at different times as well. Some of God’s guests have been in heaven for thousands of years already and some haven’t arrived yet. So, until all the guests are gathered at the party, God is still standing by the door awaiting the arrival of those who have been invited.
All the items and God’s “to do” list haven’t been checked off yet. The first one certainly has. His house has been cleaned and made ready. Jesus accomplished that in his life on earth which began on the first Christmas. The second item on God’s list is in process right now. Invitations are still being sent out and the party guests are still being brought in every day. So, until God makes it clear that all the guests have received their invitation we have the job of helping share the invitation to God’s celebration. There is one final item on God’s “to do” list that we are still looking forward too, though.
If you are hosting a party, when do you start to really enjoy the party? Probably once everybody is there, your guests have settled in a bit, and you can relax. That’s the moment you wait for on the night of your party. You wait for the time when you can sit down, enjoy the company of your guests, and truly celebrate. That’s the third item on God’s “to do” list—celebrate!
In the last phrase of Zephaniah 3:17 the prophet writes,
“he will rejoice over you…”
The final item on God’s list is to celebrate and enjoy the party that he has prepared—and part of his celebration will be celebrating with you. God is looking forward to Jesus’ return on Judgment Day just as much as we are. God is eagerly anticipating the time when all of his invited guests are with him in heaven and the true celebration can begin. It’s going to be the best party ever because it’s never going to end.
After you start enjoying your Christmas party with your friends and families there comes a point in the party where you start dreading the clean-up after the party. Your celebration in heaven with God is never going to end, though, so you’ll never have to clean up and go back to what life was like before the party. Once that last day comes your existence will never be the same again. You’ll never have to clean up, you’ll never have to go back to work, you’ll never have to leave the party!
That’s why we celebrate Christmas still today. On the first Christmas the shepherds who came to see Jesus in the manager celebrated because the thing they had been looking forward to for so long—the birth of God’s promised Savior—had finally happened. We celebrate Christmas because that first item on God’s “to do” list was checked off. God sent his Son to be our Savior, to destroy sin, and to get God’s house ready for the party. Christmas time is a time to celebrate for us because it reminds us of the eternal celebration that we have to look forward to and to which we have the joy of inviting others.
That’s what is on God’s “to do” list for celebrating Christmas. Clean up and get ready, invite the guests and welcome them in, and then—celebrate! If you feel overwhelmed in the next couple of weeks with your personal “to do” lists—or anytime you might feel overwhelmed at all—remember what’s on God’s “to do” list. Let its simplicity give you peace when you’re surrounded by busyness. Let God’s word remind you of the reason for your celebrations. Let your Lord’s hope for the joyous eternal celebration give you hope as you celebrate now and look forward to the future!
Amen.