Introduction
Merry Christmas, everyone. There are now 8 days before Christmas and already you can feel the full brunt of Christmas traffic. It’s the time when many families come together to celebrate. Christmas parties are happening everywhere, and the season is not yet over! Based on the social media posts I see, I guess it is still true, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Loneliness Survey
But let me share with you something interesting. From June 2022 to February 2023 this year, Gallup research and Meta joined together for a study on social connectedness and loneliness. They surveyed 142 countries all over the world of which the Philippines was one of them. The results of this survey were published in a paper called The Global State of Social Connections. The results were staggering.
The Philippines ranked second in the world for having the highest score of self-reported loneliness. Every other person I share this information with always gives me a skeptical look. It can’t be! Maybe they just did an online survey that just pops out of Facebook so self-selecting more or less an already lonely group of people. But I reviewed the methodology, and it looks like it holds. They did face to face interviews and the sampling was random and stratified. Could it be that we are just very good at hiding loneliness?
If the survey is correct that 3 out of 5 among us are fairly or very lonely, we are in trouble. Loneliness is defined as a state of solitude or being alone. It is a state of mind. So even if you are surrounded by people, you can actually still be lonely. Chronic loneliness is also a rather serious medical condition, and it can lead to more serious diseases.
Independent Living
In one of my projects as a software engineer, I had to make a system for social carers in a Western country. Now the culture of this country, like many in the first world nations, puts a high premium on “Independent Living”. That means that the culture thinks it is important that citizens must be able to maintain a lifestyle of not having to depend on anyone - being able to live alone - even at an advanced age.
I was tasked to help design an automated payment system for social care workers for the elderly. One of the items that struck me was a payment item called “sitting and befriending services” - with a rate of - in pesos - 700 to 1,000 per hour. For this service, the carer was expected to do nothing but sit with an elderly person, strike up a conversation with the goal of starting a social connection that will hopefully translate to friendship. Once the time is up, the carer picks up her things and goes home. The elder remains there, alone in her apartment, ready for the rest of her day. Why do they do this? Because studies have shown that without social connections, the elderly suffer more from diseases that come along with old age.
The great American thinker Britney Spears is right:
Now why am I being a downer and talking about loneliness during the Christmas season? Because this sets the backdrop of our Biblical verses this morning. In the previous Sundays, we talked about Mary and the grace she received from God. Last Sunday we talked about Zechariah, Elizabeth and John. This time, we jump a few verses forward and we look at a time shortly after the birth of Jesus when he was just a small baby.
<prayer>
The title of our message today is Jesus: Hope for the Community.
Our message today has three simple points. The first one is this:
We begin our story from Luke 2:21:
Theophany
I was talking to the kids in our homeschool group, boys and girls from 3-11 years old. I asked them a question - If you are on a mission to save the world and you can be anything you want to be, what would you be? They gave the familiar and the obvious answers - the super heroes they admire at the moment, a big robot, or someone with powers. But you see it’s logical isn’t it? If God was on a mission to save the world, wouldn’t you have expected him to appear as a giant mechatron floating from the sky?
In fact in many parts of the Old Testament, God has revealed himself in different ways to humanity. This is known as Theophany, or a physical appearance of God to people:
But here in our story, God revealed himself as a baby. God was on a mission to save the world. Because he is God, he can turn himself into anything he wants to be. And he chose to turn himself into the most dependent, helpless, vulnerable thing there can ever be in the whole world - an infant!
It is at this point that homeschoolers will look at you and start to wonder if it’s better if they should go to a regular school and learn from a teacher who can make better sense.
Baby Savior
It is a mission plan that only God could have made. It’s so ridiculous it has got to be true. There you are God of the Universe. The very word of God - in whom and through whom the creation of the Universe took place. And here you are, an infant, and all you can think about is that you are hungry. You also can’t say you are hungry so you cry. You cry too when you feel gassy. And until this lady whose name was Mary puts you upright and hugs you a little tight, you can never feel better. So you cry, and she picks you up. And finally, you give out a holy burp.
Eight days into this routine you wake up from a short nap because your dad, Joseph, needed to do something to you. It was too late for you to realize that he was now holding your little thing there in his hands. Suddenly a shiny knife appears. And before you object, he circumcises you in obedience to the law of Moses. It of course hurts! So you give a sharp cry! There is nothing you want more than to be held and comforted. Preferably by that lady Mary. So she does. And you drift back to sleep.
Be Humble, Seek Others
The point is this, humble yourself. You cannot be alone. Admit your need for another. The great Jewish philosopher Barbara Streisand is right:
My friends, let us be very clear. When you and I pursue independent lives away from the mercy of people, when you and I work our hairs off just to ensure that we are self-sufficient, when we in the end suffer from the feelings of loneliness because of these walls we build around us, Jesus - God himself - chose to begin his mission on earth by being born into a family. He willingly subjected himself to the care and dependence of other humans.
What does this mean for us today? It means that we must not be so proud to think that we do not need other people. We are creatures designed for a family, for people we can depend on and love. If Jesus showed us by his example that he can be so humble as to accept and receive the love of a family, then we should be too. In fact if you are seated next to a family member right now, can you look them in the eye and say in a sincere way: I need you.
Dysfunctional Families
Now, it is not lost to many of us that there are those who have never had the privilege of being born into an ideal family. Well, it would surprise you that the family that Jesus was born into, the very ancestry of Christ, is full of men and women who are less than stellar in the character department.
In the account of Matthew of the genealogy of Jesus, he includes the following people:
There were many from the family tree of Jesus that you can consider as moral outsiders. Members of what can only be described kindly as “dysfunctional families”. And yet the Bible has not shied away from identifying them as the ancestors of Christ. God himself chose these groups of men and women, warts and all, to usher in the birth of the Savior of the world.
My friends, let me tell you something. No family is perfect. And I do not minimize the hurts and pains that many of us go through on a daily basis, coping with the realities of heartbreaking family lives. But let me tell you something: Through this family life - no matter how hopeless it may be to you and me - God is able to bring out something so extraordinary. You can choose today to come to God, to lift up your family, and allow him to work through you and your loved ones, something that only He can do. To break the chains of generations of hopelessness, and change the course of your family’s destiny.
The next point that we learn is this:
We continue the story:
Not only is family important to Jesus, God himself made it clear that his plan for salvation included Jesus being born into a community of men and women, in this case, the nation of Israel.
What is a Community?
Community is a beautiful word.
It means a group of people living together having a particular characteristic in common. This means that a community must be distinct. Otherwise, you will not be able to tell a community apart from other communities.
Nowadays, young people will easily identify themselves with communities who share their love for certain artists, for example. Among us there are Swifties, there are Potterheads, or Marvel Universe Fans. You can also choose to belong to communities who share your particular lifestyle choices - vegans, crossfit groups, basketball players. Or maybe clubs for playing golf, having coffee, camping or biking. Take your pick, there are communities for anything you can think of.
Whatever community you belong in, one thing is sure, there are certain expectations the community demands of you. If you are in a vegan community, you can’t join the next meeting bringing lechon for potluck. Or if you are a KathNiel fan, you have to at least feel some level of sadness for what happened recently (if you know, you know). It is the laws of the community that make the community distinct.
A Community of Laws
But here, we are talking about a different kind of community. The Jewish nation is not a community built around shared hobbies. It is not a mutual appreciation society. In fact it is a different kind of society altogether. It is a community devoted to set it apart and make it distinct for the purpose of worshiping God. A community made holy for the Lord.
In order for the community to be distinct, it required members of the community to live out certain expectations embodied in laws. These laws have been passed on from generation to generation. They were there to set the community apart from the rest of the nations and people groups that surround them. We see the laws that Joseph and Mary followed in Leviticus 12:
Here we notice how Joseph and Mary have faithfully obeyed the laws and regulations of the community that they belonged in. In fact we notice one other thing: The birth of a son actually required a sacrifice of a one year-old lamb. We begin to see the financial status of Joseph’s family - they couldn’t afford that. So they brought instead two doves or two young pigeons.
This tells us that despite the obvious financial constraints, Joseph and Mary endeavored to keep to the regulations of the community, even at great personal sacrifices. The very model of Joseph and Mary gives us a glimpse into the fact that community - belonging and and adhering to it - is important to Jesus.
Persecution and Hope
Because Israel was set apart from other nations, they have been persecuted many times in their history. The persecution of this community has been long and hard:
Even today, we see Israel still at odds with its neighbors around them. It is interesting that at this point of history where Jesus was born into, this struggle has been met by God with silence. Last Sunday, Ptr Peter made a point to mention that during this time, God has been quiet to the nation of Israel, sharing no revelations or raising no prophets.
So the whole nation put their hope in someone who was yet to come - the Messiah. The one that will deliver them from their difficulties. It is this hope that sustained the community all this time.
But it is not easy to wait, isn’t it? Especially if you do not know when the one you are waiting for will start talking.
<silence>
It’s awkward, right? And for many of the Jews in the community, they have lost hope. But not so with everyone.
Simeon
Here, we meet another character in our story.
Here, we see that the righteous and devout Simeon did not lose hope. And because he did not, God through the Holy Spirit gave him a special favor. That he would not die until he met the Messiah that the whole nation was waiting for.
Simeon refers to this Messiah as a consolation. It might sound weird in our ears now because we always associate consolation as in “consolation prize” - a palubag luob. But Consoler is a Messianic title.
The community is looking for a comforter
700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah wrote:
Even today, Jews pray "menachem aveilim” which is asking God to bring comfort to His people. The “consolation” or “comforter” (menachem) is here primarily highlighted as the ministry of Jesus.
The comforter is the savior
But to comfort them from what? Isaiah sees it very clearly - to comfort them from the guilt of their sins.
You see, the longing that you and I have for comfort is not an emotional problem. As far as Isaiah is concerned, it is a sin problem.
If you are listening today and have always felt within you a deep sadness. If you have pursued so many things just to find some level of comfort and peace. My friend, what you really are looking for is not something that can just numb the pain of hopelessness, you need someone who will save you from your sins.
As far as Simeon is concerned he is Jesus. In fact, he is more than just a comforter - he is the savior.
True salvation requires “pain”
How does Jesus save us from our sins? The next part of the story is very revealing -
What a remarkable statement from Simeon. The comforter - the one who saves you and me - will reveal the thoughts of many hearts. And in the case of Mary - the one who in the end will prove to be one of Jesus’ most faithful followers - will pierce her own soul. Timothy Keller talks about this seeming contradiction this way:
The salvation that we are looking for requires a recognition that you and I are sick and that we require a healer other than ourselves. We must get to the point that we recognize our need for a savior. We must recognize our own sinfulness. That can be an uncomfortable experience, but that has to be done.
Everyday we must confront our sinfulness. And everyday we must allow the Savior to reveal the hidden thoughts of our hearts and pierce our very soul.
Why do we need to take part in community?
So the nation of Israel was set apart for God. And the nation of Israel shared in the hope for a savior. What does it mean for us today? As followers of Christ, the expectation to continue to be set apart from God - to be holy and distinct for God - continues to stand. Paul said so himself:
As we struggle not to conform to the pattern of this world - the thinking and characteristics that are not of God - we stumble upon something. We stumble upon other people who believe the same truth that we do and walk the same journey that we do.
CS Lewis said it beautifully:
We go to heaven in groups.
What is a DGroup?
This fellowshipping with each other as we walk in the light of God is the Christian community. In our church, we call this the discipleship group or the DGroup. Now this is a big group, and our sincere belief is that there is very little opportunity for us to have deep and meaningful relationships with each other in a big group such as this. So there are small groups that meet not just on Sunday but across the week to share lives with each other, pray for one another, hold each other accountable in the area of obedience to God. As the bigger church grows in size, we need to make sure that all of us belong to smaller groups of men and women to find a richer, more full experience of what a Christian community is. Many of our small groups are groups of maybe 5 or 6 single men, or single women, or couples. They meet across the week, every week, in different homes, coffee shops, and schools all over the city.
These are not social clubs or mutual admiration societies. Just like the community that Jesus was born into, these DGroups are there to set the Christian apart from the rest of society by honoring God in our thoughts and actions.
Here, we take the opportunity to minister to each other by sharing our lives together. We pray when someone needs prayers, we rejoice in their victories big or small, we encourage them when they need encouragement. We read the Bible together and find points of obedience, and we hold each other accountable for our obedience.
You see friends, I think there are many among us who are truly looking for the consolation, the comforter, the savior. I will be the first to say that this is an imperfect church. But this is a church that will welcome you just as you are. You will find a home here, a group of men and women, just like yourself, who are in their Christian journey. You cannot be a Christian alone. And my prayer is this - that you will belong to a community today. See us at the Welcome Center. Tell us about your story. It might take a while, so please be patient. But we will find a small group for you.
Anna
We now go to the third and final point:
As we continue the story, we meet another character Anna.
Unlike Simeon, Luke tells us a little bit more about Anna. We see here that she is quite advanced in years. We also know she is like Simeon, a faithful and devout Godly woman - she worships daily, fasts and prays. But what I really want to highlight in these verses is the progression of Anna’s journey as a follower of God. In her advanced age, the moment she realized who Jesus was, she did not wait another hour, but that very moment - she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking for him.
I think at the heart of our belonging to the Christian community must lie the desire to serve the community. And at the core of every service is to point others to Jesus. You see Anna knows that there are many people who are looking for a savior. And having found Him, the best way to help the seeker is not to humor them, or make them feel good, or drive them elsewhere. The best way to help a seeker is to to point them to the sought.
How to serve within a DGroup
Many people don’t realize that serving another Christian can be as simple as listening to them. I find it remarkable that many people can actually spend one whole week without having someone really listen to them. You can always tell, they are the ones who really talk. But for you to actually allocate an hour or two hours of your time in a week, to intentionally show up in a DGroup meeting, sit there and give your attention to a brother who is having a bad day, or a sister who is just thankful for God’s blessings, no matter how small, is service. All on its own, it is a ministry. It is a ministry that we can do today, with the people closest to us, beginning with our family.
It works the other way too. My wife and I have been DGroup leaders for more than ten years now, but just recently we were having a rough patch and we had our DGroup there to just listen to us and pray for us. Our DGroup always say they are grateful for us but the truth is they will never know how immeasurably they have been more of a blessing to me and my family.
Listening and being listened to, encouraging and being encouraged, holding a brother accountable and being counted on to obey God is what a DGroup is.
How to serve in Church (for DGroup Leaders)
If you are a DGroup Leader or thinking of starting a DGroup, let me encourage you. Your own DGroup is the Christian community that God has given you the privilege to take care of and be responsible for. Here is your unique opportunity to honor God by not only being responsible for those under your care, but to open your small groups up to many others who are seeking Jesus. Every week, we get around 15-20 seekers on average who are looking to join a DGroup. I encourage you to go and serve in the Welcome Center and help serve the seekers. I pray that we do not lose sight of the reason why we have DGroups in the first place.
How to serve in Church (for DGroup members)
If you have been a part of a DGroup for a while now, my next encouragement is this - take part in the many other ways for you to serve in the Sunday program. Here are the many ministry opportunities:
We make sure that all of these ministries are designed to point a seeker to the one he is seeking - Jesus.
Testimony
<JD and BJ Sulit>
<Prayer>
Closing
As we close we continue the verses in Luke 2:
We started our time together with a question I threw to a few homeschooled kids. If you were on a mission to save the world, and you can be anything you want to be, what would you be? God turned himself into a baby. Paul contemplated on this very fact and writes this in 2 Corinthians 8:9:
The very thing that Jesus did, he did so you and I - if we accept him as our Lord and Savior - can have the promise of eternal riches. And while we are still here on earth, to avail for ourselves the riches he offers in the relationships formed within the community of believers.
Will you humble yourself, join the community, and serve?
If you are here today and you don’t know Jesus yet. Maybe you are going through something, I don’t know what it is. But surely it is something real and pressing in your heart. If you are looking for comfort. Let me share with you a verse:
God is close to you right now.
<closing prayer>
Merry Christmas!
