(The Following Candle Lighting Portion Came From Richard Fairchild's Lectionary Site. Please see the link on the Sermon Page)

VOICE - Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the Sunday in which we recall the hope we have in Christ.

VOICE - The prophets of Israel all spoke of the coming of Christ, of how a saviour would be born, a king in the line of David. They spoke of how he would rule the world wisely and bless all nations.

VOICE - On Christmas day the Christ of our hope was born. On Good Friday the Christ of our hope died. On Easter day the Christ of our hope rose from the dead. He then ascended into heaven. On the last day, the Christ of our hope will come again to establish his kingdom over all things on earth.

VOICE - As the follower of Christ, we await his return. We light this candle to remember that as he came to us as humbly in the manger at Bethlehem and gave light to the world, so he is coming again in power to deliver his people.

VOICE - We light this candle to remind us to be alert and to watch for his return.

Light the First Candle

Light the Advent candle one, now the waiting has begun We have started on our way, time to think of Christmas Day.

Candle, candle, burning bright, shining in the cold winter night.
Candle, candle burning bright, fill our hearts with Christmas light.

VOICE - LET US PRAY - Loving God, we thank you for the hope you give us. Help us prepare our hearts for the Lord's coming. Bless our worship. Help us live holy and righteous lives. We ask it in the name of the one born in Bethlehem. Amen.

Once upon a time, there were two brothers, eight and ten years old, who were exceedingly mischievous. Whatever went wrong in the neighborhood, it turned out they had had a hand in it. Their parents were at their wits' end trying to control them. Hearing about a priest nearby who worked with delinquent boys, the mother suggested to the father that they ask the priest to talk with the boys. The father replied, "Sure, do that before I kill them!"

The mother went to the priest and made her request. He agreed, but said he wanted to see the younger boy first and alone. So the mother sent him to the priest. The priest sat the boy down across a huge, impressive desk he sat behind. For about five minutes they just sat and stared at each other.

Finally, the priest pointed his forefinger at the boy and asked, "Where is God?" The boy looked under the desk, in the corners of the room, all around, but said nothing. Again, louder, the priest pointed at the boy and asked, "Where is God?" Again the boy looked all around but said nothing. A third time, in a louder, firmer voice, the priest leaned far across the desk and put his forefinger almost to the boy's nose, and asked, "WHERE IS GOD?" The boy panicked and ran all the way home.

Finding his older brother, he dragged him upstairs to their room and into the closet, where they usually plotted their mischief. He finally said, "We are in BIG trouble." The older boy asked, "What do you mean, BIG trouble?" His brother replied, "God is missing, and they think we did it!"

If we were totally honest this morning we might all admit that there have been times in our lives that we asked the same question the priest asked the boy in his study that day - "WHERE IS GOD?"

Folk singer Tracy Chapman asks:
"Why do babies starve when there’s enough food to feed the world?
Why when there’s so many of us are people still alone?
Why are missiles called peace keepers when they are aimed to kill?
Why is a woman still not safe when she is in her home?"

I can add to those questions:
Why do babies die? Why do children get cancer? Why when we live in one of the richest countries in the world are people starving and homeless? Why does one of the greatest all time NFL rushers die at the age of 45? Why do husbands abuse their wives and parents abuse their children? Why does it seem we can never get ahead of our debts and our debts seem more than we can bear?

I bet you can add a few questions of your own. Where is God when all these things are going on? Can’t you identify with the prophet Isaiah as he cries out with a heavy heart:

"O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,"

When I consider all the things my wife and I have encountered through our marriage I see many times we both were probably wondering where God was in the midst of it all. There is one experience that stands out above any in my mind. For some it may not have been as traumatic as it was for me but it stands out clear in my mind as a time when I was crying out to God to make His presence known.

Our son Seth was only five and battling reoccurring pneumonia constantly. It fact he has been hospitalized five times for pneumonia. His doctor wanted to do a procedure for which Seth had to be put to sleep. They let Stephanie and I stay in the room with Seth until he went out. As I stood beside that bed I smiled at Seth as I stood and watched helplessly but inside I was screaming in pain. They kept waving that mist under his nose and his eyes grew heavier and heavier as kept staring into my eyes as if to say "Daddy I’m scared but with you here I know it’s okay."

He was out and that happened far too fast for me! Stephanie and I were directed to the waiting area. Ladies and Gentlemen walking through that door and hearing it shut behind me with my little boy lying in there was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

I excused myself, went to the restroom, and got on my knees pleading with God to make His presence known. As I relive that moment I identify with the Prophet’s pain and cry of desperation.

In essence I was on my knees crying out:
"O that you would tear open the heavens and come down right now and deliver my little boy from his fear and pain!"

As I read the text I know and realize that the Prophet wasn’t lamenting over his son, but rather the spiritual condition of a nation. Isaiah saw a country that he loved with all of his heart - slip away from God. Not that God had let Israel go but rather that Israel had let go of God.

Isaiah was remembering the many wonderful acts of God throughout history. How God had led them out of captivity. That God had caused Manna to fall from the heavens to feed a hungry people. How God had parted the Red Sea and a captive people walked across dry land into freedom. Isaiah begged God, pleaded with God for some marvelous obvious sign of His presence to His people that they might turn back to Him and not be returned into slavery as a punishment for their backslidden state.

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. Advent means "coming." Christmas is coming, but we remember also that Christ is coming. In Advent we remember the comings of Christ. Jesus came to Bethlehem in the past. He comes by the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts in the present. And he will come again on clouds of glory in the future.

When Jesus came to Bethlehem, that was God's answer to Isaiah's prayer. By sending Jesus, God tore open heaven and personally came to make things right.

That is what Christmas is all about - God coming to dwell in our midst. He came in the form of Jesus. a tiny baby born in a barn in Bethlehem. Jesus - Savior of the world! Jesus - one who loved the unlovable, healed those who were deemed unhealable, transformed the lives of even the most demon possessed individuals, and He’s STILL DOING IT TODAY!

"WHERE IS GOD?" He’s right here, right now. You are gathered in this place in His presence. The music, the prayers, the Scriptures, the message have all pointed to His presence this morning.

This year as we move toward Christmas, let us all look around us and notice the hunger, notice the homelessness, see and feel the pain. Let us not give up on God but realize that God has come to us in the form of Jesus and right now today He is patiently waiting for us all to turn our lives completely over to Him. It is Jesus who will make the difference in our lives and it is Jesus that is the one common solution and answer to all the questions of life especially "WHERE IS GOD?"

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