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Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, NC

David Wright

Immanuel, God With Us

Just a little over a week ago, you may have been here, you may have been someplace else enjoying a big meal with friends or family.

In fact, I saw some of you at College Dale last week.

It's always good to know that Hendersonville is keeping close tabs, so that's good.

Was the conversation shallow or over your head?

Did you stay up too late and sleep late instead?

Was the house immaculate was there a huge mess of toys was everything quiet was there far too much noise Did you spend time with family did the grandkids get kissed Or did you travel to China and break your wrist?

Did all the strained relationships seem to get mended or did new things crop up, leaving people offended?

And Christmas is coming, it soon will be here.

Does that get you excited or fill you with fear?

Did things go as planned or were there delays?

Was it Ben Franklin who said, visitors and fish smell after 3 days?

Now after reading this little poem of questions that I composed, I feel very compelled to say we had a very nice Thanksgiving.

We had a wonderful time in Collegedale, but I've also been around long enough to know that holidays can be stressful.

I was hoping we'd do it this way, somebody might say.

Well, I wanted to spend the afternoon doing that instead.

I just don't understand why Johnny doesn't want to come home for the holidays.

Sometimes it can be a holiday filled with drama.

We have a book that we read to our kids from time to time.

Don't give so much drama to your llama mama.

And I always think there needs to be a verse about Obama, but anyway.

But what can be the answer to all the drama?

For fear of doing the wrong thing, you don't do anything at all, and somebody might get offended, and around and around it can go.

But I would be willing to say that probably a majority of the drama goes back to something very basic and very fundamental.

Does that ever describe some of your holiday seasons?

I mean, you have the best of intentions, everybody's planned to dress a certain way, you have the backdrop all set, and the photographer's there, okay everybody, say cheese, and you're standing back there hooping and hollering, and you just, wah.

If you can't relate to any of this, please let me know after the service.

I'm going to come spend the holidays at your house.

First Corinthians 10 verse 34, let no 1 seek his own but each 1 the other's well being.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Somehow we've gotten the idea that we are kind to others because they deserve it.

That we will do unto other people that are worthy of it.

And I wonder even if we dissect this thing of offended, it's almost as if we have to be offended.

That's been programmed into us, I think, through the media and everything else.

That was happening, and now I'm offended.

That's your choice to choose to be offended.

I'm not trying to say what they did was okay.

I'm just saying you can choose how you respond and you don't have to be offended.

I think we'd be hard-pressed to find places in Scripture where Jesus is offended, but I think there are many times he very well could have been if he chose to respond in that way.

I wanna read to you a relatively long excerpt, but it'll go pretty quick, from the Desire of Ages of how God intended the planet to function in relationship to each other.

And every time as I'm reading I get to a word that's underlined in light blue, I want you to say it with me.

You're gonna read the word that's underlined in light blue.

It says, there is nothing save the selfish heart of man that lives unto itself.

No bird that cleaves the air, no animal that moves upon the ground, but ministers to some other life.

We continue on, every tree and shrub, leaf and leaf, pours forth that element of life without which neither man nor animal could live.

And man and animal in turn minister to the life of tree and shrub and leaf.

The ocean itself, the source of all springs and fountains, receives the streams from every land, but takes to give.

The mists ascend from its bosom, fall in showers in water the earth.

The angels of glory find their joy in giving, giving love and tireless watch-care to souls that are fallen and unholy.

But turning from all lesser representations, we behold God in Jesus.

Looking unto Jesus, we see that it is the glory of our God to give.

The Living Father has sent me and I live by the Father.

I seek not my own glory but the glory of Him that sent me.

In these words is set forth the great principles, which is the law of life for the universe.

All things Christ received from God, but he took to give.

So in the heavenly courts, in his ministry for all created beings through the beloved son, the Father's life flows out to all.

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Immanuel, God With Us

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