Welcome to Epiphany Lutheran Church of Castle Rock, where people talk about God, sing about God, pray to God and aren't afraid of God.  Here you can say "Merry Christmas" without threat of lawsuit, and you can parade anywhere you like, silently or singing hymns.  You can carry a Bible without being fired and talk about absolute truth without being ridiculed.

          We believe there is only one way to heaven, through faith in Jesus Christ, for we are conservative Lutheran Christians, and we praise God for what He has done for us.  We believe in freedom of worship, and we do it openly for all to see.  And if all this means we're out of step with the rest of society, so be it!  Welcome to all in the precious name of Jesus Christ!

          Every year in the weeks before Christmas, the church seems totally out of step with the rest of society.  While most people, including those in the church, are putting up trees, decorating homes, buying gifts, and going to parties, the church talks about - are you ready for this? - the end of the world and the Second Coming!  It's almost funny.  Secular society is spending like there is no tomorrow and the church is warning us that just might be true.

          Many church bodies have abandoned Advent all together, preferring to spend all of December thinking only about Christmas.  And yet one billion people - about 75% of the world's Christians - do observe Advent.  During the four weeks before Christmas, they hear Bible lessons that deal with end of the world, repentance and getting ready for Christ's second coming.

          Does this mean the church is out of touch?  Maybe the rest of the world is, and we're the ones who are being realistic.  It wouldn't be the first time the majority of the world is in denial of reality.  Yes, it would be nice to sing Christmas carols the whole month of December.  But others say hearing about the second coming is a welcome relief from a two-month Christmas, that huge commercial rush between Halloween and New Years.

          John the Baptist wouldn't know what to do with our world today.  He didn't even like the modernization of his own world, so he went to live in the desert.  And not for its beauty or mystique, just to be with God.  He went there to find a faith relationship more pure and less distracting.  John was a prophet who needed to be alone with God and with the few people who followed along to hear what he had to tell them.  He was a prophet, and a prophet's life is lonely.

          John was the forerunner to Jesus, the King of kings.  He came to get the world ready for the Lord of lords.  He prepared the way for the Messiah by baptizing people and getting them to change their ways.  We know some things about John's ministry, that his parents died when he was young, that he renounced the world, had disciples and denounced hypocrisy.  He got his world ready for the Christ - that we know.  What we don't know is what it means for us today to be prepared for the coming of the Lord.

          Maybe you've heard that some stores are prohibiting Salvation Army bell-ringers this year.  Like some of you, I don't go to those stores anymore.  Did you hear about the Salvation Army woman back east who was informed by a policeman that a local ordinance prevented her from ringing her bells to ask for contributions?  "No bells - too noisy!" they told her.  But a dumb law never stops a smart person.  The next day business was better than ever as she waved two signs in the air.  One said "Ding," the other said "Dong."  Her contributions doubled!

          So what the ding-dong we can do to get ready for Christ's coming today?  We're already in the desert, and it has too much snow on it right now anyway!

          We can't all become prophets.  Nobody will work today for locusts and honey.  So I offer three words - a new "Three R's" that we can use to prepare the way today:  REPENT - RENEW - RESPECT.  Let's look at each one...

          1)  REPENT - We're more scared of this word than we need to be.  Repent means to stop doing wrong, ask God for forgiveness, and start doing right.  All of us have things we need to repent of, but sometimes we aren't ready to give them up.  Years ago old-time Lutherans took Advent very seriously.  A pastor friend of mine recalled an uncle, an old Norwegian bachelor farmer, who upon hearing that it was Advent, said, "Holy cow, now I gots to change sumting!"

          Repent may mean changing a bad habit, but it can also be changing a whole life.  That same pastor related to me that in his early years as a very worldly salesman, he spent two whole days in a motel, in fasting and tears and prayer because he knew his life was out of control.  Repentance means to stop doing wrong, ask God for forgiveness and start doing right.  REPENT - John the Baptist would say that's a good way to prepare the way today.

          2)  RENEW - We modern Americans live a disjointed life.  We're disconnected from our heritage and often our families.  We need to renew relationships.  We need to re-connect with our roots, who we are, where we've come from, what brought us here.  We're not here by accident.  God brought us to this place, at this time, and He wants us to use our abilities, time and resources to further His kingdom.

          In Advent, renew means learning again the stories and songs of Christ's birth.  Renewal means praying more regularly, reading the Bible more often, and worshipping God more fervently.  When you walk inside this church, leave the cares of the world behind you, just for one hour.  Here you are loved and forgiven.  Here you are a precious human being, not just a number or a body in the work place.  Here you are renewed by God Himself.  RENEW is a great word for Advent.

          3)  RESPECT - Advent is a time to respect others and respect ourselves.  We need to eat and drink less, to love and forgive more.  We live among vastly different people.  No longer are we a little settlement of Norwegians or Germans.  No longer is everyone we know a Christian and no longer are all Christians alike.  We don't have to agree with those who are different, but we need to respect them, as God does.  RESPECT - RENEW - REPENT:  Three "R's" to prepare the way today.

          Someone has said it's time the Church took back Christmas.  But I think we already do.  Each year the world tries to hold it for ransom, with its gadgets and toys and debts.  The world tries to drive us to the poor house.  It makes outlandish demands and expectations on us, but they never really work.

          The birth of the Christ child is just too powerful and loving, for Hollywood, for the intelligentsia, for Wall Street, even for our nation's capitol.  Despite all the ALCU can throw at us, we still hold Christmas every year.  Despite the glitz and the glamor, Madison Avenue can never throw out the baby with the bath water, unless we let them.  The beauty of a "Merry Christmas" makes the glitter of our "Happy Holidays" look pale and sickly.  The quiet cries of a baby in a distant Bethlehem manger always overpower the shrill noises of this world we live in.

          A man and his wife received a new DVD for Christmas from their son and spent all afternoon trying to hook it up to the TV.  The directions were complicated and their son was too far away to come over.  "Call Tech Support," he said, and gave them the number.  After ten minutes on hold, a tech person tried for half an hour to help them.  Finally, the father said, "I don't need better directions, I need my son to come along with this gift!"

          The Son of God is our gift.  He came to live with us and die for us.  Come to Him in faith, and you will truly be prepared today.  "O come, our Dayspring from on high, And cheer us by Your drawing nigh.  Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death's dark shadow put to flight.  Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel."  Amen

Copyright © 2004 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.