A CHRISTMAS SERMON FOR COLLEGE KIDS

"Christians are xxxxheads," a college kid I love and respect recently said to me. This wonderful, fun, caring, passionate young man was baptized and nurtured in my church. He grew up singing in the choir, helping with countless vacation bible schools and bible camps. He was a leader on mission trips, sang the liturgy in worship, and played guitar in the worship bands. It almost made me cry.

I had to hold my tongue.

I wanted to respond "You mean young people who put roofs on poor peoples' houses during spring break instead of getting drunk and screwed are xxxxheads? You mean people who leave a big buck career and devote themselves to the poor and needy are xxxheads? You mean people who stand up against injustice and put their lives on the line for others they don't even know are xxxxheads? You mean people who turn the other cheek, forgive those who spit at them, and would rather take a bullet than pull the trigger are xxxheads?

The first Sabbath Jesus returned home after he started his ministry, his church elders asked him to say a few words. He asked for the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and outlined right then and there what his mission was: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

People bringing good news to the poor... xxxx heads?
People bringing release to captives and sight to the blind... xxxheads?
People working to let the oppressed go free... xxxheads?
People proclaiming the "yom yahweh" (the Jubaliee when all debts were to be forgiven, all families indentured into servitude were released, all lands lost because of bad dealings, stealings and misfortune returned)... these are xxxheads?

If you have anything to say to the 18-28 year old this Christmas, let it be this:

When you were baptized you were branded with the mark that stands for total, complete, unwavering, fiercely passionate love. You belong to the greatest love in the universe. A love that would DIE for the friend. A love that would SACRIFICE for the poor. A love that would GIVE ANYTHING to bring health and wholeness to the downtrodden. A love that would GO TO THE GRAVE for the undeserving... even the ones who would spit in its face and spit at its faith.

Christians may be xxxheads, but Jesus is not. He's the most radically pure and righteous, tough and tender man who ever lived.

And I believe... no... I know he is the will of God incarnate. The work of God in flesh. The wisdom of God - the impossible wisdom that gives us the free will to nail him to a tree and ignore him and call his people to a higher calling then they could ever acheive because, as humans, yes, they are xxxheads.

May we, the xxxheads marked with his mark, rise up above and beyond our xxxheadedness and cry out to the one who was marked and beaten, scarred and stripped, nailed and impaled along with our sins to a tree.

And with all our hearts and passions and energies and failings and frailings, may we bow down in tears and prayer and brokenness and say, "Please, Jesus, please come to me, work through me, hold me and mold me, break me and shake me and finally remake me into the very likeness of You. The essence of love. The person you dream me to be, so that in your name the good news may be proclaimed to the poor this day, in all I do and all I say. So that in your name, the captives may be released and the sight restored through my actions. So that in your name, the oppressed in body, in spirit, in economies may be saved from the systems that bing them and lifted from chains that hold them down. So that in your name, the day may be proclaimed when your will, YOUR WILL, not that of the xxxxheaded people who bear your name so lightly, YOUR WILL will be done on earth as in heaven.

You were marked with the mark of the greatest love in the universe. It's a love that will never let you go. A love that wants to live in you, through you, with you, to you. Please don't throw that mark away. The world desperately needs it... and you... and Jesus. Amen.

Comments

[wholesale caps new era]

I really wish I hadn’t seen this as I really want one now!

[wholesale new era fitted hats]

http://www.newerafittedhat.org/ To the heart of a gentleman villain of the heart, it is not correct display our broad mind it? If life gives us only one setback after another, the failure time and time again, in fact, this is no, because it was just fate deprived us of our right to live noble, but did not take our live happy and free rights.