“The Right ONE”

Jeremiah 33:14-16

December 3, 2006 – First Sunday in Advent

First Presbyterian Church Carson City

Pastor Bruce Kochsmeier

     It’s shopping time!  What are we shopping for in this season?  Whether it is literal or just shopping in our minds for others or ourselves are we looking for the gift that will satisfy as nothing else ever has?  Do we realize we are doing it?  What is it? Is it a new car?  Is it a bigger house, financial freedom, mother-in-law who thinks you are wonderful, guilt-free living, perfect children, spouse, no disease, no sorrow, no regrets, perfect job, a body that doesn’t wear out, the endless vacation, no responsibilities?  What do we think would make everything right?

     On this first Sunday in Advent how are we preparing for the season?  Will we let it shape us or will we in our post-Christian culture shape it by intentionally seeking the right one who will change our lives and give us a value we could never gain no mattered how hard we try; no matter how much we shop or spend?

     I have thousands of baseball cards and was intrigued when I read of a man who said, “I have a small collection of baseball cards. The card that is worth the most is called "Future Stars" and is valued at $100.

     There are three players on this card. The first is Jeff Schneider. Schneider played 1 year of professional baseball, pitched in 11 games, and gave up 13 earned runs in those 11 games.

     The second player is Bobby Bonner, who played 4 years of baseball but only appeared in 61 games, with 8 runs batted in, and 0 home runs.

The third "Future Star" played 21 years for the Baltimore Orioles and appeared in 3,001 games. He came to bat 11,551 times, collected 3,184 hits and 431 home runs, and batted in 1,695 runs. His name is Cal Ripken, Jr.

     Now imagine if you met Bobby Bonner, and he shook your hand and boasted, "Did you know that my baseball card is worth over $100?" You would laugh because you know the worth of the card has nothing to do with him.

     That's how it is when we come to Christ and point to our good works, our statistics, and ask, "Is this good enough?" If you want to hold up your stats to God, you don't have a chance. But when you put your faith in Christ, his statistics become yours, and your baseball card becomes worth a lot because of someone else's stats.

     Bobby Bonner and Jeff Schneider's baseball card is worth $100, not because of their statistics, but because of what someone else has done.

     God made a promise to restore the brokenness of his people.  He knew the things that would be surrounding us today; a world at war, terrorism within and without; horrible events and hurts for which there seems no healing or redemption, sadness at the loss of loved ones; anxiousness over realizing we are not in control; fear in our deepest self that something is going wrong; at the very least that we will not be happy; uncertainty and a sense that we cannot manufacture meaning no matter how much power we gain in this life.  And into this when it might seem there is no answer – Advent – God arrives, God fulfills the promise.  How?  By being with us.  By being for us.  By growing up into our lives as a branch where it seemed nothing was.  By making his love real and present as a sign that we have hope because he is present.

     For all that we could ever shop for; this is the right one.  This is the right thing that God has done for us.  And the only thing we need to do is let this be the ONE gift we receive and give in all that we say and do in this season and in all the seasons of life.

     The last line means of this passage describes God making good on his promise by saying he will come to us as, “The ideal King, God is our King, our hope, the ONE who will make us; makes all things right.”  And we need a King because, (say it with me) “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.  Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.  ALL the King’s horses and ALL the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”  Only the King could do it – not his horses or his men, only the King.  And that’s just what our King, THE King has done in Jesus Christ.  He is THE ONE who can put us together the way we need to be. 

     This is the ONE gift we need; the ideal King; the ONE who makes all things right.  In this season we will have the perfect gift to give when we are receiving WITHIN ourselves that God has come in Jesus Christ and makes us whole.  Every other gift or even dream pales when we stop to receive this gift and let this branch grow up inside us.  It’s time to stop looking on the shelves in the stores.  It’s time to make time to look inside ourselves; to be still and to realize that in this life the promise that we can count on; that makes all the difference in the world is the ONE that God not only made, but became by coming to be the RIGHT ONE for you.

     A friend of mine and of many of you taught me a new way of Christmas shopping this week.  It was perfect timing for the season and for this scripture.  He said, “I’m taking time to pray for each person in my life and for what has happened to them throughout life and I am offering each person up to God every day.  It’s a powerful experience.”  he said.  “First, I realized that when I was done it had taken me a half hour.  I’d never prayed like that before.  I lost track of time.  But I also lost track of myself.  I was so caught up in praying for how other people had been so cut off at the surface that for the first time I didn’t think of how bad I was.  I lost track of being miserable and let myself become more joyful than I could remember.  It was grace.”  

     This is exactly what God promised he would do for us.  He remembered how each of us has been cut down.  He entered into our fear that hope in whatever form would be cut off from us and in Jesus Christ he has come to be our healer and wholeness that nothing can cut down.  And this is how we let God do for us what we cannot do for ourselves; by entering through prayer and stillness the life of someone else where they have been cut down and offer them up to the RIGHT ONE; to the BRANCH that is God’s perfect love.  Try it; it works!      

    Here at this table is where it is tangible and is available for us to receive.  No gift could be more perfect, no time more right than right now for us to get all our shopping done by letting God love us here.  Come let Jesus Christ be the right ONE for you.  Amen.