Sermon: “The X(mas) Files: WHY?” John 3:16-17 (December 24, 2023 - Christmas Eve)

Over the four weeks of Advent, the congregation of Boone Church has been playing detective as we investigated the familiar scripture that informs our understanding of Christmas. I’ve been putting on this hat and asking the basic “W” questions to help us better understand the nature of this Messiah whose birth we celebrate each year: who, what, when, and where. We’ve discovered that when we ask these questions about the Christ with open and inquisitive minds, we can learn just as much about ourselves as we do about God. The question of “Who” the Messiah is led us to ask who it is that we actually follow as our messiah. The question of “What” the Messiah is coming to accomplish led us to ask what we might be misunderstanding about Jesus’ agenda. The question of “When” the Messiah would come led us to ask if we’re able to see ALL the ways that God has been, is, and will be working in the world. And just this morning, the question of “Where” the Messiah can be found led us to ask how far we’re willing to go to find him. So we’ve learned a lot from this ancient story that we’ve heard thousands of times before…and we’ve learned a lot about how its message echoes in our own lives even today.

Liturgy, Christmas Eve: The X(mas) Files: WHY?, Lessons and Carols (December 24, 2023)

*You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

*Lighting of the Advent Candles

Sermon: “The X(mas) Files: Where?” Micah 5:1-5/Matthew 2 (December 24, 2023 - Christmas Eve)

Of all the questions we’ve asked this Advent, I’d have to guess that “Where” is the most practical. Even if we think that we’ve got the “who”, “what”, and “when” of the Messiah figured out, the “where” is what brings it all together; it’s the part that takes the Messiah from the hypothetical realm to the incarnational. And we can’t worship the Messiah very well if we don’t even know where to look! As they say in real estate, it’s all about “location, location, location”! So, for one last time before we gather to celebrate Christ’s birth tonight, let’s put on our detective hats, gather the clues, and see what answers we can find!

Liturgy, Advent 4: The X(mas) Files: WHERE?, Micah 5:1-5a/Matthew 2:1-8 (December 24, 2023)

 *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #105, “People Look East”

Hymn GTG #467, “Give Us Light”
Hymn GTG #317, “In Christ There Is No East or West”

Hymn GTG #93, “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”

Sermon: “The X(mas) Files: When?” Psalm 13/Luke 1:46-55 (December 17, 2023 - Advent 3)

I forgot to hit record - the sermon audio starts at the * in the first paragraph.

About six months ago, I dusted off my old Duolingo account and started learning French again. I’ve formally studied Spanish, French, Greek, and Hebrew at one time or another, but I stuck with French the longest, so I figured it’d be the easiest to pick back up again. I was right, but *even as the vocabulary and grammar started to come back to me, I also (re)discovered one of the most difficult parts of learning a new language: reframing the way that you think about time.

Liturgy, Advent 3: The X(mas) Files: WHEN?, Psalm 13/Luke1:46-55 (December 17, 2023)

*You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #82, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus”

Hymn GTG #92, “Sing Out, My Soul”
Hymn GTG #384, “Soon and Very Soon”

Hymn GTG #100, “My Soul Cries Out”

Sermon: “The X(mas) Files: WHAT?", Isaiah 61:1-4/Luke 4:16-30 (December 10, 2023)

This week, we continue our investigation into the familiar prophecies and stories that inform our understanding of Christmas. If we want our faith and relationship with God to continue to grow throughout our lives, we have to be willing to question what we think we know and to be prepared to discover things we hadn’t considered before. Last week, on the first Sunday of Advent, we asked our first question, “Who?”, and we realized that it’s less important for us to ask WHO the Messiah is than it is to ask who WE are treating as our Messiah. Now, let’s put on our detective hats once again to explore the “What?” of the Christmas story: what is it that the Messiah has been sent to do, or as I like to call it, “The Jesus Agenda”.

Liturgy, Advent 2: The X(mas) Files: WHAT?, Isaiah 61:1-4/Luke 4:16-30 (December 10, 2023)

*You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #86, “The People Who Walked in Darkness”
Hymn GTG #90, “Wait for the Lord"
Hymn GTG #852, “When the Lord Redeems the Very Least”

Hymn GTG #772, “Live Into Hope”

Sermon: "The X(mas) Files: WHO?", Isaiah 40:1-5/Luke 3:2-9, 15-16 (December 3, 2023)

This Advent, we’re going to be investigating “The Xmas Files” together: we’ll be taking on the role of detectives: digging into the scripture that informs our understanding of that first Christmas Day over 2000 years ago, and examining how those events still echo in our lives today. Although undoubtedly a worthwhile endeavor for the weeks leading up to Christmas, this task won’t be easy because, if we’re being honest, we’re pretty far from objective as investigators go. These stories have personal meaning to us, and we’ve heard them so many times (usually in the exact same context and manner) that our understanding of them has calcified over the years into something easy and comfortable. While this generally suits us fine in an otherwise festive time of year, if I had to pick any two words that absolutely do NOT describe God’s kindom, I’d probably choose “easy” and “comfortable”. So, as members of a denomination that traditionally places a high value on intellectual curiosity, we’re going to let go of what we think we know, put on our detective hats, and trust God’s Word enough to subject it to questioning – starting this week with the question of WHO?