My ‘talk’ given at the Lynnville UMC on December 19, 2004. The Scripture is from Romans 1: 1-7

 

“Plop, plop, fizz, fizz…Oh, what a relief it is!” “N… E… S… T… L… E… S… Nestles makes the very best!” “Chewy, Chewy Tootsie Roll lasts a long time!” “Mother, please! I’d rather do it myself!”

I’m sure that most of you sitting here this morning remember hearing these at some point in your life. I’d also bet that you could tell me who’s cookies are baked by elves, what truck claims to be built like a rock, and what vacuum-cleaner only weighs eight pounds!

Isn’t advertising great? Advertisements tell us what their products are for and why we need them. And really successful advertisements convince us that we just can’t live without that particular product, and make us want to rush out and get it!

I recall the summer between by sophomore and junior year of high-school when my friend Henry and I were both in the Edwardsville Junior Theater, along with several other of our friends. We were having a bake sale at one of the local car dealerships as a fund raiser for the group, and just weren’t getting enough floor traffic to move all of those cakes and cookies and pies that our moms had made for us. So Henry and I came up with a spur-of-the-moment campaign and put it into action.

I had customized my full-size bicycle with fancy handle-bars, short fenders, and a seventy-two inch sissy-bar that held up the back part of a metallic-red banana seat. Since it was mounted at the axle, this chrome bar actually stuck up in the air about seven feet! Taking two of the bake-sale advertising posters and mounting them on the front and back of that sissy-bar, a group of us began to ride up-and-down the streets of Edwardsville shouting out the ‘good news’ of the bake sale while Henry kept honking the aah-ooh-gah horn he had on his bike to attract attention! I can’t say if it really helped or not, but we at least had a lot of fun doing it, and got out of standing around the tables waiting for people to come in!

Advertising of one kind or another is essential for any business or venture to succeed. First, the background and qualifications, or history, of the company must be established in people’s minds. Hence, we have power companies and pharmaceuticals running ads that do no more than promote their name to people. Second, the product itself must be shown as being authentic and reliable… such as the battery that keeps on going and going and going… The next step is to explain what it does and why people need it… such as the paper-towel that is more absorbent. And lastly, there is the call to you, as an individual, to acquire it for yourself… ‘Call within the next ten minutes and we’ll double our offer!’ Now, not all ads have all aspects at the same time, but a successful campaign must touch on each base to ‘make it home’, if you will.

And in Paul’s opening address to the Roman church, he succeeds in doing just that! He starts by identifying himself and his qualifications… “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son…” He continues, then by verifying the authenticity and quality of the ‘product’… “who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” … tells us why we need Him… “Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” …and then makes the personal appeal to each of us… “And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” He then goes a step further by thanking each of them for accepting that which is proffered… “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Today is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent. In our Old Testament verses from Isaiah this morning we heard the prophecy that, “…the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Then Matthew tells us how Mary was pledged to Joseph, but was found to be ‘with child’. Joseph intended to divorce her quietly, but, “…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

And just in case we missed the point, Matthew adds…

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

Again, we have the prophecy… and the fulfillment! Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary in a stable in the City of Bethlehem over two-thousand years ago… and His coming was foretold hundreds of years before that! And this coming Saturday we celebrate that birth, and all that it meant to the world… and to each of us!

But it is also foretold that Christ will come yet again… and at that second coming, He will gather in all those who have been faithful and strong in His name!

In the title song from the rock-opera, Jesus Christ, Superstar, Jesus is asked why He chose such a backward time and such a small nation… “Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication!” And yet, even without that massive system in place, the Word has spread throughout the world! I doubt that there are very many on this planet who haven’t at least heard of the name of Jesus, though many need to have explained to them who He is! And so the work must continue! Can you hear me now?

Yes, Christ is coming! As advertised and predicted, our Lord and Saviour will return, in victory and triumph over all evil! Hallelujah!! All Hail the Lord’s Anointed!