The Bethany Bullet Sermon Message - Week of January 6, 2019

Sermon: “Best Day Ever!”

Text: Matthew 2:1-12

I received this forwarded email, and a few other interactions of the same, this past Christmas Season. 

The email was dubbed:  God’s Wife?

It’s New York City on a cold day in December. 

A little boy, about 10-years-old, is standing before a shoe store on the
roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering.

A lady approaches the young boy and says,

'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'
 
'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes, was the boy's reply.
 
The lady took him by the hand, went into the store,

and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy.

She then asked if he could give her a basin of water
and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.
 
She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and,

removing her gloves, knelt down, washed
his little feet, and dried them with the towel.
 
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks…

Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him
a pair of shoes…

She tied up the remaining pairs of socks
and gave them to him…

She patted him on the head and said, 'No
doubt, you will be more comfortable now'
 
 As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand,

and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her.

'Are you God's wife?'

Heartwarming to be sure!  Yet if one allows themselves the opportunity to ponder deeply, this story is not merely sentimental but theological. 

The Scripture refers to Jesus as the Groom of His church; and Jesus calls His people, the church, His bride. 

If the woman in the story were a Christian living out Matthew 25 (“what you have done for the least of these…you have done for me”) in a sense the question could receive an affirmation.

The gift of Christ’s mercy, compassion, care, forgiveness, grace and loving kindness are actually ours to give away.  On Epiphany He, the Christ-child, who received gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh) from the nations at the beginning of His earthly life; at the end of His earthly ministry commands His disciples to take His gifts (mercy, compassion, care, forgiveness, grace and loving kindness) to the nations.  

Pr. Kevin Kritzer