Good Morning, Nativity!

I am going to try to get my mini sermon out of the way in the Nativity Now posting rather than at the Sunday Service. I just cannot leave David’s story alone. I hope that my mini sermons from the previous two weeks fit together. David clearly did evil. David clearly broke multiple commandments. David’s integrity was in admitting his fault, his truly evil behavior, and repenting when called out by the prophet Nathan. Despite his brokenness he was still a man of God and a man of integrity. He turned back to God. And God still loved him.

Honestly, that should give all of us hope!

But here is the thing. David’s sin could not go unpunished. David repented and God, ever merciful, forgave him, saying to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” (2 Sam 12:13 ESV). David did not escape punishment; God told him through Nathan, “now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me” (2 Sam 12:10 ESV). David scorned God, despite God having given him blessings in abundance. David’s focus was on the temporal, a woman, and he did evil things. Through Nathan, God warned David that he would suffer for his sins: “Thus says the LORD, ‘behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house.’ ” (2 Sam 12:11 ESV).

In this Sunday’s Old Testament reading we get just a small taste of the evil that befell David because of his sin; really this Sunday’s reading culminates a series of calamities that impacted David’s family. From within David’s “own house” rebellion arose. Absalom, his third son, revolted against him and tried to seize the throne by force. In the war that followed, David pleaded with his generals to have mercy on Absalom. Absalom, however, was killed. And David once again lamented — this time he lamented the loss of his son.

Sin leaves a mark. Sin has cascading side effects. The effects may not appear for years, or even decades. And the impacts of sin can carry over to multiple generations: “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7 ESV). Even after repentance, the impacts linger, for through sin, we despise God and set terrible things into motion.

The best course of action is to avoid sin. But we live in a fallen world, and we will sin. The next best thing is to repent of our sin immediately. Do not let sin cascade as David did. Do not wait to be called out for sinning by a friend as David did. Taking inventory each night before shutting down and asking for God’s forgiveness where we have fallen short is a wonderful routine. And we should ask God to strengthen us so that patterns of sin can be broken.

I am going to end this Nativity Now with a paragraph from “An Exhortation” (BCP 317) that is sometimes used during the Penitential Order (Rite 1). It nicely summarizes and expands upon the above.

Examine your lives and conduct by the rule of God’s commandments, that you may perceive wherein you have offended in what you have done or left undone, whether in thought, word, or deed. And acknowledge your sins before Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life, being ready to make restitution for all injuries and wrongs done by you to others; and also being ready to forgive those who have offended you, in order that you yourselves may be forgiven. And then, being reconciled with one another, come to the banquet of that most heavenly Food.

That is so beautiful. And it even ties into the Bread of Life discourse (heavenly food) from my sermons the last several weeks!

In the Peace and Love of Christ.

Deacon Tim

tmac_84@yahoo.com

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