The Rev. Matthew A Rogers MD + Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36

Transcription

1 Sermon 11/29/15 First Sunday in Advent Year C The Rev. Matthew A Rogers MD + Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth, distress among nations... In the period of the last seven days we have traveled from the Season after Pentecost to the first Sunday of Advent. One way that this is evident is by our lighting of the first Advent candle. The candle is blue. In the optical spectrum of light, blue lies in a wavelength between violet and green and was one of the most difficult colors to recreate in the ancient world. To many, the color blue indicates hope, expectation, and heaven. Not only have we travelled a week s distance temporally, we have travelled theologically. Now we have moved from Ordinary Time into a time set aside for hope, quiet anticipation, and contemplation. As undoubtedly did our ancestors, we can almost feel the energy level shift from our busy days of summer not very long ago into late fall, and into the cusp of winter. Just as the church seasons change, so also our earth changes, as do we deep in our central nervous systems. The days grow darker earlier. Darkness envelops us longer. Physiologically, as this environmental light/dark cycle changes, our internal clock or endogenous circadian rhythm, which regulates wakefulness/sleep, also changes. We may tend to exhibit less wakefulness, a lower energy level and some might argue, a welcome slower pace of life. What a good time to sit, take a deep breath of silence and quietly enjoy the journey during Advent. 1

2 Advent is from the Latin Adventus, meaning coming or arrival, which is a translation of the Greek parousia, a term you have probably heard before, which generally refers to the second coming. So not only is Advent a time for anticipation as we approach the season that we historically celebrate the birth of Jesus (the first coming), Advent is also a time of anticipation for the Parousia, or second coming of Christ at the end of time. Thus, like last week s readings, this week we have examples of what is known as apocalyptic literature or about these end of times. As we discussed last week, apocalyptic texts are sometimes hard to grasp. But a common theme is one which encompasses a period of longing and waiting, followed by a period of time when all things are brought under God s dominion. As theologian David Lose states: Whatever the case, we all know the challenge of waiting, the stress of waiting, the anxiety of waiting. Anxieties that exist in our daily lives, no matter our attempts to feel otherwise. Why hasn t my daughter called to let me know she is OK? Why does it take so long to receive the results of the test? On and on. In this context, Luke offers us a perspective that, while it will not remove our waiting, it may affect its character. We live, according to Luke, between the two great poles of God's intervention in the world: the coming of Christ in the flesh and his triumph over death...and the coming of Christ in glory at the end of time and his triumph over all the powers of earth and heaven. This "in-between time," though fraught with tension, is nevertheless also characterized by hope as both the beginning and the ending of the story of the Church -- and therefore of our story -- which has been secured by Christ. We are therefore free to struggle, to wait, to work, to witness -- indeed to live and die -- with hope because we know the end of the story. 2

3 This is well worth contemplating during Advent in the context of our daily lives. The days are surely coming says the Lord in Jeremiah. Luke writes: There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth, distress among nations These words of scripture deal with something monumental, historically significant on a cosmic and global level, something way beyond local. Who can read these words and not be moved by current events? Often, it appears that today s world has descended into insanity and chaos. When we see all that goes on around us, we are often perplexed-what in the world is going on? I do not have the answers. As I must painfully admit, sometimes the correct answer to a question is I don t know. What I do know is my deep faith in God grounds me in reality. What I do know is that Christ will return in all of His glory, all of His love, and that humanity will be made whole. Scripture is replete with admonitions to watch for the coming of the Kingdom. Our job is to do just that. But remember our discussion last Sunday of Paul s already, not yet. The Kingdom of God is here, the Kingdom of God approaches. The first coming of Christ celebrated at Christmas, the second coming of Christ to fulfill the Kingdom. In this context, I believe that we are not meant to spend our time camping out on the mountaintop awaiting the apocalypse. We are meant to care for all of God s creation in the time we live upon the earth. There are so many ways to do that. I have wondered what difference I will have made in the world during the gift of my time upon it. What will be my legacy? What do you wish yours to be? Our Hebrew Bible reading for today, a passage from Jeremiah was written at the time around the fall of Judah to the Babylonians in 587 BCE. Jeremiah preached to the Southern Kingdom, encompassing Judah and 3

4 Jerusalem. He had already seen what happened to the Northern Kingdom of Israel less than 150 years earlier in its fall to the Assyrians and their king Tiglath-Pileser III. We might read this and fast forward about 600 years to early first century Palestine as Jesus relates to his disciples in Matthew 12: Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And so it was. Jeremiah s message was one of repentance to the Jewish people for mistreating the poor and disenfranchised. God s Judgement was to be inflicted on the Southern Kingdom like on the Northern Kingdom before. In spite of Jeremiah s generally gloomy overtones, he speaks with Messianic connotations when he anticipates the righteous Branch to spring up for David. Many Christians will connect the dots from Jeremiah s Branch to the sprouting of new leaves, new growth, new life in Christ, in Luke s Gospel. Today, we move from Lectionary Year B to Year C. We move from the Gospel according to Mark to the Gospel according to Luke. Although the two authors write about many of the same occurrences in Jesus life, the lens through which they view` their works is different. Mark was written first and presents Jesus as a man of action, the Christ, the Messiah who undergoes horrible suffering and a tragic death. Like Jeremiah s concern for the poor and marginalized, Luke presents Jesus as a man of compassion whose ministry is directed to those at the fringe of society; widows, orphans, the poor and outcast. Jesus cares for creation in his actions, teachings, parables, admonitions, and ultimately His death on the cross. Our new Christian year begins with anticipation and not arrival. Just as new parents prepare for the arrival of their newborn with great anticipation, Advent is a time of our anticipatory preparation for the coming of God in 4

5 Christ. Prayer, contemplation, and study should be hallmarks of our season. Waiting during Advent is almost anathema to our Western culture of consumption and instant gratification. In our consumer society, Black Friday is of course the name given to the day after Thanksgiving, the day that stores move from red to the black on their balance sheets. Whether that is true or not I have no idea. Thank Heaven for some companies that have refused to participate in the Black Friday feeding frenzy. In fact, many businesses have felt the pushback from consumers who have just said enough and have modified their hours and advertising accordingly. Camping out in the cold for days in the offhand chance that we might be able to cheaply score that third large screen television or some other prize that we can neither really afford or indeed really want or need is probably not the best use of our time. Buy now and no payments until 2017! Do we really need to start shopping for Christmas in October? An advertisement for a car in a magazine instructs us and I quote; Ah yes, The Zone. You remember that place where you relax your body and mind just enough to shape those random little notions into something useful. (Sigh) The anti- Advent message. Some of us have lost our way. We should remember that what we are really waiting for is not the newest gadget we can buy at 12:01 AM but the incarnation of God, in a tiny child. Today we light the first Advent candle. Each Sunday we will light another candle. We are now in the season of quiet anticipation. Just as we await the lighting of the other candles on subsequent Sundays, we await the coming of God in the person of Jesus Christ into the world. As we begin to move deeper into the season, our focus should remain on the first Advent, or birth of Christ, and the second Advent, Parousia, or coming, at the end of time. 5

6 Theologian Dennis Bratcher states: Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. It also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself." Already, not yet. Amen 6