THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER, FRANKLIN, MA Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8 God s message of comfort is that Jesus gave up His life for us and that He is coming again in power and great glory. December 4, 2011 In his message last week, Jim Armitage helped us focus on the words of Psalm 80 and on God s willingness to hear our cries of Why? and How long? As we cry out in humility and openness, we find God s face is shining upon us, burdens are lifted, there s sense of peace, our longings are fulfilled and things are made new. Jim s conclusion was that We can cry out to God. He said that the Advent season captures the groaning, the waiting for deliverance and the time of watching and waiting for the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we cry out to God, He hears our pleadings. God is Sovereign! God is Faithful! God s face is shining upon us! This great message of COMFORT is at the heart of the Christian faith. It is supremely fulfilled in Jesus willingness to give up His life for us and His promise to return in power and great glory. In Jesus, God is present to all who trust in Him. He is our COMFORT. John s Gospel proclaims,...the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. [1:14 ESV] An angel of the Lord told Joseph, you shall call his name Jesus Immanuel (which means, God with us). [Matthew 1:21, 23 ESV] In the Incarnation, God s Word became flesh so that we might receive forgiveness of sin, find true comfort for our lives, gain a new sense of confidence in the future and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, be assured of everlasting life. COMFORT that s at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It s God s Advent is about waiting, but it s also a celebration of hope for it focuses us on the entry of the Light of Christ into a dark and foreboding world and on His promise to return in power and glory. This is the source of our comfort as
2 Christians. It isn t Jesus return that s uncertain; it s our readiness to meet Him when He comes. Would you like Jesus to show up unannounced and find you asleep on the job? What does it mean to stay at [our] post, watching? Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas, but it s also a time, as reflected in Paul s advice to the Corinthians (that we heard last Sunday), to be found guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ [1 Corinthians 1:8 ESV] the day He returns in glory. Peter s letter also urges us to be ready for the return of Christ. But the day of Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God. [2 Peter 3:10-12 ESV] The Gospel of Mark opens with these words: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But in reality the good news didn t begin when John the Baptist appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. God the Father began to prepare the Gospel, the Good News, at creation for He knew the time would come when sinful human beings would hunger for His comfort, His loving care and for the amazing grace of His forgiveness so that they might be reconciled to Him. Some 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah spoke God s word of comfort to the Jews as they returned from exile in Babylon. The comfort was all about forgiveness. Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD S hand double for all her sins. Listen to how these words of comfort are presented in Handel s Messiah (the words are from the King James Bible and they appear on an insert in your bulletin).
3 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God The words of Isaiah we just heard, The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God, are used by Mark to describe the appearance of John the Baptist. People came from the Judean countryside and Jerusalem to hear John and they were convinced that He was a prophet who spoke for God. He proclaimed: After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Isaiah, under that guidance of the Holy Spirit, wrote, the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. The glory of the LORD was supremely revealed in Jesus for all the peoples of the world to see. The mouth of the LORD has spoken and the Word of God became flesh so that we might receive forgiveness of sin, find true comfort for our lives and gain a new sense of confidence in the future. It says in Jeremiah: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. [29:11 ESV] That was God s promise at the time of Isaiah, at the time of John and it s His promise today. Jesus said to the believers in the church at Laodicea and He says to us: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. [Revelation 3:20 ESV] Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, Christ is still knocking. It is not yet Christmas. But it also is not the great final Advent, the final coming of Christ. Through all the Advents of our life that we celebrate goes the longing for the final Advent, where it says, Behold, I make all things new. Advent is a time of waiting. Our whole life,
4 however, is Advent that is, a time of waiting for the ultimate, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, when all people are brothers and sisters and rejoice in the words of the angels: On earth peace to those on whom God s favor rests. God s message of COMFORT is that Jesus gave up His life for us and that He is coming again in power and glory to judge the living and the dead. As we await His return, we need to encourage and comfort one another, especially those who struggle spiritually and those who feel overwhelmed by the activities of daily life. We need to reach out to those in need. We need to build our faith on the Word of God Jesus, the living Word, and the Bible, the written Word. We need to be accountable to one another. As we do these things, we too will receive God s COMFORT as we await the return of Christ. Do you remember the words of Jesus we heard last week, But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.? [Mark 13:32, 37 ESV] During the remaining days of Advent, I encourage you to take a few moments each day to exercise some spiritual discipline a special time of prayer, a time of silence or biblical reflection, lighting the candles on an Advent wreath or following the season with an Advent calendar. You may also want to come to the church on Thursday evening to join with others to reflect on the themes of Advent (the details are in the bulletin and Acts29). These are simply a few of the many ways that will help us stay awake as we await the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ. God s message of COMFORT is that Jesus gave up His life for you, for me and for the world the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us and that He s coming again; at the first Christmas He came to visit us in great humility but when He returns, He shall come again in His
5 glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead. And as we await His return, let us join with the angels and worship the One who is the only true source of comfort and peace. Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men. Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men. ******** Let us pray: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Father Jack Potter+
6 THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 4, 2011 God s message of comfort is that Jesus gave up His life for us and that He is coming again in power and great glory. From The Messiah by George Frideric Handel Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. Isaiah 40:1-2 KJV The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway of our God. Isaiah 40:3 KJV And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:5 KJV Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men. Luke 2:14 KJV