1 Isaiah 61:1-4 and John 1:6-8 3 rd Sunday of Advent (B) Sermon given at Friedens UCC December 17, 2017 Living the Longing Every year the town where I live sponsors a Christmas decorating contest. The judging culminates with a tree-lighting ceremony complete with Christmas carols and hot cocoa in the park, which I happened to get an invitation to attend while we were caroling last Sunday afternoon. I love to drive around town and see the decorations some are tasteful, some are tacky. Of course, that s a matter of personal preference My favorites are usually the simplest. I prefer plain white lights, although you may disagree. A friend and I got into a discussion about our preferred Christmas lights recently. This friend favors colored lights because they are, well, more colorful and less boring. But my preference is still the small white lights And there s a reason for that. The tradition of putting lights on a Christmas tree first became popular in Germany and the lights weren t electric, but REAL candles on a LIVE evergreen. [www.wikipedia.com] Now, of course, we don t use real candles anymore the risk of fire is too great, although 30-some years ago the German family who was gracious enough to allow me to stay with them on Christmas Eve did, indeed, use real candles!?! The light of a real candle is white- or a yellowish-white not the colors of the rainbow, no matter how pretty And the light of a real candle is a symbol for the light of Christ. It points beyond itself to something deeper, something bigger, something more meaningful. It points to Christ in our midst. It points to the love of God, the shalom of God, the peace and wholeness of God, made manifest in Christ and the deepest hopes we have, the deepest longings in this darkest time of year. We use that symbol here, year-round every time we gather. We begin consistory meetings, small group discussions, and every single worship service by lighting a candle to remember the light of Christ, a light that lights up the darkness, just like Christmas lights on a winter night.
2 And there s certainly plenty of darkness in the world The world is still waiting, still longing for the light of Christ. I think it s no accident that we celebrate Advent, Christ s coming, God s birth into the world, at the darkest time of year. For, every year behind the glitter and glow, the world still lies in deepest darkness, longing for a Savior. The situations change I m thinking of the family who lost everything in a fire this week, including two precious children. Some of you know the family personally. I m thinking of the turmoil of our civic life and how appropriate our reading about the Prince of Peace is for our time... I m thinking of just so many people and situations The situations change, but the longing is there. We ve been talking about that longing throughout Advent. Below the surface of the pretty decorations at this time of year, many are hurting even here, even now. So many carry heavy burdens of grief, loss, illness, addiction, financial worries, isolation, loneliness It is into that darkness that the light of Christ comes. The situation behind the words of hope we heard from the prophet Isaiah was not an easy one. The 61 st chapter is from what s called Third Isaiah. First Isaiah chapters 1 through 39 speaks words of judgment to an unfaithful nation. Second Isaiah chapters 40 to 55 speaks words of comfort to a people in exile, far from home. We heard those words of comfort last week. Third Isaiah, of which chapter 61 is a part, speaks words of hope to a people who have come home and now face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. [Kathryn Matthews, Weekly Seeds, www.ucc.org] Lives still need to be rebuilt today These are words of hope for us too. But they re not only words of hope; they are words of challenge because God s hope is never just for us, is it? It s always meant to be shared like the light of a candle.
3 There s one commentator this week who really got my attention His name is Scott Bader-Saye and he writes for Feasting on the Word. [much of the following comes from his essay on the Theological Perspective of Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, Year B Volume 1, pp 50-54] He says that these words from Isaiah are all about SALVATION and he applies them to the mission of the church. He suggests that salvation, much more than a means for getting into heaven, has everything to do with rebuilding lives here and now. He asks the question, What is salvation in Isaiah 61?...not in general, but specifically in this text, in this context, in this situation, What is salvation? Well, the prophet proclaims, The spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor to comfort all who mourn. [Isaiah 61:1-2] Here, salvation is good news, healing, liberty, release, comfort. It is the year of the Lord s favor, which is a reference to the jubilee - that occurred in ancient Israel once every 50 years and in which debts were wiped away, slaves freed, fields allowed to rest, land returned to its original owners. In other words, everything was balanced out and set right again. God s salvation for the people of Israel is real, tangible, and this-worldly. It has everything to do with God being born into the world, rather than us escaping from it. When Jesus, the One whose birth we await this Advent, began his ministry, he went to the synagogue and took out this scroll from the prophet Isaiah and read these hope-filled words of promise. We hear that in Luke, chapter 4, one of my favorite passages of scripture, in which Jesus declares himself to be the fulfillment of Isaiah s prophecy, the one to bring good news, healing and release. Jesus ministry of healing and freeing and reaching out to those in deep darkness became the definitive sign of God s coming into the world. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to participate in this salvific living even in the midst of a world not yet fully redeemed. In the midst of the darkness we testify to the light.
4 This is where the mission of the church comes in. The Spirit of Christ continues within the church, within us, in every act of justice and rebuilding, of healing and hope. The mission of the church, or being missional, as Mr. Bader- Saye suggests, in light of this passage, means profoundly challenging all forms of cultural Christianity that would make church an end in itself; a community of the saved devoted to maintaining a building, a set of programs and a fellowship of the like-minded. Mission happens when Christians turn their attention to those who are named as the recipients of the good news: the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, those who mourn The people of God, the redeemed of the Lord, are sent to those who most need to hear that God will provide for them and will redeem their losses. Mission DEFINES God s people as existing for the sake of the oppressed, broken-hearted, imprisoned and mournful; and points to the light, the true light that is coming into the world. Henri Nouwen, considered one of the greatest spiritual writers of our time, wrote a wonderful reflection that draws all this together. He writes that all Christian action, whether it is visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, or working for a more just and peaceful society is a manifestation of the solidarity we have when we are deeply connected with God and one another. It is not an anxious human effort to create a better world. It is a confident expression of the truth that in Christ, death, evil, and destruction have been overcome. It is not a fearful attempt to restore a broken order. It is a joyful assertion that in Christ all order has already been restored. It is not a nervous effort to bring divided people together, but a celebration of an already established unity. (from my files original source unknown) When we are being the church, we are enacting the salvation that already exists in Christ! The Church (with a capital C) has forgotten that, I think. We are beginning to discover it anew in these days.
Just as I was about to finish this up yesterday, my phone rang. I debated about answering because I was in the thick of trying to tie all this together (pause) Well It was someone from church calling to discuss an idea that came to her, an idea to collect blankets and hats and gloves for the homeless. God has impeccable timing! To me, it brought home what I love about Friedens. You already know that we exist for the sake of those who long for a Savior, not in some fluffy, ethereal kind of way, but in the particularities of real lives. You already know we exist for the sake of those who long for the light of Christ, the One who has come, the One among us now, the One who is coming, the One for whom we also long, the One whose light shines beautifully this time of year and always. Thanks be to God! Amen. 5