The First Sunday of Advent ---- 1 December 2019

(Because of a very icy day and horrible travel conditions, the service at St. John's was cancelled. This is the sermon I might have given had we actually held the worship service.)

Isaiah 2: 1-5

In days to come
    the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
    and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
³     Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
⁴ He shall judge between the nations,
    and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war any more.

⁵ O house of Jacob,
    come, let us walk
    in the light of the Lord!

Romans 13:11-14

11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Matthew 24:36-44

36 "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

·        All three of our readings today talk of “being ready”, of “waking from sleep”, and of learning “God’s ways.” There is a sense of anticipation, of waiting, and of change.

·        That is exactly the right thing. We have entered the season of Advent, the season whose title refers to the second coming of Christ into the world. It is not simply a time to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. It is far more than a time of decoration, baking, and shopping.

·        Over time, Christians have spoken of three comings of Christ: in the flesh in Bethlehem, in our hearts daily, and in glory at the end of time. At Christmas, we emphasize the Word-made-flesh at Bethlehem. Throughout the Sundays and in fact, every day of the year, we put emphasis on the daily coming of Christ. In Advent, we take on the upsetting task of considering the glorious coming of Christ at the end of all things. We’d rather think of decorations, presents, and pastries than turning reality inside-out with the return of Jesus.

·        We expect him to come, but we can’t expect a time-table.

·        Now there is a fairly common experience that makes sense to bring up here. What does the term “expecting” mean to anyone here? [   ]

·        When a woman is what some people call “expecting”, it is a baby she (and everyone else involved) expects to arrive. It will not be a sweater in a package from a mail order company or the arrival of a truck filled with heating oil. Further than that, what’s arriving will not be an armadillo. She (and everyone else involved) know what’s coming. However no one knows when or under what exact circumstances that baby will arrive. But the woman is “expecting.” And the world will be turned upside-down and inside-out. It will not be the same again… ever.

·        Could it not be roughly the same for believers?

·        We know who’s coming back. We “expect” Jesus’ return, even though we don’t know the exact circumstances of that return. (Will he come on a cloud? Come riding a white horse? Will legions of angels come after him? And other such almost trivial things.)

·        What we don’t know is when. Many people have spent a lot of time and sweat trying to figure out when the return will take place. Complicated systems and mathematical calculations have been applied and the Scriptures searched, studied, teased, and applied… and mis-applied.

·        Years ago, I read a book on this sort of thing and it scared me. It applied scriptural names to many of the major political players of that time. I talked to my Dad about it. He reminded me of what that author and many others had forgotten or missed: [Jesus said to the disciples] But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

·        Is this a comforting thought? In a way, it is. What we know, we sometimes… or often times… think we control. Even if lacking control feels like a roller coaster ride, there is still the trust in the one who is coming and who had promised to come.

·        If the coming festival of Christmas is about that birth at a stable in Bethlehem and our Advent is about waiting and expecting what and who is to come, our present is filled with the daily coming of Christ into our lives.

·        In the little prelude ‘blurb’ to the bulletin, I wrote that we could spend our days frightened and cowering over the ‘end of days.’ Why not keep awake and watch for Jesus in what we do and what we find around us each day? For Christ came to us in Bethlehem’s manger, is coming to us in a day and hour we don’t yet know, and he comes to us each day. As Christians, born again of water and the Spirit, we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. (Gal 2:20)

·        Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day…