‘Expect Joy’

4 Advent
Luke 1:39-55   

As many of you know, we are expecting our first grandchild in the coming months. When our daughter recently visited us she and Kathy talked much about babies and pregnancy. I found things to do in the garden!

It is not that I am not interested in such things as ultrasounds, babies kicking, birthing plans and the latest ideas on infant nutrition. It is simply that after an hour or two, I feel the subject has been thoroughly covered!

And if two expectant mothers meet up, you can be certain that the politics and the weather will never come up.

The story in today’s gospel is such a story. It is a story of two expectant mothers, meeting up. They are cousins.

And neither one of them expected to be expecting.

Elizabeth is the oldest woman anyone had ever heard of having a baby. She is probably in her sixties. She and her husband Zechariah had stopped hoping and praying for a baby decades ago. Her pregnancy is, in fact, so improbable that her joy is also tinted with embarrassment. The women of her village surely will think she is not actually pregnant. Perhaps she has a tumour or growth. So she secludes herself in her home. She stays out of public sight – until there can be no doubt that she actually is expecting a baby.

And Mary? Well, if her cousin Elizabeth is the oldest woman in the land who is expecting, Mary is certainly among the very youngest. She is still a teenager. She has been engaged but not yet married.

And if Elizabeth’s pregnancy is improbable, then Mary’s is impossible.

She is not married. She has not known a man. She is still a virgin. But, of course, no one is going to believe that story. So she, too, wants to stay out of the public view in her village. The trip to her cousin Elizabeth’s home, about two day’s travel away, is a good excuse to be away for a few months.

And there is something else unusual about these two pregnancies.

Both had been announced by an angel.

An angel had appeared to Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah when he was in the temple in Jerusalem serving as one of the priests. When the angel tells him that their prayers for a baby had been answered he could have forgiven for thinking that the prayers of he and his wife, or perhaps God’s response, had gotten lost in the divine post. That was decades ago. They had not prayed for a baby in many years. Nonetheless, the angel told Zechariah that he and his wife Elizabeth would have great joy in the birth of a son and that many others would rejoice as his birth as he would do great things in the sight of the Lord because the spirit of Elijah would be upon him. For a first century Jew, and one trained in the scriptures as Zechariah was, there was little doubt what the angel was saying. His son was going to be the forerunner who prepares the way for the Messiah.

When Zechariah pointed out that his age and the age of his wife made this, well, rather improbable, and asked for a sign, the angel responded sternly. The angel announced that he was not just any angel, but the archangel Gabriel who stands regularly in the presence of the Almighty. There was no mistake about the message. And if Zechariah wanted a sign, he would have one. He would not be able to speak a word until his son was born!

When he returned home, we imagine that through a series of signs, gestures and writing he got the whole story out to Elizabeth. And sure enough, just as the archangel had said, Elizabeth became pregnant.

But the archangel Gabriel was not done with his tasks. Six months later he had another visit to make, and another announcement. This time in a village in Galilee. There he came to a young girl named Mary. He told this young girl that even though she was not yet married she was going to have a son, and that she should call him Jesus, for he would be great and would rescue his people and would be called the Son of the Most High.

Like Zechariah, Mary also had questions. Perhaps by this point Gabriel was thinking, ‘Why can’t they simply believe what I tell them.’ But perhaps after the experience with Zechariah he was expecting questions. And the most obvious was this: ‘How can this be,’ asked Mary, ‘since I am a virgin?’ It was a perfectly reasonable question.

And Gabriel goes easier on Mary than he did on Zechariah, who as a trained priest serving in the temple should, after all, have known better than to ask God to ‘prove it’.

The sign Gabriel gives Mary was that of her cousin Elizabeth. He told Mary that even though her cousin was now an old woman, and well past her child-bearing years, she was in fact six months pregnant.

So the angel leaves and Mary hurries to visit Elizabeth.

So Luke’s Gospel begins with a double annunciation, two stories with the Archangel Gabriel announcing the birth of a very important child. This is then followed by two birth stories. The account of the birth of John the Baptist to Elizabeth and Zechariah is followed by the more famous story of the birth of Jesus.

But in between these two stories we have the meeting of the two unexpectedly expectant mothers.

Apart from Zechariah and Joseph, they are the only ones who know what God is about to do. And while it is not yet clear what Zachariah or Joseph are thinking at this point, it is clear that both Elizabeth and Mary not only understand what God had promised, but they believe it.

God had promised that both births would bring joy, and joy is certainly the dominant feeling when the two women meet.

We are told that the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy when Mary came to her door. Elzabeth took this as a sign that this was the Messiah for whom her son would be preparing the way.

And, filled with the Spirit, she speaks: ‘Why have I had this honour, that the mother of my Lord should come to visit me? For as soon as I heard your voice the child in my womb leapt for joy. Blessed is she who believed that the prophecy of what has been promised by God would be fulfilled.’

Now, it would seem that there must have been some conversation between Mary and Elizabeth before these words are spoken, for Elizabeth knows of the message to Mary and Mary’s response to it. And she immediately confesses faith in Messiah, her Lord, who is still early in his first trimester. Talk about getting in early to confess faith in Jesus!

Then we have the famous response of Mary, called Mary’s Song, or the Magnificat, after the opening words of the song.

Every Jew, and certainly every Jewish woman, would have immediately recognized echoes of the song of Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel.

Hannah had prayed to God asking that he look upon his lowly handmaiden with favour, in words virtually identical to those of Mary. And Hannah begins her song with ‘My heart exults in the Lord, my strength is exalted in my God.’  It was a favorite story and song of Jewish women.

And Mary would have known the song well, and in her excitement at the confirmation of the angels announcement through Elizabeth she responds with humility and praise. She responds with joy.

And the joy is not just for her. In a series of couplets, in Hebrew style, with echoes of not just of Hannah’s song, but of many of the Psalms, Mary lists the many ways God is about to turn things upside down. The lowly will be lifted up, with the haughty will be brought low, the hungry will be fed and the rich will go away empty.

God is not just coming into the world to make a show of things. God is coming into the world to change things.

And her song ends with praise of God who remembers his people and who shows mercy.

After this Mary remains with Elizabeth for three months. We are not told if she leaves just before the birth of John or just after. Luke does not want the stories confused, stories he certainly has gotten from Mary herself. The interlude of the meeting of the two expectant mothers has taken place. It is time for Mary, now clearly starting to show her own pregnancy, to return home and bear the weight of the gossips. And it is time for Elizabeth to give birth and for Zechariah to finally be able to speak.

The nativity narratives are about the move from birth announcements, to the story of two births.

But we should not pass over this meeting of the two expectant mothers in the midst of these accounts too hastily. For it is here that the mothers take centre stage. It is here that they both have a voice. It Is here that, taking comfort in one another’s company, and comparing their stories, they both confess an unwavering faith in God and in what he is about to do.

It is here that perhaps the only two people on earth who not only know what God is about to do, but really believe God is about to do it, come together.

And their mood? It is not one of fear or apprehension, but of pure joy.

Elizabeth and Mary know what God is about to do. They are preparing to give birth. And they are also preparing for the dawn of a new age.

And they are both overjoyed. They are the first to feel this joy. But they will not be the last. The joy at what God has done and continues to do through coming among us in human flesh continues to reverberate in our own time and in our own lives.

How do we prepare for Christmas? How to we prepare for the coming of God in flesh among us?

With only a few days left before Christmas we might be thinking of the shopping we need to do, the presents left to buy, the travel arrangement to make, the cards to send. But in the midst of everything else there is really only one way to prepare for Christmas, for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, of God among us. And that is the way that Elizabeth and Mary have shown us.

We prepare with hope, love, peace and joy, just as they did. For it is hope, love, peace and joy that God has brought into the world and into our hearts through the birth of Jesus. Any other response misses the point of Christmas.
Amen.
Pastor Mark Worthing.
Port Macquarie.

Would you like to talk about it?

 

Text: Luke 3:7-18
Advent 3.

 

When families contact the church to enquire about baptism, we don’t tend to respond like John the Baptist did to those who came enquiring about his baptism in the wilderness. He called them ‘a brood of vipers and asked,  Who warned them to flee from the coming wrath? We usually just say “Would you like to get together and talk about it?” 

But John is different. His baptism is different, his approach is different. I wonder why? 

Why the confronting language? The brood of vipers, the wrath of God, the axe lying at the root of the trees, the winnowing fork, the chaff being burnt.  What’s John doing? What’s he driving at?   Today we consider –

The warning
The way and
The welcome
by which he seeks to call and draw and gather people back home to God.

The warning, the way, and the welcome.   

First, the warning. You’ve already heard part of it but John goes on to tell the crowd to “produce fruit in-keeping with repentance.” He says: “…do not begin to say to yourselves: ‘We have Abraham as our father’ for I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.”

Some of these folks who came to John in the wilderness were there under false pretences.  They didn’t think they needed John or his Baptism of repentance. They didn’t think their lives needed challenging or changing in anyway. They felt secure in knowing they were descendants of Abraham.  They were from good stock, which they believed gave them a place of privilege and superiority over others.

John’s warning is a warning against pride and self-importance. Things we are all susceptible to when we think too highly of ourselves and not highly enough of others. John the Baptist is helpful because he gives us a different perspective: an outside perspective on what really needs chopping and changing in our lives, if we do want to turn back to God.   

Imagine driving along in your car and you think everything is fine. You have the radio on, the air conditioner on, the petrol tank is full because you saw it a week or so ago at a bargain price, and you filled up. So you’re pretty pleased with yourself.

All seems well…but then someone drives up alongside you and they are yelling at you insistently to wind down the window, trying to tell you you’ve got a flat tyre. Or your boot’s open. Or your engine is on fire, or something. Now you’d be crazy to say “Ah they don’t know what they’re talking about—it looks fine from in here. There’s no problem from my perspective from where I sit things look great.”

Surely you’d listen to the person outside the car because they see things you don’t.

John is like this, he brings an outside perspective; an outside voice; an unconventional approach. But we ignore him at our peril, we remain proud and smug and self-important at our peril. Turn around John says; turn around to see that God has more for you than just you! That is his warning.

What about his way? How does he go about it? John’s message has this great levelling effect. The valleys are filled in, the mountains are made low. The crooked roads become straight and the rough ways become smooth.  He brings down the proud and lifts up the humble. And some of the proud do wake up to this fact, and they ask him this question, “What should we do then?” What is the fruit of repentance? How should our lives change? When we turn to God, when we are baptised, when we do trust him, what changes should that bring?

John explains to them very practically and very ethically how it looks in each of their situations, and he says for those who have plenty it looks generous, it looks like sharing, it looks like not being too attached to worldly possessions.  It looks like giving things away, not just our old things that we don’t want any more. But maybe new things too.

“Anyone who has two shirts” John says, “should share with the one who has none and anyone who has food should do the same.” Most of us have far more in our pantries and in our wardrobes than we really need, and John says turning to God involves turning away from being solely interested in our own needs, and turning towards the needs of others. Turning away from greed, turning towards generosity.

The tax collectors ask “What about us” and John encourages them: be fair and equitable. Don’t rip people off don’t take more than you should.  Don’t be dishonest on your tax returns. The soldiers asked “What about us?” and John replies: “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely. Be content with your pay”. They’re called to not be harsh with people to not accuse people and to be content with what they earn.

That’s a good one for all of us to learn to be satisfied to be content. The surveys show that most of us, when asked how much money it would it take for us to feel truly secure and be truly happy, respond by saying “Just a little bit more than we have, not too much more, but a little more would be nice.”  John encourages us to learn to be satisfied, to learn to be content as a way of living out repentance and living out our baptism.  And for each person in each station and each vocation it looks slightly different.

But the point is that the way of John puts us all on a level playing field and calls us all to be deeply aware of the needs of others on that playing field.  What opportunities might we find to do that as Christmas approaches and we witness to family, friends or strangers in need.

At this point the crowds are starting to wonder about, John. Who is this guy?  And they wonder if he may in fact be the Messiah, the way he talked, the fire in his belly, the authority in his voice, the commitment to God.  But he quickly set them straight on that count.  John answered them all: “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”.

John’s ministry was always preliminary and always intended to give way to the ministry of Christ.  John’s was a baptism of repentance, Jesus’ was a baptism of the Spirit. John’s was a message of law, Jesus’ was especially a message of grace. John told us not to trust in ourselves. Jesus gave us something better in which we can trust, the mercy of God, the forgiveness of sins, the healing of our hurts.

Together John and Jesus sing a beautiful duet; the law and the gospel, music to our ears.  Together they show us how far away from home we have strayed, how urgent it is that we turn back and how ready God is to welcome us back when we come like the prodigal son.  We read in Zephaniah that the Lord says: “At that time I will gather you, at that time I will bring you home.” Coming home to God Is a beautiful thing, a joyful thing, a wonderful thing.

We were welcomed into God’s home and family through our baptism.  We might not remember it. We might not think about it on a daily basis. But that doesn’t make it unimportant or change the reality of what God did. At our baptism a relationship was established between you and your heavenly Father and you were welcomed into his home.

May God fill you with the promise and joy of coming home to him in this Advent season.

Amen.

“Is John the Baptist a Preacher of Good News ?”

On this second Sunday of Advent, which season of the Christian year consists of the five Sundays leading to Christmas Day, the Gospel and the Epistle forcefully remind us of the meaning of Advent. It literally means ‘Coming’. While Advent speaks to us of Christ’s coming as the promised Messiah of Israel it speaks to us today of the Lordship of Christ as the coming Revealer of His kingdom as the Lord of all future time.

The exhortation to watchfulness in the lessons from the gospel for today is an exhortation not to take God’s grace for granted. We are not to think that the fulfilment of God’s purpose is an automatic process and that some how or other we are on the winners’ side because of who and what the church or we are. The kingdom will come as a thief in the night precisely because it is God’s free and unmerited gift. And that day will bring many surprises.

Until we appreciate this background to the account of John the Baptist’s preaching and his subsequent baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river, we will find it difficult to understand John’s preaching as ‘good news’. Who of us would regard what he has to say as decisively helpful in understanding our relationship to God. Who of us are helped by the knowledge that the truth of our life before God and each other in the final analysis depends upon the depth and truth of our repentance. John proclaimed to the people who came to hear him that they should repent in the light of the immanent appearance of God’s righteous judgement; the coming of God’s kingdom.

If we are tempted to think that John’s preaching of the coming judgement was directed at those who may be thought to be concerned only with outward works of righteousness rather than inward motivation of the heart,(the traditional examples being the Scribes and the Pharisees for whom John did indeed reserve some very special criticism in the other accounts of his preaching in the gospels: Mat 3:7  But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?) This view only intensifies the problem of John’s preaching for us. For who can be sure of the motives of any of our actions done or left undone? We know that the motives of our actions are at best mixed and at worst an expression of our preoccupation with our own self-interest. This was an intense problem for Martin Luther, alone with God in his monastery cell. How do I know that I have repented enough to receive the grace promised in the Eucharist.

He kept his vow to, “Help me, Saint Anne. I will become a monk.” only 15 days later July 17th, 1505. There were seven monasteries in Erfurt. He joined the most rigorous one. It was the Augustinian order of friars. He was 21 years old, and he had a singular focus on saving his soul.

    “If I could believe that God was not angry with me, I would stand on my head for joy. When I was a monk, I wearied myself greatly for almost 15 years with daily sacrifice, torturing myself with fasting’s and vigils and prayers and rigorous works, like self-freezing, not having any blankets, and I almost froze myself to death, earnestly thinking to acquire righteousness by my works.”

His problem is shown by Freud and others to be a universal problem of human consciousness. Freud called the boiling cauldron of our unconsciousness the Id and we spend our life attempting to put a lid on the id of our unconscious mind. This causes all sorts of neurosis by which we attempt to deceive ourselves about the reality of our thoughts about ourselves and others. Luther thought he could solve this problem by some drastic measures, such as by freezing himself in the snow or by  flagellation, beating himself with a whip. All to no avail for him he remained his miserable self.

To transfer the source of repentance from outward actions to inward motives only intensifies the problems created in attempting to understand John’s preaching of repentance as “good news”. His proclamation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the light of the coming judgement is extremely “bad news’ for all who hear his words. For none can come and stand before the judgement seat of God confident that the truth of their life can be understood as grounded in our capacity to repent. We all know what the prophet Jeremiah knew and Sigmund Freud confirmed for us, that the human:

(Jer 17:9) “the heart is deceitful above all things; and desperately corrupt– who can understand it?”

But when we reach this rather melancholy conclusion concerning the medium and the message of John the Baptist, we must remember that we have left out of consideration the one vital factor which enables John’s preaching of repentance to be heard as exceedingly ‘good news’ and not ‘bad news’ at all in this time of Advent.

This factor is the presence in the crowd who came to hear John preach of the one-man Jesus of Nazareth. With the rest of the people, He heard John’s exhortations in view the coming judgement; with them he had himself baptised in the Jordan; with them he received a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

The good news in the Baptists proclamation and action is this unheard-of action of Jesus, the Holy Son of God who though He knew no sin, by His action in accepting at the hand of John the Baptist a Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, He begins his public ministry by declaring His solidarity with sinners. No one came to the Jordan that day to hear John’s call for repentance more laden with sin and guilt than He, no one needier before God than he. He who is God’s Son. He who is different from all other people, in the inexplicable freedom of His grace negated the distance between Himself and all other people by becoming in His Baptism wholly one with us: not in our holiness in our alienation and estrangement from God and each other. He does this by receiving from John the Baptist a Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.

In St Matthew’s gospel it is precisely this anomaly, this scandal, of which John the Baptist becomes acutely aware. He says to Jesus that that it is he, John, who needs to be baptised by him, Jesus, rather than the other way around. But against John’s protest at the contradiction involved in Jesus “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” Jesus insists upon John baptizing Him with this baptism “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. Because Jesus insists by receiving such a baptism, “We fulfil all righteousness.” Here we must understand that Jesus fulfils “all righteousness”, by placing himself in the wrong. He does what is right by placing himself in the wrong before God, for the sake of all those whom He now represents who stand in need of repentance, for all sinners, for all of us.

So, when Jesus is baptised by John with a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin in the light of the coming judgement of God it is not of His own sin that he repents and confesses. It is the people’s burden of guilt with which He identifies Himself as He goes down into the water of Baptism: as He receives John’s Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Precisely because He is the One who in this strange way identifies Himself with us, with our human alienated condition He is also the One, the only One who embraces the coming judgement of God; since He now embarks upon a public ministry through which He more and more becomes entangled in the godfosakenness of our human lot. Until at the end of His life He fulfils His strange journey into the far country of our alienation from God by crying out after his declaration of godforsakenness, τετέλεσται “tetalestai” “It is finished”. The glory of God, of which at Christmas we hear the angels sing, heralding Jesus’ birth, this glory is the glory of the humility of God. A God who does not count it too small a thing to declare His unity and solidarity with sinners. God’s glory is revealed here, as is made plain in the holy gospel of St John and the 17th chapter, as Jesus treads the ever-descending path of humiliation to the cross. It is in the cross that the unity of will and purpose of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit is revealed: And it consists in this: the mysterious delivering up of the Son by the Father together with the giving up of the Father by the Son for the sake of the threatened and lost human creature.

In this way also we come to see how appropriate it is that we understand the call to repentance by John the Baptist in the light of the coming judgement of God to be wholly good news. In the light of Jesus action in submitting to this Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins John becomes a harbinger, a witness, to the advent of the salvation of our God. A true messenger of the light that has dawned and shines upon us all. That light which St John the Evangelist tells us, in the first chapter of his gospel, which, “enlightens every person who comes into the world.” For in Christ our humanity has been restored to its wholeness in relationship to God and our fellow human beings and it is this restored humanity of Christ which is offered to us as the truth of our life as through the waters of our own Baptism as we are incorporated into membership of the very Body of Christ, His church, of which He is the heavenly Head.

As in the beginning God brought forth a cosmos out of the primeval chaos by means of His Word and Spirit, whom St Irenaeus calls the two hands of God: as in the beginning God triumphed over all that was opposed to the creature’s existence and brought life out of darkness and disorder, safeguarded the life of the creature from the encroachment of chaos, so here in the recreation of the creature God’s act of reconciliation is wrought by His Word and Spirit out of the water of Jesus baptism.

His descent into the waters of baptism signal Jesus’ descent into the watery chaos from which God called forth the cosmos. Here this chaos is identified. In Jesus condescension it is seen to reside in humankind’s alienation from God. In his baptism Jesus makes himself one with our rebellion by receiving at the hand of John a baptism of repentance: he who knew no sin, who is ever one with the Father, makes himself vulnerable for the sake of the creature, identifies himself with its existence. Threatened as it is by the impending abyss of nothingness to which it has committed itself in its grasping after the futile possibility of being its own saviour and helper: its rejection of grace.

Instead of our human lives crumbling away into meaninglessness of what Shakespeare calls our “dusty death.” Jesus gives to our human life it’s created meaning and purpose. As the risen and ascended One, the Victor of Gethsemane and Golgotha, He gives us nothing less than Himself and all that is His by means of His Word and sacraments: He promises Himself to us; He gives us back our true human being, restored in reconciled fellowship with God and each other.

Dr. Gordon watson.
Port Macquarie.

Lift up your heads.

1 Advent 2024
Luke 21:25-36

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25-28

These words of Jesus are meant as a clear reference a famous messianic prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14. Significantly, the text in Daniel is associated with and often read at Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the church year, which was last week. It is a text about the enthronement of the Messiah. This is what the text in Daniel says:

“I saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.”

Jesus can talk of his return with great power and glory on the clouds on the basis of his enthronement as king. Jesus’ words in the Gospel reading for this first Sunday in Advent, and the text from Daniel chapter 7, tie the church year together. We finished with a reminder and celebration of Jesus as King. Now, we begin the new church year with a reminder that this king, the Son of Man, will return to earth, just as he has ascended into his heavenly throne.

And that is what Advent is about. It is about expectation and preparation for the coming of Jesus. And it is about expectation and preparation for both of his comings to earth. It is about preparation for Christmas, for his coming to us in flesh. And it is about his coming again in power and kingly glory. Both themes run through our Advent season, and so we find what seems to us this strange mix of Bible readings, songs and prayers that both anticipate Christmas and the end times.

But that is Advent. It is a preparation for celebrating God’s first sojourn among us, beginning with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. And it is equally a preparation for his coming again in power and glory.

As a text focusing on the second coming (or coming again) of Jesus, the text in today’s Gospel reading carries the usual aura of apprehension and even fear at what is to come. We have signs in the heavens (appropriate for one returning from the heavens) as well as the seas. The heavens and earth will be shaken and there will be much anxiety and even panic about what is coming. We are told to be alert for these signs. To be prepared. Because Jesus coming will catch many off guard and unaware. And we are told that when these signs begin to appear, the generation of people who see them will not pass before Jesus returns in power and glory to earth.

Many throughout the history of the church have become focused on just what these signs mean. And also the meaning of ‘this generation will not pass away.’ Is it the generation Jesus was speaking to? Some who first heard these words would have thought that. But it seems in context much more likely to mean the generation that sees the signs he is speaking about. And just how long is a generation? Is it 20 years? 40? 60? 100? For those who become obsessed with biblical prophecy and trying to predict the time of Jesus’ return this becomes a big question.

And so also the question about reading the signs in the heavens and the earth. Every time there are special occurrences in the skies, such and comets, eclipses of moon and sun, solar flares, alignment of planets, etc there is another wave of those claiming that these must be the signs Jesus spoke of. And the same with massive storms in the ocean, and especially tsunamis. But the thing is, it has always been this way. Since the time of Jesus (and long before as well) these celestial occurrences have been observed, and there have been massive storms in the seas and tsunamis.

The one thing we know for certain is that everyone in the last two thousand years who has boldly predicted that the signs in the heaven that they observed, for the storms or tsunamis they experienced, are the signs that Jesus was talking about, has been wrong. But that does not stop or give pause to our modern day readers of prophecy who write books and flood the internet with their predictions.

Their ability to so clearly read the signs and to cause great anxiety is a bit like some of the more extreme climate catastrophists among us. There is no doubt that the impact human activity has on climate is a serious issue. But it seems that we cannot have a single hot or cold day, or heat waver or storm without it being a sign of the end. When I was young a heat wave was a heat wave and a storm was a storm. Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes struct certain parts of the world every year, and there were always massive tornadoes in the American mid-west. But now it seems every weather event is a sign of the end. It is proof positive that climate change is about to bring an end to life as we know it. Some talk as if these things have not occurred before, or are somehow more extreme or common that they were 20, 40, 60 or 100 years ago. Even though both our memories and the records suggest this is not the case. But the reporting of such events has become more alarmist and sensational.

They are always certain that recent and current events are the portent of the end. But then the rains come again, as they always have, the seas calm again, as they always have, the floods subside, as they always have. Life goes until the next dramatic weather event somewhere in the world.

It is the same with the self-appointed readers of biblical prophecy. And the same with the heavenly signs, the roaring of the seas, and also the ‘wars and rumours of wars’ the Bible speaks of. They come and go as they always have. We get back to our routines until the next event or series of events fires up the readers of prophecy and those who read their books and follow their websites become anxious once more.

It is a predictable and sad cycle. But it is not what Jesus intended for his people when he said these words. He wanted us to be watchful, not panicked. He warned that those around us who did not know him and his love would be anxious and frightened about what was coming. Jesus did not mean for us to feel this way.

In fact, quite the opposite. Jesus told us these things that we might have hope, that we might rejoice that he is coming again.

Notice again the words of verse 28, the words so often overlooked by the prophecy readers and the predicters of the end times.  Jesus says, ‘when these things begin to occur, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, ‘run and hide.’ He doesn’t say, ‘be very afraid.’ He doesn’t say, ‘be anxious.’ In fact, he says quite the opposite. He tells us that when times are difficult, when we think this must surely be the end, to stand up and lift our heads in anticipation and celebration, because our redemption is near.

To say the least, it is not the reaction one would expect when everyone around us is anxious or in absolute panic. It is not the reaction one would expect if the world as we know it really was coming to an end.

But it is precisely the reaction to be expected from those who know and love Jesus. It the reaction of knowing that the king who is returned in great power and spectacular glory is also coming and the just and loving and forgiving king. The return of Jesus is, first and foremost, the return of our king, and saviour and friend.

When Jesus calls us to stand and lift up our heads instead of being anxious and fearful, he is calling us to hope.

And hope, as it happens, is the traditional theme of this first Sunday in Advent.

Preparing the way for the coming of the Lord. Expecting his return. These things are not about fear and anxiety. They are about hope.

And it is hope not despite of all the signs and turmoil we experience around us. It is hope precisely because of these things.

If all is going well in the world and in my life, then it would be odd for me to be anything other than optimistic about the future. We see this in the regular consumer optimism surveys. When the economy is going well, people are optimistic and have plans for buying, holidaying or staring a new business. When the economy is not going so well, or is forecast to have troubles, then we see the opposite. People are worried and put off any many commitments.

Imagine if we did just the opposite. If we started a new business venture or plans a big holiday when all the economic indicators were bad. Some would say this was simply foolish. Others would call it overly optimistic. Or perhaps we might simply call it hope.

This is similar to what Jesus describes in today’s text. The whole world is anxious and fearful. And not without reason. Yet his followers are to stand and lift their hands in celebration and excitement. That is true hope. It is hope built on the confidence we have in Jesus. That the king who is coming is the king we know to be just and loving and kind. The king we know as our friend, the one who gave his life for us.

Christian hope is about expectation and preparing. But not the kind of fearful expectation and preparing we see in so-called ‘preppers’ getting ready for the end of the world or some impending disaster by barricading themselves in.

Genuine Christian hope is one of joy and peace. It is one that is confident in the coming king when everyone around us is anxious and fearful. And this is true in our individual life journeys just as much as in the journey of world history leading toward the physical return of Jesus as king.

We might feel anxious at reports of wars and cyclones and fires and droughts, but these, unless we are in the midst of them, often seem a safe distance away. But when crisis and trouble strikes close to home, things are very different. When the bad news from the doctor is delivered to us, or someone close to us, it seems like the end of our world. When it is our job that is lost, or our relationship that breaks up, it really does seem like signs that the end is near.

But the message of Advent, the message of the coming kings, calls us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus even at these times. That is true hope. To rejoice and trust in Jesus even when all around us is fear and anxiety. When we can hope and trust in the coming king, not just in the face of far aways signs and portents and troubles, but also in the face of the challenges and troubles we will surely face in life, then we have understood the real meaning not just of Advent, but of hope in our coming king.

Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.
Port Macquarie.

Reflecting the true light

The Text: John 1:6-8, 19-28

A few years ago, China landed a rocket on the moon and obtained some samples from the moon’s surface. We humans are fascinated by moon travel and expeditions to other planets.

Sometimes, when we see a full moon rising in the early evening, it appears so big and bright that we can see so much detail on it.

In some ways, John the Baptist is like the moon. He came rising onto the scene out of nowhere – from the wilderness – and told the people that he is not the light but was pointing the people to the light: He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. And that’s what the moon does. The moon does not produce its own light but it merely reflects the light of the sun. And what’s interesting is that the sun is nowhere to be seen – it’s at the opposite end of the world, and yet it shines bright enough to bring light to the deepest darkness.

In the same way, we Christians have been called to reflect the light of Christ. Jesus says – “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” So just as John was a witness to the light, we are to be a witness to the light. The light of Christ. And we do that by reflecting the light of Christ in all that we do. Because people look at us and they don’t just judge us by the things we do or say but they judge God as well.

As we look to see how we are reflecting the light of God it is often helpful to look in the mirror to see what others are seeing. Quite often we don’t realise what we are reflecting. We might think we are looking okay – until we look in the mirror and see our shirt button isn’t done up or we have some breakfast remains on our face. We might think we are leading great examples of Christian living; but it’s not important what we think, but what others see in us.

Luther’s explanation to the 10 commandments in his Small Catechism, helps us reflect on how we break each of the commandments in 2 ways – known as acts of commission and acts of omission. We break the commandments not just by what we do – acts of commission – but by what we don’t do – acts of omission.

Usually we’re pretty good at refraining from doing the wrong thing – acts of commission, such as in the 5th Commandment: “You shall not kill. What does this mean? We are to fear and love God so that we do not hurt our neighbour in any way.”  Yep, I can check that one off.

But Luther continues – “BUT, I am to help him in all his physical needs.” That’s the part I’m not always so good at. “Look, I’m a little busy at the moment – can’t somebody else help you?” Or the seventh commandment: “You shall not steal – we are to fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbour’s money or property.” Check. No worries with that one.

“BUT – we are to help him improve and protect his property and means of making a living.”

“Sorry but I’ve got my own business to worry about – I have to make enough to pay my mortgage – my credit card – and save up for my retirement. Can’t my neighbour get his act into gear? I’ve worked hard to get where I am – why can’t he do the same?”

 Sometimes it’s not the light of what we are doing that is reflecting on people around us – but what we are NOT doing that people are taking notice of. As the old saying goes – “all it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.” Sometimes it’s the acts of omission that do the most harm. And so it can be a real struggle reflecting the light of Christ because of the things that we don’t do to help our neighbour.  

And there are also times when we can fall into the danger of not reflecting the light of Christ because we are trying too hard to reflect our own light. A sort of, “Look at me – look at all the good things I’m doing.” And that’s where John had to try hard to keep reminding people that he is NOT the light. He said – I’m not even Elijah or one of the prophets. I’m just one who is pointing you to the true light of Christ.

St Paul shares with us how we CAN reflect God’s light not by doing good works in order for the world to be impressed with our service. No, Paul says – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. What a freeing thing that is when we forget about trying to impress others by our good works and just rejoice, pray and give thanks for all the good things God has done for us..

It’s so easy to rejoice, pray and give thanks when we realise how much God has done for us in Christ. But it’s just as easy to reflect the opposite, to grumble about everything instead of rejoicing. Like the Israelites who grumbled about their conditions rather than rejoicing that God had freed them from slavery in Egypt, many of us complained about the restrictions that were imposed upon us during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of rejoicing that God had saved many lives through the actions of the medical profession, and some of the restrictions put in place by the government of the time, we grumbled that we had to wear masks in church and use individual cups for holy communion. It’s so easy to forget to rejoice and give thanks and pray for our government and our medical profession, even though they’re not perfect, like all of us.  That’s when we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “What image are we reflecting to the world? What light are we shining? Are we shining our own light or Christ’s?”

 So often we believe it is up to us to take the ‘fight’ to the world. We think that it is up to us to defend the rights of God and the church. And often what happens is that we replace God’s light with our own. And that’s what John was avoiding when he said: “I’m not the Christ, I’m not Elijah – I’m not one of the prophets. In fact I’m not even worthy enough to untie the sandals of the one I’m pointing you to.”

Yes, we all want to defend God – we all want to defend the church – we want to defend the name of Christ in an increasingly Godless world. But the best way we can do that is by rejoicing in the midst of it all – giving thanks in the midst of it all – and praying for all. And Paul says – pray without ceasing – because the challenges on the church and on God’s name are without ceasing. And in doing that we will be reflecting the light of Christ even if sometimes we don’t always live perfect lives. And even when that happens, we are assured by the Word of God, that, “the God of peace himself will sanctify you entirely; and your spirit and soul and body will be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The one who calls us is faithful, and he will do this. Amen.

Same story – different challenges

Text Mark 1:1-8

Same story – different challenges

One of the challenges during Advent and Christmas is hearing the familiar story we all know so well.  Not that there’s anything wrong with the story, but sometimes we sort of switch off – we’ve heard it all before – we want to hear something new. We all know the story. We’ve all seen the Christmas pageants and know the script.  We’ve seen the Nativity scenes with Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus in a manger, the cow, donkey, the sheep and shepherds. It’s become almost too familiar.  And what is the old saying: ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’”?

The season of Advent prepares the way to Christmas through the wilderness. Advent makes a straight path for Jesus – the path which is usually hindered by the busyness of shopping and food preparation and the organising of holidays. Every year has different challenges hindering our preparations for Christmas.  During this Advent season let this be a time of reflection and contemplation as we hear the good news of Jesus coming to us in the flesh. Let the gospel sink more deeply into our lives, let the story of Jesus’ birth speak to us differently this year. The story of Jesus may be familiar – it may be the same – but our lives are not the same so let us hear the story with eager ears.

But before we do, let us remember haw very different it was during COVID. For many, it was not the usual joyous march toward Christmas.  Everything might have been planned – parents were thinking about roles for their children – the play was organised and being rehearsed, the carols and readings were all worked out. But how to fit the usual crowds into one per 4 square metres and 1.5 metres apart? And how to account for any visitors that may turn up? It was anything but the straight path to Christmas that John the Baptist proclaimed-  for us there were many road blocks and potholes to be faced along the way.

During COVID all people were anxious and waiting in the wilderness of lockdowns. For many, Advent was a wilderness experience in lockdown. For many there was no clear path forward. It was a time of uncertainty, fear and grief. Christmas may have been the same familiar story but our lives were not. But while the harshness of wilderness may have confronted us during those times of church closure, the ageless truth remained the same and it is what got us through. When the angel announced to Mary and Joseph that Mary would give birth he said that this child would be called Immanuel – which means God is with us. And that kept us going, knowing that in the wilderness we were not alone.

The season of Advent reminds us that no matter where we are or what experiences we are going through that God is with us in Jesus. The wilderness is an uncomfortable place if we are alone. Peter was writing to a Christian community who were in the wilderness. They too needed reminding that the Christmas story was a story of hope in times of wilderness. The wilderness can seem like an eternity when you are alone but Peter reminds us that with God a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day.

Peter was writing to a Christian community experiencing persecution at the hands of the ruling empire. They were looking for Jesus’ return and immediate relief from their suffering.  But God does not always act in our timeline.  A thousand years is like a day, and a day is like a thousand years to God.  And when we are suffering, the lonely nights can seem like an eternity in the wilderness but, as the Psalmist writes: ‘Weeping may last for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.’

During Advent we are given a word of hope for the future while our present seems like wilderness. The prophet John the Baptist proclaimed in the wilderness a familiar message to a people who were in the wilderness themselves. Israel has been invaded by the Roman Empire and they had no king.  John pointed away from himself and toward someone greater to come. John pointed to a hopeful future by promising one who would come baptizing, not with mere water but with the eternal Holy Spirit. And we are to live out our hope by looking away from ourselves and our wilderness to one more powerful than us.

Our Advent message is that we are called to be a people that await the coming of the Lord in all circumstances.  We are always in waiting—through victory and defeat, triumph and loss. And as the church, we are to proclaim peace on earth, goodwill towards all, and joy to the world – all the messages of Christmas.

And that’s what Peter said also: “While you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation”. And it’s the patience of the Lord that creates the seeming slowness in times of wilderness – his patience of not wanting anyone to be lost forever.

So just as we are pointed by John to Christ, we point the world to the Christ, the one who is more powerful, more patient, and more loving. We point to the Christ, the one who is to come.

This Advent, many of us feel like we are still in the wilderness. But let us remember that all things here on earth are temporary. Let our lives be shaped by our hope in the truth that God is coming – that God has come in Jesus who is with us always. Amen.

Christmas is coming.

The Text: Mark 13:24-37

Dear Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit on us so that we may keep watch for the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have you noticed what’s coming? For example, have you noticed that Christmas is coming, and how can you tell?

You can tell because the shops and streets are full of Christmas decorations, wrappings, lights, gift ideas, etc. You can tell because Christmas music is playing. You can tell because the TV advertisements let you know what you need to buy to make yourself or your loved ones happy.

Or, have you noticed a number of new films coming soon? Boxing Day is traditionally when many blockbuster films open in cinemas around the country.

Or, have you noticed that the days are getting longer and warmer, and the agapanthus and jacarandas are flowering?

Or, have you noticed the Lord is coming, and how can you tell?

Well, you can tell by the signs.

Just like a television advertisement or movie trailer which changes scenes rapidly, today’s gospel reading, or rather Jesus through St Mark, is using a montage of pictures which advertise the Lord’s coming in a very contemporary way.

Try to imagine what he’s saying, picturing the signs:

The opening scene: Cosmic chaos! You watch the sun go dark; the moon goes black without the sun, the stars fall from their positions, and the heavenly authorities and powers are shaken from their foundations.

Change of scene: You see the Son of man coming on the clouds surrounded by the light of his glory. The angels whizz backwards and forwards to the ends of the earth, gathering all the chosen ones.

Change of scene: You see a fig tree at spring time, sprouting a new, green, tender shoot, advertising the coming summer; then you see a picture of the universe, and you’re disturbed to see everything, including the heavens and the earth disappear over time, yet you also notice the words spoken by God strangely remain unaffected by the ravages of time and don’t fade at all.

Change of scene: You see an alarm clock about to go off, but because it hasn’t got any hands to tell what time it will happen, no-one can figure out what time it will go off. You even see the Son of God go up and inspect it, but he too doesn’t know what time it’ll go off.

Change of scene: You watch a man going away on a journey, leaving his servants in charge of all his belongings. You see the doorkeeper of his property stand at watch. Time goes by and you notice the same doorkeeper at different times of the night and day still standing, still watching, still waiting.

Change of scene: everything is going dark, but as you see this, you notice more and more people falling asleep, and fewer staying awake. The scene ends with a word, strong and clear: Watch!

Like a richly colourful and startling advertisement, this montage of pictures creates a sense of anticipation.

In the church we anticipate and eagerly look forward to the coming of the Day of the Lord. This is what the Advent season is all about. Advent isn’t designed just to make us ready for Christmas, but to remind us and make us ready for Christ coming in his glory. And while we may not see the sun going black or see any stars fall, we know the moment of his return is getting nearer all the time.

But, we are not very good at keeping watch!

We aren’t very good at waiting because we want things NOW. We’re not even patient at watching sport. Many people prefer the quick action games like one-day cricket or 20-20 cricket to the slower battle of the tests. We also want our meals NOW, that’s why we have microwaves and fast food. We want to sing Christmas carols now and then by the time Christmas is here we are tired of them. We want to see the films now. We want the new products now so we can be first in our social circle to have the latest thing. We want to get better now rather than letting nature take its course. We want the highly paid positions now rather than working our way up the ladder. We want to get paid for our crops now. We want to receive the blessings of retirement now. We want to be wise now. Even emails and mobile phones demand our immediate attention.

Why are we all so busy and feeling stressed out? Because everything has to be done…NOW! But who said everything has to be that way?

Have you noticed how we’ve become so impatient? Is this healthy for us? We have forgotten how to be patient, to watch and wait. We need to re-learn the art of silence. We need to re-learn the teaching of rest and relaxation instead of our constant work and busy-ness.

But that’s not all! We’ve also become passive watchers. What once used to make our blood boil or cause us to cry, no longer affects us or moves us to action. Many of us were deeply affected when we first saw the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre buildings or the Bali bombings on our television screens. But what about now? Terrible atrocities seem to be reported on every night in our news bulletins. What is our reaction? Not another terrorist attack that we are tired of hearing about. It also seems as the amount of violence increases on our TV screens, the less we notice it; we become conditioned to it. Violence and terror don’t move us to action the way it used to. The most we do is shake our heads and change the television channel to find something else more appealing.

In other words, we’re becoming people that hide or ignore our emotions. What once used to shock us, we now turn a blind eye to. What once used to terrify us, we now only shrug our shoulders.

Unfortunately this same attitude affects the church. For example, when the Word of God strikes deeply at our hearts, we might just consider it an “itch” and ignore it. When God urges repentance, we self-justify our actions and excuse ourselves from self-examination. When God announces peace, forgiveness, comfort and love, we simply shrug our shoulders as if nothing has happened.

Yet we are called to watch – actively and patiently. The Spirit calls us to action like a concierge standing watch. He calls us to have patience as we wait in constant anticipation.

But just like a scary movie, we might be afraid to watch. Some of us are afraid to look for the signs of the Lord’s coming, because it reminds us of our fragility, our feebleness, our weakness, or our sinfulness. Yet for those in Christ, watching for Jesus isn’t something to fear.

Even though some of the signs Jesus talks about may be scary to some, to Christians they’re something to look forward to. We look forward to them because we’re among the chosen ones!

Since we’re God’s chosen ones, even if the sun were to lose its light and energy, we’ve nothing to fear. Even if the stars were to fall from the sky, we can instead celebrate the coming of the Lord. Even when Jesus comes in glory and many shake with fear, we can clap our hands and cheer our victorious King.

We can do this because we’re among those he’ll gather up into his eternal kingdom. He’s already placed his name on us in baptism, claiming us to be his own. Therefore, confident of his love and faithfulness, we can constantly watch and look forward to his promised return.

This is the story of Advent. When Advent comes, we’re called to watch. We’re to watch ourselves and admit our impatience, our inaction and our laziness. We’re to repent of our busyness that has squeezed Jesus and his word out of our lives. We’re to repent of our sinfulness, but in such a manner that we don’t fear his anger, but instead we are confident of his mercy, compassion and forgiveness.

When Advent comes, we’re called to watch for Jesus. We’re to watch for the signs of his coming and listen to his Words of promise. We’re to look to Jesus who truly comes to us already, hidden in a child born in Bethlehem, hidden in the words of a sermon, hidden in water mixed with his holy name, and hidden with bread and wine that truly becomes his body and blood.

Just like an advertisement announcing the arrival of a film, product or celebration, Advent creates sense of anticipation. We anticipate that Jesus will return, for that’s what he said. Jesus doesn’t lie. His word remains true and valid today as the day he first promised.

Therefore stay awake and watch, actively and patiently! Watch, knowing that salvation is ours and we’re the chosen ones who’ll be gathered up to enter his kingdom. Rejoice that we’ve been selected to enter his kingdom without fear.

As we stand and watch, clinging to God’s word, we’re assured that he’s not far off, but here with us, standing beside us patiently. In this way as we listen attentively, eat and drink eagerly, we’re assured that salvation is ours even now. So the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard our hearts and minds as we wait and watch for our coming Lord Christ Jesus. Amen.

Joseph’s predicament

The Text: Matthew 1:18-25

 

Today’s focus is going to be on Joseph and his part in the coming of our Lord Jesus. So let’s begin with a little Bible quiz about Joseph—just three quick questions…

 

  1. 1. Do you remember what Joseph’s trade was?

He was a carpenter. We think of Jesus as a carpenter, but that’s mainly because we know Joseph was a carpenter. In the Gospels according to Matthew and Mark, people ask of Jesus, ‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?’

  1. 2. Here in today’s Gospel Reading is the first time we hear of Joseph. Do you remember the last time we hear of him in the Gospels?

It’s in the Temple twelve years after Jesus’ birth, when Mary and Joseph lost Jesus because, as Jesus says, he was in his true Father’s house. We hear of Mary right up to the crucifixion, but the last we hear of Joseph is when Jesus is twelve years old, which leads most people to guess that Joseph probably died some time after that, perhaps because he was older than Mary. But we don’t know that for sure.

  1. Now for the last quiz question. Do you remember how many things Joseph says in the Gospels?

It’s a trick question actually. The answer is…none; not one recorded word from Joseph. Joseph comes across as the ‘strong, silent’ type and we’ll return to this later in the sermon. 

For these sorts of reasons, Joseph is an intriguing and even mysterious character. But what we want to see today is that his role in God’s plan of salvation is no less significant because of it.

So, as we think more about Joseph, let’s look first at his predicament; second, at his task; and third, at his response.

First, what is Joseph’s predicament? His quandary? His dilemma? In simple terms, Joseph’s predicament is that he is pledged to be married to Mary; Mary is pregnant and the one thing Joseph knows for sure is that he is not the father. So what to do? 

If we probe a little deeper we can discover there’s actually two possible ways of reading this situation, both of which could leave Joseph in a difficult spot. The one we most commonly hear, is that Joseph assumed that Mary had been unfaithful to him. Now this may have been difficult just on the personal level. But more than that, according to the law and social custom, it would’ve created big problems for Joseph to take Mary as his wife if it was known she had been unfaithful to him. So divorce seems to be the inevitable end. The problem, then, is that this sort of thing could be punished quite severely according to the law. So Joseph is in a predicament. He is a righteous man, and comes across as a kind and merciful man. So what is he to do?

Well, he arrives at a less than ideal solution but the best he can work out—arranging the divorce, but doing it quietly and so not creating more problems for Mary. Quite a predicament! This is the most common way to read this situation, and I think is the most likely. But there is another possibility that is worth considering, which is how many in the early church understood this story.

According to the alternative understanding of this story, Mary told Joseph about the visit to her by the angel and the news that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit, and that Joseph believed her. So he wasn’t suspicious of her, but he believed her. One of the things to remember here is that Joseph wasn’t a modern materialistic sceptic. He was a faithful, believing first century Jew who would’ve been much more open to God’s miraculous intervention than people today would be.

So if this understanding of the story is correct, then the predicament of Joseph is that he is overwhelmed by the magnitude of what is happening and what he is being called to do. He perhaps feels unworthy about caring for the holy child. So again, what to do?

Okay, divorcing Mary and running away from the situation may not be the best option. But it’s the sort of thing a lot of the prophets felt like doing when God called them into his service. So whether Joseph is suspicious of adultery, or he is overwhelmed by the presence of God’s holiness, he finds himself in a predicament.

Now let’s pause, because there’s a connection here with our lives today.  

As people of God today, as married people, as Christian families, we find ourselves in our fair share of predicaments, don’t we? And if we take our faith seriously, if we want to hear what God has to say to us and live according to his will, this doesn’t necessarily mean we have less difficult situations. In fact it can mean we have more of them.

Let me give you a very simple example, which perhaps some of you are facing right now. Let’s say Christmas lunch this year is scheduled for 12:30 at the rellies’ place. This part of the family isn’t involved in the life of the church. The problem for you is that it’s a two hour drive to their place. Church is at 9:30. So by the time we finish and get on the road you’re thinking: “Hmm, are we going to make it? Are they going to be upset if we’re late?” And so on…

Now at one level this may not sound like a big deal. But still, this small example can simply illustrate for us that our faith constantly raises these predicaments, dilemmas, and difficult situations. Many of you are facing your own particular ones right now, no doubt. In these experiences it can simply be good to remember that even the ‘holy family’ of Joseph, Mary and Jesus was not exempt. God’s interaction in their life is disruptive and confusing, at least at first.

Do you think it’s hard being late to lunch because of church? Imagine explaining that you’re late to lunch because an angel had just visited you! And in fact it gets a lot worse after this for the holy family, because they are forced to flee to Egypt to escape Herod. But notice too, that God does not leave Joseph in his predicament. God intervenes through his angel and reassures Joseph, comforts him, and assures him who this child is and where he is from. God’s enters into Joseph’s predicament.

Now we are not promised such extraordinary angelic interventions in all our difficult situations. But let us be open to God’s coming into them, to lead us through them, and to work all things for good according to his purposes.

So that is our first point: The predicament of Joseph.

Now we move onto the task of Joseph. What is Joseph actually called to do?

The reality is that biologically, Joseph was not needed. We confess from this text and from Luke’s account that we believe… ‘In Jesus Christ our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit…’ The Christian church has always confessed that the conception of Jesus was a miracle. The church confesses that the Son of God became a human being in this world not through the normal processes of a man and woman coming together, but through the power and work of the Holy Spirit in Mary. Biologically speaking, Jesus had no human father. So what is the task of Joseph?

You could say Joseph is called to be a foster-father of sorts—to adopt and care for and protect Jesus as his own. He certainly does a good job of that especially in the flight to Egypt. So Joseph is sometimes called the guardian of Jesus. Notice too that Joseph is addressed by the angel as ‘Son of David’.

So, there’s something going on here to do with the fulfilment of the covenant that God made with David—that by Joseph becoming Jesus’ legal father the rightful King will come to his throne. But connected to this in the text, we read of a very specific task Joseph is given, which is the naming of Jesus: ‘Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him… Jesus…’

Now, you’ve probably noticed that names seem to carry a lot more significance in the culture and time of the Bible than they do for us today in our culture. But even today we still often spend a lot of time thinking about what to name our children, don’t we? It’s fairly important to us. Just imagine if someone tried to restrict this freedom. Imagine if the government tried to tell people what they could and couldn’t name their children! We seem to instinctively know there’s something very important about names, and so there is a certain honour and gravity in the giving of a name.

So Joseph’s task is to name the child, not using a name of his own choosing, but with the name the Lord supplies: ‘You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’

Let’s think a little about the name Joseph is to give the child. The name ‘Jesus’ comes from two Hebrew words, which together mean ‘the Lord saves’. Notice the emphasis in his name—Jesus comes to save. This is who he is; this is his work; this is his mission. He comes to save his people. He comes to save you.

Jesus does other things. He teaches, he heals, he works miracles, and so on. But everything else serves this main purpose of being the Saviour. This is no small point. Just about everyone is willing to acknowledge Jesus in some way—as a great teacher, as a spiritual guru, or as a nice guy. But the only way to truly know him is as the Saviour.

The reason that it’s difficult to acknowledge him as Saviour is that it also requires realising your problem is much deeper than you think. So, for example, if all we need is a bit more information and guidance, then Jesus the teacher will do. But if our problem is that actually we are broken from the core; if our condition is terminal, then we need a Saviour. And notice what he saves from!

Many people of that time were hoping for a saviour—a saviour from the Romans, a saviour from their enemies, a saviour from all the problems out there. But the angel says he comes to save his people from their sins. Salvation is about delivering us from the problem inside of us—in our sinful hearts.

Jesus comes to save you from your sins. He does this by taking your sins on himself on the cross, and so removing their power. And he’s not only Jesus, the Saviour. He’s also Immanuel; God with us, God for us. So that’s the awesome task of Joseph—naming Jesus.

Now finally and more briefly, let’s note the response of Joseph, which is the obedience of faith. ‘When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.’

One of the striking features of both Mary and Joseph in the Christmas event is that when the angel comes with the news of Jesus’ birth and gives instructions concerning it, to use the words of the old hymn, they simply ‘trust and obey’. With Joseph it stands out even more because of what we said earlier about there being no record of anything he said. All we have is his action. Joseph hears, trusts, and does what God has called him to do. At the beginning he was in a predicament and he was unsure and unclear about what to do. He had to work it out as best he could and choose a course of action.

But with a clear word from God to him, there’s no great deliberation, no argument, and no second guessing. He simply hears, trusts, and obeys.

So what about for us?

It’s true that there are situations we find ourselves in in which it is not always easy to know what God would have us do. Things can be unclear to us, and so we are called to use our Christian wisdom to find the best course of action we can. But perhaps there are not as many of these as we think there are, and in our lives there are often situations which we make more complicated because we have trouble simply obeying the clear and simple word of God.

There’s a time for deliberation and discernment. There’s even a place for wrestling with God, and asking our questions, and pouring out our hearts’ struggles to him. But there’s also a time for simple, trusting obedience. This obedience does not put us right with God. We stand right before God by faith in Jesus Christ. But from our faith flows a joyful obedience.

So as you face predicaments in your Christian life, remember Joseph, and, as Joseph did, trust God to intervene and lead you through them. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, remember Joseph, the one charged with giving the child the name and all it means, Jesus, the Saviour from sin. And as you believe in Jesus, your Saviour, may a simple and joyful obedience to God’s will overflow in your life. Amen.

Jesus & John the Baptist

The Text: Matthew 11:1-12

 

1After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

2When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

4Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

7As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,  who will prepare your way before you.’

11Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

 

In today’s text, Matthew tells us that John is in prison. He had been arrested by Herod because John had condemned Herod’s adulterous relationship with his brother Philip’s wife. John was simply being faithful to God’s Word. John the Baptist showed his love for God by not compromising his word, and he loved Herod too―really loved him by pointing out the hard truth to him and calling him to repentance, in accordance with God’s own definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13―that love rejoices in the truth.

Okay―people don’t like to hear the truth that hurts―but being imprisoned for speaking it? It wasn’t meant to turn out like this for John, was it? Maybe that’s the reason for John’s question of Jesus: “Are you the one to come, or should we wait for another?” The reason behind John’s question has resulted in quite a deal of debate and uncertainty among scholars for a long time. Was John doubting that Jesus was really the Christ? After all, John has faithfully prepared the way for him. Yet instead of the situation getting better it has only become worse. John had proclaimed that the Christ would come to bring judgment on evil―and now languishing in prison as a victim of injustice perhaps that is what John is longing for Jesus to do for him.

Or perhaps John was uncertain or confused because his proclamation was of a Messiah coming to bring judgment. He had heard in prison of the works Christ was doing―but where was the swinging of the axe that had gone below stump level and was already at the roots? The only works John had heard were those of forgiveness, healing, and mercy―would another follow Jesus, who would perform these works of judgment?

Or could it be that John’s question is not one of doubt, but really a question of trust―expecting confirmation and verification for what he already knows? The fact that John sends a delegation to Jesus with his question and awaits an answer from him proves his faith in Jesus. I’m not so sure it need be an either/or answer. Could it not be all of these thoughts are running through John’s mind while he waited and waited in prison?

It seems like we wait and wait too. Come Lord Jesus we pray. We don’t like waiting, especially in today’s society. But today’s text doesn’t just leave us with the questions. Jesus gives his own response. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say: “Yes, go and reassure John that I’m the Messiah.” But Jesus says: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” This is the best assurance possible, for what Jesus says is the direct fulfilment of what God promised through Isaiah in today’s Old Testament reading. Jesus is the fulfilment of what has been promised from of old. He has been doing precisely these things since the beginning of his public ministry. He has preached in the synagogues. He has cast out demons. He has healed many from their sicknesses including a lame man and a blind man. The miracles point to his authority and power over all things, even to release people from their sin and the kingdom of darkness, and to be victorious over the power of death itself. It’s no wonder Jesus tells them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard.”

Perhaps at some point or other we can all relate to John the Baptist as he waited in prison. Just like John, everything we might expect or hope for from God is not always fulfilled in the way we’d like, or with the timing we’d like. Maybe it’s an illness that we or a loved one suffer, or the troubles of our family. Maybe it’s a time of difficulty we’re going through, or maybe it’s wondering about an uncertain future. We might feel trapped and isolated with burdens nobody else could understand. We might feel imprisoned by our frail bodies or our own sinful human natures.

Yet the season of Advent focuses our attention on God who did not abandon his creation but stepped into it in the person of Christ and was born in that stable at Bethlehem. However if Advent were just a reminder of what had happened in salvation history then it becomes emptied of so much hope and power. Neither is Advent only about hoping Christ will come again one day. In The freedom of a Christian, Luther says

“…it is not enough…to preach about Christ just by telling what he did and said, simply as a story or as historical facts. Just knowing these things doesn’t necessarily make any difference to how a person lives.

Instead, Christ ought to be preached about in such a way that faith in him is kindled and kept burning, so that he is not only Christ, but Christ for you and me; so that what we are told he is and does takes effect in us. Such faith is produced and grows in us when we are told why Christ came, what he has brought and given us, and what good things we have when we have him.”

Together with our remembering and hoping, this is why the season of Advent is so special. Jesus came for us. He was born, truly human, for us. Born there in a stable surrounded by dirt and animals and their waste, Jesus came to us to know what it means to be a person and live in vulnerability and weakness and brokenness. He overcame temptation for us and lived perfectly for us. He came to rescue us and bring us true freedom by calling us into God’s Kingdom.

No one knows when he will come again but he tells us where he comes now with his re-creative power at work. He tells us where he comes in the midst the suffering of this world to bring the Good News to the blind, the lame, the sick, and the poor. Through the Holy Scriptures he continues to teach us, just like he taught his disciples in verse 1. He raised us from the dead and brought us his new life and resurrection power in baptism. He continues to bring freedom and release through the holy meal he serves his people which is not just bread and wine but his own flesh and blood. As he ministers to us through these ways, he calls us to wait―and to wait with him. As we do wait for his return we can rejoice that he will never leave us. As we wait with our Advent King and gather around him to be served by him, we proclaim to the world that he has trampled over death and lives today, and that he uses his authority to bless unworthy sinners with the abundant grace of God, so that there is hope and strength, joy and refuge in even the darkest places of human experience.

Blessed are those who do not take offence at Jesus’ words! For those who cherish Jesus’ words rather than taking offence at them can only do so because they have first been blessed by God. And those who have been blessed by God so that they do not take offence at the words of his Son—but hold firmly to them in faith—will see John the Baptist and all the other saints of all times and places, as we gather around the throne of the Lamb in heaven.

Amen.

Prepare the way for the Lord

Matthew 3:1-12

 

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

 “I baptize you with water. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Repentance―it’s a key theme of advent and clearly a focus of today’s Gospel reading. “Repent.” That word is the opening word spoken in today’s text. It’s not even softened with a sugar-coated preface. Human ears don’t like that word. It’s a word frowned upon and laughed at by society. It’s an idea that society says oozes with irresponsibility because it gets in the way of personal freedom in deciding and claiming for ourselves what we think is our right to have. Society protests: “How dare anyone else try to snuff out my right to have whatever I want, whenever I want it and tell me what I should and shouldn’t be doing!”

Even in the church it’s a word that grates and cuts against the grain of our human nature. “Outdated!” “Not progressive!” “Unloving!” “An impediment to mission!” we might argue. Or, those of us who call the church to take a stand against immorality might be heartened when we hear the word ‘repent’―until we realise that word is spoken to the unacceptable things we think or say or do ourselves. Then we quickly get to work at building the self-justification fortress: “Repent!?! Me?! We’re not that bad!!” our old self protests. “OK, we’re not perfect, but we’re pretty good.”

John the Baptist didn’t come to tell people everything was ‘OK’. “Repent!” he calls. What an unusual sight he must have been, eating locusts and wearing garments made of camel’s hair, the food and attire of the very poor. As he stood there in the wilderness, the hot, uninhabited gorge through which the Jordan flows―itself symbolic of the spiritual wasteland of the people’s hearts, devoid of any love for God―John drew people into a place where they were without the luxury, comforts, and security of their normal daily routine, to reflect on what they had prioritised in their life and how their priorities were at odds with God’s.

John saves the strictest rebuke for the Pharisees and Sadducees, very different religious sects in Israel, but with a common problem―they are assuming that because they were born into the covenant people Israel, they will be saved from the wrath to come simply because of their ancestry. Yet their hearts are far from God. They had all the external marks of religious respectability―and that is what they are trusting in. They have the false confidence that they have Abraham as their father and so have an automatic right to heaven. But they did not bring forth the fruit of genuine repentance and humility before God. John calls them to repent. He warns them the axe has gone far below the stump of the trees; it is already at the roots. Not so much as a twig will remain―God’s judgment is that they will be completely removed from the privileges he has given them.

Why does John make this call to repentance? Because the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Through the ages there have been so many predictions about how near the Kingdom of Heaven really is―even though Jesus teaches us that no-one knows the day or hour. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near”―those words can be hard for us to hear for other reasons―just how near is God’s Kingdom, given that these words were spoken some 2,000 years ago? How then can we be firm in hope that God’s Kingdom is near? Is it an empty promise?

Although we don’t know when God’s Kingdom will come again, we can know where it comes now. A kingdom is where ever its King rules over his subjects. In his explanation to the petition “Thy Kingdom come”, Luther explains in the Small Catechism: “God’s Kingdom comes indeed without our praying for it, but we ask in this prayer that it may come also to us. God’s Kingdom comes when our Heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy word and live a godly life on earth now, and in heaven forever.”

With this understanding of the kingdom, it might be easier to see what the Baptist means when he says: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” The Kingdom is near―close by―in Christ, the King of heaven, who came all the way from heaven down to earth, born in a stable at Bethlehem to be God with us. In him the kingdom has drawn close by to us, and indeed is in us, as Christ rules over our hearts and uses his authority and power to serve sinners and bless them with his grace and bring, love, forgiveness and joy. John was the one that Isaiah had spoken of in Isaiah 40:3-4:

A voice of one calling in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,  the rugged places a plain.

Isaiah says that mountains and hills are to be levelled and valleys raised up. The hills and valleys are symbolic of the sin in the human heart that separates people from God. Just as levelling mountains and raising valleys is a task beyond human ability, so too is making a way through sin to fellowship with God. It is a task that is utterly beyond human power. Only God is able to construct a way through such obstacles. He must prepare a highway to come to his people and deliver them. That is what Jesus does for us. Notice that our reading does not say: “Make a straight path so we can travel to him.” It says “Make a straight path for him to travel”. God has made the roadway and travelled it first in the person of Christ. He has come near to us.

He made the way straight for you in your baptism, where the rough ways and mountains and valleys in your heart were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit at work through God’s word. Christ came to you and washed you clean at the font and joined you to his own death and resurrection. You were born again from above and the Holy Spirit created faith in your heart, calling you to Christ through the Gospel—even if you were asleep and blissfully unaware of what was taking place, and even if you cried and squirmed and protested.

Since the Kingdom is so near in Christ who reaches out with God’s grace, it is only appropriate that all people should long to receive this Kingdom and turn to Christ with their sins for him to free them from them. John the Baptist’s call to repentance is for our ears too. It is not just to escape judgment but to receive grace. For us the call to repentance is because, though Christ will come again, he is also already here. The freeway has been opened! In the person of Christ, the Kingdom of heaven is near, again, today. He has already spoken his absolution to you this morning. He has come with good news for you through the words of Scripture. He serves you this gospel as a holy meal that he hosts―his true body and precious blood. As he hands it to you he says: “This is my body given for you. This is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

The Kingdom of Heaven is near. It is 2000 years closer than when John first spoke these words in the Judean wilderness. The Kingdom of Heaven is near to you as we, the church, live in the wilderness of this age―the wilderness of western materialism, spiritual supermarkets, and spiritual wasteland of living for the self. The Kingdom of Heaven is near to you as we live in a consumer age that looks to filling the valleys of loneliness and the potholes of anxiety with things that promise hope but can’t give lasting peace. The Kingdom of Heaven is near to you as you live in a society with all its ethical and moral upheaval that has so many different ideas about what walking the straight path looks like, depending on opinion and trends. The Kingdom of Heaven is near to you as the church lives in a world that doesn’t want to hear the call of John the Baptist and in some parts would do anything to drown it out.

In days like this many of us might groan and wonder “Lord, how long? How near is your return?”

Rejoice that the Kingdom of Heaven is near to you, because you have the Christ. When we hear John’s words: “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near” we don’t know when that is…but we do know where. Thinking of the Kingdom of Heaven being found close by is actually of far more help to you than speculative dates of Jesus’ return. For when you look for the Kingdom of Heaven close by in worship; in God’s word and sacraments and in devotional time in the word of God each day, there Christ meets you with all the treasures of his grace, forgiveness, life and salvation for you. Looking for him there with repentant hearts and open hands waiting to receive is the best way to prepare for Christmas and your Saviour’s coming again―when he will take you to be with all the other saints of all times and places and serve you in the heavenly banquet that has no end.

Amen.