Sermon by Stephen Ricketts
Damascus United Methodist Church
Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12
Second Sunday of Advent – December 9, 2007
If the first Sunday of Advent focuses on the message that the Light of God is beginning to break into our world of Darkness, then the second Sunday focuses on the Messenger. Our readings today contain the words of two very important prophets: Isaiah and John. Isaiah is one of the major Old Testament prophets and his name is associated with the longest prophetic book in the Bible. The other prophet, John, left very little (if any) written material - almost all we know about John and his message is contained in the New Testament Gospels. Yet, in spite of the difference in their volume of their written output, these two prophets are paired together today because they both reveal God’s intention to break into human history with a savior who will realign the world with God’s priorities.
When we consider Biblical prophecy, we must remember it is not predictive (at least not in the sense of predicting the winning lottery numbers or what the stock market will do tomorrow). Biblical prophecy is concerned with describing the current social conditions and the inevitable consequences if we continue to ignore God’s call to change our ways. The prophets were usually reluctant to deliver their message because no one wants to have the behavior critiqued and criticized. Yet that was the role of the prophet - they were called to speak to their generation and warn them of the consequences if they continued to refuse to let God speak to their lives. However, the prophet’s message was not just doom and destruction - prophets also brought a word of hope (though it may sometimes be hard to see). The message of judgment is always mixed with a message of God’s undying love for us.
The passage from Isaiah is sometimes called “The Peaceable Kingdom” because it envisions a time when all animosity and all violence will cease - even the natural violence between the predator and prey will cease. It was probably selected as an Advent text because the words, “and a little child shall lead them” naturally bring to mind the baby Jesus lying in a manger. But if we look at the first part of the passage, we discover that the emphasis is not on a little child, but on the “shoot that shall come out of the stump of Jesse” - it focus on the righteous ruler who will judge the poor with righteousness and “decide with equity for the meek.” Like the peaceable kingdom, this is a hopeful passage, but it also a sad passage because it reminds us just how far we have deviated from God’s ideal - reminds us how often we ignored the poor and their need for justice - reminds us how often we have not acted with righteousness toward the meek - reminds us that true justice and true righteousness (like the peaceable kingdom) are only possible with God’s intervention. The peaceable kingdom remains a mixed message - certainly we look forward with joy to the day when peace, justice and righteousness will reign in all corners of the world, but our joy is tempered by the knowledge that our sinfulness constantly struggles to keep that day at bay.
In today’s gospel lesson, we encounter one of the most colorful people in the whole Bible - John the Baptist. John was, by all accounts, quite a sight to see (dressed in a garment of camel’s hair and eating grasshoppers), and he was a very powerful presence. In spite of (or maybe because of) his wild appearance, “the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him.” John’s kept his message very simple - “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” But, contained within this simple statement is both the judgment and the hope of the prophetic message. The judgment is in the call to repent - to re-orient our lives so they point toward God. And the hope is in the assurance that God has not abandoned us - God’s kingdom is indeed drawing near (in spite of our unworthiness to receive it). One of the often overlooked miracles of the Bible is the fact that people actually listened to John’s message and genuinely sought to respond to his call for repentance. Luke’s Gospel contains a fuller description of this scene and in it, the people came to John seeking practical ways to repent - practical ways to respond to the in-breaking of God’s kingdom - practical ways to re-align themselves with God. Hear this exchange between the crowd and John taken from Luke chapter 3:
And the crowds asked John, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
When I was talking about Biblical prophecy, I neglected to mention one very important characteristic - its applicability to us. True Biblical prophecy applies to us today with the same force as it did to its first audience. This is because our human condition (our predilection to sin) has not diminished over the years and because God’s grace and God’s mercy have not diminished in the intervening years - God continues to love us more than we can ever comprehend. This means that John’s call to “Repent” is just as valid today as it was almost two thousand years ago. And it is valid for the same reason - the kingdom of God IS at hand. And just like John’s first hearers, we too must ask, “What then should we do?” What must we do if we are to bear fruit worthy of repentance?
What should we do when we find our neighbor is hungry and cold? Just a few days ago, Pastor Tom Kaylor shared with me an article by Anna Quindlen from the November 26th issue of Newsweek. The article describes the ministry of the Church of the Holy Apostles in New York City - every weekday, they prepare and serve meals to over one thousand hungry people. This may sound like a miracle, but in reality it is a tragedy. A tragedy first because we have so many hungry people; and not just in New York, but in cities all over this country. Even in Damascus, we gather day-old bread from the grocery stores to help feed the poor. But even beyond the hungry people is the tragedy that the shelves in our food banks are running bare. In yesterday’s Washington Post there was an article about the shortages in the food banks in our area. America's Second Harvest, the country's leading hunger-relief charity, is projecting a shortage of 15 million pounds of food this year at its more than 200 network food banks . But this is the real tragedy: America produces enough food to feed all who are hungry - the problem is not lack of resources - the problem is that we lack the will to do the right thing for the poor and hungry. What then should we do? “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”
Or, what should we do when we find ourselves at war with our neighbor? I am not usually a fan of “bumper-sticker theology” - you know the cute one-liners on the rear bumper. But, I was out last Friday night and I saw a bumper-sticker that seemed to get it right. It read, “Jesus said love our enemy - that probably means don’t kill them.” Our national leaders would probably say that it is impossible to build a strong policy on the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you). But, I must wonder if we are on God’s side in any conflict when we seek to kill and destroy those who disagree with us. What then shall we do? In Romans, the apostle Paul wrote these words to those who were living in conflict: “May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Advent is a season of preparation. It is a time to decorate our homes. It is a time to give gifts to those we love. It is a time to celebrate with family and friends. It is a time to prepare our hearts for coming of Christ at Christmas and for the coming again of Christ in glory.
But, Advent is also the time to pause and hear again the Word God has given us through the prophets - time to hear God’s call to judge the poor with righteousness and decide with equity for the meek. Now is the time to hear God’s call to repent. Now is the time to turn our hearts God-ward and respond to God’s grace.
And, most importantly Advent is time to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. The God who calls us to justice and righteousness is the same God who chooses to come and be Emmanuel - the same God who chooses to be God With Us. God has not and is not abandoning us - the kingdom of God has come near.
The time is short - the day of the Lord’s appearing is near at hand. Repent and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
