Second Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 5th, 2010click here for past entriesLoving God, you call us to clear away all that is unfruitful in our lives and to fill our hearts with your love instead. Renew us and refresh us by the power of your Spirit, drawing us closer to you through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Some parents were walking through the mall with their children, right past the place where everybody was lined up to see Santa Claus. They had taught their children that Christmas was all about celebrating the birth of Jesus, and their four-year-old, in perfect innocence, looked up at them and asked, “Where’s the line to see Jesus?” To a four-year-old, it made perfect sense. If all these people were lined up to see Santa, then there must be another line somewhere in order to see Jesus. This innocent question resulted in a song that is now posted on YouTube and in various other places called “Where’s the line to see Jesus?”.
It seems to me that if Jesus were here in Winnipeg “in the flesh,” there would be crowds of people clamouring to see him, just like there was in the first century. Some might come with misconceptions about what Jesus is really all about. However, many people would be there because they would see in Jesus the one who touches their deepest needs and who truly is “God with us.” I do have to wonder, though, what kind of attention John the Baptist would get if he were here in the 21st century.
After all, think about it: John was out in the wilderness, dressed like a prophet, eating a strange diet of locusts and wild honey, and telling people to repent. He was referring to some of the religious leaders as a brood of vipers and had lots to say about fire and judgment. And crowds of people went out to hear what he had to say and to be baptized and cleansed! One would have to ask, Why? Would you have rushed out to hear him?
And yet, there was a reason. People had a real sense of expectation that God was going to send them a Messiah. They desperately wanted to have a king again in Israel who would stand up against the Romans and bring back the “good old days” of King David. They wanted something a little bit different from what Jesus actually would bring, but they did have this attitude of expectancy, just waiting for the Messiah to appear. And so they went out in droves to hear what John the Baptist had to say and to be baptized in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Essentially, these people were getting ready. They were preparing to welcome their Messiah and Saviour. They were preparing to meet their God. And so, what exactly is it that we are preparing for?
Certainly, many people would answer that we are getting ready for Christmas. This is undoubtedly true, but are we also prepared to meet our Lord and Saviour? This is not an idle question, for Jesus comes to us in many different ways and at many different times throughout our lives, and are we prepared to recognize him and to welcome him? There is also, of course, the promise that Jesus will come for us at the end, and this will happen either at the end of our time here on this earth or at the time of his final appearing. Jesus does come and will come, and are we prepared to meet him?
I came across an interesting little video on facebook not too long ago that was entitled “Advent Conspiracy.” It was encouraging people to discover the meaning of the birth of Jesus, with less shopping and more worship – with less shopping and more justice and righteousness in the world. It reminded me once again of the connections between our consumer culture and the needs of the rest of the world. While it is undoubtedly more complicated than this, in very general terms, the more that we buy and consume here, the less people have in other parts of the world.
And so, I would far rather support fair trade projects, or donate a flock of chickens to people who need it, or provide a well to a community half way around the world – I would rather do these things than receive gifts that I don’t really need. I would rather support a soup kitchen, or give to a homeless shelter, or provide food for people who need it, rather than give gifts to other people that they don’t really need or perhaps even want. To me, these things would do far more to honour the birth of Jesus than spending large amounts on gifts for people who could just as easily buy the same things for themselves.
After all, we are reminded in our Scripture readings today of the premium that God places on justice and righteousness. We hear about the ideal king in Isaiah 11 who would judge according to what is right and just rather than according to hearsay or according to appearances. This same king would stand up for the rights of the poor and the humble, judging according to what is right, instead of according to who has the most money. And then these same values appear once again in our Psalm for today, where those who do what is right and honour God will be rewarded, and the poor and the needy will be treated with respect and with justice.
Another thing that seems to be part of preparing to meet Jesus is clearing out those things that are unfruitful in our lives. The image that comes from today’s gospel is of chopping down an unfruitful tree. “Are you bearing good fruit? - No? - Well, let’s chop away!” It’s time to clear away anything that does not nurture our life in the Spirit.
For some of us, this might mean getting rid of a bunch of extra “stuff.” For some of us, it might mean getting rid of some habits that drag us down rather than building us up. For some of us, it might be time to change our attitudes and to focus on the light and life that is ours through Jesus rather than on everything that’s wrong. For some of us, it might mean taking a serious look at our priorities, and making sure that we spend our time on those things that really are important.
John the Baptist’s message (and Jesus’ too!) was this: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt. 3:2). Repentance is something that is worked in us by God and that always results in God’s forgiveness. I’m not sure that we always grasp what it means to repent, but some modern-day images might help.
When you’re using GPS, for example, every so often you need to re-orient, or “re-calculate,” as some of the talking ones say. You need to re-orient and make sure that you’re headed in the right direction. A similar thing happens when you’re sailing, and it’s called “re-tacking.” Once again, it gets you pointed in the right direction.
This is what repentance is all about, and this is what being prepared to meet Jesus is all about: leaving our sin behind and re-orienting, making sure that our lives are pointed in the right direction. As we were reminded last week, it is not just at the end that we will meet Jesus. He comes to us in other ways, too, like through Word and Sacrament, or through other people, or even within us. There are times when others minister to us for Jesus, and there are times when Jesus ministers to others through us. We are able to see this when our lives are oriented in such a way that we recognize Jesus when we see him at work in our world.
And so, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And where is that line to see Jesus? Amen.
Advent 2(A) Matthew 3:1-12
December 5, 2010 Isaiah 11:1-10
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Pastor Lynne Hutchison
© 2010 Lynne Hutchison All Rights Reserved
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