Sermons for the Month
Jesus Christ is Coming to Town!
DATE: December 2nd, 2007
SERVICE: First Sunday in Advent
TEXT: Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Perhaps you have seen the television show in which contestants sing along with a band using lyrics that are projected in front of them. Without warning the band stops and blank lines appear in the lyrics. The person has to fill in the blanks. So, I thought we would begin today's sermon with a version of that game. I'll say the lyrics and you keep going with the next six words when I stop. This song is an old cultural "hymn" for this time of year. Here goes: "Oh, you better watch out; you better not cry; you better not pout; I'm telling you why: ________ __________ ___ ____________ ___ _______. Then, the song goes on to detail Santa's God-like vision and knowledge. The point is that when you contrast that song, and all the other cultural frills of December, with what we are hearing in church, you begin to realize that Advent is quite counter-cultural. As Kevin Baker notes in his Advent Study, one look at the scripture readings for this season should make that clear. For example, in the Gospel it is not Santa Claus who is coming to town, or even an innocent infant born in a barn with a manger as a bed, but the King of Glory, Jesus, who is compared to a thief in the night. Pastor Baker writes that Jesus as a thief is not exactly the Christmas card caption that one would expect when looking for something to mail to family and friends. You no doubt noted that the writer of Matthew presents four examples of the imminent return of Jesus. They all have something in common; each one describes people who are caught unprepared for Christ's coming, preoccupied as they are with work, relationships and every day living. (1) There are two aspects of the thief image that we 21st century believers find particularly disconcerting. The thief Jesus is not coming to take only the DVD players and I-pods, but is going to grab everything, and everyone. Of course, it all belongs to him, but we do not see it that way. So, if we are holding on tight to what we consider to be ours - possessions, daily activities and future plans, family and friends - we may consider his arrival to be an intrusion rather than a reason for celebration. And, we do not like the fact that he will not schedule his arrival with us. We have our daily planners and palm pilots out ready to set the date at a convenient time. But, Jesus doesn't work that way; we are not in control. In fact, the scripture says that not even the angels of heaven, or even Jesus himself, know the day or the hour. It's in God's hands. Therefore, while we wait, knowing only that he will return, we are to be alert, not allowing ourselves to drift into the sleepiness of apathy, inattention, disobedience and rebellion. (2) That brings us, then, to the passage from Romans that describes a particular moment in time. Paul compares it to that second before night fades and dawn arrives. Whenever I read this passage I vow to make note of what time the sun will rise, and then get myself up and outside in that moment just before it happens. I imagine standing in the cold winter morning, reminding myself that in is in this flash of time that we dwell. We live in that in-between moment. So, we must be careful not to be spiritually asleep - that is, apathetic - in the predawn light of Christ's return. "Wake up", Paul writes, "put off the works of darkness!" In other words, live in awareness of the light that has brightened the world since the birth of Jesus, but, know also that upon his return it will completely obliterate the darkness. Night will never again arrive, and we will live in the brightness of the day. Living in awareness means that we pay attention to our role as light-bearers. There is an article in a recent edition of The Christian Century about a United Methodist Church in Minnesota that in 2000 had 11 elderly members who worshipped regularly. They kept the doors open only because they rented space to a hospital. Now, seven years later, there are more than 600 people in church. The article said that 95 percent of those who attend are involved in 12-step meetings to deal with addictions, and 90 percent had no recent church affiliation when the arrived. So, how did this happen? It all began with a man who had been the senior pastor of one of the largest United Methodist congregations in Minnesota. He oversaw a staff of 30, had a TV show and radio program, and never missed a day of work. But, he was an alcoholic who drank himself to sleep in the parsonage where he lived alone because his wife had left him. He checked himself into treatment when he woke up from a black out and realized he had loaded a gun and nearly committed suicide. You might say he saw the light. He never returned to the church he had left, and after spending several years recovering asked to be assigned to that downtown church with 11 elderly members. Together they scraped the business plan to save the church and began a recovery worship service which blends 12-step principles with the Christian message. Forty people attended the first service; they began holding it twice a month, and then weekly. The guiding principle of the church's ministry is to take responsibility for others. A member named Karen recalled that one Christmas Eve a young woman showd up drunk. "One of the guys just put his arm around her, and she cried through the whole service." Whenever or wherever anyone reaches out for help, it is each person's responsibility to respond. (3) That's a story, and a principle, that are both inspirational and challenging. It is one example of what it means to be bearers of the light, which is what we are called to do until that day when Jesus returns in glory. Please note that the purpose of today's readings is to remind us of that; the point is NOT to become anxious about Christ's return, but to be awake and watchful in how we live in the meantime. And, one of the ways to do that is to be more intentional about how we watch over one another in love. Perhaps that's a good way to summarize today's message, to ask ourselves, as we live in this in-between moment how can we be more intentional about loving one another? So, given all this, I have a new song for you to complete. Once again I need six words, and I'll give you a hint - the last four are the same as in the song you finished in the beginning of the sermon. So, here goes: Oh, you better be light;
you better not sleep;
you better not fight;
there are needs to meet.
________ _______ is coming to town!Come Lord Jesus!
AMEN
(1) Advent 2007: Hail the Heaven Born: An Advent Study on the Revised Common Lectionary by Kevin Baker, 2007, Abingdon Press, pg. 12
(2) Same as above, pg. 13
(3) "Church in Recovery" by Stan Friedman, The Christian Century, November 13, 2007, pgs. 26-29.