Sermons for the Month

Enriched and Filled
DATE: November 30th, 2008
SERVICE: First Sunday in Advent
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

“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

There's a restaurant nearby that has banners hanging from the ceiling which announce, "Give, Receive, Rejoice". I studied those three words and decided that they are a culturally correct view of the holidays (notice that I did no say Christmas.) From that business' point-of-view giving is good, especially if it involves buying a particular gift card. Receiving is good because those who receive feel inclined to give, and hopefully it's that particular gift card which is given. Rejoicing is what everyone who counted on all that giving and receiving does if the giving and receiving increased profits.

Now, you may think that I sound cynical; actually I'm trying to describe reality. So, I contemplated that "Give, Receive, Rejoice" banner and considered how to make it fit for Christians. I decided that the order would have to be changed to "Receive! Rejoice! Give!" or the focus of Advent and Christmas would be all wrong.

For the next six weeks the sermons are going to be on the Epistle lessons and we are going focus on those three words which remind us that the whole point of Christmas is that having received the gift of God's grace in Jesus we have reason to rejoice and not only desire to give, but are empowered to do so - Receive! Rejoice! Give!

On this first Sunday in Advent the Apostle Paul reminds us that because we have received God's grace in Jesus we are enriched. For some reason that word, enriched, is not one I often use. In fact, the only thing that comes to mind when I hear it is flour.

That's right - flour - the white stuff that is used for baking. I guess I saw Enriched Flour in the pantry growing up and that use of the word became lodged in my brain.

In case you do not know, enriched flour is white flour to which nutrients like B vitamins, iron and calcium have been added. These are all elements that humans need to grow and be healthy. Enriching flour improves the end product - baked goods, pasta - and also enriches the one who eats those foods. So, if, through Jesus we are enriched that means that we are improved; that we have been given what is needed to be healthy disciples who enrich the lives of others.

Paul tells the Corinthians that in every way they have been enriched in Jesus. They have the knowledge and the ability needed to share their faith. Their lives are overflowing with spiritual gifts to use for the common good. Add to that the fact that the Holy Spirit enables them to be strong and to endure persecution. And, as a result of being enriched, they will be blameless when Jesus returns. WOW … being enriched is indeed a great gift in which to rejoice.

But wait a minute, there's something wrong here … Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth who, as the letter progresses, he chastises for a number of divisions and controversies in the church. It appears, from their behavior, that they have NOT been enriched and as if they will be found anything but blameless when Jesus returns.

So, is Paul being sarcastic? No, the point of his positive greeting is that even in the midst of their fickleness, God is faithful. While they are not acting enriched, they are.

Well, God continues to be faithful, and we too are enriched by grace that comes to us in Jesus. I like the idea of being enriched, of receiving that which is lacking so that I can grow, be improved, as a disciple of Jesus.

Perhaps this concept of enrichment is so attractive because we sense within ourselves empty places that need to be filled. I'm sure you know what I mean; it's that feeling that accompanies waking at 4 a.m. with a headache, when you are unable to stop the worries whirling around, and are powerless to solve them. Or, perhaps the emptiness it is not anything so specific, but a general sense of malaise, of unhappiness or lack of contentment.

I am reminded of St. Augustine who wrote that all of our human yearnings are facets of our inborn desire for God. I wasn't sure what that meant until Father Albert Holtz put it in terms I could understand. He wrote, "My fondness for chocolate ice cream, my attraction to a pretty face, and my passion for Mozart's horn concertos are all aspects of the one deepest desire, to possess God." (1)

As odd as it seems, it makes sense to me that my fondness for vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and peanuts, for hikes in snow covered woods and for heart-felt conversations in front of a crackling fire are all aspects of my longing for God, all ways that I attempt to fill that emptiness. These good gifts are just that…good, they remind us of the goodness of God. But, we must remember this: the blessings of this world may temporarily satisfy our longing, but only the divine can ultimately satisfy. In other words, only the grace of God can truly enrich us and fill the empty places.

This time of year especially we are confronted with competing voices vying to address that inner longing. It is the underlying subject of all merchandising and advertising in which a convincing case if made for satisfying that longing with everything for a new vehicle - which one ad proclaims is the gift that keeps on giving - to whipped cream topped hot chocolate that warms from the inside out for only $3 a mug.

People are convinced that their search for "fullness" can be satisfied in a variety of ways...food, relationships, possessions, knowledge, substances and appearance. Each of these has a positive side; each can be beneficial and even be a source of blessing. But, if these people or things or substances are trusted to fill the empty places within, they can become negative and they will disappoint us. The search for fullness will go on until we understand that God is the goal of our inner hunger.

So, in Advent, when there is a cacophony of voices promoting external satisfaction, the church stands in the midst of it all and points toward the true object of our longing - Jesus - and we are reminded that we are enriched in him.

No doubt as we are out and about in the next few weeks - or perhaps in the mirror's reflection - we will see preoccupied, distracted, rushed and angry faces searching for ways to be enriched. Augustine would remind us that each person is expressing his or her incompleteness; all are longing for more, and that more is God.

The good news is that we do not have to go search for God; that's the miracle of the incarnation. The Divine comes to us, in human form. We know his name; we have heard his grace-filled story, we have experienced his redeeming love and we believe his promise to return.

We have received the grace of God in Jesus and through him we have been enriched. What better reason could there be to rejoice? And, what better gift is there to give than that which satisfies all human longing? So it is that this Advent … We Receive! We Rejoice! We Give! AMEN

AMEN

(1) From Holidays to Holy Days: A Benedictine Walk Through Advent by Albert Holtz, O.S.B., Morehouse Publishing, New York, NY, 2008, pg. 25

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