A New World Made Possible

Sermon planned for Sunday, December 27th, 2009

In the new Hollywood apocalypse 2012, “a global cataclysm brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors”. Basically, the premise of the movie is that an unusually large solar flare sprung up and emitted large amounts of radioactivity, sending it straight into the atmosphere. This caused the earth’s core to heat up and then to destabilize the tectonic plates. The shifting plates caused massive earthquakes and resulting tsunamis. At the end of the movie, in the wake of the massive tectonic plate shifting, South Africa’s Cape Point becomes the new Promised Land, where humans can restart their life together. The global catastrophe changed everything. New mountain ranges had formed. Vast tracts of land had been swallowed up into the deep. I’d love for Hollywood to put out another movie that would examine what life would be like in the aftermath of such a catastrophe.

I love post-Apocalyptic movies. One of the reasons I like them is because of the creativity that is needed to imagine a life that is drastically different from the life we live on earth now. Post-apocalyptic movies try to envision what changes might be possible for us as a human race, if we could hit the reset button. Another reason that I love these movies so much, and why I like to hear about visions of a different possible life, is because I am increasingly seeing the Christian life as a post-apocalyptic life. The radical event of Christmas was like an apocalypse – but a good one, if that’s possible.

The word ‘apocalypse’ comes to us from the Greek language, from the verb apokalyptein. This word means to uncover, or to reveal. In this sense, Christmas is perhaps the apocalypse of human history; after all, the Christmas story is all about God pulling back the curtain and unveiling his own self to us in the Christ-child. We come to know God most fully in Jesus Christ. We come to see the justice of God lived out most plainly in Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God. We see God most clearly in the life of Jesus who drew near to him all the outcasts of society, bringing them to the table of his grace. This is why the Christian gospel is the good news of God’s Christmas apocalypse – the unveiling of Yahweh in human flesh.

The Christian community is the community that survived this apocalypse and now lives in the wake of its upheaval. In the last month, we as a congregation have been focusing on how we are a community of Advent. This means that we are a community constantly waiting for the return of Jesus. Even though we are the community that lives in the wake of God’s self-unveiling, we are also a community that awaits a day when this unveiling will be completed in all the earth, as it already is in our hearts. We await the day when the love that God’s Spirit has grown in our hearts will also grow everywhere and in every heart. We await the day when the justice by which we live as Christians will become the justice that lives among all people. We await the day when the politics of servanthood, repentance, forgiveness and peace will become the politics of our world, precisely because the Lord Jesus Christ will reign as king, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Christ.

But we are not only the community of Advent. We are not merely waiting. We are also the community of Christmas. We are a people that celebrate the Light that came into the world. We celebrate the arrival of the Christ-child, who even today is breaking into our world in new and redemptive ways. As a community of Christmas, we celebrate God’s final ‘Yes!’ towards humanity.

Humanity has been shouting ‘No!’ to God for so very long. Humanity shouts ‘no’ to God when she insists that love is merely a sentimental feeling, and does not require us to radically change our ways. Humanity shouts ‘no’ to God when her justice fails to heed the plight of the poor and continuously rewards the rich. Humanity shouts ‘no’ to God when her politics fails to submit to Christ’s Lordship, and continuously sets itself up as an idol, requiring our allegiance and our blood.

But in the face of our defiant ‘no’ towards God – the defiance that nailed Jesus to the cross – we hear the Christmas message. We hear God’s powerful and resounding ‘Yes!’ towards humanity. God took on flesh. The Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God set up his tent in the human community, in a small town called Bethlehem. God slept in a feeding trough, with a few strips of cloth to cover his tiny body. The apocalypse of Christmas was here – God unveiled.

And because of this unveiling we cannot merely be the community of Advent. Because of the apocalypse of Christmas, we cannot merely be in celebration mode. We are the community that lives in the post-apocalyptic world of the gospel. We party hard at Christmas, but we’re partners with God in His mission to this world… and so, no sleeping in. We, as the Christian community, live in the wake of Christmas. And when Jesus ascended to heaven, he told us to wait for his return; but he didn’t leave us helpless, or clueless. He sent us the Holy Spirit so that we would actually be knit together as his body on earth. Like the movie 2012, where the new human community had to move forward with courage, we as Christians are also called to a new and courageous life.

In our scripture text from Colossians, we read Paul describing what it means to be this ‘new community’. The first thing it means is that we have to put off the old nature. It won’t do, to continue with the practices of our old life, as though Christmas never happened. When God showed us a glimpse of the divine nature, in Jesus Christ, we caught a vision of God’s kingdom, which has no room for the kind of filth that our old selves played with. Paul gives a list of old habits and practices - fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed. He tells his readers to put these things to death. In fact, earlier he writes that in our baptisms, these old patterns have already been dealt their final blow. But it seems that Paul needs to emphasize that it’s a continuing fight against these old habits. We need to constantly put them to death when they come to distract us from our mission.

Paul gives two reasons why we should put these old practices to death – first of all, because of God’s coming wrath. As a community of Advent, we know that Christ will return, and we await his return. But we also know that the Kingdom, which Christ will bring with him, is one that is holy, just, and good. This means that the old ways of sexual immorality and idolatry will be purged from God’s new Jerusalem. This ‘purging’ is something we don’t want to be caught up in; in fact, our role as Christians is precisely to bear witness to the coming Kingdom. We miss our job description if we still cling onto the old ways of life. The second reason Paul gives is the positive point of this very thing; we should put these old habits to death because we are called to give evidence of our new life in Christ.

Next, Paul tells his readers not to lie to one another. Instead of tacking ‘deceit’ onto a list of sins, Paul sets it apart and highlights deception as a particularly problematic sin. Why? This might remind us of the drastic punishment of Annanias and Saphira, whose life was taken, by God, for exactly this – for lying. From my view, Paul highlights the sin of lying because he is talking about the new life of the Christian community.

Lying is a horrible attack on this community. A community as important to God’s mission as this Christmas community cannot accept the old habits of deceit. We have terribly important matters to attend to, and deceitfulness is the worst waste of time, and the worst poison for community life, that there is. This is opposite of the old world that we left behind. That world of deceit still reigns in our surrounding communities. “A noted physician appeared on a network news-and-talk show and proclaimed, "Lying is an important part of social life, and children who are unable to lie are children who may have developmental problems."” Well, someone should have told this physician that the point of life is precisely to have developmental problems.

In the newness of God’s kingdom, our Christian lives cannot help but appear developmentally challenged for those watching on the sidelines. The politics of repentance and forgiveness seems hardly fair or just. The economics of Jubilee look extreme and catastrophic. Christ’s command to love our enemies comes across as just plain crazy and pathetic. But we are not those who live on the sidelines – we know of the Christmas apocalypse and we are those who live in its aftermath.

But being a member of the Christmas community – being a member of Christ’s body, the Church – requires that we not only throw away the old garment. We must also put on the new one. Paul says that we must ‘put on Christ’, as though he were a jacket that we could wear. We put on Christ, but also his attributes. Paul commands his listeners to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility and patience.

An author, with the first name ‘Leo’ “once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry." This is compassion. The Christmas community is marked by compassion – the ability for a person to suffer-with someone in their pain. As Christians, we are in solidarity with one another in our pains and struggles. It’s what it means to be a body; that each member reaches over to attend to the pain of those who suffer.

In the Jesus-outfit, that Paul tells us to put on, the hat we wear is kindness. It’s one of the first things that people should notice when they see us – that we are kind. In another place, kindness is also teamed up with gentleness, love, peace, joy, generosity and other fruits of the Spirit. Kindness is the exact opposite of the second list of vices that Paul includes. Kindness is the opposite of anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive language. These are the weapons of our world; but Christians are called to get rid of this old coat and put on Christ. Alexander Maclaren said that “kindness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world with kindness, you would melt it, not hammer it.” Although there is an appropriate time for righteous anger, our most common feature, as Christians, should be the fruits of the Spirit – kindness and joy.

This new outfit that the Christmas community wears for the watching world is full of surprises. We’ve got compassion, kindness, meekness, humility and then there’s patience. This is where Advent helps us out. We train ourselves to be patient when we focus on our waiting for Christ’s return. Christian patience is determined by our relationship with God. Since God is the one who has taken the first step towards us; since God has spoken the first word – his “Yes!” – to us, we are patiently waiting for his next move. We are waiting on God, but this waiting is filled with important activity.

In the season of Advent we waited for the time of Christ’s return. It’s being put off long enough so that everyone can get a taste of what God is bringing about in history; so that they can make decide for themselves. That’s where we as Christians come in. As members of Christ’s body – the Church – we are called to give this world a taste of what’s coming. We are a living foretaste of God’s coming Kingdom.

This waiting period requires tremendous patience from us as Christians. We live with the knowledge of God’s coming kingdom, and yet we’re waiting for it to be fully established. We know of the justice of God’s work in Christ, and yet we live in a broken world and experience its justice and see its injustice. In the Church, we try to live out the politics of servanthood, repentance, forgiveness and peace; and yet we patiently endure the thrones of guys like Stephen Harper, Barrack Obama, and others. We already live in anticipation of God’s kingdom, yet our taxes pay for the slaughter of war and abortion. This gap between our world and God’s kingdom puts us in a place that requires patience. God is patient, and this waiting period – although its tough on us – is for the sake of the word; that they may encounter the good news about Messiah Jesus.

The question facing us is: when the world sees this community, are they seeing a foretaste of God’s kingdom? But we’re broken people, and if it was all up to us to provide the world a glimpse of the Kingdom – everything would remain dark. What makes us fit to wear this new uniform? What makes it possible for us to ‘put on Christ’? I know of only one thing that has made our transformation possible – and that is the unveiling of God in human flesh. In Jesus, a remarkable new possibility has opened up for us. Our transformation is not something we do on our own – it is the activity of God. But we must open ourselves to it. We must submit to the peace of Christ. Paul says that we should “let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts”. Allow Jesus into your heart as Lord. Give him your entire devotion. Pledge allegiance to him as King and to his Kingdom alone.

This wardrobe change is also a journey, moving forward, and so we continuously train for our partnership with God in his mission to this world. This training, according to Paul, includes things like teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom and in the words of Jesus. This training also includes worship; which is just another way of saying that it requires a pledge of allegiance. In our hymns, songs, and spiritual music, we proclaim our allegiance to the King and to the Kingdom of God.

The catastrophe of Christmas changed everything. When God removed the veil that hid his nature from humanity, and when he came to us in Jesus and taught us about His coming Kingdom, the tectonic plates of the universe broke apart. The old world is on its way out, giving way to the newness that was born in Bethlehem, and to the newness that was born in our hearts when we confessed Christ as Lord in the waters of baptism. Those waters formed a tsunami that completely reoriented us, so that now we can do nothing but anticipate what God is bringing about. As an Advent and Christmas community, we have now also become the community living in the wake of Jesus Christ. We put off all the things of the old world, and we put on Christ, renouncing sin and taking up our partnership with God in the gospel. I encourage you, as you partner with God in the places where he has sent you, be joyful in your patience – our captain and friend won’t wait forever – he is coming soon. Amen.

Christmas Day message

Christmas Day 2009

Luke’s account of the Christmas story has always been special to me. I had to memorize it in high-German when I was four years old. Maybe sometime I’ll bring the cassette along to church and play it for you. I admit, I was a cute little guy. I wasn’t alone, though; this story is one of the most well-known stories of our New Testament. But reading it over again this week, some things stood out.

This time, the scene with the shepherds caught my attention. More specifically, my attention was drawn to the angel’s message. “Do not be afraid, for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”

Why did the angel first go to shepherds? Shepherds lived out on the fields. They were constantly getting themselves dirty. I’m sure it took them forever to get cleaned up enough to go to the temple for worship. Why should this Holy child be visited by these stained and stinky shepherds?

William Barclay suggests that these shepherds, because of their proximity to Bethlehem, could very well have been the shepherds that took care of sheep for the Temple sacrifices. They prepared sheep for temple use but they themselves were considered unclean. If that’s true, then it makes sense that these shepherds would be invited to the manger scene; after all, Jesus was the Lamb of God. What more could you want, than to have the temple shepherds, who picked out the perfect lamb for the sin offering, to now also be the first ones to greet God’s Perfect Lamb, who would take away the sins of the world?

But the shepherds were afraid when they saw the angel’s appearance. In the middle of the monotony of shepherd life, an angel suddenly appeared and scared them half to death. A friend of mine wrote about fear on his blog. He wrote that fear has a way of freezing us in our place and keeping us from moving forward in life. If anyone would be able to overcome their fears, it would have been shepherds. Nothing could freeze these guys in their tracks; not usually. These shepherds were some of the most courageous people you’d meet. They faced lions and wolves and bears, in order to protect their sheep. And yet, now, they were afraid because of what they saw. This should dispel any notion that angels are just people who do nice things for others. An angel is not just an average looking person. If you saw one, it would scare you too – unless you think you’re tougher than a shepherd, with only a stick for defence.

But the angel’s message changed everything; like always, the angel’s carry a message that turns the tables. Don’t worry shepherds, you brave men have nothing to fear. I bring good news of great joy. Your Savior, your Messiah has been born! I can imagine what these rustic well-worn shepherds would have thought when they first heard the angel’s message. So what! So what if the Messiah has been born. He’ll be spending all his time at the temple anyway, and we’re far too dirty and to plain to fit in with that crowd. Why are you telling this good news to us, we’re merely simple shepherds!

The angel’s message continued on. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. With this second part of the message, the shepherds will have understood why they were chosen. The word that Luke used for ‘child’ is a very specific one. The Greek language has a number of words for a young child. All the other gospels use these other three main words for child: 'ho huios'; 'to paidion'; and 'teknon'. Luke uses these three as well, but in some rare cases, the author of the gospel of Luke uses the Greek word to 'brefos'. This Greek word for ‘infant’ usually describes babies at their most vulnerable moment. In the Maccabees, 'to brefos' is used four times for children in extremely vulnerable situations, and twice to describe infants still nursing at the breast. Luke uses the word for the child John the Baptist, as he leaps in his Elizabeth’s womb, two times for the newborn baby Jesus lying in a manger, and then for the babies that were brought to Jesus, so that he could touch them.

When the angel told the shepherds that there was a baby - 'to brefos' – for them to see, it was clear that this child was in the most vulnerable place. He was newly born. And the fact that this newly born, vulnerable child, was lying in a feeding trough, well that sealed the deal. These shepherds knew that, though they might not be able to follow this child to the temple, they could do this one thing for him. They could go and see this child. They could go and stand watch. After all, they were shepherds. They were the toughest guys on the block, and this young baby – the most vulnerable of children – was in a place that they could go. They knew what to do around feeding troughs. That was where they were most comfortable.

This Christmas, we don’t have to be spotless to be invited to the manger. We don’t have to wash-up or smell like perfume – you ever smell a shepherd? We don’t have to be courageous, like the shepherds. Like them, we can be afraid at times. But the angel’s message is for us too. Don’t be afraid. The incredible God we worship became one of us – He became the most vulnerable of people. God incarnate was a newly born infant. We can come to that manger and see the Christ-child, born for us, to take our sins away. May this good news bring you hope and great joy! Amen!

Christmas Eve message

Christmas Eve 2009

The good news of Christmas could only have been received as good news because of what the angels said. If the angels hadn’t explained things to Mary, she would have been driven to madness or insanity; after all, she was pregnant without ever having known a man. Mary’s confusion was not at all like the confusion experienced by the family of Vicky Lynn Marshall, who is otherwise known as Anna Nicole Smith. When Vicky died in February of 2007, a high-profile custody battle ensued over her daughter Dannielynn.

A total of four men stepped up to the plate, insisting that they were Dannielynn’s biological father. In this case, confusion resulted because of the many paternal claims made for this young girl. In the story of Jesus’ beginning, the confusion results from a lack of a fatherly claim. Who is the father? Not because there were so many possibilities to choose from, but precisely because this young girl, Mary, was a virgin.

Matthew’s story makes it very clear that this all took place during Mary and Joseph’s engagement. Typically, there were two steps to Jewish marriage practices at the time of Jesus. The first step was a formal exchange of consent, witnessed by a number of people. After this exchange, the couple was considered to be husband and wife, and if the couple wished to terminate the relationship, they would need a certificate of divorce, and this was still the early engagement period. It was normal for the engaged husband and wife to live separately until the groom took his bride home to live with her. Taking her home to live with him was the second step of the marriage process. The time between step one and two could be as long as a year or a bit more. The marriage process was complete once the man would take his bride back to his home and they would live as husband and wife.

It was during the first period of marriage – the engagement – that Joseph found out about Mary’s pregnancy. The text says that Joseph was a righteous man, which explains why he couldn’t just overlook Mary’s pregnancy. From his perspective, he could not overlook the fact that she had committed adultery. But he was also a compassionately righteous man, which meant that he wouldn’t haul her in front of the community to stand trial for adultery. Instead, he decided to divorce her quietly. Because of the Jewish practice of engagement, Mary and Joseph were already considered husband and wife, a legally binding relationship, and so divorce was required.

But this is when the messenger stepped in to clear up the confusion. Just as Gabriel helped Mary to understand what was happening to her, here an Angel appears to Joseph in order to clear up his confusion about what he should do. He didn’t know that Mary was a virgin. How could he? She was pregnant, and women don’t get pregnant unless they’ve had relations with another man. Joseph was in the right for wanting to terminate the relationship. Virgin birth was highly unlikely – well, at least until the Word of God was made known by the angelic messenger.

Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid of what’s happening. Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife? Why? Not because you should overlook adultery. Adultery is sin. But don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife – she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The angel calmed Joseph’s fears about Mary’s honour. In cases, like that of the young girl Daniellyn, where everyone wants to be her father because of the fame and money involved in her custody, there are no shortage of men who want to act the role of father. But in our story of Jesus’ beginnings, there was no biological father and there was no fame or glory in it. Claiming this child as his son would mean, for Joseph, a life of risk, escaping the wrath of Herod by fleeing into the far country.

But the angel passes on the Word of God: Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. Her child is from the Holy Spirit. Mary will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus. In Jewish practice, it was only the mother and the father that could name the child. In Luke, it was Elizabeth and Zechariah who determined, against the will of the community, that their boy would be called John. Here, the angel invites Joseph to take on the role of Jesus’ earthly father, because otherwise there was no one to claim custody. After all, there was no real biological father, because the boy was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was invited to be Jesus’ father and to perform the fatherly task of naming the son.

The reason, given by the angel in Joseph’s dream, that the boy should be named Jesus, was because he would save his people from their sins. ‘Jesus’ is the English form of the Greek name 'Iesous', which translates the Hebrew ‘Yeshua’ or ‘Yehoshua’ (Joshua), which most likely means The Lord helps, or Yahweh is salvation.

But what does Jesus save the people from? Is this Jesus the one who will save his people from the Romans? Is Jesus a political agitator and revolutionary insurgent? No. This boy will save the people from their sins. Throughout Jesus’ career, although sharing many of the same dreams as the Zealots who wished for Israel’s freedom, Jesus continually resisted using violence to overthrow the Roman government. The revolution started by Jesus was one that addressed human sin and brokenness before God. The community formed by Jesus Christ was a community that could live under any foreign regime, friendly or hostile, because the Jesus community was anticipating the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven.

The author of Matthew’s gospel was fascinated with the many ways in which the story of Jesus’ life connected to prophesies found in the Old Testament. The first of such fulfilled prophesies is the spoken in Isaiah 7:14, which states that the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. Although there is some dissimilarity between Matthew’s’ quote and the original Hebrew text, the message is the same. A young woman would be with child. This young woman was Mary, and not only was she a young woman, she was a virgin. Isaiah says that this woman would call her son Immanuel, but in Matthew’s quote, he says that others would call him Immanuel. Matthew is pointing to the people whom this boy will save. The parents of this boy would call him by a different name. Mary and Joseph would call him Jesus, as instructed by the angel. But the people, whom this boy would save, would call him Immanuel. God is with us.

In the Christmas story found in Luke, it is Mary who is the focus, and her simple obedience to Jesus takes the centre stage. But in Matthew’s account, we hear more of what goes on in Joseph’s mind and in his heart. He couldn’t have Mary as his wife if she had committed adultery, but the angel’s message cleared up all the confusion. Joseph didn’t need a DNA test to see who the real father was. He knew he wasn’t. And when the angel came to him in his dream and explained the work of the Holy Spirit in conceiving the child, Joseph’s choice was as plain as Mary’s. This boy needed someone to claim him as son. In fulfillment of prophecy, the father would have to be someone from the house of David. And we know that Joseph is from that house. We know it because of the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel. And we know it because of the angel’s greeting in the dream. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid!”

Joseph’s obedience was a key part in fulfilling scripture about the Messiah’s identity. Both Mary and Joseph were obedient, and their amazing obedience participated in the plan that God had all along – to save the people from their sin. After Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did what the angel told him to do. He took Mary as his wife. We can assume that this means he fulfilled the second step of Jewish marriage. He took Mary to live with him. But this is also why the next part of the story is important. The author of Matthew includes a strange note: he writes that Joseph and no marital relations with Mary until she had borne a son. Why was this important to mention? Why do we need to know about Joseph and Mary’s marital relations?

For many Christians, this story has fed into a belief that Mary remained a virgin for the rest of her life, and that her complete purity is part of her spiritual uniqueness. This fails to recognize some of the other passages of the gospel. Either way, Matthew himself is not interested in proving that point. He was very interested in keeping one thing central: this boy had no human father! He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. By reminding his readers that even during her pregnancy, Mary and Joseph refrained from having marital relations, it becomes impossible to doubt that Jesus was conceived in an extraordinary way. She was a virgin before her marriage, she was a virgin during her pregnancy – and so there can only be one explanation for Mary’s pregnancy – the child was conceived by an act of God.

Jesus had no human father, biologically speaking, which is exactly why God sent a messenger to set Joseph straight. Not only should Joseph continue with his plans to take Mary as his wife, he should also completely fulfill his role and his duties as Jesus’ father. His first act as Jesus’ father was to give him his name. The name of Jesus means that Yahweh is salvation. That is the message of Christmas.

This evening, we may feel a little like Joseph. We may wonder how it is that we can claim this child. With all that keeps us from being righteous; with all the distractions that have torn us from God in this past year; how can we come to the manger and claim this child? Like those four fathers desperately fighting to lay claim to Dannielynn, and the riches that come with her custody, we also want to know if there’s a way to lay claim to the Christ-child. We wish to claim him, not because it will make us rich or famous, but because he is God-with-us – he is Immanuel. The Angel’s message to Joseph can also clear things up for us this Christmas evening: do not be afraid. Claim the Christ-child because, in him, God has laid his claim on you. God has claimed you and has given you a new name: you are his beloved child and he has forgiven your sins. Praise be to God who worked such a beautiful miracle, and made the obedience of Joseph and Mary to participate in our salvation – yes, even your salvation tonight. Amen.

The Ruler from Bethlehem

Meditation in Altona on 4th Advent, 2009
Text: Micah 5:2-5a

When I was a boy, I used to play with magnifying glasses. I remember all the fun I had. I would take that magnifying glass, hold it over a dry leaf, to see if it would catch fire. I was completely fascinated. How could this small piece of glass focus sunlight into a fiery point of light? How could this small lens cause so much pain? That’s right, I would often see how long I could endure the pain of that point of light. I would burn my name into pieces of wood; and I would even torture small bugs with that magnifying glass.

The magnifying glass has the capability of focusing the sun’s light in such a way that, at a certain focal point, the light becomes extremely hot. But we all know that this is actually a misuse of the magnifying glass. This piece of equipment actually serves a purpose beyond entertaining a young boy. A magnifying glass is made to bend light, so that what is underneath the glass will appear magnified. It’s most common use is to help people read smaller script, which the person cannot read otherwise. It makes big the things that are small.

The scripture passage that I read earlier is a bit like a magnifying glass. Micah, the prophet, directs everyone’s attention to a small village – to the town of Bethlehem. Micah mentions that Bethlehem is from a ‘little clan’ in Judah. He then goes on to say that a great ruler shall come from Bethlehem. Through Micah’s lens, we see that this small village and this small clan will actually become a central location for God’s Anointed One. Micah’s words magnify what would otherwise remain insignificant.

This verse is quoted in the gospel of Matthew, in chapter two, verse six. But here, Matthew seems to contradict Micah’s description of Bethlehem. Whereas Micah says that Bethlehem is from a ‘little clan’ of Judah; Matthew, on the other hand, writes: “But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.” Micah says that Bethlehem is one of the little clans of Judah, while Matthew seems to highlight Bethlehem’s significance. We could ask why Matthew misquotes Micah’s words in 5:2; but I think the greater significance lies in their agreement. Both Matthew and Micah agree that this little town in Judah is not at all un-important. In fact, from this small town will come the ruler of all Israel, the shepherd of God’s people.

This is the way God works in the Old Testament. Over and over again, we see stories of common people – completely ordinary in appearance and manner – and yet God does extraordinary things with them. When we view the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Ruth, Rahab, and Joseph and Mary through the lens of faith, then we see something much bigger going on. It’s as if we were looking through a magnifying glass, seeing how God uses ordinary people and ordinary situations to accomplish great things.

This is most clearly visible in the story that we come to during Advent. The story of Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph and Zechariah. These ordinary couples are made to be a part of an extraordinary event. Elizabeth and Zechariah, and older couple, way past the years of parenting; Mary and Joseph, who haven’t even exchanged their promises of marriage; and yet in the midst of their ordinary lives, God was about to do something extraordinary. He was about to magnify their lives, so that God could magnify all of human existence.

Mary, a young woman, was obedient to her Lord, and she carried within her the Christ-child – bearing the hope of the nations within her small frame. The Saviour of the world was growing in Mary; God Incarnate would lie in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. The gospel of Luke is a magnifying glass for us. It gives us a view of something so small; and yet we see the magnificence of this moment. We see a young woman with child; we see a young father trying to find a place for the night; we see Herod in a frenzy, trying to protect his throne; we see wise men travelling from afar; shepherds in the fields. All these seemingly insignificant scenes; and yet God is magnifying these events into the most crucial point in all of history.

Just as a magnifying glass focuses the sun’s beams into a burning point of light; two thousand years ago, all of history was focused on these characters, on these events, on the light of a shining star, on the journey of a young couple to Bethlehem – that small village of Judah. The intensity of that moment continues to burn in our hearts.

God has used his magnifying glass on us, and he has etched His Word into our hearts. That Word is Jesus Christ. It is because of what happened so long ago that we today can know the love of God. Jesus’ birth made it possible that we could experience spiritual rebirth. Jesus’ life gave us new life. Jesus’ death on the cross has redeemed us; he has purchased our pardon, so that we may be children of God. Jesus’ victory over the grave has given us hope; death has lost its sting, and we shall be raised, and live with Christ in his Kingdom.

This Christmas, we hear the story of young boy whose birth was signaled in the heavens – a star shone the way. Today, we are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in our world. You have lived your lives as a signal of Christ’s love. And although it may seem like your testimony to Jesus was just a small light – I tell you, when God sees your faithful witness to Jesus, it’s like looking through a magnifying glass. Every small act of love and obedient step of faith is a gift you have given to this world, for the sake of our friend and Redeemer, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Please join me in prayer,
Magnificent God, we are small in comparison to all the wonderful beauty of your Creation; and yet, the Christmas story tells us that you came as a small baby boy. Our smallness doesn’t matter to you, because you see us differently than we see ourselves. You see us as your children and, in that gaze, we have become a royal priesthood. Use us, Lord God, to shine your light in this world. All this we pray in allegiance to your Kingdom, for the sake of your Son Jesus, in whose name we pray, Amen.

God delivers into the advent of Christ

Sermon planned for the 4th Sunday of Advent, 2009

For me, this entire Advent season has been overshadowed by Morgan’s death. And as I worked on this sermon, I decided that I would dedicate these words in her memory. Morgan’s life began as a surprise. Her parents weren’t necessarily planning on her just yet – but as things often happen in the context of marital bliss, children arrive (praise be to God!). Morgan came at just the right time.

It was fun to see my friend’s life change so dramatically in the months leading up to Morgan’s birth. In August of 2006, Karen and I moved to Winnipeg from Rosthern. The week we arrived in Winnipeg, at CMU, was also the week of Andy and Trish’s wedding. For those of you who don’t know, Trish and Andy are Morgan’s parents. For years, Trish had pursued Andy, somewhat quietly, but she finally gave him the ultimatum – ask me out or I’m out of here! Well, Andy realized he had a good thing and so they dated and were married. I was his best man for the wedding.

That was in August of 2006. A year and a few months later Morgan was born. After telling us that they were expecting a child, I noticed some changes in my friend’s lifestyle. Both gave up smoking. They were renting at the time but, when they found out they were pregnant, they bought a house. They moved to Polson, which is close to the Safeway on Main St. in the North End of Winnipeg. Karen and I visited them there regularly, and so we noticed the many changes they made to their lifestyle in preparation for Morgan’s birth. Andy grew more serious about life. We talked less and less about the things we used to talk about and talked more about home improvements, parenting methods, and future employment possibilities. Their anticipation was growing day by day.

This change became even more clear, for Andy and Trish, when they had the ultrasound photos to look at, and even more so after Trish felt the baby moving and kicking around. It was amusing and exciting for me to see my close friend Andy shaping up to be a father. There was an increasing tenderness in his attitude towards Trish. And when he himself could feel Morgan moving around, I thought I even caught a glimpse of a tear in his eye. They were both so excited, but also a bit nervous.

I think there is something about pregnancy that gives moms and dads a unique glimpse of the Christmas story and even the Advent message. Advent is about waiting. It’s about waiting for the chosen time – the right time – when God will bring to fulfillment the promise of Jesus. Advent is a time filled with potentiality – filled with spiritual weight that seeps into every second and every moment. Pregnancy is similar. It is a time of expectation. Like Advent, pregnancy is a preparation for something that will break-into our normal life. There’s nothing like a newborn infant that can burst-into our normal lives and interrupt the usual rhythm of our daily routine.


Although I can’t know what it’s like for at least one obvious reason, pregnancy seems to me like miraculous process of change. It is miraculous in the sense that none of the scientific explanations of the reproductive process fully penetrate the depth of the mystery of new life. We’ve got plenty of words, definitions and observations, but no real answers to the Why question. Why is it that our human efforts can somehow open up a space for a new human life? For a new soul? Why is it that we mortals can participate in the very creation of something entirely new? This mystery also permeates the season of Advent.

For Mary, the real mystery began when she was confronted by Gabriel, the angel. The passage from Luke that we heard earlier comes right after the story of Gabriel’s message to Mary. Her initial response to Gabriel’s greeting was concern. And when he told her that she would deliver a boy who would be called Son of the Most High, Mary was perplexed. How could something like this happen? She was a virgin – she had not been with Joseph.

And so, Gabriel explained to her that this would happen by the power of the Holy Spirit; for this reason, the child would be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth, a woman past her childbearing years, was going to have a son because of God’s favour. Mary responded to this message with words of obedience: I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me according to your word. Like the young Samuel, who answered the Lord’s voice: Speak for your servant is listening, Mary now also put herself in line with all those heroes of faith who simply obeyed the word of God.

Our scripture passage from Luke, for this morning, continues on here. After hearing this news, Mary prepared herself and speedily left for Elizabeth’s house. But why go to Elizabeth’s house? Why not spend time with Joseph, her fiancée? If what Gabriel said was true, then all of God’s history with Israel was coming to a focal point. How would this young woman handle this cosmic event? Never mind the usual preparations for having a baby; what kind of preparations do you make for bearing God’s Son into the world? Mary quickly went to Elizabeth’s house, which was a far journey for this young woman.

Luke tells us that Mary was in a hurry. She went, with haste, into the hill country of Judea. Instead of slowing down, Mary’s life became busy - not with the busyness that we’re used to, but with the busyness appropriate to this ‘fullness of time’. Israelite history was at its moment of crisis, and so special preparations were needed.

I’ve been told that many pregnant women ‘nest’ during their pregnancy – they busy themselves with preparing their home for the coming baby. Mary’s life becomes busy not merely with the typical preparations, but now also with preparation for the coming Messiah. Our text says that she stayed with Elizabeth for three months. She did not go home to prepare the baby room – her preparations were of a different sort. If she was to be the mother of the Son of God, this would mean a very different kind of preparation than what they teach at Lamaze or childbirth classes. Instead of going to a doctor, Mary went to see Elizabeth, her relative, and she stayed at their home.

We are not told why Mary chose to go to Elizabeth and Zechariah’s place; but I think it is safe to say that one major reason is because Gabriel mentioned Elizabeth’s child. Something was going on here, and Mary knew that God was at work, not only in her own body but now also in the life of this older couple in Judea. As readers, we already know why this connection has to be made – it is because Elizabeth’s boy will be the forerunner to the Messiah.

The anticipation is heightened when we encounter Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John. Pregnancy seems to be the best metaphor for what advent actually means, and there’s good reason why the story of Jesus’ coming-into-the-world contains two stories of pregnancy. Nothing quite describes the season of Advent as well as the experience of pregnancy.

I’d like to quickly highlight two connections between our human experience of pregnancy and the season of advent. Pregnancy is a time of patient waiting. By the end of it, most couples are nearly ripping out their hair in anticipation and impatience. Couples wait for this new reality that is just around the corner. Advent is like that. Advent is first and foremost about preparing us as Christians for Jesus’ coming. We remember the anticipation of Mary and Joseph, the prophets and the people of Israel. And we also anticipate Jesus’ return at the end of time. And so, the first connection is this sense of patient waiting.

The second connection between pregnancy and Advent is the experience of what happens during this waiting period. In both cases, the patience and the waiting for the future event is interrupted by growing signs of its fulfillment. What I mean is this: while Trish was waiting for her due date, she was already experiencing a whole variety of signs that the day was growing closer and closer. At first, there were signs of physical discomfort, and nausea. Then there were the usual physical signs of growth. And of course, there were the usual signs of life within – beginning with quiet stirrings in the womb, and ending with vigorous movement and kickboxing matches.

Advent is similar. During this period of waiting for Christ’s return and the full expression of God’s kingdom, we already see and experience signs of its fulfillment. The Spirit of Christ already moves among us in powerful ways. The fruits of the Spirit are signs of our transformation by God’s grace. We already see the justice of God’s kingdom being lived out in many corners of the world. Wherever the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, the prisoners are visited, there the kingdom of God is being birthed into reality – there we see the signs of what is just around the corner. In these two ways, we have a close connection between the waiting and preparation of pregnancy and this season of Advent.

Now I’d like to take a closer look at our text for this morning. When Mary was told about what kind of boy was growing inside her – that he was the Hope of all Nations – she spoke a prophetic word – a song called the Magnificat. In this song, she proclaims this upside-down reality that is already being hinted at in John’s ‘leap for joy’ in Elizabeth’s womb. John the Baptist was already celebrating the new thing that was about to take place – that God was going to be turning things around and finally restoring peace to His people.

But before Mary had a chance to sing her song, Elizabeth spoke her own word of blessing over Mary. “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Without any hint from Mary, Elizabeth had already known what was happening with her. She knew that her own son was going to prepare the way for the Lord’s Messiah, and now she also knew that Mary was going to bring him into the world. Although there’s a saying that ‘bad news travels fast’, what’s more true is that good news travels faster. The good news of God’s redeeming work travels fast and is even heard by the unborn.

Elizabeth proclaimed this beautiful blessing upon Mary. Mary would be called blessed throughout all generations. And even while we hear this, we need to keep in mind that, though Mary’s role is blessed, her role is also extremely challenging. Not only is she obedient to her role as mother of Christ – she is also headed towards the cross where she will have to watch her own son die a horrible death. In the next chapter we read about Mary’s encounter with Simeon. He blesses Mary and her family, but he says that Mary’s soul will be pierced. The sacrifices required of motherhood will continue on, for Mary, as she follows Jesus around and watches his collision course with the Roman cross.

This brings us to the central part of this morning’s text: Mary’s song. You can divide her song into two parts. From verse 46 to 50, Mary speaks a blessing and a doxology. Each of the phrases of blessing are connected to their causes. Not only does she speak about the blessing, but she also tells us what about the cause of the blessing. Mary’s soul glorifies the Lord and her Spirit rejoices in God because he has looked upon her lowliness with favour. All generations will call her blessed, because God has done great things for her. Any fears or anxieties that she might have had sank into the background because God has looked upon her with favour and because God has done great things for her. With this reason for confidence, Mary stood up to deliver one of the most powerful and revolutionary speeches of the New Testament.

Her words of blessing end with a doxology – “God’s mercy is for all those who fear him from generation to generation.” At this crucial point in Jewish history – at this moment when all of God’s history with Israel was coming to its focal point – God was offering mercy to everyone who would turn to Him. This whole set of stories remind me of some of the revival preachers I’ve heard in my younger years. All of your life has been leading up to this very moment, and the choice you make at this very moment will determine not only the rest of your life, but the rest of your afterlife – the rest of eternity. This is what was happening in the time of Mary and Elizabeth. All of their history was coming to this crisis point – God’s Anointed One was coming. The advent of God’s kingdom was here. What can we do at this crisis point? What will you do at the cross-roads? Our text points us to the answer: those who fear the Lord will receive his mercy.

What does this in-breaking kingdom look like? What kind of change is happening? What kind of preparation is required as the people anticipate the coming Kingdom of God? It’s as if Mary, this young girl, had been trained by a Rabbi herself, because she knew exactly what this in-breaking kingdom looked like and what it meant to be prepared for it. She saw it clearly: fear the Lord because he’s about to start a revolution.

The rest of Mary’s song, from verse 51 to 53, describe the kind of God we’re dealing with. Her song gives her listeners a clear idea of what kind of God they’re going to encounter – of what kind of Messiah they can expect. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm and he has scattered those who are proud in their innermost thoughts. Not only does God have physical power over this world, he also has power over our innermost ideologies and the principles that cloud our human thinking. God can soften or harden the heart of Pharaoh. William Barclay calls this the ‘moral revolution’. The Kingdom of God and his Messiah Jesus have an attractive quality. At the deepest level of human identity, we know that the news about this Kingdom and the news about this King is good news. God’s work is powerful enough to overcome the lies that cloud our innermost thoughts. In the darkness of our world’s ideologies, the true light of Christmas can break-in and illuminate.

Barclay points out the second revolution addressed by Mary in her song – the ‘social revolution’. In verse 52 we read that the Lord has brought down rulers from thrones and that he has exalted the lowly. For us, who have had the privilege of studying Paul’s words to the Galatians, we know that in Christ and in his kingdom there is no more Jew or Gentile, free or slave, woman or man, rich or poor. In God’s kingdom, the high places are lowered and the valleys are lifted up. In God’s kingdom, there is a levelling, where people stand side-by-side as siblings in God’s family. It’s not that our differences are abolished or deleted. Instead, our differences are no longer reasons for division or alienation – rather, in the Kingdom of God, our differences are causes for celebration, as each uniqueness fits into the whole, just as various members fit into one body.

The third revolution, in Barclay’s list, is the ‘economic revolution’. In verse 53, Luke has Mary saying these words: “The Lord has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty handed.” There are enough places, in North America, where if people heard you reading Mary’s song, they would brand you as a socialist or communist. Now while there are no similarities between the kingdom of God and the examples of Marxist Socialism and Communism that we have seen in the past, it is true that the Kingdom of God includes an economy. And it is true that this kingdom economy is all about sharing. The early Christian community realized this, and one example of their preparation for the kingdom of God was to sell all their property and to share everything in common. Even today, Christian groups like the Anabaptist Hutterites hold that the only way to live in constant readiness of God’s kingdom-economy is to now-already anticipate that economy. They try to do this by living in financial solidarity and community. Their testimony to us should at least make us ask this question: how do our financial practices, as Mennonite Christians, anticipate the economy of God’s kingdom?

If we hear Mary’s song in its original intent then we must recognize that it was a revolutionary song. Thomas Yoder Neufeld, from Conrad Grebel in Ontario, says that Mary’s song was the kind of song sung at the campfires of revolutionary guerrilla armies during the struggles of the Maccabees. Now, mind you, it’s also the same kind of song sung by Samuel’s mother Hannah, when she was waiting for a son. Here’s Mary, this young maiden, singing a song about God overpowering the unjust, taking rulers from their thrones, filling the hungry with good things, and sending the rich away empty-handed. This is no timid young girl.

If her son was just going to be like any other boy, then she would have been at home with Joseph, painting the baby room, and picking out the best book on parenting methods. But no, she was to give birth to Yahweh’s anointed one; and that could only mean one thing: all of Israel’s history with God was coming to a point of absolute importance. The Messiah was to usher in the Kingdom of God. This God is a specific kind of Instigator – He attacks the moral illusions of our time, and scatters the ideologies that keep us in chains. There is a moral revolution going on during Advent. The darkness is giving way to the Light of a King born in Bethlehem.

There is a social revolution going on during Advent. Poor shepherds dressed in stained and smelly clothes come to see the King. Wise astrologers from the East come to pay homage to the King of Israel. Herod is in a frenzy, trying to stop this boy-King from taking over his throne. As this boy Jesus gained a following, he drew to himself the rich, the poor, the popular, the outcast, women and men, insiders and outsiders, the healthy and the sick, the ceremonially clean and the sinful and filthy. The Kingdom of God was breaking into history and the social upheaval that it caused sent Jesus on a collision course with Rome, because the peace offered in Christ’s Kingdom was far more beautiful and true than the supposed Peace of Rome – the Pax Romana.

There is an economic revolution going on during Advent. The boy Jesus, whose birth we celebrate in just a few days, is one who ate with tax collectors and sinners. He gave over his own body, to be broken and shared with the world. In John 6:51 we read, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus fills the hungry with good things – he fills the hungry with Himself, but the rich are sent away empty-handed. Those who have raised themselves up without paying any heed to those who have nothing will find the Kingdom of God to be an impossible reality. Why? Because the Kingdom of God is like a banquet table in which all receive an equal share because Jesus himself is the host at the table. And he saves the best seat for those who haven’t had their share.

The question for us during Advent is: How are we preparing for that Holy revolution that Jesus started and that is being brought to its fulfilment? If the God we meet in Jesus is the Instigator of a moral, social and economic revolution, are we participating as co-conspirators – or are we the ones who resist this Kingdom most? Like my friend Trish, who found that Morgan was expressing her presence more and more clearly and boldly, especially during the lsast few months of pregnancy, Advent is a time for us to open our lives to the signs of God’s kingdom that is just around the corner. But the only way this world will hear the good news of Christmas – the only way that the world will hear that Jesus is not just another boy – is if our own Christian lives tell the story of this revolution. The only way that the world will hear that Jesus is not just another boy is if the world now already begins to feel the nausea and the morning sickness of the coming Kingdom. The only way that the world will hear the gospel is if the world now already begins to feel the kicking of the in-breaking Kingdom that has engulfed us as Christians.

If Jesus was just another boy, then Advent and Christmas would be a time to decorate rooms, and read books on parenting. It is that, but it is so much more. If Jesus was just another boy, then Advent and Christmas would be a time to participate in the greed of our culture, and God’s economy merely a dream for the poor. If Jesus was just another boy, then Advent and Christmas would be a time to do things for people who mattered most to you, leaving the lonely and the outcast to fend for themselves. But Christmas is so much more than just another reason to hang out with family and friends. And so, on this last Sunday of Advent, I challenge you with this: make your last few days of Advent, and your Christmas, a testimony to the fact that Jesus was not just another boy. Make these last few days of Advent, and make your celebration of Christmas, a visible reminder that the Kingdom of God is coming. It’s already kicking, and if we’re attentive, we can feel it just beneath our feet. Amen.

Get Ready! Prepare to be placed on the way of peace.

Sermon planned for Second Advent 2009, December 6th

Texts: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79

Advent is a time of preparation; it’s about preparing ourselves and remembering that we Christians are in a period of waiting. We are waiting for Christ’s return. We’ve been waiting for nearly two thousand years. This kind of a waiting period is different than most waiting periods. It’s not like the waiting period before a doctor’s appointment, because your date has been set and both parties know the time and the place. It’s not like waiting for your significant other to propose marriage. One person knows the time when the proposal will take place, the other doesn’t – but in this case, the person who knows the date is readily available. No – our waiting for Christ’s return is complicated by the fact that only God knows the date and the time, and also by the fact that God is not readily available to us in the same way as people are. Those who claim to have had the voice of God tell them the exact timing of Christ’s return have all invariably been embarrassed when that date and time has come and gone. The New Testament teaches that Christ’s return will come at a time that is unknown by humans, like a thief in the night. Our role, as Christians, is to be prepared for his appearance, and to now already bear witness to the kingdom that Jesus will establish on that final day.

The scripture texts that we heard earlier focus on this time of preparation. In this time of waiting, we are called to prepare. But what does it mean to prepare? There are at least two different kinds of things you can prepare for. There are events or things you can prepare for almost completely; and then there are events or things that you can prepare for only in severely limited ways.

For example, when I plan a hunting trip, I can plan for the trip almost completely. I can bring the proper equipment. I can bring enough extra clothes. I can prepare a survival kit and a first aid kit, in case of emergencies. I can make sure that Karen knows about the area and the time of my hunting trip. I make sure to bring a handheld GPS device, including a compass and map. The only thing left up for chance is the possibility of an accident, and the even less likely case of me actually seeing a deer and getting a shot off. Preparation, in the case of hunting, is quite possible.

Another example is the preparations that my dad made for the millennium bug in the fall of 1999. He had an electrician come in and rig our home electricity so that my dad could run most of our appliances off of a massive gas-powered generator. When nothing happened on New Year’s Day 2000, he began using that generator for work, saying that he really bought it for his job and not for the Millennium… ya, sure – my siblings and I had a good laugh about it.

In these examples, preparation for an event is fairly straightforward because you have a time and a place. You know of what is coming, or you have a pretty good idea. But there are also modes of preparation that are far more complicated. For example, there’s the complex form of preparation that my brother and I had to engage in when my dad told us to go and ‘prepare for a spanking’. The complexity of this kind preparation had everything to do with the fact that we had no idea what we could or should do that could possibly prepare us for a spanking. One day my brother thought he figured it out, but my dad saw that book stuffed behind his pants from a mile away – obviously that’s not what my dad meant.

More seriously, another example is preparation for marriage and parenthood. To be honest, preparation for marriage and parenthood is almost impossible because, if you’re honest, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. One of my favourite theologians puts it best when he says that marriage vows are promises that you make about your future when you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t know what you’re talking about because you have no real clue what it means to say ‘till death do us part’, or ‘in sickness and in health’…. You can’t know what lifelong fidelity means because you’re usually too young to know what even a quarter of a lifetime feels like, never mind a full lifetime. That’s precisely why we make these promises in front of God and the community so that throughout a married lifetime, there’ll be a value-system, a community, and divine help, in figuring out what lifelong monogamous love actually looks like. Parenting is similar – that’s why we have baby dedications; to call on God and community in our desire to raise children properly and Christian-ly.

These examples all help to illustrate that preparation can take many forms. Some forms of preparation are clearly defined; others are as complicated as what my brother and I experienced a few times in our early childhood. What kind of preparation are we involved in, as Christians? Is it clear? Is it complicated? Or bit of both?

The passage from Malachi suggests that it’s a complicated time of preparation. How do you prepare for a time that will be like a refining fire? The prophet asks: who can endure this day? Who can stand when he appears? It’s a fearful day of purification and refinement. Some would make a joke; that this sounds a lot like marriage. There’s the joke about the three rings of marriage – the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and then the suffer-ring. What do you do to prepare for a day of purification and refinement?

In reality, though, the preparation for this day was something quite simple and straightforward. Preparation for this day required repentance. Turn away from your wickedness, and turn towards God and his righteousness. This was the ministry of John the Baptist: to get people to repent and turn to God in anticipation of Jesus. John’s ministry was foretold in Isaiah 40:3-5, which reads:
A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
John’s ministry was the first sign that God was finally going to break-into human history and enact the fulfillment of his oath and promise to Abraham. God’s kingdom of blessing was about to take hold of our universe and our history.

The passage we heard, earlier, from the gospel of Luke, is Zechariah’s prophecy, which he spoke, right after his son John was born. After he got his voice back, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the words we heard earlier. His prophecy has two major parts to it. The first eight verses speak a blessing and words of praise to God who has finally initiated the work of salvation. The verbs that describe this work of salvation include the following: God has looked favourably upon his people, God has redeemed them, God has raised up a mighty saviour, God has shown mercy, God has remembered his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham. God has saved us from our enemies.

These active verbs remind us that the work of salvation, right from the start, is a work that God initiates. The people were in a place of need. They felt abandoned, in hands of Rome. They were in exile, and needed redemption from this slavery. They needed a king to lead them and establish them as a people. They needed forgiveness and mercy for what they had done. They needed God to establish and fulfill his covenant among them. This was their desperate need, and Zechariah’s prophecy says that these needs have now been met. God has taken the initiative in all of these dimensions. He has noticed and looked upon the needs of his people. He has purchased them, redeeming them as His own. He has forgiven and shown mercy. And he has done this in fulfillment of his promise that God made to Abraham.

The second part of Zechariah’s prophecy, from verse 76-79, is a word of prophecy addressed to his son John. John would become the prophet of the Most High. He would go to prepare the way of the Lord. Zechariah’s use of this phrase connects John with Isaiah’s prophecy. This boy will be the herald of the Messiah – the one who will set things right. His ministry would be to call God’s people to repentance.

Zechariah’s prophecy uses different language than does our passage from Malachi. In Malachi we read about purification and refinement; a fire that will burn away all the impurities in God’s people. In Zechariah’s prophecy, we hear the language of forgiveness, tender mercy, and light being given to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. In Malachi, there’s a holy battle waged against the sin of the people; in Zechariah, there’s a savior to guide our feet into the way of peace.

One of the commentaries pointed out that Zechariah’s prophecy has a unique kind of structure; what scholars call a ‘chiasm’. A prophecy with a chiastic structure is a unique form of prophetic writing. It’s a piece of prophecy that gives some clues as to its meaning in a unique way. In a chiastic structure, the first thing said, in the prophecy, is reflected in the final words of the prophecy. The second piece of the prophecy connects with the second last piece of the prophecy. The third point of the prophecy connects with the third-last piece, and so on. At the centre of the prophecy are two pieces that bring focus to the entire prophecy.


If you look at the screen you’ll notice that at the beginning and the end of Zechariah’s prophecy, we read about God’s initial act of salvation. God’s first act (highlighted in yellow) is to look favourably upon his people. Just as God looked upon Israel in Egypt, and their slavery under Pharaoh, God now has once again looked upon his people. And because of this loving gaze, something new is about to happen. In verse 78 we read, ‘the dawn from on high will break upon us’. Zechariah uses the language of an in-breaking action of God to save his people.

If you want to think of this prophecy as a book, then the front and back cover of this book contain the bold words: God is Active to Save His People. Then, in the first chapter of this book, we read about the means of salvation; it describes the way in which this God breaks-into our history in order to save us. In verse 69, we read that God raised up a mighty saviour from the house of David. As part of the chiastic structure, we notice that salvation becomes a theme, once again, in the second last verse. John the Baptist participates in God’s plans as one who gives the knowledge of salvation to the people. John the Baptist told the people that God was about to do a new thing – that God was about to send them a Saviour. I’ve highlighted how the different parts of the chiasm line-up. (In this case, the theme of salvation is highlighted with light blue)

The second chapter of this ‘book’ examines why this is all occurring now. And it has everything to do with prophecy (highlighted in purple). God is the God of the prophets. God gave gifts of prophecy, and called these prophets to speak boldly about God’s intentions for his people. Not only did the prophets predict God’s work in the Messiah, John the Baptist himself would be a prophet of God, the Most High. Like the prophets of old, who went and told the people of the coming wrath of God, or of God’s mercy, John the Baptist was a prophet that went ahead of the Lord to prepare his ways. He went to let people know that they needed to prepare themselves; to repent, because the coming Messiah was going to lift up the lowly and bring the mighty down to their knees.

The third chapter, this prophecy describes what the purpose was behind this act of salvation. God’s purpose in breaking-into human history was to save his people from their enemies. This is a repeat of what already occurred with Moses in the Exodus of God’s people from Egypt. God was the God who saved the people from exile and slavery. Zechariah’s prophecy is a vision of a Messiah who will save God’s people from their political enemies and from all their foes. Verse 71 is clear, the Messiah would save them from their enemies; but verse 74 clarifies what the character of their redemption looks like. They are saved from their enemies, not in order to be ruthless to them or even to rule over them. Rather, they are rescued from their enemies in order that they might serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness. Jesus was a political Messiah, and he came for the purpose of liberating people from bondage and establishing his own kingship; but citizenship in his kingdom is not about ruling over others, but serving God and serving others.

The focus of Zechariah’s prophecy is found in the middle of this text, which is the underlying reason for God’s action. The focus of this prophecy is found in verse 72 & 73: “Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham” (highlighted in grey and underlined). This final chapter in Zechariah’s prophecy focuses on the promise, the oath and the covenant that God had made with Abraham. Why did God break-into history? Why did God raise up a mighty Saviour from the line of David? Why did he send another prophet to prepare the way? Why did he come to save His people from their enemies? God did all these things because of the covenant that was between God and Israel. God had promised his people a peaceful life in the land, free of fear and foreign rule – a time to serve and worship God in peace. Zechariah’s promise declared that God’s grace was breaking-into this world and into the lives of the people.

God made a promise to Abraham; and like a good parent, God is One who keeps his promises. God comes through on His covenant. God promised a Messiah that would deliver the people from their enemies; and Zechariah’s words point to the fulfillment of this prophecy. His son, John the Baptist, would go ahead of the Lord’s anointed Messiah and prepare the way for Him.

Advent is a time for us to remember that we have a good Father in heaven; someone who stands up for His people and defends them. It is a time for us to remember that God shelters those draw near; like a mother hen, God defends the children by covering them and embracing them.

As every parent knows, a key part to healthy relationships in the household is integrity. It is important that people live up to their promises. If you promise your children a summer trip and then cancel on them, you know that this is going to have repercussions in how you relate with them. Their trust in you has shifted. If you promise your parents to do something for them – a chore or some other favour – then you should complete the task. What would happen if you didn’t? Wouldn’t this eventually wear down your relationship with your parents?

This is exactly what was at stake between God and Israel. Would God ever complete his promise? Would God ever come and help Israel, and deliver them from the hands of the Romans? Zechariah prophesied that this promise had finally come true – God was about to do a new thing with Israel. God had seen their distress and He was going to do something about it.

As Christians, we live in the wake of this event. Jesus was the Messiah, but the fulfillment of God’s covenant was not as straightforward as some of Jesus’ contemporaries thought it would be. The Romans continued to oppress the Jewish people. The early Church continued to meet in secret because of their persecutors. Jesus didn’t come to destroy all the bad guys. Instead, Jesus taught his followers the way of peace. He made peace between us and God, by removing every barrier that could stand between us – even death.

Zechariah concludes his prophecy by saying that this Messiah, who will deliver us from our enemies, will also guide our feet into the way of peace. Even at this early stage of the game, Zechariah points out that Jesus will overcome our enemies in a different way than was expected. But we already know this. We already know that the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords was not born in a palace. We already know that he wasn’t surrounded by bodyguards, diplomats, and other officials. We already know that this coming Messiah would not come to town, riding on a war-horse. We know that the coming Messiah defeated the final enemy, but that he did so by dying on the cross.

As Christians, the one that we’re waiting for is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. In those days, God made a promise to Abraham that God would bless Abraham’s offspring and that, through them, God would bless all people. As Christians, we are a part of that picture. We have been planted into the garden of God’s blessing. God’s promised covenant with Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus, meaning that all those who come to Jesus, and cling to him, and take their stand with him, that they would now also be called the children of God. That’s us. We’re the children of God. Jesus made that possible. So, I invite you, if you haven’t already, take your stand with Jesus Christ! If you want to know more about what that means, then join the conversation that happens at our Catechism class that we’re starting in the New Year.

We have been made children of God; and now we wait for Jesus to come again. We may not know the date and the time, but we know what it means to prepare for his coming. Preparing for Jesus is all about turning from the things that lead us away from the heart of God. Turn away from sin and turn towards Jesus Christ. This Advent, turn to Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, and allow his loving embrace to grab a hold of you and transform you as a child of God.

Please join me in prayer:
Lord of the Universe, Shepherd of this Church, we’re thankful that you trust us to be a foretaste of the Kingdom here in the town of Gretna. Forgive us when we lose sight of our mission. Send your Spirit and fill our hearts and minds with your peace. Grant us a vision of Your Kingdom, so that we might give this world a foretaste of what You are bringing about in History. Protect us from all the enemies that wish to destroy and distract our efforts. We trust the words of Paul, when he said that you would carry out your work in us until the time of completion. We patiently wait for the day you’ve chosen to bring this all to its fullness. In the mean time, strengthen us and grant us joy for our journeys. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.