Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent 2022

First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5

 ¹The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. ²It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, ³and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ⁴He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. ⁵O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Psalm 122

¹I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” ²Now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. ³Jerusalem is built as a city that is at unity with itself; ⁴To which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, the assembly of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord. ⁵For there are the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. ⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. ⁷Peace be within your walls and quietness within your towers. ⁸For my brethren and companions’ sake, I pray for your prosperity. ⁹Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good.”

Second Reading: Romans 13:8-14

⁸Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.] ¹¹Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹²The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44

³⁶{Jesus said,} “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. ³⁷For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴²Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

 

 Ready or Not

There’s a popular skit at church camps that involves about a dozen folks lined up, side-by-side, looking anxious and frustrated, facing the audience.  Each person rests their left elbow on the right shoulder of their neighbor.  Then, from left to right, each member asks, “Is it time yet?”  When the question arrives at the end of the line, the last person looks at their wristwatch and responds, “No.”  This reply is then passed, one-by-one, each with bored sighs, back up the line to the first questioner.

After a few more looks of anxiety and frustration, the same question is passed down the line again, left elbows still resting on the right shoulders, the last person again checks their watch, but this time says, “Yes!”  When the response again reaches the head of the line, the group lets out a loud and collective sigh.  They then change position, now with right elbows leaning on the left shoulders of each neighbor.  The point being that there’s no real change here at all.

The group is illustrating that they’re still in the same old place with the same old anxious, frustrated expectations.  Indeed, many of us, in these days leading up to Christmas, may be facing this very same perspective: anxious, frustrated, expecting little more from the season other than the same old hassles and problems; hoping for nothing more than perhaps a few moments of relief from the stress of the holiday season.  These same emotions then drives us to ask the questions that seem to prevail throughout this season of preparation, “are you ready yet?”  Is it time?  More than once, in the past few days, I’ve heard someone ask, is it Advent already?

These questions signal the reality that we only have four weeks to plan the “perfect” Christmas program; prepare the “perfect” family celebration; begin endless shopping excursions to purchase the “perfect” gifts; decorate the “perfect” tree and so on; our list of “to-do’s” appears endless, spinning us out of control.  Sadly, it seems, we desperately seek happiness while simultaneously anticipating the same old frustration.  Our lives become as cluttered and crowded as the traffic jams around the Concord Mills shopping Mall.  And for many, all they’ve learned is that expecting perfection usually results in experiencing dejection.  The question is, what are we preparing for?  What are we anxious about?  What are we anticipating will happen from all our activities?

What are we expecting in this season of anticipation?  What we really need on this first Sunday of Advent is a good reminder of what it is that we need to be looking for in this prelude to Christmas.  A good place for us to begin is by looking at our Old Testament reading for this morning.   Our text from Isaiah comes from a time of high anxiety, impatience, discouragement, and despair for God’s people.

The powerful nation of Assyria was gobbling up smaller nations and heading toward an inevitable clash with Israel.  Political infighting and corruption were widespread.  Many religious leaders had forsaken God’s laws and statutes and were promoting idol worship and alliances with other nations against Assyria.  If you turn back to the first chapter of Isaiah, God declares, “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.  The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know; my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:2-3).  God’s people had once again forgotten the gift they already had, God’s continuing presence and guidance.  Is it time yet?

For the Israelites, it was only time for the “same old, same old thing”… no real change, no real hope, just a collective group sigh as they anticipated more of the same self-inflicted misery.  Isaiah describes this attitude in chapter 1, verse 5: “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.”  In other words, the mind only perceives more desolation.  The will to perceive God’s presence and promise for the future was exhausted.  As hall of fame catcher, Yogi Barra, once remarked, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

I think far too many people today feel the same way as they move from Thanksgiving into the Christmas celebration.  Advent is a time to pause and to prepare; a time of looking back and remembering all God has done in our behalf, and a time to look forward to the things to come.  It’s about living every day with the expectation of Jesus’ return.  The day when Jesus will “judge between nations, and shall decide disputes for many people.”  A time when we will “beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks.”  Sadly, far too many today are focused on the present, the temporary, and on the turmoil of the times.

And just as we have political upheaval in our present time, the same turmoil existed in Isaiah’s time.  Today, we see political and moral decline and corruption all around us.  We witness broken families, economic hardship, and hypocritical religious practices … at times it seems that all we can do is watch helplessly, hoping only for a small bit of comfort and another shoulder to lean on as we sing, “Joy to the World”, without really expecting anything to come of the words we sing.  And even as the caroling ends, we find ourselves asking, yet again, Is it time yet?

Isn’t it time for a real word of promise, a real word of hope from the Lord?  The answer — the Advent answer — is a resounding “Yes!”  Look again at our text.  Here in verse 1, Isaiah saw the word of promise.  God expands Isaiah’s perception to see beyond the corruption and desolation a new reality — God’s reality.  God is turning their understanding upside down and inside out.  Or, as the great jazz singer, Al Jolson, often remarked, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!”

Isaiah then proceeds to unfold God’s promised future for us, and for all God’s people.  In Hebrew language of the Old Testament, God’s word isn’t simply a concept or collection of letters.  God’s Word is a thing, a force, a power, that can be seen and experienced.  And this Word, in the “days to come” is a sure and certain Advent promise from God, not just to Israel, not just to you and me, but to all God’s people.

First, God’s Word is a promise of peace to all nations: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).  When you look at the history of humankind, we’re compelled to ask, how can this be?  If you were to look at the last 100 years or so, this country has been in one military conflict after another:  WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, Granada, Panama, the Balkans, and the Gulf war.  Certainly, in my lifetime, peace has been brief, at best, and even then, the tension among world nations remains ongoing.  It was no different in Isaiah’s time.

The divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah were under constant threat of annihilation.  And throughout the following centuries, even to this day, wars and rumors of war have been and are a very real part of their daily existence.  And yet, even in Isaiah’s day, God promised, “in the days to come,” in God’s time, with God’s promise, peace will be a reality.  As those living in the between times, we live with the tension of the current reality and the promised hope to come.

Thanks be to God, despite the political upheaval, the turmoil among nations, and the threat of wars, God’s Advent promise is being fulfilled in our midst.  Christ, the Prince of Peace has come, is among us, and will come again!  Isaiah proclaims, in the days to come, the Word of the Lord will come from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3).  That Word, that force, that power, came in the flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).  That Word, God’s own Word of peace, suffered and died on a cross for you, for me, for all nations, in Jerusalem.  And in triumph over death and the grave, God’s Word rose again in Jerusalem.  Through the Holy Spirit, God’s Word reaches out to all nations.  This is perfection … God’s perfect plan of salvation for us and for all people.  So as God’s children awaiting the return of the Prince of Peace, we continue to ask, is it time yet?

We yearn for a time and space that’s free from the stress and anxiety of daily living.  During this season of the year, family tensions, economic stress, and every day worries seem to grow even stronger, occupying our existence.  And yet, it is time … God’s time.  Isaiah’s “days to come” are here.  In spite of our stress and worry, Christ has come, Christ is among us, and Christ will come again!  Advent is a time to reflect on what Jesus has done in His incarnation, accomplished for us on the cross, and a time for us to prepare for His imminent return.

In Advent we’re called to reflect and share the good news that Christ came to dwell among us.  It’s a time to look at His life and ministry and what that means to us as we reach out to the least, the lost, and the lowly.  Advent is also a time of preparation for the “days to come,” the celebration of Christ’s birth and the promise that Christ will come again.  Isaiah invites the people of God to “come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” (Isaiah 5).  That invitation is also given to us, today.  Advent is a time to remember how God has been present and active in our experience; times when we’re certain of Christ’s presence and guidance.

At the end of each day, Thomas (age seven) and Stephen’s (age five) parents ask them what they remember most about their daily activities.  After a day of riding their body boards on the ocean’s waves, their mother asked, “Boys, what good time did God give you today?  What do you remember most?” Stephen declared, “I was flying for joy over those waves!”  Thomas proclaimed, “I learned to ride over the waves on my knees!”

They got it!  In all the family gatherings, the choir rehearsals, Sunday school classes and other meetings this Advent, we need to remind each other of those times, even the scary times in our life, when we “just knew” that the presence and guidance of Christ both placed us on our knees and lifted us up, to fly for joy beyond the worries of the day.  Christ has come!  Christ is among us now!  Christ will come again!  Let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Is it time yet?  The stores and commercials and calendars remind us hourly of what yet needs to be “done” for the holidays.  There’s never enough time to complete every task and still find a little rest in the too few days to come.  The answer of Advent is, it is time … God’s time … and the time is now.

God’s Word can be seen on the cross, in the waters of baptism, and in the bread and wine of holy communion.  God has given us His own shoulder to lean on.  God has already given us His loving arms to keep us flying for joy on our knees through and beyond whatever turmoil we’re facing.  The days to come have begun!  God’s perfect plan of salvation is happening now!  Now is the time to celebrate!  But we need to be ready, expectant at all times.

In our gospel reading for today, Jesus bids us to “stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”  And Jesus underscores the urgency of His message by opening and closing the reading with the warning that, no one knows the time or date of His return, not He, nor the angels in heaven.  And down in verse 44 Jesus tells us plainly, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  Paul understood the urgency, and so should we.  We must remain vigilant, ever watchful, always prepared for Jesus’ promised return, just like the homeowner Jesus highlights in our Matthew passage.

And unlike the mystery that surrounds the day and hour of Jesus’ return, how we’re to prepare and remain prepared, for Jesus’ second coming, is found in our Epistle reading from Romans.  First, we’re to “owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”  And Jesus reinforces this command by saying, “love our neighbor as yourself.”  Second, we’re to wake up for our “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”  We’re directed to “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.  We’re instructed to, “walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies, drunkenness, not in immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealously.”  Instead, we’re to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

The season of Advent isn’t simply a 4-week warm up period of gatherings and parties before we celebrate a secular holiday of merriment.  Advent is a time of reflection and anticipation, a time of preparation and refocusing on the Advent of Christ, both in His incarnation and upon His impending return.  Jesus’ call is an important call for us and for all humankind; be prepared, stay awake, because at any time, ready or not, here He comes.

Amen.