| To contact us: Calvary Episcopal Church 667 Mount Road Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 OFFICE mail@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org |
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| SERMON Advent 2 December 7, 2008 The Rev. Kristine Hill |
| 667 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 |
| Small Parish - Big Heart The little church you've been looking for! All are welcome! |
| Our Mission: To worship the Lord To serve the community To grow the church |
| Isaiah 40:1-11 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 |
| The Rev. Kristine Hill, Interim Rector |
The word of the prophet is a cherished text, one we would love to hear come
from various places in our lives: “comfort, comfort my people, my beloved.” It is
a word of comfort, a gentle touch, a look of understanding -- the sort of thing
we’d welcome from our spouse, our friend, our neighbor. This morning Isaiah
calls to us saying, “comfort, O comfort, my people says your God.” What a good
word to hear.
The overall message of Isaiah, however, is not easy to understand. I took an
entire class on the book of Isaiah last semester and I think I understood it less
afterwards than before-hand. You don’t want to get comfortable with Isaiah’s
reassurance about God’s love and acceptance because the next thing you know,
the prophet is blasting you again for something you have done amiss. This
pattern repeats itself again and again throughout Isaiah: the prophet confronts God’
s people with their faithlessness, their wrong-doing, and describes in great detail
the frightening form God’s judgment will take in their daily lives -- they will
experience pain and destruction. Then just when Israel is utterly terrified, and
nearly hopeless, the prophet’s tone softens as he reminds them of God’s never-
failing love and mercy for his people. It’s like a see-saw, judgment and
destruction on the one hand, forgiveness and a new start on the other. What are
we supposed to make of that?
In C. S. Lewis’ Narnia tales, the children Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan are walking
with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver through thick snow. The wicked Queen has cast a spell
making it always winter but never Christmas. The children and the Beavers hiding
and hurrying, trying to escape the wicked Queen, and are rather cold out in the
snow. But their hearts grow warmer as Mr. Beaver talks about Aslan, the great
Lion and true Ruler of Narnia. Mr. Beaver has heard that Aslan, the Creator of
their World, has returned. If that is true, he will defeat the wicked Queen and put
everything right again in Narnia. Mr. Beaver gets excited talking about Aslan, the
Lord of Narnia, the Lord of all creation! The children have a tingly, good feeling at
the sound of Aslan’s name. But as this is the first time they’ve known any talking
beavers, they are not sure what to think of a huge lion who is Lord of all. In his
joy, Mr. Beaver says they might even get to see Aslan, and although excited, the
children are also a little scared. So Susan asks Mr. Beaver “is he quite safe,
then? this Aslan?” Mr. Beaver stops in his tracks. He gives Susan a puzzled
look. “Safe?” he says, “heavens no, child, of course he isn’t safe. He’s a lion and
king of the jungle. He could crush any of us with one snap of his jaws. No he isn’
t ‘safe.’ But he is good!”
That is an important distinction to make. It is one we should learn to make with
regards to the Lord of the universe, especially if we want to make sense of
Isaiah. Yahweh, our God, is not safe, but he is good. It is not safe for us to
assume that because we are God’s people we can do whatever we want and get
away with it – that’s not safe. However, God is good and does love us faithfully. It
is not safe to think we can hide what is in our hearts, ‘play-act’ at being religious
people and think God will not know that we secretly bear no good will for our
neighbors; God isn’t fooled. It isn’t safe to run off and live a careless life now,
forgetting God’s teachings, despising those who are different, enjoying ourselves
and disregarding those with little… assuming we can repent and change later…
God will not be patient forever. Is God safe? Not if we expect God to be a
lenient grandpa we have wrapped around our finger, or the genie in the magic
lamp – at our beck-and-call whenever we summon him. God is not safe. But God
is good -- righteous, merciful, just, a God of life and not death.
The book of Isaiah can be confusing to read straight-through because the prophet
presents the whole picture of God, not just the God who forgives, or only the
God who demands our faithfulness, not simply God who is patient but also the
God who acts in justice. It is challenging for us to understand another person;
certainly understanding God will not come easily. And yet if we are to live in a
full relationship with God it is important that we have an accurate assessment of
who God is. Isaiah seeks to show us God.
On the one hand, God is judge. When we create societies where people-with-
plenty continue to build upon their comfort while those with little cannot get even
what they need, God sees what is going on. God notices when his people, to
whom God has said “love your neighbor as yourself,” care mostly for their own
wellbeing and little for the sufferings of the poor. God knows that societies are
set up to favor some folks and keep others out. And God is not pleased. Thus
in Isaiah five, God says: “(Let me) tell you what I will do to my vineyard… I will
break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. … The vineyard… is the house
of Israel… (because I) expected justice, but saw bloodshed, righteousness but
heard a cry!” God is judge, on behalf of the suffering and against the proud and
unmerciful.
God is judge, we see that clearly in the book of Isaiah. But that is not all we
see. For as soon as we have that message clearly in our minds, that when God’s
people do not live righteous, faithful lives they will face judgment, then we hear
the other side of things, that God is also merciful. Those who have suffered
judgment, who have been rebuked, who lost their privilege and themselves
suffered want, who saw their great cities destroyed, who were carried off to live
as refugees in a foreign land, who began to wonder if God had completely
forgotten them… those who have been judged will receive mercy. They will be
forgiven and welcomed back home. Yes, God is judge, but God is also
compassion and salvation. Judgment comes for a time, it serves a purpose – to
put right what was wrong, to restore true balance so that no one is starving, no
one is crying out. But once justice is served, mercy steps in.
The message of Isaiah is wonderfully consistent with the message of Advent.
Isaiah is just the right voice as we prepare to receive our Lord. His is an
especially apt word for the world to hear in preparation for Christ to return. For
what was true in Isaiah’s day remains true in our day: God is both judge and
savior. During Advent, when we refer to Christ’s coming we think, not only of the
Nativity, but also of Jesus’ return at the end of the ages. When Christ returns he
will come to judge the earth, to bring justice, to restore the world and its
societies to a right balance so that none are hungry, none are poor, violence is
ended and peace reigns. Christ will come as judge to bring salvation to the
whole world.
As we get ready for Jesus’ coming, part of our work is to examine ourselves, to
see what we need to change in our living for justice to take root in and around
us. Self-examination and turning anew to God, striving again to live according to
God’s word, is how we make our Advent preparations. And yet we can do so
with confidence, assess ourselves honestly without fear, because we know God’s
mercy, because we have heard this word from Isaiah and have seen it come alive
in Jesus Christ: “comfort, O comfort my people.” There may be judgment to be
faced, but always, always God is good, and there is mercy and love waiting for us
beyond the time of trial.
“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and
cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid.” What gracious,
loving words God speaks to us today. This is what God is saying -- having looked
into your heart, knowing the weariness you carry there, the worries, the cares-and-
concerns that you cannot manage… having watched your life, your relationships,
and seen the worn places, how you need rest and renewal, where communication
has gotten off track and it is wounding you… having looked at this city, this
nation and seen how people are suffering from unemployment, from the inequities
between rich and poor, from housing troubles, from anxieties that don’t have a
name, from illnesses they cannot afford to treat, from alcoholism, from
depression… seeing this all, and despite the fact that judgment may, in some
form, still come, even so God says to us: “comfort, comfort… you are my people…
prepare the way of the Lord,” for your savior is at hand.
Isaiah, unwittingly, presents Jesus to us. Who else, but Jesus, comes to us like
this, when all that we had built up over the years appears to have been lost,
when our hopes have been dashed and we are drained, when we have no where
to turn -- who else is able to lift us and show us that God’s Word never fails us,
that the promises of God always stand sure? And God’s promise is that we are
not forgotten, that we are loved, and we will have what we need, we will be
sheltered, clothed, fed, healed, held, loved, comforted. No one else comes to us
in this way; only Jesus. And so Isaiah, unbeknownst to the prophet himself, gives
us Jesus, saying “comfort, O comfort my people.” This is our Lord, standing
among us with love, with assurance that God is still our God. We have not been
forsaken.
Here this word. Take it with you when you leave today. I know where you’re
going -- I’m going there, too -- back into the everyday where Christmas carols
are already blaring on radios and in shopping malls, where the traffic gives us a
headache, where the wind blows and there is way too much to be done before
December 25th, where you bear burdens no one ever sees. I know. But mostly,
God knows, and today God greets you and I, Calvary church, the whole Christian
church with a word of comfort. We are not on our own. We are not
overlooked. God is sending God’s own Son. Jesus is coming, the mighty judge,
the gentle savior, the tiny baby. Let us “clean house” and prepare our lives for
Jesus; let us turn-loose of the smallness, the meanness, we often cling-to and
open our hearts to Jesus. Let us share Jesus’ love with one another, and with
everyone who needs to hear God calling: “comfort, O comfort my people.”
Jesus is coming. He is almost here! Praise God, Christ, our salvation, is on his
way. Amen.
from various places in our lives: “comfort, comfort my people, my beloved.” It is
a word of comfort, a gentle touch, a look of understanding -- the sort of thing
we’d welcome from our spouse, our friend, our neighbor. This morning Isaiah
calls to us saying, “comfort, O comfort, my people says your God.” What a good
word to hear.
The overall message of Isaiah, however, is not easy to understand. I took an
entire class on the book of Isaiah last semester and I think I understood it less
afterwards than before-hand. You don’t want to get comfortable with Isaiah’s
reassurance about God’s love and acceptance because the next thing you know,
the prophet is blasting you again for something you have done amiss. This
pattern repeats itself again and again throughout Isaiah: the prophet confronts God’
s people with their faithlessness, their wrong-doing, and describes in great detail
the frightening form God’s judgment will take in their daily lives -- they will
experience pain and destruction. Then just when Israel is utterly terrified, and
nearly hopeless, the prophet’s tone softens as he reminds them of God’s never-
failing love and mercy for his people. It’s like a see-saw, judgment and
destruction on the one hand, forgiveness and a new start on the other. What are
we supposed to make of that?
In C. S. Lewis’ Narnia tales, the children Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan are walking
with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver through thick snow. The wicked Queen has cast a spell
making it always winter but never Christmas. The children and the Beavers hiding
and hurrying, trying to escape the wicked Queen, and are rather cold out in the
snow. But their hearts grow warmer as Mr. Beaver talks about Aslan, the great
Lion and true Ruler of Narnia. Mr. Beaver has heard that Aslan, the Creator of
their World, has returned. If that is true, he will defeat the wicked Queen and put
everything right again in Narnia. Mr. Beaver gets excited talking about Aslan, the
Lord of Narnia, the Lord of all creation! The children have a tingly, good feeling at
the sound of Aslan’s name. But as this is the first time they’ve known any talking
beavers, they are not sure what to think of a huge lion who is Lord of all. In his
joy, Mr. Beaver says they might even get to see Aslan, and although excited, the
children are also a little scared. So Susan asks Mr. Beaver “is he quite safe,
then? this Aslan?” Mr. Beaver stops in his tracks. He gives Susan a puzzled
look. “Safe?” he says, “heavens no, child, of course he isn’t safe. He’s a lion and
king of the jungle. He could crush any of us with one snap of his jaws. No he isn’
t ‘safe.’ But he is good!”
That is an important distinction to make. It is one we should learn to make with
regards to the Lord of the universe, especially if we want to make sense of
Isaiah. Yahweh, our God, is not safe, but he is good. It is not safe for us to
assume that because we are God’s people we can do whatever we want and get
away with it – that’s not safe. However, God is good and does love us faithfully. It
is not safe to think we can hide what is in our hearts, ‘play-act’ at being religious
people and think God will not know that we secretly bear no good will for our
neighbors; God isn’t fooled. It isn’t safe to run off and live a careless life now,
forgetting God’s teachings, despising those who are different, enjoying ourselves
and disregarding those with little… assuming we can repent and change later…
God will not be patient forever. Is God safe? Not if we expect God to be a
lenient grandpa we have wrapped around our finger, or the genie in the magic
lamp – at our beck-and-call whenever we summon him. God is not safe. But God
is good -- righteous, merciful, just, a God of life and not death.
The book of Isaiah can be confusing to read straight-through because the prophet
presents the whole picture of God, not just the God who forgives, or only the
God who demands our faithfulness, not simply God who is patient but also the
God who acts in justice. It is challenging for us to understand another person;
certainly understanding God will not come easily. And yet if we are to live in a
full relationship with God it is important that we have an accurate assessment of
who God is. Isaiah seeks to show us God.
On the one hand, God is judge. When we create societies where people-with-
plenty continue to build upon their comfort while those with little cannot get even
what they need, God sees what is going on. God notices when his people, to
whom God has said “love your neighbor as yourself,” care mostly for their own
wellbeing and little for the sufferings of the poor. God knows that societies are
set up to favor some folks and keep others out. And God is not pleased. Thus
in Isaiah five, God says: “(Let me) tell you what I will do to my vineyard… I will
break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. … The vineyard… is the house
of Israel… (because I) expected justice, but saw bloodshed, righteousness but
heard a cry!” God is judge, on behalf of the suffering and against the proud and
unmerciful.
God is judge, we see that clearly in the book of Isaiah. But that is not all we
see. For as soon as we have that message clearly in our minds, that when God’s
people do not live righteous, faithful lives they will face judgment, then we hear
the other side of things, that God is also merciful. Those who have suffered
judgment, who have been rebuked, who lost their privilege and themselves
suffered want, who saw their great cities destroyed, who were carried off to live
as refugees in a foreign land, who began to wonder if God had completely
forgotten them… those who have been judged will receive mercy. They will be
forgiven and welcomed back home. Yes, God is judge, but God is also
compassion and salvation. Judgment comes for a time, it serves a purpose – to
put right what was wrong, to restore true balance so that no one is starving, no
one is crying out. But once justice is served, mercy steps in.
The message of Isaiah is wonderfully consistent with the message of Advent.
Isaiah is just the right voice as we prepare to receive our Lord. His is an
especially apt word for the world to hear in preparation for Christ to return. For
what was true in Isaiah’s day remains true in our day: God is both judge and
savior. During Advent, when we refer to Christ’s coming we think, not only of the
Nativity, but also of Jesus’ return at the end of the ages. When Christ returns he
will come to judge the earth, to bring justice, to restore the world and its
societies to a right balance so that none are hungry, none are poor, violence is
ended and peace reigns. Christ will come as judge to bring salvation to the
whole world.
As we get ready for Jesus’ coming, part of our work is to examine ourselves, to
see what we need to change in our living for justice to take root in and around
us. Self-examination and turning anew to God, striving again to live according to
God’s word, is how we make our Advent preparations. And yet we can do so
with confidence, assess ourselves honestly without fear, because we know God’s
mercy, because we have heard this word from Isaiah and have seen it come alive
in Jesus Christ: “comfort, O comfort my people.” There may be judgment to be
faced, but always, always God is good, and there is mercy and love waiting for us
beyond the time of trial.
“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and
cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid.” What gracious,
loving words God speaks to us today. This is what God is saying -- having looked
into your heart, knowing the weariness you carry there, the worries, the cares-and-
concerns that you cannot manage… having watched your life, your relationships,
and seen the worn places, how you need rest and renewal, where communication
has gotten off track and it is wounding you… having looked at this city, this
nation and seen how people are suffering from unemployment, from the inequities
between rich and poor, from housing troubles, from anxieties that don’t have a
name, from illnesses they cannot afford to treat, from alcoholism, from
depression… seeing this all, and despite the fact that judgment may, in some
form, still come, even so God says to us: “comfort, comfort… you are my people…
prepare the way of the Lord,” for your savior is at hand.
Isaiah, unwittingly, presents Jesus to us. Who else, but Jesus, comes to us like
this, when all that we had built up over the years appears to have been lost,
when our hopes have been dashed and we are drained, when we have no where
to turn -- who else is able to lift us and show us that God’s Word never fails us,
that the promises of God always stand sure? And God’s promise is that we are
not forgotten, that we are loved, and we will have what we need, we will be
sheltered, clothed, fed, healed, held, loved, comforted. No one else comes to us
in this way; only Jesus. And so Isaiah, unbeknownst to the prophet himself, gives
us Jesus, saying “comfort, O comfort my people.” This is our Lord, standing
among us with love, with assurance that God is still our God. We have not been
forsaken.
Here this word. Take it with you when you leave today. I know where you’re
going -- I’m going there, too -- back into the everyday where Christmas carols
are already blaring on radios and in shopping malls, where the traffic gives us a
headache, where the wind blows and there is way too much to be done before
December 25th, where you bear burdens no one ever sees. I know. But mostly,
God knows, and today God greets you and I, Calvary church, the whole Christian
church with a word of comfort. We are not on our own. We are not
overlooked. God is sending God’s own Son. Jesus is coming, the mighty judge,
the gentle savior, the tiny baby. Let us “clean house” and prepare our lives for
Jesus; let us turn-loose of the smallness, the meanness, we often cling-to and
open our hearts to Jesus. Let us share Jesus’ love with one another, and with
everyone who needs to hear God calling: “comfort, O comfort my people.”
Jesus is coming. He is almost here! Praise God, Christ, our salvation, is on his
way. Amen.