Monday, December 18, 2017

Third Sunday Of Advent (B) 2017

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: John 1:8
Theme: The True Light

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Advent means coming. The Son of God is coming. But that doesn’t mean He is absent or on temporary leave. The coming Christ IS already here. He is here hidden in humble means. He is now veiled to the eye blinded by sin. When He comes again in glory the believer and unbeliever alike will “see Him as He is.”1 But He is here already. He meets you at the altar. In bread and wine, He makes Himself present for you though His body and blood. There, at the altar, the advent Christ meets you at the threshold of heaven. Profound holiness and peace attend His presence.

Today the announcer of advent promises is confronted by the skeptics of God’s activities. The priests and Levites were intent on understanding who John the Baptist was and what he was all about. After confessing freely that he was not the Christ they pressed him repeatedly. “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered no.” Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us.”2 Perhaps they didn’t want to hear what he was saying about Jesus? Perhaps they didn’t believe He was telling the truth? It was just the beginning of an interchange between heavenly and earthly authorities that wound end with a crucifixion.

So, what was at stake in this enquiry into John’s work of preaching and baptizing? It was nothing less than Jesus’ claim, “Your word is truth.”3 Speaking truthfully would seem to be a pretty straightforward matter. The Eighth Commandment forbids speaking falsehood to or about our neighbour. Yet, we see how the conduct of society in the transaction of words and the exchange of information, is so compromised in its truthfulness, that sometimes it is farcical. Extraordinary effort is made to bend, stretch, reinterpret, “spin”, exaggerate, embellish, amplify, diminish, devalue, deny, equivocate, the statement of facts. It’s so commonplace that it’s given rise to proverbs like, “You can’t believe everything you hear.” Digital technology certainly hasn’t solved the problem. We assume politicians often won’t tell the truth and that the media will spin stories with a certain bias. We are suspect of honest practices in government and private business. Our fears are often well-founded. It speaks to the sinful nature of humanity.

John the Baptist was happy to clarify who he was and who he wasn’t, but not for his own satisfaction or to save his own skin. John the Baptist was a great big, bold, eccentric, prophetic advertisement pointing to Christ. When he met Jesus for the first time in his public ministry (remember, John and Jesus “met” while still in their mother’s wombs), John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”4 He was a witness to the true Light that shines in the darkness. And therefore, we confess with the church, ancient and modern, that Jesus is “the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God.”5

But, the self-righteous Jews were not ready to hear this truth. As such, they are the patriarchs of all sinners. Don’t think for a moment this matter is not relevant to us. We like to be seen to be honouring God while actually keeping Him at a distance. This is the spiritual struggle of every believer. Just when we think things are going smoothly, here it comes again, the assertion of our will above the will of God. It comes cloaked in humility. It comes disguised in piety. In its more candid moments it simply comes in its own self-righteousness. And on the strength of that it is bold to claim that God isn’t quite capable of managing our affairs. There may be no animosity against the Almighty at first. We’re happy to allow Him to keep the universe ticking over and handle all those peripheral things that aren’t essential to us. But when it comes to the things we cherish it’s a different story. We like to be in control. When we think we’re getting the short end of the stick we cry unfair. But what we should be doing is crying out in repentance. The Holy Spirit must break us down and restore us. His tool is the word.

We note how the apostle ends the letter of 1 Thessalonians, our second reading today. It may seem only to be a directive postscript, but the importance cannot be underestimated. He says, “I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.”6 He asks them to take a vow. The word of God must be heard. It’s not private information. It’s not classified. It doesn’t require some security clearance. It doesn’t have a restricted audience. The words of Holy Scripture are not local news. Neither are they ancient, but obsolete news. They contain the living words of the Holy Spirit. They transcend time and location. The 3rd Commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.”7 and this primarily involves the hearing of God’s word. When sent out, the word does not return to God empty8.

Dear friends, Christians are not merely admirers of a baby born two millennia ago in Bethlehem who represents a heart-warming, sentimental story. The circumstances are certainly poignant and evocative of empathy and commendation from a wide audience. The nativity is the type of story that people gravitate to. Charity organizations have learned that sympathy for the plight of the starving is more readily obtained by focusing on a specific individual, not a mass of people who share a common problem. The rationale itself is not unscrupulous. But this infant in a manger does not remain a vulnerable child. This Christ is our General in the war against the forces of evil and darkness. The One whose flesh was housed in a manger and fastened to a cross is He who redeemed all the descendants of Adam from the curse of sin. He was the sacrifice. He shed His blood. He is the victor. We share in His victory.

It is truly an amazing thing that He makes us participants in His life. The Scriptures remind us who we are in relation to God and others. Firstly, we are receivers. Secondly, we are servants. You do not have unlimited capacity. You do not have immeasurable strength. You do not possess infallible virtue, impeccable humility, or immaculate holiness. But Christ does. His compassion cannot be exhausted. His zeal cannot be diminished. His resources cannot be depleted. Most importantly, His sacrifice for the sins of the world can never be gainsaid or nullified. You are not worthy to make the sacrifice. I am not worthy. No mere human that has ever lived is worthy. We cannot purchase, earn, borrow, or steal such worth. Jesus Christ is worthy. He is the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world.

We are baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus and we have an inheritance with the saints in the kingdom of light. He bears your sins and you receive His righteousness. Your guilt, your shame, your condemnation; the punishment you deserve fell on Him. He dies your death so that you can participate in His life. He is risen from death and grants immortality to all who believe in Him.

Advent is an antidote for complacency. The droning repetitiveness of life’s routines can dull our alertness to the promises of God. The world is like the pounding of the ocean surf on the beach, ceaselessly washing over the believer. But with a word Christ calms the turbulent storm and calms our troubled souls. St. Paul rephrases the advent message of John the Baptist when he says today, “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Amen.

+ In nomine Jesu +

Third Sunday of Advent
17 December 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 1 John 3:2 2 John 1:21-22
3 John 17:17 4 John 1:29
5 The Nicene Creed 6 1 Thessalonians 5:27
7 Exodus 20:8 8 See Isaiah 55:11
9 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24