Sermon Live in Hope & Confidence [Title Slide]
[1. A Vision of Hope]
Christianity is a very uncommercial faith. We seem to do things a bit upside down. For Christians, Christmas does not begin until Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. For the shops Christmas seems to begin in October.
The church has begun the season of Advent. In our Bible readings we will be looking at the coming of Christ. Partly this is about Christmas Day, but mostly it's about when Jesus returns. It's about the future when God will make all things right. When the broken will be healed and the injustices fixed up. Jesus and Zechariah, and Mary and Elizabeth and the Prophets are all going to remind us that there is a future. Their vision of that future is sometimes scary, but it's also wonderful. It's a vision, of the world made right and of God truly being among us. It's a vision of a world where God is truly with us. It's a vision of the broken being made whole and the old being made perfect and new. Above all it is a picture of real peace and security.
Contrast this wonderful picture with the shops. As Christmas approaches, they also want us to be thinking about our broken-ness, but not with the hope of wholeness coming from outside, or with the hope of Christ's return. They want us to believe that if only we had this gadget, that toy, this power tool, this piece of furniture and that kind of food, we would be made whole, and have a perfect holiday season. They want us to believe that the answer to all our problems can be found in products. They want us to believe that our aching longing to be complete can be filled by a hole in our wallets. That our emptiness can be filled up, if only our bank accounts could be emptied out.
As Christians, instead of worrying about turkeys, mangoes, mixed nuts, exotic salads, chocolates, and consumer goods, Advent encourages us to watch and prepare for the coming of Jesus. It encourages us to look for signs of his approach. It reminds us too that we are meant to live with the knowledge and hope that Jesus will return, burning in our hearts. And that this fire should shine forth from us, in our actions, our words and our interaction with others.
Jeremiah reminds us today that God's people will be restored to wholeness. A new king will come.
14 The Lord said:
I made a wonderful promise to Israel and Judah, and the days are coming when I will keep it.
15 I promise that the time will come
when I will appoint a king from the family of David,
a king who will be honest and rule with justice.
16 In those days, Judah will be safe;
Jerusalem will have peace
and will be named, "The Lord Gives Justice."
Jeremiah 33:14-16 (CEV)
[2. Avoid Distractions]
For me and for the Church historically we believe that King is Jesus. We believe that on the first Christmas Day that promise began to come true. We also believe there will be a new Christmas Day, a day when Jesus will return. A day when God's Kingdom really will be seen on earth.
This is the hope that should burn in our hearts. Not the hope of owning a 210 cm tv, ane electric SUV, or of having all the money in the world, but the hope that in spite of the bad things and the good things, and the in-between things that happen to us, God is in control. Because of this our lives should be full of hope instead of fear. We should be generous, willing to serve, and give to others because God has served and given to us.
We shouldn't live lives of fear or worry. Whether that worry is over climate change or personal finance or our relationships. We should live lives of hope and quiet confidence. We should hear Jesus advice from today's Gospel reading:
In the reading from Luke Jesus gives us the promise that he will return. The signs, he says will be pretty obvious. But more important than the signs is that we should not get distracted.
If Jesus were speaking today he might say something like “Don't get distracted by Christmas dinner, or by consumerism, or worried about crime or the wars in Ukraine & Gaza. Believe instead that I will return and act as though that is true. Act as though it will happen next week, not in 1000 years time. Act as though it will happen in your life time, and that you will be a part of it.”
[3. Live with Purpose]
It has been said we should live and behave as though Jesus is returning next week we should plan as though he is returning in 300 years. Too often in the last 200 years Christians have used Jesus return and the promise of eternal as an excuse to run things down. Some of the people Paul wrote to in the ancient Greek city of Thessalonika had given up on working because they believed Jesus was returning soon. Paul tells them to keep working and in today’s reading he prays that “the Lord [may] make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, ... strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12–13, NIV) In other words when Jesus returns he should find you and me serving and loving the congregation, the community of faith, and our neighbours, caring for our city and our environment, and playing our part in community affairs. In all that we do we should be building for the Kingdom of God, building for the new heaven and new Earth, for the new Jerusalem, the new creation. We should not be distracted by the promise of heaven, we should be engrossed in the Kingdom of God.
[4. Hope Over Fear]
What is it that distracts you? Is it possessions? Is it food and drink? Or is it the fear caused by the "Global warming" and the uncertainty of international politics? The promise of this week's Bible readings and all the readings in Advent is that when Jesus returns all things will be set right. If God really is in control, then we don't need to be distracted. We don't need to be afraid. In this world and the new creation God will give us all we need, for the body and soul. Healing, justice, food, love, and God's presence will all be ours. It is this hope we should cling to, not food, not drink and certainly not worry or fear.
As I said earlier, we should live lives that show we believe this to be true. We should live lives of hope and quiet confidence. We should love care for and seek to restore the good creation, the world for which Jesus died, be generous, willing to serve, and give to others because God has served and given to us.
[Last Word: "Advent calls us to trust God, prepare for Christ, and shine His light in the world."]