Sunday
12/01/19 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Hope in a hopeless World”
(“Why we need a
little Christmas” Series – Part 1 of 5)
Old Testament
Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5
New Testament
Scripture: Romans 13:11-14
Gospel Lesson:
Matthew 24:36-44
My brothers and
sisters, friends, welcome once again on this the First Sunday of Advent, this
season of preparation for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, this season
of anticipating the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ, and this season
where we are called to invite Christ into our hearts daily. It’s hard for me to
believe that we are already in the month of December, and that we are soon to
be in the 12-day season of Christmas. Time just flies by!
This season of Advent, this season of awaiting the coming
birth and glorious return of Jesus, as well as the opportunity to invite him
into our hearts daily, is a season of hope, joy, peace, and love. A season
where we are called to prepare ourselves for the savior of the world, who is
soon to come among us. This king, this Jesus, will come among us not as a mighty
king of great wealth, but rather as a poor king born in stable in a manger. A
king who was and is one of us, but who will return one day as a conquering king
on a white horse.
To better explain this season of Advent, this is not a
season that is completely scriptural. The world Advent, or the word Lent for
that matter, is found nowhere in the bible. Rather, this season Advent
developed throughout the two-thousand year history of the Christian Church.
This season of Advent, like the season of Lent developed as part of our
calendar, our worshipping tradition, and is a special spiritual time of
preparation.
So what is Advent specifically once again, and why do we
celebrate this season that is part of the tradition of the church? According to
one source that I read, it says this About Advent:
“Advent is a season observed
in many Christian churches as a time of expectant
waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of
Jesus at Christmas and the return of Jesus at the Second Coming.
The term is a version of the Latin word meaning "coming". The term
"Advent" is also used in Eastern
Orthodoxy for the 40-day Nativity Fast,
which has practices different from those in the West”.
“The Latin
word adventus is
the translation of the Greek word parousia,
commonly used to refer to the Second Coming of Christ. For Christians, the
season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from three different
perspectives. Philip H. Pfatteicher, formerly a professor at East Stroudsberg University,
notes that "since the time of Bernard of Clairvaux (d.1153),
Christians have spoken of the three comings of Christ: in the flesh in Bethlehem,
in our hearts daily, and in glory at the end of time". The
season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of
the Messiah,
and to be alert for his Second Coming”.
“Advent is
the beginning of the Western liturgical
year. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic
Church, the Western Rite of the Orthodox Church,
and in the Anglican, Lutheran, Moravian, Presbyterian,
and Methodist calendars,
Advent commences on the fourth Sunday before Christmas—the Sunday nearest
to St. Andrew's Day (30 November). It can
fall on any date between 27 November and 3 December. When Christmas Day is a
Monday, Advent Sunday will fall on its latest
possible date. In the Ambrosian
Rite and the Mozarabic
Rite of the Catholic Church, Advent begins on the sixth Sunday
before Christmas, the Sunday after St. Martin's
Day (11 November)”.
“Practices
associated with Advent include keeping an Advent
calendar, lighting an Advent wreath,
praying an Advent daily devotional, erecting a Christmas
tree or a Chrismon tree,
lighting a Christingle, as well as other ways of preparing
for Christmas, such as setting up Christmas decorations, a custom that is
sometimes done liturgically through a hanging of the greens ceremony. The
equivalent of Advent in Eastern Christianity is called
the Nativity Fast, but it differs in length and
observances, and does not begin the liturgical church year as it does in the
West. The Eastern Nativity Fast does not use the equivalent parousia in
its preparatory services” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent).
So not every Christian Church or
Christian denomination celebrates the season of Advent. This season that is
part of the tradition of the Christian Church, as some Christian Churches and denominations
have shed some or all of the tradition of the church. Their argument would be
that if it isn’t listed in scripture, then we shouldn’t do it. In the United
Methodist Church, we retain the parts of the tradition of the church that
inform and grow our faith, and those that are experienced as a means of God’s
grace. So we celebrate the season of Advent.
With all of
this said, and in this being the First Sunday of Advent, we will have three
more Sundays of Advent. Each Sunday we will light another candle on our Advent
Wreath, until we light the white Christ Candle in center on Christmas Eve, and
the Sunday after Christmas on December 29th. Every time that we
gather for worship in Advent or the season of Christmas, we will light the Advent
Wreath.
Christmas Eve
is three weeks from this Tuesday, and Christmas Day of course is three weeks
from this coming Wednesday. Perhaps just announcing these dates is stressful to
you, or exciting to you? Maybe as I am talking in fact, you are thinking of mental
lists that you have, shopping you have to do, cleaning for guests, cooking,
baking, and so on and so forth.
Yet all of
this, Advent, Christmas, all of it exists, because of Jesus Christ. If there
was no Jesus, there would be no Advent and no Christmas. Our society has gotten
so caught up in this season of the year that I worry sometimes we forget
completely why these seasons exist. It would be the equivalency of turning a
swimming pool into a space filled with items for storage. Sure it began as a
swimming pool, we know it’s there, but we have filled it in with many other
things.
Advent and
Christmas is about Jesus. Sure Santa Claus or St. Nicholas is part of our Christmas
tradition, but none of this is without Jesus. Children do not await the coming
of Santa Claus and the reindeer on Thanksgiving, they celebrate Santa coming on
the night of Christ’s birth. I have seen a few pieces of art that show Santa
Claus bending the knee at the manger of Jesus Christ. Indeed Advent and
Christmas exist because of Jesus.
Historically,
the church would have a special worship service to commemorate Jesus’ birth
called a “Christ” “Mass” or Christmas.
Now I don’t
know about all of you, but I, your pastor, “need a little Christmas”. I don’t
mean candy canes or cookies, I mean I need a little Jesus, and right this very
minute!
During this
calendar year thus far, we have lost some terrific brothers and sisters who
were part of this congregation, we have had mass shootings, wild fires, floods,
other natural disasters, political discord, violence, war, drugs in our
community, more crime, and etc. I don’t know about you brothers and sisters,
but I, your pastor, need a little Christmas. I need to begin to make that
journey anew towards Bethlehem, so that I can see anew the savior of the world.
The very source of light, love, life, and hope. For in him we find hope itself.
During this
season of Advent through Christmas Eve, I am preaching this sermon series
called “Why we need a little Christmas”. During Thanksgiving, I told my mother
Susan about this preaching series. This prompted her to go to YouTube and play
the song “We need a little Christmas”. She began to sing it to me and dance. I
quickly regretted telling my mother the name of this sermon series, “Why we
need a little Christmas”!
Do “We need a
little Christmas” though? When looking back at this year of 2019 thus far, do
“We need a little Christmas”? Advent is the holy Season where we are invited to
grow closer to Christ, believing that in that manger in Bethlehem, in our
hearts, and upon his return to earth, that we can and will have hope.
This is why
my sermon for this morning is called, “Hope in hopeless World”. I can’t imagine
not having faith, and trusting in this world by itself for hope. I think that if
we are honest, we can say that there are some days that we believe that this
world has so much greed, corruption, violence, and anger, that there is no hope.
I don’t look to this world for hope though, I look to Jesus. Yet, how can I
look to Jesus for hope when the world seems so broken? I will admit that some
days are easier than others to do this.
The reality
though is that Jesus came to redeem us and this world. He hasn’t changed, and
the world hasn’t changed much either, but Jesus can change us. If Jesus can
change us, we can then change Sidney and the world. In a world with so much
brokenness and in a world where sometimes where feel like there are no safe
havens, we have churches like this. Places where we gather often to worship
God, to love each other, and to hope together. We don’t seek “Hope in hopeless World,”
just by ourselves, Jesus calls us to seek him together. We are called to seek
“Hope in hopeless World” together.
In
our reading for this morning from the Prophet Isaiah, we hear once again of the
prophetic words telling us of the eventual birth and life of Jesus Christ, as
well as his second coming. Once again, this is what the scripture says:
“He shall judge between
the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
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
any more” (Isa. 2:4-5,
NRSV).
In this
scripture, we are told that Christ will bring forth a new world of peace,
prosperity, and justice, and we are part of the process. When we seek “Hope in
hopeless World,” we are working to bring forth a better world. I don’t believe
that this world will fully look like it should until Christ returns to earth,
but until that time, or until we go to be with Christ, we are to seek “Hope in hopeless world.”
In
this way some might say, “Things are just getting worse and worse,” “yet
through Christ we can make them better”. Some might say, “We can’t fix
everything,” but “We can fix something”. Through Christ we shine light into the
darkness, offer hope in hopelessness, and life where there is death.
Even though Advent and Christmas have already occurred, as
far as awaiting the actual historical birth of Christ, we are offered these
seasons to renew our faith and our hearts to seek “Hope in hopeless World.” We
are also promised from Jesus that he will return to us one day in glory.
In
our Book of Romans reading for this morning once again, we are reminded that
Christ can return anytime. We are also told how this should positively affect
us. Once again this reading for this morning from Romans says:
“Besides this, you know
what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For
salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far
gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on
the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and
drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and
jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the
flesh, to gratify its desires” (Rom.
13:11-14, NRSV).
The Apostle Paul
tells us in this scripture that Christ is coming, Christ will return, and that Christ
is alive in us. The Apostle Paul tells us to have “Hope in hopeless World.”
In
our gospel lesson for this morning we have a gospel lesson once again from the
gospel of Matthew. In this gospel lesson, Jesus is talking about his return to
earth. Since the season of Advent is not only a season of preparation for the
birth of Christ, and since it is also a season of the anticipation of Christ’s return,
on this first Sunday in Advent we have a gospel lesson about Jesus telling us
about his return to earth.
Once
again in our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning Jesus tell us this:
“But about that day and
hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son
of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they
knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the
coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and
one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken
and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day
your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner 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. Therefore you also must
be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (Mt. 24:36-44, NRSV).
In this season
of Holy Advent, we await the birth of Christ, the second coming to earth of
Christ, and we are invited to bring Christ anew into our hearts daily. Jesus is
telling us this morning to have “Hope in hopeless World.”
Jesus
is telling us that things might seem bad, that some days they might seem
hopeless, but I am with you. Jesus reminds us that he was born, lived,
breathed, died for you, rose again, ascended to heaven, and will return to
earth one day in glory. Jesus is telling us on this first Sunday of Advent to have “Hope
in hopeless World.”
In
Christ, in this busy season of Advent and soon to be Christmas, we are called
to seek the birth, the faith, and the hope of the return of Christ anew. We can
have “Hope in hopeless World” because Christ
is with us. Today, this week, and always, share this hope with the people of
this church, and all people. Amen.
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