Sunday 12/11/22 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “All Things New! (“The Reclaiming Hope” Series: Part 3 of 5)
Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10
New Testament Scripture: James 5:7-10
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 11:2-11
On this the Third Sunday of this the holy
season of Advent, we are called to await and to anticipate the memory of Jesus’
birth on Christmas, we are called to invite Christ into our hearts anew daily,
and we are called to await and anticipate Christ’s triumphant return to earth. Since
we are back to relatively normal functioning after our long pandemic, I am preaching
a sermon series through Advent and Christmas Eve called “The Reclaiming Hope”
series.
So
far, I have talked about how Jesus is “The One Who Is, And Is To Come,” about
John the Baptist and us being called to “Prepare The Way Of The Lord,” and this
Sunday Jesus making “All Things New.” To have a spiritual experience, a conversion,
a moment and or moments where you draw closer to Christ, is a great blessing.
In these moments we feel free, we are forgiven, and we are at peace with God
through Jesus Christ.
I remember many years ago now when I went
on my Walk To Emmaus spiritual retreat weekend. Some of you maybe have attended
one of these, and if you have not, I would encourage you to prayerfully consider
doing so. We have pamphlets on our sanctuary tables explaining the retreat weekend.
On the weekend I attended back in
2005, I remember hearing that many of us had spiritually changed during that
weekend retreat. During this retreat, many of us repented of our sins, we prayed,
we drew closer to Christ, we made new friends, and we felt spiritually new.
Many of us felt free and more at peace than we had in a long time. We were
reminded though on this weekend that even though we had these spiritual
encounters with Christ that the world around may not have had the same
experiences. You see, Christ came to earth to make “All Things New,” as my
sermon title says, yet we have to turn to Christ in order for Christ to make us
new, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is, I think, where many of us
struggle at times with our faith walks. We have been forgiven, we know and love
Jesus, and we want to share his love with the world. Except maybe the last
place that we were in just a few minutes ago was not that Christlike. Maybe
where just were, a few of the people there were mean and unkind. Then we go
home and turn the news on and hear about violence, hatred, and the many woes in
this world. We then can easily think, “Well didn’t Jesus come to make all
things new?” The answer is yes, but why is there still so much wrong in the world?
We have to partner with Jesus, turn to Jesus, and follow Jesus. To follow Jesus
while experiencing things that are very contrary to Jesus can be hard for us. It
can make us think that maybe Jesus did not come to make “All Things New!” He did,
but we have to be willing to be made new. If we are not willing to be made new,
then the world stays as it is.
We cannot always wait for God to fix everything
when part of God’s plan is for us to be actively involved in that fixing process.
It can be hard though if we have changed, if we are living for Christ, and yet at
the same time we experience and still encounter hate, cruelty, and darkness.
Where is Jesus present in these moments? He is present, and he is present in
us. We, as Christians are called to be the hands and feet of Christ. As I am
getting older and learning, I am realizing that being a Christian means we have
to encounter the world. Some of the world will be loving, kind, warm, and welcoming,
but some of it will not be. We are called to bring the love, the light, and the
life of Christ everywhere, for Jesus came to make “All Things Knew!” We have to
be willing to be part of that process though.
Jesus was born, lived, died, rose, ascended,
and will return so that he can make “All Things New!” This morning in our gospel
of Matthew reading it mentions that John the Baptist is in jail for his
ministry of “Preparing the Way of the Lord” Jesus Christ. John the Baptist will
ultimately be martyred, and his head presented on a silver platter. John the Baptist
could have lost faith, but Christ has made him new.
Before getting into our gospel of
Matthew reading for this morning however, I want to first touch on our reading
from Isaiah 35:1-10. This reading prophetically talks about the “Messianic Era”
when Jesus will reign, and righteousness and justice will cover the earth. In
this era, it will truly be “All Things New!” At this point when Christ returns,
righteousness, love, and mercy will reign.
What will this “Messianic Era” be like
when Christ returns? Starting in Isaiah 35:1-2 it says:
35 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and shouting. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God (Isa. 35:1-2, NRSV).
Dryness, death, and nothingness will
be replaced with new life, new hope, and the majesty of God. When Jesus returns,
he will make “All Things New!” This scripture from the Prophet Isaiah then talks
about us being strengthened, that God is with us, he will save us. This scripture
says the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, and those who cannot
talk will talk. Streams will flow in the rugged and dry wilderness, and the hot
sand will become a cold pool of water. There will be a Holy Highway, the redeemed
will walk this Highway, and holiness will return to Zion, or Jerusalem. The holy
people will come to Zion and joy will be on their heads. The holy will obtain
joy and gladness, and there will be no more sorrow and sighing.
For those of us that have encountered
Christ we have been made new, even though some of the rest of the world has
not. We know what the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ will look like, and we are
called to work to make the world more like this. If Jesus has come to make “All
Things New,” then we are the hands of feet of Christ who are to bring forth his
coming kingdom. We will make the world perfect. No, but we can make it much
better, until Christ returns and perfects it. Being part of a church like
Sidney UMC is being part of a family, loving each other, serving the community,
caring, sharing, praying, and giving. We are the hands and feet of Jesus
Christ, who makes “All Things New!”
To be a Christian, a follower of Jesus
Christ then, is to have hope. We believe that since Christ has changed us, we
can change Sidney and the world. We will not perfect it, until Christ fully perfects
it, but we can have hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Book of James
reading for this morning, once again, is about hope. Having hope in Christ, the
one who makes “All Things New!”
In looking at the Book of James 5:7-10
reading for this morning it begins in 5:7 once again, saying:
7 Be patient, therefore,
brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the
precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early
and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your
hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near (Jas. 5:7-8, NRSV).
Some might ask, “Pastor Paul if Jesus has come to make “All
Things New,” and if I have been changed by Christ, why are there still so many
problems in the world?” James tells us, be patient, continue to live the life
of Christ and make “All Things New!” Strengthen your hearts, serve, love, heal,
forgive, and know that yes, we will face adversity, trials, hardship, and sometimes
struggle. Also, sometimes this can also come inside of a church if there is
conflict within it.
James completes our
scripture for this morning with 5:9-10 saying, once again:
9 Brothers and sisters, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord (Jas. 5:9-10, NRSV).
Why do some people lose or even abandon their faith? One of
the big reasons is suffering. For if we had been new in Christ, and if Christ makes
“All Things New,” why is there still so much suffering and darkness in the
world? Further, do we actually think that we have the capacity as human beings
to fully perfect creation and the world? I think that we can make it much
better, but it will only be perfect when the Lord Jesus Christ returns.
When Jesus makes us new, and calls us to make “All Things New,”
the challenge for us can be that some days it seems like nothing is new. Yet if
we give up on the gospel of Jesus Christ, and making “All Things New,” then
darkness wins. Sometimes darkness is so strong that it makes some lose faith or
even abandon faith. James tells us this morning to be patient, to continue to make
“All Things New,” because goodness, mercy, and righteous will ultimately prevail
in the kingdom of God.
In our gospel of Matthew 11:2-11 reading for this morning,
once again, we hear that John the Baptist is hearing about Jesus while in
prison. Picking up starting in Matthew 11:2, it says once again:
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (Mt. 11:2-6, NRSV).
Jesus did not heal everyone when he was
on earth, but he heals and transforms many. Why? Well one because Jesus came to
make “All Things New,” but Jesus also wants us to have faith in him. Jesus was
happy and joyful to restore and heal many, but the larger goal was to have faith
and trust in him. Jesus is our hope, our light, our life, and our love. We are
his hands and feet, and he has and is making us new. We are called to go forth
as he did. It is true to say that only God can heal and restore, but Jesus was
training his disciples and us to carry his gospel into the world.
I have
an older book that I have been reading, called “The Training of the Twelve.” Originally
published in 1871, by A.B. Bruce, this is a book about making disciples of
Jesus Christ. The book focuses on how Jesus trained his first twelve disciples.
When Jesus was on earth his kingdom was breaking forth, and he was showing the
world through word, action, and deed what the fulness of his kingdom of earth
will look like once he returns. Miracles still happen, healings still happen,
and lives are still transformed every day. Jesus is the miracle worker, the
healer, the transformer, and the one who makes “All Things New,” but we are
called to carry out this mission. We are called to go into the world, as tough
as it may be some days and continue to make “All Things New!” Why? We have a
promise that Jesus will complete what he has put in us and that he will
complete what he has done through us, even if the world still seems so broken.
Our gospel of Matthew reading then ends
for this morning with 11:7-11, with Jesus talking to the crowds about his
cousin John the Baptist. Picking up in 11:7 it says:
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak
to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at?
A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What, then, did you go out to see? Someone
dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal
palaces. 9 What,
then, did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a
prophet. 10 This
is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger
ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11 “Truly I
tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the
Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Mt. 11:7-11, NRSV).
Friends,
Jesus Christ our Lord has called us to make “All Things New,” as he has and is
continuing to make us new. Yet, this does not mean in the here and now that all
of the world is made new. We still have violence, war, drugs, abuse, lying,
cheating, anger, malice, and etc. These realities can sometimes make us as believers
think that the world will never be made new. Yet, we know what is like to be made
new, and we know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has called us to make “All
Things New!” If not us, then who? If not now, then when?
Advent
and Christmas is time for us to love boldly to care deeply, and seek to serve
others, so that they may draw closer to Jesus. We are called to make “All
Things New,” until Christ returns and perfects the work that he has started in
us! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment