NovemBer 29, 2020, Scripture Readings and Sermon
Message from Rev. George Porter
Scripture ReadingsIsaiah 64:1-9
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence-- as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people. Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; * shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim. 2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, * stir up your strength and come to help us. 3 Restore us, O God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. 4 O Lord God of hosts, * how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people? 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; * you have given them bowls of tears to drink. 6 You have made us the derision of our neighbors, * and our enemies laugh us to scorn. 7 Restore us, O God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. 16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, * the son of man you have made so strong for yourself. 17 And so will we never turn away from you; * give us life, that we may call upon your Name. 18 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind-- just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. The Gospel- Mark 13:24-37 Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” |
Sermon: George PorterNovember 29, 2020
O Come, O come Emmanuel ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel’ I don’t know about you, but to me it seems almost impossible to believe that we’re already coming close to the Christmas celebration. This is the First Sunday in Advent, which is technically the ‘New Year’s Day’ of the church calendar in Western Christianity. This season of Advent – ‘advent’ is a word which means ‘coming’ and in Christianity refers to the coming of Jesus as the Christ – has a very long history. It began to be observed in the 5th or 6th century. While it has a long history, it’s not a very clear history. It’s been anywhere from 6 weeks or more to 6 days or fewer long. Originally it was understood as fasting – or partial fasting – in preparation for baptism. For this reason, it began to be referred to as ‘Little Lent’. Sometime this evolved into fasting in preparation for the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas). Because of its parallel with Lent, the liturgical colour has been purple. The oldest liturgical colour used was, however, ‘sarum blue’ with its ancient association with royalty. In order to distinguish Advent from Lent, mostly we have returned to the use of blue as the seasonal liturgical colour. This also draws out the significance of this time for many people as a focus on the so-called second coming of Christ at some future, unknown date. Others have seen it as preparation and anticipation of the first coming and the birth of Jesus. For most people, I suspect it’s a combination of those two. Nevertheless, some people do have very strong feelings – and as Christmas becomes ever more commercialised , even stronger feelings – that Advent should not have a Christmas theme, and we hear joking references to the ‘Advent Police’ who make it a quest to curb carol singing or decorating for Christmas during Advent. Sometimes it’s just become downright silly with nearly everyone missing the point. It seems to me that we have more important things upon which to focus than whether or not we sing carols or decorate – especially in this time of the pandemic crises around COVID and all that goes with those crises. I more than a little suspect that more people are concerned about the ‘second wave’ than the ‘second coming’. And yet, the Advent reality ought to take us to the very heart of the matter – the heart of the matter to which Jack pointed us a few weeks back in regard to the biblical story of Gideon – the oft repeated phrase: ‘I will be with you’; ‘I will go with you’. This isn’t just in the Gideon story either. It’s a constant refrain throughout the Hebrew scriptures and on into the Christian scriptures, as well as other early Christian writings. ‘I will be with you’ is the promise of God. I sometimes refer to this as the naked promise of God; ‘I will be with you, no matter what’. It’s at the heart of the ancient covenant with Abraham and the Hebrew People: You will be my people; I will be your God’. It’s at the heart of the Torah covenant with Moses and the people of Israel delivered from slavery. Time and time again the biblical stories say basically, ‘We’re in crisis’, and God says: ‘I will be with you’; ‘I will go with you, come what may’. Rest assured that God’s ‘I will be with you’ doesn’t just mean along for the ride. God’s not some sort of ‘holy spectator’. The promise of God is: ‘I will be with you in a way that means I will be for you.’ In the stories, God is an actor – and active participant; God is involved with people. That’s why this whole business of Emmanuel is so very important. We first hear this ‘name’ in conjunction with the prophet Isaiah speaking to King Ahaz at a time when Ahaz is in crisis. The kings of Ephriam and Syria have him under attack, and things look very grim indeed. Isaiah says to him that God wants to reassure him that God is with the people of Israel. ‘Ask a sign,’ God says. ‘Anything as high as the heavens above or the earth below’. ‘No’, Ahaz says. He says that he won’t ask for a sign or put God to the test.’ Isaiah, however, replies rather impatiently: ‘Isn’t it enough that you try the patience of people [Ahaz wasn’t a particularly good or faithful king], will you also try the patience of God? Fine! Then God himself will give you a sign: a child will be born. This child? This child will be called ‘Emmanuel’, meaning ‘God with us’; or ‘God is with us’. I think that the first Emmanuel in the story was Mahershalalhashbaz. Others identify other of Isaiah’s children as the first Emmanuel, but I think Mahershalalhashbaz best fits. The point is, however, that this child is the sign. This child is the sign, and it’s not a yield sign, not a stop sign, not a no passing zone sign, not even a speed limit sign. This child is the sign of the divine presence. This child is the sign of the divine presence forus. This child is the sign of God-with-us right in the middle of it all – whatever ‘it’ is: joy or sorrow, crisis or calm, life or death – whatever ‘it’ is. There is no ‘it’ where God is not. Whether you think that Advent is about a1st or 2nd coming of Christ, it’s really deeper than that. It’s about the ever-coming Christ – the ever-with-us God – the ‘I will be with you’ God. Year after year we sing ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel’. In normal times, we celebrate over and over the Eucharist because in the bread and wine of this sacrament we find hidden the sign that God is with us. We remember that God was with us in the Christ. We remember that will be with us in the Christ. But, at the very heart of this sacrament we remember the Emmanuel reality: God is with us now, come what may. That’s why the Gospel writer re-applies the Isaiah prophecy to the child Jesus. Jesus was the sign – the sign – the God is with us – and ‘with us’ as in ‘for us’ – ‘with us’ as in ‘involved with us’ – ‘engaged with us’ in our lives – engaged with us in our lives regardless of what sort of ‘it’ in which we find ourselves. Remember, there is no ‘it’ in which God is not, and there is no ‘it’ in which God is not Emmanuel. As we start a new year in the Christian life, we start with this season of awareness. Our starting point is Emmanuel – God with us. And when we start from this awareness of God with us, who can say where we will go? Who can say what God will do and where God will engage us? Who can say where the Emmanuel-sign will point? This alone we certainly know: it’s a sign of that weirdly upside-down Kingdom of God where it’s not by might and power that the King reigns, but by ‘love, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit’. The sign of Emmanuel points to that weirdly upside-down Kingdom whose citizens ‘from every language, tribe and nation’ are marked by the love of mercy, the practice of justice and walking humbly with God. |