Prayer: Lord, we ask for your guidance in this Advent season as we prepare our hearts to receive your precious Son in our lives. Renew us, refresh us, give us the hope of your promises. May the meditations of our heart and mind be acceptable and pleasing to you, O Lord. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
On this third Sunday of Advent, traditionally called gaudete Sunday or Joy Sunday, the church asks us to consider some advice from scripture. In Philippians, this morning , Paul tells the folks at Philippi to
Rejoice in the Lord always . . .
And Zephaniah's message is
Rejoice and exult with all your heart.
Doesn't this sound like what this season of Christmas is supposed to be about - good cheer and holiday exuberance and all that. But, when we get to the gospel for this week, John the Baptist is doing what John the Baptist does best - reprimanding us :
He says " Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. " We are reminded that the God who is coming is not Santa Claus "who knows whether you are naughty or nice" but Jesus, (Emmanuelle)(God with us), Jesus is coming, the one who demands that we "turn around" and "follow" him.
In today's world we try to find "joy" through a "positive" psychological assessment of ourselves or with the mindless advice to "Be Happy" no matter what is happening, but the Bible is instructing us that "joy" is what happens when we respond to that which God demands of us; and what God demands, in the words of John the Baptist, is "repentance" or a change of heart. What the gospel is trying to do for us today is release us from the counterfeit "joy" this world would have us believe exists today. Real "joy" is what happens when we "face up" to what keeps us unhappy, and allows us to "turn toward" God's redeeming love.
One of my dearest friends after committing a grievous mistake admitted his guilt in a court of law. He looked the judge straight in the face and said "Your honour, I made a stupid mistake. I'm very sorry. Please forgive me." He said it with a straight face and was cool as a cucumber. I can still remember the look on the judge's face. It was obvious that he had been completely thrown by my friend's response. He just sat there, almost too stunned to speak. It was as though he was saying "How do you get mad at somebody who says something like that!?"
During the Advent season we can't bypass John the Baptist and his call for repentance, but neither can we bypass the joy that comes from knowing a God who keeps his promises. In Matthew 6:33….We are told … But seek ye first the kingdom of God , and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. In Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. In Prov. 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. And in this season of Advent we prepare for the greatest promise ever, Jesus, our redeemer and Saviour.
Have any of you ever read the story, "Horton Hatches the Egg" by Dr. Seuss? It is a wonderful story about an elephant named Horton. The story begins with a lazy bird named Mayzie sitting on her egg in a tree. Sitting on the egg was tiresome and boring and Mayzie hated it. "I'd take a vacation, fly off for a rest if I could find someone to stay on my nest!" said Mayzie. That's when Horton walked by. Mayzie asked Horton if he would sit on her egg while she took a little rest. Horton objected at first, but Mayzie promised that she would not be gone long, so Horton finally agreed and soon he was sitting on the nest while Mayzie flew off to Florida for a vacation.
In Florida , Mayzie had such fun that she decided she would never return to her nest. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, but Horton kept sitting there, day after day. Winter came and icicles hung from Horton's trunk and his feet, but still he remained faithful to his promise to Mayzie. "I'll stay on this egg and I won't let it freeze," he said with a sneeze. "I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant is faithful, 100%." That's Horton!
Now, I don't know if elephants are really faithful 100% or not, but I know someone who is. God is faithful, 100%! The Bible is full of the promises of God, and God is always faithful to keep his promises.
The biography of the Christian scholar and writer, C.S. Lewis, tells of the suffering he endured because he kept a promise he had made to a buddy during World War I. This friend was worried about the care of his wife and small daughter if he should be killed in battle, so Lewis assured him that if that were to happen he would look after them. As the war dragged on, the man was killed. True to his word, Lewis took care of his friend's family. Yet no matter how helpful he tried to be, the woman was ungrateful, rude, arrogant, and domineering. Through it all, Lewis kept forgiving her. He refused to let her actions become an excuse to break his promise.
In the previous chapter, that is chapter 2 starting at verse 25, we listen to the story about a man named Simeon. Simeon was a very old man who had faithfully served God all of his life. Simeon was looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. God had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Christ, the promised Messiah. A few days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to dedicate him to God. Simeon was in the temple. As soon as Simeon saw the baby, he knew that Jesus was the Christ and that God had kept his promise that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. God is faithful to his promises, 100%!
God promised that he would not abandon his people who had been so rebellious and had gone against him so often. He promised that in the small town of Bethlehem , a woman would give birth to a son who will rule with strength and bring peace (Micah 5:2-4).
The name "Jesus" ( Yeshua in Hebrew, often translated as " Joshua .") means, "God saves." Jesus would truly live up to his name. He would die as the Saviour of the world. Jesus was born to die.....for your sins and mine...and the sins of all people.
I read a Christmas card a couple of years ago that said:
"If our greatest need was for information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need was for technology, God would have sent a scientist.
If our greatest need was for pleasure, God would have sent an entertainer
If our greatest need was for money, God would have sent an economist.
But since our greatest need is for forgiveness...
God sent a Saviour...a Redeemer."
When God makes a promise he keeps it. In fact, the whole of the Bible is a story about God keeping his promises. And so at Christmas we celebrate with carols, nativity plays, Christmas trees, and giving gifts the fact that God is true to his Word. He has given us so much. He has sent us a Saviour as he had promised many centuries ago. God has given us the most precious gift that we can possibly get at Christmas - the gift of his Son Jesus, our Saviour.
Very soon, we will be in the middle of our Christmas celebration. Recall with joy that God has kept his promises and that he welcomes us all into his kingdom and promises us life with him forever. It is no wonder old Simeon said, Now, Lord, you have kept your promise when he held the baby Jesus in his arms. May you be filled with "the joy of God's promises", May we praise our almighty God with that hope!
"Sing and shout aloud for joy! Rejoice with all your heart! ....
The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life."
Amen.
Rosemarie Grabs
December 14, 2003