Monday, 01 December 2008

First Sunday in Advent - Thanks, Memory and Hope (Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-37)

First Sunday in Advent

I asked you last week to remember what you have to be thankful for…
Last Sunday we reached the end of the Christian year – Christ the King Sunday.
And today we begin again… the first Sunday of Advent.
Four Sundays of anticipation – as we look back and remember how desperate we are for the birth of Christ in our world.
Today we also share communion.  In more formal – fancy churches than our own the communion service is often called the Eucharist.
Eukaristeo is Greek for giving thanks.
When Jesus broke bread he 'gave thanks' and gave it to his disciples.
When we break bread we give thanks.
*  *  *
We're grateful for the bread.
But we are more grateful for what the bread means.
A body broken for us.
Blood shed for us.
*  *  *
When we take and eat – we remember – as if we were there – what Jesus did for us on the cross – and what that meant.
The love of God broken open for us.
His identity made known.
His command to us to love.
*  *  *
We give thanks.
We remember.
And we hope.
*  *  *
We hope because we know that after Jesus was crucified and buried – on the third day he rose again and ascended to heaven.  And we put our faith in that hope – because we know that Jesus who loves us and redeems us will judge us justly in the future.
But we know that he works with us in the present to help us be who we are called to be.
And do what we are called to do.
We hope for the kingdom of God.
*  *  *
Giving thanks is remembering what God has done – and – hoping for what God will do in the future.

Isaiah 64:1-9

Isaiah reminds us that life is actually sometimes pretty *difficult* (and we have other adjectives to describe that level of difficulty that I'm not supposed to use in polite company).
He writes for a time in which people are traumatised by the world around them.  They have been abused – beaten down – money is tight – nothing is as it should be.
Maybe he gives us words we would like to say:
64  "Why don't you tear the sky apart and come down? The mountains would see you and shake with fear. 2‌They would tremble like water boiling over a hot fire. Come and reveal your power to your enemies, and make the nations tremble at your presence!"
We want to say that when we are treated unjustly – when we see a world that's living in ways that are unfair to millions of people.
Just come down Lord and put the world right.
There is a part of us that wants that – sky splitting apart – mountains shaking, the nations trembling at God's presence…  Politicians running away in shame as their motives and deeds are exposed.  Business leaders realising that their methods were only temporarily profitable…
There is another part that doesn't.  We want justice but not for us.
*  *  *
Two weeks ago I spoke about the way Isaiah sees things – in Isaiah 6 – as he is worshipping he sees God enthroned – in spite of the fact that King Uzziah is dead and his throne his empty.
He knows that the glory of the Lord fills the earth.
That all is held together in God.
*  *  *
In this part of the scroll of Isaiah we read another way of seeing:
Isaiah remembers what God has done in the past and so he has the courage to pray for God to act in the future.
*  *  *
Let us remember and give thanks because Isaiah prayed that God would do something – and in Christ he did do something.
Let us have hope – because God will continue to work into the future.

Mark 13:24-37

This passage is about being expectant.
Advent is a time of expectation – of hope.
We had a foretaste of Christmas this morning as our Sunday School presented the manger scene to us – the birth of Christ.
Here Jesus speaks about the coming of the son of man… the coming of the son of man is an answer to prayers – the moment when God finally puts the world to rights.  The language may be a little confusing – the words that Jesus uses have often been abused by those who claim to have special insight into what they mean…
I caution you to beware of people who are a little over confident in their interpretation of what Jesus says here.
But the parable of the fig tree reminds us of something that is true – and a little bit about how God works, and how Jesus fulfils the Old Testament prophecies…
*  *  *
Around January when things start to get warm – when the grapevines and fruit trees start to look heavy we know that we will start to see tractors.
They will have big trailers laden with fruit.
We know that not long after Christmas we should anticipate some heat in this area – we make preparations – installing fans in anticipation / servicing the air con…
*  *  *
In the Old Testament we learn that God is faithful to his people… he rescues them from slavery in Egypt.
When they go into slavery in Babylon (the time of Isaiah) he rescues them again.
And we know that when we cry out to him he will rescue us again.
Jesus – is just the sort of thing God does.
*  *  *
We look back – remembering what God has done in the past – we look forward to the future.
When we take communion this morning I invite you to give thanks.
As you give thanks – remember.
As you remember – hope.
God is faithful and will bring the world to justice.
*  *  *
Where we are might be a place of darkness…
AIDS, death, finances, relationships – whatever disasters are looming in on you right now.
There is hope.
Because of God – everything will be alright.
Perhaps not what we expected.
But alright.