MAKING STRAIGHT THE WAY

Transcript

1 MAKING STRAIGHT THE WAY The Third Sunday of Advent (Year B) December 14, 2014 Lessons Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Psalm 126 or St. Luke 1:46b-55 1 st Thessalonians 5:16-24 St. John 1:6-8, Pastor David J. Risendal drisendal@stplc.org facebook Dave Risendal Twitter: drisendal Saint Peter Lutheran Church 9300 East Belleview Avenue Greenwood Village, Colorado voice: 303/ fax: 303/ Prayer of the Day Stir up the wills of your faithful people, Lord God, and open our ears to the words of your prophets, that, anointed by your Spirit, we may testify to your light; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. the message of John make straight the way of the Lord invited to grace Sermon I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. I grew up with a get it done attitude toward my faith. I m not entirely sure where that came from. I suspect it was based on what I heard my parents say (mostly to motivate me, so that I d stay out of trouble and do well at school ). But it probably also came from messages I received at church, in school, and in the ways Christian faith was promoted publicly when I was young. A get it done attitude toward faith, for me, focused on three movements: Do the good stuff. Refrain from the bad stuff. Believe in the right stuff. And so that s what we focused on. Children s Messages at worship; Vacation Bible School songs; the Scoutmaster s opening remarks at the beginning of our Boy Scout meetings;

2 The Third Sunday of Advent (December 14, 2014) 2 school lessons about the hard working and faithful Pilgrims; watching Davey and Goliath cartoons on television (Anybody else remember doing this?); all of these combined to give me the message that the Christian faith had to do with doing the good stuff, refraining from the bad stuff, and believing in the right stuff. And so I tried. We all tried, with varying degrees of success. That was how we understood what it mean to be a Christian. Of course that kind of faith one that depends on what we think and say and do and believe was bound to fail, and mine eventually did. The day arrived when I came to an awareness that I just couldn't get it all done. I didn t do as much good as I thought I was supposed to. I found the bad stuff just a little too enticing to refrain from it all. And I wasn t entirely sure that I believed every single thing I was ever taught in Sunday School. It led me to a crisis of faith. I understood Christianity as a get it done faith, but I just couldn t get it done. This is when God began to work a new beginning in me. Through some deeply faithful people, who cared about me a lot, I discovered a new way to think about faith and faithfulness. I began to experience a faith that was not grounded in my capacity to do the good stuff, refrain from the bad stuff, and believe in the right stuff but a faith that was grounded in the power of God; grounded in what God had already accomplished in Christ, and what God was wanting to accomplish through my life; grounded in the declaration that my sins were forgiven. You know, if I had lived with my old understanding of the faith, that I somehow needed to squeeze myself up to some minimum standard of faithfulness to be acceptable to God, I probably wouldn t be here today. So I continue to be so grateful for these insights. It was only much later that I would learn this is very much at the heart of how Lutherans understand our faith. For those of us who are Lutherans, faithfulness is not grounded in what we are able to do for God, but in what God has already chosen to do for us, and how that changes us and makes us new people. That s a long, but necessary beginning to what I want to talk about with you this morning. You see, the season of Advent presents a dilemma for Lutherans. This is the season when we are encouraged to prepare ourselves for the coming of God into our lives. Is that message essential to the Christian faith? Does our capacity to experience God really depend on our own preparation? We could ask the same questions of St. John, the Baptizer. God sent him, he tells us, to Make straight the way of the Lord. If Jesus had shown up, and John hadn t preceded him, would the people have been unable to receive Jesus? Without John, would they have missed it all? What if John s call to prepare is the same as the get it done" attitude I had towards my faith when I was young? When he instructs them to prepare themselves for the arrival of the Messiah, is he instructing them to do the good stuff and believe in the right stuff? Is he promoting a faith that is grounded in their capacity, not in God s power? There is a danger we could interpret his ministry in this way. There is also a danger that we could interpret Advent in the same way. As a matter of fact, any effort to experience God more fully is vulnerable to this kind of misinterpretation. For instance: we talk a bit about discipleship here at Saint Peter, and have suggested that practicing habits of discipleship can be one way to live more fully into our faith, and into our relationship with God. The risk is that we begin to imagine practicing these habits is what puts us right with God. Only those who pray daily, worship weekly, serve monthly, practice generosity, and have a small group or a faith partner are actually right with God. (See what I mean?)

3 The Third Sunday of Advent (December 14, 2014) 3 So there is a tension for us Lutherans whenever a season like Advent begins: a season that is rich with opportunities to grow in how we practice our faith, but also a season that can sway our understanding of the faith. This is why the way we approach Advent the way we approach St. John s message is important. Here s the thing: we are humans, and humans get distracted. We are a busy people. This is nothing new. We may imagine ourselves to be the first generation of people to ever be busy, but that is nonsense. Did any of you grow up on family farms in the 60s and 70s? My farming ancestors were up before the sun, and working well into the evening every day. If they weren t out in the fields, they were in the barn working on equipment or in the study planning out next year s approach to planting and harvesting. And to live as a subsistence farmer in the first century was even more demanding. They didn t have five minutes in a day to call their own. So we re not the first generation to be busy, but we do live at a fast pace, and it is easy to get distracted. We can become so preoccupied with the complexities of life that we go through an entire week without even giving our faith a second thought. Advent is a time to slow down and pay attention to realities that we might otherwise miss. St. John's ministry is an invitation to reflect on our lives, and realize how important it is that God offers us the gift of forgiveness and a new beginning in life. Practicing Discipleship Habits can be an opportunity to live into our faith more fully, and experience God s presence more powerfully. All of these spiritual practices, and any other efforts we might make to experience God more fully, can become the means by which God helps us to lean more fully into the promise of our faith. Despite our inability to do all the good stuff, refrain from all the bad stuff, and believe in all the right stuff, in the waters of our baptism, God promises through Christ that we are always loved, just as we are, and strengthened and inspired to be the people God has called us to be. So Advent, John the Baptizer, Discipleship Habits not efforts to push us towards a "get it done attitude towards our faith; not influences that cause us to think of our faith as nothing more than the commitment to do the good stuff, refrain from the bad stuff, and believe in the right stuff. Instead, they serve as invitations for us to learn how to rest in the promise of God, and to realize that this, in itself, can be transforming. The focus of this season the message of John and the call to discipleship help us come to know a God who is so gracious, so loving, and so determined to be the presence in our lives that makes us new. And there it is: a faith that shapes our lives in powerful ways, and allows us to be more than we could ever have been on our own. At the same time, a faith that is not dependent on what we can do but on what God has done and is doing. May this kind of faith more and more shape our lives and our living. Let us work, with St. John, to prepare a straight way for the Lord to come into our lives. And let us remember that in doing so, God promises to forgive us, to renew us, and to empower us for faithful living. Amen. David J. Risendal, Pastor

4 The Third Sunday of Advent (December 14, 2014) 4 Gospel Lesson; English Text There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, I am not the Messiah. 21 And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the prophet? He answered, No. 22 Then they said to him, Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. 24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet? 26 John answered them, I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal. 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. 2 Gospel Lesson; Greek Text: 1.6 Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος, ἀπεσταλµένος παρα θεου, ὄνοµα αὐτῳ Ἰωάννης 7 οὑ τος ἠ λθεν εἰς µαρτυρίαν ἵνα µαρτυρήσῃ περι του φωτός, ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσιν δι αὐτου. 8 οὐκ ἠ ν ἐκει νος το φω ς, ἀλλ ἵνα µαρτυρήσῃ περι του φωτός. 19 Και αὕτη ἐστι ν ἡ µαρτυρία του Ἰωάννου, ὅτε ἀπέστειλαν [προ ς αὐτο ν] οἱ Ἰουδαι οι ἐξ Ἱεροσολύµων ἱερει ς και Λευίτας ἵνα ἐρωτήσωσιν αὐτόν συ τίς εἰ ; 20 και ὡµολόγησεν και οὐκ ἠρνήσατο, και ὡµολόγησεν ὅτι ἐγω οὐκ εἰµι ὁ χριστός. 21 και ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν τί οὐ ν; συ Ἠλίας εἰ ; και λέγει οὐκ εἰµί. ὁ προφήτης εἰ σύ; και ἀπεκρίθη οὔ. 22 εἰ παν οὐ ν αὐτῳ τίς εἰ ; ἵνα ἀπόκρισιν δω µεν τοι ς πέµψασιν ἡµα ς τί λέγεις περι σεαυτου ; 23 ἔφη ἐγω φωνη βοω ντος ἐν τῃ ἐρήµῳ εὐθύνατε τη ν ὁδο ν κυρίου, καθω ς εἰ πεν Ἠσαί ας ὁ προφήτης. 24 Και ἀπεσταλµένοι ἠ σαν ἐκ τω ν Φαρισαίων. 25 και ἠρώτησαν αὐτο ν και εἰ παν αὐτῳ τί οὐ ν βαπτίζεις εἰ συ οὐκ εἰ ὁ χριστο ς οὐδε Ἠλίας οὐδε ὁ προφήτης; 26 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοι ς ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγων ἐγω βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι µέσος ὑµω ν ἕστηκεν ὃν ὑµει ς οὐκ οἴδατε, 27 ὁ ὀπίσω µου ἐρχόµενος, οὑ οὐκ εἰµι [ἐγω ] ἄξιος ἵνα λύσω αὐτου το ν ἱµάντα του ὑποδήµατος. 28 ταυ τα ἐν Βηθανίᾳ ἐγένετο πέραν του Ἰορδάνου, ὅπου ἠ ν ὁ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων. 3 First Lesson; English Text: 61:1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 8 For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the A list of Bible lessons for the coming weeks is available at St. John 1:6-8, 19-28, New Revised Standard Version Bible, opp. cit. St. John 1:6-8, 19-28, The Greek New Testament, Aland, Kurt, Black, Matthew, Martini, Carlo M., Metzger, Bruce M., and Wikgren, Allen, ( 1983, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart).

5 The Third Sunday of Advent (December 14, 2014) 5 peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. 4 Second Lesson; English Text: 1.16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. 23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. 5 Second Lesson; Greek Text: 1:16 Πάντοτε χαίρετε, 17 ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, 18 ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε τοῦτο γὰρ θέληµα θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς ὑµᾶς. 19 τὸ πνεῦµα µὴ σβέννυτε, 20 προφητείας µὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε, 21 πάντα δὲ δοκιµάζετε, τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε, 22 ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε. 23 Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἁγιάσαι ὑµᾶς ὁλοτελεῖς, καὶ ὁλόκληρον ὑµῶν τὸ πνεῦµα καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶµα ἀµέµπτως ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡµῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τηρηθείη. 24 πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν ὑµᾶς, ὃς καὶ ποιήσει Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, New Revised Standard Version Bible, opp. cit. 1 st Thessalonians 5:16-24, New Revised Standard Version Bible, opp. cit. 1 st Thessalonians 5:16-24, The Greek New Testament, opp. cit.