Confessions of an Innkeeper: Homily Luke 2:1-20, Christmas Eve 2006

How was I to know! How was I to know!

They looked no different than a dozen other families I had already turned away. How was I to know that they were special.

Do you have any idea what I was going through that night? Never in my lifetime have I seen such an upheaval of people. You think your highways are crowded at Christmas time - you should have seen ours. Try to imagine what it would be like if your government announced that within 30 days, the head of every household must return to their place of birth. Think of what that would mean - just for your family. Then multiply that by everyone you know.

That was our situation. A decree went out from Caesar Augustus - and the result was chaos. People were moving in every direction. Roads were chocked with travelers, food supplies ran short, water was at a premium - and so was housing!

Caesar's decree was, for me, the chance of a lifetime. Many of the families who returned to Bethlehem stayed with relatives or friends. But many families had neither - and they needed lodging.

My inn was completely full, night after night. I raised the rates - and my inn was still full! I upped them again - no matter! There were always those who could afford the price I asked. It seemed as if all the rich were gathered under my roof. I'm not a friend of Caesar's, but Caesar was certainly a friend to me.

You disapprove? Would you have done any differently? I have a wife to support and five children who never stop eating! The census was my chance to make a killing and I was busy doing that.

And then - they stood at the door. The inn had been filled since the 9th hour - but there they stood - asking for a room. I had already turned the others away, and so, I told them the same thing: "There is no room."


But as I spoke with the husband, I saw the weariness in his face, and I wondered when last they had rested. And when I looked into his eyes, I saw not only fatigue, but a desperate pleading to be listened to.

And then, I saw the woman. Her body was heavy with child, and her face was tightening with the first spasms of pain. As the father of five, I had seen that look before. I knew that her time was very near. I told them there was no room in the inn, but if they wanted to, they could bed down with the animals.

I thought I was doing them a favor - especially since I did not charge them the going rate. I let them have it cheap!

I didn't know they were special. But because of who they were, you think of me as the one who said, "no room," and put the Holy Child out back with the animals.

"No room" are the words I'm known by. "No room" has become my name. "Mr. No Room", the Innkeeper - that's the only thing you know about me. But perhaps that's the only thing any of us need to know about each other. Is there "room" or "no room" for the Christ Child?

Perhaps that's the crux of Christmas - making room.

I missed that child because I was too busy to realize what God was doing. With all due respect to the Almighty, he could have chosen a more convenient time - when my life was not so crowded with responsibilities and opportunities that needed my immediate attention. At a convenient time, I would gladly have made room for him.

Except - when would there really be a convenient time for God to knock on my door? I seem to be always busy, one thing after another - I'm never caught up.

Maybe God knew that. Maybe God got tired of waiting for a convenient time. Maybe what happened to me was God's way of saying something to you - and to the whole world.

If your life is already filled to capacity and your time already fully scheduled, you may not recognize him when he knocks at your door.

Isn't it ironic? He came to be with us. His name was Emmanuel, which means "God with us", but instead it was the so-called dumb animals that made room for him. They took him in when I shut him out. We humans paid him no attention until the shepherds came, asking about "a baby lying in a manger." A manger - that's where I put the Son of God!

If I had just taken the time to listen to Joseph - to let him explain the events that brought him to Bethlehem. If I had known who he was, I would have made room. I would have moved someone out - or given him my room. I would have made room, where there was no room.

Maybe that's what God is asking each of us to do for this Child - to make room where perhaps there has been no room.

I missed the knock on my door, but for you, there is still time to receive him, still time to look at the clutter in you life, still time to question if the rooms of your life are filled with really important

guests, still time to reserve a place for this most special guest of all, so that when he knocks, you can give him a better reception than I did.

And he will knock. You can be sure of that. It may not be at a convenient time, but it will happen. During his ministry he told us, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." He began with me, even before he was born. He has been doing that ever since. Knocking at the door of the lives of men and women - asking to be born in their hearts - instead of in a manger.

O my friends, your Christmas can still be everything mine should have been. I could have been the first to welcome him! How sad that instead my door should have been the one to shut out Mary and her Son.

Love is Born Anew: Sermon Luke 2:1:20

Dear God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and feet and work through them; take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire for you. Amen

Well the time has just about arrived. I hope that you have all your presents bought wrapped and put underneath the tree. If not, I think Wal-Mart will still be open for a little while longer. I can remember when I was a kid, just bouncing with excitement for Christmas, I was primed and ready to rip and shred the wrapping paper in order to see what was inside. As, I have grown older I have learned that one of the true joys in this season is no in receiving gifts but in giving them. There is nothing like the reaction of a loved one to a gift that has been thoughtfully picked out. That also seems to be one of the hardest things to do also. I don’t know about you, but my family and friends always seem to be hard to shop for. I always have a hard time picking out something. You always want to give something that the other person will use and every time they do use it you want them to think about you.

We have spent a lot of time in the last few months talking about gifts. We spoke about how the kingdom of God is a gift, a gift that must be received as a child and used in our lives. So this Christmas Eve Day we remember and celebrate the gift the God gave to all of humanity, Jesus. The gift of Christ is most perfect act of love that is ever been done. Jesus is the ultimate demonstration of the love of God. Jesus is born as the embodiment of God’s love. Every aspect of the birth, life, and death of Christ shows God’s love for humanity. Each aspect in the story of the birth of Jesus demonstrates

Last week, we talked about Mary and Joseph, two people whose lives were forever changed when God happened. God could have chosen someone else to bear his son, he could have chosen royalty or someone wealthy, but instead he chose Mary. Why? If Jesus had been born of a queen whose house was filled with wealth then what would that mean for us? If Jesus had been raised in the midst of wealth then he would not have had the love for the poor. By Jesus being born of a peasant girl God demonstrates that the love of God is not only for the rich and powerful but also for the poor and meek. God does not just work in the lives of the wealthy, but can change the life of all people. God’s plan is not just for a chosen of select few, but for all of us no matter how young or old, rich or poor we are. God’s love and God’s will is for all God’s people.

Let’s turn to the location of Christ’s birth. Christ was born in a stable, which in those days probably consisted of a cave hewn into the rock. Now some of us here are familiar with barns and with livestock and we know that sometimes the places that livestock live and sleep are not the most pleasant of places. There would have been hay and straw strewn about and also the by products of the livestock eating the hay if you know what I mean. This was the place for the birth of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, one of the most humble places possible. But why? We sing about that place of Jesus’ birth and we have our Nativity scenes that depict it, but have you ever given thought as to the reason why? I mean God could have provided a better or grander place for the birth of his Son, so there must have been a reason why? I believe it is a continued demonstration of God’s love for us. Jesus never shied away from the lowest members of society. Jesus got right in there with them, he touched the leper, he spoke with the gentiles, and he ate with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus was always willing to get down on the level of the poor and homeless. He himself was born not in a house but in a stable and spent much of his ministry without a roof over his head. How many times have our lives ended up in the muck and the mire? How many times have we put ourselves in the lowest of positions? Just has God allowed his son to be born in a stable filled with livestock and just has Jesus was placed in a feeding trough for those animals, God’s love will meet us no matter how where we are and no matter how far we have fallen. If Jesus had been born in a palace then the poor would feel left out. However, Jesus said several times that he had come especially for the poor and downtrodden. Most of his messages were about the poor and so it is fitting that Jesus would be born in the lowliest of places. Jesus was born away in a manger to show the world that God’s love knows no boundaries and is willing to meet us wherever we find ourselves whether we are rich or poor.

Jesus was born in a time of oppression. The place we know was Israel had been conquered and made into a vassal for the Roman Empire. Luke 2 begins by saying the Emperor Augustus had ordered a decree that all people should be registered in a census and that all people would have to return to their places of birth. Now there was only one reason why the emperor would have wanted this and that would be to enact more taxes on the people. The Roman Empire allowed the Jews to keep their religion, as long as the taxes were not late. The time that Jesus was born was one of great tension what little freedoms the Jewish people enjoyed only hung by a thread.

Most of us just assume that the decree was made to place Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem so that the prophecy of Jesus’ birth would be fulfilled. However, I think there might be more than meets the eye. Jesus was born when and where he was in order to fulfill God’s plan. This plan was not just for God’s Son to be born, but also to die at the hands of these Roman oppressors. This shows two things, 1) God can work in spite oppression. There are so many people in the world today that live in fear for there lives. They live in fear because they are Christians and to proclaim Jesus as the Christ is punished by death, but God still works there. We live with religious freedom in this country. We have the freedom to go to any church, synagogue, mosque, or temple we want to and we have the freedom not to go. In that sense we are free, but we still live with oppression. We sometimes become oppressed by our own lives. We have health problems that cause medical bills to pile up. Our mortgages and car payments come due and sometimes past due. We work and work and never seem to get ahead. But despite of all the hardships we face and in spite of pressures of life that seem to crush us, God still reigns and God’s love is still there. God’s love is more powerful than the oppression of the Roman Empire and God’s love remains more powerful than anything we might face.

In those days the birth of a king was something to be heralded in all the land. Who does God chose to announce the birth of his Son? “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” God chooses shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus. Shepherds were among the poorest of the poor. They were surrounded by animals all day and so they didn’t particularly smell good. They did not dress well and were not highly educated, but still God chose them. Why? We have said it before, the life and ministry of Jesus was about giving good news to the poor and so who better to announce his birth than the poor shepherds. Also, it is fitting because Jesus will become the Good Shepherd for all people and will reunite God’s flock. The shepherds were given the task of not only proclaiming news, but the greatest news ever proclaimed. The poor proclaimed the birth of the greatest advocate of the poor who ever lived. God’s love is the good news that was proclaimed that night 2,000 years ago. God loved us so much that he became one of us so that God could experience all the pain and hardships that we face so God could understand what it meant to be human. Jesus was born so that through his life, ministry, death, and resurrection all of humanity can be reconciled back to God. This is the good news of Christmas and this is the reason we gather here this morning.

Each aspect of the story of the Christmas birth demonstrates God’s love for all of us. It shows that God works in all our lives no matter what situation we find ourselves and that God works in spite of the oppression in our lives. God’s love is fully embodied in the person of Christ and this Christmas let us celebrate this love born anew.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God Happens: Sermon Luke 1:26-38

Dear God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and feet and work through them; take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire for you. Amen

It began like any other day. Mary woke up early in the morning, before sunup, in order to help her mother prepare breakfast. Her father was preparing to work out in the fields. He made enough money and raised enough crops so the family never went hungry. However, they were not rich by any stretch; they all had to work hard to make ends meet. Mary was a beautiful young girl about 13-15 years old and this was around the time in a young woman‘s life when she would find a husband and make the transition from her father’s house to her husband’s house. There was no such thing as an independent woman at this time; it was defiantly a male dominated society. In fact, if a woman reached 20 and was not yet married most people would consider her an old spinster who would never get married.

This was not to be the case for Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. Now an engagement in those days was not like an engagement is today. The man did not give the woman a diamond ring or anything. An engagement was a time for the families to get together and usually negotiate a dowry. Also, engagements were not easily broken, in fact it the man and woman were technically considered married. If the man died before the ceremony the woman would be considered a widow. This was serious business. Mary was excited even though the marriage, like most in this day and time, was prearranged. She was beginning to fall in love with Joseph and she knew that he would provide for her and they would have a wonderful life together. However, this day would prove to change both their lives forever.

Mary was walking along later in the morning when she was blinded by a tremendously bright light. Then she saw an angel standing there before her. She didn’t know what was going on. She was afraid. The angel Gabriel announced to her that she was favored among God and not to be afraid for she had found favor with God. I imagine she thought, “OK, sure…whatever you say.” The angel continued and said that she would conceived a son and he would be called Son of the Most High, he would rule over Israel forever, and his kingdom will have no end. Now I can imagine Mary was thinking, that goat milk I had this morning must have sat out too long. This was a little too much to take in. How can I a simple, poor girl give birth to the Son of God? And then it reality of it hit her, “How can this be since I am a virgin?”

Virginity was thing of pride in those days, not so much now. A woman was expected to remain a virgin until she was married and if she did not she would be cast out of the village and from the community. The angel said that the Holy Spirit would come into her and she would conceive. Now it began to sink in. On the one hand she had an opportunity to become the most favored woman who ever lived. She would carry God within her womb. On the other hand she would run the risk of being outcast. I mean who would believe such a story as this, I am carrying God’s son, not only would she be called an adulterer but a blasphemer as well. She not only would be risking her future with Joseph but also her very life. Adulterers and blasphemers would be stoned to death. She could very well die. I mean the whole thing seems a little cockamamie. Why would God choose a poor girl to bear his son? How was she going to explain this to Joseph?

All of these things raced through her head and then she asks the question that all of us have asked, I bet every person who has every lived on this planet as asked, “God, Why me?” Why is this thing happening to me? Everything was going great and then all of a sudden. BAM! Something hits us right in the breadbasket and we are turned 180º. Everything is going great, we have all the best laid plans and intentions in the world and then God happens.

Joseph was a hard working man. He had been trained as a carpenter which was a good living in those days. He was living with his parents but was excited and eager to step out on his own, especially with his future wife Mary. He looked forward to getting old with her and to starting a family with lots of kids, especially a son to pass on the family trade. But now that dreams seemed to all fade away.

Mary is wife to be just told him that she was pregnant and that the child was the Son of God. Can you imagine what must have been going through Joseph’s head? First, she goes out and get’s herself pennant and then she tried to tell me this ludicrous story about how an angel told her that she would bear the son of God. What kind of fool does she take me for? Joseph was feeling anger and betrayal and the question that burned in his mind was “What child is this?” However, there was still love, love for Mary. Joseph was still a good man and did not want to disgrace Mary or her family nor did he want to punish her or risk her execution, but he could not marry her, she was pregnant with a child that was not his and this was more than her could bear. He decided to put her away quietly, she could live with her folks and she would be safe.

Then that night an angel came to him in a dream, dreams were not dismissed as they are today, but were take very seriously. The angel said to him “don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife”. She IS carrying the son of the living God and you are to call him Jesus. So it was true, Mary was telling the truth, but why God? Why did you just her, why did you choose us? In the midst of Joseph’s well laid plans, God happens.

What is there reaction? Here were two people just living their lives as normal and God chooses them for something greater. Mary could have said no I don’t want this, no I don’t want this honor, I don’t want to deal with God’s plans right now because I have my own. But she doesn’t. Instead she says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” In other words, God I don’t know what you are doing with this or with me, but I trust you enough to put everything that I have in your hands. I trust you completely. Joseph similarly could have dismissed the dream and Mary, but instead “²⁴When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife…” God had happened, among all the best intentions and best laid plans, God happened and Mary and Joseph trusted.

I want to tell you another story about another young person. This young man had just graduated from college and was ready to make his way into the world. He had planned to make a successful career to get married and to start a family. He went to interview after interview and was turned down time and time again. However, deep within him there was a calling, something said to him “God has a higher purpose for you.” Many people before had told him that he would make a good preacher, but the young man dismissed the idea as crazy, ludicrous, if your knew all the stuff I’ve done you wouldn’t want me to be a preacher. But the voice did not go away. One day he was at a lunch at his church and he was asked to pray, he had never done anything like this before, but he agreed and has he prayed a sense of peace came over him and then he knew what the voice was saying. Among his best plans for the future God happened.

Now I am not say “God happens” to be negative. I am not saying it as a warning, “you better watch out, God happens.” I am saying it because God has a plan for each one of us. Jeremiah 29:11 says “¹¹For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Sometimes God’s plans and our plans are the same and sometimes they are different and when they differ sometimes God happens to remind us of the plans he has for us because God’s plan is good. Sometimes on the surface it does not seem good. God did not choose Mary to punish her, but because it was in his plan. God did not choose Joseph to give him hard time, but because it was in his plan. God did not choose me to reprimand me, but because it was in his plan. God’s plan at first can seem scary or even wrong, but as we develop in God’s plan and we see the plan unfold, we realize that this is right and this is good.

Has God happened in your life? I would be willing to be that you wouldn’t be here if God had not happened somewhere down the line. How did you react, with fear, with dread? Most of us do at first, but when we really understand that God always has our best interests in mind then we can accept God’s change and we can follow God’s plan with trust and obedience.

You might think “I can’t work for God anymore, I’m too old or I’m too young, or I’m this or that.” Remember God did not choose a queen or princess to bear his son, but a poor, humble girl. God could have chosen a king or a wise sage to help raise his son, but he chose a meager, hardworking carpenter, who was good and honest. God did not choose a great orator or broadcast talent to preach his gospel, but a young man who was struggling to find his way in the world. God has a plan for each of us and each of us has a part to plan in the kingdom of God. Our plans combine together to do God’s will and God’s work in the world. This is the story behind the story of Christmas. Yes it is about God becoming flesh and dwelling among us. But it is also about two people placing their lives and futures in God’s plan and trusting that God would work his wonders through them. God will work wonders in your life if you are 1 or 101; all you have to do is trust and follow the path.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Way: Sermon Luke 3:1-17

Dear God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and feet and work through them; take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire for you. Amen

If you have traveled on Hwy. 64 from Pulaski to Lawrenceburg you have probably noticed something. I was traveling to Lawrenceburg a couple of weeks ago and I noticed that work was progressing on the expansion of 64 from two lanes to four. As I looked at the work being done I could not help but to think about all the thought, planning, preparation, construction, and maintenance it takes to keep our roads operable. The highways and byways are something that most of us take for granted and usually the only time we notice them is when they are in disrepair, full of potholes and cracks. My generation never knew a time without the Interstate System which allows speedy travel from city to city. Now it seems that there are never enough roadways to meet the number of cars on the road, especially this time of year. So, new roadways and the expansion of old roadways are being built all the time. One thing that must be done before the first earth moving machine is brought in is a path must be laid out. Now it would be really nice if all those paths could be straight shots from point A to point B. One could drive a little faster and you probably could put your car on automatic pilot and take a nap if the roadway were all straight. Some roadways are straight, in fact a plan was made in the Interstate system that there must be a straight stretch of road every so often on the Interstates. Why? So that military jets could use the Interstates as landing strips in case of emergencies. Unfortunately there are many twists and turns, especially in mountainous terrain, the landscape just doesn’t allow for it. But the engineers and workers filling gaps and cut into hillsides to make the roads as level and straight as possible.

Making straight paths is the topic for today’s sermon. The story begins with a description of the ministry of John the Baptist, who was the one that Isaiah wrote about saying that he will “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”. This prophecy spoke about a person who was to come before the Messiah in order to prepare the people for his coming. In those days before a king, queen, or some other royalty would make a stop in a town or village, a messenger was send ahead to make the announcement so that the people could prepare themselves and their town for the royal visit. They would make sure that everything was clean and decorated and that sometimes they would have a feast in celebration. So this is the mentality that the prophecy comes from. We have something similar today, if President Bush wants to make a visit the Secret Service would come ahead of time to make preparations for security and accommodations.

So John was the one chosen to make preparations for the coming Messiah, the coming King of kings. How does one make preparations for the Son of God? John does not prepare a grand feast or roll out the red carpet, although Jesus certainly would have been worthy of one. Instead John’s preparation was a proclamation, and that proclamation can be summed up in one word “Repent.” He prepared the way for Christ by letting the people know that they way things were going just weren’t going to cut it. He told the people that they were in need of a Savior. We don’t like to talk about the Law much anymore. We like to think that since we are covered in the grace of God that the Law of God does not apply to us, almost as if we are above the Law. John Wesley said that one purpose that the Law served was to let us know that we are in need of Christ and in this way the Law was not some oppressive statute, but was a grace of God. The Law is there and we have not kept the Law and even though we deserve judgment and punishment, God sends love and grace in the form of a Savior. What John was preaching was that we needed to turn away or turn back, that is what the word “repent” means, to turn back from sinful selfish ways. We need to turn back from selfishness and turn toward selflessness. We need to turn away from individualism and turn toward community. We need to turn away from isolation and turn toward a relationship with God. John prepared the way of Christ by saying that we need to turn towards Christ.

Repentance is not just about words. It is not simply saying, OOPS I am sorry for doing that, it won’t happen again. John told the people that they were a “brood of vipers” that is a powerful image. If you have ever seen Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark you might remember a scene where they uncover a big pit full of snakes, just crawling over the place, that is a brood of vipers, not a very pleasant thing to be called. John calls them this because they talk a good talk, but they have never walked the walk. We do that a lot don’t we. How many of us have said this? After the holidays, I am going on a diet and I am going to go to the gym and start walking in the mornings and I am going to get in shape, I have said that a bunch, but have never really followed through with it.

John told them to “Bear fruits worthy of repentance”, in other words “Don’t tell me you have changed, show me that change.” Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk. Then the people ask him, “How do we do this?” “What should we do?” Then John runs down several examples and each one has to do with the poor. I think the helping the poor is something that Church has forgotten about. The conservative Christian movement has boiled down all the social morality down to two topics, homosexuality and abortion. Now, these two topics are important don’t get me wrong, but the Bible speaks about the poor far more that it does on homosexuality or abortion. So, this makes me think that God wants us to focus far more on the poor than on these other topics.

Our primary focus should be on the poor. John tells the people that if they have two coats then they should give one to the poor. John Wesley had the same kind of notion about the poor. He said that if you have more food than what you needed and if you have more than ten dollars in your pocket then you were a sinful person. That is pretty extreme and I know that few people do that. However, just because we do not take to the extreme it does not mean that we should not do anything. If you have an old coat that doesn’t fit or you never wear, donate it to the Matthew Thrift Store in town. If you have an old blanket that is in good shape but you never use donate it to the Giles County Hope House. If you seen green beans or corn on sale at the market, buy a couple extra cans and give those to the Help Center, not just at Christmas but all year long. You can take your pocket change and give it to a worthy cause. This is a demonstration of repentance, you are saying through your actions that I am sorry that I have neglected the poor, but I am going to change my way of thinking and my way of living. John also talks to a tax collector and a solider both of whom had been cheating people out of money. Now, I don’t think any of us in this room are guilty of cheating people, I know that you are good upstanding people. However, we could all, and I definitely include myself in this, give a little more to help others in need.

John preached repentance and through his preaching, he prepared the way for Christ. We prepare ourselves for Christ through repentance. We turn from our old ways to the new way toward Christ, a way that is straight and level. John then talks about baptism. He said that as he baptized with water, the one that would come after would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Today our baptism is the same, we use water as a tangible symbol, but the real work is done by the Holy Spirit. Baptism reconnects us with God and begins a life long pursuit of sanctification that is we work our entire lives toward the God. We make mistakes for sure, but we learn from those mistakes and move forward, wiser and better than we were. Through baptism we become members of God’s community, it is the gift of the kingdom of God. However, with this gift comes responsibility. We must become the Johns for this generation; we must prepare the way for Christ’s return. We do this by living our repentance and through that living we can show others their need for repentance. We can help the poor and help our neighbors, not just as Christmas time, but all year long. We prepare the way of the Christ, but loving God and loving our neighbor.

Last week I said that Advent is about preparation as well as anticipation. We prepare ourselves to worship the Christ child. We remember and celebrate is birth, but we also remember that being a Christian is more than just saying you are a Christian, it is about living out our faith.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus is Coming Soon; Look Busy: Sermon Luke 21:21-36

Dear God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and feet and work through them; take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire for you. Amen

Today marks the beginning of the Advent season which is a time of preparation both spiritually and physically. Spiritually we prepare ourselves for the celebration of the birth of our Savior 2,000 years ago. Physically, we are buying presents, buying groceries, cleaning our houses, putting up decorations, going to parades, plays, parties, pageants, and cantatas. I grew up in a church that did not celebrate Advent and so when I became active in the United Methodist Church I had to gain an understanding of what Advent really is.

The word Advent comes from the Latin, adventus which means “a coming into being.” Advent is a season of anticipation as well as preparation. Advent has two meanings. One we anticipate the coming celebration and remembrance of the birth of Christ the Messiah to a girl named Mary at a place called Bethlehem. This is what John referred to as the “Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us”, which is what we celebrate at Christmas. The people had been promised a Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures, someone who would come and redeem them and bring Israel back to its past glory. A messiah was born, although not in the way that most people anticipated.

Advent is completely and correctly tied in and connected with Christmas, but there is also another meaning behind Advent. Advent also looks to the return of the one we call Christ. This is also known as the Second Coming. This is a controversial topic and one a lot of preachers would just as soon not talk about anytime during the year but especially during the holidays. It is worrisome because it means change is coming and it is inevitable. Another reason that a lot of people are apprehensive about the Second Coming is because of the judgment that will follow. When Jesus comes back we know that our time is up and we will be judged, some have used this to scare people straight, you better change your ways cause tomorrow might be too late. Well I really hope you know that I am not that kind of pastor and that my message is always positive and proactive and hopeful. In fact that is the meaning of the First Sunday in Advent, hope. That is what the first candle represents and that is what we are going to talk about today. How to live hopeful lives in a world that has all but given up hope? We are Advent people, not because we have a wreath or decorations, but because we live in anticipation of a return of a Savior. We await a renewal of our world.

What does it mean to be an Advent people? First it means that we are looking for Christ’s return which means we are also looking for signs of his return. This is also what the disciples were looking for. Our Scripture reading this morning is the second half of the conversation where Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple, we talked about that a couple of weeks ago. The disciples ask, what will be the signs that this will occur. Jesus replies somewhat vaguely and mysteriously. Jesus said that you will see signs in the Sun and in the stars and planets. Remember, a star heralded his first coming to earth and astronomical signs will signal his return. Jesus also says that just as when the fig tree sprouts you know spring is approaching, you will see the signs of his return.

These Scriptures have allowed a lot of people to be misguided and misinformed; I believe that someone from each generation from the time of Jesus has claimed that his return is approaching. Many have spent there entire lives simply in wait for Christ’s return. They wait upon the sound of the trumpet that heralds the coming of Christ. There was a group of people in the 1800s that took this to the extreme. A preacher named William Miller claimed that he had calculated the year and time that Christ’s return would come. He and his followers sold their possessions and went out wait upon a hill so they might be among the first to see Jesus in his return, of course it didn’t happen and this episode is called “The Great Disappointment”. Many people today claim that we are living in the end times and although none were a zealous as Miller there are still some negative repercussions to this kind of idea. First, if we believe that Jesus is coming soon then there is no reason to talk care our planet. We can pollute and pollute because God will send in the heavenly clean up crew and make everything new again. This logic is flawed on several levels. First, if we cannot take care of the creation that God has made this time, why would God give us something new to mess up? Perhaps, God is waiting until humanity as a species can get itself together and live and work as a community. Maybe we have a part to play in the renewal of God’s creation. Secondly, if Jesus is coming soon then we don’t really have to work toward helping one another out we can just do it when it is convenient.

The whole Second Coming and rapture theology has gain a lot of notice in popular culture. I would challenge anyone to drive down the Interstate and not see a sign speaking of the return of Christ. They are everywhere; in fact they are so popular that there are bumper stickers that have started to poke fun at them. One that I have seen recently said “Jesus is coming: Look Busy.” In other words don’t actually do anything but just look like you are working for the kingdom. This seems kind of silly at first, but if you think about it the church as began to simply look busy instead of doing something. Poverty is still rampant throughout the world. Healthcare and medicine are becoming harder and harder to gain access to. Many people die daily worldwide of easily preventable diseases and in wars fought because of greed. The church obviously has work left to do.

We, as Advent people, must look for Christ, we anticipate Christ’s return, but we also work as Advent people. We cannot stand on the sidelines waiting for something to happen. Acts 1:11 talks about the Disciples just standing on hill after Jesus had ascended into heaven. They just stood there as if they expected Jesus just to come right back. Then an angel had to come down and tell them “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” In other words, the angel said “Hey guys, stop staring at the sky, Jesus will come back when God is ready, but for right now you’ve got work to do.” We cannot simply await the coming of Christ nor can we ignore the fact that it is going to happen. Instead, we must live every day to the fullest. We must live and work in hope and faith.

God’s kingdom is in the here and now, it is called the church. The church is a group of faithful and hopeful people who work in God’s creation, not just to bring people to Christ, that is a purpose, but to also bring healing to God’s creation. We work to alleviate poverty in the world, to bring medicine to those who need it, to help to save those who are dying. This is the job of the “big C” Church, the body of Christ, the kingdom of God in the here and now. Our hope is in the return of Christ, we like the disciples look toward that return, but in the meantime we have work to do and we must work with the love of God and the hope of Christ in our hearts.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.