Let's Face The Music and Dance! AKA Advent 1. (Jer. 33.-14-16, Luke 21.25-36)

 

"There may be trouble ahead, but while there’s moonlight, and music, and romance, let’s face the music and dance!”

Or something like that anyway. So we’re here, the first Sunday of Advent, or as I like to call it, clergy meltdown season…

In our modern commercial world the season of Advent often gets sucked up into the pre-Christmas excitefest! And yes Advent is about preparing for the coming of the saviour. But Advent is a season in its own right. Here’s what Times and Seasons, the Church of England seasonal liturgical handbook, which I’m sure you’ve all read cover to cover, says about Advent.

“Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming (adventus) of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings and liturgies not only direct us towards Christ’s birth, they also challenge the modern reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement.”

Or to put it another way Advent is about beginnings and endings. The new beginning with the incarnation of Jesus and the end times, the Escaton. The four main themes of Advent are, Death, Judgement, Heaven, Hell.

OOOh It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Sorry if these themes don’t make you want to get up and dance. Not really very Christmassy are they, but that’s kind of the point. The whole of the Christmas story is about all of these things and more. As we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas, so too we must think and reflect about these important subjects for every Christian.

Advent is a bit like Lent, the liturgical colour is purple because like lent it’s a time of preparation. Personally Advent for me is more of a favourite than Lent. Firstly because, and I’m sure you’ll agree, I still get to eat me choccies unlike in lent. But secondly rather than a time of penitence, it’s a time of expectation. Of Hope. Of Alert watchfulness. Our prayer is ‘Maranatha’ Come Lord Jesus.

So the theme today is  ‘judgement’. This is the first Sunday of Advent, so we’ve going to talk today a bit about judgement, a bit about the kingdom, a bit about fear, and perhaps about our place in all of this. So let’s delve in shall we? It’s best to get it out of the way before figgy pudding.

I remember the first time I marched at Pride here in Norwich, as part of the Christians at Pride group. It was beautiful sunny day, and as we walked along we came across a man with a banner that said something along the lines of ‘God hate sinners’ and as we passed he shouted at us ‘there will be a judgement.’

 

And I thought myself, yes there certainly will be, I mean what are you wearing?

But in seriousness there are different approaches to the judgement. His is one, and mine is another. I do believe there will be a judgement, but I believe it will be done in and through and with love, in a way we don’t understand right now, through a God who is more compassionate and loving than we can possibly imagine.

When people point to passages in the Bible about judgement they’re often coming at it from a place of either their own anger, they want to clobber someone, or that God is angry and wants to clobber us. But I’ve got more hope than that, and I think there’s so much to be hopeful for in the messages we see in Bible.

“My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts.” This verse comforts me no end. Thank God, God doesn’t think like me. Anger, resentment and vengeance are not characteristics of God, they’re characteristics of us. Sometimes we like to make out God is like this, that God particularly agrees with us.

God’s wrath isn’t a self-seeking hot burning anger like a toddler’s tantrum, like our wrath. It’s directed always against injustice. It’s because of harm done to one another, and this wrath is always tempered with love.

Judgement isn’t always about anger either. So why would God’s be?

God’s purposes are always good. Always for our benefit. As it says in the prophesy of Jeremiah we read this morning “The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, when I will fulfil the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.”

And we know in that prophesy that he’s talking about Jesus, the coming saviour. God fulfils his promises. It’s right there, Her purpose for us is good.

On the face of it there are some really scary images in our Gospel reading today, but whenever we read the bible we need to look at a particular passage in its context.

Before this reading there’s a whole chapter about judgement and apocalyptic discourse. It starts with the story of the Widow’s mite. When a poor widow puts into the collection all that she had, and Jesus says she gave more than the rich people. Gift Aid forms are at the back by the way.

Then Jesus talks about the destruction of the Temple (which did happen, and this was probably written after that happened), he talks about false prophets. Then again about exile and destruction of the temple, until finally he talks about the persecutions that the disciples will face.

That’s how we need to frame this. In light of the persecutions that the Christian church was experiencing when the Gospel was written, and what happened to those early followers of Jesus.

This is the final part of Jesus’ ministry, the conclusion of it. After this passage we’re straight into the passion narrative.

So it’s like the writer is summing up all the disciples experience and happenings, with the future experiences and problems they will face.

So this isn’t just about judgement. It’s about consolation, about the coming of the kingdom. It’s about the sure and certain hope of the Parousia to those who are being persecuted.

Parousia, sounds a bit like a breakfast cereal doesn’t it? Filled with goodness and whole grains, try Parousia today! No Parousia means the second coming, which is something we should hope for.

People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world… Yes, BUT, “When these things take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

We see hope scattered through this, for those suffering. Our redemption has come, He comes in Love to judge the earth! This is not a negative judgement, but redemption for all of us.

“Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the Kingdom of God is near.”

Now as far as I remember from Sunday School, the Kingdom of God is a good thing. Hope is not denied to us. The Kingdom has been established through Jesus.

“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

In light of all these things, this isn’t about being afraid of God. Or fearful about the Parousia, it’s about faithfulness in the face of persecution.

It challenges the faithfulness of all of us. Because God is faithful, She keeps Her promise. This quote sums up what we should be doing in Advent. Keeping watch, waiting, in joyful and hope filled anticipation, not just of the choccies and figgy pudding and carols.

But about the coming kingdom of our God, who reigns for ever and ever, and loves us more than we can know.

So let’s face the music, and dance together.

Maranatha, Amen, Come Lord Jesus!