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!
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