1 Sunday in Advent 11/30/08 Text: Isaiah 64:1-9
First Sunday in Advent
11/30/08
Text: Isaiah 64:1-9
Title: Come Lord Jesus, come.
Today we celebrate the first Sunday in Advent. Advent in the church is that time in which we celebrate the first Advent, the birth of our Savior, while living in the time of his Second Advent; that time in which we live in the present as he comes to us in his Word and Sacraments each Sunday, while waiting for the Third Advent, that time when he comes to end this world as we know it.
This past week, as I took a break from studying for today’s sermon, I wondered what a person would do, if God were to appear in person and speak to them. I wonder if they would just blow him off and go about their daily business, or would they grab a pen and paper and write down everything he said? What do you think? What would you do?
I think that most, if not all you would say, “I would at least record, if not write down what he said because, after all he is God and I know that what he is going to say are important and live saving. I would want to be able to read them time and time again depending on the circumstances of my life.” I really believe that everyone here this morning would do that if God came and talked to them.
Well I have some wonderful news for you. God did come and speak. He spoke and his words were recorded by Moses, Abraham, the prophets, and the Apostles. God spoke of sin and forgiveness to his people. He spoke through the prophets of the coming Messiah whose birth we are going to celebrate on December 25th. God spoke and things happened. He spoke through thousands of years of recorded history and it is all written down in what we call the Bible. It is in that holy book that he speaks today to each one of you, for in the Bible you will find out about him and his will for you; his personal message to you.
So today we are going to see what God has to say to you as a follower of his, through the prophet Isaiah. As we go through Isaiah’s words notice that even while Isaiah is questioning why God is not showing himself to be the powerful God he is, Isaiah’s faith is strong. His words are words of confession and repentance on Israel’s behalf.
Just listen to him. Try and get a feel for how he felt. Times were hard. The people had been hauled off to a foreign land. It looked like God had forgotten them. Think how you felt in the worst moment of your life and then listen for Isaiah’s confession and repentance and make it your own, for it needs to be your confession since we are all sinful humans. You see Isaiah is waiting for the first coming of the Messiah, while we are waiting for the final coming of the Messiah.
In verse 1, we read where Isaiah is pleading with God to come down like he used to do, in a mighty way so that the people would know he is God. Wouldn’t that be wonderful if God did that today; opening the heavens, shaking the mountains, so that all those unbelievers in the world would know he is God; that we would really know he is God?
In verse 4, Isaiah tells us that there is no god like our God, for our God acts. He comes to us and does good things, which other gods cannot do. He reacts to our good deeds and acts of righteousness. God does those things, he wants to do good things for us, but just like Isaiah’s day, sin separates us from God.
As Isaiah says in verse 6, we have all become like one unclean. We are like lepers before God, shouting out, “Unclean, I am unclean!” And because of our sin, if left on our own to stand in front of God, we are like the leaves blowing around outside, who just a month ago were full of color and are now lifeless.
We were lifeless until God out of mercy came to us in a mighty way that split the heavens open, shook the mountains, and started a fire that set the world ablaze. The heavens were split open at this birth by the angels announcing that he was to bring peace to all and at his baptism when God split the heavens open to announce to the world “This is my Son”.
The mountains shook both at his death and resurrection and on Pentecost he set the world on fire with the flames of the Holy Spirit. Such an earth-shaking act as God's forgiveness being delivered through his earthly born, and mortally wounded Son is more than awesome, it is faith making. For that act makes the faith that God gives us a faith that looks to God, not as the one who rewards the righteous, but as the one who makes the unrighteous righteous.
In Jesus’ death and resurrection the barrier between heaven and earth has been permanently removed. We the unrighteous who so many times feel distant from our creator, our holy lover, can now call God Father and claim Jesus’ righteousness for ourselves.
Suddenly, life with God is no longer about living up to God's expectations; it's about living life expectantly, keeping alert to all the ways that God will meet us in Jesus the Christ; those times that we meet him in the Word and the Sacraments and in the Absolution and in the love shown by our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
We live our lives expectantly never forgetting that we are the clay, being molded by God our potter. We live our lives expectantly never knowing exactly what God plans to shape us into, but knowing that whatever shape he molds us into we are vessels for his mercy ready to be poured out into the world.
Advent in the church is a time of preparation, preparation for Christmas morning as we count down the weeks and days until Christmas Day, that time when we celebrate the entrance of God as one of us into our world. It is a time of now as we prepare each Sunday for Christ to come to us in the Absolution, Word, and Lord’s Supper. It is a time in the future as we prepare for his final coming, his final arrival in the body on that day of Judgment when he calls his beloved home with him. It is a time that we need to be preparing for, for as we have seen in the last four Sunday’s Gospel reading there is no second change, no change to repent. When he comes it is over and all who truly have believed in Jesus as their Savior and have lived their lives following his example will enter with him into our eternal home. Advent, what a glorious time of preparation it is. Amen.
11/30/08
Text: Isaiah 64:1-9
Title: Come Lord Jesus, come.
Today we celebrate the first Sunday in Advent. Advent in the church is that time in which we celebrate the first Advent, the birth of our Savior, while living in the time of his Second Advent; that time in which we live in the present as he comes to us in his Word and Sacraments each Sunday, while waiting for the Third Advent, that time when he comes to end this world as we know it.
This past week, as I took a break from studying for today’s sermon, I wondered what a person would do, if God were to appear in person and speak to them. I wonder if they would just blow him off and go about their daily business, or would they grab a pen and paper and write down everything he said? What do you think? What would you do?
I think that most, if not all you would say, “I would at least record, if not write down what he said because, after all he is God and I know that what he is going to say are important and live saving. I would want to be able to read them time and time again depending on the circumstances of my life.” I really believe that everyone here this morning would do that if God came and talked to them.
Well I have some wonderful news for you. God did come and speak. He spoke and his words were recorded by Moses, Abraham, the prophets, and the Apostles. God spoke of sin and forgiveness to his people. He spoke through the prophets of the coming Messiah whose birth we are going to celebrate on December 25th. God spoke and things happened. He spoke through thousands of years of recorded history and it is all written down in what we call the Bible. It is in that holy book that he speaks today to each one of you, for in the Bible you will find out about him and his will for you; his personal message to you.
So today we are going to see what God has to say to you as a follower of his, through the prophet Isaiah. As we go through Isaiah’s words notice that even while Isaiah is questioning why God is not showing himself to be the powerful God he is, Isaiah’s faith is strong. His words are words of confession and repentance on Israel’s behalf.
Just listen to him. Try and get a feel for how he felt. Times were hard. The people had been hauled off to a foreign land. It looked like God had forgotten them. Think how you felt in the worst moment of your life and then listen for Isaiah’s confession and repentance and make it your own, for it needs to be your confession since we are all sinful humans. You see Isaiah is waiting for the first coming of the Messiah, while we are waiting for the final coming of the Messiah.
In verse 1, we read where Isaiah is pleading with God to come down like he used to do, in a mighty way so that the people would know he is God. Wouldn’t that be wonderful if God did that today; opening the heavens, shaking the mountains, so that all those unbelievers in the world would know he is God; that we would really know he is God?
In verse 4, Isaiah tells us that there is no god like our God, for our God acts. He comes to us and does good things, which other gods cannot do. He reacts to our good deeds and acts of righteousness. God does those things, he wants to do good things for us, but just like Isaiah’s day, sin separates us from God.
As Isaiah says in verse 6, we have all become like one unclean. We are like lepers before God, shouting out, “Unclean, I am unclean!” And because of our sin, if left on our own to stand in front of God, we are like the leaves blowing around outside, who just a month ago were full of color and are now lifeless.
We were lifeless until God out of mercy came to us in a mighty way that split the heavens open, shook the mountains, and started a fire that set the world ablaze. The heavens were split open at this birth by the angels announcing that he was to bring peace to all and at his baptism when God split the heavens open to announce to the world “This is my Son”.
The mountains shook both at his death and resurrection and on Pentecost he set the world on fire with the flames of the Holy Spirit. Such an earth-shaking act as God's forgiveness being delivered through his earthly born, and mortally wounded Son is more than awesome, it is faith making. For that act makes the faith that God gives us a faith that looks to God, not as the one who rewards the righteous, but as the one who makes the unrighteous righteous.
In Jesus’ death and resurrection the barrier between heaven and earth has been permanently removed. We the unrighteous who so many times feel distant from our creator, our holy lover, can now call God Father and claim Jesus’ righteousness for ourselves.
Suddenly, life with God is no longer about living up to God's expectations; it's about living life expectantly, keeping alert to all the ways that God will meet us in Jesus the Christ; those times that we meet him in the Word and the Sacraments and in the Absolution and in the love shown by our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
We live our lives expectantly never forgetting that we are the clay, being molded by God our potter. We live our lives expectantly never knowing exactly what God plans to shape us into, but knowing that whatever shape he molds us into we are vessels for his mercy ready to be poured out into the world.
Advent in the church is a time of preparation, preparation for Christmas morning as we count down the weeks and days until Christmas Day, that time when we celebrate the entrance of God as one of us into our world. It is a time of now as we prepare each Sunday for Christ to come to us in the Absolution, Word, and Lord’s Supper. It is a time in the future as we prepare for his final coming, his final arrival in the body on that day of Judgment when he calls his beloved home with him. It is a time that we need to be preparing for, for as we have seen in the last four Sunday’s Gospel reading there is no second change, no change to repent. When he comes it is over and all who truly have believed in Jesus as their Savior and have lived their lives following his example will enter with him into our eternal home. Advent, what a glorious time of preparation it is. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 5:46 PM
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