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Evensong Sermon by Reverend Charmaine Braatvedt Sunday 2nd December, 2007 Today is the first day of the season of Advent. The word Advent literally means “coming” or “arrival”. It refers to the period in the church calendar when we look prepare ourselves to celebrate the first coming of Jesus as a baby 2,000 years ago and When reflect on the promised second coming of Christ some time in the future. This second coming is known as the Parousia in church language. As in the season of lent, ideally these four weeks before the Christmas day offers us a time to grow deeper in our faith and to be reflective about our relationships with God, others and the world. It is a time if you like for a kind of for a spiritual stocktaking or a spiritual warrant of fitness or a spiritual health examination. In this season we are encouraged to ask ourselves the question: “How can I personally prepare my heart for the coming of Christ in my life here and now?” Realistically, it can be a real challenge to nurture an Advent spirit in cultures like our own Western Culture, where the emphasis is on the Christmas holiday itself with all its gifts and splendour associated with the festive season. So, if we are to enter into the true spirit of Advent we have to be prepared to be somewhat counter cultural. There’ll be a real juggling act as we try to prepare for Christmas lunch, buy all the gifts and attend all the end of year functions while simultaneously trying to find time to reflect on our spiritual wellbeing. So if we are to take the season of Advent seriously, we must be prepared to be intentional about finding time and space to reflect on our faith, on our relationships with God and on the way we relate to the world around us, so that when Christmas day comes, we are prepared spiritually to truly celebrate the wonder of God with us in Jesus Christ. I have no doubt however that if we can take the time, we will find that this period of reflection, will prove to be the greatest and most lasting gift we can possibly give to ourselves this Christmas. So how might we do this? Well, during this season of Advent, the Church encourages us to read and pay attention to the words of prophets like Isaiah, to John the Baptist, to the song of Mary and to words of the angel speaks during his visitations. We are encouraged to hold back from rushing too quickly into the whole Christmas thing and instead to spend some time waiting and anticipating Christ’s arrival or coming and what that might mean in terms of our own need for redemption and salvation. It’s a bit I suppose like going on a wonderful holiday. A valuable part of the experience is to plan and anticipate the holiday. So it is with Christmas. It seems to me in the world out there that as soon as the 1st of December arrives, it’s as though someone flicks a switch and the Christmas lights go on and the carols announcing Christ’s arrival are sung and we are into the Christmas season, with no planning or sense of anticipation. The Church’s liturgical calendar encourages us to do something quite different. We are encouraged to view the coming of Christmas like the dawning of a new day. This morning when I first woke the sky was grey. As the sun rose the sky changed in brightness and colour numerous times until the sun itself rose above the horizon. So it is with Advent. We take our time anticipating the coming of Christ and as we reflect on our spiritual lives we are gifted with many revelations about ourselves and our God until Christmas finally comes and we are in a place to celebrate the coming of Christ and to give thanks for those revelations and learnings we received during the waiting time. Tonight’s Old Testament reading offers an excellent opportunity for us to embark on an advent reflection. The Isaiah text holds many prophetic words for us here and now. I’d like to highlight a few of the verses that stood out for me as I explored the passage in preparation for tonight’s sermon. Reading the passage from Isaiah we notice that in verse 1 the writer exhorts us to ‘awake, awake’.. As we reflect on those words, I wonder how many of us have become a little sleepy in our faith walk, a little lazy about nurturing our relationship with God. Perhaps we have let our daily devotions slip. Perhaps we have not prayed in a while. Perhaps we have not been reading the Bible as much as we ought. Advent exhorts us to wake up, rise up and seize the opportunity to refocus our eyes on Jesus by spending prayerful time with him, reading his word and paying attention to his call on our lives. Is it time for us to shake off the dust of spiritual inactivity and to clothe ourselves with the wonderful spiritual garments of prayer and the word of God? In verse 2 the writer challenges us to free ourselves from “ the chains on your neck”. I wonder what those words mean to you today? What are the things that are burdening your thinking and your life today? Perhaps it is an un-forgiven hurt that you have caused or that someone has caused you. Perhaps it is something that you are currently doing that you know is wrong and unworthy of you? Perhaps it is an addiction of some sort that you are struggling to break? Whatever is chaining you, Jesus offers to release you from it. He says: “Come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. This advent may well be your opportunity to explore how you might break free from those chains. It may well be time to accept that Christ freely redeems you when you turn to him. As is written in Isaiah: “Without money you will be redeemed.” We read in verse 6 “my people will know my name”. When we know someone’s name, really know their name, it is usually a sign that we know them, that we are in relationship with them. So it is with God. Some of us here tonight may feel that we don’t really know God or that we once knew him but that somehow we have drifted away and don’t really know him any more. Advent is a wonderful time to put all that right. It is a great opportunity to get to know God once again or even for the first time. Start on this first day of advent, by recommitting yourself to getting to know God during this season. Invite him into the living room of your life, sit down with him and try to get to know him by spending time with him in whatever way is appropriate for you. It may be by taking regular walks on the beach where you can pray to him in an uninterrupted way. It may be by deciding to read a book like “God is closer than you think “ by John Ortberg or What’s so amazing about grace by Philip Yancey. There are many inspiring books which Murray and I and others can recommend. You will know what’s most appropriate for you. As you get to know him you will discover that a relationship with God brings with it three wonderful offerings. These are articulated in verse 7 of the Isaiah reading as good tidings or good news: 1.The good news about being in relationship with God is that we find peace of mind and soul. This is not the superficial peace that comes from a quiet life where external circumstances are unchallenging and there is no conflict. Rather it is the peace that comes from knowing that as the mystics put it “all is well, all is well and all manner of thing is well”, because God who loves you more deeply than you can imagine is holding you in the palm of his hand. 2. The second piece of good news is that we have hope. No matter how hopeless your situation may be or how difficult your circumstances, you always have hope because God who is all powerful, all good and all knowing loves and cares for you and is with you. Psalm 23 says it beautifully: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” 3. The third piece of good news is that salvation is at hand. You may be feeling like you are drowning in your circumstances or relationships and that there is no help in sight. However once you re-establish your relationship with God you will learn that God is closer than a breath away and through Jesus, God offers to heal, rescue and restore your spirit for all eternity. So this advent may we take up the challenge in Isaiah. Let us pay attention to our relationship with God. Let us do all that will ensure that our God reigns in our lives. So that others may see the salvation of our God and be encouraged to ask him into their lives also. As we do so, may we rest in the knowledge that “the Lord goes before us” to lead us and behind us to protect us on our spiritual journey of preparation for the coming of His Son into our lives this Christmas. |
