Second Sunday of Advent6th December, 2015
Sentence
The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news. Mark 1: 15
Collect
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who at Your first coming sent Your messenger to prepare Your way before You; grant that the ministers and stewards of Your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready Your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, that at Your second coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in Your sight, for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament LessonIsaiah 11: 1 – 10
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness[1] shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Psalm71: 1 – 7 & 18 – 21
Give the king Your judgement, O God: and Your righteousness to the son of a king
That he may judge Your people rightly: and the poor of the land with equity:
Let the mountains be laden with peace because of his righteousness: and the hills also with prosperity for his people
May he give justice to the poor among the people: and rescue the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor?
May he live while the sun endures: and while the moon gives light, throughout all generations
May he come down like rain upon the new-mown fields: and as showers that water the earth
In his time shall righteousness flourish: and abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more
Let his name live for ever: and endure as long as the sun
Let all peoples use his name in blessing: and all nations call him blessed.
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel: Who alone does great marvels
Blessed be His glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, Amen.
EpistleRomans 15: 4 – 13
Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name:" and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him"; and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
GOSPELMatthew 3: 1 – 12
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
This passage may well help us to realize that not all of Israel had the fiery expectation of a messiah of the likes of King David. John the Baptist seemed to have had that view, and that may well have been because of his Essene background. But Isaiah did not, obviously. And it is a telling picture and presentation that the old prophet offered. Please read this through carefully.
It may well have been because of the vast lack of such aspects and attitudes that led Isaiah to think in the way he did. Kings and other leaders of those days were fierce upholders of their own authority, which meant that the little people had the minutest chance of having their voices heard. So Isaiah must have seen the clear need for real justice and caring to emerge from somewhere, and looked to God for such answers.
Do not be carried away with any literal expectation of lions lying down with lambs; it is metaphorical of course, but you still get the clear message. In the forthcoming kingdom, power is not the focus of attention, but the careful consideration for all people. I suspect that the only possible criticism of the cameo would be that it seems to point to boredom through lack of conflict, but more likely it is that the real outcome would be resolution of conflict. Peace is not the absence of war, but rather more a complete and positive mindset of its own.
However, as reiterated often in these pages, please see where the real emphasis lies as the prophet looks for Divine answers to human problems. It is not in heaven that Isaiah anticipated results, but right here and now. Gospel responses to real human issues have always called for a vast change in lives and living.
Psalm
And does not the Psalm – from a period in time after David[2]- make the same statements and hopes as Isaiah? So why have we missed all this emphasis, and turned it into some sort of spiritual haze?
Epistle
This passage begins with a glad rejoicing in the fact of Scripture, and goes on to underline another often missed factor. We would be lost without the Bible, but it does need to be understood rather better.
Take the emphasis on the Gentiles in the second part of this passage: to our view Paul may well be charged with cooking his cabbages a number of times, but he wants to get the point across. And the point is not only that Gentiles are included in God’s vision, but that this Faith is designed for all humans regardless of where or when they live and under whatever culture. This Faith is not so rarefied that only a blessed few can understand it, or have the capacity to have faith in it. This Faith stands up to whatever scrutiny anyone imposes on it, and whilst we who are its believers at the present time are a long way from perfect, we do need to embrace its goals and means for peace and reconciliation. Otherwise we are being apostates.
Gospel
I have long wondered – inquisitive so-and-so that I am – how the Lord coped with John the Baptist. Anyone who has taken care to compare and contrast the very different ministries and emphases of Jesus and John must surely have pondered the same question. John, product of his earlier life almost certainly spent with the Qumran Sect, was formidable and forceful, very judgemental and narrow. In fact, time was to come for John when he questioned his Cousin about his credentials. ‘Are you the One we are looking for, or do we look for another?’
There can be no doubt that John prepared the way for Jesus, but he did expect a similarly punitive and judgemental Lord, and was disappointed when Jesus did not fit the pattern. Does that mean that the Lord can cope with all sorts of random shot preachers and teachers? My problem is that so many of the narrower folk make the road so much harder for the Gospel, and even harder for any disciple. My sad comment comes from so much time in ministry and preaching trying to tidy up for folk after they had been led up some fearful ‘garden paths’ – and not only by people on the fringes of Christianity.
NOTES FOR A SERMON
Being Anglican tends to have its great advantages, and sometimes some stunning opposites. Ours is a Church that, as someone once wrote decades ago, tolerates the intolerable, and an adherent can be almost anything within the range of right-wing catholic and left wing Salvation Army, - which is an offshoot of Methodists who off-shot from our mob anyhow. So I guess my comments on John the Baptist may seem more than a little off-key.
It has to be said that each person’s experience of life produces such a wide variation of responses and attitudes that there is no point trying to push any of us into some sort of sausage skin. Years ago, I was asked why I was Anglican rather than any of the other denominations; my answer at the time was ‘accident of birth I imagine.’ However it was not long before the real answer became ‘by conviction.’ I could not cope with being bound to one of the so-called confessional Churches, not because I look down on them at all! Far from it. But where I am as Anglican it is expected of me and you to explore the Faith and test the edges and ask the awkward questions to find the real and lasting answers. This is the very process that has produced for all of us that most remarkable document called Scripture. I have no monopoly on God or even on theology, but I have become aware of how some preaching has gone beyond the reasonable limits and produced huge antipathy to the Faith once delivered.
So I have to come back to that question about John the Baptist: how did Jesus cope with his outbursts, though many of them were productive? How did Jesus cope with his judgemental approach, when He was far more laid back and relaxed about a lot of the same issues? More to the point, although I am retired these days, I still find it hard to remain quiet when whoever is preaching or teaching either has not thought through what he/she is saying, or is way off beam Biblically let alone theologically. (Obviously, I would not make a good Jesus, but then you know that already!)
Whilst I have to report beginning my Christian pilgrimage in very much the judgemental, fundamental evangelical Christian position, it was a matter of personal experience first of the Scriptures and then people and clergy in the bush areas where I first worked whose honesty and integrity had me looking rather wider than up to then. I may have told you how, one Sunday evening after Church, the men of the congregation took me aside and told me that I was preaching rubbish[3] .... And that I knew it. And they were right. They had seen further into what I was on about, and noted that I had missed out on many important factors.
It was not a matter of fearing that the narrow Gospel would not be accepted by people. It was a clear and present fact that my narrow vision of the Gospel was the big inhibiting factor. The more I read the Scriptures, the more my blinkers were removed, not by people but by the Spirit of God. It is no easy path to travel from certainty to ... where one was not sure for some time. That uncertainty was not long in being replaced by a greater sureness, as both Scripture and life intertwined in a way it had never done before. But there are still questions.
So still I am not sure how Jesus coped with the Baptist. But then He has to cope with me, does He not?
Third Sunday of Advent13th December, 2015
Sentence
Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.’ Isaiah 35: 3-4
Collect
Almighty God, You have made us and all things to serve You; come quickly to save us so that wars and violence shall end and Your children may live in peace, honouring one another with justice and love; through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord. Amen
Old Testament LessonIsaiah 35: 1 – 10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you." Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God's people; no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
PsalmThe Song of Mary
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord: my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
Who has looked with favour on His lowly servant: from this day all generations shall call me blessed
The Almighty has done great things for me: and holy is His name
God has mercy on those who fear Him: from generation to generation
The Lord has shown strength with His arm: and scattered the proud in their conceit
Casting down the mighty from their thrones: and lifting up the lowly
God has filled the hungry with good things: and sent the rich away empty