This is the first time we hear from John, and
he says to the crowd:
“Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”
“Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”
That is our message for today:
“Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”
“Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”
Advent is making room for God. Each year
we are challenged to make more room for God in our lives. That means something has
to give.
In
the pre-Christmas rush of parties and shopping and cooking and cleaning, we
hear from John:
“Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”
“Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”
There are 168 hours in a week, and we could
look at what happens in
each hour, and how you can squeeze more ‘God hours’ into the week. But that isn’t
the point. That isn’t what John is preaching, and it isn’t what Advent is
about.
While
repentance includes feeling sorry for one’s personal sins, it is much more than
that.
To
repent is to recognise the ways in which our life is out-of-step with God’s
dream for the world, and to turn towards God and the attitudes and actions of
the kingdom of heaven.
“To
repent is turn away from the values and practices of the old age (e.g.,
idolatry, violence, injustice, exploitation, slavery, and scarcity) and to turn
towards the values and practices of the Realm of God.” [i]
“Repentance, …, is realizing that God is
pointing you one way, that you’ve been traveling another way, and changing
course.” [ii]
“Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”
John
offers a choice, turn our lives around, return to God, live with peace and justice
and hope and love; or risk the consequences. We are being invited to co-operate with God; to
move into a ‘new’ normal.
For
too many people the current normal is one of hunger, fear, isolation and
despair.
Friday
was the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. In Australia, we might
think slavery is only an issue for third world countries; but even in Australia
there are cases of people being held as slaves. Often it is new immigrants who
are being held as slaves. One example is from 2013, when 3 people were arrested
for human trafficking. The people from Australia visited the Philippines and
encouraged boxers to come and make their fortune in Australia. When they
arrived, their passports were taken from them, they lived in a corrugated iron garage,
trained and cleaned houses. They were not allowed to contact anyone. On the
rare occasions they won a fight in the boxing ring, most of their winnings was
taken from them. [iii]
One way we in Australia benefit from slavery and slave like
conditions is in some of the clothes we wear and some of the food we eat.
What might the kingdom of God look like to people caught in slavery?
In
the reading from Isaiah last week we heard of the coming time when weapons of
war and violence would be turned into farming implements. This morning we hear
another of the promise passages from Isaiah. We hear of a time when predator and
prey will be safe in each other’s presence.
“The
Isaiah readings have been about the coming kingdom of God. God’s dream about a
different world where there is no predator or prey, no fear or hatred. It’s not
a goal to be achieved, but a dream by which to set a course.”[iv]
Leopards
will lie down with young goats,
and wolves will rest with lambs.
Calves and lions will eat together
and be cared for by little children.
Cows and bears will share the same pasture;
their young will rest side by side.
Lions and oxen will both eat straw. [Isaiah 11 CEV]
and wolves will rest with lambs.
Calves and lions will eat together
and be cared for by little children.
Cows and bears will share the same pasture;
their young will rest side by side.
Lions and oxen will both eat straw. [Isaiah 11 CEV]
Over the years I wondered how predator and prey
could safely be together, but then the last line is a hint. Lions and oxen will
both eat straw.
The predator, the one with power and strength, will
give up their ways. The lamb will be safe with the wolf, not because the lamb
is suddenly armour plated, but because the wolf will no longer eat meat.
When we discuss issues like transport, immigration,
health, refugees, wages, taxation, and interest rates, I rarely hear anyone speaking
about what it means for the poorest in the community. the comments I hear are
about what it means to me.
What would it mean if we gave up our power so that someone
else could live without fear?
Repentance is recognising where we are out of step
with God.
It isn’t about how many chapters of the Bible we
read each week, or how many hours we pray or how many church meetings we go to.
Repentance is recognising where we are out of step
with God, and making a change in our lives.
A short exercise:
Take a moment to daydream what God’s
vision is for you.
That is, what do you think God wants you to be and to do?
That is, what do you think God wants you to be and to do?
Now, choose one area in your life you
would like to change direction, for example:
Is there an unhealthy relationship you
want to repair or address? Can you imagine using your time differently and
toward better ends?
Is there a practice or habit you might take up that would produce more abundant life for yourself or for those around you?
Is there a practice or habit you might take up that would produce more abundant life for yourself or for those around you?
Final question: Can you identify one
community issue and begin praying for it daily, open to how God might direct your
time and actions to contributing to change? [v]
Advent is making room for God in our
lives. Sometimes it seems that being asked to slow down, to reflect, to take
time for God means missing out on Christmas. I know what it is like, if I don’t
send cards, and buy presents and bake shortbread .. and .. and … then Christmas
won’t be Christmas.
The whole point of Christmas is that God
came to be present with us, in the everyday and the extraordinary. God does not sit up in heaven checking up on
us, throwing down thunderbolts or smiling a rainbow for us.
The God we know in Jesus comes down
out of heaven to take on our lot and our life and give us hope by being with us
and for us, inviting more abundant life and helping us to see in the face of
our neighbour not a competitor for scarce resources, but a brother or sister in
Christ. If Advent is a time to slow down, it’s so that we can have more
authentic life, not less Christmas.[vi]
“Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”
What would it mean if we gave up our power so that someone else could live without fear?
ReplyDeleteTotally love that line...and I am going to use it in my sermon attributing it to you!