November 30, 2008 Sermon
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Advent 1 - Year B
Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-37 November 30, 2008
Gary Sanford San Angelo
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen
"O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence..." Isaiah laments the sin and evil ways the people have fallen into. He issues a plea for the presence of God in a troubled land and foretells the coming of our Lord and Savior. Not an angry God who will punish the sins and transgression of His people, as Isaiah describes, but a light that will shine upon the world.
There was a saying that was popular a few years ago, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." While this saying is a bit trite, we do look at the first day of Advent as the first day of the year for the church. We enter Advent with expectation of what is to come. It is a time to come closer to God in eager anticipation of the coming of the light of Christ. It is a time, not for reflection, but for looking forward.
When I was a small boy my mother used to read to me and my brothers every night before bed. Even with all of its foreboding and visions of terror one of my favorite books was the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Tales inspired from folklore of a bygone era, these tales always sparked my imagination and, no, I never did have nightmares from them. One of the lesser known tales, and a very short one, is "The Moon". In this story four men of doubtful repute travel from their own country to another. In their country there is no moon or star in the sky and the night is pitch black. In the country they travel to they find a large globe hung from a tall oak tree that gives light in the dark, even if dimly. Upon asking a passerby what kind of light it was, he replied that it was The Moon and had been purchased by the mayor for three thalers. While not as bright as the sun it did give enough light to see by. The four travelers came up with a plan to steal the globe and return it to their country where they hung it in a tall tree. They cleaned it, they kept it filled with oil and trimmed the wick. Eventually they became old men and when the first was near death he instructed, on the claim of ownership, that one fourth of the moon be buried with him--likewise the second, third and fourth. With the loss of each quarter the moon became less bright until there was no linger any light. As all four pieces were reunited in the underworld they produced enough light that the dead came to life and raised such a ruckus that St. Peter decided to investigate. He rescued The Moon and hung it in heaven where the light would shine for people of all nations.
We, too, live in a world of darkness as we await the coming of Christ. His is the light that will shine for the whole world. We want this coming, we need this coming, we crave this coming, yet there is a certain amount of risk involved. While we believe in God, the source of all good things, we must be prepared for God's response to our prayers for the presence of Christ, not just in our words, but in our very souls. If we are not ready, such an appearance can be upsetting to our very lives, to our order of things. It is a force that can bring about significant change.
Mark's Gospel reading talks about this second coming of Christ. Mark tells us how the Son of Man will come with great power and glory to claim all of those who believe in Him. That belief has to be in our hearts, in our very being just as Christ is present in us. It is not enough just to say we believe in Christ, we must live that belief.
There is a moral to the story of the moon: The four travelers brought back to their country a source of light to brighten the dark of night. A light that was of benefit to all within its reach, still, they wished to maintain ownership for themselves. They did not bring it back as a gift, but as a possession. As they died and each took his part of the light it diminished until one night there was no more light. St. Peter rescued the light and hung it in heaven where it could be enjoyed by all. So it is with the light of Christ. It is not a possession to be horded, but a gift to be shared with all people, even those we may disagree with. The light of Christ shines brightly in each of us, but if we try to hide it, to keep it only for ourselves, it will surely diminish. I do not believe that it is ever extinguished, but I do believe that it can become so dim that we no longer recognize it.
The sharing of Christ is what brings us together. It is the force that strengthens our community and unifies us as people of God. I believe that we are all called to use the gifts that God has given each of us to His glory. It is by sharing our selves with others that we keep the light of Christ burning brightly.
This morning [at the 10:30 service] we will be commissioning two new Eucharistic Visitors. Not everyone is called to this ministry, but those who are serve a very vital function for the church. Through their unselfish love and dedication those who are unable to attend services because of illness or age are constantly welcomed back into not only our church family, but the community of Christ. Our visitors bring comfort to those who can’t be here and suffer with them in their isolation. Our Eucharistic Visitors take not only the body and blood of Christ, but the love and concerns of this congregation with them as is reflected in the Sending Our Prayer.
Isaiah tells us "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand." Will we let God form us as He wills? Do we just say we believe, or do we live as we believe? Mark's Gospel tells us "they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory." He warns us that the day and the hour are unknown to any but the Father. Will we be ready? Stay awake!
Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing on all whom you have made. We ask your blessing on all who know of you and those who don't. We ask your blessing on those who serve you in your glory. Amen
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