Preached on December 13, 2015
Introit: Psalm 85; antiphon: Philippians
4:4–5
St. Matthew 11:2–11
Isaiah 40:1–11
In the name of the Father and of the + Son
and of the Holy Spirit –
The colors for Advent are violet and blue. They
are darker, deeper colors, meant to turn our hearts and minds to more somber
reflection. Advent is a season of repentance because that’s how the Church gets
prepared for the Lord – by repentance and faith. Advent restrains some of our
over-zealous joy for a time of quiet anticipation.
But today we lit the rose candle
in the Advent wreath. The rose color is Advent but with all the dark violets,
blues, and blacks taken out. The rose color gives us a glimmer of Christmas
light shining through to us now, even while the day is not yet here. Even
though we still don’t sing the Gloria in
Excelsis, the song of the Christmas angels, we get a taste of their joy. And
even though we still prepare for the Lord with repentance, St. Paul bursts into
our Advent scene today with the antiphon for our Introit: Gaudete! Rejoice! Rejoice in
the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice! Let your reasonableness be known to everyone – let everyone see
what hope and joy you have in the Lord, because the Lord is at hand!
But St. John the Baptist didn’t
seem like he was rejoicing too much in prison. If St. Paul had been there with
John I imagine he would’ve said, “Rejoice in the Lord always, John! You know,
I’ve spent more than my fair share in prison for preaching God’s Word. You know
what helps John? Singing some hymns.” Then he and John would sing hymns and
trust that their trials would be over soon for the Lord is at hand. More than
anyone John should know that the Lord is at hand. He was the voice in the
wilderness crying, “Prepare the way of
the Lord! Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)
But as John sat in prison he
wasn’t doing much rejoicing. Rather he was praying – probably praying some
verses from Psalm 85 that make our Introit this morning: Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin.
So, Lord, will
you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Will you not free
me from Herod’s prison? Will you not save my head from the executioner’s sword?
Aren’t you the One I anointed in the Jordan River with the Baptism you
commanded me? Aren’t you here to be our King, the Messiah? Are you the one who
is to come, or shall we look for another?
We’ve all been in John’s
position in some way or another. We’ve all prayed to the Lord, Will you not
revive me again, that I may rejoice in you? Will you not save me from my
temptations, free me from my sorrows, cure me of my sickness? Aren’t you the
Lord who saves, who comforts, and gives life? Aren’t you the Coming One, or
shall we look for another? We are not to look for another. Who else could we
ask? St. Peter had the right answer when he said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life.” (John
6:68)
And
that is what John also does here. He sent for a Word from Jesus. As our Introit
says, Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to
His people, to His saints. Christians want to hear their Lord speak. They
want to hear God’s Word. For He will speak Comfort to Jerusalem and to all
flesh, which is like grass and feels the effects of sin and is dying. But the
comfort is this: The Word of the Lord stands forever. The Lord is at hand.
Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and
the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised
up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. Rejoice. Christ is the
Coming One. He is the Lord in human flesh, anointed to be the world's Savior.
And John was sent before Him to prepare the way.
None of us are exactly the same
as John – none of us is the final prophet before the Lord. None of us here
today have even been imprisoned for proclaiming God’s Word. But we are the
ones mentioned at the end of today's Gospel: the least in the kingdom of
heaven who are yet greater than John. We are certainly least in the
Church history. Our names will never make it into the Scriptures. And it’s safe
to assume that we will not be famous saints here on earth. But we are greater
than John because we have seen and know what He only hoped for. His head was
cut off before the Lamb of God was sacrificed to take away the sins of the
world. He was the greatest, the last of the saints before Christ's advent. But
we live in the time after Christ’s resurrection. That also means we live in the
time between His advents. We look forward to His second coming, even as we look
back to what was won for us by our Lord in His death and resurrection. He
forgave our iniquity. He covered our sins with His blood. He has withdrawn
all His wrath and turned from His anger at Calvary, where Christ
bore it in our place.
And yet, at the same time, we are still praying, Revive us
again, O Lord, that Your people
may rejoice in You. This seems like a contradiction. We are entirely
forgiven, redeemed, rescued, delivered, because Christ has accomplished our
salvation once and for all. And yet, we are still weighed down with sins. As
our Collect today said, Our hearts still have darkness. They are
in need of the Lord’s light. They long for the Lord's gracious visitation, His
advent, to bring us into what He has promised.
While we wait for the Lord, faith is tested. During
this time between the Lord's advents faith is tested because what we feel and
experience is not what the Lord has declared to us. He has baptized us. He has
called us His children, His saints, His holy people. But He does not make us
holy in a way that we see it. When we look at ourselves, that's all we see: just
ourselves – sin and darkness, iniquity uncovered. God only makes us holy in
Christ, through Christ, by faith in His promises.
So St. John is an example for us, but the
example isn't what we might think. John didn't laugh in the face of danger or
just send out positive vibes in hopes of improving his situation. John sent for a Word from Jesus. He longed to
hear it again, because only God’s Word spoken, out loud to him, could grant him
the salvation Christ wins. Only hearing the Lord speaking can create and
nourish faith. And when the darkness threatens to engulf us, when we can’t find
a cure for the disease, when the tears for a departed loved one won’t stop
flowing, when we’re stuck in prison and there’s no release in sight, we need to
hear a Word from Jesus again. Repent and hear His Absolution again. Repent and
listen to a sermon. Repent and remember your Baptism. Repent and go to Communion.
Here then is our prayer, from Psalm 85 in our
Introit: Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace
to His people, to His saints. And let us not turn back to folly. Instead,
rejoice, for the Lord is at hand. He has come and He is coming again. And
there is joy in the Lord. Joy is the reasonable or proper thing to do – even in
the midst of repentance and tears. The reason for joy is not what our eyes see
or what our hearts feel. The reason is the Lord's Word, which does not fade or
wither, but stands forever. His Word speaks peace to His people, comfort for
their affliction, and pardon for their iniquity. There is joy because the Lord
is at hand. His blood once shed for us. His body now given to us. His glory
soon to come for us, to revive us again. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I
will say, Rejoice!
Come
quickly + Lord Jesus –
This
is adapted from a sermon by Rev. Sean Daenzer (12/13/15) at Trinity, Great
Bend, and Peace, Barney, ND.
