Anticipation
Sermon
Living Between the Advents
Preaching Advent in Year B
Object:
To say that to live between the advents is to live in anticipation is really redundant. In essence, Advent is anticipation. The word "Advent" means "coming" or "arrival." The day on which Christ was born marked his arrival and fulfilled the anticipation or hope of those who were anticipating and hoping for him to come; it did, at least, if they had "eyes to see and ears to hear." But before he came there was anticipation; there was longing. The celebration of Advent is all about anticipation and longing as we look for the Christ Child to come to us in a new way.
Christ has already been born, of course. He was born to the Virgin Mary and to her gracious husband, Joseph, in a stable or cave in David's city, Bethlehem. There, Mary "wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger" (Luke 2:7). All of this happened in 4 B.C.E., which was over 2,000 years ago! So why do we observe Advent as a time of anticipation, since the event that we are anticipating has already occurred?
We do so, in the first place, because we are anticipating the arrival of Christ in our lives in a new way. Some of you are wrestling with the conviction you have from the Holy Spirit that you should accept Christ as your Savior and become a child of God. We anticipate that Advent will be a time when Jesus will become very real to you and that you will not let Christmas pass without accepting the Savior who was born on that day.
Others of us are already Christians and we cannot become Christians "again." But my experience has been that we can encounter Christ in a manner that will shed new light on our relationship with him. We are not like the little girl who was sitting in the floor, drawing a picture. Her father said to her, "What are you drawing, honey?" She replied, "I'm drawing a picture of God." "But no one knows what God looks like," her father protested. "They will when I'm finished," she answered.1 We cannot presume to know all that we can know about Jesus. We do not know him well enough. Nor can we presume to know all that there is to know about Jesus. So we anticipate experiencing Christ in a new way.
We observe Advent in the second place because of our anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ. Our Bibles teach us that the baby Jesus was the Messiah and that he fulfilled that role by being perfectly obedient to the will of God even to the point of giving his own life on the cross. He then rose from the dead on the third day. Now he sits at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the day when he will come in power to bring the kingdom of God in its fullness. That is the event which today's scripture anticipates. That is the event which we anticipate. That is the event of which the event of Christmas reminds us and assures us. He came, and he will come!
So Advent is all about anticipation. We anticipate the coming of Christ into our lives for the first time or in a new way, and we anticipate his Second Coming. But how do we anticipate the coming of Christ? We can learn from those who anticipated encountering him in his First Advent.
First, we can look for his coming. Our model here is Simeon. When Jesus was about forty days old, Mary and Joseph took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (see Leviticus 12:2-8 for the pertinent law). There they met Simeon. Luke tells us that "it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah" (2:26). And when he saw the baby Jesus he took him in his arms and said, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel" (2:29-32). So Simeon was actively looking for the coming of Christ.
Are we actively looking for his coming? Do we want to see him; do we want to experience him? Are we living as if we are looking for his return? The baby Jesus grew up to be the teacher Jesus and one day he told his disciples, "Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch" (Mark 13:33-34). We anticipate his coming by looking for it; we look for it by performing the ministry that Jesus left for us to do.
Second, we can see the signs of his coming. Our models here are the Wise Men. You will remember that those Persian astronomers came to Herod and said, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage" (Matthew 2:2). They had seen the sign of the coming of Jesus, and they had acted upon what they had seen, launching a search for the child. It is interesting that these were "foreigners" who would not be expected to see the sign; they are to be contrasted with those we meet in the gospels who should have seen the signs but did not. There is an implicit warning here for those of us who are the "insiders": we need to be watchful.
Just before Jesus told his disciples to watch for his coming, he spoke to them of "signs." The signs of which he spoke are really signs of tribulation and difficulty. Whenever we talk about such signs, people tend to associate the words with some present crisis, especially if one is occurring in the Middle East, and when is that not the case? Perhaps you are wondering if such events constitute a sign of the impending return of Christ.
I think that William Lane is right when he says that in this chapter there is a difference between the things that the signs signify and the Second Coming of Christ.2 Look again at what Jesus says in Mark 13. Throughout the bulk of the chapter, Jesus is talking about the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 C.E. He is speaking of a historical event that in his time was yet to occur and that in our time has already occurred. That fall was one of the signs that the end was near, and that happened almost 2,000 years ago!
His followers could (and can) see the signs (v. 30) but we cannot know when Jesus will come (v. 32).3 Our call is to be watchful and ready. Thus, we must say that what is happening now probably is a sign of his impending coming, even as many other events over the last two millennia have been signs of his impending coming. Is he near? Yes. How near? We cannot know. Still, we need to understand that he is coming, and be sensitive to the indicators, and work in light of them.
Third, we can hear the word of his coming. Again, we look for models, and we find good ones in the shepherds. The shepherds on the hills outside Bethlehem heard the word of the Messiah's birth proclaimed by the heavenly host. In response, they went to see the baby in the manger. It was good news, and they recognized it as such.
We can anticipate his coming as we hear the word of his coming. Now, you may say, "Well, if I heard it from a bunch of angels, I'd believe it, too." You may not hear it from angels, but listen: the word proclaimed by the angels is the same word proclaimed today by the Bible, by the church, and by the Holy Spirit, and it is just as powerful. Will you hear the good news about his First Advent and his Second Advent and respond to it?
We can sum up all that we have said by saying two things.
First, we can anticipate the coming of Jesus with anxiousness -- out of love. Mark Galli wrote of the fervor with which the German reformer, Martin Luther, and the early American preacher, Jonathan Edwards, anticipated the Second Coming. Galli compared their attitude with the longing with which one in love anticipates the return of his loved one from a long trip.4 Should we not be anxious for the return of Jesus if for no other reason than that we love him? Should we not want to experience him anew if for no other reason than that we love him?
Second, we can anticipate the coming of Jesus with action -- out of vigilance. To anticipate the coming of Jesus in new ways or in his Second Advent is not to sit around speculating about dates or times nor about the manner in which he will come. To anticipate his coming is to do his will, which means performing the ministry to which he has called us. It is to be faithful to the calling we have under Christ to live lives of self-giving devotion and of willingness to endure persecution. To "watch" is to do our jobs as Christians.
The story is told of Henry III, king of Bavaria in the eleventh century. Growing tired of his duties, Henry went to a local monastery and presented himself to the prior (the fellow in charge of the monastery), intending to live out his life in quiet contemplation. "Your majesty, do you understand that this is about obedience? Whatever I tell you under authority you must do," the prior said. Henry answered, "Yes, father, I understand." So the prior said, "Then, your majesty, in obedience to me, go back to your throne and serve in the place God has put you."5
As we live between the Advents, let us properly anticipate the coming of our Lord. Let us submit ourselves to his will and then do his will as we actively await his coming.
__________
1. Preaching (November/December, 1990), p. 41.
2. William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), pp. 444-448.
3. Ibid., p. 448.
4. Mark Galli, "In Praise of Foolish Lovers," Christianity Today (November 19, 1990), pp. 35-36.
5. Preaching (November/December, 1990), p. 41.
Christ has already been born, of course. He was born to the Virgin Mary and to her gracious husband, Joseph, in a stable or cave in David's city, Bethlehem. There, Mary "wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger" (Luke 2:7). All of this happened in 4 B.C.E., which was over 2,000 years ago! So why do we observe Advent as a time of anticipation, since the event that we are anticipating has already occurred?
We do so, in the first place, because we are anticipating the arrival of Christ in our lives in a new way. Some of you are wrestling with the conviction you have from the Holy Spirit that you should accept Christ as your Savior and become a child of God. We anticipate that Advent will be a time when Jesus will become very real to you and that you will not let Christmas pass without accepting the Savior who was born on that day.
Others of us are already Christians and we cannot become Christians "again." But my experience has been that we can encounter Christ in a manner that will shed new light on our relationship with him. We are not like the little girl who was sitting in the floor, drawing a picture. Her father said to her, "What are you drawing, honey?" She replied, "I'm drawing a picture of God." "But no one knows what God looks like," her father protested. "They will when I'm finished," she answered.1 We cannot presume to know all that we can know about Jesus. We do not know him well enough. Nor can we presume to know all that there is to know about Jesus. So we anticipate experiencing Christ in a new way.
We observe Advent in the second place because of our anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ. Our Bibles teach us that the baby Jesus was the Messiah and that he fulfilled that role by being perfectly obedient to the will of God even to the point of giving his own life on the cross. He then rose from the dead on the third day. Now he sits at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the day when he will come in power to bring the kingdom of God in its fullness. That is the event which today's scripture anticipates. That is the event which we anticipate. That is the event of which the event of Christmas reminds us and assures us. He came, and he will come!
So Advent is all about anticipation. We anticipate the coming of Christ into our lives for the first time or in a new way, and we anticipate his Second Coming. But how do we anticipate the coming of Christ? We can learn from those who anticipated encountering him in his First Advent.
First, we can look for his coming. Our model here is Simeon. When Jesus was about forty days old, Mary and Joseph took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (see Leviticus 12:2-8 for the pertinent law). There they met Simeon. Luke tells us that "it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah" (2:26). And when he saw the baby Jesus he took him in his arms and said, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel" (2:29-32). So Simeon was actively looking for the coming of Christ.
Are we actively looking for his coming? Do we want to see him; do we want to experience him? Are we living as if we are looking for his return? The baby Jesus grew up to be the teacher Jesus and one day he told his disciples, "Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch" (Mark 13:33-34). We anticipate his coming by looking for it; we look for it by performing the ministry that Jesus left for us to do.
Second, we can see the signs of his coming. Our models here are the Wise Men. You will remember that those Persian astronomers came to Herod and said, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage" (Matthew 2:2). They had seen the sign of the coming of Jesus, and they had acted upon what they had seen, launching a search for the child. It is interesting that these were "foreigners" who would not be expected to see the sign; they are to be contrasted with those we meet in the gospels who should have seen the signs but did not. There is an implicit warning here for those of us who are the "insiders": we need to be watchful.
Just before Jesus told his disciples to watch for his coming, he spoke to them of "signs." The signs of which he spoke are really signs of tribulation and difficulty. Whenever we talk about such signs, people tend to associate the words with some present crisis, especially if one is occurring in the Middle East, and when is that not the case? Perhaps you are wondering if such events constitute a sign of the impending return of Christ.
I think that William Lane is right when he says that in this chapter there is a difference between the things that the signs signify and the Second Coming of Christ.2 Look again at what Jesus says in Mark 13. Throughout the bulk of the chapter, Jesus is talking about the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 C.E. He is speaking of a historical event that in his time was yet to occur and that in our time has already occurred. That fall was one of the signs that the end was near, and that happened almost 2,000 years ago!
His followers could (and can) see the signs (v. 30) but we cannot know when Jesus will come (v. 32).3 Our call is to be watchful and ready. Thus, we must say that what is happening now probably is a sign of his impending coming, even as many other events over the last two millennia have been signs of his impending coming. Is he near? Yes. How near? We cannot know. Still, we need to understand that he is coming, and be sensitive to the indicators, and work in light of them.
Third, we can hear the word of his coming. Again, we look for models, and we find good ones in the shepherds. The shepherds on the hills outside Bethlehem heard the word of the Messiah's birth proclaimed by the heavenly host. In response, they went to see the baby in the manger. It was good news, and they recognized it as such.
We can anticipate his coming as we hear the word of his coming. Now, you may say, "Well, if I heard it from a bunch of angels, I'd believe it, too." You may not hear it from angels, but listen: the word proclaimed by the angels is the same word proclaimed today by the Bible, by the church, and by the Holy Spirit, and it is just as powerful. Will you hear the good news about his First Advent and his Second Advent and respond to it?
We can sum up all that we have said by saying two things.
First, we can anticipate the coming of Jesus with anxiousness -- out of love. Mark Galli wrote of the fervor with which the German reformer, Martin Luther, and the early American preacher, Jonathan Edwards, anticipated the Second Coming. Galli compared their attitude with the longing with which one in love anticipates the return of his loved one from a long trip.4 Should we not be anxious for the return of Jesus if for no other reason than that we love him? Should we not want to experience him anew if for no other reason than that we love him?
Second, we can anticipate the coming of Jesus with action -- out of vigilance. To anticipate the coming of Jesus in new ways or in his Second Advent is not to sit around speculating about dates or times nor about the manner in which he will come. To anticipate his coming is to do his will, which means performing the ministry to which he has called us. It is to be faithful to the calling we have under Christ to live lives of self-giving devotion and of willingness to endure persecution. To "watch" is to do our jobs as Christians.
The story is told of Henry III, king of Bavaria in the eleventh century. Growing tired of his duties, Henry went to a local monastery and presented himself to the prior (the fellow in charge of the monastery), intending to live out his life in quiet contemplation. "Your majesty, do you understand that this is about obedience? Whatever I tell you under authority you must do," the prior said. Henry answered, "Yes, father, I understand." So the prior said, "Then, your majesty, in obedience to me, go back to your throne and serve in the place God has put you."5
As we live between the Advents, let us properly anticipate the coming of our Lord. Let us submit ourselves to his will and then do his will as we actively await his coming.
__________
1. Preaching (November/December, 1990), p. 41.
2. William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), pp. 444-448.
3. Ibid., p. 448.
4. Mark Galli, "In Praise of Foolish Lovers," Christianity Today (November 19, 1990), pp. 35-36.
5. Preaching (November/December, 1990), p. 41.
