Reversing The Flow
Sermon
Hope Beneath the Surface
Cycle A First Lesson Sermons for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Object:
One of the greatest challenges of life is to stay in touch with reality and hold on to hope at the same time. And let it be said, clearly and unequivocally, that precisely just such a stance describes the committed Christian.
Some would boast of a strong faith, but would build it by ignoring the realities of the world around them. Others see clearly the reality of the world around them and therefore are unable to hold on to faith or hope in God at all. The biblical faith to which you and I are heirs does not require a choice, for it is a faith thoroughly grounded in reality and history, yet, through it all, trusting and hoping in God.
Today we begin a new Church season in a new Church year. Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the first season of the Church year. And in the course of this Church year we move through Advent, Christmastide, Epiphany, Lent, Eastertide, Pentecost and Kingdomtide. All of these seasons are meant to help us remember and celebrate the life of our Lord and the faith by which we live and die.
Advent comes right in the face of a world filled with violence and pain, cynicism and doubt. Advent comes right in the face of a world which right now is in its annual life-or-death buying frenzy which will determine its very economic health, all because of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Wow! How grateful the western world must be for Jesus ... In order for us to build a vital faith and be able to hope in God, we cannot ignore this crazy, materialistic and violent world, and we must joyfully spend our lives coming to know God. This describes the life of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. It also describes much of the life of someone else whom we learn about in the scriptures.
The name Jesus means "God is salvation," or "God is our help." And more than seven centuries before Jesus there lived a man named Isaiah, a prophet, whose name means "the salvation of God." Isaiah brought together as did no other prophet the vital duo of reality and hope. I want us to begin to look at that great message today as we step into the sacred, emotional and culturally colored period of Advent, the weeks leading up to our celebration of Jesus' birth, which we call Christmas.
Isaiah's ministry stretched over a period of 40 years, from 742 B.C. to 701 B.C. His father's name was Amoz, not to be confused with the prophet Amos who was active shortly before Isaiah's ministry began. Isaiah was married (8:3) and had two sons, both of whom were given strange, symbolic names. The first was Shearjashub, which means, "A remnant shall return," and the second was Mahershalalhashbaz, which means "The spoil speeds, the prey hastens." And you thought you didn't like your name!
Most of what we know about Isaiah we know only by inference from the book of Isaiah. He moved easily among kings and the ruling class. He stated in the beginning of his book that he saw his visions during the days of four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (1:1). On the other hand Isaiah was very comfortable talking about rural life and vineyards, so he must have spent some time away from the city as well.
It's also possible that Isaiah was a priest, especially when we note his dramatic call, which came in the temple, right where a priest would stand.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory ... Whom shall I send and who will go for us? And [Isaiah] said, "Here am I; send me!"
(Isaiah 6:3, 8)
And God did and Isaiah went. And we can be grateful he did, for his legacy of prophetic words and images is hard to match anywhere in the Bible.
Early on in the book of Isaiah is a beautiful and powerful passage which launches us nicely into the Advent season. It is a section which is matched virtually word for word by a contemporary of Isaiah, the prophet Micah. I'm speaking of Isaiah 2:1-5 and Micah 4:1-4.
The context of this portion of Isaiah is probably a time when Assyria was threatening Judah from the east, when Hezekiah was king and the people had the form but no longer the substance of faith. Right in the middle of such fear and breakdown of faith came this stirring image:
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
(Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:1-3 RSV)
In Micah we find this additional verse added on:
... but they shall all sit under their own vines
and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
(Micah 4:4)
These beautiful words of hope and trust and peace were written during a time of fear of war and the rattling of armor. It's as though right in the middle of Palestine the people of Judah were moving in one direction, and, somehow, through a force unseen by everyone else, Isaiah, or Micah, or whoever wrote this priceless piece, was moving in another direction. How could it be that one could speak of peace during war? How could one speak of the weak, backsliding people of Jerusalem as being one day "established as the highest of the mountains" with nations flowing to it, not to make war, but to be taught the ways of peace, the ways of God?
Icebergs. What do you think of when you think of icebergs? The Titanic, perhaps? Or, if you've been on a cruise in Alaska or have seen it as I have on television, you may picture huge walls of ice on the edge of the sea "calving," that is, giving birth to icebergs as they break off and plunge with a spectacular splash into the ocean.
I read something interesting about icebergs some time ago. I read that if you were to fly over the North Atlantic in a blimp and were to stare at a large pack of icebergs, you would begin to notice something. You would notice that all the small icebergs would be moving in one direction, while the large ones would be moving in another.
Now why do you think that is? It's because surface winds are moving the little icebergs while the enormous ones are directed and moved by ocean currents deep below the surface.
Right in the midst of turmoil and hopelessness, the surface winds of his day, Isaiah was undaunted in his faith. He knew that such things would pass and that the day would come when the mountain of the Lord would be established as the highest of all. He knew that the day would come when, instead of the people of God turning their backs on the Lord who loved them, once again they would be faithful and by their sheer radiance and the power of God, people would flow back up the mountain to be taught the Lord's way of peace.
I stand before you this day to proclaim with the prophets of old that the way of war will one day be known as stupid and ineffective. I stand before you this day with the prophets of every age who have lifted before all nations the vision of beating swords into plows and spears into pruning hooks, so that men and women, boys and girls can sit peacefully under their vine and fig tree, under their maple tree and cactus, under their palm tree and rubber tree, and live in peace and unafraid.
We've had enough influence flowing from the bowels of evil in our society, flowing into our minds and hearts through television and movies, videos and radio, polluting our children and killing our youth and adults. But the flow will not be reversed until you and I fill ourselves with the Spirit of God in Jesus Christ. The flow will not be reversed until you and I are established in the faith. People will not stream to the mountain of God until that mountain has something dramatic and more exciting and hopeful to offer than what's in the valley.
Advent, a time to prepare to receive the King of kings, the Prince of Peace. A time to receive the One who shows us the way to the Lord of life. A time to celebrate the coming of the One who enables us to move with God no matter how the surface winds may blow and the waves may seek to consume us.
Advent, a time to prepare to reconnect ourselves with Jesus, with the depths of our faith, so that the mountain of the Lord can be established as the highest in the land, so that people will no longer stream away from it but rather will stream to it and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that the Lord may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."
My friends, it's time to reverse the flow. And it is the power of the Holy Spirit of God which we celebrate in Jesus that will bring it to pass.
Some would boast of a strong faith, but would build it by ignoring the realities of the world around them. Others see clearly the reality of the world around them and therefore are unable to hold on to faith or hope in God at all. The biblical faith to which you and I are heirs does not require a choice, for it is a faith thoroughly grounded in reality and history, yet, through it all, trusting and hoping in God.
Today we begin a new Church season in a new Church year. Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the first season of the Church year. And in the course of this Church year we move through Advent, Christmastide, Epiphany, Lent, Eastertide, Pentecost and Kingdomtide. All of these seasons are meant to help us remember and celebrate the life of our Lord and the faith by which we live and die.
Advent comes right in the face of a world filled with violence and pain, cynicism and doubt. Advent comes right in the face of a world which right now is in its annual life-or-death buying frenzy which will determine its very economic health, all because of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Wow! How grateful the western world must be for Jesus ... In order for us to build a vital faith and be able to hope in God, we cannot ignore this crazy, materialistic and violent world, and we must joyfully spend our lives coming to know God. This describes the life of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. It also describes much of the life of someone else whom we learn about in the scriptures.
The name Jesus means "God is salvation," or "God is our help." And more than seven centuries before Jesus there lived a man named Isaiah, a prophet, whose name means "the salvation of God." Isaiah brought together as did no other prophet the vital duo of reality and hope. I want us to begin to look at that great message today as we step into the sacred, emotional and culturally colored period of Advent, the weeks leading up to our celebration of Jesus' birth, which we call Christmas.
Isaiah's ministry stretched over a period of 40 years, from 742 B.C. to 701 B.C. His father's name was Amoz, not to be confused with the prophet Amos who was active shortly before Isaiah's ministry began. Isaiah was married (8:3) and had two sons, both of whom were given strange, symbolic names. The first was Shearjashub, which means, "A remnant shall return," and the second was Mahershalalhashbaz, which means "The spoil speeds, the prey hastens." And you thought you didn't like your name!
Most of what we know about Isaiah we know only by inference from the book of Isaiah. He moved easily among kings and the ruling class. He stated in the beginning of his book that he saw his visions during the days of four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (1:1). On the other hand Isaiah was very comfortable talking about rural life and vineyards, so he must have spent some time away from the city as well.
It's also possible that Isaiah was a priest, especially when we note his dramatic call, which came in the temple, right where a priest would stand.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory ... Whom shall I send and who will go for us? And [Isaiah] said, "Here am I; send me!"
(Isaiah 6:3, 8)
And God did and Isaiah went. And we can be grateful he did, for his legacy of prophetic words and images is hard to match anywhere in the Bible.
Early on in the book of Isaiah is a beautiful and powerful passage which launches us nicely into the Advent season. It is a section which is matched virtually word for word by a contemporary of Isaiah, the prophet Micah. I'm speaking of Isaiah 2:1-5 and Micah 4:1-4.
The context of this portion of Isaiah is probably a time when Assyria was threatening Judah from the east, when Hezekiah was king and the people had the form but no longer the substance of faith. Right in the middle of such fear and breakdown of faith came this stirring image:
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
(Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:1-3 RSV)
In Micah we find this additional verse added on:
... but they shall all sit under their own vines
and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
(Micah 4:4)
These beautiful words of hope and trust and peace were written during a time of fear of war and the rattling of armor. It's as though right in the middle of Palestine the people of Judah were moving in one direction, and, somehow, through a force unseen by everyone else, Isaiah, or Micah, or whoever wrote this priceless piece, was moving in another direction. How could it be that one could speak of peace during war? How could one speak of the weak, backsliding people of Jerusalem as being one day "established as the highest of the mountains" with nations flowing to it, not to make war, but to be taught the ways of peace, the ways of God?
Icebergs. What do you think of when you think of icebergs? The Titanic, perhaps? Or, if you've been on a cruise in Alaska or have seen it as I have on television, you may picture huge walls of ice on the edge of the sea "calving," that is, giving birth to icebergs as they break off and plunge with a spectacular splash into the ocean.
I read something interesting about icebergs some time ago. I read that if you were to fly over the North Atlantic in a blimp and were to stare at a large pack of icebergs, you would begin to notice something. You would notice that all the small icebergs would be moving in one direction, while the large ones would be moving in another.
Now why do you think that is? It's because surface winds are moving the little icebergs while the enormous ones are directed and moved by ocean currents deep below the surface.
Right in the midst of turmoil and hopelessness, the surface winds of his day, Isaiah was undaunted in his faith. He knew that such things would pass and that the day would come when the mountain of the Lord would be established as the highest of all. He knew that the day would come when, instead of the people of God turning their backs on the Lord who loved them, once again they would be faithful and by their sheer radiance and the power of God, people would flow back up the mountain to be taught the Lord's way of peace.
I stand before you this day to proclaim with the prophets of old that the way of war will one day be known as stupid and ineffective. I stand before you this day with the prophets of every age who have lifted before all nations the vision of beating swords into plows and spears into pruning hooks, so that men and women, boys and girls can sit peacefully under their vine and fig tree, under their maple tree and cactus, under their palm tree and rubber tree, and live in peace and unafraid.
We've had enough influence flowing from the bowels of evil in our society, flowing into our minds and hearts through television and movies, videos and radio, polluting our children and killing our youth and adults. But the flow will not be reversed until you and I fill ourselves with the Spirit of God in Jesus Christ. The flow will not be reversed until you and I are established in the faith. People will not stream to the mountain of God until that mountain has something dramatic and more exciting and hopeful to offer than what's in the valley.
Advent, a time to prepare to receive the King of kings, the Prince of Peace. A time to receive the One who shows us the way to the Lord of life. A time to celebrate the coming of the One who enables us to move with God no matter how the surface winds may blow and the waves may seek to consume us.
Advent, a time to prepare to reconnect ourselves with Jesus, with the depths of our faith, so that the mountain of the Lord can be established as the highest in the land, so that people will no longer stream away from it but rather will stream to it and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that the Lord may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."
My friends, it's time to reverse the flow. And it is the power of the Holy Spirit of God which we celebrate in Jesus that will bring it to pass.
