“The Advent Call- Wake Up!” Romans 13.11-14, Advent 1A Nov. ‘16

1.                    Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer.  Amen.  Happy Advent to you all!  During the Advent season, we as the church prepare for the coming of Christ. Even as we make ready for the baby to be born in Bethlehem, the epistle reading from Romans 13, this first Sunday in Advent, takes us beyond the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to a new moment of expectancy as the Day of Christ approaches and the rule of God is made fully manifest.  Here in Romans 13 the Apostle Paul reminds us that 1). The night is nearly over 2). The day is almost here, 3). So we as Christians are preparing ourselves accordingly.  The message is entitled, “The Advent Call—Wake Up!” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                   Because Advent proclaims that Christ is here we as Christians are called to wake up.   Jesus is here to see whatever it is we’re wearing.  None of us could endorse the theology of the song, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” There’s that terrible sense of works-righteousness—“He knows if you’ve been bad or good, So be good for goodness sakes! Oh, you better watch out!”  Who could possibly have their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds?  We can’t save ourselves by our own works the Bible tells us in Ephesians 2.  But, especially troubling is the image of Santa seeing you when you’re sleeping, knowing when you’re awake. Scary! Do we forget that the one who really came at Christmas does see everything we do, does know everything we think?   We wouldn’t want Jesus to see us clothed in some of the rags of sin we wear.  Romans 13:11-14 says, “¹¹Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹²The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

3.                   It’s no wonder that most people lie in spiritual darkness because they remain in their sins and seek their heaven on earth.   Unfortunately, this applies not only to poor, blind unbelievers, but also to most baptized, so-called Christians.  They don’t understand how frightful sin is.  That the life of a baptized Christian is a life lived of repentance, daily confessing our sins before God and receiving from Jesus forgiveness.  The Bible tells us that each sin, no matter how small earns hell and eternal damnation.  They also don’t know how blessed are those who cling to God alone, possess His grace, and stand in communion with Him.  Few of those who are surrounded by the dark night are ashamed, even if they wear the most wretched clothes, the clothes of repeated sinfulness.

4.                   It’s different for us Christians in how we live.  We live as the people who are awake to the sinful world around us.  Of us Christians it is said, “The night is far gone; the day is at hand.”  In the heart of such a Christian, the natural darkness is fading and the day of the knowledge of salvation has dawned.  Jesus Himself has risen in our hearts as the bright morning star.  We as Christians know what sin is.  When we were converted to Christ, we recognized that sin is a horrible offense to God.  You experienced the torment of conscience because your sin and you understood that sin separated you from God, stirring up his wrath.  No man can atone for his own sins, and for that reason God’s Son had to die on the cross.

5.                   We as Christians have also learned that the whole world, with all its glory, can’t make anyone happy, can’t provide peace and rest, and can’t comfort in a time of trouble.  God alone, with His grace and His Son’s body and blood given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins, is the highest good of man.  Isn’t this an urgent reason for us Christians to awaken from the sleep of sin and to walk in a new life?  Yes!  Just as a man can’t remain in his bedclothes when the night is over, we as Christians, in our hearts where the light of Christ has dawned, can’t continue to wear the night clothes of sin.  We must strive to live in our baptisms and live the holy and God pleasing life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

6.                   Take to heart the phrases that St. Paul uses here in Romans 13, “The night is gone; the day is at hand”; “the darkness, the light”; “clothe yourself with the armor, clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ.” The imagery here is rich with the themes of Advent. Light and dark strike home this time of year as the days grow darker and it appears as if the sun is about to die. Ancient pagans, that is non-Christians, used to celebrate the death of the light and its dawn at the winter solstice through feasting and drunkenness. Christians certainly were tempted to join the festivities with its orgies and drunkenness. Darkness knows no boundaries and so we stumble around, intoxicated, not knowing where we are going because we can’t see. We give in to the desires of the sinful flesh because we think that in the darkness no one can see our sins. So adultery and sex outside of marriage abounds, and our unfaithfulness breeds quarreling and jealousy. Chaos ensues.  Who can deny that the goddess of sex has taken over the entertainment world of today? The homage which is paid to her has had a corrupting influence on morality in our society. It also constitutes a real danger for us who are Christians.  Today there are those in the church who want to say that same sex marriage is ok, that living together before marriage is fine, that it’s ok to divorce your spouse for no reason, simply because you’ve grown tired of him or her.  But, all of these things are condemned in Scripture.  The works of darkness throw us into a frenzy. No laws, everything goes. Lawlessness rules.  Advent, is the time to clothe ourselves with Christ,

7.                “Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding! ‘Christ is near,’ we hear it say. ‘Cast away the works of darkness, All you children of the day!’ ” (LW 18:1).  So many things we “wear” are things we do as if cloaked in darkness, things we’d never want anyone to see, certainly not Christ.  Do we use his name “Jesus Christ!” as if he really weren’t right here in the room to answer, to include in the conversation?  Do we act in the backseat of a car on dates in a way we wouldn’t if Jesus were in the front seat?  Do we go behind a friend’s back with gossip or undercut him at work as we never would if Jesus were back there watching?  Our coming Savior does see all our works as in broad daylight.  Paul knows we don’t wish to be seen that way.

8.         Jesus has invaded our darkness and shines a light in our dark world and exposes our hidden sins. In the light we see the ugliness of our chaos. Like those who come to John the Baptist for repentance we ask: “But what are we to do?” Paul makes it simple: Throw off those old clothes of darkness and put on the armor of light. That’s why Christians celebrate Christmas at the very moment when the pagans were sunk in the depths of their depravity. We as Christians proclaim to the world: “Let us celebrate the dawn of Jesus Christ, the true light of the world, born in Bethlehem.” And so we put on the Lord Jesus Christ and become what he intended us to be—children of the light.

9.       During this Advent season we want to wear the day clothes of Jesus because we want him to see us as he is.  We desire to behave decently as in the day.  To honor Christ in word and deed, to drink deeply of his Spirit in the Holy Scriptures and at his Table.  To honor him with our bodies and take him wherever we go.  To walk in peace with all those around us, as he himself is holding our hands.  Christ is all of this . . . perfectly.  The Holy One of God, the name that is above every name, the Word that was always loving.  The Holy One who laid down his body, gave his blood to be shed, for our eternal good, never for his own pleasure.  The Prince of Peace who reconciled God to man and man to each other by his sacrifice on the cross.  That’s what it looks like being clothed with Christ.

10.    Now, Advent, is the time to clothe ourselves with Christ, to wake up and put on our day clothes.  Because Advent proclaims that Christ is in you (v 14).  In Galatians, Paul reminds us that “all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (3:27).  That has happened; it’s a done deal.  Everything that Jesus accomplished by his first coming, his perfect life, sacrificial death, glorious resurrection, has been given to you in your Baptism.  You are clothed with Christ by your Baptism.  You are righteous, beautifully dressed for the eternal celebration.  You are people of light performing deeds of light.  By your Baptism, Christ is in you—and he is seen in you.  Paul’s Advent wake-up call, then, is simply to live as the people we are, to walk where we are destined to go.

11.    Dear friends in Christ this is the Advent Call to Wake Up, Jesus is near to us! He is here with us because we are clothed with him and you sit at his Holy Table. The light of Christ has dawned! Listen to that thrilling voice, calling you to wake up, cast off the works of darkness, and clothe yourselves with light.  Amen.

“To Be Content- Four Options” Phil. 4.10-13 Thanksgiving Nov. ‘16

1.        Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  The message from God’s Word for us this day we give thanks to God for all the good gifts He’s given to us comes from Philippians 4:10-13 and it’s entitled, “To Be Content:  Four Options.”  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.       Many years ago a woman from the former Soviet Union visited New York. She was not too impressed by what she saw. She said Moscow also had a large airport and subway system. But when she was taken into a supermarket, she stopped, looked around, and simply broke down and cried.  I think of that woman and people in other countries of the world where there is a shortage of food. Then I think of how discontented I sometimes feel when I can’t find the exact brand of food I want in the supermarket. It makes me feel ashamed, to say the least. I feel even worse when, though living in the land of plenty, I become envious of what others have.

3.       Here it is Thanksgiving. We all want to be happy, but too often our joys are tinged with apprehension. Will our happiness end before the day is out? That phone ringing—I hope it isn’t an accident; I hope they’re just late. I wonder if someone here today won’t be here next Thanksgiving. I would truly be happy if only . . . Are we so dependent on circumstances that we can’t be content for longer than a short while?

4.       In today’s Epistle we are looking at part of a thank you letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians. Believe it or not, he was in prison or under house arrest when he wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty” (vv 11–12). If we are to be content, we have to be prepared to accept both good and bad. How do we do that?

5.       A woman came to her pastor with a problem. Her husband had bought a small business. After the first ten months, business grew beyond their expectations. “I have a strange feeling. Don’t smile at me, but I almost think I should feel guilty.”  “Why?” asked the pastor.  “I don’t think that we deserve it,” she answered, “and I don’t think we have earned it.”  He thought for a moment and counseled her, “If business is up, thank God. You could sing ‘Now thank we all our God.’ And when business is down, you could sing the Kyrie, ‘Lord, have mercy on us.’ God walks with you in both situations.”

6.       There are three common ways I have observed in which people try to be content.  First, “If I make enough money and invest wisely, I should have more financial security, so at least I won’t have to worry about money. Then I can be content.” Few people would argue with that, but financial security isn’t a secure foundation for contentment. In the parable of the sower, Jesus warned about the danger of “life’s worries, riches and pleasures” choking out our relationship with God (Lk 8:14).  When you think of the pressure of always wanting more, you can understand the popularity of a book like When All You Have Is Not Good Enough. It’s by a rabbi, Harold Kushner, based on his understanding of Ecclesiastes.

7.       The second way a person tries to be content is this:  “If I could think more positively, improve my self-image, be more assertive, and learn how to get other people to do what I want, I would be able to take control of my life, feel good about myself, believe in myself, and achieve what I want. Then I’ll be content.” But if this is your way of seeking contentment, you must ask, “Can I really change myself for the better?” And other questions arise: “Am I seeking happiness at the expense of others? At what price is contentment?”

8.       And the third way people try to be content:  Some people think they’ll be content if they can just escape the whirl of activity and responsibility. “Stop the world; I want to get off.” There’s too much competition. Maybe they’re exhausted. They seek contentment by sitting on the sidelines. But doing so reduces the possibility of sharing God-given gifts and talents with others who need them, and finding the joy that comes from helping others. There’s no real contentment in being passive, is there? 

9.       I suppose we all have experimented with these options from time to time. But discontentment is a spiritual problem. It afflicts rich and poor alike. We may not want to admit we suffer from it. We may ignore it. But for most of us it is a recurring problem, robbing us of joy.

10.   But, there’s a fourth option—another source of contentment, which is described in our text. Where did the apostle find contentment? In the fact that he was forgiven, justified by God because of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to forgive all his sins. For this reason, the apostle Paul had peace with God—a peace that surpassed all human understanding, a peace that didn’t depend upon his circumstances in life.

11.   If we’re discontented, it may mean that we have become disconnected from God, that we’re not at peace with him. We’re connected to God through faith in his Son. “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).  We heard in the first part of the Epistle for today, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (v 7). This peace isn’t just a mood or something we talk ourselves into. It’s the forgiveness from God that Jesus has provided at great cost. This peace protects us. We all need a guardian of peace to accompany us through the twists and turns of life.

12.   Here is what Paul wrote to Timothy about peaceful contentment: “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim 6:6–10).  The apostle was content because he had learned the sufficiency of God’s grace. Do you remember how Paul felt about his “thorn in the flesh?” Three times he pleaded with God to take it away; but the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).

13.   The power of God to save is found in the weakness of Christ crucified for us. Paul learned to be content even though he often suffered, because he trusted in the Savior who suffered for him. So Paul could say, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:9–10).

14.   This contentment, this inner peace, lead him to say, “I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13). Certain of Christ’s gracious presence, his strength enables us to resist temptation, overcome anger, forgive, reach out, make peace, outlast evil, to be renewed, survive, and to love again. “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances,” we heard from the apostle Paul.

15.   One of the most beautiful expressions of Christian contentment came from the pen of the hymn writer Horatio Spafford. He lost his family in a sailing voyage across the Atlantic to Europe. It must have taken great determination and love for him later to make the same voyage. But he came to terms with his God and his grief when he wrote these lines (The Other Song Book [Edina, MN: The Fellowship Publications, 1987] 106, stanza 1):  “When peace, like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.”  When the soul finds rest in Christ, there is peace, contentment, and strength to deal with anything life may bring. Having Jesus, we have all we’ll ever need. Peace be with you this Thanksgiving.  Amen.