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. The oddness of this moment, at the beginning of Advent, is God’s way of saying, “The reason I’m here...” The message today is taken from Luke 19:28-40, dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. “The reason I’m here...” Have you ever heard those words? After exchanging polite conversation about the weather and how nice it is to have the children back in the classroom, a mother says to her daughter’s first grade teacher, “The reason I’m here...,” and then describes the bullying happening to her daughter. After introducing himself and making sure you are the homeowner, the police officer says, “The reason I’m here...,” and goes on to inform you of complaints from the neighbors about the noise of your party. After wheeling a machine into your hospital room and joking about how difficult it is to navigate all the visitors and the flowers, the technician says, “The reason I’m here...,” and explains the procedure of an echocardiogram.
3. “The reason I’m here...,” is a short phrase that helps us get to the point. It is so easy to get distracted and we can quickly lose sight of priorities. “The reason I’m here,” sets things straight and takes us to the heart of the matter. On the first Sunday of Advent, we have a “The reason I’m here...” moment. In case you did not notice, our gospel reading seems strange today, out of synch. Jesus is entering into Jerusalem.
4. If you are immersed in our world’s seasons, we are entering that crazy time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Parking lots are filled with Christmas trees, people are putting up lights, and the stores are stocked for purchases to celebrate the season of giving. In the midst of all of this, Christians are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, God’s gift of salvation to His broken and sinful world.
5. So, why does the Church point to Jesus, riding into Jerusalem? Should it not be focusing on Mary and Joseph? After all, in this reading Jesus is no longer a baby but grown up. He is no longer an obscure figure but a well-known teacher. He is no longer in the womb of His mother riding into Bethlehem on a donkey but a celebrated Lord, drawing crowds of disciples, riding into Jerusalem on a colt.
6. The oddness of this moment, at the beginning of Advent, is God’s way of saying, “The reason I’m here...” Advent begins the Church Year. Today is the first Sunday of a series of Sundays which will take us through the life of our Lord and into the life of His Church. As we enter that series of Sundays, the yearly remembrance of the things of God, God wants us to know the one thing that is most important: The reason Jesus is here.
7. God the Father has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bear your sin and be your Savior. The suffering of Jesus on the cross was not an accident. It was not just what happens to a nice person who loves in a world filled with hate. It was purposeful. God the Father sent His Son into the world to defeat all the forces that oppose His Kingdom. Jesus came to bear sin and bring forgiveness, to defeat death and bring life, to conquer Satan and bring salvation.
8. No matter where you are in the Church Year, no matter what texts of Scripture you are reading, no matter what hymns you are singing, this is the reason why God is here: To bring you forgiveness, life, and salvation. So, as we come before God with our complex priorities, we are invited to pause and listen. Maybe you have changed jobs during the COVID pandemic and are trying to sort out what it means to have a different vocation. Maybe politics have created tense relationships in your family, and you are nervous about everyone getting together this year. Maybe your social fabric is unravelling, and you have a tough time navigating how to interact with your friends and neighbors.
9. Into this mess of anxiety, Jesus comes to take us to what lies at the heart of the matter: God’s love for His creatures. It may not take away the anxiety, but it sets you on solid ground. You are a child in a kingdom where God, your Father, loves you. At the heart of His love is the person of His Son Jesus. Though it leads to His death, Jesus will do the work of His Father. He will come and bear what needs to be borne, fight what needs to be fought, and die to put to death what needs to end, so He might rise and bring the beginning of life, eternal life to you.
10. We have to ask, “How could God be at peace with us? How could he be at peace with a world that is constantly at war? How could he be at peace with a world that disregards him, ignores him, and takes his blessings for granted? How could he be at peace with a world that blatantly disregards his will? How could he be at peace with a world that has taken the celebration of the birth of his Son and turned it into just another time to eat, drink, and be merry? How could he be at peace with me, a sinner?”
11. If we are to recover Christmas, we must, recover Advent. Advent is a season of preparation—not simply of our homes, meals, and presents, but a time of preparation for our hearts. A time to recognize why our Lord came in the first place. A time to recognize why that infant child, born to be King, would one day receive a crown of thorns. A time for repentance. “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!’ ” (LSB 345:1).
12. “Cast away the works of darkness.” Look at your lives, and turn once more away from sin. Think about your lives. Your hopes. Your dreams. What are you looking forward to? What are you planning for? Are your hearts set merely on the things of this world? on new cars and new homes? on toys and vacations? on a stable financial future? What are your goals? Are they the goals that God would have for you? Are you thinking of the life to come, or are you setting your sights only on the things of this world?
13. The season of Advent is one of assessment. It’s a time to remember that the things of this world are already passing away, a time to set our hearts upon things above. A time to look at the child who came to die, a time to crucify our sinful passions. And so we sing, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” And we recognize that he comes to die for our sins. And so we sing, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mt 21:9).
14. We remember that we have been baptized into the name of the Lord. Returning to our Baptism, we renounce, once more, the devil, all his works, and all his sinful ways. We don’t simply cry out against the evils of this world, but we repent of the evils of our own heart. We recognize the troubles we have caused, the damage we have done, the friends we have hurt, and the responsibilities we have not met. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, and we who also bear his name now also take up our crosses and follow him.
15. Yes, Advent is a time for repentance, a time of sadness over sin. But it is also a time of hope. For if we are sinners, we have a Savior. And if the end is near, so also, in Christ, is there a new beginning. If we have made a mess with our lives, Christ has come to make things right. And he will come again.
16. For the world, Christmas is a big game of pretend—of creating an idyllic world that does not exist, speaking of a peace that does not exist. But for us, Christmas is life itself. In this season of Advent, let us prepare our hearts once more for our Lord’s coming. Let us cast away the works of darkness and be adorned with every good work and with acts of charity and generosity. Let us forgive as we have been forgiven. And let us embrace the child who came to embrace us. And let us offer up our lives as gifts to the One who came to offer up his life as his gift of salvation for us all.
17. So, in this messy world with its complex priorities, rest for a moment today. Jesus has come for us today, not in Jerusalem, but here. Not on a colt but in His Word and through His Sacraments. Not surrounded by crowds throwing cloaks on a road, but still surrounded by disciples. You and me. Here, in this place, Jesus comes to remind and assure us. Grace is the reason He is here. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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