+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Do you remember what the word Advent means? The –vent part means . . . ? {{Congregational Response}} [to come]; and the Ad- part means . . . ? {{Congregational Response}} [to or toward]. So Advent is the coming to us of Jesus. Advent begins with an emphasis on Jesus’ Second Coming to us, and ends with an emphasis on his First Coming to us as a baby in Bethlehem.
Now if Advent means “coming to or toward us” then the word adventure means something that comes to or toward us. So strictly speaking we can’t go out and look for adventure; instead, adventure is something that comes and finds us!
This morning I have an Advent adventure for you, and to introduce it let me show you this optical illusion of two images.
Some of you may be seeing a saxophone player while others of you may see a beautiful face. Both images are present; but which one you see is a matter of focus. You might be so focused on the saxophone that you’d never see the face, but it would still be there. Or you might be so focused on the face that you’d never see the saxophone player. Or, you might try to keep a balance by taking equal turns in focusing on the two images.
We’re going to begin this Advent adventure with today’s reading from Jeremiah, but before we do that, here’s an earlier passage from Jeremiah to set the stage.
“Thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah]: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah sitting on the throne of David . . . Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place. . . . But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation” (22:1-2a, 3, 5).
The Lord’s threat is not an idle one. The Kingdom of Judah is under siege by the Kingdom of Babylon. Unfortunately, the King of Judah’s response to Jeremiah was to throw him in prison. So Jeremiah knows there are terrible times ahead for the people of Judah, and indeed the Babylonians conquer the Jews, and send all of their leaders into exile in Babylon.
But already, even before all that happens, Jeremiah has a word of hope for Judah’s future, and this is the lead-in to this morning’s reading from Jeremiah: “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard: Thus says the Lord . . . I am going to bring [Jerusalem] recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security” (33:1-2a, 6).
Notice the language of recovery and healing― not personal recovery and healing but political recovery and healing.
The Lord continues: “I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me” (33:7-8).
This time notice the language of sin and forgiveness― not personal sin and forgiveness but political sin and forgiveness.
And then comes this morning’s passage: “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David. . . .”
The word “Branch” comes from the prophet Isaiah. About a hundred years before the Kingdom of Babylon threatened the Kingdom of Judah, the Kingdom of Assyria threatened the Kingdom of Israel. And at that time the prophet Isaiah had words of hope for Israel:
“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse” ― who was Jesse? {{Congregational Response}} [the father of King David], “and a branch shall grow out of his roots. . . . On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. On that day the Lord will . . . assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (11:1, 10-11a, 12).
Isaiah isn’t talking about personal renewal but political renewal.
Back to our reading. And when this righteous Branch “shall execute justice and righteousness in the land,” Judah will be saved. . . .”
Jeremiah isn’t talking about personal salvation but political salvation.
Now as we turn to our Gospel lesson, let’s remember that just as Isaiah lived when Assyria occupied Israel, and Jeremiah lived when Babylon occupied Judah, Jesus lived when Rome occupied Palestine. And Jesus, too, has a word of hope:
“Jesus said, ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory.’”
So who is this Son of Man? Listen to this passage from the Book of Daniel: “I saw one like a [Son of Man] coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One (God) and was presented before him. To [the Son of Man] was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.”
Jesus isn’t describing himself as a personal savior but as a political savior.
Jesus continues: “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” At the very beginning of Luke’s Gospel Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, proclaims, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us” (1:68-71). And Luke tells us that when the prophet Anna saw the infant Jesus in the Temple, she “began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (2:38).
Jesus, Zechariah, and Anna aren’t talking about personal redemption but political redemption.
“Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree [an ancient symbol of Israel] and all the trees [symbolizing the other nations of the world]; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.’”
Jesus isn’t talking about a personal kingdom but a political kingdom.
In fact, the words we now associate with personal religion were originally political words, including Church (from a Greek word for a citizens’ meeting), Gospel (or Good News, from another Greek word for announcing the birth of an emperor or a great victory in battle), as well as the words Lord, Messiah (or Christ), Redeemer, and Savior.
Most of us have focused for so long on the personal images of the Gospel that we have all but forgotten the political images of the Gospel. So as our Advent adventure this year, let us allow the political images of the Gospel to come and find us, and then, like Mary, let us ponder these things in our hearts, especially every time we pray “your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth.”
Amen.
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