Advent 4...Pastor Phil Strong

12-18-11

Text: Luke 1:26-38, 46-55; Hebrews 11 (selected)

● As one who attempts to speak for God, I love this season because it not only gives voice to my own frustration and inability to conjure up the “Christmas spirit”, but it quickly ushers us out of our modern mindset and invites us to into a story of mystery and intrigue and promises beyond our wildest expectations. This story has God written all over it.

Maybe Advent has accomplished its purpose.

I think that once you get to my age, you recognize that if your faith is to survive, it must come “full circle”: what you need now is a “wide-eyed” vision of delight--- a first love sort of return; a healthy dose of mystery is what’s required to maintain hope.

            Maybe the story has been setting us up for this all along: disappointment from our failed attempts at charting our own progress.

In Advent, we’re-living the longings and expectations of ancient Israel and celebrating the fulfillment of that desire: “The Lord has come”.

But, if this hope is limited to the past, it becomes like watching someone else open presents. You are certainly politely-pleased for them, but somewhat disappointed that nothing has your name on it.

“Re-living”: entering into the reality of their frustration and fatigue; feeling the hope and hopelessness associated with unmet promises--- and believing anyway. It’s how the season becomes “sacred”.

● Mary is the focus of the last week of Advent. God intends to draw Mary, as well as all of humanity, into what he is doing. This is obviously the kind of stuff you are ‘drawn into’ because it’s anything but ‘safe’ and it’s not something that you would typically ‘volunteer’ for.

            “Let it be”--- is that the response of one who is fully-assured, or one who is a bit disturbed by the announcement, but is resolved to grace?

Out of Mary’s virginity/innocence is birthed the plan of God.

No other human movement would suffice except simply a place, a person, within whom it might gestate and deliver (from the Latin, ‘to carry’). She is “carrying” hope.

The overarching theme of the OT is promise.

            In between the promises and the fulfillment were painfully long stretches when things seemed to be “idling”; constant threats to fulfillment and anguished appeals for God to “remember his promises”.

A Promise…

            …is always “relational”; always made between individuals.

It presupposes, on the one hand, the intent of the one making the promise and, on the other, the validity of the promise--- the likelihood that the one making the promise has both the intent and the means of fulfilling it.

            … always establishes a different kind of relationship and involves a determination to accommodate the promise given the various contexts. When I said, “I do”, to Lynette, I had no idea what I was “doing”. But, it was the newly formed relationship which would dictate how the promise would be lived out.

…often lacks predictability as it relates to the means through which God would make good on those promises. It’s what prevents us from “type-casting” God.

… always encourages us to do what’s humanly possible; not simply wait around for the extra-ordinary.

… is sometimes specific (e.g. involves time-frames and circumstances); is sometimes more fluid; most often involves the well-being of others (blessing) [What if the timing, although frustrating to us, awaits the response of another?]

            … is, at times, the realization of a promise that was made to someone else.

Advent requires that we “persevere”; that we learn to “wait well”.

“Persevere”, from the Greek… “suck it up and quit your cryin’!”.

Actually, it’s from the Latin root of the word more loosely translated, “by means of the truth”. We persevere by recognizing and recalling what is true--- about God and our life.

● I think perseverance is highly “under-rated”. Too often, it is simply associated with stubbornness or ignorance (we’re just too stubborn or too stupid).

But, sometimes perseverance is its own reward. You can’t say that you have really learned anything or that you handled the situation masterfully, but you can say that you survived it… you made it through.

 “Don’t get your hopes too high!”

Perseverance demonstrates that our hopes have never been higher; never has our faith been so resolute. Never have we been so convinced of our hope that we are able to function by means of the truth; more aware of God’s voice than our own… functioning in light of promises and not circumstances.

You get the sense that the closer you get to “salvation”, the more frustrated you become and the more susceptible you are to disappointment (Romans 13 “It’s time for you to wake up from your sleep because your salvation is nearer now that when you first believed”).

When it begins to come into sight and realization becomes more of a reality, any little delay elevates our frustration level.

When our vision is fixed on the “something greater” which is somehow just ahead of us, our “pain thresholds” typically increase (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:16- ).

Hebrews 11:13

All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God [lit. Gr. ‘These all died dominated by faith…’]

● It’s easy to attach names to some (e.g. ‘shut the mouths of lions?’ Daniel. ‘quenched the fury of the flames?’ (3) Hebrew boys).

“others”… the scope broadens to suggest that these, offered by name as examples, were simply some of the notable ones in the story. There were ‘others’.

I wonder if the story was revised and expanded if it would involve your name? Some of the adversity you have encountered while waiting for the promise?

Hebrews 11:39-40

            All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.

Sometimes our circumstances prove to be an unreliable measure of our faith.

            Some escaped, some conquered, some saw their weakness turn to strength. Some were chained, flogged, cut in half, mistreated, wandered homeless and were destitute. Failure to receive was not indicative of some defect in their faith, nor was it an indictment on God’s character. It just wasn’t good enough for them.           

An aside: Beware of theologies that are developed in times of comfort.

Know that those of you who have allowed the circumstances to accomplish its ‘disorienting work’ and have clung to grace… you have something to teach us.

Be vulnerable enough to rehearse your ‘pain’ and ‘brokenness’ with us, but don’t let yourself get stuck there--- it’s debilitating.

● Imagine, if you will, a day when you will gaze with speechless wonder on a world fully restored; a world finally reflecting all that God had in mind from the beginning, and someone walking up to you in your stupor and inquiring: “Well… was it worth it?”

~ Maybe it necessitates that we first feel the anguish of our barrenness; that we come to the painful realization and confession that what we long for cannot be secured through human initiative and carefully crafted strategies.

~ Maybe it demands that we entertain the vision… the promise; that our lives are somehow being informed by and ordered around the truth and that we are becoming pre-occupied with “something better.”

~ Maybe it requires that God repeat himself; that he breathe new life into an old promise.

Even as her song was ending, somehow “everything had changed”, but “not much had changed.”

There were certainly precious few indicators that change was imminent--- at least not in ‘concrete ways’. Her country was still occupied by Rome; peace was still little more than conformity due to intimidation.

● But, Advent says, “You can stop looking for “something else” and wait for “something better”.

This time, it’s a different sort of waiting. It’s not an anxious, fear of abandonment, but a hopeful expectation of return--- it’s like he never left us.