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December 6, 2009
The Second Sunday of Advent
Year C
Baruch 5:1-9 or Malachi 3:1-4
Canticle 4 or Canticle 16
Philippians 1:2-11
Luke 3:1-6
Click here for sermons from previous weeks
The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY (Retired)
It's the second week of Advent, already. Christmas is coming, and everyone is
dashing about preparing for it...addressing cards, shopping, wrapping presents
to mail to far-away relatives, baking holiday treats, preparing for parties and
celebrations.
Today's readings from the Bible are about preparing for Christ's coming, too. In
fact, they are actually telling us to prepare for THREE (that's right, three)
Comings. In one sense, the readings feel right in tune with what we are doing at
home, work and school...the theme seems to be, on the surface, get ready! Get
ready! But in cold fact, there is a deeper theme, and it contains the basic
instruction on how God wants us to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, the
Christ, God the Son, Jesus.
The reading from Malachi (and it's interesting to note that the name Malachi
means "God's messenger") tells us how God wanted the people of Israel to prepare
for their homecoming from the exile in Babylon, several hundred years before
Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
People then, as people now, tended to think that because God did not immediately
punish lawbreaking and injustice with a thunderclap and a noisy trial, perhaps
even a sentence of death carried out on the spot, that it really did not matter
whether or not people acted justly and obeyed God's law. We see pretty much the
same feeling in the daily newspaper and on our TV news channels. People do their
own thing, and who cares if it's right or wrong, as long as they come out on
top, or get what they want? But Malachi reminds us that God acts in his own way
at his own time, not necessarily in our ways at our times. And he reminds us
that God always emphasizes justice to all...not just what we think is "fair" for
us, but what is truly just, not only for us, but for our enemies or competitors
as well. He goes on to remind us that God has begun a good work in us by giving
us his law, and that he will make that good work grow within us, if we give him
a chance...and that we had better do some soul-searching and repent of our
misdoings, because eventually, we will have to answer for them to God himself,
especially those misdoings that have to do with acting unjustly towards others.
If we don't repent, and clear our slate now, we will find it done for us,
perhaps painfully, later.
That, you see, is how God wants his people to prepare to come home to Israel
after the exile; and to come home to heaven after this life, after we have been
judged by Jesus in his role as Christ the King and Messiah; and how he wants us
to prepare for the coming of that Messiah, the baby Jesus, into our lives at
Christmas. Repentance is key; repentance is central.
St. Paul, in his letter to the church at Philippi, gives us more specific
directions on how to repent and "clean up our act", or our lives, as we prepare
for the Coming of the Christ...both at Bethlehem and at the end of time.
Today's Gospel is from the portion of Luke's story of Christ that speaks of the
calling of John the Baptist, whose job, like Malachi's, was to call the people
to repent and prepare the way for the Lord. We have this responsibility,
too...in fact, we have it double. We have to prepare our own hearts and souls
for the coming of Christ, and we have to do what we can to help make the world a
more just, equitable place for all.
If we do some honest soul-searching, we may be very much surprised to find how
often we treat others unjustly. We perhaps insist on OUR way, without giving the
other person a fair hearing. Perhaps our way is hurtful or harmful to someone.
Perhaps the alternative that the other person is trying to propose would
accomplish the same task, but in a more just, fair, equitable way. Or perhaps we
refuse to apologize when we've done something unjust or unfair. Or perhaps we
have managed our time or our job or our finances in such a way that we have not
helped those who need help, and whom we could have helped with a little more
care and forethought...by sending a check to the Red Cross or going to volunteer
at a soup kitchen, or by taking worn-but-good clothing to the Salvation Army, or
supporting a child in some Third World country. Maybe we have run our business
in a way that cheats people out of insurance or seniority or vacation, or
cheated the customer out of fair value for his money. Or maybe we just walked
past the red kettles without making a contribution of our spare change. There
are so many ways we are in the habit of being unjust and unfair to others.
What're yours? Don't tell me, but do tell God, and do clean up your act!
There is a short prayer that comes to us from the Church in Kenya, Africa. Like
the church in many other African countries, it is growing marvelously fast, with
many people coming to receive baptism and join the family of Christ. One of
their prayers would be good for all of us to use, this Advent:
From the cowardice that dare not face new truth,
From the laziness that is contented with half truth,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver me.
Amen.
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