Sermon for 12/09/07

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Sermon for 12/09/07
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Advent 2, MATTHEW 3:1-12,
The Highway of Hope (RW2000)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

SUMMARY: Why is it that when we seek to discover and follow the “highway of hope” on our own, we end up on the “human highway of despair and survival?” Even following the road of morality and rules leaves us empty! John the Baptist tells us to stop traveling down the roads we have made, for what we are seeking is coming to us! We will see it if we repent, that is, turn around. Then we will see Christ is coming to us! Repentance and forgiveness is a gift that frees us from sin and dead-end roads, and helps us rejoice that God comes to us in Christ – who travels on the highway of hope!

GOSPEL FOR 2^nd SUNDAY IN ADVENT – MATTHEW 3:1-12 (2^nd Service)

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
       "A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
       'Prepare the way for the Lord,
       make straight paths for him.' "

John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

1) JOHN! This week I was looking for something in storage, when it occurred to me that our camping gear, (which used to take up a lot of shelf space, was almost non-existent now). Some went off to college with the kids, but it made me wonder where the rest of it went. And then a 7 year old memory surfaced that reminded me of John. When John came into my office he looked blue, he was so cold and wet. He and his dog Jake were thumbing their way to Wenatchee, and got caught in the rain and soaked to the bone. He was hoping we might have some work for him around the church so he could earn enough to get a motel room out of the rain. We didn’t, - but we offered him some food and I gave him a lift down to the clothing bank to find a warmer and hopefully waterproof coat. Unfortunately nothing fit, so I took John and Jake home to throw his soaked sleeping bag in the drier, and to see if any of the rain coats I had at home fit him.

2) ROAD OF DREAMS OR DESPAIR? John and Jake hadn’t eaten in two days, so I fed them and put a couple of turkey sandwiches in his pack for later. Between bites, I discovered John was the youngest of 9 kids raised in a fairly poor and dysfunctional family. He ran away at 16, and hit the road to find his dreams. That had been 28 years earlier, but as the miles passed slowly by, he realized the “road of dreams” was actually the “road of despair.” He got into drugs, into trouble with the law, and for about ten years life was pretty much a grimy blur of survival on the road. After some heart trouble, a doctor convinced him to get off the drugs or he was going to kill himself. By then, most of the people he had met in his life were more interested in seeing him move on, until one day a pastor offered him a couple of day’s work and a place to stay. Though his road of dreams had become a road of despair, it felt good to earn his keep and the church people were friendly, so working for churches became his way of surviving.

3) READ? WRITE? One of the saddest things is that John was 42 years old at that time, and he couldn’t read or write. “I” had to read the labels on the food packages in order for him to know what it was. Only weeks before he confessed to purchasing a small pup tent, only to get thirty miles down the road to discover it was a child’s play tent - too small, I began to realize how frustrating and embarrassing it must be not to be able to read the information on a box or carton. As I went down stairs to look for the raincoat, I began to reflect on the fact that I was only three years older than John, but because I was blessed to read and write, our lives are worlds apart.

4) CHILD OF GOD! After finding the coat, I threw in a pup tent, and a pair of thin-sulated socks. He was embarrassed by my offerings and insisted on working around the house to earn them. I had to talk fast to make him think he was doing me a favor to take this stuff off my hands. “Besides,” I told him, “this all belongs to God and He wants you, a child of God, to have it.” With his sleeping bag now dry, he packed his stuff in his back pack. Everything he owned in the world fit into that bag. I dropped him at the large Catholic church who had work for him and set him up in a hotel for the night. The next day, he dropped by to say thank you, and because I knew he may have trouble hitchhiking through Seattle - and unable to read all the signs - I drove him to where Highway 18 and I-90 meet, there he had a better chance to hitch the rest of the way to Wenatchee. There this lost child of God hoped to meet a brother he hadn’t seen in 20 years.

5) THE ROADS! On the way there, I asked John if he planned on “traveling the roads” all his life. He said, that had been heavy on his mind the last few years, because while it was the only life he knew, it was taking a toll on his health. Except around churches, he wasn’t able to find work. Most employers couldn’t get past all the tattoo’s on his neck and arms, and if they did, they would back peddle when they handed him a work application and found out he couldn’t read or write. As I watched John and Jake, cross highway 18 and head for the on ramp to I-90, I couldn’t help but wonder if John would ever find what he was seeking in life on the roads he was taking.

6) HIGHWAY OF HOPE! Day after day, John seeks the “highway of hope”, yet day after day, he struggles with the “highway of despair and survival.” Most of us here today have “lifestyles” very different from John’s, but I can’t help wonder of we don’t have more in common with John than we think. How many of us are traveling down highways of our own choosing that we hope will bring us peace, comfort, and security, but no matter how many restless miles we walk, no matter how many pairs of walking shoes we wear out, we still can’t find what we’re looking for? Unlike John, we may have cars, houses, good paying jobs, and families, but the highways we have chosen to follow still don’t get to us where we had hoped to be. Some of us may even drive our car here to church on Sunday morning, but our lives are still confused, or frustrated, or empty. How many roads must we journey down before it “all comes together?” How many dead ends, washed out bridges, and potholes must we endure in life, before we find the highway of hope?

7) GOD’S ROAD! Perhaps the crowds were hoping John the Baptist could answer some of those questions when they trekked out into the wilderness to hear what he had to say. Imagine their surprise when this man dressed in camel hair, fed on locust and wild honey, tells them to stop traveling down the roads they have been on, for that which they are seeking is coming to them! What they seek comes from God, and none of the roads they have been following lead to Him! Put as simply as possible: We cannot go to God. Therefore God comes to us! Oh yes, there is a highway, a “highway of hope”, but this road is not being built for us to travel on our upward journey to God. This road is being built by and for God to travel on His downward journey to us!

8) RULES? A few of us here today may be under the impression that the church is a useful road of our own selection, by which we, under our own powers, are able to hike our way to heaven. Some may come to church because, after all, the church can help us travel the “road to morality.” Surely morality is a good thing and God will be impressed by people who like to follow the “rules.” But friends, we make little progress when we try to go along the road of morality, because no matter what we achieve, there is always more that we do not. We can make a thousand rules for ourselves about being nice, about being more ethical in our daily lives, we can make rules about attending worship and financial giving and reading the Bible every day, but this highway of rules only leads to more rules when we find we do not and cannot live up to the original ones.

9) HUMAN HIGHWAY? Remember how the Jews took the 10 commandments and made them into a human highway to heaven? By the time Jesus arrived on the scene the 10 Commandments had multiplied into 613 commandments as they argued over endless details, like whether watering the cattle was working on the Sabbath or not. The fact is, when we travel the down the human highway of morality and rules, we usually discover ourselves sliding off into the ditch of despair. Inevitably, some will initially believe that through morals and works we can make progress in our self-improvement. But eventually we discover that we are only spinning our wheels alongside this human highway – and that’s when we get really frustrated! And we’re tempted to think all roads are meaningless!

10) GOD MUST COME TO US! But Matthew tells us today that there IS one road that is life-giving! It’s the “road in the wilderness”. However, it is a road by which God must come to us, not a road for us to go to Him. As long as we think we can go to God, under our own powers, traveling the roads of our choice, doing it all by ourselves, we will find ourselves forever lost, or stuck in the ditch! What makes Christianity different from every other worldly religions, is our understanding that that due to our sin, there’s NOTHING we can do to get to God. God must come to us! And so He does: through Jesus Christ, on Christmas morn. He comes to forgive us for our foolishness - yes, our sinfulness - in thinking that we can find God by traveling on some “road to religion,“ or on a “highway of positive thinking,” or on the “autobahn of goodness.” No, God must come to us!

11) THEY KNEW – DO WE? Ironically we look back at Jesus’ arrival and realize that He will be resisted by society’s “good” people: you know - the scribes, Sadducees, Pharisees. Hey, like us, these were the religious folks living decent, moral lives, and they figured they were doing pretty well all by themselves. On the other hand they were quick to point out just how corrupt the tax collectors and prostitutes were - obvious sinners. And yet, society’s “outcasts” had no illusions about their “goodness.” They knew they did not measure up to God! Do we? And they knew that when it came to the great highway to heaven they were stalled at the entrance ramp and could go no further. Do we?

12) REPENT! And yet, in the light of Christ’s grace and unconditional love, they were the ones who repented. Remember the first two lines of our Gospel text? “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’" Repent! It means “to turn around”, to say with complete honesty, “I cannot do it by myself!” Do you repent daily?… constantly? …aware you can do nothing to fix yourself or the world by yourself? As long as you think you can do it by yourself, you have not repented. And if you have not repented, you have not been divinely forgiven, and you are still in bondage to sin and “self.” For you still are under the illusion that something you are doing is helping you travel that highway to heaven. Only in the light of Christ’s grace and unconditional love, can we be inspired and empowered to repent.

13) SILENT CONFESSION! Do you want a “reality” check as to whether you understand what repenting is? Every Sunday we…

…(1^st service) begin with the Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness.

…(2^nd service) have a Prayer of Confession after the sermon.

And in it there is a time for silence whereby we place before the Lord our sins and ask for him to forgive and transform us. What do you do in that “moment of silent confession?” Do you find yourself wondering “how long is this uncomfortable silence going to continue?” Or do you find yourself frustrated because it seemed that you just got started with you long list of sins and the Pastor is already running on with the service? Also check your “repentance comfort zone” by honestly gauging how much time you actually spend “repenting” in your private daily prayers. If all you are doing is occasionally asking God for a little help in a few “troublesome” areas, you are acting as though you have the rest of your life under control! “True” repentance confesses that we can do nothing that is life-giving by ourselves. And if you aren’t repenting, you aren’t being forgiven or washed clean, and God’s power to come to you, to live within you, to dwell in your heart is handicapped. Truth is, time - for silent confession – is a gift!

14) THE WORLD – THE CHURCH! Robert Capon, in his book Hunting the Divine Fox , once contrasted the ways of the world with the true mission of the church. He writes: "The church is not in the morals business. The world is in the morals business, quite rightfully; and it has done a fine job of it, all things considered… What the world cannot get right, however, is the forgiveness business—and that, of course, is the church's real job. The church is in the world to deal with the Sin which the world can't turn off or escape from. She is not in the business of telling the world what's right and wrong so that it can do good and avoid evil. She is in the business of offering, to a world which knows all about that tiresome subject, forgiveness for its chronic unwillingness to take its own advice. But the minute she even hints that morals, and not forgiveness, is the name of her game, she instantly corrupts the Gospel and runs headlong into blatant nonsense. The church becomes, not Ms. Forgiven Sinner, but Ms. Right. Christianity becomes the “good guys” in here versus the “bad guys” out there. Which, of course, is pure tripe. The church is nothing but the “world under the sign of baptism."

15) I PRAY! Robert Capon is right: the sign of baptism under which we live is the sign of repentance. Through repentance, we have given up all hope of “saving ourselves” or of going to God on our own, but have instead recognized God’s need to come to us in His son Jesus Christ - to bring us forgiveness and hope. Yes, we are obligated to do what good we can in the world, but we admit that whatever good we do - cannot save us or bring us closer to God. I shared some of this with John before I dropped Him and Jake off on HWY 18, hoping that he may discover that the churches he occasionally works at, have more to offer than just a few bucks and a warm place to sleep. I can only pray that John the wander (who is now nearly 50), has heard the words of John the Baptist and stopped seeking to find the “highway of hope” on his own. I pray he now sees that God comes to us. I pray that he has turned around, and confessed that He cannot do it by himself.

16) DEAD-END ROADS. It is also my prayer that God opens our eyes, you and me, to the many dead-end roads we attempt to travel on our own, so that in repentance, that is, in “turning around”, we may all discover Christ coming to us. Like cars needing repair, some of us arrive at church every Sunday willing to come in for an “estimate”, but never an “overhaul.” But unless we repent, unless we get overhauled, God cannot come to us… and into us! And I pray that you and I will minister to young people and their families, …that before they become 16 year old boys and girls feeling lost and unworthy, they will discover disciples here who care, mentors who teach and guide, and a God who loves them unconditionally! And I pray that through our outreach, Christ finds them long before they contemplate running away and traveling down well worn but dead-end roads.

17) HIGHWAY OF HOPE! There is only ONE Highway of Hope, and once we are clear on that, we are ready to celebrate Christmas as the true miracle it is. For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to travel that highway, so that He could be re-united with His children, and redeem them from their sin. Through Jesus Christ dwelling among us, God has accomplished something which we cannot do on our own. The miracle of Christmas is in God coming to us down a highway of hope to where we are, so that we might be with Him! …forever! Praise God. AMEN

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that the road in front of our heart is filled with potholes of our own making. But rather than admit that, we have chosen to travel other worldly roads that promise us happiness and peace based on our own accomplishments and our own selfish needs. Forgive us! Help us to see that until we repent, until we turn around and confess we need you in all parts of our lives, we will never be at peace! Forgive us our pride, and free us from our need to be independent and self reliant.

Lord, as much as we hear of your desire to come to us, and into us, many of us fear the changes your arrival will make. We’ve kept certain parts of our lives from you because we don’t have the faith to believe that your transforming ways are better than what we’ve already embraced. Forgive us, and empower us to trust in you! Open us up to your Holy Spirit and remake us. Wash us daily in the waters of our baptism, and empower us to go and share your healing power, peace, faith, and love with those around us who are seeking the “highway of hope”.

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and made anew.

(Silence)

Lord, we cannot find you or heaven on our own. So help us to stop, turn around, and allow you to come to us. Through repentance, help us to receive all the love and blessings you are waiting to pour down upon us, and help us to share with others the good news of your coming. In Jesus Name we pray, AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who comes to you down the “highway of hope”, has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go with God, journey only where He leads you, and enjoy the blessings and freedom the gift of repentance brings. Rejoice! Jesus comes! AMEN

Opening prayer: Advent 2

Dear Lord, it appears our actions this morning have brought us here, to this Holy Place where we meet you face to face. But it was YOU, Lord, who really drew us here! Even though it sometimes feels that coming to church was our idea, we know that it was YOUR Holy Spirit that acted behind the scenes and pulled us towards Your loving embrace! It is always YOU who takes the first step! It was YOU who loved us first! It is YOU whose grace and unconditional love empowers us to bring our sins to be forgiven! It is YOU who invites those of us with broken hearts, minds, and spirits to come to receive Your healing power! It is YOU who offers us divine wisdom and who seeks to bring Your lost sheep home! It is always YOU who long to trade in our fears for faith, and free us from the powers of sin, Satan, and death! And so, as we turn our focus to the coming of the Christ Child, help us to see once again – IT IS YOU who bring faith, hope, and love to us - your undeserving children! So receive our praise, hymns, prayers, and love this day, because IT IS YOU who brings every good blessing into our lives! As we give thanks for our greatest blessing – we recognize – IT IS YOU! AMEN!

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