Second Sunday of Advent – morning
Sunday 8th December 2019
Advent 2 – morning
Isaiah 11. 1-10
Matthew 3. 1-12
Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs
Advent is, by tradition, the time of year when Christians are urged to contemplate the “4 last things” – Death and Judgment, heaven and hell.
And this morning we hear John the Baptist in full cry – exhorting his listeners (and therefore us too) to think about the impending judgment that may be made on our lives. If a great gathering of wheat into the granary (or souls into heaven) is to be made – we want to ensure we are on the right side!
And later this week we will be asked to exercise our judgment again on which party we think has the best policies to govern our country. Apart of course from those of us who have already exercised our democratic vote through a postal vote!
Now I would not dream of suggesting who or which party you should vote for – but I do urge every one of you – even those who choose differently to me – to make good use of your vote. It was hard won over many centuries and it is not for us to squander or neglect that right and responsibility. And our votes do matter. Increasingly for the future of our children and their children and our planet itself – so do choose wisely, and maybe not only by which party will benefit you the most personally!
John the Baptist serves as a kind of signpost, pointing us towards the right decision; pointing to the Messiah who is coming into the world at Christmas. His whole life and ministry was devoted to the one who was to come. Of course he lived in a time when everyone was waiting expectantly for the Messiah – the great figure who would emerge – from the desert it was believed – and who would rescue his people from the bondage of foreign domination and exploitation. That is why various Jewish groups – including John and his disciples, – took themselves out into the Judean wilderness to wait for and prepare for the coming Messiah. They wanted to be among the first to recognise and greet him. So all sorts of people went out to see and listen to this strange rather wild-looking preacher in the desert and to receive his baptism as a way of demonstrating their repentance for their sins. Even Jesus himself was to make that journey.
John never claimed the title of Messiah for himself – he knew that his job was to point the way and not to get in the way. He also knew that Jesus (or the one to come) would be more powerful than himself. “I baptise with water, but one is coming who will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire!” – a somewhat scary image to us, but one that we perhaps need to stay with and explore.
Fire can destroy of course, but it also purifies. In the crucible in a furnace, metallic ore is broken down from its crude state so that the pure metal can emerge. Similarly the wheat must be separated from the chaff if it is to be any good as flour to the baker. So the coming of the Messiah may be a mixed blessing to some. Yes, the pure substance will be brought forth, but a lot of rubbish has to be jettisoned on the way.
What would our lives look like I wonder to be subject to this sort of process? What about you would you like to lose, to have burnt away in the fierce heat of God’s judgment? And how many of our politicians – of all parties – are asking themselves this question this weekend I wonder?
And how can we emulate John the Baptist? How can we serve as God’s signposts for others? Pointing the way to Jesus without getting in the way ourselves?
What we buy, what we eat, the way we use our money, the way we use our vote even, our day to day lifestyle can all be a pointer – especially at this time of year when the world goes mad for excess. As Christians we have a special interest in Christmas and we certainly want to make sure that we will celebrate the great mystery and awe and wonder of Christ’s birth among us. But perhaps we don’t have to ‘do’ Christmas in quite the same way as everyone else around us in the world?
Maybe our signpost could be to stop, to be still and to be a prayerful presence to and for others in the mad rush that surrounds us. And if we are always moaning about others – in church and outside – we might give the impression that we worship a mean, tight, aggressive little god, whose followers are miserable, pious and dull.
So let’s all try to point the way for others in a helpful way. Go cheerfully to vote (even if we aren’t feeling particularly cheerful at the choices before us) and let people know how much you enjoy being a part of a worshipping community. Invite them to come with you to the Christingle or one of our Carol events – in church or even in the pub! And pray that God will enable us all to be signposts this Christmas, and in the years to come. Amen.