+In Nomine Iesu+
GAUDETEAdvent 3 St Matthew 11:2-15 12 December 2010 The Latin name for the 3rd Sunday in Advent is Gaudete. It means rejoice. Notice how the Introit began today, Rejoice in the Lord, always. Something of that attitude is also noted by the Advent wreath. This morning we lit the rose colored candle. <> Meanwhile. Meanwhile, what do we hear? We hear about John the Baptist. We hear of John in prison. Sitting in prison awaiting his death his martyrdom. Rejoice? It almost seems that black humor has taken over the Church. Rejoice in the face of death? Or, to bring the matter closer to the home, rejoice in the face of the unknown? Rejoice in the face of economic or political uncertainty? Rejoice when the future with its government deficits and economic problems looks bleak? Gaudete Sunday is nothing if not a Sunday of paradoxes. <> While John, in his preaching, pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, he had questions. Misgivings, even. Shouldnt you, Jesus, be baptizing me? John wondered. No. Jesus replied, It must be the other way round. You, John, must baptize Me. It is fitting for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness. So, Jesus was baptized. He took His place among humankind. In that act of being baptized Jesus became one among many. But, in a larger sense, Jesus became all of sinful humanity. And, with the baptism of Jesus, Johns work was done. His prophetic mission was accomplished. It was as he said, I must decrease, and He (Jesus) must increase. <> The lives of John and Jesus run parallel in many ways. Where John is good, Jesus is the best. John must decrease. He will soon die. John is the last and greatest prophet. Jesus is the first and only Savior. He will increase. But that increasing will come as He dies. Indeed, He will constantly increase until the Last Day when He will stand upon the earth in triumph over all that is evil. John, unlike any other prophet before him, actually saw and touched his Savior. Jesus, unlike any prophet ever, is the Savior. The Savior who would be seen, and touched. The Savior who reads hearts and touches souls. John lives, and then dies. Jesus lives in order to die. Jesus declares John to be the greatest man ever born in the normal way born to a human mother and father. But Jesus exceeds John in greatness. He has no human father. Rather, He is the Son of God. God, the Almighty Creator of all things, is His Father. <> It is always the fate of prophets to be misunderstood. The message of all Gods prophets was always the same the Kingdom of God is coming. Gods kingdom is at hand. But people couldnt comprehend. Wouldnt comprehend. Invariably they looked upon the Kingdom of God in earthly terms. The defeat of whatever human power was oppressing them at the moment. The establishment of Israel as a glorious kingdom on earth. Full stomachs and proudly beating hearts. They heard Gods prophets and thought they knew what the prophets were saying. But most never did. <> And now? Nothing has really changed. People still misunderstand. The threat of Imperial Rome may be gone, but people still fret over earthly tyrants. Not so long ago it was Hitler and the Russian Communists. Then the Red Chinese and Moslem terrorists. Now, unstable Iranians and goofy North Koreans. The villains change almost weekly. People today still look for an earthly golden age to come. They long fancifully for a 1000-year reign of Jesus on earth when the faithful will be vindicated. When all oppressors will be stomped into the dust. In this the thinking of many is completely earth-bound and totally off the mark. Or maybe perpetual good fortune and good health is the blessing they expect from their Messiah. The result? Modern man is just as confused, just as self-centered, just as off target as were his first century compatriots. <> Really, John is a picture of every Christian in every generation. He sits in prison. Things just dont seem to be working out. Look God, Ive tried to keep your commandments. I believe your promises. Why have things gone so badly for me? The more I try to do Your will, the worse it gets for me. Everyone thinks Im nuts. And now? Now Im in prison waiting to be killed. <> You see whats happening to John? What easily happen to us? Physical pain and suffering are one thing. Theyre bad enough. But struggles of the soul are far worse. Doubt, despair, anguish, hopelessness. Anfectung was the word Luther used to describe this. Afflictions of the soul. Everyone gets sick. Everyone is injured from time to time. We expect it. Those problems are visible comprehensible. The bandages and crutches are obvious. We learn to fight through them. But the struggles of the soul are largely hidden. They are fought out in the inner recesses of the heart the conscience. Remember how St Paul described reality? We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. These were the struggles John faced in prison. They are also our struggles. And in these struggles John, by way of his disciples, asked Jesus a question. Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another. Here we catch a glimpse of the uncertainty that worries every believer. <> It is right here above all else that all thoughts must be taken captive by the Word of God. Jesus responds, Go tell John what you hear and see; the blind, lame, lepers, deaf, dead all are being healed. We might well ask what kind of answer this is. It seems almost insufficient. Almost an obfuscation. A simple yes or no would have been far more helpful, we think. But is that really true? Jesus is directing attention to himself to the evidence that His coming brings. Chapters 8-10 of Matthew record 10 miracles by Jesus. As someone once said, It aint bragging if you can do it. Jesus is giving evidence of what He is doing what He is doing as the promised Messiah. And what He is doing is enacting salvation for all who believe. Indeed, John will decrease. But, at the same time, Jesus will increase. Jesus will increase until He is all in all. <> So it must be for us. We must decrease in our lives while Jesus must increase. Its a prospect we dont necessarily like. Self-esteem is utmost in the thinking of many. But self-esteem carried to its logical end becomes idolatry. Then we become the ones who increase. And everything else including Jesus automatically decreases. <> But as John sits in a prison of death, so do we. He will fall victim to the sword his head paraded about on a silver platter. Our death will probably be quite different. But the cause of death always remains the same sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So declares St Paul. And, The wages of sin is death. It isnt cancer that kills. Or heart disease, or car accidents or any of those terminal things we hear about. It is sin. The cancer, or heart disease, or whatever, is simply the checkout line through which one moves from life in this world into eternity. <> Increase and decrease are dependent on the focus of our eyes. Jesus encouraged John the Baptist to lift his eyes from himself. Jesus was to become the focus of Johns gaze. That put decreasing and increasing in their proper order. Their proper perspective. So, also, for us. Look to Jesus, my friends. Look to Him, and He will increase your faith in His mercy and grace. And as that happens, your importance to yourself will decrease. And in that you will go through the narrow door of Jesus death into the eternity of life that has been prepared for you. Then death becomes a reason for Gaudete a reason for rejoicing. A reason to rejoice in the Lord always, for He alone is your Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Amen +Soli Deo Gloria+ ___________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author (as long as no charge is made for the work and it is not made part of a compilation), as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? 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