Isaiah 64:1-9 (1-2)
[1 Corinthians 1:3-9; St. Mark 13:24-37]
1st Sunday in Advent
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Sermon
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Isaiah 64:1-2
“Come, Lord Jesus, and Rescue Us from This Wicked World!”
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord [Amen.]
“O Savior rend the heavens wide;
Come down, come down with mighty stride;
Unlock the gates, the doors break down;
Unbar the way to heaven’s crown.
“Sin’s dreadful doom upon us lies;
Grim death looms fierce before our eyes.
O come, lead us with mighty hand
From exile to our promised land.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
355:1 & 6)
Gospel
Reading................................................................................
Isaiah 64:1-9 (esp. 1-2)
1Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might
quake at your presence— 2as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes
water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the
nations might tremble at your presence!
Prologue: The guest speaker on The Lutheran Hour six years ago
[tomorrow/today] began his Gospel message that was titled “How Then Can We
Be Saved?” with the following: “Today we turn a page. By that I mean that
we begin a new season in the church year, the season of Advent. Many of our
listeners know that Advent is the first season of a new church year and that
it comprises the four weeks before we celebrate our Savior’s birth at
Christmas. But sometimes we forget that Advent also focuses our attention
on the Second Coming of Jesus on Judgment Day. As such, our Old Testament
reading for the First Sunday in Advent speaks to us about the almighty
judging power of God, power that crushes His enemies but also power by which
He extends His loving hands to save us, His people, from our sins. Yes, God
uses His almighty power to save. Therefore, we need not fear His wrath. We
need not fear His almighty power. Instead, we rest secure and safe in His
Fatherly love knowing that we are God’s children forever.” (“How Then Can We
Be Saved?” #76-12, Presented on The Lutheran Hour on November 30, 2008; By
Rev. Andy Spallek, Guest Speaker; Copyright 2008, Lutheran Hour Ministries)
That certainly coincides with what I said in the conclusion of my sermon
last Sunday: “And that, my dear fellow baptized believers in Him who is the
only Savior and Redeemer of sinful mankind, brings us full circle on this
Last Sunday in the Church Year to where we began one year ago and will begin
again next Sunday on the First Sunday in Advent, namely, that ‘He Will Come
[Again with Glory] to Judge [Both] the Living and the Dead.’”
In addition, the brief explanation in “Treasury of Daily Prayer”
tells us that “The calendar of the Church begins with Advent (from Latin
adventus, which means ‘coming into’), a four-week period of preparation
before Christmas. The story of Jesus in Advent is the story of hope coming
into the world. When the time was just right, God sent His Son, Jesus, into
the world. The Advent season teaches us to prepare to receive Jesus, the
hope of the world.
“It has become common to use an Advent wreath to mark the season. An
Advent wreath has four candles—one for each week in Advent. As these
candles are lit each week, our anticipation mounts as we look forward to
Jesus’ coming.” (Treasury of Daily Prayer. Scott Kinnaman, Gen. Ed.
Copyright © Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 9.)
There’s certainly more about Advent that Pastor Marks and I will
share with you over the course of the next three Sundays. However, the
emphasis of today’s Old Testament Reading is the longing cry of the Old
Testament Israelites that we New Testament Israelites (children of God) also
express, especially during Advent, namely, …
“Come, Lord Jesus, and Rescue Us from This Wicked World!”
The evidence that the world in which we live is becoming more and
more consumed with indifference to God’s Word and spiritual failure (that
being sin and evil) is laid bare before us and is increasing daily. The
most recent disregard for property and life just up the road from us in
Ferguson; the legalized murder of unborn babies still in what should be the
safe haven of their mothers’ wombs; the disregard for God’s divine order of
creation by legalizing and encouraging same-gender sexual activity, and even
redefining marriage to validate such; the living together, sexing together,
and conceiving and birthing children outside of God’s ordained institution
of marriage; the brazen attack by hate-filled people on Christians including
even gruesomely beheading them in the open public; countless so-called “acts
of nature” whereby volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis,
floods, and droughts ravage God’s good creation; lies, half-truths, and
slanderous and defamatory comments about others, especially fellow
Christians, that manifest unbridled anger and hatred; and rebellion by
children against parents and other authorities, parents and other
authorities mistreating and abusing children, and parents and other
authorities failing to properly discipline children and “bring them up in
the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph 6:3 NKJV) are only a few of
the countless proofs of such.
There’s certainly room for all who are hearing this sermon to
realize that, like during the Old Testament times when Isaiah proclaimed God’s
Law and Gospel, so also today there’s much need for repentance. The honest
confession of sins that’s part of Divine Service Setting III, which is an
update of “The Order of the Holy Communion” found on page 15 of The Lutheran
Hymnal of 1941 vintage, states it this way: “I, a poor, miserable sinner,
confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended
You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am
heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your
boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings
and death of Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful
being.” (Lutheran Service Book. Page 184.) So, as this preparatory season
leading up to the annual formal celebration of our Savior’s incarnate birth
begins [tomorrow/today], recognize that …
I. Advent Is Largely About Stinging Law and Mournful Repentance. (3-7)
3When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the
mountains quaked at your presence. 4From of old no one has heard or
perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those
who wait for him. 5You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who
remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our
sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? 6We have all become
like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted
garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take
us away. 7There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to
take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us
melt in the hand of our iniquities.
The following from The Lutheran Study Bible wonderfully describes
Isaiah’s writing: “With one hand, she slips the ivory comb through her wavy
black hair. With the other, she checks her progress in a polished bronze
mirror. Setting aside the comb, she begins to darken her eyelids, using an
alabaster wand to spread the black paint. A pendant for each ear; a ring
for the nose. She slides one bangle after another over her wrist until she
clinks musically with each movement. Over her head and neck, she lowers a
delicate necklace, which suspends a small silver scroll, the gift of her
father, a priest. Inside is scribed the benediction he pronounces over the
people at the temple on Mount Zion, including the sacred name of Yahweh. As
she rises to leave, she adds one more item: a second necklace, heavy with
beads. At its center hangs an amulet in the figure of Bes, a troll-like
Egyptian god of good luck.
“Isaiah records the longest list of clothing and accessories in all of
Scripture (3:6–4:1), which he cites as evidence of Judah’s affluence,
idolatry, and growing indifference to God’s Word. As a Jerusalem insider,
with access to the king’s court, Isaiah saw firsthand the extravagance,
injustice, and spiritual failure of Judah’s leaders. He would witness the
lean years during the siege by the Assyrians. He would prophesy Judah’s
downfall to the Babylonians. He would see the daughters of Zion in chains
but then set free, worshiping the Lord with those who had formerly oppressed
them (19:19–25).” (The Lutheran Study Bible. E. A. Engelbrecht, Gen. Ed.
Copyright © 2009 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 1084.)
In addition, it’s beneficial to note that “No other OT prophet is
quoted as often in the NT as the prophet Isaiah. This is due to the breadth
of topics he covered and to his frequent descriptions of the coming Messiah
and His kingdom, which find fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Isaiah prophesies so often about the coming Messiah that
some commentators have called his prophecy the ‘Fifth Gospel.’” So, “Read
Isaiah for his pointed declarations of God’s Law and also for beautiful
words of comfort, to which he always returns.” (Ibid. Pages 2009.)
After all, God righteously “lowered the boom” through the prophet
Isaiah on His covenant people whom He dearly loved … but rebelled against
and even forsook Him, even as He does on you His Baptized saints today and
everyday. But His message goes beyond the curse of His righteous wrathful
anger. For the fantastic fact of the matter is that …
II. Advent Is Even More Largely About Comforting Gospel and Joyful
Salvation. (8-9)
8But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our
potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9Be not so terribly angry, O
Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all
your people.
“Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy … was an Anglican priest and
poet. He was nicknamed ‘Woodbine Willie’ during World War I for giving
Woodbine cigarettes along with spiritual aid to injured and dying soldiers.”
(http://www.goodreads.com) Among the many poems he wrote was one entitled
“When Jesus Came to Golgotha.” Its message was that “Apathetic, indifferent
people bring great sorrow to the heart of Jesus Christ.” (Encyclopedia of
Sermon Illustrations. Compiled by David F. Burgess. Copyright © 1988
Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 113.)
The grand poetess Emily Dickinson, who was original and innovative
in her poetry, wrote the following in the first four lines of a poem
entitled “Savior! I’ve no one else to tell”: “Savior! I’ve no one else to
tell—And so I trouble Thee. I am the one forgot Thee so—Dost Thou remember
me?” (http://hellopoetry.com)
Today’s Collect pleaded with God to “Stir up Your power, O Lord,
and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening
perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance … .” In today’s
Introit antiphon the prophet Zechariah announced the comforting message:
“Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation.” (Zech
9:9b, alt. ESV) and today’s Gradual expanded that declaration with “Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold,
your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation.” (Zech 9:9 ESV)
One of the most popular sort-of-Advent songs first recorded by
co-author Gene Autry in 1947 and later by Elvis Presley, Doris Day, Bing
Crosby, and Bob Dylan announces at the beginning of all four verses: “Here
comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, Right down Santa Claus lane.”
(http://www.lyricsforchristmas.com) It’s really a secular Christmas song
with Christian overtones that indirectly refers to the Advent emphases of
coming to, approaching, and arriving at.
Of course, the One for whose birth we’re now preparing to once
again formally celebrate is not Santa Claus, but Jesus Christ. He is the
Son of Man, who came into this sin-ravaged world through the birth canal of
the Virgin Mary some 2,000 years ago to atone for your sins, my sins, and
the sins of all people of all time by defeating the devil, sin, and death
itself with His innocent inhumane suffering, cruel crucifixion death, burial
in a borrowed tomb, and majestic resurrection from the dead. He is the Son
of God, who comes to you today as you ponder your Baptism, by which He
originally came into your heart; as you revel in the Absolution, that states
divine forgiveness of all your sins; as you partake of His real body and
blood hidden in the bread and wine that give you certain and comforting
assurance of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life; and as you read and
hear God’s written Word, that communicates to you God’s Living Word,
Immanuel. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, who will (as I
emphasized last weekend) “come [again with glory] to judge [both] the living
and the dead.” The result of that will be eternal blissful glory in heaven
for all who confessed Him with their mouth and trusted Him in their heart
but eternal tormentuous separation from Jesus in the confines of fiery
tortuous hell for all who renounced Him with their mouth and denied Him in
their heart.
In conclusion, therefore, the Old Testament saints longingly cried
out for what the New Testament saints likewise cry out, namely,
“Come, Lord Jesus, and Rescue Us from This Wicked World!”
As you do so, rest assured that, as Saint Paul declared in today’s
Epistle Reading: “… you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait
for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end,
guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 1:7-8 ESV) After
all, the fact of the matter is that …
I. Advent Is Largely About Stinging Law and Mournful Repentance. (3-7)
but the greater Good-News truth is that …
II. Advent Is Even More Largely About Comforting Gospel and Joyful
Salvation. (8-9)
So, as you prepare to once again participate in Christ’s annual
incarnation celebration, do so looking to His future return as revealed in
God’s Holy Word, the Spirit-inspired source in which Jesus Himself had this
to say in today’s Gospel Reading about that: “But concerning that day or
that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the
time will come. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of
the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows,
or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say
to you I say to all: Stay awake.’” (St Mark 13:32-33, 35-37 ESV)
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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