Sermon delivered by Rev. Alison Christian on 1st December 2024, the first Sunday of Advent.
As a child I always adored Advent because it was the great lead up to Christmas. There was the delight of receiving an Advent Calendar – there were four children in our family, so some years we had to share and take turns in opening the windows. There were the Christmas cards; first a trickle, then a deluge. There was the singing in school assemblies of the great Advent hymns, which thrilled me to the core: Hills of the North Rejoice; O come, O come, Emmanuel. Then there was the decorating of the house. For a few years we children tried paper chains, but they always seemed to collapse under their own weight. But you get the idea. Advent was a time of excited anticipation and delight. I am sure many of you had similar experiences.
So, it is a shock to encounter our gospel reading today. It isn’t very “advent-ish”. At first glance it appears to be an apocalyptic vision of the end of the world. But it confronts us with a great truth, as true for our times as when it was written. Real life is not lived within a Hallmark Christmas card but feels more often like Narnia before the coming of Aslan, where it is always winter but never Christmas.
Let me put something to you. It is, nothing new, but it can’t be said too often. The greatest challenge we face today is not war, or climate change, or tyranny, or prejudice, or division. It is fear.
Why? Because fear is at the root of all these things I have just mentioned. Think about it. Throughout history, it is fear which makes us turn against others: people who are different to us, people whom we are manipulated into thinking are a threat to us. They are the enemy. It is fear which lies at the heart of the feeling that we never have enough. It seems the more money people have the more they feel they need. Fear causes us to compete for what we see as limited resources. Then we horde. Do you remember how anxious we were about toilet paper and flour during the pandemic? Fear drives wedges of distrust into our communities that fractures solidarity and undermines compassion. We begin to define ourselves not by what we all share as human beings – the need for love, safety, freedom etc, but by what makes us different. Instead of delighting in our diversity we learn the language of “either/or” and “us/them” forgetting our common ground, forgetting compassion and empathy. Fear, damages us individually and then collectively as we seek like-minded, frightened people. Fear drives us inward, hardens our hearts, darkens our vision, and stunts our imagination.
There is not a problem in the world today, that you cannot trace back to fear as the root cause. It is our greatest challenge. And it is nothing new.
So, perhaps, we should not be surprised that the most common command and promise in Scripture is, “Do not be afraid”. It appears more than 120 times in the bible, spoken by diverse agents from angels to ordinary people. “Do not be afraid!” Within the next few weeks, we will hear these words said to the Virgin Mary by the Angel Gabriel.
Which is why it is important to look again at our gospel reading today, because embedded deep within our text in the first paragraph are these words of promise and encouragement, “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (21:28). It is a promise that is easy to miss, because “these things” refers to the frightening signs in the earth and heavens - distress and uproar among people, the powers of the day being overturned, and the coming of the apocalyptic “son of man” in power and glory.
Terrifying. It is no wonder that “People will faint with fear and foreboding about what is coming upon the earth” (26). And yet it is now that Jesus tells his disciples to “stand up and raise your heads.” Why? Not because this is a sign that the end of the world is nigh and so eternal victory for the faithful is imminent. Rather, it is because, even greater than the fear, even more powerful than a world in seeming chaos are Jesus’ words: “heaven and earth will pass away, my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). These words of Jesus quoted in St Matthew’s gospel, will last longer than anything else in the world, and continue to have a lasting impact.
Are there words from the bible that give you strength and encouragement when times are dark and difficult? After my mother died when I was fifteen, the words I used to return to again and again were, “And behold I am with you always, even to the end of time.” The words of Jesus have immense power.
There are other words. Our gospel today comes immediately before the Passion narrative. So let us look at some of the words that Jesus will say over the next few days of his life. “This is my body, given for you; this is my blood shed for you.” Jesus’ promise of his continued and real presence with his disciples. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus’ promise of forgiveness…no matter what. “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus’ promise of eventual and ultimate rest and comfort. And “Peace be with you.” Jesus’ promise that his resurrection spells an end to death and the cycle of fear, violence and revenge.
Across the board, Jesus promises not to abandon his disciples, not to abandon us, amid the disturbance and suffering of the world but to be with them, be with us, giving us the courage and the strength to move forward, giving us the gifts not just to survive but to flourish.
Jesus’ promises do not eradicate fear or hard times – but they give us strength and courage to endure. They help us to remain faithful in desert times, to keep going, to do our duty, to challenge ourselves when we are aware that our vision and compassion and empathy are under attack from fear.
Which means that even in this topsy-turvy world, we are not helpless. While we wait for the final redemption of all things, we have work to do. We are invited to follow Jesus in his work of care for those who are wounded, reassurance of the frightened, solidarity with those who are subjugated, resistance of evil, forgiveness for those who have wronged us, and acceptance of all of God’s people – that is all people, however different from us they may appear, not because we believe our actions will change the world, but because we know Christ’s resurrection has already changed the world. We act, that is, in the confidence that Jesus’ promises are trustworthy.
These may seem like very small gestures. So find some examples to boost yourself with – like the young lad who gave up his five barley loaves and two small fishes and, through Jesus, fed 5,ooo people. There are no small gestures, only actions motivated by the love and courage of Christ. No action done in love and courage, no matter how small, is ever wasted, even if we don’t see the results ourselves.
It is not our job to save the world. That is Jesus’s work. It is our job to try to care for the little bit of the world we live in. It is very much our job to offer an alternative to the fear that is corroding the world. And in offering courage rather than fear and compassion rather than hardness of heart, to be obedient to Christ’s command to follow him and not be afraid.