Advent sermon series
The meaning is in the waiting
Moments of great calm,
Kneeling before an altar
Of wood in a stone church
In summer, waiting for the God
To speak; . . .
. . . Prompt me, God;
But not yet. When I speak,
Though it be you who speak
Through me, something is lost.
The meaning is in the waiting.
(Kneeling, R.S. Thomas)
dvent 1 29/11/2020
The people of God: Waiting for a Saviour
Isaiah 64.1-9 and Mark 13:24-37
Advent is marked by waiting and much of society focuses during this time we count down the days to Christmas, which seems to come nearer and nearer to October every year. Waiting in today’s society is hard for us but this sermon series helps us to think about the value of waiting. As Christians we in a waiting space (a liminal space) between the arrival of Jesus as a baby and his return at the end times. So advent as for us challenges us to think of both at the same time – that we are in the kingdom but it is also not here. So for us the advent challenge is to think about how to be in this world when we know it is not as God wishes it to be, but to know too that is Jesus coming, Jesus is coming down to us on earth again to make all things new (Mark 13: 26) . What should we be doing on this earth this advent to make sure we have a future focus? How can we stop rushing about and wait more? How can we keep help other people we know to understand the value of waiting?
Advent 2 06/12/2020
Old Testament Prophets: Waiting for a Promise
Isaiah 40.1-11 and Mark 1.1-8
When we look at the reading from Isaiah we see the prophets waiting for a saviour. In Is 40 the prophet brings the people an incredible message: despite all the sins they have committed, despite all the suffering they’ve been through, God still cares for them. And God is coming to them now with a message of comfort and hope. The promise is one of homecoming. For more than a generation the exiles had been living hundreds of miles away from their home. We can get a sense of how they felt in Psalm 137. Today promises often feel fickle, homes may not be places of safety or are perhaps ones full of broken promises. Yet Jesus came, He is coming again and He doesn’t break his promises. He may ask us to wait, He may not answer prayer in the way wish but He keeps His promises In a culture that craves instant satisfaction what does it mean to wait for God’s promise? How can we prepare ourselves and our community for the promise of Jesus’ return? How can we make sure we do keep our promises to God and others, to show that keeping premises really do matter?
Advent 3 13/12/2020
John the Baptist: Waiting with expectation
Isaiah 61.1-4,8-11 and John 1.6-8,19-28
John appears as a prophet, wearing garments reminiscent of Elijah (hairy and a leather belt -- 2 K 1:8, see also Zech 13:4). John has two proclamations (kerusso):
The former exiles have returned to Jerusalem after a lengthy exile that challenged their faith in Yahweh. Cyrus of Persia has defeated the Babylonians and instituted a new policy. Instead of subjugating Jewish exiles, Cyrus allows them to return to Jerusalem and even provides funds to finance the rebuilding of the temple. However, upon their return, the former exiles find that Yahweh, who made possible their return, has not seen fit to make their task easy.
This Isaiah reading ‘to proclaim (liq·ro) liberty to the captives’ (v. 1e). We still feel captive in partial lockdown and ‘and release to those who are bound’ (v. 1f). This would speak loudly to these Jewish people who have so recently been freed from their long exile and allowed to return to Jerusalem –
How do we wait in expectation for Jesus’ return in the midst of a pandemic that in many ways holds us captive? What are we expecting and are our dreams to bit or too small?
Advent 4 20/12/2020
Mary: Waiting with wonder
2 Samuel 7.1-11,16 and Luke 1.26-38
During Advent, we think of Mary carrying the living Christ in her womb, Mary waiting to meet God in the flesh of her son. But before that happened, Mary had to grapple with some unexpected news. How do you wait when there is mystery, when you don’t understand what is going on? Mary lived her life waiting for God. She waited for His incarnation, His birth, His death and His resurrection.
How big is our Advent waiting? Do we wait expectantly for something that it overshadows the daily frustrations of this current existence?
Christmas Eve 24/12/2020
Waiting with the Angels
Isaiah 9.2-7 and Luke 2.1-14[15-20]
Angels can’t usually be seen by humans unless God reveals them (see Luke 2:13). Only two angels are specifically named in Scripture, the archangel Michael and Gabriel. Gabriel mentioned in Daniel 8:16 and 9:21 as a messenger who comes from God to speak to Daniel and as God’s messenger in Luke 1. He tells Zechariah, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19). Then we read, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin . . . and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26–27).Interesting things about angels
Angels have many roles but in this passage they are God’s messengers. As we wait for Christmas will we listen to the message of the angels and join in with their worship?
The people of God: Waiting for a Saviour
Isaiah 64.1-9 and Mark 13:24-37
Advent is marked by waiting and much of society focuses during this time we count down the days to Christmas, which seems to come nearer and nearer to October every year. Waiting in today’s society is hard for us but this sermon series helps us to think about the value of waiting. As Christians we in a waiting space (a liminal space) between the arrival of Jesus as a baby and his return at the end times. So advent as for us challenges us to think of both at the same time – that we are in the kingdom but it is also not here. So for us the advent challenge is to think about how to be in this world when we know it is not as God wishes it to be, but to know too that is Jesus coming, Jesus is coming down to us on earth again to make all things new (Mark 13: 26) . What should we be doing on this earth this advent to make sure we have a future focus? How can we stop rushing about and wait more? How can we keep help other people we know to understand the value of waiting?
Advent 2 06/12/2020
Old Testament Prophets: Waiting for a Promise
Isaiah 40.1-11 and Mark 1.1-8
When we look at the reading from Isaiah we see the prophets waiting for a saviour. In Is 40 the prophet brings the people an incredible message: despite all the sins they have committed, despite all the suffering they’ve been through, God still cares for them. And God is coming to them now with a message of comfort and hope. The promise is one of homecoming. For more than a generation the exiles had been living hundreds of miles away from their home. We can get a sense of how they felt in Psalm 137. Today promises often feel fickle, homes may not be places of safety or are perhaps ones full of broken promises. Yet Jesus came, He is coming again and He doesn’t break his promises. He may ask us to wait, He may not answer prayer in the way wish but He keeps His promises In a culture that craves instant satisfaction what does it mean to wait for God’s promise? How can we prepare ourselves and our community for the promise of Jesus’ return? How can we make sure we do keep our promises to God and others, to show that keeping premises really do matter?
Advent 3 13/12/2020
John the Baptist: Waiting with expectation
Isaiah 61.1-4,8-11 and John 1.6-8,19-28
John appears as a prophet, wearing garments reminiscent of Elijah (hairy and a leather belt -- 2 K 1:8, see also Zech 13:4). John has two proclamations (kerusso):
- a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,"(v. 4) which involved the confession of sins (v. 5
- a stronger one is coming after me (v. 7)
The former exiles have returned to Jerusalem after a lengthy exile that challenged their faith in Yahweh. Cyrus of Persia has defeated the Babylonians and instituted a new policy. Instead of subjugating Jewish exiles, Cyrus allows them to return to Jerusalem and even provides funds to finance the rebuilding of the temple. However, upon their return, the former exiles find that Yahweh, who made possible their return, has not seen fit to make their task easy.
This Isaiah reading ‘to proclaim (liq·ro) liberty to the captives’ (v. 1e). We still feel captive in partial lockdown and ‘and release to those who are bound’ (v. 1f). This would speak loudly to these Jewish people who have so recently been freed from their long exile and allowed to return to Jerusalem –
How do we wait in expectation for Jesus’ return in the midst of a pandemic that in many ways holds us captive? What are we expecting and are our dreams to bit or too small?
Advent 4 20/12/2020
Mary: Waiting with wonder
2 Samuel 7.1-11,16 and Luke 1.26-38
During Advent, we think of Mary carrying the living Christ in her womb, Mary waiting to meet God in the flesh of her son. But before that happened, Mary had to grapple with some unexpected news. How do you wait when there is mystery, when you don’t understand what is going on? Mary lived her life waiting for God. She waited for His incarnation, His birth, His death and His resurrection.
How big is our Advent waiting? Do we wait expectantly for something that it overshadows the daily frustrations of this current existence?
Christmas Eve 24/12/2020
Waiting with the Angels
Isaiah 9.2-7 and Luke 2.1-14[15-20]
Angels can’t usually be seen by humans unless God reveals them (see Luke 2:13). Only two angels are specifically named in Scripture, the archangel Michael and Gabriel. Gabriel mentioned in Daniel 8:16 and 9:21 as a messenger who comes from God to speak to Daniel and as God’s messenger in Luke 1. He tells Zechariah, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19). Then we read, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin . . . and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26–27).Interesting things about angels
- Angels model worship
- There is no mention that they have wings
- They frequently bring God’s messages to people (Luke 1:11–19, Acts 8:26, 10:3–8, 22, 27:23–24).
- They patrol the earth as God’s representatives (Zechariah 1:10–11).
- When Christ returns, an archangel will proclaim his coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16, see also Revelation 18:1–2, 21, 19:17–18, and other passages).
Angels have many roles but in this passage they are God’s messengers. As we wait for Christmas will we listen to the message of the angels and join in with their worship?