December 9, 2007
Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3: 1-12
This past week, some of us gathered here at the church as Pat and Monte Westphal shared pictures and stories of their recent trip to Africa. It was a fun evening, and as you might imagine we saw lots of lions and leopards, elephants and hippos, as well as more kinds of antelope than I could ever remember. The pictures were beautiful – but every so often, there was an image that reminded us that behind that beauty there is also violence and death: a cheetah that had carried its bloody kill up into a tree to feast upon later – a pride of lions devouring one of those many kinds of antelope.
It reminded me of those National Geographic specials on TV. The scenes that begin with gentle images of animals grazing on the African savannah, often end with death amid the grip of sharp teeth and the flash of even sharper claws.
It makes me think of an old African proverb I once heard: When daylight spreads across the African plain, the lion knows that it must outrun the slowest antelope, or it will starve. And the antelope knows that it must outrun the fastest lion, or it will be eaten. So whether you are a lion or an antelope, when the sun comes up – you better be running.
And that’s how it works in nature. Creation can be beautiful and full of wonder. It can also be violent and unforgiving.
But if that’s the case, what a different picture it is that Isaiah paints for us in our OT lesson. He offers us the vision of a Kingdom of Peace -- a place where no one has to run. The teeth and claws are put away because the wolf lies down with the lamb. The leopard lies down with the kid, and the calf and the lion together. In Isaiah’s picture, everybody lives – and no one has to devour anyone else to do it.
Can you picture that reality in your mind? I suspect it’s not easy. It sounds a little like a fairy tale. Maybe it could be true – if it was found in a story that began -- once upon a time. But in this world. The world we live in? It’s hard to imagine. As one person put it, “Maybe the lion could lie down with the lamb – but I’ll bet the lamb wouldn’t get much sleep that night.”
But as hard to believe as it is -- for Isaiah, this is no fairy tale. Instead, it is God’s promise. Certainly, Isaiah knows the realities of this world. His own world was not so different than our own. But God is not content to leave things as they are. A new day is coming. God is at work. In fact, someone is on the way, Isaiah says. Someone on whom God’s spirit rests. Someone who has a heart for the poor and the meek. Someone who will bring changes we can’t even imagine. That is the promise Isaiah makes to God’s people. That’s the promise Isaiah makes to you.
And I suspect these hopeful words are good news to you, just as they are to me. We hope and pray that Isaiah’s promise is more than a fairy tale, because we know that it’s not just in the animal kingdom where you have to beware of sharp teeth and claws. It’s not just lions and antelope who spend their days running. Lots of you do too.
Do you ever find that you have trouble fitting all your activities into those little squares on your calendar, no matter how small you write? And with Christmas coming, December is even worse. Who can get everything done? So like those animals on the African plain, you wake up running, but too often the race is still going on when the sun goes down.
Most of us know that the “survival of the fittest” rule doesn’t just happen on a National Geographic Special. I remember the day some years ago when I went with Jeanne on an early morning shopping trip to Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving. I couldn’t believe what I saw. People pushing through the doors and running down the aisles to make sure they got one of the limited number of unbelievably good deals that were only offered between 6 and 7 a.m. Rudeness reigned. It was every person for themselves.
But you know what the worst thing was --- I found myself caught up in that same reality, and woe to the person who got in my way as I went searching for that sale on DVD players. I didn’t much like what I saw in myself. And it was a reminder to me that it’s not just the lion and the lamb that need to learn to lie down together – we human animals need this peaceful kingdom as well.
It makes me think of an old episode of the TV show, Cheers. For those too young to remember, Cheers took place in a Boston bar. Well, in one of the episodes, Norm Peterson, one of the regular customers, walks in the door, and Woody, the bartender, says, “What’s new”, Mr. Peterson. To which Norm responds. “Woody, it’s a dog eat dog world. And I’m wearing Milkbone underwear.”
Now, while we might not say it in the same way as Norm, but we understand his words about living in a dog eat dog world. Over and over again, we see people living life as though it’s all about them. About getting what they want. About taking care of yourself first. And on the days when we are able to be unusually honest, like that Friday morning I experienced at Wal-mart – we can even admit that it’s not just someone else who needs the peaceful kingdom Isaiah promises. It’s me. It’s you.
And in the middle of this need – my need, your need, our world’s need – comes today’s announcement from John the Baptist. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. In other words, God’s promise is becoming reality. The new day is arriving. The old ways are beginning to pass away. God is at work. And it’s all because of the one for whom John is preparing the way. The one on whom God’s spirit rests. It’s all because of Jesus.
Now John was none to gentle in offering his expectation of how this promised kingdom would come. He begins by calling the ones who came out to hear his message, a bunch of slithering snakes. And then goes on to talk about judgment with a heavy dose of fire and brimstone. In John’s imagination, trees are cut down, unproductive branches are burned, and the chaff is scorched in the furnace. Pretty frightening stuff, all in all.
It seems that when John looked at the dog eat dog world of his own day, he believed that the only possibility for making it better, for transforming it into the kingdom God promised, was a book of matches and a can of gasoline.
But it appears the one who actually brings that kingdom has a different idea. Never in Jesus’ ministry does he actually burn anything or anyone. Oh, to be sure he gets angry. He called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs, because while they look good on the outside, they are really full of death. He chases the money changers out of the temple, accusing them of being nothing but a den of thieves. But we never see him sending anyone up in smoke. In fact, when Jesus is around everyone lives. Even a little girl who had died is restored to her father, and Lazarus who is called out from his 4 day rest in the tomb. Jesus promises that he has come to bring life – abundant life.
John must have wondered what in the world was going on as he watched Jesus seeking out sinners, rescuing the lost, healing the sick, eating with both Pharisees and tax collectors, and taking little children in his arms. Not a fireball or smoking ruin in sight. No wonder in next Sunday’s Gospel, we will hear John asking if Jesus really is God’s promised one.
But Jesus appears to believe that the only way that the peace of Isaiah’s promise kingdom will come, is through his own willingness to live a life of love and mercy. He becomes the living picture of the lamb who is willing to lie down with wolves and lions. Even when they bare their claws and unleash their snarling teeth – he will not turn from his work of revealing God’s love for this broken world of ours.
From our perspective, we wonder if he shouldn’t have been a little more careful. In light of what happened on the cross, maybe a little fire would have been more appropriate. After all -- washing feet, and offering forgiveness, and laying down your life seem a little drastic. But Jesus appears to know that this is the only way for us to see what God’s kingdom is really about – that it is, as Isaiah promised -- a place where everyone lives and nobody has to devour anyone else to do it.
Today, we are invited to live as a part of this peaceful kingdom that Jesus is bringing. I think is that invitation that is at the heart of John the Baptist’s call to repentance today.
Often, we think of repentance mainly as the regret we feel for the sin and failings in our lives. And to be sure, that is a part of repentance. But as Intern Ingrid reminded us in last week’s sermon, the real center of the word repentance is to change direction, to turn around and see the new thing God is doing – and the new kingdom that God is bringing. But more than just seeing God’s kingdom coming through Jesus, repenting means that we reorient our lives – our choices – our values to this new reality. We truly become part of what God is doing.
As we repent, we learn to live in God’s promise. We trust that no matter what the world may say, life is not about running from morning till night. It’s not about who has the biggest claws or the sharpest teeth. It’s not about looking out for yourself first and scrambling to get ahead. Instead, in our repentance we follow Jesus and learn from him how mercy, forgiveness and servanthood are the things that matter most in God’s kingdom of peace.
So what will this repentance look like? I’m sure it will take different forms for each of us – but I’d like to give you just two possibilities to think about. The first can happen when you find yourself being caught up in busyness of this season. In those moments when you feel stressed, rushed, overwhelmed by the noise and activities, just stop for a moment. Maybe you will do nothing more than sit in silence. Perhaps you will reflect on the one whose birth we are preparing to celebrate. But as you stop for that moment, let God remind you that this season cannot stress or frazzle or hurry you unless you choose to let it. Maybe repentance in that moment is choosing to stop the running – to simply rest in God.
A second possibility. When my family got together at Thanksgiving time a few weeks ago, we talked about Christmas. We made our usual plans for getting together, and then as we do each year, we drew names for gift giving. But as we started talking about those gifts, and what each of us needed – one of the things that became obvious is that none of us, at least the adults, really needed anything. So we decided that instead of the adults buying gifts for each other, each of us would bring the money we would usually have spent to our Christmas celebration, and then my mom and dad will decide what charitable cause to give it to.
And while there might be a little disappointment for some in my family who really do like shopping for other people, I have a sense that we all are excited to see where our pooled money will go and who it will help.
For me that’s another form of repentance. It is an acknowledgement that in the kingdom Jesus brings – it isn’t just about me. Instead it’s about love and compassion, about caring for the poor and hungry. As we do those kinds of things in this season – it is that kind of repentance that I trust will help us most in our preparation to welcome Jesus and the kingdom he brings.
Maybe as you’re are listening, you have come up with your own personal ideas for how you can repent and live more fully in this kingdom into which Jesus has welcomed you. However you choose to repent in this Advent season, may it be for you an opportunity to walk more completely in the new and abundant life our promised savior brings.