St. Paul’s Sermon 2004

The Third Sunday in Advent - December 12, 2004

Lessons: Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

“David, 1,000 Years and a Promise”

It was springtime. I remember I was about eight years old, and using a dime of my allowance, I bought a package of seeds at the hardware store. We hadn’t planted peas in our big garden for a couple of years before, and I thought it would be fun to plant my own pea patch. So I went up to the other end of our acre-sized garden and I hoed up a small spot; big enough to plant one package of peas.

I remember going back the next day to see if they had sprouted. And the next. And the next. And once the next week. And then I forgot about them. Probably baseball or some treehouse project got in the way.

Several weeks later, long after school was out, I happened to wander over to that part of our land, and I was surprised to find my weedy pea patch and its scraggly harvest, ready to pick. I had forgotten them. I had lost interest. But those seeds kept growing, and now they surprised me.

Every once in a while we hear stories like that- seeds that sprout, after 100 years sealed in a shipwreck or thousands of years in some Egyptian tomb. Sometimes seeds sprout, just like they’re supposed to, and it surprises us.

I) A Promise That Sprouted

Our First Lesson speaks of a sprouting surprise like that: (Is 35:1-4)

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, [2] it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

[3] Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;

[4] say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. [5] Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

[6] Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy."

• The prophet Isaiah spoke these words some time around 700 BC, 700 years before Jesus.

• 300 years before that, about 1000 BC, YAHWEH had made a covenant with David that he would keep his descendent on the throne of Israel forever.

• About 800 years before that, about 1800 BC YAHWEH had ‘cut’ a covenant with Abram, promising to be his God to all generations.

II) Lots of Old Promises Were Sprouting

700 BC; 1000 BC; 1800 BC- the prophets gave hundreds of years of promises to the people of Israel, that some day their messiah would come. Generations came and went. Israel split into two countries. The entire northern kingdom disappeared. Judah, the southern kingdom was taken away to Babylon for 70 years. Hebrew disappeared. Mighty empires rose and fell- Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and finally the Romans came. These old words sat there in Scripture, waiting for the right hour. Like seeds that await moisture and light, these promises waited for God’s timing. It must’ve seemed like it took forever. From Abraham to Jesus was almost as distant as from Jesus to us.

Yet, the people of Israel kept reminding themselves of the promises. Some got busy; some forgot; some turned to other gods.

For us to think back 200 years seems like a long time- our country is only 228 years old. It’s not even 400 years since the Pilgrims landed. It’s been 500 since Luther, Michelangelo and Luther. 1000 years brings us back to the crusades, the Norman invasion of England, the first great cathedrals and the Vikings. (The successful ones.) That’s how far it was from Jesus back to David. That’s how far back the seeds had been planted; some were even older.

You can see how important the question was that was asked by John the Baptist "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" They had been waiting for those seeds to sprout for 1000 years and more. They were eager to see if indeed the seeds were sprouting. It’s wonderful when the season comes for the seeds to sprout.

In about three months, a yearly ritual will be re-enacted at the Wells home. It’s the yearly “Procession of the Shelves and Lights.” It goes like this. When the fullness of time comes, the female of the Wells home decrees that, verily, the hour arriveth. The word written in the seed catalogues has come to pass. The grumbling males march down to the basement, and arise to the kitchen, bringing their customary gifts of shelves, tarp, grow-lights and extension cords. All is assembled rightly, and yea, another year of growing thousands of annual seedlings shall come to pass. Once the Ides of February has come, we know the hours are short; the grumbling is soon to begin. All because it’s time for the seeds to sprout. That’s what seeds do.

Now, if in human terms, we can tell when the time has come for the seeds to sprout, what will we do with these promises of God? What are our expectations for God’s seed? If lowly seeds single-mindedly and faithfully always do what they are supposed to do– do we expect less from God’s promises?

III) Good Seed for Us!

In John the Baptist’s day, God’s promises had stayed alive and remained vital- just waiting for fulfillment- for almost than 2000 years when Jesus came the first time. Like faithful old seeds, they remained there, alive and waiting for the right time.

Now, 2000 years after Jesus, other promises are still alive and well. Hundreds of the promises of Scripture are quietly waiting for their time to be fulfilled. They’re alive. They will happen. They are awaiting their time.

Time and Newsweek may use their cover articles to add skepticism at Christmas. Some theologians are much more interested in spreading doubt than faith. (You sell more books that way.) Some church leaders have socio-political agendas that attack the promises of God and the authority of God’s Word. None of that is new. In the past 2000 faithless folks inside the church and out have stood against the powerful Word of God.

But those old seeds are still alive; those old promises in God’s Word are still patiently waiting for their season. Some of those words are almost 4,000 years old. They won’t spoil. The whole world will pass away, but the Word of our God shall stand forever. (Isa. 40:8)

That same seed sprouts into our hearts as well. James 1:21 calls that the “implanted Word” which saves us. The same Word the sprouted, bringing John the Baptist and even Jesus himself, comes to us as we hear it, and it creates faith. It’s a powerful Word. It’s a faithful Word. You can trust it.

When I was a kid, there was a kind of drink called a Fizzy. It was like an Alka-Seltzer, but when you dropped it in a glass, it created something between Kool-Aid and pop. It was fun to drink, but every kid knew there was something better. If you put it right in your mouth, it was really sweet, really strong, it tingled like crazy and made if feel like your mouth was going to explode. They had stuff in them that made them fizz like crazy. Right up your nose from inside. Grade school boys loved doing that.

That Word simply explodes in your heart like that. Sweet. Powerful. Works all by itself. Overpowering. Wow! They’re promises that take off and make the whole world change.

The promises come to you today to explode into your ears, into your heart and change everything. Today you need to hear that a tiny baby is coming to a manger near you soon. That tiny baby came once and changed the whole world. That tiny baby is coming again. He’s all big, and but he’s still going to bring you great joy. Whenever he comes, he explodes on the scene and everything changes. And he calls you today to trust him. His promises are good. His Word endures forever.

Invitation, Amen.

December 12, 2004–Advent 3

Isaiah 35:1-10

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, [2] it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

[3] Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;

[4] say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come,

he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."

[5] Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

[6] Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

[7] The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

[8] And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.

The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way;

wicked fools will not go about on it.

[9] No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;

they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there,

[10] and the ransomed of the LORD will return.

They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. G

Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away

James 5:7-10

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. [8] You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. [9] Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

[10] Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 11:2-11

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples [3] to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

[4] Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: [5] The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. [6] Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." [7] As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? [8] If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. [9] Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [10] This is the one about whom it is written:

" 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

[11] I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.