Advent – A Time of Tension
Today is the third Sunday of the Advent season. I talked a little about what Advent is a few weeks back, and every year that I do, I get a little feedback that the distinction between Advent and Christmas is fairly unclear. In fact, I can remember, growing up in a mainline church as thinking of the terms as rather synonymous. And they certainly are related.
I wanted to speak a little more about Advent today, because I think a lot of the Christian life is lived in the mindset that the Advent season calls to the forefront and emphasizes, and it will be helpful for us to focus on it for a bit.
Advent and Christmas are related in that Advent is building up to Christmas. Advent is the four weeks prior to Christmas time, which lasts 12 days between December 25 and January 6. Christmas is the first of several historic Christian holidays that mark out and focus on various events in Jesus's life. Ephiphany, Transfiguration, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost. We don't tend to mention or celebrate any of these events except Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas, and that's okay. In fact its a good subset if you want to pick and choose.
We're not really commanded by scripture to celebrate any holidays. The celebration of Christmas is not commanded to the church in the Bible. (Is that heretical to point out? That we religiously demand to do something with Christmas here that the Bible is silent about? 😉 )
Christmas and Easter are the two major holidays, and they sort of bookend this rhythm of church holidays, and each have their own season of preparation. Lent for Easter, and Advent for Christmas.
While Christmastime is a time for feasting, partying, lights, music, gift-giving, and general merrymaking, Advent is a bit more sober, a bit quieter.
Christmas is a time for celebration, Advent is a time of tension.
Tension between what has been and what is, between what is and what will be.
Tension between promise and the fulfillment.
Tension between the already, and the not-yet.
A tension between reflecting on the past condition of Israel waiting for the Messiah and the Messiah, Jesus, having come.
A tension between reflecting on the first coming of Jesus in humility to pay for sins and show the way of life, and His coming again in Glory to right all wrongs and to rule the world with justice.
A time of tension between celebrating and hoping. A time of celebration because Jesus has come, and has saved us from our sin, and hoping because we're still here in the sinful world and we hope in his return.
Recognizing and marking Advent brings tension as well, because celebration is in order, but so is sobriety and reflection.
Advent is a time for reflection to push back the way of the world in consumerism and rat race.
A time for celebration to push back the way of the world in darkness and despair.
So how are you doing?
Since there is no Biblical prescription here, you have some freedom to do with the season as you see fit, but I think the important question is what is going to be helpful to you?
So I want to ask: where are you at this time of year? I imagine for some of you, you haven't really started to get in the Christmas mindset. You (like me) are still running full throttle in business, at home, with family, and all the various projects and activities you have going on. You are tired and in need of a break with no real finish line in sight.
Some of you are in a lonely place, in a painful place, in a hurt place, a dark place and are sorely needing Christmas lights, parties, gifts, feasting, and rest, but don't really have a context for that. Perhaps family is not a quiet place for you, or perhaps you don't have family to share this time with at all.
In any case, wherever you are this season you need Advent: the coming of Christ, into your daily life, into your home, into your family, and ultimately into the world to set everything right, and sometimes it can just plain feel like He's not there. The word "Advent" means "coming" or "arrival".
I have good news for you: He is here to be had, and He is coming again soon.
And that is our prayer, Maranatha – “Come, Lord!” – it is one of the most ancient mottos of the church. One of the most constant and consistent prayers of the church throughout its 2000 year history. In fact, these are the last words of the bible.
Revelation 22:20–21 (ESV)
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
And this prayer: "Come, Lord!" is why we have Advent.
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
One of my favorite Advent songs is “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” because it speaks this tension
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Typically when singing familiar, traditional, songs, especially at the holidays, we don’t give a lot of thought to what is being said. We roll through the verses, and pick up low hanging fruit as food for thought, and generally bask in the nostalgia of singing familiar and comforting tunes. But this with this song, there is so much history and theology packed into these two simple verses by Charles Wesley. It is a masterwork of poetry, springing from a rich well of Biblical understanding. I want to use it as a framework for the rest of my message today.
THOU Long Expected Jesus
You might be aware that there are many many prophecies in the Old Testament of the Jewish Messiah. Suffice to say it has been a basic theme of God’s people from he very beginning.
Ever since Adam, and the fall of man into sin in the Garden of Eden, God promised the Eve’s offspring shall “crush the serpent’s head”.
Ever since Abraham and God’s selection of him to be the father of many nations, God promised that Abraham’s offspring would bring blessing to the whole world.
Ever since Moses and God’s creation of a chosen nation: Israel, God has promised blessing for obedience, warned of curses for disobedience, and promised restoration for repentance.
Ever since David and God’s selection of his line to sit on the throne forever, God promised a ruler that would guide God’s people in righteousness and victory.
But there was a problem: the nation of Israel did not obey God. They were exiled from their land, and the last King in the line of David was removed from the throne. And then there was 400 years of silence from God. No prophecy. No word except what had already been written down. God was not giving them new information.
You see, they already had all the words they needed.
God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, just before that exile, warning them of what is coming, but then also promising deliverance fro that exile, a prophecy that we bring out at Christmas to remind us who Jesus is:
Isaiah 9:6–7 (ESV)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
There was a promise even in that exile, that a son would be given. Later in Isaiah he is described as a servant who suffers to redeem Israel.
There they were in exile, with the words of Isaiah and Jeremiah ringing in their ears. Then Ezekiel and the other prophets during the exile, reminding the people of a much earlier prophecy, all the way back from before they entered the promised land in the first place. All the way back to Moses, hundreds of years prior.
Deuteronomy 30:1–3 (ESV)
30 “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.
Jeremiah and Zechariah refer to this restoring of fortunes and re-gathering of God’s people “Consolation for Israel”. Which is where Wesley’s line comes from:
Israel's Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the Earth
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that “all of God’s promises find their Yes in Jesus.”
Jesus was the consolation of God’s people. Jesus was the answer to the prophecies about the restoration of Israel from exile. In response to repentance and turning to God with all their heart and soul, when they turned toward God they would find Jesus: The long-expected Messiah.
And wonder-upon-wonder, this Messiah was not merely Israel’s consolation alone, but indeed was now available to “all the Earth”! Anyone who believes and turns to the Lord with all their heart and soul is now included in Israel: the people of God.
Thy people to deliver
And this is what Jesus was born to do. Deliver all God’s people, not just from Jacob’s descendants, but from the whole Earth.
Rule in all our hearts alone.
But we must turn with all our heart and soul, not with part of it. Not half way. All the way. So our application is a prayer to God that He would rule in our hearts alone. That we would allow nothing else to share the throne with God in our heart.
First I want to say that this season, if you are on the other side of the spectrum and prone to gloominess this season, lean in to the festivities. Enjoy the lights, the coziness of a warm house and hot cocoa. Put on some nostalgic music that sings of the glories of Christ. Wear ridiculous sweaters. Watch the movie Elf.
But if you are more like me, and prone to stress and busyness and buying in to the Black-Friday-Cyber-Monday-Peppermint-Mocha-Frappucino-Holiday-Spice-Consumeristic-Frenzy during this time of year [show slide…]:
I want to urge you this Advent season to take time down from all the preparations and craziness of the season to examine your heart here. If you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed with the busyness of preparation for the season with activities and plans and extracurriculars and obligations, cancel something. Scale back the production of life to make space to examine your heart.
What else is ruling there? What else are we looking to for hope, consolation, and strength? What else are we looking to to deliver us from our trouble? What else might we be trusting in besides his “all sufficient merit” to raise us to glory that only He can give? This self-examination is probably going to take some outside perspective and help from friends in your life group, or other counselors like pastors and wise advisors. We need one-another to speak truth to each other, to point out blind spots and to give each other courage to keep going.
This is a season of “Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward Men” – and we all know how broken and incomplete that peace is, but it is a nice sentiment. Let me just say though that you will never find the deep soul peace, the contentment and rest, the satisfaction of the deep longings you have in your heart apart from Jesus Christ. We are made for Him. He is the wonderful counselor. He is the Prince of Peace. The Everlasting Father, The Mighty God.
He is Israel’s strength and consolation, and hope of all the Earth. He is your strength and consolation. Look to Him.
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