Tuesday 18 December 2018

Sermon 23rd December 2018 - Year C - 4th Sunday in Advent - Text: Luke 1:39-45 - Joy in Jesus' presence


Text: Luke 1: In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

As Christmas draws near children begin to get very excited.
They started the countdown a while ago perhaps using an Advent Calendar to help them count down the days.
As the “how many sleeps to go” gets into single digits each day gets more and more exciting as Christmas day and Jesus’ birth draws near.
This is what we see happening in our Gospel reading today as Jesus draws near to John the Baptist.
Even though neither Jesus or John have yet been born the excitement cannot be contained.
Elizabeth asks: Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.
There is a joy that only the presence of Jesus can bring.
And this is not just speaking about Christmas but in all life.
As St Paul said last week – rejoice in the Lord always – the Lord is near.
When going through times of difficulties and uncertainty there is an amazing peace that comes to us when  we spend time with Jesus;
When we take time to pray.
When we pick up our bibles and read a passage that seems to have been written just for us.
When we hold out our hand and receive Jesus body and blood.
And there is a comfort also that only Jesus’ nearness can bring when facing a chronic situation such as an impending death or incurable sickness knowing that the time draws near when we, or a loved one, will be free from the suffering and be with Jesus in heaven.
Nothing else can bring that peace as, again St Paul said last week, the peace of God that surpasses ALL understanding will guard and watch over your hearts and minds.
Amidst all that, however, we’re living in a world that has a seemingly growing distance from God.
The growing tensions in the world through political turmoil – and you only need to look at some of our close neighbours like Britain and America to see those political tensions.
The tensions in the world through terrorism, and again in recent times in Paris.
Or the tensions of warfare and other forms of fighting such as in Yemen and the Middle East.
And then there is the growing immorality of the world and we don’t need to look beyond our own borders to see the violence, crime, drugs and sex to see that our world seems to be drifting further and further away from God rather than drawing nearer.
And there is the growing decline of respect for the church and anything to do with God with the attack on religious freedoms.
Like Jesus at his crucifixion I’m sure you’ve cried out very similar – my God, my God, why have you forsaken me.
Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 which continues: Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,     by night, but I find no rest.
As we read again today’s gospel reading we are reminded that as the world removes itself further and further away from God, God does not remove himself from us.
It was Mary and Jesus who went to see Elizabeth and John whereby Elizabeth is amazed that she should be so honoured.
And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
Just as John the Baptist would later ask too when Jesus comes to him to be baptised:
You come to me? It is I who should be baptised by you.
And so we understand that it is always God who is moving towards us, even as we move away from him.
Maybe we’d be surprised to know that despite how the world has treated Jesus God continues to love us and be with us.
After all, that is what he promised, both at his birth when the angel said: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
And also Jesus as he ascends to heaven and promises the disciples “I am with you always till the end of the age.
This is why we rejoice at Christmas because it is God coming to us and expressing just how much he loves us as he loved the world so much that he sent his one and only Son to us.
And even though there was nothing to love about us it was while we were yet sinners that Christ came and died for us.
So we can be assured that there is nothing that we can do that will remove God and his love from us.
And this is now what God sends us to do.
To go into the world and love the unlovable.
To be the love of God to others even in those times when others would walk away.
Love bears qualities that the world doesn’t understand.
Christian love begins where worldly love ends.
It is characterised as St Paul says in 1 Corinthians:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
It is disheartening at times as we see the growing secularisation of our world.
But we are thankful that God never gives up.
He weeps with us as Jesus did when he saw his own people distancing themselves from God:
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
Christmas reminds us that God is not “up there” but here with us.
Christmas reminds us that in the midst of the darkness of our world God sent his Son to be the light of the world.
We live in a sinful world but let us remember that he would be called Jesus because he would save God’s people from their sin.
And that God did not send his son to condemn the world but to save the world through him.
And that is our mission – that is God’s mission.
To bring Jesus into the hearts of people and to be Jesus in the hearts of people by loving our neighbour as ourselves.
To many Christmas can be a difficult time as it highlights their hurts, their grief, their poverty, their loneliness.
And we can be Jesus to them as he says as much as you do to one of the least of these you do it unto me.
A blessed Christmas to you all as you take baby Jesus again into the world.


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