3Advent3
YEAR A
Matthew 11: 2-11 (“Sermon: “The news in brief”)
James 5: 7-10
Isaiah 35: 1-10 (Sermon 2: “It doesn’t get much better than this”)
Psalm 146: 5-10
or
Luke
PREPARATION
The wilderness and the
dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom
abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
I say to you my
friends: There is more joy in the little finger of God
than this earth, or the whole universe, can
contain.
The joy of the Lord be with you all.
And also with you.
OR -
The joy of the Advent Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
He comes to liberate
prisoners,
and to open the eyes of the blind;
to lift up those who are ground down,
and to pour love upon believers;
to watch over homeless refugees,
and stand up for widow and orphan.
Even the arid wilderness
shall be glad,
and the desert blossom like the rose.
Holy God, Source
of abundant love, peace and joy, we worship you with grateful, happy
hearts. As we continue our Advent journey, help us to trust you more fully, to
enjoy you more freely, and to serve you more eagerly. Let all our preparations
be focussed on going to meet you as you speedily come to us. Through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen!
CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE
We come to make our
confession, not as paid servants but as the children of a most loving Parent.
Let us pray
Holy God, you have sent one
true Messiah to us, whose ways are grace and truth. Please persist with your
mercy towards your errant children. We are slow learners. In spite of the clear
ways you have come to us in days gone by, we keep looking in the wrong
direction for happiness. We are attracted by cheap friendships, treasure the
counterfeit values, and spend our energies on third rate pleasures.
If we have been taken in by
superficial messiahs who dazzle us with the latest fashions in everything from
clothes to food to morality:
Lord have
mercy.
Lord have mercy!
If we have
allowed ourselves to be impressed by false messiahs who tailor their message to
maintain their own popularity rather than deliver truth.
Lord have
mercy.
Lord have mercy!
If we have been seduced by secular messiahs
who with erudite sophistication offer us an outlook devoid of any ultimate
purpose or value.
Lord have
mercy.
Lord have mercy!
God of Messiah Jesus and our God, convict us
of our sin. Bring us to a sharp stop. Turn us around from the wrong directions
we have taken. Return us to the truth, mercy and peace of your healing grace.
In the unparalleled blessing of forgiveness and rehabilitation, may we find our
peace and strength. In the name of
Christ Jesus our Redeemer.
Amen!
FORGIVENESS
Friends in Christ, let the past now be the
past. Seize this precious moment. You are a forgiven community, a family of hope
rooted in God-deep optimism. You are the most fortunate of people.
Thanks be
to God.
PRAYER FOR CHILDREN
Loving God,
do you know how hard it is
for us to say sorry?
It sort of sticks
in our proud throats.
When we do bad things,
please don’t ever let us
get away with pretending
nothing happened.
Make a nuisance of yourself,
by pricking our conscience,
until we get real.
Please, God?
Amen!
PSALM 146: 5-10
Happiness is in
letting God help us,
in pinning our hopes on the Creator
who spun the starry skies and
planet earth,
shaped great oceans and all
creatures;
Who keeps every
promise to us,
vindicating the oppressed,
providing
food for the hungry,
and setting prisoners free
.
Our God gives sight to
blind eyes,
and lifts up those who have been flattened.
Our God loves all who are true blue,*
and keeps an eye on the refugee.
Our God stands up for
widow and orphan,
but brings down haughty oppressors.
Our God will always be there for us;
sing your heart out for all
generations
(*‘true blue’ = “utterly reliable” in Aus. vernacular)
WHERE ELSE?
If
there is elsewhere
good news surpassing the joy of Jesus,
lead me to it,
that I may laugh all day and never sigh.
If
there does exist
a better seer
who gives clearer sight and hearing
to mere mortals,
may he visit my town and hear my cry.
If
there can be found
a lord with superior healing touch
to this Jesus,
may his fame grow and multiply.
If
you should meet one
who makes the lame to fly as well as walk,
then bring him near
that I might rise and soar sky high.
If
there is a lover
who does greater than raise the dead,
then bury me
beside the road where this marvel walks by.
No!
I look and see,
and hear those other clamorous voices
that shout at me.
But there is none more like
True-God than he!
Ó B D Prewer
COLLECT
Loving God, we who
are of patchy faith must rank among the least in the kingdom of heaven, yet we
turn to the coming of your Christ with unfettered joy. He comes to us not to
criticise but to mend, not to exploit but to fulfil. We the blind, lame,
diseased, deaf and the dead, look to his advent with thanksgiving. Wonderful,
wonderful, wonderful is the Friend of sinners, True God of True God, joy of
loving hearts!
Glory be to you, the God whose love overflows beyond all promises.
Amen!
SERMON 1: THE NEWS IN BRIEF
Matthew 11: 2-6
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds
of Christ, he sent word by his disciples asking: “Are you the One who is to
come, or shall we look for another.
And Jesus said to them: “Go and tell, John
what you see and hear.”
The blind receive their sight
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up,
and the poor have the good news
preached to them.
Jesus was just
another baby, the product of an unexpected pregnancy by a teenage mother, yet
his birth would shake the gilded thrones of emperors and kings.
He was just
another country kid, brought up in a town where everyone was known by ‘their
station in life,” yet he fitted no category and broke all the bonds of
expectation.
He was just another
tradesman’s son, yet
he had special skills, greater than any other, and out of scrap material he
could shape things that were unbelievably beautiful.
He was just
another young man, yet when he called disciples it was if a new age hovered on
the fringes of their vision, and they forsook all else and followed him.
He was just
another wandering evangelist,
yet when he preached the gospel,
the poor knew this really was the good news, not religious bullying by a
pious ponce.
He was just
another plain face, with no special good looks to make people admire him, yet when he looked
into the eyes of others they glimpsed a bit of heaven.
He was just
another one of the common people, yet when he touched lepers they were
healed, and the blind began to see better than those with
He was just
another lay preacher,
yet when he spoke there was an air of authority, and his parables
have teased and nurtured the mind and
spirit of every generation since.
He was just
another servant type, putting on no airs, yet when he distributed one boy’s
gift of bread and had it distributed, a whole multitude were fed.
He was just
another Galilean, yet the deaf clearly heard things never spoken before, and the lame began to walk and
leap and dance.
He was just
another son of Adam,
doomed one day to die, yet when he prayed the deranged recovered
sanity, and even the dead were raised up.
He was just
another persecuted Jew,
yet when he asked forgiveness for his assailants, the gates of
hell were stormed and Satan shivered in dismay.
He was just
another human corpse,
laid out and perfumed by weeping women, yet when he died all bright and loving hopes
seemed dead and buried forever.
He was just
another pretty memory,
doomed soon to fade as others got on with the real business of
life, yet when the third day came, death lost its sting for evermore.
He was the Easter
enigma, yet when he said a final goodbye he became more present than sunshine
and air, the lungs and the heartbeat, or even the closest friend.
He is just another
historical figure, praised but rarely loved enough, yet wherever people trust
him still, old chains fall off and the liberated leap up to join his friends.
He was just
another creature of earth, classified as
homo sapiens, yet when history is folded up like a scroll in the hands of God,
Jesus will be there laughing with joy.
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds
of Christ, he sent word by his disciples asking: “Are you the One who is to
come, or shall we look for another.
And Jesus said to them: “Go and tell, John
what you see and hear.”
The blind receive their sight
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up,
and the poor have the good news
preached to them.
It’s hardly
fair!
It seems
extravagant that for the third week in a row the lectionary has given us a
glorious passage from Isaiah: Exuberant poetry in which people like me (your gob-smacked preacher)
can delightedly wallow, like a buffalo in an
The desert and drought country shall be glad,
the desolate place shall rejoice
and blossom.
With flowers it shall burst into colour
and rejoice with laughter and
singing.
It shall be given the beauty of
the majesty of
Strengthen the weary hands,
steady the knocking knees.
Say to the faint-hearted:
“Be strong, fear not!
Look, your God will make reprisal.
All things will be put right
for God will come to save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
and the ears of the deaf restored.
The lame shall leap like a deer
and the dumb shall sing for joy.
Waters shall flow in the desert
and streams in desolate places,
clear pools shall form in the sands,
and springs rise in the drought
country;
where the desert jackals roamed
there shall be reeds and grasses.
And those whom God has redeemed
shall return to
On their heads shall be unending joy,
gladness and
laughter shall stay with them,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away.
Isaiah 35 is one
mighty, magnificent promise, rising far above all our
bruises, fractures, fears and pessimism. Here is the declaration that joy rules
the universe.
This leaves us
with one urgent question: When will this joy happen? When
will it take place? Next year or next century, in this
millennium? Will it ever happen here in history, or will it be beyond
time in another dimension of life?
As far as the
prophet could see, that joyful promiser called Isaiah,
it was to be fulfilled here on earth, in time.
This chapter
should be read against the background of the previous one. Ch 34 is all gloom
and destruction—particularly of the hated
The Jews at that
stage, hundreds of years before Jesus, had little idea of a positive life
beyond death. (Some believed in a
shadowy place/state called sheol where existence was at the lowest
possible ebb without extinction) For them, this life was the only one that
mattered. Therefore if God made a promise about the happiness of his people,
the only way that promise could be fulfilled was within the context of time and
place; human history. Given their limited view of life, if God’s people were to
be vindicated, it was going to happen there in the holy land. The consummation
would be on Mt Zion, in
But
when? At what date?
This brings me to
John the Baptist. John was waiting in prison. He was expecting the fulfilment
to happen through Messiah Jesus, the man whom he baptised in the
But the news
brought to John by his disciples was not encouraging. Jesus has not launched
the kingdom in any way John could recognise. Jesus had not recruited an army
either of men or of fiery angels. Maybe
he, John, was mistaken. Maybe Jesus was not the Messiah.
So he sent his
disciples back to Jesus with the plaintive message: “Are you the Messiah who is
to come, or must we look for someone else?”
Jesus responded by
asking John’s disciples to report what they see and hear:
The blind receive their sight
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up,
and the poor have the good news
preached to them.
If John’s
disciples would look and listen, they would be able to see that Isaiah’s
prophecy was being fulfilled. It had not come with a display of fearsome power
and a host of fiery angels; but it had commenced in one humble man who loved
people without reserve. They were to report this to their imprisoned master.
The glorious consummation was indeed launched.
One thing is
included in Matthew that Isaiah did not expect or promise: “The dead are raised.” The vindication of God’s children is not
confined to the brief passage of life on earth.
John himself will soon be executed, but he shall still see the
fulfilment of Isaiah’s magnificent vision. What is not completed within time
will be completed outside of time; what is not consummated on earth is
consummated in heaven.
I like to think
that poor, incarcerated, noble John got the message loud and clear. He deserved it.
We are not tied to
that limited view of life which the Jews of Isaiah’s era, or of John’s, held.
It does not all have to happen here and now. God has unlimited patience. With
Jesus we know that we belong to God for both time and eternity. For us the
promises of Isaiah may happen within history, or they may
happen beyond history; time or eternity; mortal life or life beyond death.
God’s people will be vindicated one way or another.
That should not in
the least way let us minimise the importance of striving, with all our heart, and soul and
strength, to achieve as much of the promise as we can, now here on earth. We are not sit
around in pious resignation, waiting for the next life to put everything right.
We are not to be
religious bundles of misery being cynical about all that is happening in the
world around us today.
We are to be the
body of Christ, continuing his mission in time and place. We are co-workers in
the era of fulfilment; the age of new hope and great joy! Our place is
alongside all of those, Christian or otherwise, who are trying to achieve the
joyful things Isaiah dreamed and spoke about.
Joy
to the people who make the bionic ear.
Joy
to those who create the new generation of artificial limbs.
Joy to those peacemakers who give their lives
in the cause of reconciliation.
Joy to those are by
their deeds are good news to the poor of the world.
Joy
to people who, like the Fred Hollows Foundation, give sight to the blind in
many third-world countries.
Joy
to those who cure lepers, nurse people with aids, or immunise against disease.
Joy
to those who dedicate their lives to medical research.
Joy
to those who toil in the cause of justice and peace.
Joy
to those who help increase food production in poorer countries.
Joy to Amnesty International, and all such
prophet-like organisations.
Joy
to those who welcome refugees and give them a new homeland.
Joy
to all who bring hope to any sphere of human misery.
Joy
to those who spread the Gospel that the new age has been launched by Jesus. Those who believe that we
have authority over all that defaces and oppresses humankind. And that
the promises will be inexorably fulfilled.
Joy
to those who in the face of “the grim reaper” proclaim that nothing in life or
death, earth or heaven, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Isaiah got it
right.
Strengthen the weary hands,
steady the knocking knees.
Say to the faint-hearted:
“Be strong, fear not!”
Christ comes to fulfil all things.
And those whom God has redeemed
shall return to
On their heads shall be unending joy,
gladness and
laughter shall stay with them,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away.
THANKSGIVING
Your goodness, Holy Friend is
more than we can understand,
your love is more than we can ever measure.
We thank you for beautiful
life that pulses within us at this moment, for our five senses,
for the air we breathe, the earth beneath our feet, the
colours of the world around us.
Your goodness, Holy Friend is
more than we can understand,
your love is more than we can ever measure.
We thank you for the
varieties of food that sustain us, for water that cleanses and quenches our
thirst, and for the precious gift of night during which we can sleep and be
renewed.
Your goodness, Holy Friend is
more than we can understand,
your love is more than we can ever measure.
We thank you for the wonder
of human relationships; the friends who encourage us, families who love us even
when we are odiously unlovable, and for counsellors who enable us.
Your goodness, Holy Friend is
more than we can understand,
your love is more than we can ever measure.
We thank you for the life of
the church; for familiar members who support us, those we only know a little
yet who pray for us, pastors who nurture us, and the sacraments that nourish
us.
Your goodness, Holy Friend is
more than we can understand,
your love is more than we can ever measure.
Holy Friend, we thank you
best of all for Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Here words fail us
and we move from thanks to
wonder and adoration.
Your goodness, Holy Friend is
more than we can understand,
your love is more than we can ever measure.
INTERCESSIONS
Merciful Friend, we bend our wills to yours, so
that in our prayers and deeds we may be a lively part of the fulfilment of your
Word.
We call to mind those whose hands seem weak
and shaky: the sick and the palsied, the weary and the timid, the sorely
tempted and the guilty;
God
of promises, by your grace, strengthen the weak hands.
We call to mind those whose trembling legs
seem unable to bear the load: the aged and the infirm, the oppressed and those
threatened with violence;
God
of promises, come to your people and steady the
trembling knees.
We call to mind those who are filled with
consternation or fear: the wrongly accused or the abused, the refugee or the
victims of war;
God
of promises, say those of a fearful heart: fear not, I am with you..
We call to mind those who are blind: both those whose sight is physically impaired
and those who have excellent vision but can’t seem to see the things that
really matter.
God
of promises, today let the eyes of the blind be
opened.
We call to mind those who are deaf: the many who live wonderful lives, and for
those who have keen hearing but remain deaf to truth and wisdom.
God
of promises, today let the ears of the deaf be
unsealed.
We call to mind all those without the use of
their legs: victims of birth defect or
accidents, the frail and the diseased., some
bedridden, and many in wheelchairs.
God
of promises, be with the lame that they may leap like the deer.
We call to mind the affliction of the dumb: the many who are mute, some tongue tied,
and some who because of painful shyness rarely speak;
God of
promises, loosen the tongue of the deaf that they may sing for joy
O you who are
indefatigable love, please continue your deeds of mercy to all people
everywhere.
With the assistance of your church, and with
the help of all people of goodwill, may the shadows of darkness and pain be
driven back, and all people live in the joy of your marvellous light. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
SENDING OUT
Go well.
That you may take with you a joyful spirit
and a level head, and deal with the pressing pre-Christmas activities without
frustration or ill will, I bless you.
Amen!
That you may make a little space for prayer
and reflection, so that the remainder of Advent shall prepare you to sincerely
marvel at the
Amen!
There will always be with you
the saving grace of Christ Jesus,
the encircling love of God,
and the energising friendship of the Spirit.
Amen!