Advent II. - sermon 2.
S. Margaret's Church, Budapest
Readings:Isaiah 61: 1 -4, 8-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1: 6 -8, 19-28. .
We have mentioned previously that the Book we know as Isaiah was written by three, possibly even four, different prophets at different times. The OT passage for this morning is from the third of these, Trito-Isaiah, who probably was a pupil of Second Isaiah. He is speaking about his calling. He knows that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him; he speaks of this as an anointing, a spiritual anointing. Only the king and the High Priest were physically anointed. They were anointed in order to set them apart for a holy office. So the prophet is telling us that he has been as it were anointed ? set apart ? for his holy task under God. That task is to proclaim liberty to the captives; for this he has been sent. His ministry is to be one of the word: the very act of proclaiming God's word brings forward God's work among the people to whom he has been sent ? the oppressed, the broken-hearted, those who mourn, and so on. This is important. The very act of the proclamation of God's word, the speaking out of the truth of what God is doing, has healing and saving power in itself. The prophet has been sent to bring good news, and by the announcement the broken-hearted are to be bound up and those who mourn are to be comforted. These are the people who have suffered and are disadvantaged, and who know their own powerlessness, and their utter dependence on God. These are the same sorts of people that Jesus speaks about in the Beatitudes. The prophet does raise public awareness of the problem by way of his preaching, and he also gives those who suffer an expectation of better times ahead ? there is healing and power in the word.
Jesus applied the familiar words of this OT passage to himself and his ministry (Luke 4:16ff.).
They express his compassion and the hope which his message of Good News brings. For Jesus, the anointing with the Holy Spirit occurs at his baptism by John. This Isaiah passage is set though in the time of the difficulties encountered by the exiles in the rebuilding of the temple following their return from Babylon. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah provide a fascinating view of this period also. In this reading the prophet announces the intervention of God on behalf of the oppressed, the captives, etc., who will be the first to be relieved because of their helplessness, their openness, their complete dependence on the love and providence of their heavenly Father. They are set to become enthralled by God's gifts of peace, justice and salvation.
The words of S. Paul to the Thessalonians in today's reading are a wonderful continuation of the words of praise at the end of the OT passage. His experience of Thessaloniki had not been pleasant ? in fact he had been chased out of town. But later he heard of difficulties in the Thessalonian Church. The fact is that all church communities which are truly on a quest to present the Good News of God's love in Jesus Christ will experience spiritual warfare. The Church though will always be the winner if the heart of the church stays close to God in prayer for each other, and in the study of God's word. We have been assaulted here in this community from time to time, both from inside and from outside. And we have overcome. But as the devil departed from attacking Jesus himself only for a time, so we must be ready for further attack. The difficulties at Thessalonica seem to have centered around people who have come to be known as the Idlers. These were those who rejected work because of the common belief that the Parousia was imminent. They had come to believe that a convenient prophetic insight made it possible for them to live off the earnings of those still working. Naturally the latter had come to resent this interpretation of the situation. It was problems such as this that caused Paul to write this letter. However, despite all the difficulties, he is able to exhort his readers to: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. He say, 'in all circumstances', and certainly he did just that. It was S. Paul who sang praises to God while in chains in prison. So, when the car breaks down on the motorway 20 miles from the nearest town, and the mobile phone card has just run out, that is the time to be praising. This should be the habitual mind-set of the disciple who is living in Christ.
It is sobering to reflect on how often problems arise from within the church itself. These are often more difficult to deal with than those from outside. At Thessalonica the questionable demands of the Idlers, based on prophecy in the Spirit, had led some to reject prophecy. S. Paul warns against this. He sees the Spirit in our lives as like a fire which must not be put out. Our life in Christ depends on the Spirit, even though manipulation is always possible. Prophecy is the proclaimed will of God; it is the act of interpreting and applying Christ's teaching and insights to the present life situation. The misuse of prophecy in some cases does not make prophecy as a practice invalid. We are meant to test everything. Prophecy must be consistent with the scriptures, it must be consistent with the Christian experience of the community, it must be consistent with the over-arching concept of love. And it must not be divisive. The prayer with which S. Paul ends, prays that there should be no division in the Christian life. There is to be consistency and integrity, a wholeness which reflects the integrity of Christ. This should be evident in the life of the Body as well as in the life of the individual Christian.
John the Baptizer appeared last week, and today again his name comes up in the Prologue to the Gospel of John. And this is natural ? he is an historical fix for the incarnation. The Word became flesh at a definite point in history and within an identifiable physical context. We do not know the exact date of Jesus' birth, but it is clear that he was born. He is not a Greek or Hindu mythological figure. He actually lived. God does not work in a vacuum, just as faith cannot exist in a vacuum. Our faith is placed in a particular Person, a Person connected with actual events and places. As Isaiah was sent in a previous age, so now John is sent to be a witness and with a message to proclaim. At the very spot where Israel had crossed the Jordan to enter the Promised Land, John was baptizing with water, using a rite of penitence quite different from other purificatory rites in use at the time. His purpose was to bring God's people to repentance and faith. He was so successful in this, so many people were flocking to hear him and were undergoing his baptism, that the Temple authorities sent out a commission of enquiry to find out exactly what all the excitement was about. Who is this person, and what is his significance? That was their brief.
John's answers must have appeared somewhat less than satisfactory. No, he is not the Christ. No, he is not Elijah. No. he is not the prophet for whom Israel awaits. Well, who are you then? Even a nobody has to be somebody. He is the one who goes before, a mere witness completely dependent on him to whom he witnesses, a voice for the Word of God. As a statement of identity it didn't really satisfy his questioners. The early Church too found this figure somewhat puzzling: this man so precious in the eyes of Jesus; this one who had been sent to point out the one you do not know, the one who is coming after me. John shows us that the questions, hopes, expectations of the coming Messiah had their fulfillment in Jesus. John's task of course has to be repeated from generation to generation. Jesus stands among us unrecognized today. We are also sent to point to him, the thong of whose sandals we are not worthy to untie.
Copyright Rev'd CanonDenis Moss and @Simon Harding - S. Margaret's Church, Budapest