Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-end

Waiting with courage

Today is Advent Sunday - the Sunday when we mark the approach of Christmas and the coming of Jesus and also the first day of the church calendar. It's not all about the first coming of Jesus though. We also anticipate the return of Jesus when he will come to judge the earth. Like Lent, Advent is a great opportunity to spend some time in self examination. Sadly, it's such a busy time of the year, I doubt if many of us feel able to do this, but it's a really good discipline. Being a Christian doesn't just happen on its own. It requires the care, attention and cultivation of an expert gardener if you want to prevent dandelions or ground elder taking hold in the lawn of your life. So there is always work to be done if we are to keep going in our pilgrim faith.

It's hard to think of Advent in this way because these days we'd be celebrating Christmas by mid October, if the shops had their way. Advent is really not a particularly celebratory or joyful season - maybe that's why it's not so popular. Both our readings today are quite hard, I think, but worth exploring. Christians are, like the Jews in the time of Isaiah, waiting for something. And waiting is always difficult. There's a great song, 'Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King'. One verse says, 'no more crying now, we are going to see the King.' Life can be tough, and the waiting can be even tougher. We need to be brave in this life, and the theme for today is Waiting with courage.

Waiting when you are excited is very difficult. Waiting for Christmas when you are a child is almost unbearably hard. And waiting for public transport when you're trying to get to work is almost as bad!

It's possible that the adults among us have forgotten that excitement that comes with being a child at this time of year. And it could be that for some of us, there is about as much pleasure in anticipating Christmas as there is in standing waiting for the bus, when you know you'll be squashed in like a sardine when it comes. And pay for the privilege.

But the people of Isaiah's time were not as cynical about life, as we can be. You see, at this time, those men and women of faith were yearning for God to act. They were longing for the Saviour to come, as God had promised he would.

We, on the other hand, know how the story ends. The longed-for Saviour comes, dies and redeems God's people. End of. How can we celebrate each year when we are so familiar with the story? God becomes a human being. So what?

And we've spent some long weeks since Easter considering the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the life of our church. And frankly, I don't feel that triumphant; how about you? What difference does this Holy Spirit actually make in the world and in my life? You see, I still mess up. I still let people down. I still make mistakes and I still hurt people. I'm part of this fallen creation that STILL needs redemption. Yes, we have been saved, but how often do we forget that salvation is an ongoing process. We have been saved from the penalty of sin; we are being saved from the power of sin; we will be saved from the presence of sin. But how easy it is to forget this when things are going wrong. How easy it is to become discouraged and to wonder if God is really there.

Isaiah is a great book, written probably by a number of people over about 200 years when life was very hard for God's people. They were still in exile; they were isolated and powerless and living under oppression. And what do they do, these people of God?

1. They pray in faith
2. They remember God's help and give thanks
3. They acknowledge their weakness
4. They pray again

This is a helpful pattern, don't you think?

So often when we're bogged down with life, or when things are happening to us that we feel powerless to prevent, it is not our natural instinct to turn to prayer. And yet here, we see these faithful people of God turning their complaint to prayer. Lord, Why don't you just get down here and do something, like you did before! You surprised us then. It would be great if you surprised us again. And how those enemies of ours would have to sit up and take notice then! As these people express their trust in God, they are totally honest with him. They are completely open about their feelings.

Sometimes we feel it isn't right even to think such things, never mind express them out loud - and to do so to Almighty God! But you see, God knows us through and through. And this is what he wants from us, total honesty.

As these people remember God's help in the past, they remember too their own failures.

Self-examination is very out of fashion these days. We have been encouraged for so long to live life to the full and not to think too much about the consequences. But what makes us different from everyone else? I think that sometimes we think that God's promise of life in all its fullness means the same as living life to the full...

Here's a challenging quotation from John Piper:


So, what makes us distinctive from everyone else as we await Christmas, and the coming of our Savour for the first time; and as we anticipate his return as judge and Lord of heaven and earth?

Self examination requires an honest appraisal of ourselves. This takes courage. But you know, it's a great way to pass the time. Consider your response to the situation. Irritation perhaps? Annoyance at those fellows who push past you to get on the bus first, or worse, who get on through the exit door! Yes, this has happened on the 25 route quite a lot recently! It's very annoying.

A better way to spend the extra time while I wait for the next bus would be to confess these sins and to use the gift of time in prayer. We know, don't we, because of Jesus, that we can depend on our Father's forgiveness, despite our constant mistakes and lack of graciousness. We have this great gift that the people of Isaiah's day did not have. But nevertheless, what they had which we seem to have forgotten as the people of God, is a recognition of the covenant relationship with God.

What is a covenant? It's a promise. It's more than a promise though - it's a contract. And it's a two-way contract. God promised, 'I will be your God and you will be my people.'

So God is our Father. He is also our potter - he made us, and we are his responsibility - his problem, if you like, but also his treasured possession.

These people really know Yahweh. They know him deeply. They trust him implicitly. And he is deeply committed to Israel.

Knowing God and being known by him can be quite scary. But why don't we spend this Advent going deeper in our relationship with our creator Father? Why? Well, our reading from Mark's gospel makes it clear: A day is coming when the hidden truth about the world will be unveiled - the truth is Jesus - and we need to be ready. Are we ready? Are we demonstrating our love for him in prayer, having his name often on our lips and always in our hearts? The waiting is the hardest thing. It takes courage. It takes perseverance. It's so easy to get discouraged. I've just realised that discouragement can be caused by fear, or a lack of courage... Language is so interesting, isn't it?

How do we keep on keeping on, in the face of discouragement? In the face of all that life throws at us? We pray in faith. We pray with thanksgiving at how God has brought us to this point and all the wonderful things he has done for us. We acknowledge our failures and our weaknesses. We pray again. Twice as much prayer as self-examination. That sounds very healthy to me. And we wait.

And how do we guard against our waiting becoming an excuse for idleness? I know of Christians who do very little in this life, because they are waiting for the next one. But the excellent motto of Christian Aid is 'I believe in life before death.' Our duty is to care for the environment, to love for our neighbours, to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. As born-again believers, there is work to be done. Ephesians 2.9 says that we have been saved by grace, not by works, which is a wonderful truth and one which I hope you have all embraced. God has done it all, so we cannot boast that we have earned our salvation in any way, shape or form. But Ephesians 2.10 goes on to say that we are all God's workmanship and that there is work for us to do...

On my fridge I have a magnet which says, 'Look busy, Jesus is coming!' Never a truer word spoken in jest.

As we wait this Advent, let's wait with hope and expectation that our Covenant God will answer our prayers, as he has done in times gone past, and as we know he has promised to do in the future. And let's pray for courage, and for patience, so that we do not become discouraged. And let's keep ourselves busy in the Lord's service because we do not know at what time the Master will come.

Let's pray.

Almighty God,
as your kingdom dawns,
turn us from the darkness of sin to the light of holiness,
that we may be ready to meet you
in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Julia Murphy