Sermon Topic-081130-t
Pastor Terry Sawatsky on October 30, 2008
“Plugged Ears”
Intr oduction: What did Mary know? I’m not sure, but I have often hoped she did not know too much too soon so she could simply enjoy the moments of birth and holding her new child without other thoughts intruding. But I sus pect she knew more than that.
If she heard scripture read – if she knew anything about what the prophet Isaiah said - I think she knew enough to know the birth of her baby was bittersweet. This morning we are entering into the memory of that bittersweet time in Mary’s life. On the one hand she knew the sweetness of giving birth to the hope of Israel – the Messiah. It is what Advent is about - four weeks of anticipation – four weeks of excitement. 2000 years ago a child was born to Mary in remarkable circumstances – a child who would change the world, bor n in a feeding trough for animals - a child who would bring to us joy and peace and healing. It’s a time of year I try to r emember all the babies who are in our church family. Some of them are born to parents who are here, some come from other families and live with us as their family for awhile – but they all come with anticipation and hope. Watching and waiting with you for a child to arrive reminds me of Tamar’s arrival 13 years ago today – and waiting with you gives me a taste of what Mary and Joseph must have been going through. The arrival of a child is something very special.
This is what Advent is about. Each year we have a season of waiting – of anticipating the birthday of Jesus. We think ahead to the arrival of the baby who was to be called Jesus - the wonder of that small child born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem o n a cold winter evening, far f rom their homes.
On the other hand, Advent is not only sweet memories, but bitter ones too. It’s also about r emem bering that baby who was named Jesus would grow up to suffer a lot of pain and hurt so that you and I, so that we could have the opportunity for new birth – the opportunity for our lives to be transformed by the sacrifice of Jesus. Did Mary know what was coming for her son? If she heard the words of Isaiah read in the synagogue she would have known a little of it – and it would have made the joy of new birth bittersweet with the knowledge of what was to come. Today we want to share that experience with Mary. We share the excitement and we share the sorrow. Sharing communion this morning does that for us – it prepares us in the right way for Chris tmas. Together we thank God for the wonderful birth of the baby Jesus; and tog ether we thank God for his sacrifice so new birth could happen for each and every one of us. We want to make sure that we share that bittersweet experience of Mary – because the joy of the season is not complete without the understanding of sacrifice to come. What did Mary know? If she paid attention to scripture read in the synagogue she knew quite a lot - because it was predicted, prophesied by a man named Isaiah hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Isaiah lived at a dangerous time – armies were threatening to overrun his country and the people were looking for something to save them from being destroyed. Into this God sent Isaiah as his prophet – to speak the word of God – and
Isaiah did – he spoke clearly and loudly – but he was not heard. God told him this was going to happen – the people’s ears would be plugged against what he was saying. One of the messages Isaiah delivered for God was about immediate help with the invading armies. Don’t to depend on your own army for protection – to depend on God alone was the message. The people did not listen, and in the end they were invaded and captured by enemy soldiers. The other message Isaiah delivered was about the future – about a savior to come sometime ahead. Isaiah promised a Messiah – someone to save Israel, and over hundreds of years his words were read over and over again until they became a mantra – a source of hope deeply imbedded in the traditions of Israel. But even here his words were not fully understood. Part of the message was listened to very carefully because it was what the people wanted to hear. It promised all Israel hoped for – the restoration of their country – the restor ation of pride and honor. In Isaiah chapter 9 we read the following promise:
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. This was a promise to count on . Young girls hoped they woul d be the one to give birth to such a ch ild - the future hope of their country – someone who would carry the government on his shoulders. He would be wise – a great counselor who would bring peace and justice and would rule fairly. He would be a descent from the great line of kings beginning with King David – from the royal blood of the nation. And his rule would be forever, not just awhile. Eternal peace and justice - this was a promise to cling to – and Israel did. The sweetness of a wonderful future was captured in this prophecy.
Except this was only half the prophecy. Isaiah said much more than that – and what he said did not seem to fit with the nice part of his prophecy. In chapter 53 we read the Messiah would be no handsome king – this would not be a physically attractive man. King David and Saul had been men that looked like kings. The one Isaiah prophesied about was none of that. All that talk of a just and wise king - instead of loving and supporting this Messiah, the people would hate and reject him. His life would be filled with terrible suffering and so rrow. And much of that suffering would come at the hands of the very people who waited for the Messiah. Because he did not match up to their image of what he should be they would say his suffering was justified punishment from God for what he had done. But, said Isaiah, his suffering would be for us – the suffering that should be ours he would take in our place. Wounded and crushed for us – God gave him the punishment we deserved so we would be saved – we were like sheep gone astray.
And he would suffer in silence – and through his silence we would learn the true meaning of obeying God. And in the middle of all this suffering, inflicted by the pe ople he came to save – the Messiah would ask God to forgive us. These were the words of Isaiah – the telling of a coming King who would rule wisely and justly for ever – and the telling of a king rejected by the very people waiting for him. Isaiah’s words - rejected and misunderstood by people who refused to hear it all – who plugged their ears to the part they did not want to hear. When the angel came to Mary an d told her she was to be the m other of this Messiah, I am guessing she, like so many others, bel ieved the sweet part of the prophecy, but I am also guessing that God chose her because she was ready to hear the seco nd part – the bitter part of t he journey. Mary was ready for the joy of birthing a son, and she was obedient to living out the rest of it too. Maybe she did not know it all, but she knew enough to obey – to keep her ears and heart open to what God wanted of her.
Today, at 1 st Advent we come together for communion because we want to follow the example Mary set for us. We are here tell God our ears are not plugged. We are here to thank God for the birth of Jesus – thank God for the joy and happiness that brings to us. We are also here with sadness – we know that birth was needed so we could have life – and so we share in communion – to remember what that baby became and what the man Jesus suffered for us. It’s all part of it; we cannot do one without the other. Our experience too is bittersweet – it must be if we are to understand the truth. Advent is about hope and the c elebration of birth. Communio n is about hope and the celebraton i