Messages, Meditations, and Musings on the Life of Faith by Rev. Dr. Scott E. Olson, Interim Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Preston, MN

Sunday, December 1, 2013

"Thus Says the Lord: God Speaks Hope through the Prophet" - Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent

Thus Says the Lord: God Speaks Hope through the Prophet
Daniel 3.1, 8-30
Advent 1 – Narrative Lectionary 4
December 1, 2013

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the four weeks of preparation for the celebration of Christmas. If we were still using the Revised Common Lectionary, we’d hear about the last times and Christ’s return, remembering that the one who came 2,000 years ago promises to come again, for which we also prepare. So, the themes woven throughout the season of Advent are expectation, preparation, and waiting. We expect Christ to come to us, we prepare for that coming, and we wait for it. But, there are five complementary themes, traditionally assigned to the five Advent wreath candles. In order, they are hope, peace, joy, love and, on Christmas Eve, light.

However, we are not in the Revised Common Lectionary, we are in the Narrative Lectionary, which takes a storyline approach to the Bible. That means we are preparing for the Jesus story in a different and, I’d argue, more powerful, way. We are hearing what God speaks through the prophets, and today the prophet Daniel speaks hope. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is not in the Revised Common Lectionary, but is standard fare for Vacation Bible School and Sunday School. Like CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, I wonder if the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is a children’s story or an adult story. One on level, it is almost comical in its simplicity, but on another it challenges our imaginations.

Though probably written hundreds of years later, the story is set in ancient Babylon during Jewish exile. The Jews of Judah and Jerusalem have been forcibly removed from their homeland, exiled into a foreign country. It’s a devastating situation for many reasons: the Jews are cut off from their homeland and the temple where they worship God. The question becomes what the Jews are to do in this situation, especially regarding worship. Last week’s answer from Jeremiah was that they were to work for the welfare of the city in which they find themselves. As the Bishop of Geneva, St. Francis De Sales said, they are to bloom where planted. Today’s answer builds on last week’s: you are to be the right kind of flower as you bloom. In other words, you are to be a people of integrity.

When the word hope comes to mind, we normally equate it to a passive, wishful thinking. “I hope I get a good grade on the test” (when you haven’t studied). Or, “I hope I get that promotion” (when you haven’t worked for it). Or, “I hope the Vikings win today” (when they don’t seem to have the resources or will to do so). Yet, the biblical definition of hope has more muscle to it. Biblical hope is expectation and trust in God’s future action. Hope involves waiting, but it is an active waiting, not a twiddle your fingers, tapping your foot kind of waiting. The Jewish exiles hoped that they would be able to go home, but it was a hope that led them to stay busy and go about their business. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego hoped that God would deliver them from the fiery furnace, but they didn’t presume upon God. Instead, their hope trusted God to act in God’s way, not theirs.

There are many places around the world where Christians are being persecuted and forcibly converted. By the way, forcible conversions don’t last. It’s like the person who marries someone who cheated on their spouse; why wouldn’t they do the same to you? Thankfully, we don’t have nearly those kinds of situations, but even so, Christianity is not as privileged as it once was (or thought it was). Furthermore, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego challenges us to ask ourselves what it means to have integrity of faith. What are those forces in our culture or society that undercut our basic commitments about who God is and who we are in relationship to God? How do these forces squelch the hope we have? As we wait for God’s future, do we trust in God, being active in service, or do we just ride along?

Two short stories: Ginny was a wrestling mom, whose son, Marcus, was good even as an eighth grader. Marcus was also in Confirmation. Ginny stood up to the wrestling coach, firmly telling him Marcus would not wrestle Wednesdays and Sundays. Bill was the pastor of a church in a denomination that forbid their pastors to join other churches and pastors in worship or prayer. Bill felt strongly that he needed to be a part of community worship services and did so openly and with the support of his congregation. Marcus’ wrestling coach backed down, but Bill paid a great personal and professional price for bucking his denomination. Both tried to be persons of integrity, signs of hopefulness and trust in God’s presence.

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego does not presume that God will rescue us from every fiery situation we face. It is, however, a story about a stubborn refusal to despair in the midst of life’s pressures. Yes, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are faithful to God, but the story is more about God’s faithfulness to us. This faithfulness will be most perfectly enfleshed in the advent of Jesus Christ, whose birth, life, death, and resurrection encourage us in hopeful, active service as we wait his return. May you be strengthened in your hopeful lives, both this season and always. Amen.

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