Expect

Sermon from 12/23/2012 - Advent 4 - Expect

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are in the last few days of Advent. For four weeks, we have been awaiting the Arrival. Advent means arrival. Of course, in this case it means the arrival of Jesus. Advent leads us into Christmas.

Last week we talked about Advent as a season of preparation. It is a time to prepare our hearts and minds for a celebration of Christ. We prepare for the light of Christ who breaks through the darkness and fear of this world. It is a light of hope, hope that though there is darkness, the darkness will not extinguish the light. The light will overcome the darkness. So we prepare with joy! We prepare to face the darkness of this world, and the darkness of our own hearts, by exposing ourselves to the love and power available to us through God’s grace.

Advent is also a time of expectation. Not only do we prepare our hearts for Jesus; we expect Jesus.

When we expect something, it implies certain things. For one thing, we are waiting. Probably the most common use of the word “expect” is in relation to pregnancy. It’s right there in the title of the book – What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Sometimes we expect company. Meaning, we’re waiting for them. “Expect” implies more than a simple waiting, though. It’s waiting for something that is likely to happen. Expectation implies that what we’re waiting for will happen. There’s a positive aspect to expecting. We’re looking forward, not dreading something.

So, Advent is a time when we wait for, look forward to, expect Emmanuel. God with us! And we can see all of these characteristics of expectation in our scripture this morning.

Luke 1:39-55

New Living Translation (NLT)

³⁹ A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town ⁴⁰ where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴² Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. ⁴³ Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? ⁴⁴ When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. ⁴⁵ You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

⁴⁶ Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
⁴⁷     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
⁴⁸ For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
    and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹ For the Mighty One is holy,
    and he has done great things for me.
⁵⁰ He shows mercy from generation to generation
    to all who fear him.
⁵¹ His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
    He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
⁵² He has brought down princes from their thrones
    and exalted the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away with empty hands.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel
    and remembered to be merciful.
⁵⁵ For he made this promise to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and his children forever.”

 Well, I mentioned, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, and here we have an interaction between two women who are expecting. Mary and Elizabeth. If you’re not familiar with the story, let me give a little bit of a set up. Elizabeth is Mary’s cousin. About 6 months before Mary came to Elizabeth, Elizabeth found out she was pregnant. This was remarkable because she had been unable to have children, and Luke’s gospel tells us she and her husband Zechariah were “very old.”

Zechariah was a priest in the temple. One day an angel appeared to him and told him he and Elizabeth would have a baby. They were to name him John and, the angel said, John would “prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.” Their child was John the Baptist who we read about last week.

So, about 6 months later, an angel appears again. This time to Mary. And the birth of Jesus is foretold. The angle tell Mary that her son will be very great. Will be called Son of the Most High. His Kingdom will never end. The baby will be born holy and will be called the Son of God.

A few days after that appearance, Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. And as they share together, imagine the expectation they have. Zechariah was told that his son would be filled with the Holy Spirit and will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord. The angel told Mary that her son will be very great, will reign over Israel forever, will be called Son of God.

Which brings us back to some of the characteristics of expectation. I mentioned 3 earlier. Expectation is characterized by waiting for something you want to happen and you believe will happen.

Let’s examine those characteristics for a minute. First the idea of expectation as something we want to happen. When we talk about expectation, we typically talk about something positive. After all, if it’s something you don’t want to happen you probably dread it more than expect. For Elizabeth and Mary, they expect something positive. At least by the end of our scripture. They both seem ready for God to work through them.

What about us? Are we expectant during Advent? Are we ready for God to work through us?

The second characteristic is believing. Expecting is believing. We have to believe something will happen to expect it. In verse 45, Elizabeth tells Mary, Elizabeth and Mary both exemplify this belief. God made promises to both of them and they believed those promises and expected God to act.

I saw a sign earlier this week that has had me thinking all week. It is a church sign, and it’s a slogan I’ve seen and heard before. The sign said “God Came Near”. It something we see and we think oh, yeah. I guess so. But I have to disagree with the sign. I think it’s a dangerous attitude. “God Came Near” doesn’t do justice to Jesus. Emmanuel, God with us, is more than coming near. In Jesus, God became flesh. In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God delivered us from the penalty of sin. “God Came Near” absolutely ignores the work of the Holy Spirit. God did more than come near. God is here. The Holy Spirit works in each of us to renew our hearts. The Holy Spirit works through each of us so that we can be salt and light for the world. Shining the light of Jesus in the darkness. God did so much more than come near. God became flesh. God acted in Jesus to redeem those who believe. And God continues to act in and through those who believe.

That brings me to the last characteristic of expecting. And this is the “so what” section of the sermon. So pay attention!

To expect something is to wait for something. We await the fulfillment of the Reign of God. When Jesus returns and all of creation is redeemed. But our waiting is not a passive waiting. Remember, Emmanuel is more than God who was with us as Jesus in the flesh. Emmanuel is more than Christ who will return. Emmanuel is God with us. The continuous presence of Christ active in the Holy Spirit. And so we wait, but we wait expectantly. It is an active waiting. We wait by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us renewing our heart and we wait by allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us as we work together as the Body of Christ doing the work of the kingdom. So how do we wait expectantly?

Isaiah gives us a plan. “Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good” (Isaiah 1:16b-17a). The early Methodists used these verses as guidelines to live by. If we live faithfully, our lives should show it. Paul called that the Fruit of the Spirit. These “General Rules” were ways to show the fruits. There are 3 rules.

1)    Do no harm, by avoiding evil of all kinds.

That seems easy enough, right? In other words, don’t do bad stuff. Turn from sin. Flee temptation.

2)    Do good to everyone.

Again, that seems easy enough. Do good. This includes feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, helping the sick. It also includes instructing others, teaching them about God.

I’ve heard it said this way. “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as you can.” 

3)     Attending upon the ordinances of God.

This one is less straightforward. This has also been said this way. Learn to obey God through spiritual disciplines. The ordinances of God are also called means of grace. They are practices through which God makes grace available to us. These include prayer, searching the scriptures (this includes reading and studying the Bible as well as listening to the Word proclaimed through preaching), fasting, public worship, and the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism.

For four weeks now we’ve been looking toward Christmas. We’ve been looking toward the coming of Emmanuel. Our scripture this morning is full of expectation. Elizabeth and Mary both expected great things from the children they carried. They both expected God to do great things in and through them.

This Advent season, I hope you have prepared and are preparing your heart and mind for Emmanuel. Not just for celebrating Jesus birth at Christmas, not just thinking about Jesus returning, but preparing and expecting God to act now. Preparing and expecting God to act in and through you.

At Christmas we celebrate more than God coming near. We celebrate the light that breaks through the darkness. The light that pushes back and overcomes the darkness. We celebrate the joy and the hope of Jesus and we offer ourselves ready to be used by the Holy Spirit to be carriers of that hope and joy. Ready to share the love of Christ.

O come, Emmanuel!
©2012 - Scott Coats