Sunday, December 14, 2008
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, I Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28
During Advent, we remember how our ancestors had to wait for God to come and help them.
Have you noticed that we spend much of our lives waiting for something to happen which we can’t control?
Are any of you waiting for your electricity to come back on after the storm? Are any of you young people frustrated as you wait for Christmas to come? Are any of you waiting to see if you will still have a job in the next 6 months? Are any of you impatient as you wait for your Search Committee and Vestry to call a new rector? I know some of your vestry members are frustrated that they have to wait for more names of clergy to interview.
What is your attitude as you wait for something over which you have no control? We can get frustrated and angry, we can lash out with critical words, we can get depressed and withdraw in bitterness…or we can turn to God, bring God our frustrations…and listen for what God might be saying to us as we wait.
We are not the first people to be frustrated that things don’t happen as quickly as we would like. The people of Israel were frustrated that, after God brought them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years before God brought them into the Promised Land.
Yet, those years of waiting and wandering in the wilderness were some of the most important times in the history of Israel, because it was there that they learned to trust in God more deeply, trust that God could provide them with what they needed, trust the timing of God’s guidance. Throughout their history, the people of Israel kept getting impatient with God’s timing. They had to keep re-learning to trust God and not to try and take control of their lives to get what they wanted on their terms, instead of in God’s time and God’s way.
In the time of Jesus, the Jewish people were again frustrated that their lives were not going the way they wanted. Their nation was occupied and policed by the Roman army. When is God going to come and help us, the wondered? Some even tried to take things into their own hands by violently attacking the Roman army.
But God loved his people…and as he promised through prophets like Isaiah, God was already working on a plan send to send a messiah who would “bring good news to the oppressed, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners…and comfort to all who mourn.” But it took time for God’s plan to unfold. It took time before God sent Jesus. And the people were impatient.
In their impatience they looked for some successful person who might be able to lead them out of the control of the Romans. Because John was getting great crowds of people to listen to his preaching and be baptized, some of the religious leaders wondered if John was the messiah God had sent to save them and help them.
So they asked John, “Who are you?” John said very clearly, "I am not the Messiah." John was clear about his mission. Sometimes you and I are not as clear. Aren’t there times when you think that if other people would just listen to you and do what you tell them, everything would be ok? The truth is, many times you and I try to be the messiah. We work harder and try to make things happen in the way we think is best as if we had the Messiah’s ability to make everyone and everything better.
You and I need to keep re-learning this simple truth about ourselves: I am not the Messiah. (Please repeat this phrase with me 2 times.) I am not the Messiah. We all have limits. We cannot save ourselves or others by our hardest and best work. It is also important that we remember that the government cannot be our messiah. Neither John McCain nor Barak Obama could be our messiah. Our boss, our company, our spouse, our friends cannot be our messiah. Even if you had a new rector right now, that person could not be your messiah or the messiah of this parish. As your bishop, I cannot be your messiah who will make everything good for this parish, for this Diocese or for the Episcopal Church. Only Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, is strong enough and wise enough to save and transform our situations in this deeply troubled world.
Our vocation is to point to Jesus Christ who alone has the power to heal our brokenness and bring peace, wisdom and guidance in the midst of our anxious world.
Christ gives each of us our little part to play in the coming of God's will, God’s Kingdom. God assigns each of us little tasks, little words that prepare the way for his coming. God calls us to let our light shine. We are not the Messiah. We point to Christ who is the Messiah and our hope for the future. As John said, “among you stands one who you do not know.” Often we don’t recognize how Christ is at work among us in the very situations that most frustrate us.
Can you tell any stories about how God has worked for good in your life while you were waiting in a frustrating situation over which you had no control?
This past week, a woman told me that her husband lost his job a year and a half ago and still has not been able to find a job. His has been in and out of the hospital several times and is now awaiting surgery. She told me that at first they were very anxious and frustrated with the loss of income and the physical problems. But over time, she said, they have learned to trust God more deeply, to live more simply, and to experience more of God’s peace. She said these have been some of the most difficult, yet spiritually, some of the best times in her life.
Often, parishes have to wait for several years without a rector. This is becoming more common in our diocese and across the Episcopal Church=-. Some congregations get frustrated with each other and with the Bishop’s office as they wait. Other congregations learn to trust God more deeply and discover new gifts and ministries that God opens up for them. Several congregations have told me that they thank God for the long wait they had… because they grew spiritually in ways they could never have imagined through the long transition time between rectors. I wonder how God wants to work here among you as you wait for God to guide you to a new spiritual leader?
In today’s epistle, St. Paul lists three practices that can help us grow spiritually as we wait for God’s guidance. I have these three phrases printed on a card next to my computer so I see them every time I turn on my computer. Paul says: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
When we live our lives, focused on our relationship with Christ…and not focused on the frustrations and problems of our world…we learn to look at things from a different perspective. We can be joyful when we know that God loves us and is with us every day, guiding us. We learn to turn our frustrations into prayers, which actually deepen our trust in God. And as we see God at work every day, we learn to be more grateful for the ways God is constantly at work in our lives.
You and I cannot change every situation that frustrates us. We cannot change the direction of our society and world. We are not the Messiah. Yet day by day, as we see things that frustrate us, as we see the pain, the need and the brokenness of our society, we can keep turning to Christ, and praying, Come Lord Jesus, help us. Christ will show us how to rejoice always, pray constantly and give thanks in all circumstances. As we learn to live this way, God will help us deepen our trust in God and grow spiritually, even though the most difficult situations of our lives.
Let us pray. In a moment of silence…be aware that Christ is here with us…be aware of the love which Christ has for you, for every one here…for all people across this nation and world. Enjoy letting God surround you with his arms of love.
As we reflected on God’s word this morning…what did you hear God say to you? What changes might God be inviting you to make in your attitudes and actions this week?
O Jesus…we thank you that you are the Messiah…the one God sent to help us and help the whole human race. In the midst of situations that frustrate us…and are beyond our control…teach us trust you more deeply. Use our most frustrating and painful experiences to deepen our relationship with you. Help us this week, to be so aware of your loving presence in the details of our lives each day…that we actually learn to rejoice always, pray constantly and give thanks in all circumstances.
All this we ask, depending on the power of your Holy Spirit at work in our lives. Amen.