Sermon Outline

Pastors Notes for 1st Sunday in Advent, B Date: 11/30/14

Theme: The Coming of the Son of Man

Bible Refs: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1Corinthians 1:3-9; and Mark 13:24-37.

Prayer of the Day

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection awaken us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Brief Sermon Outline: Because You Hid Yourself

Focus Stmnt: In the advent of God in J.C. comes a new age of hope, peace, joy & love to the world.

1. The hiddenness of God is a huge topic that touches our lives in so many different ways. It covers sacraments of baptism/communion where water/bread/wine serve as outward signs/symbols of a hidden, interior grace. We could talk re: the OT hiddenness of God with Pharoahs hard heart, or Gods hiddenness in the holy of holies. We could talk re: God hidden in the babe born in Bethle-hem, the blind scribes/Pharisees, Jesus hung on the cross. Then Gods hiddenness in our lives.

2. A couple wks ago, we had to unbury Freds talents from under a blanket of fear, a long bandage of sufferings, a bag of guilt, & finally a thick knit hat of excuses. All these kept Fred from answering Jesus call to care for others & care for the planet. But we remembered that Christs love casts out fear;his death/resurrection was a decisive victory over sin/grave so theres no more cause for guilt, no more reason to fear. The hope, peace, joy & love of Christs coming puts our worries to rest.

3. All thats really left to hide behind is lame excuses for not using the gifts God has given us to care for others & care for the planet as God intended. What, youre scared of persecution? Take cour-age, Jesus said, I have conquered the world. (Jn 16:33) Whats more, we have one another, Paul reminds us (Rom. & Cor.) for mutual encouragement/consolation, to strengthen in faith.

4. You think youre not good enough, pure enough, righteous enough? At the cross & in your bap-tism, your sinful self was put to death, & in exchange, you were given the goodness, purity & right-eousness of Christ himself. In every way, Paul says, you have been enriched in him, in speech & knowledge of every kindjust as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among youso that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord J.C. (1:5-7)

5. Were way past the time when Adam/Eve ran & hid themselves for fear of Gods anger against them; were way past the time of Job & the psalmists who asked, Why do you hide your face from me. (Job 13:24; Pss. 44:24; 88:14); were way past the time of the psalmist pleading, Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. In Jesus that light had come.

6. Were way past the time of excuses when, after the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem after Babylonian exile, they began to blame God for putting them in that predicament. Take a close look at the excuse hidden in our OT reading. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remem-ber you in your ways. But you were angry, & we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgres-sed. (Isa. 64:5) Isnt this blaming attitude the very thing that got them in trouble in the first place?

7. Well, it all goes to show why Christ was necessary to intervene on our behalfso habitual and en-trenched had become our blaming & avoiding what God had intended humanity to do. So God de-termined to hide himself full of grace & truth in the person of J.C., to do for sinful humanity and for the sake of the world what humanity refused to do for itselfto love all creation as God loved us.

8. For our Thanksgiving service, we heard the story in Luke of the ten lepers made whole by Jesus (not just healed, but restored to their families/synagogue/community, restored to their own sense of self-worth), but only one of them returned to give thanks to Jesus for their new lease on life. (It really makes you wonder what lame excuses the other nine lepers had for not giving their thanks.)

9. But heres what Jesus says to that one who thanked him: Your faith has made you well. Not that your thanking me has made you well. All ten of them had been made well; all of them were made whole thru their faith relationship w/ J.C. The pt. was There are no excuses for not giving thanks.

10. When we use the time, talent & treasure God has given us to care for others & care for the planet as God intended, thats how we return thanks & praise to God. But its hard to see that when we hide ourselves behind excuses & refuse to do what God has equipped & called us to do. And we miss our role as angels in Gods plan, uniting all things in the hope, peace, joy & love of Christ.

11. In describing the end of the age, Jesus told his disciples that the Son of Man would send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. He told his disciples at the time this event would be hidden from them, that they wouldnt know the day or the hourexcept that he also told them this: Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. What the disciples didnt perceive in the suffering & death of Jesus was the end of one age & the beginning of a new age (of hope, peace, joy & love).

12. What the disciples failed to see hidden in the bread & wine of the Last Supper was the end of sin, death & the devil being broken in Jesus body, the beginning of a new covenant in Jesus blood poured out for the sake of the whole creation, an advent of hope, peace, joy & love into the world.

13. Because God hid Godself in the life, suffering & death of Jesus, weve been given this awesome privilege and responsibility of giving thanks and praise to God with our time, talent & treasure.

14. True, we continue to hide under a thick knit hat of excuses that covers our eyes, muffles our ears & voice, keeps us from sharing the talents God has given us & entering into the joy of our master.

15. May this Advent season be the beginning of a new age of Jesus Christ come into our lives, a Eucharistic awakening that embraces the hiddenness of God in unexpected people/placeseven people like us, in places like our homes, our church, our communities, allowing the blessings of hope, peace, joy & love to come to us & thru us as God intended for the sake of the world. Amen

Hymn of the Day: My Lord, What a Morning (WOV #627)

Childrens Sermon

Pastor: Hello kids. Its the first Sunday in Advent, and we can already see some decorations around the church that remind us of the season of Advent. What can you tell me about the season of Advent?

The Advent wreath is a way for us to remember many of these beliefs we hold dear about Jesus coming into the world at Christmas. I have a little scroll here that our family uses every Advent to remind us of the many hidden meanings of the Advent wreath.

So, one of the hidden meanings of the Advent wreath has to do with the circle of evergreens; that symbolizes the everlasting life of God. Candles always remind us of the light of Christ coming into the world, but on this Advent wreath, the white candle in the middle reminds us of Jesus Christ at the center of Gods life, who is the focal point of eternal life for us. The blue candles and the pink candle remind us blessings Jesus brought into the world: hope, peace, joy & love. Hidden between the four candles is the cross w/ the Christ candle in the middle.

Lets pray: Father of heaven and earth, we thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, into the world to bless the world with hope, peace, joy & love. Whenever we see an Advent wreath, let it remind us of these blessings, & of your eternal life you share with us through your Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Word

(Isaiah 64:1-9)

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence 2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boilto make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! 3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. 5 You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. 6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7 There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. 8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

(Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19)

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock!

You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth

2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!

3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

4 O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your peoples prayers?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.

6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.

18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.

19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

(1Corinthians 1:3-9)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Mark 13:24-37)

But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

28 From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awakefor you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.

Sermon Notes

The meaning of Christs coming is hidden in the symbol of the Advent Wreath. One of those hidden meanings is the circle of evergreen branches which represents the everlasting life of God. What other hidden meanings can you point out below?