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🕯️ ADVENTure Week 4: LOVE is now live! This week we celebrate the love that didn’t stay distant — the love that got up, came down, and gave everything for us. Jesus is the full expression of God’s love — not just spoken, but shown. ➡️ Read the final Advent blog here #Advent #LoveCameDown #ADVENTure #FathomChurch #ChristmasDevotional #PastorNathanDeisem #1John4 #John316 #ChristianLove #SermonSeries
🕯️ ADVENTure Week 3: JOY is live! Joy isn’t just a feeling — it’s a fruit of the Spirit that cannot be taken. From Mary and Elizabeth to Simeon and the Wise Men, discover the deep, lasting joy that comes when we pursue, encounter, and worship Jesus. ➡️ Read the new post here #Advent #Joy #ChristmasDevotional #FathomChurch #PastorNathanDeisem #ADVENTure #ChristianJoy #FruitOfTheSpirit
The Messiah from Bethlehem: Micah 5:2-4
The Messiah from Bethlehem: Micah 5:2-4
This study of Micah 5:2-4 is a continuation of a series of studies on preaching from the Old Testament. These studies are derived from a series of Advent sermons preached at Trinity Baptist Church of Chicago, the church where I have served as the senor pastor for more than twenty years. Text “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you…
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Sermon delivered at The Heritage, San Francisco Sermon on Matthew 1:18-25 Entitled "Joseph's Little Part"
"The Grown-up Table"
Sermon for Advent 3, preached at Thanksgiving Lutheran Church in Santa Rosa, California. The text for the day is Isaiah 55:1-11 (The bible text is in the link)
Are You Ready?
Are You Ready?
University Christian Church
Nathan Hill
Luke 3:1-11
This past week, I’ve been enjoying hearing bit by bit the interesting plans for the upcoming inauguration as President Barack Obama begins his second term in office as Commander in Chief.
I briefly was at one inauguration - back in 2005, when President Bush was sworn in for the second time. To be honest, I wasn’t planning on going that day - I wasn’t exactly Bush’s biggest fan. But as one of my roommates and I talked, we decided that we were here in the DC area, and we might never get a chance to witness this historic part of our political process.
We jumped on the metro, braving the crowds and traffic, and found a spot on Pennsylvania avenue to perhaps catch a glimpse of the President.
Of course, it was not exactly the festive scene I had anticipated. There were snipers on every rooftop, rows of riot teams lining the streets, makeshift security stations, K-9 units roaming sidewalks, and this restless throng of Americans, some with protest banners and others with patriotic swag. Despite our political differences, we were all united that day in one way - everybody was cold and miserable. Oh, Januaries in DC.
I remember that we waited and waited and waited, eyes searching the empty streets, necks craned, full of anticipation... until suddenly barreling down Pennsylvania avenue came a few cop cars, sirens blaring, two flatbed trucks overcrowded with news cameras, and finally three limousines with fluttering flags bearing the Presidential seal.
If I had blinked, I would have missed it. The protestors barely had time to boo, and the supporters could hardly muster a cheer before the high speed procession was out of sight. To say I was a little disappointed is an understatement - in my opinion, all Presidential limos should be required to have a sunroof, and our leaders must stick their heads out of said sunroof for the entire parade.
Inaugurations take a lot of preparation, hard work, and resources. Imagine all those pieces that need to be pulled together to make things go smoothly - security, traffic control, and event planning. Imagine having to deal with the press and media. Constructing that huge stage in front of the Capitol building. All those dignitaries from abroad. Dinner tables to be set. Speeches to be prepped, hands to be shaken.
The Washington Post featured some recent articles detailing the millions of dollars, most of which comes from private donations, and the numerous important people, from Hollywood actors to living Presidents to many others, that are needed to bring this grand event to life.
All of this to inaugurate our top leader and pass the mantle of leadership for our nation forward into the future.
You know, one of the ways we might understand Advent is to think of it as the inauguration planning season for the coming of Jesus Christ.
The word, “inaugurate”, means to “begin or introduce” someone or something.
In the case of introducing Jesus to the world, the Bible gives us quite the unique cast of characters who make up his Divine Party Planning committee, setting the stage for the coming of Christ:
There are the Old Testament prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Micah, and others - serving as honorable chairmen.
The shepherds are there in the back, your local blue collar union representatives.
The wise men are also on the committee, either wealthy foreign dignitaries or leaders of other religious traditions come to show their respect.
The angels are a perfect stand-in for the Secret Service.
And don’t forget the grand chairman of the whole thing - John the Baptist.
John’s role in the Gospel stories is to specifically prepare the people for the coming of their Messiah. Some theologians call him the “forerunner” - the one who came before the Savior. Lots of classic paintings, for instance, depict John next to Jesus on the cross, Bible in one hand, the other hand pointing to Christ. Even as a child, Luke chapter 1 tells us that he leapt for joy in his mother’s womb when Mary, mother of Jesus, came near. His life’s ministry was simply a repeat of that moment over and over again, announcing that God was up to something new, that it was time to get ready for a new kingdom coming into being.
In our scripture this morning, we are introduced to John like we are many other prophets in the Old Testament. We find out who his dad is, where he is from, who was in power in those days, and how the word of God came upon him. These are all John’s credentials for his work.
Evidently, John was a vivid and compelling person to meet. Jewish historian Josephus wrote that John was tremendously popular, a powerful and eloquent speaker, and eventually feared as a threat by King Herod.
In the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist is described as wearing an outfit made out of camel hair and eating locusts and honey as his daily meal, like some kind of hardcore ancient Boy Scout. His ministry was centered in the wilderness, the edges of civilization, the dusty and rocky mountainous land surrounding Jerusalem. And frequently, he would go down to the Jordan River and invite the throngs that came to hear him speak to be baptized, to go into the water as a sign of purification and anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.
John’s ministry at the edge of the wilderness basically asked people - “Are you ready?”
Are you ready for the inauguration, the victory parade, the installation ceremony, the entrance of our new King?
Are you ready for a new kingdom and new way of life?
Are you ready for the coming of God?
In our text this morning, Luke accompanies this introduction to John the Baptist with some haunting and beautiful words from Isaiah 40:
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
John’s message was popular for a lot of reasons. The people felt overdue for a new messiah. The political and economic situation in those days was very bleak - the people were overburdened by taxes, often forced to enter a kind of slavery to pay off their debts, sell their land to absentee landlords, and work as meager subsistence farmers. Rome was ruthless and corrupt - on one hand, it unmercifully put down anyone who dared to organize the people in resistance, but it also kept installing Kings and Governors who were brutal and incompetent in leadership.
For example, Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor who later takes a prominent role in Jesus’ crucifixion, regularly got in trouble with the Jews, deliberately provoking them by bringing Roman shields decorated with images of the emperor into Jerusalem and later trying to raid the funds of the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct into the city. Conflicts boiled up out of these and many other events, leading to the massacre of unarmed Jews who dared protest those actions.
So for many, John’s message was a relief. The people were ready for a change - for a new leader, kingdom, and inauguration of God’s work in their land, a work they believed could bring justice and healing.
But there were others, especially those in power, those governors, high priests, and kings, who began to squirm when John would speak his mind.
The reason was simple - John was pointing to a serious upheaval of the system and structures in place. Think again about those words of Isaiah 40. This coming of the Messiah was not going to be another nice parade with marching bands, military formations, colorful banners, and foreign dignitaries - this was going to be costly! Earth shaking! Mountains and hills leveled - valleys lifted up! New roads cut across the land!
In the rocky, dusty terrain of Israel, this was a re-Creation - everything was to be made different - everything was to change.
John might have escaped Herod’s grasp if his message was just focused on spiritual purification - but instead, he was inviting hungry crowds to prepare themselves, head to toe, inside and out, for the coming of a revolutionary force which had the power to rewrite the very foundations of the earth. You had to be prepared, ready to rework your life, a complete makeover, turning away from sin and towards God, dipping yourself into the life-giving waters and emerging as a brand new person, anticipating the coming of the Messiah.
John’s teaching made clear - this new Messiah would usher in a way of life that connected with the prophets of old, a way of community and being that meant living with justice, compassion, and humility. No more cheating your neighbors. No more cheating God. No more slavery and debt. Mercy and forgiveness and kindness and love. Salvation, not just for the Jews, but for all people of the world!
John kept asking the people. “Are you ready?”
That same question is asked of each of us in this season of Advent. “Are we ready?”
Christmas requires lots of preparation. Just like an inauguration planning committee, we too are overwhelmed with things to do - checking lists, planning meals, shopping for gifts, writing Christmas cards, firming up travel plans, and attending holiday parties. If we aren’t careful, we get so caught up we forget to savor it - on Christmas morn, the food we spend hours on and the presents we meticulously pick out and wrap practically vanish in a matter of minutes.
But as followers of Jesus, our core work in this season is to prepare our lives for the coming of the Christ child - to make room in our souls, in our routines, in our busy-ness, and in our play for the light of the world. This season is no less powerful and no less earth shaking than what John the Baptist first pointed to so long ago.
Our world still needs transformation and re-Creation, even in this present day. So many people long for a new kind of situation, free from their addictions, fears, debts, and wounds. We are sick and tired of seeing young men turn their guns on those they love and on themselves, women without voice and justice due to rape and violence, homeless neighbors without a warm place to lay their head, and leaders who seem unwilling to take risks for the common good.
Those words from Isaiah 40 might read in our present day like this -
“Prepare the coming of God:
Make the paths so straight that no one needs a GPS to find their way to the good news.
May the valleys of hunger and poverty in our world overflow with bread from heaven.
Level those mountains and hills so everyone, even those with wheelchairs, canes, and scooters, can get to the banquet table.
Cut new highways through the hard hearted barriers between neighbors, enemies, and families.
Get rid of every speed bump that might slow us down from living with justice, mercy, and humility.
May we be one diverse, complicated, patient, loving human family with God as our King.”
John’s question echoes to us - “Are we ready for that new world and new reality? Are we ready for the coming of Christ?”
We can choose to prepare our hearts in a lot of ways. One way is through giving - I am so proud of the way this church gives and makes a difference to others.
Amy Gopp, Executive Director of Week of Compassion, our Disciples organization that provides major relief to devastated areas around the world after natural disasters and conflicts, called me this week and kept saying how grateful she is for the way University Christian Church is passionate about sharing. In one of her recent Week of Compassion updates, she says this:
“Through our sharing an amazing “domino effect” of joy starts. We begin to see ourselves as part of all of God’s children everywhere. We come to understand that others who happen to be in need are not simply recipients of our charity, but sisters and brothers with whom we are called to live justly and share abundantly. ... Joy-filled sharing shows that our hearts and hands are open — open to giving that fosters restoration of shalom — open to generosity that speaks of God’s love.”
Whether we are bringing a pound of butter for Safe Haven, sharing our time to cook a warm meal for someone in need, greeting a stranger with joy and gentleness, offering our voices in worship, using our truck to pick up Christmas dinners for hungry families, or dropping in faithful checks for our shared ministry, we are preparing the way for the coming of our Lord, not just in our hearts but in our world.
When we read our Advent devotionals, listen to our pray as you go podcasts, offer to pray for a friend or neighbor, pick up our bibles daily, or find space to sit in silence and listen for that still small voice of God, we are preparing our lives for that earth altering change to come!
When we refuse to stereotype someone or exclude them based on their identity, skin color, or past -
When we ask for forgiveness and seek to turn away from those old patterns that have done nothing but cause us pain and woe -
When we invite people to sit at the table with us as equals, we too proclaim the coming of the Lord with our lives.
When we do enough of this stuff, we’ll begin to notice that our bodies, our postures change - our eyes wide in anticipation, our necks craned to get a glimpse, hearts thumping in excitement, stomaches filled with the butterflies of wonder and awe, standing on our tiptoes for that inauguration parade, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Emmanuel, here with us.
Friends, brothers and sisters, “are you ready?”
Thanks be to God.
