Second Sunday before Advent
Sermon by Reverend Matt Harbage
15th Nov 2020
Readings:
Zeph 1.7, 12-end; Psalm 90.1-8, 12; 1 Thess 5.1-11; Matt 25.14-30
From the Epistle reading set for today: “For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”
May I speak in the name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Many of us carry muddled and unhelpful images of God within us. Images from childhood perhaps of a God who looks for ways to punish the tiniest of slip-ups, or a God who is so distant and uncaring, that they created the world and then walked off letting us get on with it.
There is little intimacy in such images, little space for growth or delight. For others of us the pendulum has swung the other way. Jesus, God-with-us, is a gentle, kind friend – almost like a teddy bear, a comforter in times of desperation, who fits easily into our comfortable lifestyles all within our control.
In reality, I believe God is more dynamic, more involved, more active and wants a relationship with each of us that’s personal. God is for us, not against us – and for this reason, He is at work “comforting the disturbed, and disturbing the comfortable”.
The Scriptures before us this morning are disturbing. There’s no two ways about it. They are threatening, speaking of wrath and judgement.
I want to explore them with you because Zephaniah the prophet, and Jesus, I think, are trying to help us find a crucial balance: between crippling dread of God’s judgement and falling into a casual indifference, and being too comfortable with our sin.
If you are here this morning worried about your sin, and terrified that it might be you that Jesus is speak to: “As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – my message to you is this: do not be afraid. The most frequently given commandment in the Bible. Know that your heartfelt repentance of your sin is enough, and you are forgiven.
In my own Christian walk I’ve been there too, I’ve been too anxious about my sin and all I could see were my failings. But then there have been other times, when perhaps I’ve slipped into the opposite: comfortable indifference.
And it’s indifference towards God and his judgement of sin which Zephaniah describes perfectly when he says ,
“God will punish the people who rest complacently, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.”
A God who sits there and does no good, and no harm, is a God who either isn’t present or doesn’t care. What kind of God sees us selfishly misuse our wealth and doesn’t weep for the destitute? What kind of God doesn’t stand up for the victim, and is quite happy if we lose our temper and lash out? What kind of God isn’t concerned about climate change and our abuse of his good creation?
An indifferent and bored God isn’t the God of Scripture. God is for us: He is passionate. His love is passionate, and therefore he treats sin seriously.
CS Lewis in the Narnia does a good job of capturing something of God’s character:
“Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion.” said Mrs Beaver. “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver … “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
Sin is a danger not only to our ability to live a good and peaceful life, but it endangers all our relationships.
Like tooth decay, sin often works slowly, eroding our values and starts to suck the life out of our prayer, and limits our relationship with God.
Let us repent and throw ourselves on God’s healing love and forgiveness:
The path through, not being overcome by fear of God’s judgement and not made indifferent to sin is keeping a close walk with our Lord Jesus Christ.
The failure of the servant in Jesus’ parable isn’t that he made a bad decision, it’s that he was driven by fear of his Master. Fear which led him to bury what he had and become idle, forgetting his responsibilities and living as if he had never been given the treasure in the first place. That is the message of Jesus’ parable: Put your faith in God, and do not fear the coming day of the Lord.
When faced with Scripture talking of God’s punishment and judgement some may shrug their shoulders and say, “that can’t be right: that’s not the God I know. He’s the God of Love, not wrath” and we disregard the warning.
But instead, my final thought: try not to resolve the tension.
Stay with it: if you are disturbed by your sin, know God’s comfort and forgiveness. If you feel indifferent about your sin, and the shared failings of our society to care for those in need: be disturbed by the warnings of Jesus and the prophets. Let God’s passion wake you up.
Last week, on Remembrance Sunday, I spoke about the coming kingdom of God: the kingdom of perfect peace, where there will be “no more pain, no more tears”. That is a world without sin. It’s joyful to expect the kingdom and Jesus’ return, but the apocalyptic ‘Day of the Lord’ which Isaiah, Ezekiel and Zephaniah speak of is that same terrifying day of final judgement. They are two sides of the same coin.
Some in the early church were frightened: In the Epistle reading set for today, probably the earliest writing from the New Testament that we have, Paul says to the Thessalonians that yes, the coming “day of the Lord” will be like a thief in the night, but he reassures those fledgling Christians:
“Be sober… For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”
Let us hold on tight to that promise. Hold on to Jesus and all will be well.
Do not fear: He is for us, not against us – let us be candles shining in the darkness – “Good and faithful servant, come and share in the joy of your Master”.
AMEN
Click HERE to watch the video of the Church Service.
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