ADVENT 3, B – December 14, 2008

SCRIPTURES – Psalm 85; Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28

Advent announces that the Son of God is coming as the light of the world. Our Gospel reading today proclaims this, as it speaks of John the Baptist coming to bear witness to the Light. Our beautiful Advent banners proclaim this, as they herald the dawn of a new day. We’ve lit a third candle on the Advent Wreath, for the night is almost over. The day of Christ is dawning! It is almost here!

Christ comes as the light of the world. What kind of a light is He? A beautiful and gentle light, as we imagine the star to be like that shone upon Jesus after He was born and guided the Magi to Him? I would like to suggest a different image, namely, of the sun rising in the morning and appearing over the horizon as you are driving. The rising sun may be a bright light that illuminates the road and shows the way clearly. But, it may also be a blazing light in your eyes that blinds and so threatens with disaster. It depends upon which direction you are heading. Isaiah says: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me… to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God.” Christ comes with favor or with vengeance. Which will it be for you? That all depends upon what you are like, where you are headed, what you are looking for from Him.

I read an interesting story in the Norwalk Hour on Friday. It reported the results of a national survey on cheating in the schools that had recently been released. It seems that two thirds of high school students admitted that they cheat on tests. Nearly half of students also lie. Two main reasons were given for cheating:

1)    There is a lot of pressure to get good grades.

2)    Tests are too long. Many students feel they will never finish them without cheating.

Was there any good news in this survey of high school students? Yes! 77% of the students considered their own behavior to be better than that of most people they knew and 93% were satisfied with their personal ethics and character.

This reminds me of a “Calvin & Hobbes” cartoon in which Calvin is struggling over a question of ethics:

Calvin:  “Today at school, I tried to decide whether to cheat on my test or not. I

wondered: is it better to do the right thing and fail…or is it better to do the wrong thing and succeed? On the one hand, undeserved success gives no satisfaction. But on the other hand, well-deserved failure gives no satisfaction either. Of course, most everybody cheats some time or another. People always bend the rules if they think they can get away with it… Then again, that doesn’t justify my cheating.

     Then I thought: look, cheating on one little test isn’t such a big deal. It doesn’t hurt anyone. But then I wondered if I was just rationalizing my unwillingness to accept the consequence of not studying. Still, in the real world, people care about success, not principles. Then again, maybe that’s why the world is in such a mess. What a dilemma.”

Hobbes: “So what did you decide?”

Calvin: “Nothing. I ran out of time and had to turn in a blank paper.”

This is what our rationalizing and wisdom leave us with: confusion and failure, if not in this world, then certainly before God. If you are ok with your own personal ethics and character and are satisfied with yourself because your own behavior is better than that of most people, then you will find Christ to be a blazing fire of judgment when He appears.

God did not send His Son into this world to affirm us, to say to us: “I know you’re not perfect and you have problems, but that’s ok. I can see that you’ve done your best and are better than most people.” No, “I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong” God says through Isaiah. “Abstain from every form of evil,” He says in 1 Thessalonians. God expects and demands complete obedience to His standards, the commandments He has given us. He hates every form of disobedience and sin, no matter how they are excused. And, when we suffer and struggle because we listen to and obey Him – which will happen, for this world does not love and follow God! – then we are not only to still trust and obey Him; 1 Thessalonians tells us we are also to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, [and] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Give thanks and rejoice, even if suffering unjustly! This is what we see in Jesus, and what we see in Him we are also to do.

This is hard, isn’t it? We know we will fail, will fall far short and will disappoint God. But, you are blessed if you know this! For, Jesus comes “to bring good news to the poor… to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” If you know you are weak, a sinner who fails and falls short and disappoints God… good! The Son of God came to live and die for sinners! Christ came to shine upon you as a bright morning sun to light your way. The brilliant light of His life, death, and resurrection for sinners shines upon you with mercy and forgiveness. All darkness and every shadow of sin is driven out by the brightness of His dawning upon you. For, Jesus comes for the weak, the lowly, the sinful, for those oppressed by their failures and sins. He comes, not to excuse our sins or affirm them but to take them upon Himself and save us from their judgment by consuming them in the blazing fire of His death on the cross. He is our Savior.

But, those who trust in their own efforts and so do not look to Him above all for the forgiveness of their sins will not find His dawning to be joyful. Even though they may now look to Christ for help with their earthly troubles, at His dawning they will find Him to be a harsh and blinding light of judgment. For, the fact that our forgiveness required the Son of God to come among us in our flesh to live and die for us proclaims that our works are worthless. Because we are sinners, we can do nothing that is truly good, untainted by our sins. We are all imprisoned in disobedience by our sins and facing death and judgment for them. To deny this and trust in your own goodness is to deny Christ. When He comes again from heaven in power and glory, shining like the sun, He will come as a fearsome light, bringing vengeance and eternal punishment for every sin.

Thanks be to God that now is not that day. Right now Jesus shines upon us with mercy, with the blessed light of forgiveness and salvation. He comes in His Word and Sacraments to drive out the dark shadows of our sins and lead us in serving God. Receive Him with praise and thanksgiving, and He will lead you into the brightness of heaven’s dawn!