Sermon from Sunday 30 November

 

Reading(s): Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14 and Matthew 24:36-44. This sermon was given by Sally Kerson at St Mark and All Saints.

Today is the beginning of a new liturgical year and the beginning of the season of Advent but not quite the beginning of December which means those of you who have an Advent Calendar can’t begin to open them until tomorrow! Yet I am sure it feels to us all as though Christmas is already in full swing, and in some ways, it has felt like that for at least a month. I can’t get over receiving my first Christmas card this year on Armistice Day 11th November. Advent in church has its own wisdom and a message to all of us which is “to stay awake and be alert” and be ready for the coming of Christ.

Our first reading from the prophet Isaiah speaks of hope and longing and in particular longing for a peaceful world. We too so want peace to be established throughout the world. It would be wonderful to live in a world where disputes between nations are resolved by mediation and disarmament, not by terrorism and war. God dreams of the day disputes will only be memories…when world leaders “will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”. The words are so poignant they resonate down the centuries. A well-known song from the 1970s called “Imagine” written by the late John Lennon also speaks of a better world and ends with these words “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will live as one.” Those weapons of destruction that are killing thousands of people need to be turned into tools that will help us to share food and wealth with all, a fairer and peaceful world is what we all want. God dreams of the day when the whole world “walks in the light of the Lord”. Sadly when we consider how disputes between nations have been and are still being handled…these seem impossible dreams.  When the holy city of Jerusalem is mentioned in Isaiah, we cannot but be moved at what is still happening in the Middle East where there is an unstable peace in Israel and Gaza. In the reading from Romans Paul talks about dark and light and the difference between good and evil and we are drawn into a world in which we are protected by God if we put on the right equipment to protect us - the whole armour of God. The Gospel reading is also peppered with gloom and doom - Jesus talks about people in Noah’s day, who were doing good things, everyday activities of life, but they had allowed those secondary activities to redirect their thoughts and priorities away from the most important thing: faithfulness and obedience to God. He went on to say the end is coming like a thief in the night, and you need to stay awake! Jesus calls us to use the reality of his return as a constant reminder that we must be ready for his return, for when we live in readiness, then we are best prepared to serve faithfully and effectively in the days until he returns.

Now someone unfamiliar with the church seasons, stumbling into the midst of our Advent observances, might be forgiven for being shocked by the dim and haunting atmosphere of our readings and prayers this time of year. For this, the first Sunday of Advent, we have a yearning, wistful lament from the prophet Isaiah and an unsettling apocalyptic vision from Jesus and a Collect and reading about casting away the works of darkness. One might expect the ghosts of Christmas past and future to show up at any moment, rattling their chains! It certainly isn’t giving the cosy atmosphere of what we expect the run up to Christmas to be about. But of course, for some Christmas will be hard, they will not feel like celebrating as they go through sadness and pain in their lives, this time of year isn’t always a happy time. Advent begins in the dark and yearns for the light. Advent aches for the day when we shall not learn war anymore. 

So let’s take on that comparison of dark and light by looking at the first of CS Lewis' books in the Narnia series, ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe’, the main characters are Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy and they have gone to live with an eccentric man who is a professor, and they have lots of fun exploring the big old house full of antiques and treasures. In one room, they find there is only a large wardrobe with a long mirror on the door. Most of the siblings aren’t interested in the room or the wardrobe, and turn to leave as quickly as they entered, but Lucy, the youngest, is curious. She’s sure that the wardrobe door will be locked, but she just must try it to see. It isn’t locked, and so she steps in, being careful to leave the door open behind her. She pushes through lots of winter coats, only to find that the wardrobe is larger than she expected. And suddenly, it isn’t a wardrobe at all, but tree branches that she pushes through, emerging in a snowy wood with a tall, bright streetlamp lighting the scene. It is the light from the lamppost that she sees while she is still trying to push through the wardrobe that keeps her going instead of turning back to the spare room. And when she emerges from the branches, it is the light that she still follows to bring her into the clearing. And of course, the story continues with many characters and adventures for Lucy and her siblings.

What are the doors you’ve encountered in your life? When has there been a path, a way that was opened to you? Did you go through the door? What opportunities have you taken, and what ones have you missed? What door are you standing outside of, while God is calling to you from the other side? Are you like Lucy, the first to fling the door open and step through to what God has waiting? Or are you more like the older siblings, doubting that God has a Narnia-place to show you? What light are we following that compels us to keep going even in times of despair. For “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined.” “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace." Those words from the prophet Isaiah that we hear at Christmas are so beautiful, so hopeful and tinged with pain. Sometimes you have to push through a lot of coats before you step into Narnia. This Advent, be on the lookout for doors that need opening and stepping through, doors where it seems like a light is shining on the other side, and something is luring you, calling you, drawing you through. Know that choosing that door might take you on a narrow path that is difficult to navigate and full of challenges. Let your light shine. Be like Lucy, keeping her eye fixed on the lamppost. Because she did, she was able to show others the way to Narnia. Is God calling you to step in through the wardrobe, and follow the light?

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