Isaiah 2: 1-5; Romans 13: 11-14 by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
November 27, 2015
First Sunday of Advent
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord! - Isaiah 2: 1-5
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. - Romans 13: 11-14
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was America’s poet in the nineteenth century. He had the gift of crafting words to reveal what was held in the heart of the nation and within his own. It was in 1861 that Abraham Lincoln had served as President for one year and the Civil War began. As the war weighed upon the country, Longfellow felt the weight of it all compounded with personal hardships.
As months turned into years, Longfellow wondered if Christmas still changed the world. On December 25, 1863 Longfellow felt his faith reframing his emotions with incredible hope. He put his pen to paper and wrote the famous poem which was later put to music, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”
I heard the bells on Christmas Day.
Their old familiar carols play.
And wild and sweet their words repeat
Of peace on earth good-will to men.
As the words flowed he came to the sixth stanza and wrestled with God’s promise of peace in the face of the Battle of Gettysburg. But his honest faith moved him to press on through the darkness:
And in despair I bowed my head.
There is no peace on earth I said.
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth good-will to men.
And then like a choir singing, Longfellow heard the most profound message speak into his heart. He became acutely aware of God’s eternal promise breaking in as he wrote the last stanza:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead; nor does he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"[1]
It is a hope that had sounded nearly impossible to Longfellow in the nineteenth century. It is also a hope that sounded nearly impossible to those hearing Isaiah’s prophet words.
In Isaiah’s time God’s people were torn into the Northern state of Israel and the Southern state of Judah. God heard the longing of humanity to be rescued from dark and difficult times. Corruption pulsed among the powerful. Oppression seized the most vulnerable. As the fibers of the states, communities and families unraveled between the tensions of judgment and grace, despair seemed to have the last word for many years.
But Isaiah spoke into the darkness with a light of hope. God could be trusted to establish the Lord’s house on the highest of the mountains. God’s dwelling would be recognized as a place where peoples of every nation will gather to learn God’s ways and to walk in God’s faithfulness. God’s eternal promise will embrace humanity in such a way that swords and spears would be turned into instruments to cultivate the peace which only God provides.
O, to see a world where unity is the anthem of the people and the seeds of hope grow in a bountiful harvest to satisfy every need is quite an image, is it not? And as lofty as this dream sounds, it is God’s vision for all humanity and creation.
Isaiah’s words are a beginning point for you and me to navigate through the Advent journey this year. God invites us to look upwards to see where God’s promises are breaking into our lives. When we hear the word ‘Advent’ we know what time it is, for we are waiting for God’s actions to be revealed in the Christ Child once again.
Our human reality, no matter how bleak or broken it may seem, is cradled in the womb of God’s deliverance. Salvation is drawing near to us in this season of waiting. Faith is pregnant with hope. And we are to actively wait for God’s grace to be born again with great expectation.
Jesus Christ is the reason for the season but as we prepare for Christmas we easily forget to call on God’s name. This season brings excitement and joy to the ears and eyes of young ones, but there is often a sense of stress and tension for us adults. We carry burdens of loss and strained relationships. Finances get tighter. Divisions weigh us down. The forecast for world peace looks bleak. And some of us fight against the temptation of just being cynical about it all.
We try to put aside the unresolved parts of our lives in order to pursue the ideal story we wish we could live. It is easier to get caught up in the story we imagine for ourselves than the story that is trying to break in and change our lives. We confess our human need is to fill the empty despair residing in our hearts and minds. But our human nature reaches towards the comforts of the culture instead of the hope of God’s coming kingdom.
And yet God invites us to mark this time of Christmas preparation differently this year. We are called to see glimmers of hope unfolding among us today. “The future belongs to God and the first step towards that future belongs to those who have glimpsed God’s light and are willing to trust that enough light lies ahead.”[2]
Our Lord and Savior is the source of this light. Jesus Christ himself says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The light of the promised Christ Child shines along Advent’s path to lead the way ahead for us.
Notice that as a candle shines into the darkness its flame wildly reaches out in many directions to illumine all that surrounds it. In the same way, God’s promise of hope longs to shine into every corner of our darkness and into every situation of impossibility. It is a promise that is already here but not yet completely fulfilled.
As the light of Christ shines, it reveals the next steps we are to take to learn from God’s ways and to walk in the paths of God’s faithfulness. With each step we take on this Advent journey, we encounter holy places where hope breaks into the broken spaces of life. We are to make room in our hearts and minds to pause each day to take in the landscape of God’s steadfast love.
And maybe – just maybe in these still small moments - we will experience something amazing. Hope will break in like a choir singing, for in our hearts we will hear a profound message that reframes life’s impossibilities. Like bells ringing more loud and deep, we are reminded that God is present with us. God’s faithful presence is still at work to bring about the hope of redemption for you and I are still in need of a Savior. His reign upon God’s mountain will make the wrong fail, and the righteous prevail with peace on earth, good-will to men. Even if this hope is a glimmer of light, it is nothing short of God’s grace.
Does Christmas still change the world? Over the course of these next four weeks we have the opportunity to ponder this question. As we walk along the holy places of Advent we are listening and watching for God’s promises of hope, peace, joy, and love to reframe our lives.
May we lift up our countenances towards God’s dwelling place. Let us walk in the light of the Lord for we know what time it is!
In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
Advent Thematic Series "The Holy Places of Advent: A Holy Invitation" adapted from "A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series"(Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016), pp. 3-5.
[1] The Christian Post, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” Greg Laurie Dec 21, 2013.
[2] Stacey Simpson Duke, “Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 1” (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010). p. 6.
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