May the words that I speak be both spoken and received in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
For the whole season of Advent, we can speak of the Coming of Christ, meaning both his birth asn a child into the world over 2000 years ago, and also the glorious fullness of this coming again in the future.
‘Marantha’, is a simple prayer that has continued throughout the ages from the early days of Christianity. Maranatha is Aramaic, the native language of Jesus and his first disciples, and consists of two words, ‘Marana-tha’ – Lord, come!
The first Christians regularly met and shared a meal together. They made their memory vivid by repeating what Jesus had said and done during the last supper. But the facts of Jesus’ life and death were more than a memory, they were a present experience.
Marantha bear witness to the Spirit of tense expectancy that brought them together, they knew that Christ’s presence was there, unseen and unheard, but real: the Lord had come to them. ‘He was in the breaking of the bread’.
We experience Christ’s power in the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s call remains the same – ‘Come to me, all who labout and are heavy laden and I will give you rest’.
John the Baptist created excitement among the people when he appeared. He brought a prophetic message, the significance of which was emphasised by his being the first prophetic voice the Jews had heard for over 300 years. God had finally broke the silence and people’s expectations were high.
John made his appearance at a time when decay had firmly set in, upon both the Jewish religious system and the Jewish nation. The Jewish kingdom had gone. It had kept its unity until the death of Herod the Great. But at his death the Romans divided it into tetrachies, each with a governor ruling only by the consent of the Roman Emperor.
The sceptre, the power, had finally departed from Israel. The ancient glory of the land of David had gone. The historic kingdom needed reviving, or replacement by a new and relivened one. A national leader was looked for, and was essential for the health and glory of the nation. There was a general feeling that the fullness of time had come. Religious life was in great need of reform, for it had become corrupt in both rule and administration.
It was not only John’s words that suggested he was a prophet with an important message. His camel-hair clothing would have reminded the crowds of Elijah, they very prophet that the Jews expected to return one day to herald the coming of the Messiah.
It is plain from the Gospels that John’s ministry was one of preparation for the advent of the Messiah. The long-expected Prince of Peace must soon come. John’s work was to prepare a smooth path for the Lord. But it was not by force that John’s mission was to be fulfilled. His vocation was to lift up his voice in warning and as a summons to action.
John had to work in the valleys of the depressed and despairing souls, bring down the conceitful and proud; the crooked ways of sin; and the rough, uncouth ways of uncivilized nature. John’s mission was one to all people, to all classes and all types. His preaching was of penitence and his baptism was of repentance.
John’s way of preparing people was tough. He taught that they needed to repent, a word that in the original language means much more than feeling sorry, or even saying sorry, but involves a turning away from wrongdoing and a radical change of behaviour.
I wonder whether we would welcome John with enthusiasm and excitement to hear his message? Or would we just dismiss his uncomfortable preaching as outdated, just typical of the Old Testament era? Can we remain open to the voice of the Holy Spirit encouraging and guiding us to lead more fruitful lives?
We experience Christ’s power in the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are made in God’s likeness, called to be his sons and daughters, chosen to inherit eternal life and commissioned as ambassadors for Christ. God sends ordinary people like you or me, to relate to people by word or deed. Visiting the sick, or helping a neighbour, or maybe speaking those words to someone, which God wants them to hear. You may find yourself doing this.
God may call upon you to serve him in a particular way. If you are not expecting it to happen then you may end up closing the door on God’s Spirit. If a person is not receptive to Christ’s message or request, then it will fall on ‘deaf ears’, or on ears that don’t want to know.
How are we going to share our faith with those who do not care to link Christ with their Christmas celebrations? Each one of us can make a big difference in our lives and during Advent if we expect great things to happen from God, and we wait and watch patiently then we can truly receive and make good use in our lives of that which we are given. And we are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit in abundance.
We Christians live now as those who wait for their Lord. In our worship we can look for the paradox of a coming Christ which is past, present and in the future. Past, where Jesus lived just over 2000 years ago. Present, with us in the ‘breaking of the bread’, and future with the fulfilment of the Kingdom. Let us send out the message that we will soon celebrate the coming of the Messuah, with joy and an eager expectation.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St Peter's Church 