Sermon
The
Light
Sunday, December 11, 2011
John 1:6-8, 19-28
In
preparing for this sermon, I mentioned to my husband, Devin, that I planned to
include a discussion of the rose candle that we traditionally light on the
third Sunday in Advent. In his customary direct and, usually, very “right on”
way he replied, “Why only the rose candle? Why not all of them? I don’t
understand what any of them are about.”
Well,
I don’t know if that’s true of everyone here – I am thinking that many of you
know exactly what each of the Advent candles represent. Nevertheless, I took
Devin’s comment to heart, remembering that the basis of our faith is communal
worship – reading Scripture, praying and breaking bread together. Together
being the instrumental word here. And, if we are to be together, it goes
without saying, that we should share a common understanding of what we are
“together” on.
Today,
as we observe the lighting of the advent candles in our Advent wreath; as we offer
prayers of praise, thanksgiving and repentance; as we await the birth of the
baby Jesus in a Bethlehem manger, let us pray that together we can in some
small way understand the true wonder of what it is that we are awaiting – the
Good News.
The
word Advent means
"coming" or "arrival." The focus of our activities here at
Grace in the Desert, and in other Christian communities throughout the world, during
this Advent season is to prepare for the celebration of the arrival, or birth,
of Jesus. We are preparing to celebrate the incarnation of God in the baby
Jesus. We are preparing for the birth of a child through whom all of creation will
be reconciled to God.
Scripture
readings for Advent reflect on the gift that we are about to receive. They also
alert us to our expected participation in receiving this gift through a life of
repentance, faithfulness, stewardship, mission and the hope of eternal life.
Paul
in his first letter to the Thessalonians says:
Rejoice
always, pray without
ceasing, give thanks
in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your
spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The one who
calls you is faithful, and he will do this. (1 Thes. 5:16-24)
Advent
is also the time for a reflective journey that helps us to focus our spiritual lives
as members of the Grace in the Desert community. As we anticipate God’s arrival
in the Incarnation, we take on the responsibility of understanding our role as a
community commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your
heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself," remembering the
prophet Isaiah’s incredibly powerful words:
“The
spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has
sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives and to release the prisoners; to proclaim the
year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance for our God; to comfort all
who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.”(Isaiah
61:1-4)
Advent
is also a time to reflect on the amazing gift that we receive through the
Incarnation. Dietrich Bonhoeffer offers a powerful image of this incredible
birth story in one of his Advent reflections:
“What
is going on here, where Mary becomes the mother of God, where God comes into
the world in the lowliness of a manger? World judgment and world redemption –
that is what is happening here. And it is the Christ child in the manger
himself who holds world judgment and world redemption. He pushes back the high
and mighty; he overturns the thrones of the powerful; he humbles the haughty;
his arm exercises power over all the high and the mighty; he lifts what is
lowly, and makes it great and glorious in his mercy. (Bonhoeffer,
D., God is in the Manger; p. 42)
“This is about the birth of a child, not the
astonishing work of a strong man, not the bold discovery of a wise man, not the
pious work of a saint. It really is beyond all our understanding: the birth of
a child shall bring about the great change, shall bring to all mankind
salvation and deliverance.”(“The Government upon the Shoulders of a Child,
Christmas 1940)
John’s Gospel also describes the arrival of Jesus
into our lives just as powerfully, and makes clear that this child was sent
from God, and that this child is God.
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through
him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light…He said,
‘I am a voice crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the
Lord.’” (John 1:6-8, 23)
John was sent by God to point people to Jesus; to
point people to the light; to “Make
straight the way of the Lord.” Jesus
is the Light. To see Jesus – to see the light - is to believe; to have faith;
to be redeemed; to be reconciled to God.
In preparing for the birth of Jesus we must
understand that like John the Baptist we are anointed through our baptismal
vows to carry on the work of John; to point people to Jesus; to point people to
the light.
I believe I have now arrived back where I started – or,
at least I hope so. We are back to the candles – the light.
At
the beginning of Advent we decorate the church with evergreen wreaths, boughs,
or trees that help to symbolize the new and everlasting life brought through
Jesus the Christ. The Advent wreath
is a symbol of the beginning of the Church year. It is a circular evergreen
wreath with five candles, four around the wreath and one in the center.
The
circle of the wreath reminds us
of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end.
The green of the wreath speaks
of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal
life. The candles symbolize the
light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son.
The
four outer candles represent the
period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent, which themselves symbolize
the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of
Christ.
The
colors of the candles vary with
different traditions, but there are usually three purple or blue candles,
corresponding to the sanctuary colors of Advent, and one pink or rose candle.
One of the blue candles is lighted the first Sunday of Advent, and a prayer
offered. On subsequent Sundays, previous candles are re-lighted with an
additional one lighted. The pink candle is usually lighted on the third Sunday
of Advent. The pink symbolizes relief from the long wait for the advent of the
Christ child will soon be over. The joy of his birth will soon be upon us.
The
center candle is white and is
called the Christ Candle. It is
traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The central location of the Christ Candle
reminds us that the incarnation is the heart of the season, giving light to the
world
The
light of the candles itself
becomes an important symbol of the season. The light reminds us that Jesus is
the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring
newness, life, and hope. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to
the world as we reflect the light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6).
The
progression in the lighting of the candles symbolizes the various aspects of
our waiting experience. As the candles are lighted over the four week period,
it also symbolizes the darkness of fear and hopelessness receding and the
shadows of sin falling away as more and more light is shed into the world. The
flame of each new candle reminds us that something is happening, and that more
is yet to come. Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly
visible as the Christ Candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice
over the fact that the hope and promise of long ago have been realized.
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through
him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light…He said,
‘I am a voice crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the
Lord.’” (John 1:6-8, 25)
AMEN
