Rev. Dr. Mark Tusken

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. 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. Rom 13:8-14

Paul tells writes in this passage, to those who believe, "You know what time it is." He says we are closer now to the sure and certain return of our Lord than we were last year. Our working theme for the past few weeks in the sermons has been ready to live. We talked about the Thessalonians who had moved off on the hillside by themselves just to wait and not to live. We then talked about knowing who you are, about standing firm in the traditions. Last week we talked about our position and posture in Christ. The theme is that we all need to be ready to live. Today in Romans, we ask ourselves again, what does it mean to be ready to live? To be truly alive, Paul says, means to owe no one anything, except to love one another. In light of our advent candles, and time growing short, we can talk about three aspects of that kind of love that Paul calls us to. First, the love that Paul writes of is a love that is freely offered and expects nothing in return. Genuine love expects nothing in return. Owe no one anything, except to love one another. That love ought to be expressed expecting nothing in return. That's agape love. Agape love is also a sacrificial love. The love that Paul speaks of is a love that is sacrificial. Sacrificial love is not only what the world is looking for, but is a kind of love that when we offer it, it sustains us miraculously. Owe no one anything, Paul says, except to love one another. A third aspect of love is that it is never finished in its giving. In New Testament times, you might be a slave. There were some slaves who were able to save money on their own, in order to buy their freedom. We know that some of those freed slaves collected monies in order to purchase the freedom of loved ones. In the Old Testament, there is a picture of this in the story of Hosea and Gomer. Hosea fell in love with Gomer, and they were married. Gomer gave him three beautiful children. But all along the way in the back of his mind, Hosea knew she would break his heart. God had told him this. (Hos chapter 1-3) Gomer does break Hosea's heart, and she leaves him and their life together is over. But God speaks to Hosea's heart and says, "Go and marry again your wife the harlot". So Hosea searches for his bride and finds her. God says, "Just as the people of Israel have broken my heart, and yet I will never give up on them, you must never give up on your wife Gomer." Hosea ends up finding her on the slave block, up for sale. As happens in life at times, it hadn't been pretty with Gomer. Hosea purchased her for only half of what she was worth, because she had sunk so low in society. She was worthless to everyone except Hosea and his love. That is the kind of love Paul calls us to.  God is saying through Paul that our love must be sacrificial, must owe no one anything in return, and must never be finished. So, in advent, we are called to ask ourselves this question: What time is it? The more candles we light, the closer it is to Christ's return. We who believe need not fear death. We must only, as Paul says, wake up. You know what time it is; therefore, owe no one anything, except to love one another.

In this passage, John the Baptist is quoting from the prophet Isaiah. At times, the unchanging truths of scripture need to be restated and repositioned for us. Sometimes we need to hear it in a new way. John is saying the same thing in a different way, to get the people's attention. He warns the Pharisees and Sadducees that they think they are ready, but that nothing was further from the truth. It's a wake-up call for not only them, but for you and me as well. Even though there are very few positive characteristics of the Pharisees, we can still list a few. Here are some positive and negative characteristics of the:

Although the Pharisees obeyed all of God's commands, they inappropriately took this one step further, and began to add to God's commands. Have you ever come across someone who has a vibrant spirituality, but questions yours because it's not theirs? That's the danger of the Pharisee. While the Pharisees could recite liturgy and prayers very eloquently on the street corner, they went on to try to enforce impossible standards that not even they themselves could live up to. They believed in salvation and eternal life, but that eternal life came from perfect obedience. They in effect believed they had never done anything wrong. While they had a great sense of the spiritual world, they were more concerned with their appearance before others than their relationship with God. This is why John the Baptist called the Pharisees hypocrites and vipers, because they were only at the Jordan river because it "looked good". The question for us today is: Are we more concerned with our appearances than our relationship with God? It is not enough to be at church every Sunday for all to see. How can we keep ourselves from becoming Pharisees and Sadducees? One person said it this way:

If I had my life to live over again
I'd finger paint more, and point my finger less
I'd do less correcting, and more connecting
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch more with my eyes
I would care to do less, and know to care more
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play
I'd run through more fields, and gaze at more stars
I'd do more hugging and less tugging
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more
I'd build self-esteem first and the house later
I'd teach less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.

Rev. Dr. Mark Tusken

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. James 5:7-10

The first Sunday in advent we looked at right loving. Last week, we focused on right living, and we looked at the Pharisees and saw that in their lives they had lost God's perspective and had become judgmental. Today we will focus on right timing. James says to us, "Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord." As kids, we desperately try to be patient for Christmas morning. You could do nothing to hurry Christmas morning! That's part of what advent is about. James says, when you believe, you must be patient, because the Lord is near. What is it as a believer to have patience? We can look at some of the "wish lists" out of the Old Testament. Abraham wished for a son. He wanted a land where he could raise his family. The people of Israel wanted protection from their enemies. They wanted safety. Once they had been taken out of their land, they wished for a second chance. If you read the Old Testament through the eyes of faith, you will see there a record of humanity's wish list, for protection, peace, a safe place, and a sense of fulfillment. We light candles at this time of the year because we know what happens on December 25. Jesus is born for us, and he is a fulfillment of all of the wish lists of the Old Testament, and the fulfillment of the promises that God makes through the prophets. But, though the promise has been fulfilled, we don't yet have the completion. James says we must be patient and have God's perspective. He gives us the example of the farmer, although few of us anymore know what it means to be a farmer. In biblical times, farming as a profession was very common. Farmers plant the seed, but must wait for months until the crop is grown and is ready for harvest. This is what life is like for the believer, James says. We have to trust, even when we don't see with our own eyes what we hope for. Some of us have an expectant and hopeful perspective, knowing that any day now our lives could be changed. Others of us know that one day our lives will be changed, but we try to push it to the back of our minds. But with the lighting of each of the advent candles, God is making a promise to you. His return is sure and certain. It is closer this week than it was last week, and we must be patient. If we are not patient, you begin to grumble with one another. You lose patience with one another. That's a challenge for us. It's a genuine struggle as a believer, so that we don't grow angry. For every one of us there is a battle going on for our souls. When we get angry, we've lost the battle. There is an antidote to anger, which is the contrary to anger: patience. Patience is a Christian virtue. James go on to say, that if you want to look at patience, look at the prophets. The prophet Jeremiah had to have patience. He preached for 30 years, but only had one convert, and the scroll of his prophecies was thrown into the fire to be burned! We live in a culture that is measured by success. There are parents among you who struggle with their children, and things have not quite been working out, and they think they haven't been a success. But they have to be patient, and wait and see. There are some of you whose jobs have suddenly melted away. Is it your fault? No; you have to be patient. We are learning in advent that life is about right loving, right living, and right timing. We must have God's perspective and timing for our lives. This is what advent is about. Be patient, James says, because the Lord is at the door.

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 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. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, "He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known. John 1:1-18

Literally, "fiat" is a Latin word for "let it be done". In the beginning, God moved against the waters and said, "let there be light". The darkness was vanquished, and light came to be. In the gospel of John we have the same sense of fiat, the same movement. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John picks up on this theme: "What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people." The Son, by fiat, brings life. What was the role of the Holy Spirit? In the New Testament, at the time of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came and created a community life. At this time of the year, many of us are examining our lives and making various New Year's resolutions. And some of us simply settle for mere existence. But Jesus didn't come that we would simply "be," but that we would have life abundantly. Especially as we get ready to move into the new building, we can look at these three aspects of fiat: "Let there be light" -- the fiat from the Father; "in him was life" -- the Son, and the Holy Spirit creating community among us.  First, there is light from God.  After the 9/11 attacks, church attendance records were broken. This is because in the midst of darkness, death and destruction, people are looking for light. And that is what the church is meant to be. When tragedy strikes, either national or personal, people seek light. We have a great opportunity right now to be light for others. People are also drawn to the church at times of blessing, such as the birth of a child or a marriage. People are always wondering, "What is different about this place? Is there light here for me?" At Christmas 2000 years ago, God says there is a present under the tree for you. This gift is from God to all of us. Some may say, "no thank you," and not even pick up the package at all. Some may take up the package, and admire the beautiful wrapping and bow, but never really open it to see what's inside.  And still others open the package willingly and claim the gift as their own. Inside is the light of God. We can show others this light. "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light." (Luke 11:33)  Secondly, there is life from the Son. This life is not about something happening here at church, but something happening inside of us. It's not that the place has life, but that we here have come alive. As we unwrap that present, we let his life envelop us and infuse our lives. But there is a disclaimer: life is messy. New things are not always neatly tied up with a bow. Anyone who brings home a baby for the first time knows that new things can be messy! While we may be excited about the new building, it's important to remember that there will be challenges. It won't seem the same. Perhaps we won't see the same people in their usual places. There will be changes, and that can be scary or uncomfortable. When God comes in to a person or place, life is never the same. It's what we call a mystery. It's God's life being realized in our midst. We need to be a church alive, not living in what used to be. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit brings community. The disciples in the upper room all had their private worries. Would they be next after Jesus? Then the Holy Spirit blew in with tongues of fire, and the disciples began proclaiming the good news in a new and fresh way together. With the new building, we have the opportunity to make a fresh community in new ways with the help of the Spirit. The disciples each went in different directions and did not all do the same thing, and neither will we. But we will be united in the Holy Spirit, with light and life available to all. Together we will live out the 3 C's: Celebration, when we all come together as a whole church family; Congregation, as we connect together in smaller groups; and Cell Groups, when we come together in yet smaller, more intimate fellowship, to meet, study, encourage, and pray. The Spirit is here and at work, but if we're not connected together, we can die out. Nothing is ever complete until the Sculptor is done sculpting. Every person in every congregation has the stuff of live waiting to be carved away. God is taking what we are right now, and molding and making us what we were meant to be.