Sunday, December 15, 2024

Third Sunday of Advent
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Psalm 85
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 7:18-28 (29-35)

Yahweh, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

Fear is a powerful motivator. Fear drives a family to escape a burning home. Fear of failure drives many people to work hard. Fear causes us to avoid circumstances, places, and people that are dangerous, which can save our lives. Fear is a negative motivator, but it can have positive results. It can also have devastating results; fear can paralyze us into non-action. A deer in the headlights is afraid of the car, but fear makes it impossible for it to move out of the way. This can happen to human beings who are too afraid to get out of the situation that is causing their fear.

I used to love horror films. I loved to go with my friends whenever a new slasher film was released. We saw most of the “Friday the 13th” franchise movies, enjoying the adrenaline rush of the fear that builds with the background music and the certainty that the bad guy is always just around the corner. We laughed at those movies, too, because we knew that the whole concept was ridiculous. Surely there aren’t that many stupid teenagers in the world? Just as romantic Christmas movies are formulaic, the slasher movies follow their own patterns to get the reaction they want.

I once went to one of these movies with a friend in a theater in a rough part of town. We were looking forward to feeling all the usual feelings even though we knew that it was going to be a terrible film. The experience of fear began long before the movie began, however. We felt very out of place among the other moviegoers. I know I should not base my feelings on stereotypes, but we were truly afraid because the people around us were thugs and were doing dangerous things. There was at least one fight outside the theater that night. We did not enjoy that movie, but fear taught us a lesson: that we should not go to that theater at night, no matter what movie we were going to see.

I don’t go to horror films anymore. I’m not sure what made me stop; perhaps it was that night with my friend. I think having children has also made me stop looking for the adrenaline rush that comes from slasher films. I stopped reading horror books, too, and I don’t find any pleasure in any of the television shows based on monsters or death. I experience plenty of fear as I worry about my children in a dangerous world, I don't need background music or the expectation of a bad guy making me afraid.

We fear death. We fear loneliness. We fear failure. Advertisers take advantage of our tendency to fear by playing on that; they make us fear missing out on something. There was a commercial for an electronics store that bothered me. It encouraged the viewer to shop at their store so that they could “win Christmas.” The point is that the buyer would get the best gifts at that store and that the receivers would think they were the best. The commercial played off the fear that we’ll get the wrong gift or that someone else will buy something better, motivating us to rush out to their store and buy the newest, most expensive gadget so that we’ll “win.” Gift-giving isn’t about winning or losing. Christmas isn’t about winning or losing.

Fear is rampant in our world today, perhaps rightly so. There are very real reasons for us to be afraid. Fear can have a positive impact if it causes us to be more watchful or careful. It can also have a negative impact if we respond with anger or hatred or violence. Sadly, that’s how many people do respond when they are afraid. Many times we ignore the underlying fear that causes us to act as we do. Fear gets covered up by other emotions and actions. Fear is seen as weakness, and in a world where the weak are manipulated and abused, any sign of weakness is buried by attitudes, words, and actions that seem powerful and strong. The rough moviegoers were probably hiding their own fears they would never admit or even realize they had.

Zephaniah gives us the Good News, “You will not be afraid of evil any more.” In a world where so much is driven by fear, this is something we want to hear, but we have a difficult time believing it. We don’t know when it will happen, but we know that we will hear reports of disasters happening to neighbors and worry that it might happen to us. We’ll hear the weather report forecast potentially dangerous storms and fear what might happen to our homes. We’ll hear about another outbreak of violence and wonder if it could happen to us.

We think this good news means that there will no longer be evil, but we can’t see how that will ever happen. We know by faith that the day will come, the Day of the Lord, when God will defeat everything that opposes Him. In the meantime, however, we have to deal with circumstances, places, and people that make us afraid. The promise is a call to trust.

Zephaniah says, “The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you.” That is the promise of Christmas. That is what we are waiting for during this Advent season. We are waiting for the King to come, both as a baby in the manger and as the eternal Judge and Savior. Because He came, we have no reason to fear.

We’ll still face the dangers of the world, but with Christ Jesus as our King we know that we will receive His promise no matter what happens to us in this world. We might lose our home to a fire or be harmed because someone responds to their own fears with anger, hatred, but we have something that is better than fear: hope. This hope leads to joy.

Advent is a season of lights. We begin with darkness, representative of the darkness of our lives. Each Sunday we light a new candle. As we draw closer to the coming of our Lord Jesus the light grows until that joyous night when we can light the Christ candle and celebrate His coming. Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent, and Christmas Day is coming quickly. We can feel the excitement building. On the third Sunday, we finally have more candles lit on our Advent wreaths than are dark. This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday, or Sunday of Joy. Though we have not yet reached the Nativity, the light is greater than the darkness and will continue to grow.

Joy is found in our lectionary readings. The book of Zephaniah is hardly joyful. The prophet announced to the people that in His day God would bring judgment to the nations, including His people who had abandoned their faith. Yet, the prophet did not leave them without hope. Today’s reading promises the restoration that will come when God completes His work. Zephaniah prophesies the rejoicing that will go on within the city of Jerusalem.

To the Jews, prosperity meant God was near, misery meant that He had abandoned them. Though God was never far away, it was not hard for them to fear when things began to go wrong. When the nations could overwhelm them with their power, it was obvious that God was no longer protecting them. Yet, God has a purpose for all things, including those times of pain and suffering. They help us to turn to Him, to repent of our sin and look to Him for our needs. God did not intend for the Jews to be destroyed; He knew that He would provide salvation in His time and way. After judgment, God always cleanses His people and purifies their lips so that they will call out to their God. He promised that the day would come when He would bring them home. “‘At that time I will bring you in, and at that time I will gather you; for I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,’ says Yahweh.”

Our worst sin is that we don’t trust God. It began so long ago in the Garden of Eden, when Eve believed the lie of Satan about the Word of God. She did not trust that He spoke the truth; she saw that the fruit looked good even though God warned it would bring pain, so she decided to do what she thought was best. So did Adam. The Israelites did not trust that God would take care of them. They grumbled in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. They turned to other nations for help against their enemies. They asked for a worldly king when they had the King of kings as their ruler.

God gives us the freedom to turn from Him, He never forces us to follow Him. He allows the natural consequences of our mistrust to humble us before His throne but hears us when we cry out to Him when we realize He is the only one who can overcome our difficulties. He doesn’t allow more than we can bear, but He does allow enough so that we will remember His faithfulness and trust Him again. Over and over again throughout history, God did this with His people. They were defeated by their enemies and then restored when they turned back to Him. They were taken into captivity, but then were returned to their home when they looked for Him. We suffer our own consequences when we turn from God, but He is always near to respond when we repent and trust Him again. We respond to our fear in all the wrong ways instead of looking to God to get us through.

Instead of fear, God gives us hope. We know that evil will continue to happen all around us, but we do not need to be afraid because God has defeated evil. Whatever happens to us, we know that God has won and that we will receive the eternal inheritance He has promised. In a time of fear and anger and hatred and violence, we have hope because the Light has overcome the darkness. Instead of fear, we are called to live in the joy that comes from being in the Light.

Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, ‘Rejoice.’” Paul is not saying we need to be happy all the time. He is encouraging us to rejoice in the Lord always. In everything we do, in everything we are, we are to live in the joy that is found in our relationship with God; we are to trust that God is greater than anything we might fear. During Christmas we recognize the coming of God in flesh, we honor and remember the child in the manger. However, we aren’t waiting for God to come again. He is here now, dwelling amongst us, walking with us, guiding us, loving us with a tender and compassionate love. We can rejoice in the Lord always, because He is always with us. In good times and bad, we can trust God because He is always faithful to His promises.

That’s what John the Baptist came to proclaim. He came to be a witness to the coming of the Light, to testify to the gracious mercy of God. I’m not so sure we think about mercy when we think about John the Baptist. After all, he is a man who is perceived to be wild, harsh, and demanding. He might frighten me the way I was frightened at that movie theater among those thugs. He was very unusual and acted counter to the culture in which he lived. He lived in the wilderness, wore clothing made from camel’s hair, and ate locusts for lunch. He defied the self-indulgent ways of the culture in which he lived. He did not wear silk or linen and he did not feast at great banquets. He chose a simple life, a life in which he could focus more clearly on His vocation as a prophet of God. He identified with the prophets of old and lived as they might have lived. He preached about repentance and called the people who came to him a “brood of vipers.” There was nothing about John the Baptist that should draw people to him.

Yet, there was something about him that drew the people into his presence. Even the temple leaders came to hear him speak, but many refused to believe that He was the fulfillment of God’s promises. They rejected Him, but they were seeking the Messiah. As a matter of fact, since they were the educated and the religious experts, they knew more about the signs of the coming and they were anxious to see it fulfilled. In the end Jesus did not meet their expectations, but early in the story they saw possibilities with John. Many of them wondered if he might be the Messiah.

John knew he wasn’t the Messiah. In last week’s reading we saw John identified with the Old Testament prophecies as the one who would prepare the way for the Lord. John told them that he would baptize with water, but that the Messiah would baptize with fire. He encouraged the people to be prepared for the coming of the King by turning their lives around. His words, especially those about Herod, put him in prison. Jesus began His ministry shortly after. Rumors trickled their way to John as his disciples questioned what they should do. They were loyal to John, but they wanted to know whether they should follow Him if He was the one?

John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?” This seems like an odd question coming from John the Baptist, since his story is one of faith even before his birth. John leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary visited her relative. He identified Jesus as the Lamb of God to the crowds. In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist explained to his followers that God gave him a message that he’d know the Messiah because he would see the Holy Spirit descend on Him when He was baptized. John knew that Jesus was the One who was sent by God to save His people.

So, why did John send his disciples to ask this question? Did he do it to prove to his own followers what he already knew? Did he doubt Jesus? Did he doubt himself? Did John question his own ministry? Was he afraid that perhaps he was not the promised messenger? Did he need the encouragement of Jesus that the work he was doing was what God wanted him to do? John was in prison; he was facing his own fears. He wanted to know for sure that he was sending his disciples down the right path.

There are often times when I could use that kind of encouragement, and you are probably the same. Do you wonder if you’ve heard God’s voice correctly? Do you wonder if you are doing what God is calling you to do? Do you ever think that it is absolute craziness that God would choose you for that task? Do you wonder if you can even accomplish it? Do you ever face the fear of what might happen if you fail? Even worse, if you succeed? After all, John the Baptist was a successful evangelist, and he ended up in prison. What might happen to us today? We cry out to God in our fear, doubt, and uncertainty, “Surely there is someone better than me for this!” Did John wonder if he was really the one to fulfill the promise of a messenger? Perhaps Jesus was meant to be the voice crying out in the wilderness and the Messiah would come later?

It is comforting to know that John might have needed encouragement. After all, if he whom Christ called the greatest man born of woman needed to hear that he was indeed doing the work God intended, then how much more might I need to hear it? I haven’t had visions. I haven’t been visited by angels. I haven't had any miraculous experiences in my life to verify I'm doing the work of God. Jesus verified to the crowd, and to John, that John was what he said he was. He was the one crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way for the Lord and Jesus told them to look for the signs that might reveal the truth.

The religious leaders did not believe. Unfortunately, many of the people who began following Jesus also turned away at the end. Jesus sounded good in the beginning, but He eventually did not live up to their expectations. He didn’t do what they wanted Him to do. They began looking for another. They were looking for the wrong kind of Messiah. They were responding to their own worldly fears instead of trusting that God had a plan greater than their expectations. They hoped for salvation, but their expectations were too low and when Jesus didn’t climb onto an earthly throne, they turned away from God. They didn’t want a Messiah that would change their religious understanding, so they chose darkness rather than the Light.

Jesus had great words for the crowd about John the Baptist. He said, “John was more than a prophet. He was the prophet promised by God.” And then Jesus said that this prophet, great as he was, is less than the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s you and me; we are part of the Kingdom of Heaven. So is everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. With Good News like that, who are we to be afraid?

It isn’t easy, of course. There are still many who do not believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, that He is the Judge and Savior who has come and will come again. They will persecute those who shout the Good News of forgiveness to the world. John was beheaded a short time after the encounter in today’s Gospel lesson. Our end may not be so dramatic. As a matter of fact, few of us will be martyred in any way. The things we fear are tame by comparison, but we still have reason to fear.

We have seen the rejection of Christianity in our world; for many, faith is nothing more than a fairytale. Billboards have been purchased by atheist groups with Santa Claus putting his finger in front of his mouth as if he is about to tell us a secret, with the words “Go ahead and skip church! Just be good for goodness’ sake. Happy Holidays!” Some have been offended by this attitude, afraid that the world is trying to steal their joy by diminishing their celebration of Christmas. They are afraid that piece by piece our traditions and practices are being stripped of us.

They can do many things to us, but they can’t steal our joy. Our joy does not come from celebrating Christmas, it comes from being in Christ. It comes from the Holy Spirit whom God has given as a guarantee of the inheritance that He has promised. Our joy comes from trusting in God who has overcome the darkness. We may have valid reasons to be afraid in the world today. Persecution is real. People are dying for their faith. Christianity is under attack in many ways, even from within. Yet, Zephaniah’s words are still true. God is with us, and we have no reason to fear evil. He has overcome everything and has promised that in His day we will share in the inheritance of His eternal Kingdom. Our fears can have a positive impact on our lives as they drive us in a way we should go but let us always remember to trust in the God who will be faithful no matter what happens.

The Psalmist wrote, “I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, his saints; but let them not turn again to folly.” While it is natural for us to wonder and doubt, the Christian that rejoices constantly will keep his or her eyes on God. If we are following Christ, we will certainly do the things that will glorify Him.

His salvation is near. This is a promise that we see fulfilled not only in the manger, but also in the work we are called to do sharing the Gospel in this world. At Christmas we see how mercy and truth have touched the world, how truth and righteousness have joined together. God gives good gifts, the greatest of which is Jesus. He is the One that they were waiting for, and we are the ones who have benefitted. We are part of the Kingdom of Heaven, greater than even John the Baptist.

Jesus asked the people what they went into the wilderness to see. We can ask the same of those who ask us about Jesus. What do they see? Do they see Christians living in the joy of the greatest gift? Do they see people who are putting on a show with fine clothes and luxurious living or do they see humble obedience? Something drew the people to John’s ministry, and something draws people to us. We might wonder and doubt, but we can rejoice because God is near, and He is faithful. If He has called us to the work of His Kingdom, He’ll provide us with everything we need to accomplish it. We need not fear because we have hope, and with hope comes joy. We can rejoice because God rejoices over us.

The world might not know what they are looking for, but God is ready to show Himself. Let’s be ready and willing to share His grace so that they will see Him.