Advent 2A
image: Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo de Vinci (wikimedia)
Melissa Myers (#pastorbesties, Youtube Channel)
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon)
Nelson Pierce (@NelsonPierceJr, BelovedCommunityChurch.com/Movement)
Ethan Keller, “Emmanuel” from his album, One Way (@EthanKeller, FB.com/EthanKellerMusic, EthanKeller.com)
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon)
Matthew 3:1-12
Initial Thoughts
Why must John the Baptist ruin my Christmas?!
Only 2 Gospels tell the story of Jesus’ birth - ALL the Gospels have John the Baptist...all four of them.
Issues with Baptism
Forgiveness of sin and acceptance of God’s grace
Not needed - traditionally: Jesus was sinless
John baptized Jesus - who is greater?
Gospel differences
Mark - John Baptizes Jesus, but Jesus is greater than John (Mark 1:7)
Luke - unclear, assumes John baptizes Jesus but simply says “When everyone was being baptized, Jesus also was baptized” (Luke 3:21, CEB)
Bible Study
Wilderness
John meets us out in the wilderness
Wilderness - after we have already been saved, before we are where God wants us to be
Wilderness - where we learn who God is and who we are in relation to God
Wilderness - when we are our most rebellious (a brood of vipers, if you will)
Repent - metanoia, literally, “Change your whole self”
Preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven
Not about guilt or acknowledging your depravity, but aligning yourself to God and Christ
This strange man in the wilderness puts an end to our romanticized, emotional look to the coming of an infant.
“We must not speak of God’s love coming down at Christmas without remembering that the divine love is fierce in its judgment upon those who resist love’s demand” (Douglas Hare, Interpretation: Matthew).
John warns against “resting on your laurels.” It is not enough to just claim Abraham as your Father. A changed heart has to follow.
“The Christian equivalent of ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ Is ‘We have Christ as our savior.’ While trust in Christ’s salvation is a first requirement, it is not the last” (Douglas Hare, Interpretation: Matthew).
Radical message that being a descendant of Abraham was not enough. One had to have faith and action like Abraham as well.
“Bearing fruit” is the key to John’s message. The only way to know if there has been repentance, is with fruit.
“Brood of vipers”
“When vipers are hatched, they remain together, until they begin to mature. But if something threatens them, they spread out and flee...Something has warned them of the wrath to come, and they are leaving the comfort and security of their lives.” Gonzalez, p.49
Interesting opening to a sermon or a new member class - “you brood of vipers”
“Brood of vipers”
“When vipers are hatched, they remain together, until they begin to mature. But if something threatens them, they spread out and flee...Something has warned them of the wrath to come, and they are leaving the comfort and security of their lives.” Gonzalez, Belief Commentary: Luke p.49
“The insult is fierce: vipers were thought to eat their way out of their mother’s body and so kill her.” Amy-Jill Levine, “Luke”, The Jewish Annotated New Testament, p.116
Wakes people up with unapologetic anger.
These are people that are coming to be baptized by him, and he warns them not come with simply a desire to be baptized. This isn’t some “get clean quick” scheme.
The declaration that a ritual is not enough is consistent with the other prophets (cf. Isaiah 1)
Water isn’t enough, but a total change of heart is what is needed.
Being Jewish isn’t enough either.
Radical claim for a people who defined God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Generational ties were of utmost importance.
“Say not within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father” - That is, trust not in your being members of the visible Church, or in any external privileges whatsoever: for God now requires a change of heart; and that without delay.
Harsh, Urgent, Concrete
John’s message is harsh - you brood of vipers
John’s message is urgent - the ax is at the base of the tree
John’s message is concrete - repent- change your heart and mind
Kingdom of Heaven
“Heaven” used instead of “God,” probably because of Jewish reluctance to use the word “God.”
While there are elements of Matthew that tend to “spiritualize” the good news, this is more about respect to culture than a shift in premise. The Kingdom of Heaven is not about where you go after death. It reflects the power and ‘Kingship’ of God in the here and now.
Eschatological message of John is unavoidable. Symbolism of wilderness, clothes, diet, and chopping the tree, all signify that John is operating outside of the current era. He is speaking to an end, and a new beginning.
“John sees the judgment as already on the horizon and the basis for his urgent call for repentance. An appeal to belong to the elect group… will not save one in the fiery judgment” (Eugene Boring, New Interpreter's Bible: Matthew).
Judgment and hope
Cannot rely on history and nostalgia, repentance must be seen in fruits
Change is both painful and liberating- fire is used in both
Thoughts and Questions
Christmastime is a time of preparation for gift-giving, parties, Christmas Eve bulletins. John also brings a message of preparation: “Change your heart and lives, for the Kingdom of God is near!” Not a message of guilt, but of seizing opportunity. How will you prepare for the Kingdom of Heaven?
Repentance is an invitation to a new way of life which is demonstrated by its fruits. Being a son of Abraham or being born again isn’t enough- your life must change and your actions must bear out that reorientation. Are you willing to be changed by the good news?
Isaiah 11:1-10
Initial Thoughts
Stump in our back yard that kept growing back. Stubborn - eventually had to dig it out.
Bible Study
Stump vs Spirit (W. Brueggemann in Texts for Preaching, Year A)
Current state of Israel (line of Jesse) is a stump. It is a tree that has been cut off (as opposed to the tree planted by the water, like Psalm 1).
A stump is a symbol of death - there once was life, but no more. Nothing new.
But a stump has roots. From the roots will come something new.
The Spirit will give life to the new thing.
Justice, Righteousness, Fear of the Lord.
Transformation
Powerful treat the powerless as if they matter.
The weapon yielded will come from the mouth and lips - words, not swords..
Instead of wearing sword and spear, he will wear righteousness and faithfulness (armor of God)
Relationships marked by violence will instead be marked by peace
Wolf and lamb.
Leopard and young goat.
Calf and lion.
Cow and Bear.
Children and serpents.
Leadership by child
Earth filled with knowledge of the Lord.
Creates a world people are attracted to, not kept out of.
All creation transformed.
“In our own time, we are learning… that human acts of injustice wreak havoc on the created order. Conversely, acts of human justice permit creation to function in a healthy, fruitful way. Thus the newness envisioned for creation follows properly from the newness of human justice.” (Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, p. 12)
Restoration of vision in Genesis 1:29-30. Human action has derailed the created order.
Leadership by a child - perhaps speaking of a particular person. More likely describing “the birth of a new innocence in which trust, gentleness, and friendship are possible and appropriate. The world will be ordered, so that the fragile and vulnerable can have their say and live their lives.” (Brueggemann, p. 12)
What leads to this transformation? What is the nature of the Spirit of the Lord?
Wisdom and understanding
Planning and strength
Knowledge and fear of the Lord
Sound leadership leads to good results.
Sound leadership is marked by faithfulness and awe of God.
Thoughts and Questions
“Advent is our decision to trust the new wind against the hopeless stump of what has failed,” (Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, p. 12). The wind is the turning point of this passage. The Spirit gives life and opens up new possibilities. Advent is a chance to be opened to the Spirit, and allow new things grow - from the roots that are already there.
The vision that Isaiah presents is a nation that acts as a beacon to people. People will seek out this new reality and be drawn to it. How are people drawn to God now? For what are people yearning? Is it more division and enemies, or can we create something that unites? To be frank, in this season I have not wanted to preach wisdom and understanding. I have wanted to be angry and scream and blame and name names and call out injustice. That would make me feel better, but is that going to create something new?
Romans 15:4-13
INITIAL THOUGHTS
The lectionary doesn’t care about your advent candles. Hope, Peace, Joy, Love is not a standard.
This passage speaks clearly to hope, which was last week. It does end with both joy and peace, so there you go.
Ties into the Isaiah passage extremely well, especially connecting with the end of the passage, which mentions that all of the nations will be drawn to the root of Jesse.
BIBLE STUDY
Literary Context
Near the end of the letter. The rest is mostly personal stuff.
Summary of his thesis.
Most of us - those who are not Jewish - are here because of this passage (or at least the idea behind it).
Scripture quoted in 15:9-12 build the final point of his argument
“Speakers sometimes reserved their strongest argument for the end. Jewish expositors often linked texts based on a common key word. Linking together texts that specifically mention ‘Gentiles,’ Paul shows from the Writings, the Law, and the Prophets… that God had always desired Gentiles’ worship. These cited OT passages are merely samples of a much wider theme in Scripture” (Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on p. 1992).
15:9 - Psalm 18:49
15:10 - Deuteronomy 32:43
15:11 - Psalm 117:1
15:12 - Isaiah 11:10
What about verses 1-3
“The separation of v. 4 from vs 1-3 is an awkward one. Verse 4 reflects an attitude toward Scripture that pervades all of Paul’s letters, but here it is specifically tied to vs 1-3, especially v. 3. Further, vs 1-6 are formally parallel to vs 7-13, and that parallel is lost when vs 1-3 are omitted. Notice that each paragraph begins with an ethical admonition, ties that ethical admonition to the action of Christ and to scripture, and concludes with a prayer-wish.
15:1-2 - Treat each other with kindness
15:3-4 - Connection to Scripture, not as replacement, but as encouragement.
15:5-6 - Prayer for the glory of God.
15:7 - Welcome each other
15:8-12 - Christ welcomed and Scripture shows God welcomes
15:13 - Prayer for hope, peace, and joy for the community.
Final argument
I’m not claiming anything new
This was all written before, and applies to us now.
Welcome one another
Christ welcomed you. You should welcome others.
Christ was a servant. You should be too.
“Christ was a servant of the circumcised” could be translated more ambiguously “concerning circumcision”
“The meaning seems to be clear: namely Christ was a servant who was connected with those who are identified by circumcision - Christ was a Jew. What Paul is affirming here is the very particular identity of Jesus Christ with the people of Israel, an identification that persists even while the welcome of Christ is radicalized.” (Beverly Gaventa, Texts for Preaching, Year A, p. 17)
Welcome the Gentiles
This was a part of God’s plan from the beginning.
Christ is the fulfillment of the promises to be a blessing to the world.
THOUGHTS and questions
Our task at Advent is to welcome others. Often this is a time when people who are searching for some meaning in their lives. We may prepare our churches with ways to welcome and serve.
Paul is connecting Christ to both the Patriarchs and the Gentiles. The radical call upon Israel that God made through Abraham has now been expanded to all through Christ.
“This section opens with a reference to what has been written in the scriptures. Paul says “for whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” Christians in later centuries have sometimes understood this passage, and other similar statements by Paul, to indicate that the Christian church and the Christian religion had taken the place of the Jewish synagogue and the Jewish religion.
This interpretation has had devastating consequences for the relations of Jews and Christians, and it is not the position of Paul. “We” is not, at the time of Paul, the Christian church. Rather, it is the community of the Christ-believers, both Jews and nations that form the people of God. The rest of the passage clarifies how Paul thinks about the relationships between Jews and non-Jews.” (Working Preacher, Valerie Nicolet-Anderson)
Thanks to our Psalms correspondent, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (psalmimmersion.com,@pomopsalmist). Thank you to Scott Fletcher for our voice bumpers, Dick Dale and the Del Tones for our Theme music (“Miserlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”) and Bryan Odeen for our closing music.