Advent 2C
Philippians 1:3-11, Renee Roederer (@Renee_Roederer, reneeroederer.com)
Luke 1:68-79, Jeff Nelson (Coffeehouse Contemplative, @BoldRoastRev, Rev. Jeff Nelson, Amazon Author Page)
Featured Musician: Ethan Keller, “Emmanuel” from his album, One Way (@EthanKeller, FB.com/EthanKellerMusic, EthanKeller.com)
Luke 1:68-79
Initial Thoughts
My blog post: Declare that the Dawn is Coming
John the Baptist is a common figure in the Advent story, but Zechariah is often ignored (No one ever says, “Hi Dad” at the camera).
Bible Study
Luke 1:5-25 - Zechariah’s story
Zech is the first man named in the Gospel of Luke - a high priest, whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of a priest. i.e. A priest who married a PK.
Both righteous before God, blameless, and barren. No child.
Chosen to enter the sanctuary - Holy of Holies?
a holy place, containing a menorah, a table for sacred bread, and a small container for burning incense.” (Common English Study Bible, p. 105 NT)
Angel Announces John the Baptist’s birth:
He will be a great joy and delight to you
many people will rejoice at his birth
for he will be great in the Lord’s eyes
He must not drunk wine and liquor
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth
He will bring many Israelites back to the Lord their God… He will make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Zech’s response: “How can I be sure of this? My wife and I are very old” and the Angel punishes Zechariah with being unable to speak
Echoes Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17 and 18
Cuts two ways - Abraham and Sarah aren’t punished for doubting (and they are speaking directly to God!), but Zechariah, as a priest, should know this story. It isn’t just that he doesn’t believe the angel, he doesn’t believe the story.
Ironically Zechariah’s name means “Yahweh remembers”
Elizabeth - doesn’t know how this has occurred, but trusts it is God’s work
Luke 1:57-67 - the birth of John the Baptist
Zechariah finally get the assurance he asked for, he “sees” it and trusts in God as evidenced by naming his son,”John”
John means “Yahweh is gracious”
They want to name John “Yahweh remembers”, but John and Jesus are evidence, not that God remembers, but God has heard the call and responds with incarnate grace - hence John/”Yahweh is gracious”
Luke 1:68-79 - The Song, better known as the Benedictus (from the latin first word for “Blessed”)
About God and about Jesus, not about John
This is not about John, but point to and anticipates Jesus - like John the Baptist will do
“for he has delivered” interesting verb tense. This implies that the people are already saved - even though John is just a baby and Jesus isn’t born yet.
The salvation is present because of God’s promise in the past. Connected to Abraham. This is not a new thing that God is doing, but a part of God’s great work of salvation.
God’s promise of salvation transcends current political state.
Judah is still occupied by Rome, but Zech declares “He has brought salvation from our enemies and from the power of all those who hate us.”
They may not be delivered from Rome, but they are delivered from Rome’s power. - This is the story of Resurrection. The power of Rome, which is centered on the threat of the cross, is not enough to keep Jesus from Resurrection.
About John
Only a couple verses - Some scholars suspect vv. 68-75 are a hymn sung by the followers of John and vv. 76-79 were added later by followers of Christ
What he does say about John is more about what he will do for God and Jesus.
Be a prophet
Prepare the way
Tell people about the power of forgiveness.
Luke 1:80 - connects John to Samson the Nazarite and Samuel the boy who would be prophet
Samson - see Judges 13:5, 24 - “the boy is going to be a nazirite for God from birth...The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up, and the LORD blessed him.”
Nazarite - comes from the word “nazir” meaning separated or consecrated. According to Numbers 6, Nazarites had to abstain from alcohol, not cut their hair, and not defiling themselves by touching the dead. Cf. Luke 1:15
Samuel - see 1 Samuel 2:26 - “Meanwhile, the boy Samuel kept growing up and was more and more liked by both the LORD and the people.”
Samuel would become the first prophet and would anoint King David
Thoughts and Question
There is a lot in this story about trusting in God. We have no assurance (Zech’s question Luke 1:18) other than faith (cf. Hebrews 11). Elizabeth trusts in God without asking for assurances, Mary trusts God by asking how it is possible, but never if it is possible. How much our faith is caught up in the doubt of what God can do as opposed to asking how God will work through us to make the impossible possible? And if we get too caught up in our own needs for assurance and control, if we forget our story of faith that God keeps God’s promises, then perhaps we need to be silent and spend more time listening, to God and to the story of the people of God.
While taking from Luke 1:37 - this passage begs the question - “what is impossible for God?” Can an elderly couple conceive? Can a virgin conceive? If so, then can the powerful oppressors be brought low (v. 52)? Can the lowly be lifted up (v. 52)? Can the hungry be filled (v 53)? Can people be redeemed (v.68)? Can we be rescued from our enemies (74)? Will our sins be forgiven (v. 77)? Will we see a light in the darkness of the shadow of death (v. 79)? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Nothing will be impossible for God (v. 37) - God remembers (Zechariah) and God is gracious (John).
“What then will this child be?” What parent hasn’t wondered that aloud? What do you wonder about your child - or any child you care about? John was given a vision of this child’s future, but can any other child have any less of a calling? John is called to “tell his people how to be saved through the forgiveness of sins.” Can any of us not achieve this as well? Being a prophet is not about having magical powers, or being touched by angels. It is about speaking God’s truth to people who need it.
But I’m here to tell you that God rejoices no less for you than did Zechariah for his son. Zechariah so loved his son that he could glimpse him through God’s eternal eyes. God so loves you that he has laid out a path for you to follow. God has given you something that makes you uniquely you. There is something in you that transcends employment, labels, gender, race, or status. God has created you with a purpose, and is calling you to that purpose today. You were created to do no less than John once did – to prepare the way of the Lord, and “to show the people the way to salvation through the forgiveness of sins.” (Robb McCoy)
“He has granted that we would be rescued from the power of our enemies so that we could serve him without fear.”
What is the power of our enemies?
When terrorism changes our values. When we allow fear to rule our hearts and decisions. When we fear a man because he is black. Then we are allowing our enemies to have power over us. Instead, we have salvation. Salvation from what? From fear, and from the power of our enemies.
Lots could be done with Psalm 23 and the last line. “To give light to those in the shadow of death, to guide us on the path of peace.”
When do you sit in the shadow? How does Advent call us out?
Luke 3:1-6
Initial Thoughts
Timing- Emperor Tiberius (not Augustus, Augustus was emperor from 27 BC to 14 AD, Tiberuis from 14 AD to 37). So the 15th year would be around 28-29 AD
Bible Study
v. 1-2 Who God chooses
Imagine these verses as a movie in which we see the “known world” the center of which is Rome and we slowly zoom in- but not where we expect. Who does God choose?
Emperor Tiberius - nope
Pontius Pilate - nope
Herod - nope
Philip - nope
Lysanias - nope
Annas and Caiaphas - nope
John...yep...wait, who?
Once again God chooses the most unlikely candidate in the most unlikely place
Also consistent with the OT prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah) which begin by seeing the prophet in a geo-political historical context
“These are not happy circumstances, for all whom Luke mentions were representatives of foreign domination. Like so many people and nations today, the Jews in Jesus’ time were not the protagonists of their own history.” (Justo Gonzalez, Belief Commentary: Luke, p.48
What God is doing through this nobody in the backwater of the world will affect everything- even up to the emperor
There is a foreshadowing of what is to come:
Jesus confrontations with Annas and Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate
This is not the world of a Deist, “Divine Watchmaker” God but a God who is intricately involved in the geo-political and historical messiness of humanity and Earth- albeit in completely unexpected ways
Repent!
metanoia - a radical change of heart/being
“Change your whole way of thinking” - Eric Elnes interpretation of metanoia
Not a message the Kingdom of God is near, but change your way of thinking for forgiveness
Forgiveness comes from the Greek root to “Let go” (Veli-Matti KãRkkãInen, Feasting on the Word – Year C, Volume 1: Advent through Transfiguration.)
Forgiveness is not a simply “letting go and letting God”....or is it? Forgiveness whether accepted from God or offered to another is much more complex, but is it possible without inviting God in to pick up where we “let go”?
Looking ahead (but be careful- this is next week’s reading):
“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
John’s message is harsh - you brood of vipers
John’s message is urgent - the axe is at the base of the tree
John’s message is concrete - share with the needy, don’t cheat, don’t abuse your power
Isaiah 40
Message of hope to Exiles
Message of hope for those longing for salvation
Salvation necessitates change from the Status Quo - otherwise we have nothing to be saved from or for- only those who are discontent with the current state of things long for salvation
Preparing the way of the Lord - making it easy for the Messiah, the salvation of God to come- how? Repentance
Thoughts and Questions
Often we think of John message of repentance and forgiveness to be about us needing to repent and receive forgiveness, but perhaps we need to change our way of thinking into to offer forgiveness to others.
Are we able to forgive without a radical change of heart, mind and soul?
How will you repent this Advent? How will you lead your church into repentance?
Philippians 1:3-11
Initial Thoughts
“At Advent something is afoot in God’s world. There is a terrible, hopeful newness about life: terrible because it promises to overthrow all our old, comfortable, sinful ways; and hopeful for the very same reason… The texts for this day capture something of this terrible hope, this ancient newness.” (Texts for Preaching, Year C, p. 10)
Philippians quick facts (all from Anatomy of the New Testament, Seventh Edition, Augsburg Fortress Press)
Undisputed Paul
One of the “Captivity Epistles” (along with Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon)
Unique in that it is only undisputed captivity epistle (other than Philemon, which is super short)
Probably a later letter (possibly last)
Tradition sets it as written from Rome, no real reason to dispute that.
Philippi was Paul’s first mission stop on his initial trip into Macedonia and Greece (first European church)
Overall tone of letter is one of encouragement, congeniality, and support.
Christ Hymn of 2:1-11 is an important piece of Pauline theology (that he didn’t create, but is quoting)
There are warnings about bad teachers
Bible Study
“That 1:3-11 is a literary unit is apparent. In both content and form this passage is distinct from the verses which precede and follow it. In addition, 1:3-11 has its own identity in what is now commonly referred to as “the Pauline Thanksgiving” (Fred Craddock, Interpretation: Philippians, p. 15)
Craddock proposes this section to be divided into Past, Present, and Future (which seems like a perfectly natural thing to do for Advent, which is all about what was, what is, and what is to come)
Past: verses 3-6
Two reasons for Paul's thankfulness are remembrance and partnership
He remembers the relationships and is thankful for their participation in the Gospel.
Word “all” is used several times (is it possible that there was a minority faction to whom had a strained relationship with Paul. Here, is thus reminding them of his love for all, despite past troubles)
In the midst of his suffering in jail, the memory of his relationship with the Philippians is a source of hope.
The love they have shared in the past breathes life into his present and future
Present: verses 7-8
Interesting translation note in verse 7: Who holds whom in which heart?
Either way, this describes an intense relationship, with love at its heart.
His current place in jail also provides some background to why this piece is so important.
Future: verses 9-11
“Just as Paul opened with twofold thanksgiving, he closes with twofold petition.” (Craddock, Interpretation p. 21)
That the Philippians will grow and mature in love.
That at the day of Christ they will be pure and blameless.
These petitions point to an eschatological hope.
Followers of Christ are called to grow in love, which leads to a more righteous life. Growing in love is not just about compassion, but also about justice, forgiveness, and making tough choices.
“The course and flow of God’s good work in us is seen in Paul’s prayer (Philippians 1:9-11). God’s good work begins with love (verse 9). But, Paul’s hope is that this deep and passionate commitment to love might overflow with “knowledge and insight” (verse 9). This is an appeal that their love might be right-sighted; that they might be wise and judicious in their actions, so that when the day of Christ comes they might prove to be “pure and blameless” (verse 10). Perhaps the best way to understand this is to speak of an intense and blemish-free reflection of the life and love of Christ” (Edward Pillar, Working Preacher).
Thoughts and Sermon
If Love is your theme for the week, this feels perfect. The Love of Christ is shared by Paul and the Philippians is not one that is simply a nice feeling right now. It is rooted in what has come before, and gives life to what is going to be.
“The ‘good work’ already begun is not to be reduced to what is happening in the life of the individual. The second-person pronouns used throughout the passage are all plural, suggesting that what God has begun is a communal project expressed in the corporate body of believers.”
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 (“Misirlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”) and Bryan Odeen for our closing music.