Sermon Tone Analysis
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Early decorations
I was listening on some talk back radio this week how quite a number of people have made the decision to put up their Christmas decorations early this year.
Now I know that everyone’s got their own traditions about when the right time to put the tree up is.
I know in some traditions, the tree doesn’t go up till Christmas Eve, although if you ask me, seems a bit of a waste of time by then.
When I was growing up, as my Dad’s birthday was on the third of December, we always had to wait till after that date.
For many Australians, I think the first of December has become the day when it feels socially acceptable to put the tree up.
But as some people were saying on the talk back radio - who cares about some artificial date.
The feeling was, 2021 has been rotten and I need a little joy.
So let’s put that tree up early and get some joy happening.
Now if you’re one of those people - good on you!
They even had some expert on the radio who said it was even good for your mental health.
And I’m not going to dispute that this morning.
However, I can’t help but think that the tinsel and bright colours are acting as a band aid to a much bigger problem.
You see, 2021 has been hard.
It’s been hard on everyone.
And it’s come on the back of 2020 which was also hard on everyone.
We’re all just getting a bit weary of the whole thing.
And so if we can just find a distraction for ourselves, then let’s dive into it.
And what better distraction than the bright lights of Christmas.
We might even be able to put up with the cheesy Christmas songs we hear in the shops, just because it is so preferable to the dreariness of everything else.
But the problem is, there is something far deeper going on, and while the Christmas lights might distract us for a time, in a few short weeks, Christmas will have been and gone, but those deep problems remain.
Before you know it, we’ll be in January, and we’ll still be unsure who we should be listening to and trusting.
The divisive spirit is just going to get stronger.
New anxieties will emerge.
And the tinsel and cheesy Christmas music will feel like a distant memory.
So put the decorations up.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
But know that what we need is more than a few bright colours in the house.
You see, what we need to do is recognise that the much deeper reality of what is going on.
You see, the entire human history has a trajectory and the Bible plots it perfectly.
As we begin to understand this trajectory, we can see where things are headed, and we can begin to see what it means for how we should be living right now.
Advent
Now as we start this advent period, we become more intentional about seeing our place on this trajectory as we await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, the part of the trajectory we are on has an end point.
It’s a point that the whole Bible has been pointing to.
It’s that point when Jesus comes again.
The Bible Story
So let’s step back a moment and think about this bigger picture because as we do, we’ll be in a much better place to understand what it means for us to be anticipating the coming of Christ.
Creation and Shalom
Well, the Bible story starts with creation.
God created, and it was good.
On the seventh day God rested.
This rest was not because God was tired and needed a breather.
Rather it was an anticipation of how things should be.
In this rest, we get our first glimpse of shalom.
Shalom is a word I’ve been using a bit more this year.
It’s sometimes translated as peace, but it means much more than this.
It’s the state in which God intends us to live.
Breaking shalom
Unfortunately, this shalom did not last long.
Evil entered the world.
Adam and Eve were deceived and they broke the shalom.
By eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they turned their back on God and things quickly spiraled out of control.
God’s plan
Now it’s from this point that the Bible gives us this unique view of human history.
You see, on one hand, we see the grip that the evil one gains on this world.
Once the devil was given a foothold in this world, he digs his heels in deep .
This is not a new thing, but the bible seems to suggest that he will increase his activity as his time draws near.
Thankfully, however, there’s another trajectory we see in the Bible, one that counters this negative activity.
You see, though the shalom was broken, God had a plan to bring us back to the state in which things were meant to be.
And essentially, this becomes the entire narrative of the Bible.
It’s a story of God progressively revealing how he is restoring all things.
What becomes clear as you study the Bible, is that God’s plan is not some reactionary back-foot attempt to counter the evil one, rather it’s a masterful plan that strangely partners with humanity.
The devil is always pulling out the counterfeit, while God is revealing the truth.
Now it truly is the most amazing plan, and if you take the time to go through the Old Testament you’ll see how it is perfectly set up.
It starts with a promise to Abraham.
It’s developed through Moses.
It’s foreshadowed through King David.
And it culminates in the person of Jesus Christ.
You see, this is what the story line of the bible is.
While the devil is trying wreak as much havoc as he possibly can, God is taking us on a journey that will result us coming back to the place it all stared - that rest we find in God - the shalom!
When Jesus first came some two thousand odd years ago, he established that rest.
He put the devil in his place.
But God’s plan is a patient plan.
It’s one which wants the full number to enter.
And so we’ve entered this period of time that we are now in.
The period we sometimes call the now but not yet.
Where the kingdom of God has been established, but we await the final consummation when Jesus will return.
Jesus talks of the end
Now, with this picture in mind, let me take you to our passage for this morning.
We’re in Luke 21, which is right towards the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
He has just spent a number of years with his disciples - which again demonstrates this partnership that God has with humanity.
Over these years, he has taught with an authority like no other, he has performed miracles that left those who practices the magical arts astonished.
But as his appointed time drew near - that time when the plan for the redemption of humanity was about to occur, Jesus starts giving more specific instruction about what will happen next.
In Jerusalem
Now, which ever gospel you are in, we really start to see a focus on the last week of Jesus ministry.
You see, on the Sunday before Jesus was to be crucified, he enters Jerusalem, and over the next few days, leading up to his arrest, there is an intense period of teaching.
Firstly as he counters all the questions various Jewish groups throw at him.
But then more specifically with his disciples.
Well, we’re now up to the last few days before his arrest.
If you look at the second last verse of Luke 21, you’ll see that Jesus has taken to spending the evening on the Mount of Olives.
This is a very special place.
From this mountain you get an amazing view of the city of Jerusalem.
Jesus must have looked over this place, knowing what is going to happen.
But it is from this vantage point that Jesus would have got an amazing view of the temple as well.
And it was certainly magnificent.
At this point in history, the temple built by Solomon had been destroyed, but it had been rebuilt.
But more than this, it had had a recent renovation to make it extra special.
And the disciples, who joined Jesus on the Mount of Olive, would have known it.
In fact, this is the very context of the chapter before us.
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