The Rev. Peter M. Carey
Sermon preached at Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Greenwood, VA
Advent 3, December 2011
“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely.”
Are we ready to have our life stirred up? Are we ready for transformation? Are we ready to prepare the way of the Lord?
Sometimes we think that we are not really ready for Advent and this is why we rush to Christmas. However, Advent has great gifts for us.
We would be missing out if we rushed the ending. You see, Advent has these wonderfully challenging readings. Today, we begin with this most excellent Collect of the day, “stir up your power.” Are we really ready for God to stir things up? Are we feeling relatively secure with the way that we have things brewing and simmering on our own stovetops? Are we ready for the great master chef to enter into our world and start stirring up things in new ways, putting spices in our bland soups, heating up our lukewarm entrees, and throwing us into momentary spiritual turmoil? Probably not.
God enters into this world at points through the voice of the prophets, who definitely stir things up. Isaiah appears and is anointed by God, to bring “good news to the oppressed,” “release to the captives,” “comforting all who mourn” “repairing ruined cities.” This would stir things up, good news to the poorest of the poor – which might mean that those of us who are not the poorest of the poor may have to give up some of our material goods, some of our myth of security. Release to the captives would mean that those we consider to be guilty would need to be not only forgiven, but reenter society.
How does this stir it up stuff sound to you? Isaiah also shouts praises to God, and has become fully enmeshed in God’s presence, in God’s glory, in God’s hope. “My whole being will exult in my God,” and I will be wearing garments of salvation, and a robe of righteousness! What if the stirring up that God is doing will enable even us, in our somewhat placid and bland and lukewarm lives, to be spicier, to be heated up, and to be thrust into spiritual turmoil, but with the reward that “our whole beings will exult in God!” I want some of that cooking, how about you?
“Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy!”
“Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.”
How wonderful is this? How crazy are these words, written so long ago, and inscribed in millions of Bibles around the world. Those who sowed with tears, who planted while in mourning, who bent low to prepare the ground and put seeds into the earth, watering the seeds with their salty tears…these same folks will receive the fruits of these seeds and sing with Joy! How could this be? How does this God turn salty tears and small mustard seeds into great great trees of life. How does this God turn our tears into Joy. How does this God transform our weeping into song?
It is not ours to know the how. But we do know the who. God does it. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always,” and how difficult this is, when we are sowing with tears, when we are going out weeping. But Paul, no stranger to punishment, jail, and loneliness, claims “rejoice always”…”pray without ceasing” “give thanks”…”hold fast to what is good.” And then he recognizes what might happen when God stirs things up. He recognizes what happens to us when God enters into this world; even amidst our tears and weeping, even admidst our disappointment and loneliness.
Like Isaiah, Paul believes that the entirety of our selves will become filled with God’s love. Our entire selves, our minds, our souls, our bodies, our brains, our fingernails, our aching backs, our thinning hair, our weakening eyesight, all of it will be filled with God’s Spirit. Paul prays, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely.” This is the kind of stirring up that I can handle, even if the pots on my stove are going to be disturbed. Perhaps I need some disturbing. Perhaps I need some spice in the bland soup. Perhaps I need my entrees warmed up. Perhaps I need a whole new diet. God will do it. This is what “stir it up” Sunday is all about. “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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