“Be Patient,
Refreshment is Coming”
December 11,
2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Amen.
It occurred to me the other day that
this is actually the last sermon I’m going to be preaching this year. So what I
wanted to do this morning was basically give a brief summary of what’s happened
with us this past year. But before I do, it also occurred to me that I haven’t
really talked about what things are like in Southern California in a long time.
And one of the things about Southern California is there are a lot of mountains.
And the thing about mountains is, it’s impractical to try to drive over a lot of
them, so the solution instead is to drive under them.
Which means there are a lot of tunnels under
different mountains. Some of these tunnels are really quick and short, others are
longer and take a bit more time to get through. These particular kinds of tunnels
can seem a little intimidating: there’s one in particular near where I grew up that
seems to go on and on and on, with no end in sight. If any of you play the hold
your breath until you get to the end of the tunnel game, you’re probably going
to be turning purple by the time you get through this tunnel. Especially since
the more you hold your breath, the longer the tunnel seems to go on. Also, if
you happen to play that game, you know the extreme relief you feel when you can
finally breathe. Especially when you see the literal light at the end of the
tunnel, and you know your relief is coming. You know you can relax, and you can
finally be relieved, because you see the tunnel being over. Also, having gone
through the tunnel means you know you’ve passed through a landmark on the way
to your destination, so you know your journey will now be even shorter, and you’re
much closer to where you’re headed. Which is another thing that is relieving
and refreshing, knowing that you’ve gone through another stage and you’re well
on your way to where you need to be.
This last year, indeed, in the last
couple of years, as individuals and as a church family, we’ve had to go through
a series of tunnels, some long, some short. We’ve had health issues, unexpected
injuries, surgeries, and diagnoses, deaths in our families, financial difficulties,
major life decisions, and either long-awaited or unexpected events which have
changed our directions. Some of these we’ve gone through together, others we’ve
had to struggle with on our own. It’s also been hard for us to breathe at times,
probably literally and figuratively, since we’ve been nervous and anxious about
whether how things as we’ve had to deal with are going to end, or if they’re
ever going to end. Whether we’ve realized it or not, we’ve been in an almost
constant mode of having to keep on top of certain things while trying to make
it from day to day. Which has meant we’ve been stressed out, exhausted, worried,
and even afraid, again, probably more than we’ve recognized, just because we’ve
gotten used to it. But because we’ve gotten used to it, it’s been hard for us
to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so we’ve been holding our breath
trying to see the end, when, again, we’ve had our focus taken off by being
distracted by so many problems.
So
today, after all the stress, anxiety, and everything else we’ve had to deal
with for this past year, it’s time to hear some good news: there is light at
the end of the tunnel. Whatever we’ve been having to go through is going to be
resolved, and we’re going to get to where we’re meant to be. Why? Because of
something that has remained true all year: God is with us. We’ve had to go through
a lot this past year or two, but the reason we’re here where we are now is because
God has been standing by us, directing us, and guiding us every step of the
way. Even though we’ve felt like at times we’ve had to deal with our problems
on our own, without any sympathy from anyone else, or even someone willing to
listen, God has been the one who’s been in control all along. We might have
felt like He’s been far away sometimes, but God has always been there for us,
supporting us, carrying us, and refreshing us. When we’ve been tired out,
discouraged, and unable to want to go on, God’s caused something to happen to lift
us up at just the right moment. He’s never let go of us, and He never will. When
things have seemed overwhelming and impossible, and our resources have been
spent, God has come to restore us. In fact, that’s exactly what God promises in
Isaiah: the desert will bloom again because God will cause growth to happen; those
who have been weakened by fear will be made strong; the lame will walk; and water
will spring up in dry places. Danger and uncertainty, using ferocious beasts as
an allegory, will disappear, because God will be victorious. Sadness will be
replaced by gladness, and sorrow will be replaced by joy. God will bring new
life to a dying place – just as He’s already done for us. This world is still
His, and we are still His. We
That’s
even what this whole Advent season is about: remembering that God is with us.
The word “Immanuel” means just that – God is with us. More importantly, we are
reminded that God came to be with us in Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem as a
human being just like us, but at the same time had full divine powers and
authority. In today’s Gospel reading, John the Baptist has just been arrested
and is in prison, awaiting execution. Knowing he’s about to die, John is
wondering if what he’d been proclaiming all along was actually true, and
whether what he’s suffering for is actually worth it: is this Jesus person he
pointed out as the promised Savior really who He says He is? John’s afraid that
there’s a possibility this Jesus person might not be the promised one. So He
sends a couple of his followers to ask Jesus if He really is the Messiah. And Jesus
responds by encouraging John – and us – to look at what’s going on: the sick
are healed, lame are made to walk, dead are raised, and the poor and forgotten
are hearing good news. Even though the story doesn’t say it, this probably gave
John great comfort and relief, knowing what he had said about Jesus was true –
and now he wasn’t afraid any more. Like John the Baptist, we too may wonder if
what Jesus promises is true, and He is who He says He is. The reason we hear
the Bible being read and explained every week is because we need to be reminded
constantly of who is really in charge. We say the Bible is our authority – but the
reason for that is because it points us to Jesus, who is our true authority, fulfills
everything God promised before He was born, and who makes everything He says He’s
going to do happen now. So since we have this assurance and encouragement, the
time has come for us to do something about it.
It’s
time for us to focus not only on surviving, but on reaching out, on growing, and
getting back to where God had us before. It’s time for us to realize that we’re
almost out of the tunnel, and to get back on the road to our true mission: to
be the hands and feet of Jesus, and to be a positive force and influence in Farmersville
and everywhere we live and go. We are to give sight to the blind, especially helping
those who are blinded by fear or untruth see the true perspective, that God is
with them and is on their side; to help the lame walk, especially those
crippled by doubt or hopelessness, by bringing the power of God into their
lives; bring those who are dead in sin, addiction, or despair by bringing them
to a healing and restoring relationship with Jesus; and preaching good news to
the poor, both those in poverty and those who lack stability or encouragement,
by giving them what they need, whether it’s food, clothing, rescue, or . It’s
time for us to realize that even though things have changed, circumstances are permanently
different, and aren’t going to be exactly the same as they were before, we
still have a mission to fulfill: God is actually working on putting us in an
even better position to carry out His ministry than we were before. Most of
all, it’s time for us to recognize that we have never been alone, we’re not
alone now, and we’re never going to be alone: God has always been with us,
because, ultimately, this is His church. We need to be focusing on what God can
do. You may recall that a couple of months ago, I quoted Mike Bradley, the
Service Coordinator for LCMC, who, at the last Annual Gathering, asked us all
to keep on asking, “What can God do?”. Even though we’ve had a lot of setbacks,
we’re now in a position for God to move us forward again – and the direction He’s
putting us in really is a positive one. To put limits on ourselves is to try to
put a limit on what God can do, especially what He can do through us. And the
reality is, there is no limit to what God can do, there is nothing impossible
for Him.
And if we
believe God can do anything through us, then there won’t be any limit to what
we can be able to do. The key, though, is we have to believe. We have to trust.
Jesus keeps encouraging us to trust Him, and not fall away, not give up, and
not stray from the direction He’s leading us, because we can’t wait for Him to
act. So that means, as challenging as it may be, we have to keep being patient.
As James encourages us in today’s Second Reading, we have to be patient and
stand firm – because God is coming to move and restore us. While we wait, we
have to avoid becoming so impatient that we grumble against each other, and so lose
the direction God is leading us in. But we can be patient because we know God
can do what He wants to do. So we can breathe, relax, and be refreshed, knowing
that God truly can do anything.
Now may the peace of God, which passes
all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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