Advent Lessons and Carols at Epiphany on December 9, 2007

Grace, mercy and peace are yours through our coming Advent Savior. Amen.

Isaiah 59:12-20 For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: ¹³ rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. ¹⁴ So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. ¹⁵ Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. ¹⁶ He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. ¹⁷ He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. ¹⁸ According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. ¹⁹ From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. ²⁰ "The Redeemer will come to Zion , to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.

Don’t divert from repenting

Sometimes diversion is just what the doctor ordered. A long weekend with a few extra days off from school goes a long way to refocus dreary students. Busying yourself with an enjoyable hobby is some of the best therapy around. Other times, however, diversion hurts instead of helps. Doodling in the corner of your notebook instead of paying attention in class or talking on your cell phone in heavy traffic can be pleasant diversions. But they can also be dangerous diversions.

We use the season of Advent to remind us about repentance. Repent means to turn around. It is a change of mind and heart. Repentance forces us to look, personally – sometimes painfully – at the sins we commit and their unpleasant consequences. It also focuses us on the very personal – and much more pleasant – work of our God forgiving us.

It is so easy during this busy time of Advent and Christmas to allow ourselves to become diverted by parties and presents, shopping and sledding. We are so busy physically preparing for Christmas that we forget about the spiritual preparation of Advent. But these diversions can be dangerous. 

This section of the book of Isaiah is one of those Bible portions that just tells it like it is. No vivid imagery to interpret. No heavenly lessons hidden in earthly parables. No unpronounceable theological jargon. I suppose when you’re trying to convince someone to stop diverting from the truth, straightforward clarity is the best way to communicate. So, with Isaiah, we confess to God:

“For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us.” Repentance considers sin not from the way we might look at it, shrugging with a mental note that we need to take care of that later. Repentance considers sin from God’s perspective. And because God knows all, he knows how many more times we’ve been unfaithful than we recognize or we are willing to admit. We have displeased God so many times that these sins pile up to produce indisputable evidence that can’t be argued away by even the most skillful diversion. “Our offenses are ever with us,” we therefore admit with Isaiah, “and we acknowledge our iniquities.” Our offenses. Our sins. Our iniquities. The first step to recovery is acknowledging there’s a problem and owning it. In case we find that difficult, Isaiah continues by listing a number of ways that our sin problem shows up in our lives.

“Rebellion” is open disloyalty against God, making it plain to others that sometimes God says “don’t go that way” and our ego dares to rebel and insists, “I can go that way if I want; watch this.” “Treachery against the Lord,” is secret disloyalty against God. It is actually convincing ourselves that we’re faking God out by pretending to prioritize him and love and trust him more than we really do. “Turning our backs on our God,” we have walked away from him with a tactic used in arguments when one person just has had enough and wants nothing to do with the other person any more, turning away in a gesture that says, “I’m done with this and I don’t care what you think.”

To make matters worse, we have convinced others to join with us in our sins, “inciting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.” How many others have you influenced to treat a coworker or relative with disrespect because of your disrespectful words about that person? That’s “inciting oppression and revolt.” How many times have you openly criticized an employer, politician, police officer, teacher, or even a referee and unwittingly passed that criticizing mouth on to your children who like to mimic sinful behavior. The result …

“Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter … whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.” Violence in the world, relativism taught at universities, immorality spewing out of Hollywood , a topsy-turvy system of advantage and disadvantage imbedded in ethnic divisions. We see this and think, “That’s sad. What is society coming to? Those people are making this world such a terrible place, and making it hard to live like a Christian.” Advent reminds us that a better response starts with me personally and says, “My decisions and behavior have contributed to the decay of justice, morality, and truth. My sin was the one last ounce of water that caused the dam to burst, the one final straw that broke the camel’s back. I have sinned. I repent.”

After God’s Law follows God’s Gospel. After repentance follows forgiveness. After guilt follows God’s grace.

When we repent of our sins and vulnerably expose ourselves to their consequences, Isaiah assures us of gems of forgiveness. Isaiah promises that God takes personal responsibility to make sure that sin does not have its way with us – nor or in eternity.

“The Lord looked and was displeased … he was appalled that there was no one to intervene.” God is displeased and appalled by our ineffective mishandling of our sins. He sees our sins still cursing us with guilt, controlling us with temptation and he hurts! This deeply disturbs him, like a parent painfully watching a child suffer from illness or injury! God finds it appalling that people he loves are being ruined by evil and there isn’t someone who can stop it! “So his own arm worked salvation for him.” God can’t sit idly on his hands! God can’t pass safely by the other side, shaking his head and hoping it works out for us. He must become personally involved! God is the only one who jumps from the crowd of onlookers into the raging river to save you from drowning. God is the only one who pulls out of the throng of traffic on the interstate to jump start your stalled vehicle. God is the only one who steps forward and donates a kidney to save your life. God hurts for you and so he helps you with personal involvement and a determination that will not be deterred. He loves you that much. Isaiah now shows his love in action:

“He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head … garments of vengeance … wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.” God’s saving righteousness is so impenetrable that nothing can possibly weaken his resolve. He is covered from head to toe not only in the armor of a warrior fit for battle, but in a cloak of zeal that will never give up on you. With vengeance “will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes.” God directs his saving forgiveness to those who repent, but his wrathful retribution and vengeance to his enemies and foes who try to stop him from forgiving you! Those who repent are never the objects of God’s wrath!

“For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.” There’s pressure in his saving zeal that builds up and then when you repent he floods you with so much forgiveness that it flushes your soul of sin. In his own words he concludes this Bible section, “The Redeemer will come to Zion , to those in Jacob who repent of their sins.” Zion and Jacob are terms for believers, people who repent, and the initiative is not ours but that of our Redeemer, our Rescuer, who comes to us and says, “I have saved. I forgive you. Go and sin no more.”

Taking blame. That’s risky, isn’t it? Saying, “It’s my fault,” brings with it a flood of unwanted consequences and responsibility. It brings humility and tears.

Robert Robinson was an English clergyman who lived in the 18th century. Not only was he a gifted pastor and preacher he was also a highly gifted poet and hymn writer. However, after many years in the pastorate his faith began to drift. He left the ministry and finished up in France , indulging himself in sin.

One night he was riding in a carriage with a Parisian socialite who had recently been converted to Christ. She was interested in his opinion on some poetry she was reading: “Come thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing thy grace, Streams of mercy never failing, Call for hymns of loudest praise.”

When she looked up from her reading the socialite noticed Robinson was crying. "What do I think of it?" he asked in a broken voice. "I wrote it. But now I've drifted away from him and can't find my way back." "But don't you see" the woman said gently, "The way back is written right here in the third line of your poem: Streams of mercy never ceasing. Those streams are flowing even here in Paris tonight." That night Robinson repented and recommitted his life to Christ.

Today we hear the prophets, Peter, and John the Baptist calling for us to prepare our hearts for the Savior with repentance. Don’t let the demanding activity of December divert you from the activity of the repenting that God demands of you this Advent.

Don’t divert. Take time for repentance. Amen.