Return to the Homepage Home
 Worship Schedules, Education, Fellowship, Outreach Worship & Service
 Sermon Archive Sermons
 A copy of the Sunday Prayers of Intercession Prayers
 Pastor Lynne's monthly newsletter Pastor's Page
 Articles and tidbits from the monthly newsletter Newsletter
 This month's events as well as the monthly calendar Current Events
 Read the Sunday School News Letter! Sunday School News
 Events for grades 7 to 12 Youth
 Other websites of interest Links
  
 Login to Administer this site Admin Login

St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
2903 McPhillips Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA R2P 0H3
http://www.stlukeszion.ca

Phone: (204) 339-0412
Fax: (204) 339-0412
E-mail: stlukeszionchurch@gmail.com
site design by clayton rumley

 

Second Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 9th, 2012

click here for past entries

Loving God, you call us to renew our relationship with you through the Holy Spirit, that we might recognize you wherever you are to be found.  Help us to continue to grow in love and in knowledge of you, that we, too, might be able to see your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Just to place Luke’s gospel in its historical context for a moment, there are a number of artifacts and buildings that can still be seen today that go with Luke’s list of the ruling powers of the day.  There is the inscription unearthed at Caesarea naming the Emperor Tiberius and Pontius Pilate, governor (or prefect) of Judea.  There is Caiaphas’ house, which is now a church and was the site of Jesus’ trial before the council.  There is also an ossuary, which is a concrete box for bones, that bears the name “Joseph, son of Caiaphas” from the first century AD.  This would have been the son of Caiaphas the high priest.  Each of these are concrete things that are part of the history associated with today’s gospel.

    However, John himself was not so much into concrete things.  We know that he spent a lot of time in the wilderness and that he wore the traditional clothing of a prophet – a garment made out of camel’s hair and a leather belt (Mt. 3:4).  His diet, apparently, consisted primarily of locusts and date honey, and it is thought that he probably spent some time with a community of people at Qumran who were focussed on purifying themselves to be ready for the coming Messiah.

    John was very single-minded and focussed.  He had one mission in life: to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.  And so, when he feels the spirit of God prompting him to do so, he goes to the region around the Jordan river, proclaiming the message that the people need to repent and be baptized.  When they do so, God will cleanse them and forgive their sins, and they will be ready to see the salvation of God.

    Really, it is not that far off from messages that we sometimes hear today.  Many a preacher has said, “Repent and be baptized and you will be saved.”  There are also those signs that you sometimes see along the highway: “Prepare to meet thy God.”  And of course, there are those bearded men - cartoon or otherwise - who walk around with signs saying, “Repent.  The end is near.”

    One has to wonder how we would respond if John were here preaching to us today.  Would we feel any need to repent?  Would we see the need to change our hearts and minds in order to humble ourselves before God?  Would we recognize that we are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness?

    John’s main concern was that people would be able to recognize the Messiah and receive him when he came.  Would they be able to see God at work?  Would they be “tuned in” to God’s way of doing things and thus be able to recognize what is from God and what is not?

    Of course, for us as Christians, we believe that the Messiah has come, and his name is Jesus.  However, we also believe that Jesus is among us even now, and that he will come again – or reappear, as some like to say.  And so, are we able to recognize him?  Do we know Jesus well enough that we can tell when something is from God and when it is not?  Are we “tuned in” enough to God’s way of doing things that we can recognize God at work and join in as part of God’s mission?

    Even for those of us who are already baptized, John’s ministry and mission are worth pondering.  While baptism is a gift of life and a promise that God will not revoke, there are things in this life that can draw us away from God.  Even those who have professed their faith in Jesus and have been baptized can fall into sin.  And so there are times when all of us need to repent - to change our hearts and our minds - and to remember our baptism, and to humble ourselves before God, seeking forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ.

    There is one thing, however, that we need to bring into the conversation that is not part of the baptism of John.  While it is similar in many ways to Christian baptism, the Holy Spirit is missing.  There is a story in the book of Acts where the apostle Paul goes to Ephesus and meets with some people who had recently professed their faith in Jesus and had been baptized.  However, it had been the baptism of John they had received, with no Holy Spirit.  After explaining things to them, Paul re-baptizes them in the name of Jesus and lays his hands on them so that they receive the Holy Spirit.  Afterwards, the gifts of the Spirit become evident in these people (Acts 19:1-6).

    And so, when Dolphis and Jody are baptized today, it is also by water and the Spirit.  It is in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as in Matthew 28, and it includes the laying on of hands with prayer for the Holy Spirit.  This is actually not as scary as it might sound to some people, as the Holy Spirit fills us with love and peace, among other things.

    As to the reasons that the presence of the Holy Spirit is so important, consider the role of the Holy Spirit in our relationship with God.  It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the gift of faith and thus enables us to believe.  It is the Spirit who brings us into communion with God and with all the saints.  It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us through Word and Sacrament and brings us to a fuller knowledge of Jesus.  It is also the Holy Spirit who makes us holy and who works in our hearts when we have sinned to bring us to repentance and into a renewed relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit is the way in which Jesus continues to be present with us now, and the Spirit gives us gifts for ministry so that we can be the body of Christ here on earth.

    Without the Holy Spirit, we are left all on our own, and we can’t do it on our own.  That’s why Jesus came in the first place – because none of us could ever do enough to earn our own salvation, or the salvation of the world.  It is both a privilege and a gift to be able to have Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

    And so, during this season of Advent, it is an excellent time to renew our relationship with God and to remember our baptism.  For God also calls us to repentance – to turn away from those things that draw us away from God – and to humble ourselves before the Lord, seeking God’s forgiveness and renewal in the Holy Spirit.  For “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple” (Mal. 3:1), and will we be able to recognize him and to welcome him?

    I’d like to close today with a prayer that comes from today’s Second Reading.  Incidentally, all of the things that Paul prays for come from the Holy Spirit.

This is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God (Phil. 1:9-11).

Amen.


Advent 2(C)                                    Luke 3:1-6
December 9, 2012                                Malachi 3:1-4
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church                        Philippians 1:3-11
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2012 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved


Previous Sermons
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
January 2003
March 0201