“Rebuilding the Nativity: God’s Voice” by Rev. Cody Sandahl – December 3, 2017
Lay Reader = Mark 13:24-37
24“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
Introduction
Welcome to the season of Advent. While the big box stores don’t want you to wait for Christmas, Advent is a season of waiting. But it’s not just any waiting. It’s like waiting on the edge of your seat. It’s like waiting in the delivery room. It’s like waiting for the scores for your finals to be released. It’s waiting with anticipation and energy.
The Israelites knew about waiting. They had been waiting for the Messiah for almost 600 years. For reference, that’s about 2.5 times the age of the United States of America. And there are two less than helpful ways to wait. One is to be a kid in the car – are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? That gets old after five minutes, let alone 600 years. The second less than helpful way to wait is to give up – we’re never gonna get there.
So however you’re waiting during this season of Advent, whatever you’re waiting for, wait with Godly anticipation. This year we are going to look at the important elements of the nativity and how we can reclaim them in our lives today. We already heard from Jesus about the need to keep awake, to be ready for God’s surprising movement. Now let us rewind and see something very similar from the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before Jesus.
Isaiah 64:1-5
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence— 2as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! 3When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. 5You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed.
Morning Routine
They used to say that you could tell what mattered to a person by looking at their checkbook. Ever heard that before? I don’t think that’s actually true any more. First off, checkbooks are an endangered species. Second, I think we have something else that tells so much more about us.
Today, if you want to know what matters to a person, look at their smartphone. For instance, let me tell you about my morning. My morning starts promptly at 5am almost every day – because that’s the earliest I’ll let Charlie come out of his room. He’d take earlier if he could get it. After I make his breakfast and sit down for mine, out comes the phone. Any guesses what kind of website I check first?
Geek websites! Of course! In fact, I have two geeky websites that I check before anything else. Then ESPN.com. Then a couple of news websites – which ones depends on my mood and the phase of the moon. Now, some days I don’t get to do this all at once. Some days I play basketball and it disrupts my routine. Some days the kids are cantankerous and I don’t have time for a few hours. But you know what? I ALWAYS get those websites in. Every day. Some of them I check more than once.
Do you have any websites you check every day? What about the newspaper? What about certain shows or news channels? What makes it into your routine every single day, come hell or high water?
You know what DOESN’T make it into my schedule very single day? My Bible devotions. Anyone else willing to admit that? In fact, I once went six months between entries in my spiritual journal. I can GUARANTEE you that I’ve never gone even six DAYS without checking my beloved geek websites.
Isn’t that crazy, though? Why is it an acceptable excuse to skip my devotions if something disrupts my routine, when I still fit in those websites? Why is it an acceptable excuse to skip my devotions if I’m really tired, when I still read all those websites? I mean, don’t get me wrong, the latest news from the hardware hacker world IS absolutely necessary for daily living. But ESPN isn’t. Probably.
I manage to fit in time for SO many voices that aren’t the creator of the universe, why don’t I make the actual voice of the Creator a daily priority?
Our Isaiah text says, “From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.” You can’t hear anything like what God has to say. You can’t see anything like what God has to show you. In fact, Isaiah says to God, “you did awesome deeds that we did not expect.” You literally can’t imagine anything like what God plans to do.
No one expected the Messiah to be born next to a bunch of animals. No one expected the Messiah to be born poor, unrecognized, unnoticed except by some perceptive foreigners. At 8:30 today I will be singing/sang a song that says, “The shepherds wondered. They couldn’t hide it. Told everyone in sight. All were amazed when they heard how God came down on this Glorious Night!” No one expected God to speak to the shepherds instead of the rulers and priests.
If you don’t check God’s website, you can’t possibly guess what he’s going to do. If you don’t listen to God’s news, you can’t possibly guess what he’s going to say. If you don’t read God’s newspaper, you can’t possibly guess what he’s going to show you. If you don’t listen for the voice of the Creator of the Universe, you’re missing out on the most important thing you could hear today.
What could be more applicable to my personal life than a direct message from the Living God? That’s more important than knowing how many games Aqib Talib got suspended for fighting in last week’s Broncos game. Two, by the way, later reduced to one. God’s voice is more important than knowing the prices for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. God’s voice is more important than knowing whether Prince Harry will cause a scandal in Britain by proposing to his American girlfriend. Yes, by the way. What is more important than hearing God’s voice?
As we approach the nativity scene, every step was a surprising revelation from God. An angel chorus. Shepherds and animals. Mary, you’re going to be pregnant. Joseph, don’t get rid of Mary. If you listen to God’s voice, you will hear “awesome deeds that you did not expect.” Do you want to hear that?
What do you need to hear from God? Where do you need to hear a word you didn’t expect? Where do you need a way forward where you only see walls and obstacles? Where do you need Jesus’ peace which surpasses all understanding?
If you have an answer to any of those questions, how are you listening? If you desire a word from God, how are you listening? If you want insight from the Creator of the Universe, who says things “no ear has perceived, no eye has seen,” how are you listening?
Unexpected Timing
Let me tell you one of my best excuses for skipping my devotional readings. In fact, let me rewind to our last new member class. As part of the new member class I show people my devotional method. And it has certain readings for every day of the year – except for leap years, where you get one whole day off!
So what I do is have everyone in the class do ONE day’s reading and journaling between classes – you get seven days to do one day’s journal. I have grace. But for this last class, the plan had us reading from either Ezekiel or Revelation. Those were the options. So you could read a section that is titled, “God’s Acts of Vengeance” in Ezekiel…or you could read about the mysterious Seven Thunders in Revelation. And most people who read these sections come out with a strong sense of, “Huh?”
Those aren’t inspiring like the Gospels. Those aren’t soul-filling like the Psalms. Those aren’t interesting like Exodus. Those are confusing!
Sometimes it’s hard to hear God’s voice. Sometimes it’s hard to hear what God is saying to you through confusing parts of the Bible. Sometimes it’s hard to hear what God is saying to you through four pages of “Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon.”
One of my best excuses for skipping my devotional readings is, “I probably won’t hear anything from God today.” Anyone ever used that one? That’s my #1, go-to excuse for not bothering to listen to the voice of God. That’s my two-seam fastball over the middle of the plate.
But here’s the problem with that excuse. In our first text today, Jesus is possibly describing the day of his second coming, the day he returns after ascending into heaven. And he says this, “about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” So that answers one trivia question: is there anything Jesus doesn’t know? Yes! The day of his return! Only the Father knows that. Crazy!
But I think that encouragement to stay awake, to be alert, to be on our toes, I think that applies every day. Maybe today is the day that I hear God speak to me even through the Seven Thunders in Revelation. Maybe today is the day that I hear God speak to me even through a genealogy. Maybe today is the day that I hear God speak to me through whatever part of the Bible I happen to be in. I don’t know when God is planning to speak to me. I don’t know if today is the day Jesus wants to reveal something to my heart. I don’t know if today is the day the Holy Spirit wants to give me a new vision. What if today is the day I don’t even try to listen and I miss it?
If we want to hear from the Creator of the Universe, Jesus says, “keep alert…stay awake!” Don’t let today be the day you fall asleep at the spiritual wheel. Make the time to check in with the Living God.
Summary
Sisters and brothers, we make time to listen to so many voices that aren’t the Living God. We make time to hear from so many voices that aren’t the Messiah. We make time to drink in so many voices that aren’t the Holy Spirit. This Advent season, as we approach the nativity, how can we be on the edge of our seats waiting for a word from the Lord? And if we’re going to waiting, how can we keep alert, how can we stay awake, how can we make sure we’re actually listening? How will you listen this week? Amen.
