WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.960 The house that I grew up in for most of my childhood was down the road from a park called Tanglewood. 00:00:12.620 --> 00:00:19.400 And this park, their sort of famous attraction that they were most known for was the Festival of Lights. 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:22.179 It happens every year around this time. 00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:24.699 It runs from Thanksgiving through around New Year's. 00:00:24.740 --> 00:00:26.879 It's their biggest income generator. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:30.719 And the reason is because it's the only thing of its kind around. 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:40.420 And so every year from about Thanksgiving on, just outside our neighborhood, beginning in the kind of late afternoon hours, traffic would start to stack up. 00:00:41.239 --> 00:00:51.399 And you basically know that if you live in our neighborhood, you have no hope of getting out of the neighborhood any time between Thanksgiving and New Year's. 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:56.039 And so you stock up on all of your food and make sure that you have what you need because you're essentially trapped. 00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:59.420 And the reason is because people come from far and wide. 00:00:59.579 --> 00:01:05.260 They stream in from all the surrounding counties and they all come to see the lights. 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:06.640 And we always used to marvel. 00:01:08.060 --> 00:01:09.459 They're pretty, but really? 00:01:10.019 --> 00:01:12.359 People would drive hours. 00:01:13.019 --> 00:01:17.960 And they would load their families up and they would bring food and supplies to come see the lights. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:18.640 It was amazing. 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:22.680 And so we would marvel at that and wonder how could that possibly be. 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:27.640 And it struck me, the parallel, when I was reading Isaiah chapter 60. 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:34.560 Only what we see in Isaiah chapter 60, it's similar, but it's on an infinitely larger scale. 00:01:35.420 --> 00:01:38.819 It's an amazing chapter at the end of the book of Isaiah. 00:01:38.819 --> 00:01:44.419 And what it's really talking about is the future of the church. 00:01:45.299 --> 00:01:48.039 At this point in Isaiah's prophecy, he's a prophet. 00:01:48.259 --> 00:01:53.759 He's laying out visions and words that he receives from the Lord for God's people. 00:01:53.859 --> 00:01:57.039 And he's essentially saying this is the future of God's people in the world. 00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:02.159 And it's this incredible image, what the church will one day become. 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:06.819 And what we really see is that the church will one day become like a great city. 00:02:08.819 --> 00:02:10.379 It'll become like a great city. 00:02:12.359 --> 00:02:19.359 And the hope of the Christian faith is that one day all of humanity will be united in this great city. 00:02:19.719 --> 00:02:20.680 That's the Christian hope. 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:23.300 You know, people say, well, isn't it to go to heaven? 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:24.019 Actually, no. 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:32.139 The great promise of the Christian faith, of the gospel, is that one day all of humanity will be united in this great city. 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:36.000 And it's literally a city of light. 00:02:37.859 --> 00:02:40.400 It's a city that no longer needs a sun or a moon. 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:42.180 It no longer needs lanterns. 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:49.180 It no longer needs any kind of artificial illumination because the source of light, God, is at the very center of it. 00:02:50.620 --> 00:03:01.740 And so the gates of this city are always open because it says that continually there are people streaming in from all the nations. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:06.340 From all over the earth, people are continually coming in. 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:12.699 And there's the same image in Revelation chapter 21 at the very end of the Bible. 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:14.439 It's the very same image. 00:03:15.659 --> 00:03:20.780 And so passages like this and Revelation 21, they give us this similar image. 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:23.259 And this image is very important for us to reflect on. 00:03:23.860 --> 00:03:30.920 If you're here and you're not a Christian, this is an important thing for you to understand as you're considering what Christianity is all about. 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:40.139 And if there's anything here that might be relevant to you, this is really a way of understanding what makes Christianity unique among the world's religions. 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:41.500 What sort of sets it apart. 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:46.800 And for those of us who are Christians who are part of the church, this is extremely relevant. 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:57.740 Because when we understand God's vision for his people, when we understand the vision for what we are to become, it orients us. 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:03.680 And helps us figure out what it means to be God's people here and now. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:06.180 We're oriented by this future vision. 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:11.000 And so this is the hope for tonight that these things would happen through our understanding of this passage. 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:13.920 And we're going to see three things about this city of light. 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:17.319 We're going to see that it's the home that we long for. 00:04:18.259 --> 00:04:22.639 We're going to see that it's a place where we find the healing that we hope for. 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:26.600 And then lastly, that it is the family that we were made for. 00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:30.180 So home, healing, family. 00:04:30.840 --> 00:04:31.879 All to be found in this city. 00:04:31.960 --> 00:04:33.160 Let's pray for the Lord to lead us. 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:41.400 Heavenly Father, we know that there are many of us here who, when we hear words like home or family, 00:04:42.180 --> 00:04:44.439 that those are emotionally charged words. 00:04:44.580 --> 00:04:46.820 That some of us have good memories and associations. 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:53.240 And for some of us, these are places of profound hurt and brokenness and suffering and sorrow. 00:04:53.700 --> 00:04:55.900 Some of us look forward to seeing our families this week. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:58.320 Some of us have no one we will see. 00:04:58.440 --> 00:05:02.660 Some of us dread people we might see. 00:05:02.660 --> 00:05:06.420 And Lord, in all of this confusion, all of these very real struggles, 00:05:06.580 --> 00:05:14.260 we pray that you would give us, through your word, a vision of home and family that captivates our hearts. 00:05:15.260 --> 00:05:17.960 And we pray that you would do it through your word and for your glory, Lord. 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:19.280 In your son's name, amen. 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:24.180 So first of all, this city of light that Isaiah talks about, he says, 00:05:24.260 --> 00:05:25.940 one day this is going to be the reality. 00:05:25.939 --> 00:05:32.899 As we read his passage on this, we began to realize this is the home that we long for. 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:35.500 And I want to explain what I mean by that. 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:40.839 One of the most amazing things about this passage is the kind of global nature of it. 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:44.040 People are literally coming from everywhere. 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:48.740 If you look at the names of the places where people are coming from, you have Midian, 00:05:49.220 --> 00:05:52.879 which, if you look at a map, was sort of south of where they are. 00:05:53.280 --> 00:05:56.660 You have Epha, which is to the east of the Persian Gulf. 00:05:57.180 --> 00:06:03.560 You have Kadar and Nebaioth, which are kind of to the northeast in the northern Arabian desert. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:07.060 And when you read about Tarshish, you're really reading about Spain. 00:06:07.060 --> 00:06:12.259 And so if you look at a map, you see that this is a representative sample that's meant to convey this. 00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:17.019 The whole world is converging on this city. 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:24.519 People from the north, the south, the east, and the west, from the far side of the sea, 00:06:24.779 --> 00:06:28.480 the whole world is converging on this city of light. 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:33.560 So it begs the question, why would people uproot? 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:41.399 Why would people leave their perfectly good homes and perfectly good cultures and cities and societies? 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:45.319 And why would there be this massive relocation, right? 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:48.639 People talk about how D.C. is one of the fastest growing areas. 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:51.319 We have several thousand people a month moving here. 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:53.680 That's nothing compared to this. 00:06:53.740 --> 00:06:55.399 This is a global migration. 00:06:56.540 --> 00:06:57.540 So the question is why? 00:06:57.620 --> 00:07:02.920 What could possibly be worth leaving your home and relocating halfway around the world? 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:08.519 And verses 8 and 9 give us a clue to the answer. 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:14.259 It says, who are these that fly like a cloud and like doves to their windows? 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:20.220 When it says doves to their windows, that's actually a kind of poetic reference to the nests 00:07:20.220 --> 00:07:24.899 that doves would build in the lattice of the windows. 00:07:24.899 --> 00:07:29.479 And so this is really saying, why are these people coming like birds to their nests? 00:07:30.419 --> 00:07:31.859 Like doves to their nests? 00:07:32.899 --> 00:07:36.319 And then it says, for the coastlands shall hope for me. 00:07:37.899 --> 00:07:40.299 So let me ask you again, what is drawing these people? 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:42.539 What is compelling them to come? 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:43.239 And it's this. 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:45.659 It's homesickness. 00:07:46.939 --> 00:07:48.159 It's homesickness. 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:50.960 These people are homesick. 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:51.720 And you say, well, what is it? 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:54.340 Weren't they at home and aren't they leaving their homes? 00:07:54.580 --> 00:07:59.220 Well, what we realize is these people, people all over the world are coming home because 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:05.520 they realize that the homes that they've been living in are not in fact their home. 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:10.560 And so Isaiah 60 is really about a global homecoming. 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:13.540 They're not going to a foreign city. 00:08:13.980 --> 00:08:17.579 They're leaving a place that they've looked at and realized somewhere along the way, this 00:08:17.579 --> 00:08:18.699 is not my home. 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:22.740 It's been my home for a while, but it's not where I was designed to be. 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:26.840 And they've begun to long for their true home. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:28.100 So this is a homecoming. 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:36.139 And you know, philosophers like Novalis and Heidegger talk about homesickness in this way. 00:08:36.200 --> 00:08:39.259 And actually Heidegger sort of borrows from Novalis a little bit. 00:08:39.259 --> 00:08:43.159 And when he quotes this in his book on metaphysics, he says this. 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:46.679 He's reflecting on the nature of philosophy and human nature. 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:51.960 And he says, philosophy, metaphysics is a homesickness. 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:54.500 It's a homesickness. 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:56.659 It's an urge to be at home everywhere. 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:04.679 See, the whole religious, philosophical, metaphysical project is sort of driven by a kind of existential 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:06.299 homesickness. 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:08.819 He talks about alienation. 00:09:08.820 --> 00:09:14.420 This sense that as human beings, as we're trying to be in the world, we're not fully 00:09:14.420 --> 00:09:15.400 comfortable. 00:09:15.620 --> 00:09:16.960 We're not fully at home. 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:19.600 There's a sense of being alienated. 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:21.080 There's a sense of disconnection. 00:09:21.280 --> 00:09:23.220 That even when we're home, we're not home. 00:09:23.379 --> 00:09:25.320 And somewhere deep down, we know it. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:27.260 We sense it. 00:09:27.259 --> 00:09:30.220 So you may not have thought about this. 00:09:30.299 --> 00:09:31.740 You may not have read Heidegger on this. 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:36.639 But I guarantee you, for those of you who go home, maybe after this service, maybe tomorrow, 00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:39.620 for those of you who are going back maybe to your childhood home and you're going to be 00:09:39.620 --> 00:09:43.279 with your family and you're going to celebrate Christmas, the hopes are always up here. 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:48.519 If your family's anything like mine, we're really good at having high expectations. 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:52.159 And they build and they build and they build and they build and they build. 00:09:52.220 --> 00:09:54.199 And every year we think, this is going to be the best Christmas ever. 00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:54.779 I can't wait. 00:09:54.819 --> 00:09:55.579 It's going to be amazing. 00:09:56.019 --> 00:09:58.059 And we're forging these. 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:03.720 We're taking memories and hopes and dreams and we're sort of building these expectations. 00:10:03.939 --> 00:10:05.600 And then what invariably happens? 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:08.740 Sometimes, somehow, the experience falls short. 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:10.800 Sometimes, way short. 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:16.440 But even the best homecoming experiences are never what we hope they will be. 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:19.259 It never lives up to the hype. 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:20.060 Why is that? 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:23.899 And you tell yourself, well, next year, next year we'll have more realistic expectations. 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:26.040 Next year, the same thing happens. 00:10:26.659 --> 00:10:27.399 Why is that? 00:10:27.820 --> 00:10:31.700 You know, when you're away and you're away from your family, maybe on a trip for work, 00:10:31.700 --> 00:10:35.200 and you come back and you idealize walking in the door and you idealize, 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:38.940 for those of you who have kids, you know, the kids running up and being so happy to see you 00:10:38.940 --> 00:10:40.520 and being embraced and, oh, I'm back. 00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:42.740 It never happens that way. 00:10:43.740 --> 00:10:44.379 It never happens. 00:10:44.700 --> 00:10:47.120 You know, sometimes it's like, hello, is anybody? 00:10:48.340 --> 00:10:49.320 Do you remember me? 00:10:50.940 --> 00:10:53.040 But even the best homecoming experiences, 00:10:53.580 --> 00:10:55.580 even when you do get that embrace and the hugs and the kisses, 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:57.140 it's never what you hope it was. 00:10:57.320 --> 00:10:57.940 Why not? 00:10:59.940 --> 00:11:05.160 In other words, why do we have such an expectation of coming home 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:09.620 of being around our family if it never lives up to the hype? 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:11.519 Why would we long for that? 00:11:13.019 --> 00:11:19.059 It's because of this sense of ontological, existential homesickness 00:11:19.059 --> 00:11:22.000 that no home in this world can meet. 00:11:24.139 --> 00:11:27.279 It's the reason that you can have a great marriage with great kids 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:32.519 and still feel lonely, surrounded by your family. 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:33.039 Why? 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:38.620 So deep down, there's this homesickness that no earthly home can satisfy. 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:43.899 And all of our religious striving, all of our philosophical inquiring, 00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:48.939 all of these impulses are driven by a longing to figure that out. 00:11:49.100 --> 00:11:50.340 What is our home? 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:54.379 So what makes Zion the ultimate home then? 00:11:54.939 --> 00:11:57.579 You know, it says all the coastlands, everybody, all of the cultures, 00:11:57.580 --> 00:12:01.180 they're all hoping for me, God says. 00:12:01.280 --> 00:12:03.000 What makes Zion the ultimate home 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:08.440 is that this longing isn't simply for a geographic place, 00:12:08.680 --> 00:12:11.520 it's for a person, it's for a being. 00:12:11.920 --> 00:12:15.300 That our home is actually the Lord himself. 00:12:16.180 --> 00:12:18.980 That we were made to be with in the Lord. 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:21.000 Jesus prays that we would be in him 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:24.140 as he and the Father are in one another. 00:12:24.139 --> 00:12:28.939 There's a sense of a place there that we can't find geographically, 00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:30.699 we have to find it spiritually. 00:12:32.759 --> 00:12:37.139 And so when we see this passage in Isaiah 60, 00:12:37.259 --> 00:12:39.220 it's saying that this city, this Zion, 00:12:39.319 --> 00:12:42.960 is actually the place of the dwelling of the Lord who illuminates it. 00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:46.699 And so all of these people are coming home 00:12:46.699 --> 00:12:50.100 to be in and with the Lord. 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:54.060 And so the implication, you know, there's a lot of implications for this, 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:56.120 but just to consider one, 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:59.259 if Isaiah 60 is about the future reality of the church, 00:12:59.920 --> 00:13:02.040 what that means is that this community 00:13:02.040 --> 00:13:05.120 and all church communities around the world, 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:10.420 we're meant to be a kind of living preview of this reality. 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:12.800 We're meant to be a kind of foretaste. 00:13:13.540 --> 00:13:16.040 That's the purpose of the Christian community here and now, 00:13:16.100 --> 00:13:17.840 is to sort of be a foretaste of this. 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:20.000 And so if we look at this, 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:22.200 what is it that draws people to Zion? 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:24.560 It's the presence of the Lord. 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:26.740 It's not the great schools. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:29.160 It's not the job opportunities. 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:30.620 It's not the low cost of housing. 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:33.060 It's the presence of the Lord. 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:36.240 And so ultimately, 00:13:36.580 --> 00:13:40.259 as we think about what it means to cultivate this in our church, 00:13:40.780 --> 00:13:41.780 it means simply this, 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:43.120 that in everything we do, 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:45.639 in all of our prayer, 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:47.299 in all of our striving, 00:13:47.419 --> 00:13:49.519 in all of our thinking about what it means to be a community, 00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:52.860 we should always remember that our primary purpose 00:13:52.860 --> 00:13:54.419 is to be the kind of community 00:13:54.419 --> 00:13:58.080 where people are able to come and experience the presence of God. 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:00.419 And that's something, friends, 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:01.659 that we need to pray for. 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:04.019 We need to ask God for. 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:06.360 You know, I talk to people who visit Advent, 00:14:06.460 --> 00:14:06.759 and they say, 00:14:06.819 --> 00:14:09.559 I just felt a sense of God's spirit here. 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:12.699 And there's a lot of things that you can manufacture, 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:15.159 a lot of things that you can strategize about a church, 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:16.619 but that's not one of them. 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:18.479 There's no amount of strategy. 00:14:18.779 --> 00:14:20.739 There's no amount of, you know, 00:14:20.839 --> 00:14:23.279 lights and slides and decor 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:25.179 that can accomplish that. 00:14:26.119 --> 00:14:28.299 It has to be God himself 00:14:28.299 --> 00:14:30.079 and his presence. 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:32.859 And so that's something that we believe that we have 00:14:32.859 --> 00:14:33.879 and that we should pray 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:36.019 that as people are coming into our community, 00:14:36.019 --> 00:14:37.659 as we are a part of this community, 00:14:37.819 --> 00:14:40.039 that this is the thing that we are seeking to experience 00:14:40.039 --> 00:14:42.299 in our daily lives. 00:14:43.319 --> 00:14:46.480 This is what makes home, home. 00:14:47.699 --> 00:14:49.919 So first of all, Isaiah 60 shows us this, 00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:53.980 that this city is a picture of the home that we long for. 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:56.199 And in some senses, we get a taste of this now, 00:14:56.199 --> 00:14:58.220 but we will never feel fully at home 00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:00.379 until we arrive there. 00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:01.199 And so you know what? 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:02.600 Your homesickness is good. 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:06.360 It reminds you that there's more. 00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:11.340 The next thing that I want to take a look at here 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:15.019 is that this ultimate home is more than just a home, 00:15:15.420 --> 00:15:18.300 that it's actually a place of restoration and of renewal 00:15:18.300 --> 00:15:20.180 and of the healing for the world. 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:23.700 So it's a place where we find the healing that we hope for. 00:15:23.779 --> 00:15:25.980 Let me just read to you verses 17 and 18. 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:27.660 Listen to this poetry here. 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:28.180 He says, 00:15:28.179 --> 00:15:30.939 In Zion, in the city of light, 00:15:31.179 --> 00:15:33.099 instead of bronze, I will bring gold. 00:15:33.739 --> 00:15:35.419 Instead of iron, I will bring silver. 00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:37.059 Instead of wood, bronze. 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:38.459 Instead of stones, iron. 00:15:39.339 --> 00:15:41.239 I will make your overseers peace. 00:15:41.339 --> 00:15:42.759 Overseers means slave masters. 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:45.099 That's an allusion to slavery in Egypt. 00:15:46.259 --> 00:15:48.539 And your taskmaskers, righteousness. 00:15:49.479 --> 00:15:51.539 Violence shall no more be heard in your land, 00:15:51.659 --> 00:15:53.639 devastation or destruction within your borders. 00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:57.580 You shall call your walls salvation and your gates praise. 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:02.539 See, all of these metaphors are poetically saying the same thing. 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:03.879 That in the city of light, 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:07.799 there is ongoing profound upward transformation. 00:16:09.559 --> 00:16:10.740 Upward transformation. 00:16:11.199 --> 00:16:12.340 Wood becomes bronze. 00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:13.919 Bronze becomes gold. 00:16:15.179 --> 00:16:16.720 And this is an amazing image. 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:19.580 It's a picture of total holistic transformation. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.100 Even the worst things in their memory. 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:26.139 Even the taskmasters and the overseers from their days of slavery. 00:16:26.500 --> 00:16:29.080 There will be such a profound upward transformation 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:31.680 that even these things will be beautified. 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:35.360 That they will be transformed into something lovely. 00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:40.399 So it's this ultimate transformation that happens in the city of light. 00:16:41.860 --> 00:16:45.700 And we're not just talking about changing bronze into gold. 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:51.920 Verses 19 and 21 show us that this is really about the transformation of human beings. 00:16:52.100 --> 00:16:57.279 Verse 21 says that this is about changing people who are helpless in sin. 00:16:57.980 --> 00:17:00.560 People who are incapable of acting in righteousness. 00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:04.599 Changing those people who are utterly helpless on their own. 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:06.500 Into righteous people. 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:10.940 And he says that when this happens in verse 19. 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:16.240 That as these people experience this upward spiritual transformation. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:19.339 They will have in themselves a brightness. 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:21.859 That outshines the sun and the moon. 00:17:21.940 --> 00:17:25.240 That there will be an inner brightness that shines through these people. 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:26.880 Because of this transformation. 00:17:27.339 --> 00:17:29.339 So I want to see here what God is saying. 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:32.779 God desires to transform us. 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:41.939 Not simply so that we can live happier, more fulfilled, more satisfied, comfortable lives. 00:17:42.619 --> 00:17:48.199 A lot of times I think that we are very tempted to think of transformation and change 00:17:48.199 --> 00:17:55.139 as a means for me individually to attain a more comfortable, more satisfied life. 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:58.920 Accept Jesus and he will satisfy the longings of your heart. 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:02.520 But that's not really what's being said here. 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:06.420 What's being said here is that God's desire to transform us. 00:18:07.120 --> 00:18:10.460 Is not necessarily so that we will be happier or more fulfilled. 00:18:10.620 --> 00:18:11.400 That may happen. 00:18:12.140 --> 00:18:12.800 It may not. 00:18:12.860 --> 00:18:13.600 It's not guaranteed. 00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:16.480 This side of Zion. 00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:23.460 But what is made clear is that God's desire is to transform us so that he can shine through us. 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:31.339 So that we become the vehicle, the means, the lens through which the light of God shines. 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:33.019 That the church is the lens. 00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:38.279 We're the prism through which God's light is refracted into the world. 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:41.880 So 1 Peter 2 chapter 12 says the same thing. 00:18:42.279 --> 00:18:43.500 He says essentially this. 00:18:43.500 --> 00:18:45.720 You live in a culture that persecutes you. 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:52.640 He says live in such a way with such character, virtue, honor, faithfulness. 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:57.779 That even if people persecute you and slander you and call you an evildoer. 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:01.740 That they will be so compelled by your life. 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:04.880 That they will one day come to worship God. 00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:08.940 Even if they say I cannot stand that person and what they believe. 00:19:09.140 --> 00:19:10.500 I cannot stand what they represent. 00:19:10.620 --> 00:19:12.180 I cannot stand everything about them. 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:14.079 They can't argue with your life. 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:16.200 They can't argue with the character that they see. 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:21.240 And it's so compelling that it eventually brings them to the Lord. 00:19:21.339 --> 00:19:23.279 There was a fascinating article in GQ. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:32.099 A journalist was doing an article on this kind of big mega hipster church in a major city. 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:35.599 And this journalist kind of has a Jewish background. 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:39.259 And she makes it very clear that she totally disagrees. 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:44.599 Totally disagrees with the beliefs that are held by this Christian church. 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:45.399 Totally. 00:19:45.679 --> 00:19:47.579 She says it's against everything that's important to me. 00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:47.959 Right? 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:53.959 And then she openly mocks and derides all of their attempts to be cool. 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:56.019 You know the skinny jeans. 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:57.139 She rips on the skinny jeans. 00:19:57.240 --> 00:19:59.519 She rips on this hat that everybody in the church wears. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:00.980 It's kind of a fashion thing. 00:20:00.980 --> 00:20:05.720 And she rips on, you know, she just sort of rips on the whole culture of cool and kind of makes fun of it. 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:09.559 And, you know, and just, you know, says it's all kind of ridiculous. 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:19.119 And yet, she recognizes that these are people beneath all the coolness, beneath all the trying hard and trying, you know, 00:20:19.919 --> 00:20:22.299 they are people who take their faith very seriously. 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:25.879 And here's what she says at the very end of the article. 00:20:26.639 --> 00:20:27.139 She says, 00:20:27.220 --> 00:20:31.000 And that Sunday, I did not go back to church because my story was done. 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:34.859 And instead, I went to soccer games with my children and ordered a pizza. 00:20:35.240 --> 00:20:39.279 And at the end of the evening, I cleaned the kitchen and I bent down to place dinner plates into the dishwasher. 00:20:39.899 --> 00:20:43.519 And then it says she starts humming one of their worship songs to herself. 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:49.599 And then I straightened up suddenly and I looked out the window into the dark nothing. 00:20:50.500 --> 00:20:53.839 And I realized that I missed them all very much. 00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:56.519 Fascinating. 00:20:56.519 --> 00:20:56.960 Fascinating. 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:09.900 And she purposefully writes the article in a way that conveys a kind of indescribable longing that she experienced being around this community. 00:21:09.900 --> 00:21:13.480 She's a total skeptic, but she's drawn to something. 00:21:14.019 --> 00:21:16.400 And it's clear that it's not intellectual arguments. 00:21:17.860 --> 00:21:20.920 You know, it's not the intellectual apologetics. 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:22.860 It's not the skinny jeans. 00:21:22.940 --> 00:21:23.980 It's not the great music. 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:27.420 All those are part of it, but it's not really any of those things. 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:31.299 She's not really able to identify what exactly she's missing. 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:34.380 But I would say that Isaiah chapter 60 tells us. 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:41.340 That unbeknownst to her, there was a light shining through those people into her life. 00:21:41.960 --> 00:21:46.960 And it began to warm her and it began to illuminate and it began to draw her. 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:56.360 And even though she wasn't looking for it, whether she knows it or not, I believe that she was being compelled by that light of the presence of God in that community. 00:21:57.819 --> 00:22:06.640 So again, as we consider implications for us as a church, if this is a picture of the church as it will one day be, then this should orient us for the here and now. 00:22:07.799 --> 00:22:10.420 And I want to say this, and I hope this doesn't discourage you. 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:11.740 I hope that it inspires you. 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:18.019 When people around you who are not Christians, when they find out that you're a Christian, they watch you. 00:22:19.259 --> 00:22:20.799 They watch your life. 00:22:22.420 --> 00:22:24.819 They want to see what you're like. 00:22:25.579 --> 00:22:35.779 They're very interested to know if there's anything tangible, substantial, true, relevant, real behind your faith claims. 00:22:37.259 --> 00:22:39.400 They want to know if there's something there. 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:40.460 Everybody does. 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:48.339 Even at this stage of life, even in the culture that we're in now, there's so much disillusionment and demystification out there. 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:54.880 And yet I believe for most people, there is a tiny part of us that is still holding out that magic is real. 00:22:55.539 --> 00:22:57.660 That heroes are real. 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:00.279 That happy endings are real. 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:03.160 That divine rescue is real. 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:06.599 That there's something out there more than this. 00:23:06.620 --> 00:23:07.859 And people are longing for this. 00:23:07.859 --> 00:23:12.279 Why do you think franchises like Star Wars are so ridiculously popular? 00:23:12.659 --> 00:23:14.279 It's not just the lightsabers. 00:23:14.919 --> 00:23:16.439 It's not just the cool effects. 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:25.619 It's because there's a sense of something more, of a greater story, of a greater purpose and meaning. 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:28.879 And people long to know that that's true. 00:23:28.939 --> 00:23:31.699 And they want to look at your life and they want to see, is there anything in here? 00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:33.459 I'll tell you this. 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:43.239 The person that the Lord eventually used to bring me to Christ, as a very hostile skeptic, when I was 21, 22, 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:50.660 the only reason I was willing to talk to that person, this guy, is because I had had three years to see 00:23:50.660 --> 00:23:58.579 that his life and his character were altogether different from any of the other guys in our group of friends. 00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:00.400 I'd known him since freshman year. 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:05.800 And even though I disagreed with everything that he believed, even though I thought that he was naive, 00:24:06.420 --> 00:24:08.440 even though I thought that his faith was full of contradictions, 00:24:08.780 --> 00:24:10.680 I couldn't argue with who he was as a person. 00:24:11.220 --> 00:24:13.120 And I'm not saying that he was perfect. 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:14.300 In fact, he was far from it. 00:24:14.360 --> 00:24:15.400 That had nothing to do with it. 00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:18.680 It wasn't that he was more righteous than I was or anything like that. 00:24:19.160 --> 00:24:21.060 It's that he was an incredibly humble person. 00:24:22.080 --> 00:24:25.019 He was incredibly open about his brokenness and his shortcomings. 00:24:25.120 --> 00:24:26.200 He would freely admit them. 00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:29.860 He was an incredibly serving, loving person. 00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:34.620 Was always the first to say yes if somebody needed help moving. 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:40.240 And over the years, I began to recognize there's something distinct and different about this guy. 00:24:41.340 --> 00:24:44.860 And that's what opened me up to being willing to have a conversation with him about Jesus. 00:24:45.080 --> 00:24:46.120 And it took three years. 00:24:48.180 --> 00:24:51.480 Because I sensed that there was something there, and it was something that I wanted. 00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:52.180 It was the light. 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:58.500 So this city is the home that we long for because the Lord's at the center. 00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:02.220 And it's also a place of healing where God is transforming his people 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:07.900 so that they could be prisms through which his light shines into the world and draws other ends. 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:10.680 And the last thing I want us to see in this chapter is this. 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:15.039 That one day, this church and all churches, 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:19.560 one day all of humanity will be united as this one great family. 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:22.159 And it's the family that we were made to be a part of. 00:25:23.779 --> 00:25:27.599 God's intention from the start, and you see it with Adam and Eve, 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:31.000 was that all of humanity would be one great family that fills the earth. 00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:33.539 Multiply and fill the earth. 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:34.579 Be one great family. 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:36.099 That was the intention for humanity. 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:39.500 But what this doesn't mean is that everyone is the same. 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:40.519 Right? 00:25:40.579 --> 00:25:41.859 It doesn't mean homogeneity. 00:25:41.859 --> 00:25:47.119 And what's fascinating about this, in Isaiah 60, there's tremendous diversity. 00:25:48.099 --> 00:25:49.579 It's tremendously diverse. 00:25:50.379 --> 00:25:53.379 You have people from every tribe, every culture, every place, 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:58.779 all converging and bringing with them all of the treasures of their societies, 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.139 all the treasures of their cultures. 00:26:02.199 --> 00:26:09.000 So there could be a whole separate thing that we talk about here with regard to our work and our culture. 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:17.259 Because this is a picture not of the great treasures and achievements of the various cultures of the world being scrapped. 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:24.000 You know, all that is kind of burned into dust, and now God's going to just kind of start over, creation 2.0. 00:26:24.140 --> 00:26:25.079 That's not what happens. 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:30.599 The gates are open because the people are streaming in, and they're bringing their treasure. 00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:32.940 They're bringing, and this is not just money. 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:36.700 This is all of the great treasures of the various societies and cultures. 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:40.420 It's all of the art, all of the innovation, all of the accomplishments. 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:46.759 It's all of the cultural goods, all of the things that have been produced from various cultures 00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:56.539 that have contributed to the beautification and the improving and the enhancing of this world. 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:58.600 And all of that is being brought in. 00:26:58.660 --> 00:26:58.799 Why? 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:02.440 Because every culture has something different to contribute to Zion. 00:27:04.099 --> 00:27:09.619 They're literally bringing this in and placing it at the feet of the Lord, so to speak. 00:27:09.879 --> 00:27:14.399 So that it will become a part of the cultural life of the City of Light. 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:15.720 Do you see how amazing that is? 00:27:16.399 --> 00:27:21.599 And that connects directly back to what we're doing every day of our week. 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:27.240 And so there's this contribution from all around the world. 00:27:27.399 --> 00:27:29.619 And what we see is this isn't an American community. 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:30.919 It's not a Chinese community. 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:32.480 It's not an African community. 00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:34.240 It's a truly global community. 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:38.559 So this isn't a picture of people leaving and abandoning their cultures. 00:27:38.899 --> 00:27:40.119 That's not what this is about. 00:27:40.659 --> 00:27:43.259 It's a great merging of all of the cultures. 00:27:43.259 --> 00:27:49.180 And it's recognizing the unique contributions and the unique beauty inherent to each. 00:27:51.059 --> 00:27:56.680 And so this is, I know, hard for us to imagine because we look at the world and we see people who are so divided 00:27:56.680 --> 00:27:58.940 along every line imaginable. 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:02.379 And it's hard to imagine that this would ever be possible. 00:28:02.500 --> 00:28:04.920 But the key is looking at verse 9. 00:28:05.299 --> 00:28:09.400 Why are people coming from all over the earth with their kings and their treasures? 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:11.539 And verse 9 tells us, 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:15.059 For the name of the Lord your God and for the Holy One of Israel. 00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:16.720 What unites all of these people? 00:28:17.139 --> 00:28:17.779 It's worship. 00:28:18.740 --> 00:28:19.539 It's worship. 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:23.440 It's worship of the Holy One of Israel. 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:27.240 So why do we have division, right? 00:28:27.639 --> 00:28:30.059 Books and books and books have been written about this. 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:32.480 And some of you have written PhD dissertations on this. 00:28:32.539 --> 00:28:35.839 And the root causes of racism and tribalism and all of these things. 00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:37.720 There are lots of great reasons and theories. 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:43.120 But at the core, what the Bible would say is what divides us is what we worship. 00:28:44.940 --> 00:28:46.799 Is that we all worship something different. 00:28:48.019 --> 00:28:51.700 And individuals have their idols and cultures have their idols. 00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:53.720 In some cultures it's family. 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:55.880 In some cultures it's honor. 00:28:56.759 --> 00:28:58.460 In some cultures it's authenticity. 00:28:59.620 --> 00:29:02.100 But we all have cultural idols. 00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:05.099 And those are the things that divide us. 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:07.159 The fact that we all worship something different. 00:29:10.019 --> 00:29:14.059 What the Bible makes clear throughout is that the only way to find peace with one another 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:16.480 is first to find peace with Him. 00:29:18.099 --> 00:29:20.819 And it's like the difference between being in a dance hall. 00:29:20.879 --> 00:29:24.719 Imagine being in a dance hall where everybody has their iPhone earbuds in. 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:28.299 And everybody is listening to different music and dancing to different music. 00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:33.019 Versus everyone listening to the same music and following along. 00:29:33.779 --> 00:29:40.779 Or imagine the universe or a solar system where every planet is orbiting around something different. 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:44.559 And you would have planets colliding and crashing into each other and you would have chaos. 00:29:45.259 --> 00:29:46.880 And in a little while you wouldn't have a solar system. 00:29:46.980 --> 00:29:48.640 You would just have a giant asteroid field. 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:57.900 Versus the kind of elegant synchronized beauty of a solar system where everything orbits around the sun. 00:29:58.840 --> 00:30:01.220 In perfect synchronicity. 00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:05.740 So the implication is this. 00:30:05.900 --> 00:30:07.520 Christianity has the potential. 00:30:07.660 --> 00:30:11.840 I believe Christianity today has the potential to be the most inclusive. 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:15.080 The most radically inclusive. 00:30:15.740 --> 00:30:17.720 The most diverse community on the planet. 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:19.960 And the reason is this. 00:30:20.100 --> 00:30:21.340 How is that possible? 00:30:22.020 --> 00:30:24.720 Well, I think in Isaiah's day people wouldn't have known. 00:30:25.980 --> 00:30:29.720 But then Jesus came along and Jesus Christ says this in John chapter 12. 00:30:29.840 --> 00:30:30.580 He says this. 00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:37.620 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. 00:30:39.280 --> 00:30:41.860 You say, well how does this major influx happen? 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:43.580 How is this catalyzed? 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:45.380 What brings everybody to Zion? 00:30:45.920 --> 00:30:47.160 Jesus gives us the answer. 00:30:47.160 --> 00:30:48.500 When I'm lifted up. 00:30:48.620 --> 00:30:54.240 That will be the thing that ultimately draws all people into the city of light. 00:30:55.740 --> 00:30:59.019 People were confused by this obviously when Jesus first said it. 00:30:59.060 --> 00:31:00.519 It didn't make sense when he said it. 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:03.880 But it all began to make sense when they saw the cross. 00:31:05.340 --> 00:31:10.440 Because you see, Christianity is the only religion there is that's not based on anything that we do for God. 00:31:10.440 --> 00:31:13.220 It's based entirely on the cross. 00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:17.759 It's based on what God has done for us through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus. 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:23.039 And you see, that makes a profound difference when you're wanting an inclusive, diverse community. 00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:32.099 Because you see, if you're in a culture that values family and your religion revolves around family, then you better hope you're born into the right family. 00:31:32.180 --> 00:31:33.099 Otherwise, you have no hope. 00:31:33.940 --> 00:31:43.159 If you're in a culture that believes and values intellect and your spirituality is all about having the right knowledge and knowing the right stuff, then you better hope you're smart. 00:31:43.160 --> 00:31:54.080 If your culture values spiritual discipline, things like meditation and spiritual bodily practices, then you better hope that you're good at that. 00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:57.160 You better hope that you can do all that is required of you. 00:31:57.220 --> 00:32:06.860 If you live in a culture that values moral excellence, and there's a very clearly laid out, maybe even legislated morality, then you better hope that you're a morally upright person. 00:32:06.859 --> 00:32:14.119 If you're in a culture that values authentic, personal, spiritual experience, then you better hope you have that experience. 00:32:14.199 --> 00:32:21.319 Because if you don't, if you're not smart enough or disciplined enough or dedicated enough or moral enough, what hope is there for you? 00:32:22.139 --> 00:32:23.899 Sorry, there's no room for you in this community. 00:32:25.399 --> 00:32:32.399 But if it's not based on you, but it's based on something that is done for you, it means everybody's welcome. 00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:40.640 It means everybody, even the smallest child, can understand that something has been done for them. 00:32:41.380 --> 00:32:43.720 And the moment they accept it, they're in. 00:32:44.780 --> 00:32:47.380 That's a truly diverse, inclusive community. 00:32:47.560 --> 00:32:50.519 And so in this way, the gospel is transcultural. 00:32:51.160 --> 00:32:55.000 Because it's simply an announcement of what God has already done for us. 00:32:56.180 --> 00:32:58.960 So anyone can receive it and anyone can accept it. 00:32:58.960 --> 00:33:03.279 So this is the vision that we're given in Isaiah 60. 00:33:03.420 --> 00:33:07.779 It's the vision of the future of the church, the future of God's people in the world. 00:33:07.840 --> 00:33:10.539 And really, it's a future that impacts everybody in the world. 00:33:12.420 --> 00:33:18.600 One day, the church is going to become like a great city of light, illuminated by the presence of the Lord himself. 00:33:19.640 --> 00:33:23.299 And, you know, for the sake of time, I won't belabor the implications. 00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:24.160 There are many. 00:33:24.360 --> 00:33:26.640 And this is something that we come back to again and again and again. 00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:32.440 For the sake of tonight, I just want to focus on one main implication to close this out. 00:33:32.540 --> 00:33:34.620 The thing that's been on my heart for weeks now. 00:33:35.280 --> 00:33:46.960 If there's anyone in this world who very desperately needs a home, needs a place of healing, needs a family, 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:48.960 it's the refugees. 00:33:51.539 --> 00:33:53.200 Both here and abroad. 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:57.279 Both in our city and neighborhoods and across the oceans. 00:33:58.380 --> 00:34:03.319 And I actually believe that the church is uniquely equipped, like no one else on this planet, 00:34:03.860 --> 00:34:05.779 to be the kind of home, 00:34:06.500 --> 00:34:09.360 to be the kind of place where healing can begin, 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:12.539 and to be the kind of family that so many people around the world need. 00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:20.719 And I think that this is where we began as a community to figure out what Isaiah 60 has to say to us as Church of the Advent. 00:34:21.300 --> 00:34:21.800 Let's pray. 00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:27.460 Our Father, we recognize that this is a vision. 00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:30.079 This is something that goes beyond our imagination. 00:34:30.460 --> 00:34:33.199 It's something that, in many ways, stretches us to the limit. 00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:36.719 And yet we know that it's not too big for you or too great for you. 00:34:36.719 --> 00:34:41.679 And we know that this isn't just a possible future, that it's a guaranteed future. 00:34:42.959 --> 00:34:46.439 And so we're left to wonder what this says to us, 00:34:46.459 --> 00:34:51.119 and how we might orient ourselves toward and by this future vision, Lord. 00:34:51.159 --> 00:34:55.119 And we pray that it would infuse us and inspire us 00:34:55.119 --> 00:34:57.779 to be all that you've called us to be in this world, 00:34:57.919 --> 00:34:59.679 for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ. 00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:01.500 In his name we pray. Amen.