Father, sometimes it's really easy to follow Jesus.
Sometimes, Father Jesus, following him means we do things that people think are good and wise and true.
And sometimes we have to do things and change in ways that many people in our society think are odd or weird, maybe even wrong.
And Father, you know the different things in our hearts, and you know how much we like approval of others.
And we ask, Father, that the Holy Spirit would bring the truth of who Jesus is and what he did for us on the cross, bring that home deeply to us.
And we ask that you would bring your word home to us as well, that we would hear every word of your scripture as good news for us.
Not only good for us on this side of the grave, but good into eternity.
And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Please be seated.
So, I have sort of a nerdy aspect to me that many of you are aware of.
And I have a bit of a nerdy conscience that sometimes gets me into trouble.
It might get me into trouble today.
And so, the way I'm mentioning this is this.
When I was in the Anglican Church of Canada, for many, many, many years, it would come time for Advent.
And so, especially when I was first being trained, I was told we had to do an Advent sermon, right?
Because it was Advent.
And then I would be told that Advent is about, you know, there's the four candles.
And I think, was it one of them, like, love, peace, joy, and hope?
Do I have that?
I'd probably have the order all wrong.
But that's what I was told.
That's what Advent is.
And then I'd have to get up and do the sermon.
But here's part of my nerdy aspect.
I'd look at the scripture text for the day.
And the scripture text had nothing to do with those themes.
Like, I mean, maybe if you really played around with it like you did, you know, and that's what, you know, that's what I'd hear people other do.
They'd play around with it.
You know, maybe there was this, you know, I sometimes felt like if you took, you know, enough letters from different words, you could make the word peace or something.
And you could talk about that.
So, like, I, you know, I sort of think that my sermon should be based on the Bible text, not like I just do some things and add a couple of Bible verses.
So, and then it got even more complicated because as I started to become aware of the whole prayer book and the Inglis Reformation, I started to realize that actually how people talked about Advent isn't sort of how ancient Christians talked about Advent and how Anglicanism talked about Advent up until like just a few decades ago.
So, anyway, I wrote a very nerdy blog that came out on Monday.
And for those two or three people who read my blogs, if I don't get them done by 4.30 now, then they come out on Monday.
If I get it done before 4.30 on Friday, then it comes out on Saturday.
So, my blog didn't get done at 4.30 on Friday.
You'll get it tomorrow.
But one of the things I discovered is that like Advent goes right back to at least the fifth century.
In fact, I was talking to a guy who was like a patristic scholar just a week or two ago.
So, and he told me that like for those guys like in the fifth century, Gregory the Great, and I can't pronounce the name of the other pope, what they just did is codified stuff that had been going on a lot longer, right?
So, if it begins in the fifth century, it might have gone like a century or more even earlier.
And what happened is that these fundamental scripture texts, Advent, this way of beginning the church year, they didn't quite think of it in those terms back then, but preparing you to celebrate Christmas and all of that.
They had these sort of eight foundational texts, a gospel text and epistle, which would be read the first Sunday of Advent, second, third, and fourth.
And so, actually, if you go and find a 1662 book of common prayer, or you go online and type in 1662 book of common prayer, colics, if you look at the readings, this is what's so cool.
Like people who don't like, who want something thick and ancient, you're looking at the scripture texts that basically, up until they changed the lectionaries in the 1970s,
you're looking at the texts they read for Advent, right back to the 400s.
Like, isn't that cool?
Now, here's the problem, though.
Those texts don't talk about faith, hope, peace, and joy.
And so, what happens is that the Reformation comes in the mid-1500s, and Cramner, sort of this brilliant mind who ended up becoming a martyr,
he looks at these readings, and he ends up making two completely new, three basically new prayers,
and then a fourth one was added.
That's too nerdy.
Sorry, I'm losing you.
But here's the thing.
The collect that we have for all of Advent really gives you the ancient Christian, as reflected through the Reformation,
when we wanted to return to the Bible and the Gospel, it gives you what Advent is.
Now, listen, you know, faith, hope, peace, and joy, those are great.
The Bible doesn't tell you how to celebrate Advent, so, like, there's not, this isn't like a Gospel issue or anything like that.
So, all this is to say, so, Daniel and I are talking, like, months ago about what our scripture texts were going to be,
and Daniel said, well, you know, we always do some specialized services around Advent and Christmas.
Why don't we make December 12th the Advent Sunday, and then, which is what I'm doing,
and then 19th and 24th and 25th we'll have Christmas sermons on the key Christmas texts,
and then we'll do some other stuff December 26th, January 2nd, before we get back to Mark in January.
So, what we're looking at today is we're looking at, in a sense, the text,
which is the, that helps to form the ancient Christian, as reflected through the Reformation,
way of understanding what Advent is all about.
And what you see from that is it's about the three comings of Christ.
It's about remembering, of course, the birth of Jesus humbly, the first coming,
and it's also remembering the second coming, where he's going to come in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and it is urging us to consider the third coming, which is when he comes into your life to be your Savior and your Lord.
Now, this is all good, but one of the things is, is I discovered this week,
and it's been bothering my nerdy conscience all week,
is I could go through this text in such a way that the average Canadian would think,
yeah, that sounds like a really good idea, I agree with that, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
but not realizing that the Bible text actually goes against what most Canadians believe.
And that doesn't feel very Canadian Advent-y, you know,
and so I've struggled with it all week, but we're going to look at it anyway.
Okay, so what we're going to do first is we're going to just pray or read the Colic for All of Advent,
and you're just going to get it in your mind, and then you're going to see as we go through the Scripture text,
we'll pray it again at the end, how this Scripture text has had a huge formative influence
in the Book of Romans on how to understand Advent from an ancient perspective, a thick perspective.
So you have it on the screen, that would be great.
Let's pray it, say it together.
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness
and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility,
that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal
through him who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit,
now, so one God, now and forever. Amen.
So you can see, I mean, there's already that judgment thing,
which we're going to talk just a tiny bit about because there's some other stuff to get at,
but let's look at the Bible text, and as we start to look at the Bible text,
you'll see how this text, which goes way back, Christians in the 5th century,
chose this as one of the texts on the first Sunday of Advent
to prepare people for the birth of Christ, to remember it,
to launch yourself into the Christian year, and so here's this text.
Romans chapter 13, and we'll start at verse 8.
Owe no one anything except to love each other.
Just by the way, if you have your own Bible, it's really good to follow along.
We have it up there on the screen, and you online, you can see it down here.
But, you know, if you're at home, get your own Bible.
It's really good to have your own Bible and to be able to look around the text
to see if I'm handling the text correctly and honestly and fairly.
I'll read it again.
Owe no one anything except to love each other.
For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
And here the word law doesn't mean like the law of Rome or the law of Canada.
It means what we call the Old Testament
and our Jewish friends call the Tanakh or the Torah.
So it's saying all of the commands in the Bible.
I'll read that verse 8 again.
Owe no one anything except to love each other,
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the commandments of the Bible, the law.
For the commandments, verse 9, you shall not commit adultery,
you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,
and any other commandment are summed up in this word.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor.
Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Now, that is a good text.
But if you think about it for a second,
it has something in there which is a bit of a puzzle.
It says, verse 8,
Owe no one anything except to love each other.
It's saying that somehow or another,
I owe it to you to love you.
That I owe it to people,
owe it to each other to love them.
Now, if you think about it for a second,
this is actually an idea that Canadians would find,
like just common sense.
Like if you were getting talking with,
you know, the Tim Hortons coffee person,
or, you know, Bridgehead, or Starbucks,
or something like that,
and you got chatting with them
because you're friendly with them,
and you just talked about how there was this interaction
and how a person was rude to you,
they would just automatically say,
well, it's just common sense, of course.
Like everybody knows that it's,
that's wrong,
that they shouldn't have been rude to you.
They should have acted in a more loving manner,
that what they did was wrong.
And that would just be,
that's like common morality in Canada.
But if you think about it for a second,
it's a very odd idea.
Like, and it's not actually,
it isn't in fact the case that it's obvious
to most people in the world,
either today or throughout history.
Like, in classic Hinduism,
the caste that you're in,
you deserve it.
If you're at the very, very bottom
of the caste hierarchy,
well, you deserve that.
And if you're at the top of the caste hierarchy,
you don't owe it to love a lower caste person.
They would go, what?
They're in this situation of abject poverty,
impoverishment, and powerlessness
because they deserve it,
because of what's happened in their previous lives.
That's just, that's common sense.
I deserve what I have,
they deserve what they have,
and I have no obligation to love them.
That would be common sense.
If you think about it within the Quran,
the Quran is a book of conquest
that Allah has basically commanded
his followers and his people
that the goal is that all of the world
will be subject to Allah.
And it wouldn't be an obvious thing
from reading the Quran
that there's an obligation to love.
In fact, Muhammad had slaves.
He was a warrior,
and Muhammad was the greatest
of all the followers of Allah.
He was Allah's prophet.
It isn't obvious in that context
that you're owed,
that you're owed it,
that people deserve to be loved.
They're owed it.
And if you think about it,
even, in fact,
if you read, like,
serious philosophers
who take evolution seriously,
it's not obvious
that human beings are owed love
because, you know,
at the end of the day,
from an evolutionary
and a scientific perspective,
there's nothing special
about human beings.
Like, there's nothing special
about us.
There's really, in a sense,
I have no more of an obligation
to love you
than I do to love a bird
or a budgie
or an earthworm.
That, in a sense,
you're all just sort of the same.
We might claim certain things,
and one of you might claim
that I owe it to love you,
but that's really not based
on science or reason.
It's just something
that you happen to say.
In fact, actually,
if you really think about it,
I know this is a discredited idea,
but the reason it's discredited
is actually because
of the influence
of Christianity,
not because of anything
inherent to the problem
of taking naturalistic evolution
seriously.
A very, very good case
would be that, in fact,
I don't owe anything
to the weak.
The weak should die,
and it's, in fact,
better for the human race
in the long run
if strong people
are able to exercise
their strength,
have the majority of the food
and the money
and the resources
and people who are poor
will die off
and those of us
who are stronger
and will actually be making
the human race
in a stronger and better way.
And I know that's a discounted idea,
but it's not discounted
because there's anything
inherently wrong
with the idea
within that worldview.
It ends up ultimately
because, you know what,
we owe others
the debt of love,
and that idea
comes from Christianity.
In fact,
if you could put up
the first point,
this is what Christianity teaches.
Because the triune God
is love,
he designed human beings
to be loved
and to love.
Because the triune God
is love,
he designed human beings
to be loved
and to love.
That's how he designed
human beings.
If you go to
an Anglican wedding ceremony,
one of the things
we say in the ceremony
at sort of the opening remarks
is that
the institution of marriage
is something that was
instituted of God
in the time of man
and woman's innocency.
In other words,
that God designed
human beings
that some human beings
would enter into marriage.
And that's not something
that was created
because of evil
coming into the world.
That was part of God's
original good intention.
That that's just how
God designed human beings.
And this is the same thing
here with this idea
is that God designed
human beings
in a sense when
when we say
oh no one anything
except to love each other,
this is actually saying
something that really
you'd have to think
that it's a bit of a tension
within other religions
and philosophies
because there is
something intuitive
about that
that does make sense.
even though
then maybe our mind
will come and say
no no no
Allah has said
something different
or the Hindu scriptures
have said something different
or the demands of Marxism
or the demands of cultural theory
or critical theory
demand something
very very different
than this
but and so there's
at least
for some people
there's a bit of a tension
between these types of things
but
this is why
in fact
Christianity
has this very very
deep understanding
of why it is
in fact the case
that I owe it
to the coffee person
to treat them
in a loving way
I owe it
to the other drivers
I owe it
to those in government
to treat them
in a loving type of way
now
it's very curious
that this
this powerful idea
is seen right here
in the text
at the same time
and this is where
my nerdy conscience
issue came out
because you see
I just the text
that I read
it could be understood
in such a way
that the average Canadian
would say
yeah yeah I understand that
because the average Canadian
would say
well you don't actually
have to
to be married
to live together
and as
you know
but if you're living together
you can't cheat
on your partner
like that's wrong
like that
that would be
a very common idea
and you wouldn't have
to do much
to argue for that
for most people
it would just be viewed
as inherently correct
and even later on
in the text
when it talks about
sexual immorality
most Canadians
from within their own
perspective
would understand themselves
to be very moral people
in the sexual matter
and so I could
read both of these things
and I could go on
but not realizing
that actually the Bible
is disagreeing with Canadians
in a very powerful way
and I've struggled
in my conscience
I wouldn't say struggled
the devil has told me
that I shouldn't talk
about this
but I thank you
for praying for me
here's what these two
it's right here
the word adultery
which is a good word
to translate it
in verse 9
you shall not commit adultery
and later on
in verse
later on when we read it
in verse 13
there's the word
sexual immorality
in the original language
it's the same word
and the word
is part of the
porneia word group
but here's the problem
what does the porneia word group
say
the porneia word group
is basically saying
that sexual knowing
and sexual stimulation
is a good gift from God
but is reserved
to be enjoyed
in the life
of a biological male
married to a biological female
and outside of that
we are called
to sexual abstinence
in singleness
so now that I've just
broken the law
of Bill C4
I'll say it again
sexual knowing
and stimulation
is good
actually it's not clear
whether I've broken the law
and not
but the wording
is very unclear
but because the wording
is unclear
it might be that
if I preach this sermon
in a year
you'll have to bail me out
later in the week
and I'm not saying
that for laughs
it's going to definitely
go to the courts
and it should concern
Christians
if you haven't looked
at it or read it
it should concern you
the way it's worded
is
it can mean
that as long as
I don't do it
in a therapeutic context
for money
that I'm fine
but it's not clear
that what I just
have said
is in fact
breaking the law
it's not clear
and that was pointed out
to the bill makers
and they refused
to clarify it
so
it's not clear
I'm going to say it again
what does the
pornea word group mean
it means this
sexual knowing
and stimulation
is a good gift
from God
but it is reserved
to be enjoyed
in the life
of a biblical
in the life
of a biological male
married to a
biological female
or
for those
outside of that
sexual abstinence
and singleness
now this is a
heartbreaking text
for many people
and I know
that there are
people here
who struggle
with this teaching
and I know
it's very very funny
because nowadays
when we talk
about this
it automatically
people think
of trans
and
our trans
family members
or friends
or are a
lesbian
and gay
family members
or friends
but in fact
this bible
doesn't pick
on it
the text
the word group
doesn't pick
on anybody
it's a word
to all human
beings
it includes
it's a challenge
to men
and women
who watch
heterosexual
pornography
or
have affairs
or
it's a
challenge
to all human
beings
but it's
very curious
isn't it
that
it's in the
same text
that say
that we're
owed love
that we have
this thing
here which
many Canadians
would say
is very
profoundly
unloving
this week
I was reading
a story
of a person
who at 15
years of age
came out
as a lesbian
and she lived
openly as a
lesbian
and when she
was in
university
amidst the
heartbreak
of her
girlfriend
dumping her
she came
across
she started
for a variety
of reasons
looking at a
couple of
bible texts
and she
started to
get in
this little
bit of
a journey
as to
whether
this first
century Jew
had something
for her
life
and she
didn't know
what to do
with any
of this
and so
interestingly
enough
the only
people she
knew
who were
out
Christians
were as
a lesbian
couple
and so
she talked
to the
lesbian
couple
about it
and they
said that
she should
pursue
Jesus
that the
bible
has things
to say
that are
just wrong
about other
things
but she
should pursue
Jesus
so it
was with
the encouragement
of this
lesbian
couple
that she
did pursue
Jesus
and she
ended up
becoming a
Christian
and so
as I'm
looking at
this text
all week
it's been
playing with
my mind
if a
member of
the lesbian
or the
gay community
was to come
here wondering
if there's
something for
them and
Jesus
or if a
person
struggling
with
or not
struggling
just very
happily
trans
happily gay
happily
lesbian
and if
they were
to come
here
if they
were to
see
that I've
now shut
the door
on them
but
you know
that very
very first
thing is
true
the triune
God is
love
and because
the triune
God is
love
he designed
human beings
to be loved
and to love
only that
explains
why it is
that we
sense
that we
are
that
that you
are owed
love
only that
statement
explains it
if you
just think
for a
second
it's
not
obvious
actually
in terms
of the
the real
serious
theology
and philosophy
of the world's
religions
and the
religion
of the
West
only this
very very
powerful
truth
that there
is a
God
that does
exist
that the
God
who does
exist
is the
triune
God
and it's
because
the
triune
God
is triune
three
persons
but one
God
that
that it
can be
said
that God
is love
because
the
father
has
always
loved
the
son
and the
son
has
always
loved
the
father
and the
son
the
Holy
Spirit
and the
Holy
Spirit
the
son
and
it's
because
that has
been true
from all
eternity
that God
designed
human beings
to be
loved
and to
love
the
first
thing
is
I'm
going to
say this
a bit
more in a
moment
is this
text
should never
be taken
by Christians
in a
political
sense
it's not
part of
the culture
wars
because
you see
this text
is not
about us
versus
them
this text
is about
us
because
every
single
human
being
is
sexually
broken
every
single
human
being
is
sexually
broken
some
of us
more
than
others
some
of us
are
broken
to such
an
extent
that
if
one
of
the
rest
of
us
heard
about
it
we
would
be
actually
quite
shocked
at
the
depth
of
our
sexual
brokenness
so this
is not
an
us
versus
them
text
this
is a
text
about
us
finding
a way
forward
to that
place
where we
understand
that we
are loved
I
meant to
show
it
a couple
of weeks
ago
when
or a
month
or two
ago
now
Louise
and I
were in
Montreal
for a
couple
of days
and we
stayed
on the
south
side
of
the
Mount
Royal
and there's
this
Mount
Royal
it's a
very
beautiful
park
and we
decided
to walk
from where
we were
to the
other
side
of the
mountain
to go
to St.
Joseph's
Oratory
and it
was just
a beautiful
time to
go
you know
it was
one of
those
times
of the
leaves
on the
ground
that the
ground
was really
covered
with all
these
beautiful
multicolored
leaves
but there's
still enough
on the
trees
that you
had the
beautiful
leaves
on the
bottom
and above
you
all around
and it
was a
nice
temperature
it was
really
beautiful
anyway
we're
wandering
for a
way
we're
not in
any
rush
right
we're
just
taking
a
couple
of
days
off
so we
come
to
a
map
and
it
was
a
very
good
accurate
look at
the
map
and you
think
well
that's
a
nice
map
but I
don't
know
where I
am
like
in other
words
it
becomes
useless
and that's
actually
what goes
on in
our
culture
you see
the power
of what
this text
is going
to try
to point
this to
it's
trying
to
understand
it's
trying
to help
us
to
understand
where
we
need
to
go
and
where
we
are
and
part
of it
wants
to
understand
that you
are
sexually
broken
and that
if you
and I
just
look
within
to try
to figure
out
who we
are
and where
we have
to go
it's
hard
to figure
out
the
broken
parts
from the
good
parts
because
we look
at
ourselves
within
by our
normal
natural
abilities
and we
are like
looking
at the
beautiful
map
about
Mount
Royal
Park
without
knowing
where
we
are
to
know
whether
we
should
be
going
here
or
here
or
there
or
there
you
see
you
think
about
it
as well
if
because
the
triune
God
is
love
he
designed
human
beings
to be
loved
and to
love
that
word
designed
is really
important
and that
begins
to get
at the
great
profound
difference
between
the
Christian
faith
and how
most
Canadians
think
about
these
things
now
is
because
we're
stuck
by
that
word
designed
and that
we were
designed
by
love
to be
loved
and to
love
it
means
that
we
can't
treat
human
beings
as if
we're
just
plastic
as if
it's
just
clay
and you
can
just
mold
that
clay
in any
type
of
way
in fact
actually
if you
hear of
somebody
treating
another
human
being
if you
come
across
a dad
or a
mom
treating
their
kid
as if
they're
clay
that can
just
be
molded
in any
type
of way
that the
parent
wants
what do
we say
that's
not
loving
that's
what we
say
if we
see that
a man
is treating
his wife
as if
she's
just
sort of
plastic
or
treating
her like
she's a
blank
slate
and he
can just
paint on
her
whatever
he
wants
we say
that's
not
loving
and it's
because
we
understand
on one
fundamental
level
that if
love
if we
are designed
by love
to receive
love
and to
give love
that means
we're not
just plastic
we're not
just clay
to be
molded
we're just
not blank
canvases
there's
something
there
that can
love
and
and has
to be
loved
and we
can't be
reduced
and if
we're
designed
it means
that there's
things that
we can
do
that might
seem
right to
us
but are
actually
breaking
us
like
if you
had an
iphone
13
pro
and you
happened to
leave it
down over
there
and one
of the
beautiful
little
kids
picked it
up
and figured
out
that that
would be
a great
way to
hammer in
a loose
nail on
one of
the chairs
you'd
grab it
from them
and why
because an
iphone 13
pro isn't
designed
to hang
hammer and
attack
and if
the little
smart ass
kid said
but it's
perfect for
it
you'd
say
no
it's
not
designed
for
it
and
consider
a couple
of other
things
I'm not
going to
give you
the answer
to these
things
but I
want to
try to
show
those of
you
who are
all of us
who have
trouble
thinking
about
this
and a lot
of us
Christians
are embarrassed
to even
think about
it
or talk
about
it
and if
you're
listening
in
and you're
here as
a seeker
and now
maybe you're
not a seeker
anymore
you're here
as a skeptic
you came
in sort
of like
this
but now
you're
sitting
like
this
just
consider
a couple
of these
questions
because the
fact of
the matter
is
if you
not only
follow
the trajectory
of the fact
that we're
owed love
but follow
the trajectory
of these
other things
which you
just think
are obvious
you realize
that you're
actually on
the Christian
side of the
conversation
not against
it
but you don't
realize it
like think
about it
for a second
every single
person
that you
almost
everybody
you meet
will care
it doesn't
matter how
secular
the person
is
or how
spiritual
the person
is
they care
who their
loved ones
sleep with
you meet a
25 year old
and they start
to tell you
that their
mom has
divorced
their dad
and she's
sleeping with
this guy
but he's a
jerk
he's going
to hurt
her
they care
who their
mom sleeps
with
and moms
and dads
care who
their kids
sleep with
but if you
care who
people sleep
with
why can't
God
like why
can't
God
and if in
fact the
true and
living God
is the
triune God
who is
love
who designed
us
maybe he
actually knows
the right
maybe he
knows what's
right
or
if your
kid
begins to
get caught
up in
neo-nazi
racist
literature
or if
your kid
gets caught
up in
something
which not
just says
that there's
problems with
covid-19
vaccines but
all vaccines
and they
really get
identified with
that and
start to tell
you other
types of
stuff and
they start
to hang
around with
people like
that and
they get
their identity
out of it
you care
about how
their identity
is being
formed
you care
what their
identity
is based
on
but if
you care
about it
why can't
God
if you
find out
that your
best friend
has this
new boyfriend
but he
treats
your best
friend
like she's
just a play
thing
a toy
a playground
don't you
sort of
agree with
the human
that the
bible teaching
that a human
being is
more like a
temple than
a playground
that human
beings are
more like
temples
that there's
something sacred
and that human
beings are
just play
things or
play toys
but you see
once you think
these things
you're on the
Christian side
of the
conversation
now you're
in the
world of
the bible
you don't
treat a
person like
a blank
slate
or like
clay
and in
fact even
if you
think about
it for a
second
talk to
alcoholics
talk to
people who've
struggled
with drug
addiction
but not
just that
people have
had to go
into therapy
for all
sorts of
other reasons
what you
can
if you
talk to
an
alcoholic
those of
us who've
struggled
with any
type of
addiction
what they'll
tell you
is this
that the
thing that
was the
most natural
desire
inside of
them and
the most
powerful
desire
inside of
them was
ruining their
lives
and they
needed some
type of
therapy and
help to
get clarity
to set
aside the
desires that
were more
powerful so
they could
start to
have sanity
and freedom
and control
but you
see if you
understand and
think that now
you're on the
Christian side of
the conversation
you're on the
biblical side of
the conversation
could you put
up the next
point
here's another
thing
I know I
have to be
my time
in every
human being
you can see
the truth
that you
are designed
and the
truth
that the
design is
bent or
broken
in other
words
that you're
not just
designed
but you're a
little bit
of a ruin
and so am I
by the way
when I say
this
there's three
fingers pointing
back at me
you think
about it
if you go to
a science
fiction movie
or anything
like that
or you watch
some documentaries
if you look
at a documentary
of like when
a tsunami
has gone
through
or if you
look at a
documentary
or movie
where there's
been a huge
war or
earthquakes
or you look
at the
tornado
stuff like
that
we can all
tell the
difference
between when
there's been
something like
a tornado
and there's
just a pile
of rubbish
the winds
have just
picked things
up
helter
skelter
higgledy
piggledy
thrown them
in a thing
and it's
just a big
jumble
you can all
tell the
difference
between that
without
with very
rarely
making a
stake
and between
something
which has
now been
damaged
and ruined
there's a
difference
between what
the forces
of nature
create
which is
just a
jumble
of chaos
and what
human beings
design
and now
maybe due
to the
stress of
the wind
or over
time
if you're
watching
science fiction
things
or fantasy
things
are now
like ruins
starting to
crumble
you can see
the design
and you can
see the
design
you can see
that human
beings
aren't a
jumble
there's a
very interesting
book by
Eric Metaxas
that came out
just about a
month ago
called
Is Atheism
Dead
and the title
which I don't
think is the
world's greatest
title but it's a
play on words
to the famous
time magazine
cover in 1966
that is God
is dead
and the interesting
thing that he does
time and time and time
and time again
throughout the book
is he shows from
science and from
archaeology how
things have developed
since 1966
and the fact
the matter
is is that
every week
every month
every year
the evidence
of design
of human
beings
goes up
like this
and the
possibility
of randomness
is going
down like
this
when
Darwin
developed
his theory
of naturalistic
evolution
fundamentally
they thought
a cell
was just
sort of
like a
little bit
of jello
covered
in a
pouch
like in
a pouch
now
you study
the life
of a
cell
the more
they study
and understand
about the
cell
the more
it is
unbelievably
complex
and designed
the more
they know
about the
universe
the fact
that our
life wouldn't
exist
if the moon
wasn't the
exact size
it was
in the exact
distance
from us
it goes on
and on
if we weren't
in this
obscure
corner of
the galaxy
all these
things
and then
in human
beings
and not
just human
beings
at a
scientific
biological
physical
level
and environmental
level
but also
the way
that we're
social
the way
that
the way
that we're
formed
the way
that
the longings
and the
yearnings
of our
heart
there's
all this
idea
that we're
designed
but also
that there's
something
broken
about us
which is
why I said
that every
single human
being
is sexually
broken
every single
one of us
are ruined
our sexuality
is part
ruin
you see
here's the
wonderful thing
about the
gospel
the bible
doesn't just
sort of
leave us
there
to help
us to
encourage
to understand
that we
are designed
I mean
on one
level
if you're
honest
about the
longings
and yearnings
of your
heart
the idea
that love
has designed
you
for to
love
and to be
loved
is both
something
which is
incredibly
that draws
you
but also
is incredibly
frightening
because
every one
of us
have been
let down
by love
and life
and some
of you
some of
us
have been
terribly
broken
and
experienced
hatred
rather than
love
from people
who really
should have
loved you
and so
to hear
this is
both
something
which is
both
very
there's
a tug
of longing
but at
this
sometime
a tug
of fear
the Bible
provides
this
profoundly
good
news
look at
what it
continues
to say
in verses
11 and
following
besides
this
you know
the time
that the
hour has
come for
you to
wake
from
sleep
for
salvation
is
nearer
to us
now
than
when
we
first
believed
the
night
is
far
gone
the
day
is
at
hand
so
then
let
us
cast
off
the
works
of
darkness
and
put
upon
us
the
arm
of
light
see
the
way
the
book
of
Romans
is
written
is
actually
there's
a bit
of an
introduction
for I think
the first
15 verses
then verse
16 and
17
it's almost
as if
they give
a
praise
of what
the
whole
book
is
going
to be
about
then
verses
18
to
halfway
through
chapter
3
is
just
telling
you
the
problem
of us
being
not
able
to
save
ourselves
that
we're
broken
there's
something
bent
about
us
there's
something
ruined
about
us
and
that
what
we
do
is
ruined
and
ruinous
and
that
we
can't
save
ourselves
and
then
from
the
last
half
of
chapter
3
up
to
chapter
11
it
is
a
glorious
constant
exposition
of how
God
has done
something
in the
person
of
his
son
to
rescue
and
restore
people
who
cannot
rescue
and
restore
themselves
that
it's
all
been
done
by
Jesus
that
it's
not
just
something
happenstance
that
before
you
even
thought
of
Jesus
he
thought
of
you
before
you
started
to
think
of
going
towards
Jesus
he
was
calling
you
that
Holy
Spirit
was
moving
in
your
life
to
draw
you
to
Jesus
and
when
he
draws
you
to
Jesus
you
put
your
faith
and
trust
in
him
and
that
everything
that
had
to
be
done
to
make
you
right
with
God
was
done
by
him
that
you
receive
what
love
and
if
you
could
put
it
up
in
love
he
came
to
save
you
in
love
he
walks
with
you
in
love
he
will
come
to
save
you
in
the
whole
earth
and
bring
into
you
to
live
and
live
there
MARK
is
ischen
the ruins.
He lives
among the ruins.
He redeems the ruins.
And one day, even the
most ruined who have put their
faith and trust in Jesus
in the new heaven and the new earth,
well,
they, you, will be
if we saw you on this
side of the grave
we couldn't look at you for your glory.
We'd want
to worship you because we're
idolaters.
Our eyes couldn't stand the brightness.
When God, the Son of God, who made
you and designed you to love
and to be loved,
redeems you in love
and restores your ruins
and not just restores, but
amps it up to a whole other key
and level that for the rest
of eternity, you go farther up
and farther in,
into the glory of who
he created you to be
and the glorious creation
that you were meant to live in,
where for all eternity
you will bask in the love
of the triune God for you
and you will respond
with love to the triune God
and not only to other
human beings, but to all
of creation,
that all of creation
will be seen to be in love,
from love, for love,
to be loved,
in a love that will never end
or ever come to a rest,
and where every day
is better than the day before,
and it will be hard to imagine
how the day to come
will be even better
than the day to be,
but when we wake to that new day,
that new day will be even better
and greater than the day that was,
and the day to be
will be greater still,
everlastingly.
This text is telling us
that what we now live in
is the night
that Jesus will return,
and it's when he returns
that the day will finally have dawned.
You could put up verse 13,
actually verse 12 again,
the night is far gone,
the day is at hand,
so then let us cast off
the works of darkness
and put upon on the armor of light.
Let us walk properly
as in the daytime,
not in carousing,
which is better than orgies
and drunkenness,
not in porneia and sensuality.
Sensuality means sexualizing
all of life,
not in quarreling and jealousy,
but put on the Lord Jesus Christ
and make no provisions
for the flesh
to gratify its desires.
If you could put up
the final point
as we close,
gripped by the gospel,
cast off your works of darkness,
put on the armor of light,
walk in the dying of the night
to the glory of God
and the good of people.
It's really funny
to read nerdy commentators
as they try to struggle
with this idea
of putting on the armor of light,
but anybody who's watched
a superhero movie,
anybody who's read a fantasy
or science fiction novel,
we understand it intuitively.
when you take the sword
out of the stone,
the sword changes you.
When Aragorn gets his sword,
the sword makes him more Aragorn
and makes him greater.
When you get the suit
and you put it on,
you become the suit.
That's what the text is telling you.
It's very simple.
And for those of you
with great imaginations,
worry is a terrible misuse
of your imagination.
I'm preaching to myself.
Like imagine,
as you wake up every day,
today I'm going to take off
those things of darkness.
I'm going to take off despair.
I'm going to take off resentment.
I'm going to take off bitterness.
I'm going to take off greed.
I'm going to take off
lack of generosity.
I'm going to take that off
and I'm putting on
the armor of light.
I'm putting on Christ.
How am I going to deal
with my temptations?
I'm going to cast away
those things.
I'm going to put on
the armor of light.
And gripped by the gospel,
day by day,
I'm going to cast off
the works of darkness.
I'm going to put on
the armor of light.
And I'm going to walk
in the dying of the night
because that's the time
we're living in
to the glory of God
and the good of people.
I'd like you all to stand.
If you could put up
the collect again
in closing,
that would be wonderful.
In light of this
wonderful text,
let's pray together
the collect for all of Advent.
Almighty God,
give us grace
that we may cast away
the works of darkness
and put upon us
the armor of light.
now in the time
of this mortal life
in which your Son,
Jesus Christ,
came to visit us
in great humility,
that in the last day
when he shall come again
in his glorious majesty
to judge both
the living and the dead,
we may rise
to the life immortal
through him
who lives and reigns
with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and forever.
Amen.
Father,
help us to put on
the armor of light.
And Father,
if there are any here
who have not yet
given their lives
to Jesus,
Father,
I ask that you just
help them to surrender,
to give their lives
to Christ.
We know you,
Father,
that you will receive them
as they turn to you,
as they turn to Jesus.
Father,
pour out the Holy Spirit
upon us
as we remember
your Son's death
and resurrection,
as we pray,
as we continue
to receive grace
from you together.
We ask this
in Jesus' name.
Amen.