A New Perspective on Life
Propers for The First Sunday in Advent
Isaiah 28:14-22 Psalm 46
ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy 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 quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
Romans xiii. 8. OWE no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
St. Matthew xxi. 1.
WHEN they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name 'of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
A Different Perspective Romans 13__8-14 Advent
Summary: Christians see life from the perspective of the cross and eternity and live different lives because of it.
Scripture: Romans 13:8-13:14 (add scripture)
INTRODUCTION
Those of us who grew up in the North Country often like to tell stories of our harsh winters. We tend to glory in the fact that we survived huge snowfalls, and some of the coldest temperatures ever recorded this side of Antarctica. Living as an adult, in the North, I was always amazed that the snowfalls were never as deep as they were when I was a child; the snow banks never quite so high. Then, it hit me. I was viewing winter from a different perspective. The snow banks look much higher when you’re only four feet tall instead of six feet, and the snow seems deeper when you’re making your way through it with 25 inch inseams rather than 32 inch.
A 26.2 mile marathon looks very different to the individual who is running it for the first time, as opposed to the veteran runner who has “been there, done that, and has the T-shirt.”
We Christians are invited to live our lives marching to the beat of a different drummer than other folks because we have a different perspective. We see life through the cross and eternity.
REMEMBER THE TIME
Two thousand years has shown the Paul was incorrect in his assumption that Jesus would return quickly. Still we have the promise that Jesus will return. When he does return, he will make all things new and will establish the kingdom of God—heaven—on earth. As children of God—people who have died with Christ in baptism so that we may live with him in his kingdom—we live in the reality of this promise, and the fact that we are eternal beings.
Teilhard de Chardin a French Jesuit philosopher, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience." Only the object and the subject have been changed in this observation, but the change in perspective is dramatic and dynamic!
For Paul, the fact that Christians are eternal beings makes a big difference in how we live our lives. We have broken free of the expectations, short-sighted goals, and self-centered interests of the world. He invites his readers to view possessions from a perspective beyond their physical lives. Jobs become vocations and ministries. Daily life is transformed from acquisition to a life of service. Grudges aren’t worth nursing, and relationships become valuable.
The other perspective that Paul has viewed life from and encourages his readers to do the same is the cross of Christ. Paul has written eleven chapters in this letter highlighting the steadfast love, overwhelming grace and unconditional forgiveness of God. It is God’s love and grace that inspires us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, and to live lives of love.
TRAVEL LIGHT
Working from his twin perspectives, Paul starts out his instructions on how to live in the reality of God’s love and grace by telling his readers to owe no one anything except to love one another. I think Paul is suggesting to us that we travel light.
Most of the people of the United States have entangled themselves in debt. We live from paycheck to paycheck, and sometimes we have too much month left over at the end of our money. Our debt and lifestyle has created heavy burdens for us, which have limited our experience of the abundant life that can be ours as Christians. It’s hard to be loving
when you’re worried about making the payments on your credit cards, or have nothing saved up for the dishwasher that is starting to make funny sounds.
We have an opportunity to help the people whose lives have been devastated by terrible storms. Rather than give generously, though, because we love and care for the situation of others, we will look at all of our bills and decide that we can only afford to give a few bucks. There is nothing wrong in giving only a little—if that is what we want to do. The tragedy is to want to do more but we are limited because of our lifestyle and debt load.
Christ has set us free. We can work to experience that freedom—totally. We can strive to shed our debts and break the shackles of our lifestyles. We can live relatively burden free, and expand our ability to love worry free.
WALK IN LOVE
Jesus, by his life, death and resurrection, has shown us that a life that pleases God is not one that keeps a certain set of rules. Rather, it is a life of love and service.
Paul is not suggesting that we cultivate a feeling of love for everyone. He is, instead, exhorting his readers to a loving life of attitude and action.
Our attitude toward others is acceptance rather than judgment. God comes to us not with a stick, but with outstretched arms. We live in the reality that everyone is a child of God—no one is a “they” everyone is an, “us.” Following Christ’s example we forgive the unforgiveable, and love the marginalized, the weak, the poor and hungry, the forgotten and neglected—those people who few people love. Loving the unloved, is a sign of maturity in Christ – that His Kingdom is arriving in our lives.
Overwhelmed and empowered by God’s love and grace in our lives and freed to love by our attitude, we act—we serve. Our love is more than words—it is words and deeds.
ILLUS: There once was a carpenter who didn’t overcharge for doing finish work
Once there was a physician who healed the sick for free
Once there was a man who fed people at no charge…
And you know what they did to Him?
They crucified Him!
On that God’s Friday 2000 years ago, Jesus appeared by his enemies to have been defeated. But his self-giving act of love launched a change in humanity that has grown from 12 disciples and a few thousand observers to the family of God on earth now that numbers in the millions and is still growing.
JESUS life and giving of himself shows how love completes the law.
CONCLUSION
We have heard had many references to prayer and the Kingdom of God. In the Lord’s Prayer, one of the petitions is “Thy Kingdom come, they will be done.” We pray for the coming Kingdom. The brief prayer at the end of Revelation is “Come Lord Jesus.”
John the Baptist had announced that “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus said, “The Kingdom is in your midst,” referring, I believe to Himself as King.
The word for Kingdom in the New Testament is basileia, which can be translated as Kingship, kingdom, or reign. The Kingdom of God or the Reign of God in history still lies ahead of us. It was brought near in the life of Jesus who was the Word incarnate; it is proclaimed through out the whole Gospel, and it has come in Christ’s death and Resurrection. The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper, and in the Eucharist, it is in our midst. The kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to the Father
“The truth is . Christ was raised to life – the first fruits of the harvest of the dead. . . .in Christ all will be brought to life; but each in proper order: Christ the firstfruits, and afterwards, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers up the kingdom to God the Father, after deposing every sovereignty, authority, and power. For he is destined to reign until God has put all enemies under his feet; and the last enemey to be deposed is death.” (I Corinthians 15)
St Cyprian said (De Dom. Orat 13), “it may even be. . . that the Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign.”
Where does this Kingdom begin with each of us? It begins when we acknowledge the Christ as King of Creation. St. Paul said, “If any man is in Christ, there is a new creation.” The Hallelujah chorus sings, “He shall reign for ever and ever.” We pray for the coming of the peaceable kingdom and it begins when we crown him Lord of Lords and King of our lives. The Kingdom of Peace does not begin with armies and military victories, it begins when the individual makes place in his life for Christ and dethrones his own ego.
The longer we live our lives in Christ – the more we should grow – the higher our expectations should be as to what it means to live a Christian life. The Son of God humbled Himself – came down – became a servant – a suffering servant of God and all mankind.
As we grow we should be putting on big boys clothes – the opposition to our progress, the snow banks in the path should not seem as high, and our stride through life should be with confidence and joy.
It should not be too difficult for us to radiate the love of God as our Lord did in a community and a time more hostile to His message than our own.
How do you see life? What’s your perspective? Are you looking from the cross and eternity? Such a perspective can transform our lives, and when we are transformed we are empowered to seek to change the world in which we live.
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin in me. Amen.
