Stand Up! Raise Your Heads!

Text: Luke 21:25-36

Focus: Advent preparation

Function: To help people embrace Christ instead of materialism this Christmas.

Form: GOK

Intro:

I can’t believe it is the first Sunday in Advent already! It always seems that I just get done remembering that the year is 2009 when all of a sudden, I have to get a 2010 Calendar.

Remember how long it took for Christmas to come every year? It seemed like forever. I have a theory about that, because it comes quicker and quicker every year. The older I get, the longer I have lived, the less of a percentage one year has is my life.

When I was 5 and waiting for Christmas, a year was one whole 5^th of my life. That was a long time.

But now that I am 52, that year between Christmases will be 1/52 of my life. So, the way that time feels between it is less of a chunk and so it feels like it comes quicker and quicker each year.

As those years pass by, and family holidays seem to measure the true successes of life, one begins to wonder about the future.

(SHOW) What about the future?

It is in the context of that, at Christmas time, that I want to look at this scripture.

That is exactly what Jesus is talking about to His disciples. He has just explained to them a prophecy that would soon be fulfilled. It actually happened in 70 AD. He tells them that this generation; those who heard His voice right then will not pass away.

And it happens just as He said it would. Before that generation passed away, before 40 years were up, Jerusalem was destroyed. The Romans had a particular policy: “When agreements are broken, punishments must be severe!”

The Temple was destroyed; almost all of the inhabitants were tortured to death. But before he destroyed the Temple, in order to offend the Jewish people, Antiochus, the Roman commander sacrificed a pig, which was an unclean animal according to the Jewish Kosher regulations.

Maybe you are thinking, Pastor, this is the first Sunday of Advent, it’s Christmas time, (SHOW) isn’t this a time for hope?

I want to preach about hope out of the midst of despair.

Jesus is warning God’s people about the coming destruction against them by the Roman Empire.

And He gives them a way to understand its approach. He illustrates it with the fig tree.

(SHOW FIG TREE)

He tells them this coming destruction will be just as obvious in its approach as the way trees grow buds, develop leaves and then the leaves begin to fall and the fruit ripens.

One preacher I read said it this way: “On the first day of advent, my Savior gave to me: A Parable about a Fig tree.”

It’s about looking for signs of His coming.

(SHOW) Advent is a time for us to look at the symbols of our own hope.

When we conclude this worship service, we will be sharing in the greatest symbol, the bread and the cup.

But we light the candles. The culture begins decorating their houses. The whole community adorns itself with bright lights, brilliant colors and greetings of good will, happiness and peace.

(SHOW beautiful Christmas scene)

We love Christmas because all of these signs build that expectation for the great day.

And every year, we hope for something wonderful.

The children hope they get the perfect present that they think will make them happy.

The parents can’t wait to give the perfect present that they think will make their children happy.

During the meal we hope. We hope the conversation will be happy. We hope the love expressed between family members will fill our hearts with this sense of peace.

So, I am struck by something in this passage.

Jesus is talking about this time of suffering that is coming on God’s people.

And this is a difficult Christmas financially for many people.

That first Christmas after my daddy died was hard to endure without his loving presence.

The presents, sometimes they brought joy, sometimes, they were a disappointment.

In the long run, the material things did not bring any real happiness at all.

Things do not make us happy.

Christmas has become the make it or break it indicator of our whole economy. It is the one thing retailers count on. It is the one thing manufactories count on in order to survive.

And at the beginning of this passage, right after He tells them of hard times, right before He tells them to look for the signs, almost in parentheses He gives a command to God’s people.

This is a command for those who trust in Jesus.

He says: (SHOW) Stand Up! Raise Your Heads!

I was struck by a scene from the Movie Schindler’s List.

The Jewish people again are subject to this kind of terror and persecution and a father is trying to communicate to his wife and children who are in another part of the camp when all of a sudden the commandant comes trotting by on his horse.

The people all stand and then bow their heads and avert their eyes. The commandant believes it is out of respect for his power, but the people know it is out of fear. If they don’t make eye contact with him, they won’t draw attention to themselves and that would be the safest way to avoid his cruelty.

But God, in the midst of this terror says to His people: “Stand up! Raise you heads!”

Why? Because God’s (SHOW) redemption is coming!

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this sermon as Jesus is telling them not only of the coming destruction by the Roman imperials, but also of His own second coming.

His command: “Look Up…” is a command to keep our eyes focused on Him and have faith.

When He tells us His redemption is coming, He is telling us that God is coming to set things right. So trust Him. Look to Him.

He is telling us that His Kingdom will reign.

And the Kingdom of God is not a nationality, it isn’t America, it isn’t wealth or human power, but it His peace. This is a peace that reigns in spite of any circumstance.

I have to remind myself that the gift giving is an expression of love and can be a beautiful thing. But behind it all is His Love.

The decorations give us a chance to feel that warm fuzzy feeling at home, they make each and every house a place where a family loves and cares for each other. It is a good thing.

But I have to remember that (SHOW) Jesus makes this possible.

That command, raise my head and look for Jesus in Advent inspires me. It is a call to keep our faith in Jesus –good times or bad.

There was a great Christian who was very wealthy. He was educated enough to read, and rich enough to own a copy of scripture since before the printing press all books were copied by hand and expensive.

He began reading the gospels and was overwhelmed by all the passages where Jesus spoke about caring for the poor.

So he, on Christmas Eve, over the course of the next few years gave all of his wealth away by buying presents for poor families and leaving them at their houses.

His acts of generosity and example to other Christians became so widely known that the Church declared him to be a Saint.

You know Him, Saint Nicholas. We know him better by a Spanish rendition of his name: Santa Claus. He started the tradition of giving at Christmas.

Mary Taynor visited with me last Tuesday. She told me she had an image in her mind while she was praying. She had this picture of Santa Claus bowing at the manger, worshipping Jesus.

(SHOW Santa kneeling picture)

I think of how important the materialism of Christmas is to our economy and the fact that our economy needs a boost.

And I pray that retailers do well this year.

But I have to remind myself of something very important.

Jesus told God’s people, in the midst of Crisis, look up! Raise you heads! Look for Jesus!

Unfortunately, Santa Claus has become something different than this wonderful Christian saint. He has become the symbol of the materialism of Christmas. He is a necessary part of marketing.

But as I was thinking about that, I had this picture in my mind as well: Santa Claus bowing at the manger, worshipping Jesus.

I had this image of Christmas being first and foremost a time of worship about Christ Jesus who came to Bethlehem as a baby

We are reminded this first Sunday of Advent to look up, to look for Jesus for He is coming again.

Jesus reminds us to look up and focus on Him, no matter what, good time and bad. Actually He warns us: (From “The Message”)

(SHOW) "But be on your guard. Don't let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it's going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once.

We are reminded that it isn’t just about the gifts, the meals and the decorations. Those things are there to point to the most important thing. Jesus

Invitation:

Jesus said: That day will come like a trap on everyone.

This is serious stuff, it is important that we keep our heads looking up for Him.