Advent: Beginning with the End in Mind
Today we celebrate the first Sunday
of Advent. The word “Advent” is from the Latin “Adventus,” which means
“coming.” Advent is the beginning of a new church year. As we celebrate Advent,
the coming of Christ, we proclaim the Good News to the world that Jesus is
our hope, Jesus is our peace, Jesus is our joy, and Jesus is our love. But
in real life, sometimes we wonder if this good news really makes a difference
to us and to those who struggle. One of this week’s lectionary passages, 1
Corinthians 1, tells us how the good news of Jesus Christ can shape each of us
individually and the church corporately.
Called
Paul’s greetings are surprisingly
(almost shockingly) positive and encouraging. Looking at it from our
perspective, the Corinthian church was a mess. It was made up of people
from many different backgrounds, including Romans, Greeks, Orientals, and
people from all over the world. It was a melting pot, and they didn’t get along
at all. There was quarreling, cliques forming, wealthier people not eating or
associating with poor people, and the list goes on. The Corinthian church was
filled with the problems, and they were not repentant; instead, they were proud,
rebellious, not teachable.
To this hopeless church, Paul begins his letter this way: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…” (v. 2) How can he be so optimistic? If we take a look at our text carefully, then we can find how Christ-saturated Paul is. He refers to “Christ” 11 times in these 9 verses. His surprising encouragement is firmly grounded in Christ. Here Paul is essentially saying, “Look, Corinthian church, you may be falling apart at the seams, but the God who called you has secured your past, present, and future. He is holding you together.”[1]
On my wedding day, my father-in-law said to me, “Son, I trust the Holy Spirit in you.” Once in an interview Dallas Willard was asked about the challenges facing the church. Dr. Willard spent much of his life addressing the problem of why the church isn't raising up more people who look and act like Jesus. At the end of that two-hour interview, Willard was asked this pointed question: "When you look at how off track the church is, do you ever just throw up your hands in despair?" Willard smiled and said, "Never." "But how can you not?" the interviewer asked. "Because," he said, "I know Christ is the head of his church and he knows what he's doing."[2]
Equipped
After his greetings, Paul’s tone
becomes even more positive, saying, “I give thanks to my God always for you… in
every way you have been enriched in him… so that you are not lacking
in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv.
4-7). Eugene Peterson’s Message Bible paraphrases verse 7 this way: “Just
think--you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are
right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on
the scene for the Finale.” From our perspective, the Corinthian church is
falling apart. From our perspective, our church seems to be lacking in many
ways. But by the Spirit Paul is saying, “We’ve got it all because we have been
secured, enriched, and sustained in Christ. We have Christ. He is our all in
all”
In his book Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan tells us this truth in a creative way. In the story, the main character, “Christian,” saw an unquenchable fire against a wall. And he also saw a man clothed in black standing by and continually pouring water upon it, but the fire only burned brighter and hotter. And then the guide took Christian behind the wall to show him the reason for that. Here Christian saw another man with a vessel in his hand continually pouring oil upon the fire. Christian asked, “What does this mean?” The guide said, “This is Christ. He pours the oil of his grace to his children continually. So, the devil’s power cannot quench the fire in their heart.” We may be tempted, fall apart, and even shrink back at times, but we need to remember this. The risen Christ is within us through his Spirit. He is greater than the one who is in the world! (1 Jn 4:4) His grace is enough. So we are enough.
Perfected
Paul continues. “He will also
strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless (perfected,
glorified) on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom
you were called into the partnership of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (vv.
8-9). For Christians, hope can be defined as “sure confidence in God’s
promises.” Paul puts his hope in God’s character – his goodness, his
faithfulness, his strength.
In Romans 8:29-30 Paul expounds God’s faithfulness this way: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” I would call these five verbs (foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified) the unbreakable chain of God’s grace. Here Paul speaks of our future glorification in the past tense. Why? Because it is so certain as if it were past, although it is still future. It is a so-called ‘prophetic past’ tense. James Denney writes that ‘the tense in the last word, “glorified” is amazing. It is the most daring anticipation of faith that even the New Testament contains.”[3] God himself is right alongside to keep us steady and on track until that day (cf. verse 8, Message).
God Is Faithful
The other day I visited some of our
churches at a nursing home. I asked, “How was your day?” One member answered,
“Uneventful.” Another member said, “Although I sleep more nowadays, I am still
tired when I get up. I am always tired.” Where do we find hope?
Some of us in this room may wonder and doubt. “What if I give up? What if I suffer from dementia and stop believing? What if my children’s love for God grows cold and dies and they stop believing? What if our church falls apart and dies?” What ifs…? Where do we find hope?
The movie Greater is based on a true story about a life of Brandon Burlsworth, a walk-on college player who later became an NFL player. He was a devout Christian. He was killed when he was 22 because of a tragic car accident. His older brother, Marty, was struggling so much. He could not accept the loss. He could not understand why God would take away his brother. As preparations for the funeral begins, Brandon’s friends come and decorate a stadium with flower pots. To Marty, it looks all random and arbitrary and chaotic. But then, he is invited to come up by his mother and takes a look from the top. Then he is able to see the entire flowerpot decoration, saying, “WE TRUST.”
Our grief is great, but our God is greater. Our challenge is great, but our God is greater. Our suffering is great, but our God is greater. God will strengthen you, help you, and sustain you. God will make all things work together for good. God will keep you strong and on track to the end. God’s grace is always enough and active in our lives. God is faithful. The one who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.
“Our
_______________________ is great,
But God is greater.”
[1]
Stephen T. Um, 1 Corinthians: The Word of the Cross (Preaching the Word)
(p. 22). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
[2]
Skye Jethani, Immeasurable: Reflections on the Soul of Ministry in the Age
of Church, Inc. (Moody Publishers, 2017), 49.
[3]
John Stott, The Message of Romans: God's Good News for the World
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 253.
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