Starting New By Looking at the Old

November 27, 2022

Starting New By Looking at the Old

Advent 1 T Matthew 21:1-9

 

INI

 

This Sunday marks the beginning of something new –

A new birth, so aptly celebrated with new life given to Theo.

The preparation for new life for us all,

a new life that comes to us by our coming King.

A new church year, as we tear off last year’s page and start from the beginning.

 

Today we start at the beginning.

We tell our Savior’s story

beginning with Advent, which literally means “coming.”

In this season, we’re greeted with the words of Zechariah 9:9,

“Behold, your King is coming to you!”

 

For most, this portion of the year is met with preparations for Christmas.

Festive Christmas music is played in over-priced shopping centers everywhere.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all the shopping holidays are commencing.

The lighted snowflakes now cover downtown Russellville,

as we prepare to place presents that give flashes of joy underneath a tree.

Plans are made and finalized –

What family is coming in or out of town.

 

For the church though, these weeks aren’t meant to prepare us for Christmas.

Sure, the kids are preparing the Christmas program.

And sure, you’ll hear about a thousand announcements about Midweek services, the candlelight Christmas service, and the Christmas Day service.

 

But Advent isn’t about preparing to meet baby Jesus.

Though, Advent is a season of preparation.

One may think it’s a season to prepare for Jesus’ birth,

That would only make sense as the rest of our preparations outside of church culminate in the climax of Christmas.

 

Rather, it’s a preparation for you to meet your coming King.

This preparation is hard, and requires repentance.

It’s a preparation for us to humble ourselves to new life,

As we recall the old stories of our King.

 

I’m not sure about you, but it always surprises me to find that our Gospel text on the first Sunday in Advent is Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

We may expect to hear the angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that despite her virginity, she will bear God in her womb.

Or perhaps we’d expect to hear Mary’s visit to Elizabeth,

when John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth’s womb when the pea sized Messiah came in Mary’s womb.

 

Such texts make sense in the linear story,

And prepare the timeline in our heads of the coming baby.

But Advent doesn’t prepare us to meet a toothless baby.

Advent gets us ready to meet the King –

The one who is righteous,

The one who reigns and rules with justice and might,

Yet also with humility and mercy.

 

Jeremiah tells us of this coming Davidic King.

He’s called “The Lord is our righteousness.”

This King covers the sins of His subjects,

And all who live with Him dwell in peace.

 

And the prophet Zechariah foretold of how we’ll know when this King comes.

He’s humble, mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.

That is to say, He’s unlike any other King.

Kings rule by force, subversion, and they seek to win at all costs,

even at the expense of the lives of the innocent.

 

Take Herod the Great for example.

He was the King of Judah at the time of Jesus’s birth.

He heard from the wise men that the King of the Jews was to be born,

And they were searching for Him.

Out of jealousy, rage, and subversive plot,

King Herod committed mass murder against all children in Bethlehem under 2 years old.

His “accomplish the task at all cost” attitude is no different then the way of worldly rulers.

 

However, this coming King is patient.

He graciously gives time for repentance,

and for all in his kingdom to turn and seek refuge in this King.

He’s humble, and riding on a donkey – not the war horse of Herod.

He doesn’t seek dominance but is self-giving.

He accomplished as much later that week after coming into Jerusalem.

The loud hosannas that ushered him into the city,

Quickly turned into shouts of “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

 

Instead of having an “accomplish the task at the expense of others” attitude,

Jesus accomplishes forgiveness and peace in the world at the expense of Himself.

He offers Himself up on the cross.

The subjects of His kingdom coronate Him with a crown of thorns,

and He takes a seat on His throne, the cross.

 

He does such a horrid thing willingly.

Because His love, His self-sacrifice for us,

Fulfills the requirements of the divine law.

He, as our King and Lord, is our righteousness.

Of ourselves, we aren’t good.

We’re terrible subjects of our King.

We disobey Him.

We overlook His generosity.

Every time we sin, we seek to overthrow the King on His throne,

And put ourselves in His place.

 

Take off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Submit to your King who comes to you to give Himself to you.

In His reign and rule, there’s peace, forgiveness, and love –

Which are things you can’t get in its true fullness anywhere else.

Or from anyone else.

 

This King offers chances time and again for His people to repent,

and gives new life to the humble.

As King, His first move is always to forgive the repentant,

not destroy them at first oppurtunity like King Herod.

Your King is merciful.

The Father is also just.

And God’s wrath over our pride was given justice in the King’s sacrifice on the cross.

All who believe and follow this King have no reason to fear His reign,

Rather, just as he came 2,000 years ago,

We look forward to His coming to us now in Word and Sacraments,

As He reigns over us in mercy,

And we look forward to when He will come on the last day to judge the living and the dead.

 

Advent isn’t a preparation for Jesus,

To butter up the masses to meet a cute, cuddly Savior.

The preparation is for you.

 

We humble ourselves before this humble King.

He is our righteousness,

Because we have none of our own.

This is a time of repentance, a time of sadness over sin.

For we’re sinners, in need of a Savior.

 

But Advent is also a season of hope.

If we’ve made a mess of our lives,

our King has come to make things right.

In Christ, there’s new beginnings, and new life.

We don’t need to despair over the troubles we’ve caused.

 

And so, starting today,

We start the new life by looking at the old.

We start the new church year by looking at its completion in Jerusalem.

We start new life by looking at our coming King’s death.

 

Theo’s new life has begun today by being connected to that which is old –

Theo’s death is connected to a death that happened 2,000 years ago,

And His future resurrection is connected to a resurrection that happened 2,000 years ago.

 

Your new life begins by being centered upon your King who was born in the year 5 B.C.

Though He came long ago, He still comes to you now.

He’s here in this place with water, word, bread, and wine to reign by forgiveness and self-sacrifice.

And He will come again to bring His people with Him to His eternal kingdom which has no end.

 

We start the new church year by looking at the end.

We recall the events of Christ’s last days,

And the new life we receive from such a love that willingly undergoes such suffering, to redeem and renew a sinful people.

 

Through God’s renewal of a sinful people,

We’re prepared for the coming King.

The night is far gone, the day is at hand.

Start new and fresh again.

Take up your loud hosanna’s,

For your King comes into the city of your heart,

To reign and rule in and through you

With forgiveness, love, and mercy.

Let us cast off works of darkness which belong to our old sin-filled lives.

And let us put on the armor of light –

That is, let us put on our baptismal garments once again,

And return to the riches, grace, and mercy of our crucified King.

 

INI