give up your strength the seed to nourish

that in course the flow'r may flourish

A sermon on Josiah's reckless reforms

This is a fitting passage for today; this, the first Sunday of Advent. But this passage isn’t just fitting because it tells of the righteous child king. No, this passage is apt for today because, in its own particularly quotidian way, it’s horrifying. That’s right, horrifying.

Now, I know we don’t usually associate the frightening with Christmas. But there is a rich tradition of Yuletide ghost stories. How about that standard, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? You know the line: “There’ll be scary ghost stories / And tales of the glories / of Christmases long, long ago.” And this motif also turns up in the classic, A Christmas Carol - The Muppets version, of course. It’s even there in those twin modern classics, Edward Scissorhands and A Nightmare Before Christmas, too! And these aren’t anomalies, either! 

Before the invention of electricity-on-demand and HVAC, it was the winter that was truly the most frightening time of the year. As the days grew shorter and the weather turned colder, the very world seemed to become peculiarly amenable to all those things that go bump in the night. As the environment itself seemed to chase life away, one’s mind couldn’t help but turn to the odious notion that perhaps the sinister chill would only increase and increase forever. The bleak midwinter lent credence to the wretched idea that maybe the warmth of life would never return.

And that harrowing thought, dear sisters and brothers, is the terror with which we must all reckon today.

…Oh sure, we may know all about the earth’s axis. We might reassure ourselves with the principle of spring’s inevitability. BUT methinks we doth protest too much. After all, the powers and principalities haven’t been all that dependable lately. Have they?

Disturbingly, though, this plays out on an individual level, too. Sure, humankind may muddle through by the skin of our teeth. We often have. But that doesn’t mean each one of us isn’t facing the very same menace. 

I don’t mean that life may break you down, either. Although, life does have a way of putting your back against the wall. Doesn’t it? But no, I’m talking about the existential undoing. I’m speaking of the numbing of the soul and the freezing of the spirit. This is the true peril we all face. 

It’s not merely a theoretical possibility that we might sleepwalk our way through life. Is it? And neither is the prospect that we could stop living before we die. A spirit can perish. A person can plod through their days physically alive but actually dead inside.

And even more dreadfully, this can happen with faith, too. We can become so far removed from the all-consuming fire that is our God that the spark in our soul goes out. And should that happen, faith will sour. Belief will become a curse. And religion will cease to comfort, too. The knowledge of God’s existence is not enough. By itself, this information is only a burden and a terrible one at that. 

…I know! I know. You might have come here for a little reprieve from all that. And I get it, too. But hear me out!

First of all, we need words to describe our quandaries. That’s why the first step in getting better is the diagnosis. This is also what’s behind God giving humanity dominion over the animals by allowing Adam to name them. When you can identify something, you gain a little control over it. 

But that’s not all, either. The calamities of life, by themselves, are not what’s so distressing. Are they? No, what’s really painful about those times when life goes sideways is the fear that we’re the only one. What’s really gut-wrenching is the awful notion that the real problem is that there’s something really wrong with us.

This, by the way, is why Luther knew holing yourself up is the absolute worst thing you can do when the devil throws life in your face. Luther learned the hard way that when you’re up against it, you can’t get out of the tight corner by yourself. In fact, trying to only makes the pinch that much crushing!

No, what you need to do when life goes off the rails is get yourself in the company of others! This solace was such a balm to Luther that he nearly considered it a sacrament! “The mutual consolation of the saints,” Luther called this all-purpose Christian cure. 

This remedy is so effective for a couple of reasons. First, you’ll learn that it’s a lie that you’re the only one! When you talk to others about what’s giving you trouble, you’ll discover, to your great relief, that they can relate! And knowing that you’re not in this alone is huge!

*And just so you know where to turn, you’re not bothering me when you want me to do my job! Don’t hesitate to reach out! Plus, we’ve also got all these wonderful Stephen Ministers, too. 

Stephen Ministers, *raise your hands, please. Now, *look around, everyone. If you ever need someone to talk to, here are folks who have been trained to listen lovingly. And it’s anonymous, too.

Most importantly, though, when you talk about whatever has got you all twisted up, you’ll also get wise to the fact that God has something to say about it, too! The real crisis is that fear that we’re cursed. Isn’t it? What’s really alarming about the tough times is the terrible thought that God has abandoned us to them.

So hear this loud and clear: Christ has filled every last nook and cranny of existence with himself! What’s more, on account of the cross, those places that appear Godforsaken are actually most God-blessed. When you feel furthest from God, God, in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, draws closest to you! This is why Jesus could say something like, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit."

So, when, not if, when life gets on top of you, come here! THIS is a place for real sinners, not imaginary saints! But it’s not just that we’re all in this together, although we are. No, you can come here with all your misfortunes because faith is not the denial of disaster. No, faith is the God-given hope in the face of it. 

Let me repeat that. Faith is not the denial of disaster. It’s hope in the face of it.

…After all, isn’t that what’s going on in today’s Scripture? When the long-hidden book of the law is rediscovered, poor Josiah learns there’s nothing to be done. It’s too late. The sins of the past WILL catch up with him and the rest of the people, too.

And yet. And yet! And yet, Josiah doesn’t seem to be deterred in the slightest! Our passage didn’t include this, but after the covenant ceremony, Josiah goes through with it all! He demolishes the idols and he builds the temple back up again, too! Apparently, although there was nothing to be done about their fate, there was plenty to do about practically everything else!

Josiah reforms the nation, knowing full well it won’t make any difference. He does it all without any hope of reward. For Josiah, faithfulness is its own recompense. And for this, he’s known as one of the greatest kings of Israel. He’s even right up there with David. And as she should be, too. Shouldn’t he?

The temptation, of course, is to say you OUGHT to emulate Josiah. And of course, you should. We all should! It’s called faith, for heaven’s sake, not bargaining.

And anyway, we’d be a lot happier, too. It’s rarely the outcome that’s so upsetting to us. No, what’s really bothersome is how this or that didn’t turn out the way we expected. 

Letting go of the outcome is freeing! It was never in our hands anyway. But relinquishing the results allows you to accept life on its own terms. And it opens the possibility of doing something just because it is the right thing to do, not the easy thing. 

But it’s just not as easy as all that. Is it? Or is it? 

Really, the only reason we hedge our bets is because we think we still have time left to maneuver. But what if I told you you don’t? What if I told you it’s already too late for you? What then? 

Listen, I know it’s only the first week of Advent. And one of the conceits of this season is that it’s all about preparing for God’s arrival in Christ. And that’s well and good. On account of Christ’s eternal incarnation, it is altogether right and salutary that we take this time to prepare for the great and glorious “crowning of the year.” It will happen.

…However! However, you’re sorely mistaken if you think Advent is time to get ready! First of all, it’s too late for us. I don’t know if you’ve checked lately, but the mortality rate is still 100 percent. None of us get out of this alive. 

What’s more, there’s nothing you or I can do about it, either. We’re doomed! On account of our original Sin, we, too, like Josiah, live under the ancient curse.

Some of you here, though, don’t need me telling you that. Do you? No, life has already gotten out of hand for you. You know all too well that it’s already too late. Like Luther, you’ve learned the hard way that there’s nothing you can do.

But since you already know that, let me tell you something you may not know: Blessed are you. Yes, blessed are you. Blessed are you, who are harboring no more illusions. Blessed are you because now you’re living in reality! And reality is God’s staging ground. As we say around here, true spirituality is life—where? Yes, in reality. True spirituality is life in reality. Reality.

But you know what else? That’s not the only reason it’s already too late for you and me! The plain truth is, you can’t brace yourself for the reality-busting incarnation! “Heaven cannot hold him, nor the earth sustain; heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.” You don’t prepare for something like that. Do you? No, you don’t. No, you don’t.

And even if you could, and you can’t, but even if you could, it’s still too late! It’s already happened! And I’m not just talking about some Wednesday in the year 1 BC, either! No, I’m talking about time immemorial itself! Christ is the firstborn of all creation! His nativity has been knit into the very foundation of the universe. When Mary gave birth to the Christ-child, she conceived the very Conceiver of creation itself!

Yeah, wrap your head around that! Try and prepare for that! I dare you! But I’m not going to hold my breath.

…But now, at long last, a wholly new question presents itself! Doesn’t it? And this is a question that would never occur to you so long as you were foolishly trying to manage your own fate. And it’s a pretty darn sweet question, to boot. Now that you know, deep in your bones, that it’s already too late for you, you’re finally free to ask Josiah’s great question! Now what? 

Now what?!? What are you going to do now that it’s too late for you?!? What are you going to do now that there’s nothing you have to do anymore?!? Now what? Really! Now what?!?

Now that you don’t have to worry about yourself, you can finally begin to discover just how much everything else really matters! Reality itself is happening right underneath your very nose! That stakes of salvation are playing out in real-time! It’s all happening right here and now! And now, you can finally start to take it all in. The adventure of Advent awaits you! Your options are only limited by your own lack of imagination! 

It’s too late for you and me. We can’t save ourselves. And anyway, we never needed to, either. It’s always only been a matter of now what?!?

Don’t go and think this doesn’t matter, either. Yes, salvation is in the bag. But you, you are on the line. CHRIST isn’t about to lose you. But will you lose yourself? Will you get to eternity having never dared to really live or love?

And it’s not just you, either! The very world hangs on what we do and say and fail to say and do, too. Now, I don’t mean we will save the world. It’s too late for any of that nonsense. No, what I mean is, the world has already been saved! But how will anyone know if no one tells them?!? The only secret of the church is that the church knows something about the world that the world doesn’t know about itself, namely that it is loved from all eternity and back again! 

…What you and I do, it matters, beloved. Listen to the news if you don’t believe me. We’re destroying ourselves trying to find something to believe in. Aren’t we? And terrifyingly, the cruel oppressor wants us to succumb to this despair. 

This, this, is the real horror facing each one of us today. The old satanic foe wishes that you and I would believe that lie that this is all just a bunch of whistling in the dark. The hordes of devils desire that we would shrink back in the face of their terrible swarm.

And it’d be easy to, too. Wouldn’t it? It’s a small thing, this one little word we cling to. And I hate to tell you, but the darkness is not just about to shrug and walk away, either. No, the gloom will increase. The war may be over. But the specter, the sore loser, does as much collateral damage as possible “for the time being.”

Yes, we will light candles. Compared to the encroaching nightfall, though, they will seem so small. But, as St. John the evangelist declares in his Christmas story, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

These foes fear the word of God, for one little word subdues them! This Advent, and the very first Sunday thereof, too, a champion comes to fight! You ask who this may be? The Lord of hosts is he! Christ Jesus, mighty Lord, God’s only son adored! He holds the field victorious! 

…It’s already over! It’s too late. For now, it’s just a matter of waiting—steeling ourselves up for what’s already been accomplished. Now WHAT?!?

Fellow wayfarers, hope is not nothing. And neither is waiting. In all truth, they are really the most radical actions you and I can ever take this Advent or otherwise. 

No, these gestures won’t make all the difference. Christ has already done that. But for now, they do make this, the interlude, that much more melodious! And this side of time everlasting, that’s nothing short of a miracle!

On that note, why don’t we sing? I know the bulletin says something else, but I don’t think you can quote from A Mighty Fortress that much and not sing it! 

Yes, I know this may seem like such a small gesture. But it is truly the most powerful and faithful thing we can do! The end is music. On account of Christ, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end incarnate, that final refrain breaks in now! Let’s join the mighty chorus! Let’s sing!