December 7, 2025
READINGS & MESSAGE
ISAIAH 11:1-10
Isaiah’s passage this morning…with the exception of possibly the white dove, I believe that there is no better picture which may depict peace as a lion sleeping with a lamb…it’s predator lying with the prey…and these pictures strike us because they seem so odd…wolf with a lamb…calf and lion…cow and bear…and children playing amongst snakes…is this prophecy or a fairy tale?...well…inside of ourselves lives both of these contrasts and we need to learn that the wolf and the lamb within us live together in a new kind of harmony…so, let’s take a listen to Isaiah…
ROMANS 15: 4-13
Our reading from the letter to the Romans has a theme and it has to do with hope…yeah, I know…it’s the Sunday of Peace but here you have it anyway… “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”…well hope may seem illusive in our modern world sometimes and as Emily Dickinson called it, “A thing with feathers that perches in the soul.”…and I don’t think that this is what Paul was alluding to…I think it has more to do with linking hope with trust…grounding for hope is neither the last resort nor is it random chance… the ground is God…the God of steadfastness and encouragement…the God of hope…what God has said – is what will be…the word hope then becomes the key concept in this passage and Advent is for all of us a time of expectation and of joy and of waiting and fulfillment – and – hope…
MATTHEW 3: 1-12
So folks, Advent not only marks a new beginning, but it defines a time of transition, and this may be why John the Baptizer is the focus for the Second Sunday of Advent…John has one foot in the old age that is coming to a close and the other foot in the new age that is being born…
John is a bridge between eras in Israel’s history…and I believe that his example leads to one of the toughest questions that can be asked about our preaching – about my preaching…is anything really at stake when you are listening to me?...do people, you folks, have to take your lives in your hands when you come to hear me preach?...and maybe the biggest question of all, what kind of preaching is needed in the wilderness today?...well all I know is that whatever my message is going to be, it points beyond myself and points to God…to peace…to hope…to trust…
THERE IS PEACE IN SHARING
“Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” the sparrow asked the dove.
“Nothing more than nothing,” came the answer.
“In that case, I must tell you a marvelous story,” says the sparrow. “I sat on the branch of a fir tree, close to its trunk, when it began to snow - not heavily, not in a raging blizzard - no, just like in a dream, without a sound, and without any violence. Since I did not have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and the needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,741,953. When the 3,741,954th dropped onto the branch - nothing more than nothing - as you say, the branch broke off.”
Having said that, the sparrow flew away.
The dove, since Noah’s time an authority on the matter, thought about the story for a while, and finally said to herself, “Perhaps only one person’s voice is lacking for peace to come to the world.”
Peace comes to us one step at a time and sometimes two steps forward and three steps backward....but what is of great importance is that peace is shared....Christmas...is so often a tense time....it’s a very anxious time for families...can my family come home?...will my family be safe?...will I see my family?...we aspire to make it perfect...then...families and branches of families and children and parents collide....we sometimes can’t even find peace amongst ourselves...how in heaven’s name are we ever going to find peace on earth?...
What better way than to speak up...against the powers and principalities of this world...to not be a voice in the desert but a voice that can be heard which has an empowering and an enriching tone to it and which embodies the love and peace which Christ exemplified...and this is not always such an easy task...I’ll share a story with you which might give you the idea of what I am talking about....
While Khrushchev was premier of the Soviet Union, he came out against his predecessor Joseph Stalin and Stalin’s abuses of power. As he was giving his speech denouncing Stalin, someone in the Congress Hall shouted, “Where were you comrade Khrushchev, when all these innocent people were being slaughtered?”
At that moment...there was total silence...as everyone wondered what would happen next....Khrushchev stopped speaking and began looking around the hall....He said, “Will the man who said that kindly stand up?”
No one stood up.....Everyone was frozen in their seats....
Khrushchev then said, “Well, whoever you are, you have your answer now... I was in exactly the same position then...as you are now.”...
And this brings us back to facing the powers and principalities which take away from our freedom and our peace in this world...and allow me to share with you this morning one of my biases....We live in democratic countries and for this we should be thankful...we are allowed to vote in those... which we deem to be the best representatives of our voice....but when world peace becomes threatened because the powers and principalities have an agenda that is different from ours...we are in trouble....in fact...our voice becomes voiceless unless we speak up against the wrongs which we see and speak up in all manner of ways...when Jesus spoke up against the evils of society, he wasn’t pointing his finger only at the Pharisees and Sadducees or those who held ecclesiastical office and misused it, he wasn’t only pointing his finger at the Roman Empire and their power and greed, he wasn’t only pointing his finger at tax-collectors or money-changers.....he was denouncing the misuse of power and those who were not sharing in the gift of peace-making and bringing the kingdom of God alive...he was pointing his finger at those who turned their eyes away from reality and were tooooo busy building their own empires where they made themselves the centre.....our democratic countries, at this moment, are finding themselves embroiled in just such empire building and peace in this world is hanging by a thread....
So how do we “prepare the way of the Lord”?
How do we prepare the way for God to work God’s continual creation through us when we are being constantly challenged with forces which are not our voices or our thoughts or actions???
A simple answer.....there is peace in sharing....and there is sharing in peace…We share in the raising and caring for a child....this child...like any child...needs to be looked after...so what does it mean for us to care for the Christ-child?....what does it mean for us to raise the Christ?...IT MEANS EVERYTHING....for when we raise Christ...God raises us....when we look after the lowliest...we become agents of peace in this world.....we become connected to Elizabeth and Mary as they share their joy with each other.... we become like John the Baptizer and stand before the powers of the world and say, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”...or in today’s terms...put away all of those negative things which are blocking you from being whole and open yourselves up to sharing in the spirit of peace....and this begins with reconciliation with family members...with neighbours...and on a global scale.... reconciliation with other countries and working towards peace instead of war...
Can we hear the voices of Jesus and John and Mary and Elizabeth as they prepare to bring peace to this earth? I hope so…….AMEN