Good Living in Bad Times

Sermon for Green Lake Church of Seventh-day Adventists
For October 20, 2018

Texts: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, Luke 3:3, 7-8, 10-14, 18-20


2000 years ago, before Jesus was “a thing,” there was a preacher named John the Baptist. His preaching created waves of excitement across Palestine--among both Jewish and non-Jewish populations.

His preaching was connected with widespread expectation of the appearance of the Messiah--the long promised, long-expected, super-hero of that lived at the heart of Jewish culture, religion, and theology.

The end was near. Or rather, a new beginning. God was going to break into this dismal world with something bright and new and powerful. The excitement spread. The crowds gathering around John the Baptist grew larger.

John’s preaching was framed in the classic denunciations of the ancient prophets. His words were sharp, definite, confrontational.

When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God's coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." 

This was hell fire-and-brimstone preaching. It was thunder and bombast.

Note John’s fierce rejection of self-congratulation based on ethnic/religious identity. You tell yourselves, “We are children of Abraham. We’re good.” “You better shut that nonsense up.” John said. “God doesn’t care who your daddy is. God doesn’t care about your DNA or passport or church membership. God is watching your way of life. Prove you’re a child of Abraham by living out Abraham’s highest ideals.” (Note: Even Abraham did not live up fully to his ideals. You’re going to have to do better than Abraham did if you expect God to be impressed by your doing.)

John was preaching for effect. He did not want the people to “like” his preaching. He wanted them to reshape their lives. Like any good coach he was aiming at improved performance. And fortunately, his students asked the right question.

The crowds asked, "What should we do?"

We imagine ourselves as the spiritual heirs of John the Baptist. We, too, are heralding the coming of the Messiah. We, too, proclaim the coming of a New Age, a New Era. We urge people to repent, to change the direction of their lives, to get ready for the return of Jesus. We are thrilled when people hear this message and ask the question:

“What should we do?” What’s the answer? What’s the special preparation we are to make for the dawning of the age the Messiah?

John replied, "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry." 

What is the proper lifestyle of those who are getting ready for the coming of Messiah? Generosity. Kindness. Compassion.

All of us have some measure of blessing in our lives. Health, smarts, beauty, a pension, an American passport, some investments, a graduate degree, friends. John told the crowd. “Consider the blessings in your lives and ask yourself how you might touch someone else’s life with that blessing. What sacrifice are we able to make to bless others?” This is the central characteristic of people living in the light of the Messiah.

I received an email this week from a woman named Emme. She had read an article in Adventist Today that described the best of our life together here at Green Lake Church. She had posted a link to the article on her Facebook page. After reading the article, a number of her friends commented, “I would love to go to a church like that.”

What did Emme and her friends find so attractive?

The article described acts of service performed by people in our congregation, acts of generosity to strangers, acts of enduring faithful service within the context of family. I wrote of the church celebrating the amazing accomplishments of our gifted kids. I also mentioned our regard and respect for the people among us who care for children who will not graduate or perform in recitals or win athletic awards. Here, in this community, all children are precious, not just the “above average” kids.

Here we devote a lot of attention to worship. We work to create worship services that feed our souls and give voice to our deepest values--loving God and loving people.

Of course, we aren’t flawless. But we do have high ambitions, holy aspirations. We want to be like God--practicing generosity, faithfulness, and integrity. We know that we are keeping company with God as we rear our children, help our neighbors, build airplanes, write code, heal the sick, drive buses, or sell cars. Every day, in everything we do, we aim to make the world a little bit better. This is how we live in the light of the Coming of Jesus.

When the crowd asked John the Baptist about what they should. John’s first response was generic, something that applied to everyone. Practice generosity. If we have two shirts, share one. If we have two sandwiches, share one.

Then there came a more specific question.

Tax collectors came to be baptized and asked what they should do. John replied, "Collect no more taxes than the government requires."  

In that world, tax collectors were independent contractors. They were businessmen. With the advantage of having the powers of the state behind them.

John’s answer acknowledged the legitimacy of their work. Governments need taxes to provide service. And a business has to collect money if it is going to survive. According to John, It was okay to receive money. To take money. But there was also a moral limit.

It is not morally permissible to take everything I can get, if I’m in a position of power. The primary function of morality in the teachings of Jesus--and foreshadowed here in the words of John the Baptist--is to limit the power of the powerful. Christian morality is not about keeping little people in their places. It is about curtailing and directing the power of the powerful.

Collect taxes, but don’t overdo it. Charge enough to make the business viable, but don’t gouge your customers. Make a profit, but not a killing.

Then some soldiers spoke up.  "What should we do?" they asked. John replied, "Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay." 

The soldiers were members of the Roman occupying force. They were essentially the police force. They had power. John directed them to use their power ethically and with restraint. In today’s world where there are heartbreaking stories of police misconduct, it is vital that we as a church celebrate and honor the work of the great majority of police officers who respect the law and the people they serve. It is also our responsibility to speak against police misconduct. Whatever the color of our skin personally, together as a church, we stand with our brothers and sisters, people of color, in their protests against police brutality.

With John the Baptists, we say to those charged with keeping the peace:  Do justice. Do right.

Now we come to the most startling element of John the Baptist’s preaching.

John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. 20 So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others. 

When public persons engage in egregious evil it is the obligation of the church to speak up. We must be clear about the difference between our values and the values on display in the world around us.

When the president of the United States mocks women, we say, No. That is evil speaking.

When the president of the United States celebrates violence against news reporters. We say, No! That is evil doing.

When a candidate for the Supreme Court lies about his high school drinking parties, we say, No! Lying is wrong. Even if lying will get you a highly coveted job, it is still evil. We are a community of truth.

When the president of our denomination uses innuendo and insinuation to defame congregations and cast suspicions on pastors, we stand up and say, “Stop it.” That is unworthy of any minister, much less the president of the church. Presidents and judges are rightly held to higher standards than ordinary people. Their words have consequences.

Our highest commitment is responding to the call of God. That begins in generosity and compassion. But it moves unavoidably into standing bold and unbending in the face of evil and oppression practiced by the powerful. We stand for truth. We stand against lies, the encouragement of violence, and the idolization of a mythical golden age in the past. Our eyes are on the coming Age of the Messiah, the better land is ahead and beckons us.

Here and now we pledge ourselves to the practice of the values of the kingdom of heaven--to generosity and compassion, to truth and justice, to nobility and dignity.

When these values appear beaten down in the world around us, we come here to church and reaffirm their reality, their beauty, and their ultimate triumph.

God will win.

Truth will win.

Love will win.

And we pledge ourselves to speak the truth and to practice love.

A Haunting Diagnosis

A Haunting Diagnosis

Isaiah 1.10-20
Matt 23.1-10

Nationalism and religious conceit grow naturally in our hearts. One of the central themes of the Bible prophets was a vigorous challenge to both. We would do well to hear their challenge in our super-charged partisan world.

A couple of weeks ago, Karin was at work. Her protege, a high school student, was out back taking care of barn chores. It was time for me to head to the church so I called the dogs and went to find Raena to tell her I was leaving and to make sure the dogs knew they weren't being left home alone.

She made over the dogs while I headed to my car. I closed the gate behind me, headed down the street, and turned onto the main road. A couple hundred yards down the road I noticed the cars coming toward me braking sharply. I glanced in the mirror and saw cars swerving and slowing and what looked like a dog racing up the street toward me. It took a second before it dawned on me.

REXIE!!!!

My dog was chasing me to Seattle.

I pulled over, holding my breath, hoping she wouldn't get hit. I got out and opened the back door about the time she caught up with me. She hopped in the car. I drove her back home and shut her in the house, shaking my head. Crazy dog! Trying to get herself killed.

But, of course, it's precisely this craziness that enabled her to worm herself into my heart and become my dog in spite of my best efforts to resist getting attached. Everywhere I go, she wants to go. If I'm sitting in the kitchen, she's at my feet. If I go upstairs to take a shower, she's lying outside the door when I come out. If I go to my workshop in the garage, she supervises. When we are hiking in the mountains, I leave her off leash and never worry about where she is. She is never far away.

The worst dog we ever had was a Sheltie. Everyone loved her. Except for me. What was not to love? She was sweet and pretty. She was the prettiest Sheltie I've ever seen. And I'm admitting that even though I did not like her!

When she died and the kids required me to perform a funeral, all of my tears were crocodile tears. I was not sorry to be rid of that dog!

Why? Why would I not like a sweet, cute, adorable, beautiful, friendly dog?

Because she would run off. She would get out of the yard and go searching for kids to play with and never come back. It appeared to me she loved everyone equally. She loved the new house just as much as our house. The greatest strain on our marriage in those years was this dog. Especially, if she got out because I forgot to close the gate.

There are many attributes of a good dog, but for me the number one, indispensable trait of a good dog is this: the dog comes home!

So Rexie is a good dog. She comes home. That is, she does her best to stay with me, even if that means chasing me all the way to Seattle!

In our Old Testament reading this morning, the prophet uses a similar animal analogy as the foundation of his argument.

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth.
For the LORD has spoken,

I have nourished and reared children, and they have rebelled against me.
How can this be? The prophet wonders.
An ox knows his owner. A donkey comes home to his master's feed box,
but my people Israel—they are oblivious. They are astonishingly unaware.

You feed a cow and after awhile it recognizes you. If my daughters cows are hungry, all I have to do is drive up to the gate and they all start heading toward me. I look like food to them. My wife feeds her horses grain every evening. So now, if they are out in the pasture, toward the end of the day, all she has to do is open the gate. They will run from the pasture to their own stalls. They know she will give them a treat.

Through the prophet, God laments: I gave birth to you. I fed you. Why have you forgotten me? Why do you ignore me? Don't you know what's good for you? Can't you be at least as loyal as a cow or horse . . . or, if the prophet were writing in our day . . . can't you be as loyal as a good dog?

Please?

Things were going badly for the nation at the time the prophet was speaking. The Jewish people were being battered by attacks by Assyria and other nations. The prophet insisted these misfortunes came as a result of the wicked of the nation.

Do you really want more beatings?
Why do you keep on rebelling?
The whole head is hurt,
and the whole heart is sick.
You are battered from head to foot—
covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds—
without any soothing ointments or bandages.
Your country lies in ruins,
and your towns are burned.
Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes
and destroy everything they see.
Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned
like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard,
like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest,
like a helpless city under siege.
Unless the LORD of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like Sodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.

If we reduce this poetry to simple prose, it would go something like this. You are the children of God. As children of God you can expect to enjoy the bounty of God. But you are misbehaving. You are acting like the children of a different family. You are cutting yourself off from the family treasure. Your very life is a gift of God. And even the meager blessings that keep you barely alive are gifts from God. Can't you see this? God wants to give you full access to the wealth of the family but that access only comes to those who embrace the character, the culture, the lifestyle of the heavenly Father.

The prophets confront us over and over with this call:  Remember who you are. The apple is not supposed to fall far from the tree.  We demonstrate our family connection by living out the family values. And those values flow from the character, the essential identity of the divine Father and Mother.

When we act like jerks, we are distancing ourselves from our identity in God. God is not a jerk.

One of my kids insisted I watch a segment of the Daily Show a couple of weeks ago. Trevor Noah was interviewing former NSA and CIA Director, Michael Hayden. They were talking about lethal drone strikes. Hayden explained that Americans are always very careful to minimize civilian casualties. They go to great lengths to spare non-combatants.

This is the American way. We congratulate ourselves that we are not like other people. We are morally superior. We are virtuous.

But then Hayden went on to describe an incident. There was a really bad guy. He was sleeping outside. They could send a drone to kill him, but he was not sleeping alone. His grandson was with him. They decided to shoot anyway. They killed the bad guy . . . and the grandson.

Trevor pressed Hayden. “So when Middle Easterners kill innocent people, it's terrorism. When we kill innocent people, it is collateral damage?” The audience—probably most young people—reacted, clearly agreeing with the thrust of Noah's question.

One characteristic of young people is their ruthless critique of adult inconsistency and hypocrisy. We have become comfortable with the accommodations we have made with “reality.” Sometimes you just go with the lesser of two evils. Sometimes you just have to go with the system. That's just the way things are. Then a teenager looks at what we are doing and says, “Whoa! How come?”

We need to hear those challenges.

I posted a brief description of today's sermon on Facebook. One of my friends responded by insisting that America is the most righteousness, the most generous nation ever. We are good. We are the best. If I were not preaching from the book of Isaiah, I would probably have agreed with her. I am constantly meeting good, generous people. I'm not a doomsayer. I work to avoid scolding and condemning.

But today, we are looking at the words of the prophet Isaiah. And the prophet issues a stern challenge:

Isaiah calls his own nation, the nation of Judah with its capital, Jerusalem, Sodom and Gomorrah. This would be like calling the United States North Korea or ISIS. In the Bible, Sodom and Gomorrah epitomize evil. They are the evil cities. They are the capitals of iniquity. They were so bad God blasted them into oblivion. Jerusalem imagines itself as the capital of righteousness. The Jewish nation was God's nation.

Here in chapter one, Isaiah points the finger at the ruling elite of of the Jewish people and calls them Sodomites. This is pretty racy language. This is inflammatory. It is the word of the prophet.

It is my job as a preacher to bring those ancient words into our world. Americans imagine ourselves as a special nation. We are the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the history of the world.  Surely, this means we are God's favorites. Referring to Isaiah, I challenge our moral self-confidence. We, too, are susceptible to being Sodom and Gomorrah.

Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. Your New Moons and annual convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. NLT: I want no more of your pious meetings.
When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.
Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,

Do you hear what the prophet is saying? He says to the Jewish people—the people of God, the people who are the central figures all through the Bible, the people whose religion could be traced back to the direct word of God from Mt. Sinai—the prophet says to these people: Your religion is worthless. In fact, your religion annoys God, offends God. God wishes you would just quit!

Wow! That's pretty strong.

What was it that so annoyed God?

Many conservative Christians immediately imagine the prophet is making a sexual reference. After all, he mentions Sodom. And we all know about the sin of Sodom. But if that is where our minds go, we will completely misunderstand the prophet.

Isaiah is crystal clear. When he calls Israel, Sodom, he is talking about Israel's disregard of justice and mercy.

Your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

Therefore:

Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.
Remove your evil deeds from My sight.
Stop doing evil.
Learn to do good;

What is that good? What needs to change?

Seek justice,
Defend the oppressed.
Go to court for the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

This is the key to coming again into the richness of the family of God. This is the kind of behavior that shows we know our way to the Father's house. This kind of activism demonstrates that we really are children of God. This is the authentic expression of the values of the kingdom of heaven.

Next comes the beautiful passage about forgiveness.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.

God orders us to be merciful. To be generous rather than merely correct, to be gracious rather than exacting. We are ordered to act in these ways because this is the authentic expression of the family values of heaven. God says to Israel, You have screwed up. You have failed to be generous to the poor. You have failed to provide adequate legal defense for the defenseless. You have been willing to incarcerate people who cannot defend themselves. You have been damnably severe and “correct.” But I will forgive you. I have no interest in vengeance against you. Please rejoin the family. Please come back and participate in the overflowing generosity of your heavenly parents. And if you do, the bleak record of your past will be washed clean.

But, the prophet warns, if you refuse. If you reject the family values and continue to neglect and blame the poor. If you continue to allow people to receive only the justice money can buy, then be forewarned, you will be devoured. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.

In the current political season poor people, brown people, people with the wrong religion have been co-opted as tools of demagoguery. Candidates and movements have made crude, blunt denunciations of the vulnerable tools for attracting votes.

God calls us higher. God calls us to something richer and truer.

Let's be like Rexie chasing me to Seattle. Let's be like cows returning to their master's stable. Let's be children who remember and embody the highest values of their parents. Let's leave the ways of Sodom—the place where the strong thrive and the weak were fair game—and embrace the character of God—the defender of the fatherless and widows, the friend of all in need.

Words

Sermon manuscript for Green Lake Church of Seventh-day Adventists

Sabbath, February 13, 2016

Eighteen-year-old Shea Glover set out to do a photography project in Chicago. She took pictures of people. When they asked why she wanted to take their picture, she told them, “because you're beautiful.” Their faces lit up. As she continued her project she created an entire portfolio of paired images: A portrait of the person as she first saw them and a portrait of the person after they heard her words, “because you're beautiful.”

The transforming effect of her words is stunning. Yes, the “before” pictures show the magic of the human face. The people are beautiful. But after they heard Glover's words, “you're beautiful” their faces are positively radiant.

See pictures here: 

https://fstoppers.com/documentary/photographer-captures-peoples-reactions-when-told-they-are-beautiful-102444

This is the power of words.

The photographer spoke and it was done.

Which reminds me of the Bible's description of the creative words of God.

The very first story in the Bible pictures the world as a dark, chaotic place. Then God steps close and speaks. “Let there be light.” And light appeared!

As Creation week unfolds, the various acts of creation are pictured as the product of the words of God. “Let there be light.” “Let dry land appear above the restless ocean.” “Let fish swim in the sea.” “Let birds fly in the sky.” “Let critters roam the earth.”

And it was so.

The Psalm we heard in our Old Testament reading echoed this idea:

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth

NLT: He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.

For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. NIV.

What does God sound like? I googled “voice of God in movies” and found this in Wikipedia:

“In biblical epics and similar movies, God's voice is generally cast to provide a sense of authority. It is deep, resonant, and masculine, and usually the American English of Southern California (sometimes with a touch of British English)”

The article also mentioned Morgan Freeman in the movie Bruce Almighty. And I laughed.

When you imagine the voice of God, what do you hear?

I'm not posing this as a theoretical question. And the answer I'm looking for is not the name of an actor.

The question, what does God sound like, takes us straight to the heart of Christian ethics. We are to mirror God. God's voice is to become the model for our voice.

God's word is creative, healing. It makes beauty. It gives life.

That's also the way our words are supposed to work.

In our New Testament reading, we heard the stern challenge from Jesus:

Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the religious experts, you are not part of the kingdom of heaven.

What does this mean? What is this exalted righteousness Jesus is mandating?

You know the ancient law: Do not kill. If you kill you will face the judgment.

But I tell you, even if you are merely angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!

You don't have to get to murder. God is watching. Our lives are under scrutiny. Allowing yourself to get ticked off puts you in a danger zone. If you are ticked off, the video camera is activated. You are on film. What are you going to do next? Well, you're probably not going to kill anyone. Most likely, you're going to say something. And if the person you're angry at is not your boss, you're likely to say something. If the person you're angry at is your brother or sister or your child, the words that come out are likely to be sharp and cutting. “You idiot!” Which just happens to be the word Jesus speaks about next:

If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the heavenly court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

Words matter. Spouting harsh words is a damnable offense. Jesus is so emphatic about this, he actually forbids us to engage in any religious practice if we have used damaging words. Coming to church is worthless if during the week our words are ripping and tearing.

So if you are at the temple preparing to offer a sacrifice and there you remember someone has something against you. Stop. Leave your gift there at the altar. God be reconciled with that person. Then come back and complete your religious service.

Exalted righteousness means good words. A righteous person refrains from calling other people names. The speech of a righteous person is life-giving and healing. It has rich creative power like the voice of God in creation.

Let us practice sounding like God.

This is especially crucial if we are parents. The natural reality is that children create God in the image of their parents. The voice of God in our children's head will sound like the voice of mom and dad. So what does God sound like to our kids? Is God full of sharp condemnation? Does God call them stupid or lazy or perverse? Does God frequently sound like he would be happier if the universe did not include your kids?

Does God challenge our kids to pursue excellence? Does God encourage and offer wisdom? Is God's voice sweet? Children doing the crazy things that kids can do is no reason for you to sound like the devil. Cultivate gracious, courteous speech. Of course, there are times when you must speak forcefully and unambiguously. Still, even on those occasions, let us aim to make our words supportive of life.

Our words have enormous impact on how the voice of God sounds in the minds of our kids.

Teenagers, your words matter also. There is some interesting research that shows siblings have enormous impact on each other. The way I talk to my brothers and sisters will have a life-long effect.

The old King James version of the Bible translated our passage: Do not say to your brother, “You fool.” So for generations kids have been forbidden to say the word “fool” to their siblings. When I was a kid the word, “fool,” was essentially taboo. It could not be used. So we called each other “stupid idiots.”

The New Living Translation, captures this disparaging language and forbids it. The rule is “do not disparage another human being. Don't demean each other.” The children of God are challenged to follow the character of their father and use words as agents of creation and healing.

In this political season, we cannot avoid the public implications of the moral dimension of speech. It is immoral to use language that is dismissive and scornful. Political disagreements do not justify reckless speech. Most of us can think of some politician we disagree with who has used language we find offensive. This is true across the political spectrum. But when a particular politician or talk show host becomes famous for reckless speech, we ought to stand boldly against that speech. That kind of language is simply incompatible with life in the kingdom of heaven.

This is not an issue of right versus left or liberal versus conservative. Scornful, dismissive speech is forbidden to Christians. No matter what our political ideology.

In Matthew 12, Jesus returns to the theme of words—good words and bad words.

A good tree bears good fruit. A bad tree bears bad fruit. It's the same with persons: If foul speech comes from your mouth, you have a foul heart. If good speech comes from your mouth, you have a good heart.

This is so certain that in the judgment, God could make a reliable separation by simply sorting people according to their words. You would be saved or damned based on your speech.

Jesus is not creating some arbitrary rule. This is not fine print buried deep in a contract to catch the unsuspecting. Speech comes from the core of our being. Speech reveals the core of our being. When we work on making our speech sweeter, richer, more truthful, more helpful, we are working on real goodness, goodness that will shape the core of our being.

As our words become more kind, more gracious, we are bending our lives in direction of the character of God. We are becoming more competent as partners with God.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Imagine the creative and destructive power respectively of the phrases, “I love you.” “I hate you.”

“I love you” creates life and joy. These words make the universe more beautiful. “I hate you” withers, twists, and kills. These words disorder our world.

I have been talking about spiritual disciplines, habits we can deliberately cultivate that will nourish our soul and help catalyze our participation in the kingdom of heaven. Carefulness with our words is one of those life-giving habits.

Last week at the funeral, someone said to me, “You are supposed to give flowers before people are dead. So I'm going to give you a rose.” Then the person said something kind to me. It made my day. Made my week.

With Valentines upon us, I invite you to think of some of the people who have touched your life with kindness and tell them so. Give them the roses of sweet words, words of appreciation, words of affirmation. Then as we move through the year, deliberately cultivate the habit of speaking sweetly, of speaking encouragement, of speaking the truth, of showing respect even when you disagree.

Let's practice holy words. Let's model our speech after the life-giving, creative words of God.

Babylon Is Fallen. Be Merciful to the Poor

Sermon manuscript for Green Lake Church of Seventh-day Adventists

First Sabbath of Advent, November 28, 2015

Hannah was an unlikely prophet.

She still held the affection of her husband. But she was now a second wife. Having been displaced in her husband's family by another woman who had six kids. She endured the social stigma of her position. But the ache of her empty arms was beyond endurance.

On their annual trip to the temple, she was by herself praying. Her praying was so intense, so emotional, the high priest thought she was drunk. When she told him the truth of her situation, he blessed her and said, “May your prayer be granted.”

A year being Hanah give birth to a son. A few years later she brought he son Samuel to the temple and dedicated him to the Lord. He became the old priest's foster son and grew up in the temple, eventually becoming the religious and political leader of the nation.

Hanah was a musician and when she brought Samuel to the temple for his dedication, she sang this song:

"My heart rejoices in the LORD!

The LORD has made me strong. . . .

"Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don't speak with such arrogance!

For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions.

The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong.

Those who were well fed are now starving,

and those who were starving are now full.

The childless woman now has seven children,

and the woman with many children wastes away. . . .

He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.

He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor.

For all the earth is the LORD's, and he has set the world in order.

1 Samuel 2:1-8

This is a song of judgment. The ideas of this song are repeated over and over by the prophets. The high and mighty will be brought low. The lowly will be lifted to a place of plenty and privilege. The rich will become poor. The poor will be made rich.

There will be a grand reversal.

Today is the first day of Advent—the season when Christians traditionally give special attention to celebrating the birth and early life of Jesus the Messiah.

Central to our celebration is the Song of Mary. In contrast to Hanah, who was an old woman, long married, desperately hungry for gift of motherhood, Mary was barely of childbearing age, unmarried, just beginning to dream of domestic life. An angel announced to her that she was going to have a baby. A few months later she went to visit her cousin. There she wrote the song which the church rehearses every Advent season:

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,

and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.

His mighty arm has done tremendous things!

He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. . . .

Luke 1:41-55

Can you hear the theme of the Grand Reversal?

He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. . . .

Skip ahead almost 2000 years to the beginnings of the Adventist denomination. Again, a woman's voice captures the essence of the spiritual vision of the community. And curiously, at the very center of that vision is a song about the great reversal.

Those early Adventists took as their theme song, the vision right in the heart of the Book of Revelation, the vision of the three flying angels in chapter 14. The first angel rockets across the sky announcing:

Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Then second angel flies across the heavens, shouting:

Babylon is fallen!

The third angel delivers the scary message:

If anyone worships the beast and his image or receives the mark of loyalty they will be punished with fire and brimstone.

When we distill the essence of these three angels, we find the same theme that inspired Hannah's Song and Mary's Song. It is the Grand Reversal. Babylon is the symbol of earthly wealth and power. It is the symbol of successful empire.

In the Old Testament days of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel, Babylon was the literal kingdom that dominated their world. In the days of Jesus and the disciples, Babylon was the iron empire of Rome. Apparently invincible and eternal.

In the days of the Protestant Reformers, Babylon was the medieval papacy, the invincible and eternal power that could make kings bow and burned at the stake anyone who dared challenge her.

In our day, the invincible center of wealth and power is unquestionably the United States. And the message of Revelation reminds us, that our power and our wealth, like the power and wealth of ancient Babylon and ancient Rome is temporary. God will judge us. We who are mighty will be abased. We who are invincible will be brought low. And the poor will be lifted up. The powerless will will triumph.

Given this prophecy, what shall we do? --we who are citizens of the richest, most powerful, most invincible nation ever in the history of humanity?

2500 years ago the Prophet Daniel warned the king of Babylon, that he was facing the grand reversal. God was going to act in judgment and it wasn't going to be pretty. Then Daniel gave the king this advice:

King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.

This is not bad advice for us. Especially here in the season of Advent, the Christmas season. Let us remember that at the heart of our religion is the prophetic reminder of the Grand Reversal. God has special regard for those who are disadvantaged. People who are poor, people fleeing war, people whose families are haunted by disabilities, by addiction or mental illness, or even by just plain bad luck. God's plan includes a grand reversal.

We find our happiest work in cooperating with God. Let us use our wealth and strength, our brains and beauty, our American passports and Green Cards, our education and family background to cooperate with God.

Let's show mercy to the poor and know that as we do, God himself is made glad and we will find our richest happiness.