Sermon: Sunday 27th. November, 2005

Reading: “more than conquerors…………….” Romans 8.37

Crisis – what crisis ? The Sun newspaper reported Prime Minister Jim Callaghan as saying after getting off the plane from Guadeloupe in early 1979.

With half the country on strike, and inflation on the increase, he is supposed to have said Crisis, what crisis ?

There is certainly little doubt about the crisis, the danger, that threatened Israel, that we read of in the writings of the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. The people, the land of Israel faced crisis, desperate crisis.

What was that crisis ? Well, it is laid out for us in the pages of the prophets – it is there in Isaiah 52 that we read this morning.

With cities, stone built walled cities, irrigation systems, vineyards, orchards, and organised agriculture, Israel was a settled country. One city in Israel, of course, stood out above all the rest. Jerusalem. The Holy City, with the Temple standing high above the city, in the morning sunlight. Here, for Israel, was where the presence of God was. Here was His Temple, the worship of His name, here were sacrifices made day in day out, the great festivals and celebrations of the year took place here. So - many people in Israel were certain that the city was invincible. Wouldn’t God always protect His Holy Temple and the city round it ?

So you can imagine the disquiet, when rumours of war began to sweep through Israel,

and almost before anyone could react, these rumours became reality. A Babylonian army of unspeakable size arrived.

The prophet Jeremiah’s description fits them very well – Look an army is coming from the land of the north, a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth.They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy.There were so many of them, They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses they come like men in battle formation……..

Jeremiah also described the fear that gripped the people: our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us.. Do not go out into the fields or walk on the roads for the enemy has a sword and there is terror on every side.

We can gather from Jeremiah, that the gates of Jerusalem were broken down, great gaping holes were made in the city walls, and the Babylonian army poured in. Foreign soldiers, those who bowed before pagan gods flooded into the city, and into the Temple itself. Within a few short days, the leading citizens of the city taken away by merciless soldiers. These are the realities. We can scarcely imagine the shock of those who lived through these events.

The diagnosis of the prophet Isaiah, however, was this. That the crisis that Israel found itself in had started long before. The crisis that Israel found itself in was at heart a spiritual crisis. God had called them, shaped them, created them as a people, I will be your God, and you shall be my people, He had declared, He had given the Law to them and the worship of His name as a gift. So at the centre of Israel’s life, was profound relationship with the living God. And the real crisis of Israel - this is the message of Isaiah, indeed of all the prophets - began when they turned their backs on the living God. The real crisis was spiritual. To turn their backs on the source of their own life in God, was to lose the centre, and to be prey to any marauding army that chose to come their way. Held together in God, One in Him - trusting in Him – to love God with all heart, soul, mind, strength, there is the wellspring, the unshakeable strength of Israel, there is life.

How often, when pressures gather, how often we drift away too. How often we are carried away from that living relationship with God. Because we are frail and sinful, we forget that our life holds together in God. But to trust in God, to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, strength, there is the wellspring, there lies our unshakeable strength, there is life !

But the Word of the Lord in Isaiah has more to say than just a stark diagnosis of where the people had failed.

There is also a wonderful word of hope: The Word of the Lord in Isaiah 52 is this to His people - a Word of grace, and new life : wake up !, from your sleep, clothe yourself with new strength,put on garments of splendour, shake off the dust, sit enthroned, free yourself from chains and slavery…… A Word which declares this - that despite their desparate failings – despite their abandoning of the living God He has not abandoned them !

For as the seasons and the year turns, a day dawns with cataclysmic news ! News which spread like wildfire, the runners who came brought the news that the Babylonian empire had collapsed. While leaders and politicians from the countries round gathered to discuss these weighty matters - for the people of Israel, the most important news – was not in the first place about the diplomatic situation or the change in international affairs - but this - that God reigns ! He is who He said He is ! Steadfast and faithful. The prophet declares:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. 9 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.

Israel, ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, as the hymn says. Finding in the everlasting God, forgiveness and restoration. That same restoration and forgiveness that is ours, that we, you and I have found in the past, that same restoration and forgiveness that is here for us now and always will be, always will be in Jesus Christ !.

However, we could not leave Isaiah 52, without saying something of a deep and wonderful mystery here. For you see, the prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 52, leading into chapter 53 is a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ. The prophecy declares that He will be stricken, like Israel. He will be oppressed and afflicted, like Israel, but unlike Israel, he will be the perfect Servant of the Lord, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, but One whose trust in the living God is unfailing, unbroken, One whose love for the living God is with completeness of heart, and fullness of mind, soul and strength. Do we not see this always in the gospels ? Jesus’ complete oneness with His Father in heaven in prayer – in those quiet and still places, and in the crisis in Gethsemane ?

Look at His perfect trust in God even at the cross ? Is not God the very fullness of His mind – so that he spoke as no other ever spoke – is not God the very fullness of His soul – so that the love between Jesus and His Father in heaven is unbroken even at the cross – as we hear in those words – Father into Your hand I commend my spirit ? Is not God the very fullness of his strength – that power to calm the waves on Galilee, to heal the sick, the blind and the lame ?

And in incomprehensible power God has raised this same Jesus to life.

So what is the message for this morning ? This first Sunday of Advent ? It is this: as Romans puts it:

neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord

The foundation of faith, the foundation of unshakeable confidence and trust in the living God, is built on Jesus Christ. The One who trusted in God, and has triumphed over the grave. The One Who was more than conqueror Himself. In Him all our confidence and trust lies. In Him, as Paul puts it we are more than conquerors.

As this Advent season begins - who knows what the days ahead will bring ? Of course there will be joys, and contentment in the days to come ………. but they will bring with them too, more challenges, more burdens perhaps. ….. but - neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the very ground of Paul’s confidence ! listen to those words once again……….. neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. The rock like foundation of faith, that unshakeable confidence and trust in the living God, is built on Jesus Christ. The One who trusted in God, and triumphed over the grave. Who was more than conqueror Himself.

In Him all our confidence and trust lies.

AMEN.