Advent: Love Sermon Part 1

I’ve always wondered what the Magi expected when they went searching for “the one who is to be born King of the Jews.” I am not sure if they even expected a baby. But even if they did, he sure didn’t seem like royalty. I also wonder what they thought when they came to the place where Jesus was. I can imagine the scene as these travelers who have followed a star in the sky from a distant land finally come to the house that holds this person about whom prophecies foretold. And as they get closer they think, “This is not the best part of town. Are we sure our coordinates are correct?” And one of the others says, “We’re both looking at the same blinding light in the sky, right? Well then yes, this is the place.” And as they park their camels in front of this modest abode, they become even more uncomfortable leaving their nice rides out front of the house in full view of what looks like some suspicious teenagers. But, the star is right above this spot, so they can’t exactly disagree. And as they knock on the door, a poor woman answers, whom they assume is the maid, but come to find out she is actually the mother, Mary.

One Magi looks at the others and says, “Wise man conference, right now.” They go and huddle in the corner and are completely dumbfounded by being confronted with the unexpected. They expected a prince – a king in training – with all the royal accessories like a golden crib, a diamond studded pacifier, purple silk diapers, and a crystal milk bottle. What they got was, to put it nicely, a hovel. They found a baby with stained cloth diapers in a wooden crib with straw to keep him warm. A mother who was better suited to be a handmaid than a Queen. And a father whose rough, calloused hands told of a difficult way of life rather than one of kingly luxury. And through their quick deliberation they come to the conclusion that the coordinates to their searching are correct, but their expectations were not. And so they reevaluate their approach and present their kingly gifts to this homely baby that defied their expectations.

From then on, this Messiah continued to defy expectations. The Jews sought a political savior and instead they get a spiritual one. They hoped for a reigning King and instead they got a crucified criminal.

I wonder what we expect when we think of God entering into this world? Do we expect a judge who will punish the sinners who have ruined this world? Do we expect an enforcer who strictly imposes the letter of the law on his followers? Do we want a warrior king, someone who will fight for us? Because if we do, we will be sorely disappointed. Jesus is a lover, not a fighter. One of our most cherished passages of Scripture, John 3:16, clearly testifies to this – For God so loved the world. A love born of God’s connectedness with us as God’s creation. We stand as God’s treasured possession.

In love God sent Jesus into the world. In love Jesus turned the other cheek and endured scorn. In love Jesus died on the cross for us. In love Jesus judges the world, but not as we would judge. We judge with the sword. We think justice involves punishment. But that is not what John 3:17 says constitutes judgment: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus did not come for condemnation but for salvation. This king, this Savior, does not wield a sword; he wields a staff, and like a shepherd gently prods his people back. Any expectations of God as a cruel judge melt before the heat of his love. Yes, there is judgment, but Love is the judge – not the sword.

To help illustrate this concept, John uses the imagery of light piercing the darkness. He says in verses 19-21, “Light has come into the world, but humanity loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Light can’t help but illuminate darkness. The very properties inherent within light accomplish this. Light is not attacking darkness in some violent way. Light just dispels darkness because light is more powerful. Have you ever noticed how far a little light goes? In complete darkness just a glimmer of light can be overpowering as our eyes adjust. In the same way, the Light of Jesus can’t help but disperse the darkness of sin. That is just what Jesus does. John 1 says that in Jesus was life, and that life was the light of men. It is in Jesus’ very nature to bring light and life and love.

Some people can’t help but be nice, caring, loving. We often say that is second nature to them. There is some truth in that, but not what we may think. This sort of nature is not just a trait that they received at birth. Some people have cultivated a certain nature of love. They have replaced their selfish nature with an inherently loving, self-sacrificing one. Maybe that is supposed to be all of our natures as our selfish one is replaced with a second, renewed, spiritual one. Maybe we are all supposed to be transformed into the kind of people who naturally love first because it is an overflow of who we are. Maybe we are all supposed to have the same nature of life, light, and love.