This is not a Christmas beard its a covid beard
trying to keep it under control is not easy
someone commented on it to me the other day – ‘You need to do some manscaping!’
I just smiled but I thought ‘they don’t know that doesn’t mean what they think it means!’
Now please don’t google it right now!!!!!
That’s my fear today as we begin Advent – ‘you don’t know that doesn’t mean what you think it means!’
My fear is that the title of todays message has a similar feel you know that this doesn’t mean what you think it means. Perhaps all the words cause confusion. Advent Peace Abide, hopefully we are clear on invitation. The only thing I will say on that is please accept the invitation.
Advent means the arrival
it is used to prepare for the arrival of Jesus.
But all too often Advent and Christmas don’t mean what you think they mean
Is it the Arrival of the King of Kings?
or the Arrival of a baby born in squalor?
The whole drama has been sentimentalised and sanitised.
Luke 2:1-2 – This roots the event of Advent in history but much more than this it roots Advent in the purpose of God for all time.
Let’s set a context
44 BC Julias Caesar rules
those in the senate fear he has become too powerful so they have him murdered
before he was murdered he adopted his grand nephew Octavian
Octavian adopted his adopted father’s name and set out to avenge his adopted fathers death.
Then held games in order to honour his adopted father
at the time a comet was seen in the sky
this is seen as a sign that Julias Ceaser was a God
So Octavian comes to be seen as the Son of God – seen on the coins found from the time
He gets the name Augustus – ‘the illustrious one’
It is by seeing off all those that opposed him that he brings a period of PEACE in Rome – the ‘pax romana’
Octavian is seen as the Saviour and the bringer of PEACE, even referred to as the one who had taken away the people’s sins.
So the birth date of Caesar Augustus is celebrated as the good news for the whole world
But this peace was through enforcement the slaughter of anyone who rebels against the empire.
The people witnessing the story written by Luke are not the privileged few who are enjoying the peace rather they are ones being oppressed so that the few could enjoy the peace
The background of the arrival of Jesus announced here has a backdrop of the pax romana, that a saviour will come who will bring real peace but the background is a Peace brought about and maintained by force
I am sure most of you have experienced this Christmas scene – driving to grandparents with kids fighting in the back of the car – either you have been the parents or you have been one of the kids.
“If you don’t stop that and sit quietly for the rest of the journey then we will turn around and go home and you will not get presents from Grandma and Grandpa!”
Of course that gets them to be quiet and you have a peaceful journey but its a peace brought about by threat. that’s pax romana! Peace as long as threat remains
In this context Angels announce GOOD NEWS
A Saviour. A Sign – not a comet in the sky but a baby
Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
Jesus is LORD is a declaration over against Caesar as lord
Jesus as Lord is the bringer of Perfect PEACE rather than partial peace
The outcome is contrary to what would be expected – a very different kind of peace
Hebrew idea of Peace – Shalom – complete wellbeing and wholeness
God has come near once again – Immanuel – God with us
God with us in the midst of upheaval and turmoil.
So Advent is the Arrival of very different ruler
He is the bringer of Peace but brings it in a different way and it is a different Peace
So what of this Invitation to ABIDE?
Most of you would have heard me preach and teach about Abiding before. I will have referred to John 15 ‘If you remain / abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit’
You will have seen me use the semi circle, a shape that a pendulum makes as it swings to and fro.
This is about Being and Doing
Covenant / Kingdom
Be with me / Do the things I do
Relationship – I will be your God and you will be my people
Activity – being a part of the purposes and plans of the living God.
Jesus says if you ‘Remain in Me’ and my words remain in you ask and it will be given 15:7
We Abide in Jesus and the test that we are Abiding is that we are hearing His voice and as we hear His voice, His voice creates faith because faith comes by hearing the word (Rom 10 :17). And faith is what we activate to see what it is that God wants to do through us.
In Abiding time the Word that produces faith that gives us confidence to seek what God wants in our life and we discover a love that captures our heart and is expressed in love to one another – By this all men will know that you are my disciples
An important part of understanding this is Work and Rest.
On Day 6 God plays with mud and ribs and creates Adam and Eve.
Says ‘Be fruitful and Work’ Then gives them a day off. It is the first thing they do, they rest then work
We are created and called to Work from Rest not to Rest from Work!
We are created to do mission from Abiding
The biggest reason why we do not produce much mission fruit is because we are not beginning in that place of remaining / ABIDING in Him.
What is God saying to us about this changing world? How will we hear his voice?
Being one with God and doing the things he does. –acting on his behalf. Living as Jesus lived, loving as Jesus loved, doing as Jesus did. They are the two great themes of the Bible expressed as Covenant and Kingdom.
We now have his identity, so we can access exactly what Jesus accessed when we use his name. ‘If you ask for anything in my name the Father will give it to you’.
The picture is one of fruitfulness and there is a process to go through in order to be fruitful, that ensures fruitfulness.
Everyone wants to be fruitful.
Jesus says you are fruitful by remaining / abiding in me.
Jesus suggests that this abiding experience occurs through pruning. V2-4
So it’s not a slot machine relationship it is a covenant relationship.
In preparing this I became aware that this principle relates to the peace Christ came to establish in this world
I shouldn’t be surprised because I have said many times before that these two great themes are found throughout the Bible
Covenant and Kingdom
Rest and Work
Being and Doing
Peace and ? ah careful here
It is Peace and Peace
but it is inner Peace and outer Peace
Peace and Order in our Soul and Peace and Order in the world
Personal Peace and Social Peace
Instruments of Peace so that we can bring peace
If you desire Peace in the world, if you desire the fruit of Peace then first you need to find Peace by Abiding.
Our world is riven through with activism and the Christian world with religious activism.
We are called to win the world for Christ but first we are called to Abide in Christ.
We are called to seek Justice but first we are called to Abide in God of Justice.
We would love to have the power to change things but power is a dangerous thing and so first we must Abide with the powerful Holy Spirit.
We want Peace – – – But first we must Abide with the Prince of Peace.
Doesn’t want our sacrifice he wants us Ps 40
Advent is an invitation to ABIDE
How much time do we spend sunbathing in God?
silence listen
Simply using ‘Jesus’
Lectio Divina using read reflect respond rest
We need to spend longer with Jesus
BUT …..
Problem if we just make it an internal peace where you enjoy God while all the world is burning around you
personal peace while there is so much injustice and suffering is another kind of ‘pax romana’
That’s why I was concerned that
‘you don’t know that doesn’t mean what you think it means!’
Rather it has to be where all that is broken is mended
Eph2 – He has broken the divided wall of hostility
Peace beyond us that brings wholeness
it rights wrongs
it brings dignity
it is a Kingdom narrative
Caesar does not get the final word on what peace is
Incarnation is our model for Abiding – Christ Abided in the world
It is incomplete to stop short with only a personal experience of Peace but it is also incomplete to only be pursuing wider social Peace
We need inner Peace as well as social Peace else we will live with inner turmoil
If you go for social peace without inner peace you can end up angry twisted and bitter
I have met many activists whose marriages are falling apart
who have so much unresolved brokenness
people who chase after social justice and are cruel to their wives and kids and parents
I understand the feeling ….
‘Why don’t you care about this as much as I do?’
But you can get angry in your activity
Doing so much good but so much personal brokenness.
Others are stuck in personal peace you feel complete but you fail to recognise that you are called to be a bringer of peace
take your head out of the sand
‘happy place, happy place’ – Radio DJ Jordan North ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here’
A bringer of peace in
families
friends
race
economy
justice
politics
Sue is going to sing the Carol ‘O Holy night’
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is Love and His gospel is Peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease,
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his Holy name!
The coming of the birth of Jesus brings inner Peace and Peace beyond the breaking of chains
Where does the pendulum need to swing for you?
not a pendulum of peace and lack of peace
it is a pendulum of inner peace and social peace
Peace in your soul and peace in the world
Peace be with you
can be corny
we can’t greet one another with the peace but can we desire it
for yourselves
for one another
for this nation
for the world.
Group Notes
The Incarnation is our model for Abiding – Christ Abided in the world.
He Abides with us.
He Abides with those who have no one to abide with them.
Loving the unlovely and unlovable.
In what ways are we guilty of being exclusively committed?
Who do Abide with and with whom do we avoid Abiding?
How can we Abide more deeply in Christ?
How do we Abide more effectively in the world?
If the Incarnation is a template for mission, how do we engage at Christmas?
How do we Restore the Awe of Christmas?
How can we cultivate a fresh longing and hope for Jesus and His Peace?
If that is our Being, our Abiding, then comes the Doing, our Mission and the fruit of it.
In what ways and we go to the world with a message of peace rather than thinking they will come to us looking for it?
Pray for Peace
for yourselves
for one another
for this nation
for the world.