God Come down!

11-30-08

Isaiah 64:1-9

Albertville MN

Rev. Michael Trask

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Advent Begins in Darkness. Week after week we light one candle after another to express hope in the growing light of Christ’s coming. But advent BEGINS in darkness; with a healthy recognition that there is darkness.

And there is darkness in the world: Unspeakable crimes, horrible wars fed by man’s hatred for his brother, terrible diseases, frightening natural disasters, and morality in most of the developed nations of the world seem to be out the window. They things that people accept and condone today would shock those who lived just a generation ago.

And of course, you know the questions that God’s people ask again and again when they see they see the darkness increasing: “Where is God in all of this?” “Why doesn’t God do anything about it?” “Why does he allow it?” “Why doesn’t he just come down here and set things straight!”

Some people, suffering the effects of evil in the world, actually begin to doubt that God exists. “How can he”, they reason, “when its as bad as all this!” “If God is Good and loving why doesn’t he come down and get rid of the evil?

That’s exactly what Isaiah wishes for in today’s Old Testament lesson. He says to God “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!”

His nation was in trouble; on the verge of being conquered by Assyria. And Isaiah was saying “O Lord, why don’t you do something?” “Why don’t you do something like you did in former times”. He was thinking about what God had done in the escape to Egypt: The plagues, the parting of the Red sea, the drowning of their pursuers. It was so right; it was so just; it was so fair! The good guys were protected by God and the bad guys got what was coming to ‘em! Why wouldn’t God do the same thing again? “Oh that you would rend the heaven’s and come down!”

But here’s where it gets kind of amusing. Isaiah goes on and on about how God should help the good guys and blast the bad guys, but then there is a sudden realization of sorts. Listen to this: “You come to help those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.” (Heres’ the realization) “But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How can we be saved?” Oh! Something you didn’t think about at first, huh Isaiah? If God rends the heavens and comes down and wipes out all the evil in the world, he’s going to have to wipe you out too because evil resides in you insofar as you are a sinful human being! You have not, as you say, “Gladly done right.”. You have not, as you say “Remembered” the ways of God. And because of that, you rightly wonder how you can be saved from the righteous judgment of this God who comes down.

And its not just Isaiah, its you and me. We say “Why doesn’t God do something about the evil in the world.” Be careful what you wish for! Have you not done and said and thought some rather shameful things? If God were to come and wipe out all that is evil in the world, God would have to wipe out you and me. For as you know, but are perhaps afraid to admit, evil resides in you and me. Deep down inside, we are not pure and fresh and clean as the driven snow and filled with love for God and our fellow man. No. Deep down inside us is sin. Indeed, we’re civilized. We know how to put on a good face, but we know what goes on inside us. Listen to how Isaiah describes himself, his people, and us: “All of us have become unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

So you want to know why God does not come down and blast all evil doers in the here and now! Do you want to know why he allows evil people to exist in the world? He does it because he’s merciful! He does it so that sinful people like you and me can go on living!

And by the way, God did rend the heavens and come down as Isaiah asked, but not in the manner that Isaiah asked. He did not come to issue condemnation for the world, he came instead to redeem the world, to save it. The heavens opened on that evening that shepherds were tending their flocks. You know the words the angel spoke: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of Great joy which shall be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.......” God did come down at Christmas; he came to save.

In the Gospel lesson for today, we heard how this Savior Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the people shouted “Hosanna” which means “save us!” “save us now!” A few days later they put him on a cross and mocked him saying, “Save yourself!” Little did they know that Jesus WAS saving them and us by NOT saving himself. God had come down to destroy his enemies! God was destroying his enemies when he put your sin and my sins on Jesus and damned him in our place.

Judgement was carried out. Our sins were answered for....not in us...but rather, in him.

The scriptures tell us that he will rend the heavens and come down once more, on the last day when he comes to judge the living and the dead. On that day you will make your stand, not on your own righteous record, but by faith in him who died for you. The long dark night will be over, in fact, there will be no night (Rev. 21:25). In advent, as we light the candles, with ever increasing number, we look forward to that day. AMEN